Oops, did I do that?

During an interview many people trip-up when asked about a time they failed. The interviewer knows you are human. So fess up and tell them what you did wrong.

Do not shift the blame to others. It makes you look like you can not take responsibility for your actions, even if it really was not your fault.

Do not blame the situation. Again, it looks as if you do not know when you have done wrong.

Do not act like the victim. You will appear weak and possibly be unable to tackle tough jobs.

Instead, explain how you successfully resolved the issue. Tell the interviewer what you learned from the experience. And/or how to avoid these problems in the future.

Before going into an interview, think about a time you did not perform to the best of your ability or how you might have been the cause of a not so easy problem to solve.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

This is such a trick question! It is not looking for a “real” answer but it does implore a legitimate answer. So how should you answer? Truthfully.

Personally, I like to keep my options opened. It is not that I am direction-less. However, I see the world pregnant with possibilities. Why limit myself?

I mean, I want a position as a social media specialist. BUT this kind of job did not even exist five years ago. In fact, social media just started taking-off while I was a freshman.

I was actually an early adopter of Facebook. My friends literally begged me to join. I honestly believed at the time it was just a fad. There were only a few universities available then, Purdue was luckily one of them. MySpace was still dominating the scene and bloggers were still seen as kind of insignificant.

So in five years, I am not exactly sure where I will be. But I know it will most likely involve public relations and emerging technologies.

Cleaning out my Closet

Remember those super-ridiculous nights in college you could not piece together until you saw all the incriminating photographs on Facebook the next day? Your friends comment on how mortifying the pictures are. The friends who were present write on your wall just to remind you of the silly things which transpired the evening before. There were some good laughs shared.

But there comes a time when you need to graduate and let-go of all those late night shenanigans… when you need to clean-up your Facebook. Untag those incriminating pictures, delete whole albums, and censor your language. Perhaps even defriend a few people along the way.

Or you could take the easy way out and privatize your personal life from your professional life. However, even then it is a difficult. It will always come back to you.

So remember to keep it clean. If you don’t want your boss, parents, or children to see it – you probably shouldn’t post it. There’s no such thing as “privacy” online.

You better call Craig

I have recently been really aggressive with my job search on Internet Job forums, specifically Craig’s List. They even claim to be the most effective job board online. Costing only $25 per job posting, it is a good deal for posters.

However, in less than 24 hours I received e-mails from 4 different scams. Obviously, the farthest I have gotten with each “company” is a confirmation e-mail.

First, I got an e-mail from Davis Scott <officeunit77@capitalprocessnetwork.net> telling me I was hired.

Then Michelle Croft <michelle.croft@reebok-usa.com> sends me an e-mail from “Reebok USA” a tentative offer of employment, at 5 am.

A few hours later, Jessica Seamon <divineedge@executivehrdepartment.com> wants to schedule an interview with me.

And just a few minutes later, Michael Lewis using Aldrete Miguel’s e-mail account <aldreteiguelanger@dotmat.net> informs me the position I applied for is filled BUT would like to offer me a secret shopper position instead.

There were a few tell-tell signs these were scams:

• Some of these e-mails were ready to offer me a position with no interviews what so ever.
• They used shady e-mail addresses, one of them even used a different name than the account holder’s.
• One wanted a credit check as well as “two forms of id”.
• Who is sending e-mails from work at 5 in the morning?
• Most of these “companies” do not even exist.

At first these e-mails seem like your search is finally OVER; however, they are just scams. Before accepting anything, do your research. Make sure you know who you are corresponding with and just use common sense.

Good luck fellow seekers.

Skills and Such

When applying to a job is it such a terrible idea to include skills you have acquired through life, such as: patience because your mother has none, ability to organize because your brothers are a mess or leader because you are the oldest of five children?

They are definitely learned but the resume is not necessarily the best place to include them. Interjecting these things during an interview seems like a better idea.

Skills I have learned from my family:

Cooking, from years of living in the kitchen

Cleaning, since I was tall enough to stand on a stood to wash dishes

Patience, aunts will test your will every chance they get

Strength, cousins are there to help you get over being emotionally-sensitive

Ability to prioritize, family demanded a lot – I decided what was important

Flexible, family demanded a lot – and they’re always right

Team oriented, family is everything

Leader, the oldest of five children

Responsibility, the oldest of five children

Problem solving, being the leader of bad decisions leads to learning how to get out of them

Communicator, huge family with no attention span – ability to communication effectively is a must

Bi-lingual, raised in two different worlds

These are just a few things I have learned from my family. Actual work experience has even more to offer.

If I applied to a new family, I would be a catch. Ha. But I would never do that…

Social Media Guru

It is interesting how many “senior” social media positions require five to ten years in “the field”.

The field as in public relations. But what about the field as in social media? Social media is old, for technology but new in the public relations field. Those job postings which require 5+ years of experience in social media, must only be looking for early adopters.

All the “experts” in social media, dare I say it, are brand new graduates. We understand how social media works the best because to us, YouTube is ancient and Facebook is our way of life.

Many graduates however fail to understand the difference between social media via personal and social media via business. When economics come into play, the whole dynamic is changed.

Blah blah blah…

Everyone and their mom has a blog now a days. Blogs have become common place. Everyone has to have their 2 cents in.

They have become boring, stale and old. Many blogs are just regurgitated information, usually.

Web2.0 is definitely aging. Many early adopters are already looking at what’s around the corner. The Synaptic Web is definitely here. For the rest of society, enjoy Web2.0… or what’s left of it anyways.

Let’s move on!