SWOOSH: Liaison's Candidate Newsletter
Creative Profile:
James Apel
James Apel

James Apel has recently worked with us at Enspire Learning doing Flash animation for e-learning courseware. A recent graduate from Texas State University in San Marcos, he's also an avid gamer, screen-printing artist, and bass player. With GUI design, character animation, and storyboarding under his belt, and the fact that he's such a great guy to work with, we're eager to work with James again soon. Check out some of his work here....
Helpful Job Sites
Good Stuff
Dog

Spend a little time researching the greatest debate of our time:
Dogs vs Cats
Summer, 2007
Welcome to the Summer issue of SWOOSH, Liaison's quarterly newsletter created to help us stay in touch with our favorite creative talent: you! Every few months we offer our perspective on the job market, advice on applying to jobs, profiles of some of our valued talent, links to career resources and completely random thoughts. We hope you find it helpful, and we welcome your feedback.

Sincerely,
The SWOOSH News Team
www.liaisonresources.com

Molly's Supermagical Interview Wisdom

Molly Holmes is HR Director and Recruiter at Liason Resources.


Interviewing is the single most important part of the job search process. Sure, you need a great resume and cover letter to get in the door.  Yes, a thank-you note and strong follow up skills can help you seal the deal. But when it comes down to it, the interview is where the magic needs to happen. That magic may be easier to achieve than you think -- if you know a few good tricks.

Hanging Out in the Lobby: Bad Idea.
You have the sweet interview clothes on, your resume and portfolio with you, and you leave early enough to find your way and arrive on time (of course one should never be late to an interview). But how early should you arrive? Your best bet is to check in with the receptionist about five to ten minutes before the interview. If you do arrive 45 minutes early -- great! Just don't walk into the building yet. Kill some time. Re-read the printouts you made from the company's website. Find a copy of The Austin Chronicle and see if The Liaison Band is playing Auditorium Shores that weekend. Chill out in your car and think deep thoughts.

Remember, it's important to respect the schedule of the person who is interviewing you. You don't want to make them feel rushed. I know plenty of hiring managers who would feel bad about you sitting out in the lobby waiting for more than 10 minutes. It might translate into a less positive interviewing experience for both of you.

The Dead Fish and Other Handshakes
The time has arrived and the receptionist calls your name. You meet the hiring manager and she holds her hand out for the shake. Don't let this be the beginning of the end. In any social situation, you've got about sixty seconds to make the all-important first impression. When you meet people at a party you make decisions about them from the moment you lay eyes on them and start a conversation. Some impressions are conscious and some are unconscious: "That guy seemed arrogant," "That girl sounded highly intelligent," or "That person seemed totally nervous". It's the same in an interview!

When you walk towards the interviewer, look him in the eye, walk with confidence, and then shake his hand like a pro. Avoid a weak handshake at all costs. The worst ones are the "dead fish" handshake where someone just lays his hand in yours but doesn't squeeze. Icky. Then there's "the crusher" where someone grabs your hand around the knuckles rather than the palm and squeezes as hard as they can to show dominance. Smooth.  Another classic handshake is the "half handshake" AKA "The Victorian handshake" where the person folds her hand in half and just gives you the top part of their hand to shake. Ew. Not a great first impression.

A confident handshake is really quite easy. The webbing between your thumb and forefinger should meet up with their webbing (not as gross as it sounds). Give it a nice squeeze and shake it about three or four times and release. Now y'all stop laughing! I'd say 20% of the handshakes I get leave me with a bad impression. This may sound weird, but practice your handshakes and ask for feedback. Now there's a great icebreaker at a party: "Would you mind giving me some feedback on my handshake?"

Windows to the Soul
Look the interviewer in the eye. Making eye contact shows confidence and personality. You don't want to stare at the interviewer like you're trying to rob her soul, but be sure that eyes meet frequently. Avoid constantly looking around the room while you are talking because it gives the impression that you're nervous or disengaged. Shifty eyes are not good interview eyes. Remember, the nonverbal message usually speaks louder than the verbal message.

Go with the Flow
Most interviews take place during the middle of the workday. The phones are ringing, people are hurrying through the hallways late to meetings, and a host of normal business day activities are occurring (and maybe some less than normal if you're interviewing here at Liaison HQ!). To be sure, some interviewers will close their door and focus intently during the interview, but in many cases this does not happen. As a result, your interviewer may be quite distracted. She may have to take a phone call, or someone may interrupt the interview to ask her to sit in on an impromptu phone meeting with an irate client (not with Liaison of course). She may be preoccupied because she has a huge presentation right after your interview or she may be behind schedule on an important project. Simply put, the business world doesn't stop when it's time for your interview, no matter how cool your clothes are. So here are a few tips:
    · Stay focused during your interview. If for some reason your interviewer gets interrupted, simply remember where you left off and then bring the interviewer back up to speed.

    · Don't take it personally when something doesn't go according to plan. If the interview starts late, if the company substitutes interviewers at the last minute, or even if an interruption takes half of your interview time, simply go with the flow and do your best. Recognize this type of situation as an opportunity to show your grace and professionalism under pressure. Interviewers notice that kind of thing.
What's so great about this company?
Asking good questions at the end of the interview plays a big role in a hiring decision. Virtually every interviewer will close your session by asking "do you have any questions for me?" The absolute worst thing you can say is "no". You don't want to send the message that you're not interested (unless you actually aren't)! Remember: If they hire you, the company and you are making a huge commitment to each other. You should always have two or three questions to ask. Please make sure these are not basic questions that you can learn about on their company website. The questions you should ask are things you are legitimately interested in learning the answers to. Try to find out about the position, the company and the culture by asking questions like:
    · What do you like about working here?
    · What makes a new employee successful here?
    · What are the best parts of the company's culture?
    · What would my day-to-day activities entail?
    · How do you feel about the company's place in the market?
    · What topic is the CEO most passionate about?
    · What do you tell people at a party that the company does?
And, GO!
Remember, ultimately an interview is just people having a conversation. More often than not, the interviewer wants you to have a successful interview so they can see the position filled and find the help they need. These few interview tricks just might help you land your next favorite job of all times ever. Now go make some magic!!
 
Next Issue...
Stay tuned for the next SWOOSH, when we share tales of job-hunting trial and triumph. In our interviews with employees and candidates, we'll get their advice on job-hunting success, stories of interesting experiences, and original insights. We'll also have more creative career resources and some wholly irrelevant surprises. See you then!

The SWOOSH News Team
swoosh@liaisonresources.com
www.liaisonresources.com

Liaison Resources is committed to respecting your privacy. For specific information, read the Liaison Privacy Policy. If you would like to be removed from our e-newsletter list, click the Safe Unsubscribe link below. If you received this from a friend or colleague and would like to register to join our monthly e-newsletter mailings, sign up here. © 2007 Liaison Resources, L.P. All product and company names are trademarks of their respective owners.