Things you should do during an interview

After my post on the obvious things you shouldn't do during an interview, here are a few obvious and not-so obvious things that you should do during an interview.

1. Give a firm handshake
Ladies (and gents), a firm handshake makes the best impression on an interviewer. As an interviewer myself, I am far more impressed with someone that gives me a firm handshake. I asked around to my superiors, and most said their first impression on me was stronger because I gave a good handshake. It's actually been proven that women do better in interviews if they give a firm handshake. (Seriously. Google it.) Remember though, there is a difference between a nice, strong handshake, and causing physical pain. Pain = bad.


2. If you can get off topic with the interviewer, do it.
Not saying you should talk about the weather, but if the interviewer states anything personal about themselves, jump on the opportunity to talk about it. This takes it from being just another interview to "Oh yeah, I remember that one." To get this position I got in a detailed conversation about ladybugs. Seriously. Ladybugs.

3. Ask serious questions
Don't ask generic questions like "What is this subject" or "how did that start?". If they are questions you can answer in Google or off of a company page, don't ask it. Instead, ask questions about things you can't find online. Here are some examples:

• Ask the interviewer what they like most about the job
• Ask the interview what they like least about the job (this is a very good one to ask)
• What is a day in the job like?
• Are there company outings / group activities?
• Is there opportunity for advancement in the company?

 4. Overdress
I know it sounds weird, but (men) if you are deciding about whether to wear a tie or not, do it. Ladies, instead of your favorite shirt, why not your nicest one? You may not be hired into a position where you need to dress up that much, but it makes quite an impression on your interviewer.

Things you shouldn't do in an interview

Everyone says that there are things you should and shouldn't do in an interview, but here are a few obvious ones that surprisingly still happen quite often. I'm making this list because this can be automatic disqualifications from getting a job that you'd love to have:

1. Do not lie.
I'm dead serious. This happens way more than you'd think. During the process of one interview, the interviewee was talking about how he had written a massive report on regulation codes and how a project fit it. It sounded quite impressive, until he mentioned that he had brought it with him. In looking through the report, it was clear that he could not have written a good portion of the report based on language and reference documents. When he was asked about it, he stated that he actually only wrote about 40% of the report. Lying during the interview got him automatically disqualified from getting the position that he would have gotten otherwise.

2. Do not show up unprepared
In an interview for the main project being worked on, the interviewee did not prepare for the interview at all. I ended up spending most of the interview explaining background than actually interviewing the individual. If you come prepared to an interview with questions, it shows that you've researched into the job and are actually interested.

3. Do not ask about other positions
The worst interview I had was with an individual who had a great deal of experience in the field relating to the position. When I asked what he was most interested in for the subject field, he stated something that was not related to the position at all. Keep in mind, this is not a bad thing. I asked him how he would handle the position available as it wasn't his big interest. The possible responses he should have had could have been:

• I don't have experience in the field of this position, but it is something that I am interested in pursuing. I am currently interested in (A) because that is what I have experience in so far.
• I feel that my drive in (A) shows my motivation to learn new things.
• I am interested in this position in spite of (A)

Okay, so the last one could use some spiffing up, but you get the idea. The response he had was this:
"Oh well, are there any positions available that relate to (A) or a division I could transfer in to?"

At this point I should have just told him "Thank you for coming, have a nice day." He pretty much stated he had no interest in this position, and had just wasted an hour of my life that I could have spent interviewing someone that actually wanted the position.

Please, do not do any of this things if you actually intend on getting a job. These were all college graduate engineers, and they could have used this advice ahead of time. Don't be one of them.

Resume tips and pointers

Resume. It's a word most people have come to fear, though people simply fear things that they do not understand. I've spent a great deal of time sorting through resume's in both helping fix them up and actually sorting through them for hiring. Here are a few things that are extremely important to remember and will help to stop your resume from getting brushed into a pile.

1. First thing first, proofread your resume.

I cannot tell you how many times I have looked at resumes and had improper grammar and tenses used, and found spelling mistakes. I end up getting distracted by the errors that I forget I'm in the middle of trying to hire someone. Read over it yourself, have a friend read it, and then read over it some more. It may be just a minor comma that was added or a small fragment, but when someone is judging you off of a single sheet of paper, don't let it be because you can't spell.


2. Always write a cover letter

Unless a job specifically says to not include a cover letter, always write one. It gives you the chance to tell a potential employer the things your resume doesn't say. Are you applying to be a pilot because you grew up building model airplanes? Did you live through an earthquake and decide to do seismic studies for college? Is your GPA low because you had a part time job? Did you once rig your bedroom door to open with a remote control? We (as employers) want to know the person behind the resume.

Now, cover letters aren't a one size fits all for jobs. You may be able to make a general one to use as a template, but it really is important to make it fit to the job you are applying for. Go to the job website. Search it on Google or Wikipedia. The more you know about what you'd be doing, the better your cover letter can be created to suit the position. This is part of the reason searching for a job can be considered a full time job on its own - a lot of time gets put into it.

3. Ask for more information

If you are applying for a job to an email or though a school job listing, ask the employer for more information or where you can get more information about the company. This is good for two reasons: 1. It shows that you are interested, and 2. if they respond, you can try to keep a dialog going. Your name will remain in their head, and you will be a more likely candidate.  Do not ask about the pay.

4. Use a resume template

I know templates can be overused, but when everything on the page is the same size, same font, no sectioning, no bullets, etc. it becomes a little difficult to follow and understand. Templates were made for a reason: they work!

5. Your email is not your cover letter.

A cover letter says you spent time thinking and writing it all out. An email says you spent 5 minutes looking into the job then applied. Employers want someone that is actually interested in the job they may have!



I'll be sure to make a posting on how to write a decent resume and cover letter, and other useful hints in this regard as well. This should be useful in the meantime!


Good luck job hunting!

Working in the Male Environment

Ladies, I'm sure you are used to spending countless hours in classrooms, computer rooms, labs, and a good portion of doing homework being around guys. Let's face it - engineering is a male dominated major. However, that's what makes us awesome as women for "fighting the system" and showing the guys we are just as good if not better. Unfortunately, it's something you will probably need to get used to, as being an engineer means you will be working in a male environment.

I work as a nuclear licensing engineer at a nuclear power plant, and on a daily basis have interacted with two other female engineers. It is not common to have women around in such complicated environments. Multiple times people have been surprised in meeting me at conference calls and in person, assuming that my name was "Daniel" instead of "Danielle", or mistaking me as a new secretary. These mistakes are small things I let roll off my shoulders, and use them instead to motivate myself to be recognized. In allowing my motivation and strengths show, I've been recognized for my work more so that some others. After being at this job for still under two months, I am now the lead project engineer on a high priority project, and will be defined as the site expert on the subject in a few months. I've realized that the men can look down on me or treat me different for being female all they want, but it hasn't stopped me from furthering myself more in two months than they have.

I've come to realize it is important to build a thick skin against these things if you want to be able to succeed in this type of working environment. Sure, you will be oogled at my men (I mean, it is their nature and sometimes it just happens) but it doesn't mean that they are going to go all creepo and harass you. Sometimes these guys are so used to being around guys all the time they forget to censor some comments they make when women are present. You don't need to be one of the guys, and you definitely shouldn't be a vixen in the workplace. All you need to do is be understanding, look professional, and act in a manner that will have people give you the respect you are working for.

Some things to be cautious of though:

1. Remember that they are your coworkers. This isn't college anymore. Don't flirt with the people you work with, since usually companies have policies against dating and it never ends well. Think about it... how would you feel being stuck in a room with someone that dumped you, every day in your career?

2. Learn how to write professional emails. Every email you send is an important one, regardless of the subject. Do not use slang, curse, be rude, and always use proper punctuation and grammar. Also, don't use a big word when you can use smaller ones instead. Just because you know what fission or thermofluids means doesn't mean they do.

3. Never ever throw your coworkers "under the bus" so to say. You will be in an office with them, and you will need their help over time, so don't burn your own bridges.

And most importantly, as long as you dedicate yourself to your work, there is nothing you cannot accomplish.