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Jan 09

Top 10 Toughest Interview Questions

By UGrowU Tips No Comments »

I was browsing the internet to get thoughts on what some of the toughest interview questions were and I came across an article on Ezine Articles. The article was titled, “The 10 Toughest Job Interview Questions“.  There is definitely debate on whether or not these questions are actually the top 10 toughest interview questions as this is subjective depending the interviewee.  Nevertheless, these questions do require some thought.  When you think about your answers one question to keep in mind is, what is the interviewer digging for?  On the surface, the questions may lead you to answer off the cuff when you should try to think about a response (using truthful information of course) that satisfies both what the questions are asking and what the interviewer is digging for.  Think about these top 10 questions:

1) What did you not like about your last employer?

2) I see from your resume that you have never actually been in this role in any of  your previous companies. How are you going to manage?

3) What is your typical work week in hours?

4) How long would it take for you to start making a real contribution to the organization?

5) What have you learned the most from your past career?

6) What would you most like not to do in this role?

7) What would your job references say about you?

8 ) Why should I hire you?

9) Why do you want to leave your current job?

10) What as an organization can we offer that is better than your current employer?

Some of these questions are aimed at candidates that are in a job or ones that have had extensive experience.  However, entry level candidates can definitely benefit from understanding how to approach these questions.  Ask someone in the UGrowU network how they would answer these questions and build your own.

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Nov 22

Networking No-No

By UGrowU Social Recruiting, Tips 2 Comments »

A recent article on msnbc.com, written by Eve Tahmincioglu, discusses the top six networking no-nos when hunting for a job.  The neat thing this excerpt has at the end is a survey asking the readers to vote on what their top no-no (of the six introduced) would be.  Out of 4,484 votes, being unprofessional was voted the top no-no with 38% of the votes (1,690).

So what classifies as being unprofessional?  The article summarizes unprofessionalism as being too laid back or informal.  If your conducting an email or text speak in clear sentences and don’t truncate.  Often times we will text our friend using acronyms or truncating words.  This is something to avoid because you are trying to leave a professional impression using unprofessional lingo.  Additionally, always use good grammer and spelling.  Communicating with incomplete sentences with random punctuation errors can give your contact a bad feeling about your professionalism.

These tips should definitely be used when working with social recruiting websites including facebook, linkedin, and ugrowu.  Whenever you are networking you should treat it as a job interview.

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Nov 10

On Campus

By UGrowU Uncategorized No Comments »

We will be on the campus of the University of Cincinnati Friday, November 12th starting at 11:30am in the Mcmicken area. Feel free to stop by to ask any questions you have. See you there!

Oct 16

To Post Or Not To Post?

By UGrowU General, Scholarships, Tips 1 Comment »

A recent article on MSN caught my eye so I felt the urge to blog about it.  With social media becoming a part of our everyday lives, people have the ability to keep up with everyone and everything that their contacts are doing.  If they are posting updates of course.  If your like me you have friends/contacts that fall into three categories; 1) Friends whom you are in contact with regularly, 2) Friends/Acquaintances whom you’ve been in contact with at one point in time but don’t converse with regularly and 3) Co-workers/Professionals whom you work with or have a connection with from your profession.  Things I share with my friends/contacts in each of those categories differs.  In fact, there are some things that shouldn’t be shared with a certain contact.

An article that was written by Career Builder on MSN is titled, “8 Ways to Get Fired Because of Social Media“, outlines tips on what NOT to post as you probably have contacts that shouldn’t read what you’ve posted.  An interesting statistic stated in the article claimed that so far this year, 21% of companies with 1000 employees or more have disciplined their employees which was up from 13% in 2008.  This is a sign that social media is being recognized more by employers and things that you could post before should be read twice or maybe three times before clicking that “Post” button.

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Oct 11

What Is The Smartest Thing A Job Seeker Can Do?

By UGrowU Uncategorized 2 Comments »

As a student or a job seeker, have you ever asked yourself what you can do to increase your chances of getting a job? In fact, what is the smartest thing you can do as a job seeker? According to careerbuilder’s 10 Things Smart Job Seekers Do, the number one item on their top ten list is; smart job seekers realize a potential job lead could be anywhere. The article goes on to say that, “Caroline Ceniza-Levine, a partner at SixFigureStart — a career coaching firm in New York City comprised of former Fortune 500 recruiters — recommends putting your LinkedIn public profile hyperlink in your automatic e-mail signature.”

Adding a signature to your emails is a way to provide additional credibility and insight to who you are.  Inserting a link in your signature such as your LinkedIn or UGrowU public profile is an excellent way to give more information on who you are.  This could be the difference in setting you apart from your competition and landing that job you are seeking.

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Aug 28

Recent Article on MSN Highlights How to Capture a Hiring Manager’s Attention

By UGrowU Social Recruiting, Tips No Comments »

I was reading a little news this morning while sipping on a cup of coffee on my back porch.  There was an interesting article that was titled, “4 Ways to Get a Hiring Manager’s Attention“.  In summary, the 4 main tips were:

1) Become an Expert – “One way to gain the attention of potential employers is to make a name for yourself in your field.”

2) Optimize Your Social Networking Profile – “Many hiring managers search for potential hires through social networking forums.”

3) Go Old-School – “In an age of electronic communication, sometimes using pen and paper can help you stand out from a crowded field of job candidates.”

4) Work with a Recruiter – “A recruiter can be an excellent partner in a job search because these individuals work with hiring managers all day, every day.”

What better way to accomplish these than through UGrowU.  1) You can “Become an Expert” by connecting with professionals in your field through our mentor matching system and network with professionals.  Becoming an expert extends way beyond networking with a professional alone but it is a great start to becoming one. 2) Your profile on UGrowU is already optimized for hiring managers.  If you finish your profile to 100% you will definitely create a profile that is optimized to display your professional strengths.  3) You can still go old school on UGrowU by finding those managers who you like to send a note or a hard copy of your resume.  4) Finding a recruiter from a hiring company is the most effiicient way to get a job offer.  Where are they finding you?  Our system is optimized for recruiters and they will be able to find you through our advanced search tools.  If you are apart of UGrowU than they will be able to locate you.

My coffee is starting to get cold so I’m going to get back to enjoying my morning.  Hope to see you soon.  Send me a message on my profile.

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Aug 26

Writing A Resume For College Graduates

By UGrowU Tips 7 Comments »

For a college graduate, a resume is an important aspect for a successful career.  It showcases your talent, relevant skills, and experience.  You have to concentrate on various aspects such as highlighting your transferable skills rather than your work summary.

If you have not done this already, I suggest that you think about your career focus before writing a resume.  Besides your work experience, employers are interested in knowing your skills that will make you suitable for a particular position.

The next step is to identify the skills and attributes that will be relevant to the positions you have applied for.  You can easily judge this by taking a glance at the job description or the job specification.  You will gather more insights of their expectations in terms of practical and professional abilities.

Now, I understand that college graduates are mostly inexperienced.  Indeed, writing a resume becomes a big challenge because you do not have much to talk about. Right? Wrong.  Even if you have little or no work experience, a college nurtures you and equips you with many skills that a company seeks:

  • Leadership skills
  • Time Management
  • Written and Verbal Communication
  • Problem-Solving
  • Analytical Skills
  • Computer Skills

The key of a resume is to talk about these traits so that you can showcase them during an interview.  The same thumb rule applies to any job or internship that you may apply for during your college years.  Add any transferable skills in your resume even if it isn’t directly related to your job position.

Believe me everything counts!  Do not forget to include your unpaid work experience.  You may not realize its relevance but employers do.  You can also include volunteer work, internships, fraternity, sorority, and campus club positions.

Education is your biggest selling point as a college graduate.  You can include the extensive education section that will nurture your resume.  Don’t forget to include your GPA (if it is high) because it adds value to your qualification.  You can also include a summary of your completed courses.

Finally, choose a format for your resume.  A hybrid format is most apt if you have limited or no work experience.  It includes a combination of both chronological and functional formats.  This gives you an opportunity to highlight your transferable skills and make it more significant than your limited professional experience.

The Internet has played a huge role in taking resume writing to a higher level.  Instead of writing a generic resume, video resumes have revolutionized the way recruitment is done.  Though it is still in its infancy, UGrowU is promoting a free service to assist college graduates so that they can cover every milestone of success in terms of their career.

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Aug 25

The Issues Entry Level Candidates Face In A Career Search

By UGrowU General 1 Comment »

Going to an interview is an emotionally draining experience, for both experienced and entry-level professionals.  However, it can become tiring for entry-level students to get calls from good companies. With the majority of job portals built for both entry-level and experienced professionals, college graduates are left astray and simply ignored.

Recently, many companies have recognized the need to fill this gap. UGrowU, with a similar vision, provides a virtual platform that enables entry-level students to be acquainted with potential employers. Like me, I am sure you have a dream job. However, turning that dream into reality is often difficult. Even if you have the right skills, you may not get the right connections.

Companies realize the potential that a college graduate brings to their company. They are talented, creative, and bring in fresh perspectives to a company. However, they are sceptical about ensuring that the candidate will fit the culture and work environment.

That is where virtual platforms like UGrowU help. Students can connect with potential employers and it is a win-win situation for both the potential employer and the potential employee. As a student, you will be able to find a company that meets your interests. Whether you want to live in a specific city, work for a certain size firm, or in a specific industry, you will be able to search using the standards you set.

I have seen entry talent who get overwhelmed when going for an interview. However, giving an interview in a company that you are already acquainted with is always a plus. Just imagine the difference. How confident will you be in these two scenarios

  • Giving an interview with an unknown interviewer and practically an unknown company.
  • Giving an interview with a known person and a company with which you can relate with.

The answer is obvious. This is the power of virtual platforms like UGrowU, which are dedicated to serve the needs of entry-level students.

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Aug 24

Leveraging Companies To Determine Your College Major

By UGrowU Tips 2 Comments »

People often have an impression that the college major they choose determines their future. Determining your college major is simply a stepping-stone to the beginning of your career. However, choosing a major that follows your interest and discovering what you love to do is crucial.

I have seen students who get overwhelmed when it comes to choosing a major. So, I thought about giving my two cents about it to address the growing skepticism among students. Frankly, it is not difficult. I have found two aspects, practical and personal, to be associated with the decisions we generally make.

Practical Aspects

  • To make things simpler without wasting too much energy on thinking, trace your steps back. Think about the courses you have well done in previously. Now, combine your past knowledge with the present and think about the courses that you will benefit from while choosing a major.
  • Another important thing, which goes without saying, is the quality of education provided by your college. Generally, you have different professors and teachers for various subjects. Assess the quality of the teachers and professors for your prospective subjects. You may seek the help of an academic advisor. Talk, talk, and talk some more! Talk to other teachers, students with a similar subject, etc. This will provide you with a clear picture while being mentally prepared to face the challenges ahead.
  • Think about the internship you will be able to grab while choosing a particular major. How will this benefit you in the future?
  • Choosing a college major is an investment in terms of the two most valuable resources time and money. Do your homework and check if the major of your choice has any specific requirements.
  • Look at the broad picture. Think about the applicability of your major in various field. Now assess the field where you would be most flexible in.
  • Keep a track of the WHAT, WHERE, WHEN, HOW of a particular field. It is important to assess what is going on in the industry. With that said, find out what the placement rates are of graduates for the field of your interest. What are the future prospects? Is the field expanding with new opportunities? Would you require any additional training in future?
  • Finally, contemplate the earning potential in a particular field. What will be your base salary? What will be the lifestyle and how will this affect you?

Now that you have thought about this practically, it is time to talk about your emotions that influence your decision. I call it the personal aspect. Obviously, this would vary for every individual.

Personal Aspect

  • Think about the subjects that sparked an interest in the past. Is it something that you love to do? Did you take any courses that you particularly enjoyed?
  • Ask yourself the most common question Do you have what it takes to succeed?
  • Now think in terms of monetary benefits. Is it something that you’ll love to do with a little pay or do you expect a substantial amount? Think accordingly.
  • Be flexible with your approach. You have time to change your field.

With the advent of new ways to speed up the decision making process, you can even connect with companies and mentors on UGrowU’s web-based platform. Choosing the right mentor will help you to make sound career decisions and UGrowU will assist in an early determination of the correct career path, saving time and money. And the best part is that it’s free!

Aug 13

Scholarship Contest Begins September 1st

By UGrowU Scholarships 1 Comment »

Do you need some cash for college?  Get ready to have an opportunity to win a $5000 dollar scholarship along with other prizes.  If you are a student, you can start making your video now.  The contest will officially start on September 1, 2010 but you can sign up on UGrowU starting today and begin building your video on your profile.

To find out more on how to enter simply visit: http://www.ugrowu.com/main_video

Good luck and start working on the videos ASAP!

~ UGrowU Team

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