============================================== "Achieve Your Dreams" - Volume 10, March 2005 ============================================== Greetings! Welcome to "Achieve Your Dreams", a bi-monthly newsletter for people with a dream - - whether it's accelerating a career, changing careers, building a business, securing a new job, achieving that long-desired goal, or discovering a new life vision and direction. Each newsletter will offer 1-2 noteworthy articles, a section on "Office Happenings" and "Helpful Resources", and some favorite quotes and sayings to motivate and inspire you. In this issue: 1. "Handling Illegal Interview Questions" 2. Office Happenings (Identifying Your Career and Life Values) 3. Helpful Resources (CareerXroads 2004 Hiring Practices Study) 4. Favorite Quotes Feel free to forward this to those you believe would find it useful. Feedback is encouraged and appreciated. If there is a specific topic you'd like covered, please send the suggestion to me via the e-mail address below. Enjoy ... ================================================================= Handling Illegal Interview Questions ================================================================= Jim, 48, is sitting in an interview, which has been going well. He's confident that his qualifications match those of the position, and he believes he'll fit into the corporate culture. As the interview is winding down, the interviewer casually asks: "Will your family mind the relocation from New York to Texas?" How should Jim answer this question? There are several questions that employers may not legally ask applicants. Federal law attempts to ensure that candidates are hired on job qualifications and not by prejudicial criteria. Questions structured to obtain information on race, gender, religion, marital status, age, physical and/or mental status, ethnic background, country of origin, sexual preference, or any other discriminatory factor are generally illegal as grounds for making employment decisions. So, how do you handle an illegal interview question? First it is important to assess the intentions of the interviewer. Most illegal interview questions are asked in true innocence -- or, better stated, in true ignorance: ignorance of the law, ignorance of what questions are proper, and ignorance of how the information could be used by others in a discriminatory way. Ironically, most illegal questions are asked when the untrained interviewer is trying to be friendly and asks a seemingly innocent question about your personal life or family background. Therefore, any attempt by the candidate to assert his or her constitutional rights will merely throw up the defense shields and put an end to any future consideration for employment. Warning lights go on, sirens sound, and the interviewer begins backing down from what otherwise may have been a very encouraging position. So what is the proper response? Any response depends on the particular situation and the personalities and motives of those involved, but overall you have three basic options: (1) Answer truthfully if you feel your response will not hurt you; (2) Inform the interviewer that the question is illegal and risk offending them and ending your chances for the position; (3) Base your answer on the requirements of the job and your ability to perform it. Here are a few examples of casually asked illegal questions and suggested responses: Q: Does your family mind the travel required for this position? A: I am accustomed to significant business travel. In fact, I find being on the road invigorating, and my track record has been very consistent under these conditions. Q: Are you religious? Will your religion prevent you from working extra hours or on weekends when we have a big project? A: I suppose everyone is religious in their own way. I do not foresee any circumstances that would interfere with the quality or commitment of my performance. Q: You have a very unusual last name. What is its origin? A: It really is a mouthful, isn't it? I've always used my first name and last initial in my business e-mail address, as it is easier. Q: Are you planning a family in the near future? A: Currently, I am focused on my career and although having a family is always a possibility, it is not a priority at the moment. Q: How many more years do you see yourself in the work force (before retiring)? A: In today's world people don't retire like they used to; some can't. My career and my need to earn an income are priorities that I do not foresee changing in the near future. How you choose to handle these types of questions depends on the perceived motivation of the interviewer as well as your desire to have the position. However, no matter how badly you want or need a position, always keep in mind that if a company is capable of asking illegal questions before you are an employee, there is a greater potential for mistreatment after you are hired. So, how did Jim in our example above answer the question? He could have said, "It's none of your concern," which likely would have quickly ended a promising interview. But Jim thought about the underlying intent of the company in asking the question, which was "Will relocating an employee who likely has a family be so troublesome that he/she will be unproductive for months?" Considering that, he might have responded, "My family and I are committed to my career, so relocation is absolutely not a problem." But Jim's family of five was used to moving every several years because of his ascending career, so Jim responded: "I've moved my family every three years, and they always consider it a great adventure. I've talked to them about the possibility of this move, and they're very excited." ================================================================= Office Happenings ================================================================= Are you a career change wannabe struggling to find a new career that's right for you? Have you read all the books and taken all the assessments only to come up empty handed? Finding your calling is not only about discovering your skills, interests, and lifestyle preferences… it's also about identifying a career that is consistent with your innermost VALUES. Our values represent what is most important to us in our career and our life… they drive us, and guide us, and act as our compass in making our day-to-day decisions. Some careers provide an opportunity for living and expressing our core values, while others go against our values, often leading to discouragement and unhappiness. A career that supports our value system will generally interest and motivate us far more than a career which goes against our values, and is likely to be a more lasting and positive career choice. If you've never identified and evaluated your unique career and life values, then now may be a good time. All of my full-time clients have the opportunity to discover their career and life values through a fun and insightful card sort exercise that's included in their monthly coaching fee. Clients who have completed the card sort have commented on how valuable the exercise was. If you are a current client who would like to do the Career and Life Values Card Sort, don't hesitate to let me know during our next coaching session. If you are not a current client, but would like to identify your own personal values, you are welcome to contact me at jeanne@careerdesigns.biz to arrange for a special coaching session. ================================================================= 2004 Hiring Practices ================================================================= CareerXroads of Kendall Park, New Jersey, has released its study of the 2004 hiring practices of 40 large companies. These companies collectively employ 2,730,578 full-time US employees and 4,104,478 employees worldwide. The study reports the following: - Hiring was up 10% over 2003 - 62% of positions were filled by external candidates. - Employee referrals accounted for 32% of new outside hires, up from 23% in 2001. - The Internet came in a close second and accounted for 30% of new hires, up from 20% in 2001. - Of the 30% of new hires that came from the Internet, more than half of them (53%) came through corporate web sites. - Monster and CareerBuilder each registered 8% - Hotjobs came in at 6%. - All other sites collectively registered at 17%, with some of the most frequently mentioned websites being Craig's List, Dice, Bostonjobs, Sixfigurejobs, and America's Job Bank. - 15% of all hires were attributed to "other" sources. The most frequently "other" was the conversion of temporary or contract workers to full-time employees. - Newspaper advertisements accounted for 5% of new hires. - Career fairs and agencies accounted for a whopping 3%. In a recent Wall Street Journal article where the survey was summarized, a CareerXroads spokesperson claimed that having a current employee refer you can increase by 70 times the likelihood of being interviewed and hired. What does this study tell us? Employee referrals still account for most external hires, so if you are in job search mode, honing your networking skills is vital. Additionally, since internet hiring - especially through corporate websites - is increasing, it is essential that you distinguish yourself from your competition by presenting a powerful, well crafted resume that highlights your expertise and achievements and clearly articulates the value you will bring to a potential employer. In other words, your resume must rise to the top of the pile! If you are interested in reading the entire study, go to: http://www.careerxroads.com/news/SourcesOfHire04.pdf ================================================================= Favorite Quotes ================================================================= "Success is nothing more than a few simple disciplines, practiced every day, while failure is simply a few errors in judgment, repeated every day. It is the accumulative weight of our disciplines and our judgments that leads us to either fortune or failure." -– Jim Rohn "Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen." -- Michael Jordan "The secret of success is making your vocation your vacation." -- Mark Twain "Death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss is what dies inside us while we live." - - Norman Cousins "Stop telling yourself you're trapped. You're not trapped; you just haven't found the door yet!" -- Dr. Phil In support of you, Jeanne ****************************** Jeanne Knight, JCTC Career and Job Search Coach jeanne@careerdesigns.biz www.careerdesigns.biz 617-968-7747 Office Hours: M-TH 8:30am - 5:00pm FRI 8:30am - 12:00noon ** If you would like someone added to this newsletter distribu- tion list, please forward their name and e-mail address to me. They will be added promptly. ** If you would like to be removed from this list, please reply to me via this e-mail address. I will remove your name promptly.