Questions asked in job interviews aren’t very funny, especially the one now being asked that requires you to answer, “What makes you laugh?”
In fact, the plethora of new queries that seem so off the wall creates a certain nostalgia among job seekers for that longtime favorite, “Tell me about yourself.”
Although many job seekers consider the “telling” question daunting, Allen Becker of Roswell, Ga., insists that “anyone who does not know how to answer it hasn’t done their homework. This question has been a staple in the arsenal of interviewers for more than 10 years.”
Becker, who formerly worked in production for a manufacturing company where he did some hiring, says it’s a relatively easy question to answer:
“Start by identifying a significant event in your life, such as your graduation from college, military service or relocating to a new city,” said Becker, a former director of Career Transition Mavens in Marietta, Ga., a group of volunteers who support job seekers.
“Next, name a company you worked for and your accomplishments there. Add why you were able to be effective–your strengths and special skills. End by saying you hope to bring your abilities to the company to help it achieve its goals and objectives.”
And Becker, who has attended many seminars, workshops and lectures on careers, adds this important caveat:
“You must do all this in two minutes or less.”
Somehow, Becker manages to demystify that often-paralyzing question, “Tell me about yourself.” But I still maintain that “what makes you laugh?” could be much more fun to answer.
Happy graduates: If you’re a new college grad with a degree in business, engineering or computer-related fields, “you have the most promising job outlook,” according to Marilyn Mackes, executive director of the National Association of Colleges and Employers based in Bethlehem, Pa.
“Accounting, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, business administration, economics, finance and computer science top the list of majors companies plan to hire at the bachelor’s degree level.”
Mackes bases her observations on the results of her organization’s new report, Job Outlook 2005, which surveyed 254 employers nationwide.
Embedded in the study is an interesting change in human resource management: A significant number of employers–33.3 percent–plan to reassess their hiring needs on a quarterly basis. Last year, according to Mackes, “the largest group, 27.4 percent, said they would reassess on an annual basis.”
Happy workers: What makes employees happy, really happy? Well, workers who have enough work to do, of course.
If you’re one of those cynics who think that employees who have nothing to do are the most satisfied campers, you’re wrong, according to a study of 800,000 employees at 61 organizations worldwide.
The survey was done by Sirota Consulting, based in Purchase, N.Y. Sirota, which specializes in attitude research, also has offices in Washington and London.
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“The most satisfied employees of all were those who say they have just the right amount of work,” said Jeffrey Saltzman, CEO of Sirota. Ranking second, Saltzman said, were “those who report they have `too much work.'”
Now that’s what satisfaction is all about.
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Carol Kleiman’s columns also appear in Monday’s and Tuesday’s Business sections. Hear her on WBBM-AM 780 at 6:21 p.m. and 10:22 p.m. Mondays and 11:20 a.m. Saturdays. Watch her “Career Coach” segments on CLTV. E-mail [email protected].