PAGE FOUR
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 1, 1967
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 1, 1967
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
Brushing Up for Your Interview
Starting the Search
To Find Your Career
Interviews Can
The employment interview is
one of the most important events
in the average person's exper-
ience, for the obvious reason that
the 20 or 30 minutes he spends
with the interviewer -may deter-
mine the entire future course of
his life. Yet college recruiters are
continually amazed at the num-
ber of applicants who drift into
job interviews without any ap-
parent preparation and only the
vaguest idea of what they are go-
ing to say. Their manner says,
"Well, here I am." And that's of-
ten the end of it. In more ways
than one.
Others, although they undoubt-
edly do not intend to do so,
create an impression of indiffer-
ence by behaving as though
they'd dropped in between Coke
dates. The young man who re-
ports to an interview wearing
saddle shoes and a sports coat-
who leans back in his chair and
lights up a cigarette-seems to
be saying, "What can you do for
me?"
At the other extreme, a few
applicants get themselves into a
state of mind where they feel as
if they are being marched into a
medieval inquisition chamber.
When they arrive they are in the
last stages of nervous fright and
unable to do much but gulp and
answer in monosyllables.
These marks of inexperience
can be avoided by knowing a little
of what actually is expected of
you and by making a few simple
preparations before the interview.
Here are some of the things
you can do to get yourself r eady:
1. Find out the exact place and
time of the interview. This may
sound almost too basic for men-
tion, but it's an unfortunate ap-
plicant who assumes that the in-
terview is to be held In a certain
place ("all the others were!")
and then discovers-two minutes
before the hour - that his ap-
pointment is on the other side of
the campus.
2. Write the time and place
down and keep the notation with
you. Don't rely on your memory.
3. Get the full name of the
company straight, along with its
address.
4. Be certain you have your
interviewer's full name, and find
out how to pronounce it if it looks
difficult.
5. Do some research on the
company interviewing you. Try
to find out how old the company
is, where its plants, offices or
stores are located, what its pro-
ducts or services are, what its
growth has been, and how its
prospects look for the future. This
will give you something besides
yourself to talk about during your
interview, and provide material
to form the questions you should
ask. It will help to protect your
own interests, also. A manufac-
turer of buggy whips might be
recruiting for a new man, but
you would want to know some-
thing of his potential market be-
fore choosing his field as your
career.
6. Prepare your questions be-
fore you go in for the interview.
There are a number of publica-
tions which can help you research
a company. Most of them can be
found in any good-sized college
or public library. Among the most
helpful are
q. College Placement Directory,
by Zimmerman and Lavine.
b. College Placement Annual,
by the College Placement Publi-
cations Council.
c. Thomas' Register of Ameri-
can Manufacturers.
d Moody's Manuals.
e. Fitch Corporation Manuals.
f MacRae's Bluebook.
g. Standard and Poor's Corpo-
ration Records.
h. Poor's Register of Directors
and Executives.
1. Dun & Bradstreet Reference
Book.
j. Company annual reports.
Your school's placement office
is an excellent source for booklets
and other material prepared by
various firms for recruiting pur-
poses. You may find detailed in-
formation in the company's own
literature that is unavailable in
general registers.
A brokerage office may also be
able to supply you with the in-
formation you want. If you use
library texts, don't wait until the
last minute to do your research.
Someone else may have the book
you need.
7. Bring a pencil with you and
a pen that writes neatly, full of
ink. Beware of the pen whose
cartridge or ink supply may run
out unexpectedly.
8. Have some kind of note
paper with you, out of sight. You
may be asked to take something
down. If not, you should make a
few notes immediately after you
leave the interview.
9. Plan to arrive at the desig-
nated place at least 15 minutes
early, if you can. Your interview-
er may be a little ahead of sched-
ule and you should hold yourself
subject to his convenience. A few
extra minutes will also help take
care of unexpected emergencies.
Late arrival for a job interview
is almost never considered ex-
cusable.
10. The essentials of neatness
and cleanliness scarcely need to
be mentioned. It might be well
to note, however, that a girl
should use cosmetics conservative-
ly and that she should have a
neat hair style. A man should pay
careful attention to details such
as his hair and fingernails.
11. Clothes. Your own good
taste is your best guide. Simply
remember that you are looking
for a job-not going to a party.
A girl should wear conservative
clothes-not dowdy ones, certain-
ly. She should be careful that her
accessories are inquiet good
taste, in keeping with her cos-
tume.
A young man should also dress
conservatively and, ordinarily, in
a suit. His accessories should
complement his suit - not con-
trast with it.
Sports shoes are not proper for
a job interview. Of course your
shoes should be well shined. If
you have a habit of crossing your
legs, take a look at the soles-
a job interview is an embarrass-
ing moment to discover a hole in
your footwear.
If you are forced to rush to an
interview directly from a job or
a lab, a polite excuse for your
attire will be accepted and the
situation understood.
Each of the above suggestions
is meant to be helpful, but it
would be a mistake to become
unduly worried over too many de-
tails. A genuinely attractive per-
sonality and a good school record
will overcome most small errors.
Be friendly, honest and sincere
and you will always make a good
impression.
You cannot rehearse your
in an -upcoming interview,
cause you don't know what
role
be-
cues
The Career Counseling Unit1
housed in the Bureau of Appoint-1
ments employs one professional
guidance worker and one half-
time secretary. During the aca-
demic year many referrals for
career counseling are referred to
the Counseling Laboratory in the
School of Education. The Coun-
seling Laboratory employs stu-
dents who are about to graduate
with the Master of Arts degree
in Guidance and Counseling. The
availability of this unit makes ita
possible to serve many more stu-
dents than would ordinarily be1
possible in the Career Counselingz
Unit. Of course limited referralst
are made to other professional
units (such as the Mental Health
Unit of Health Service and the
Counseling Unit of the Bureau of'
Psychological Services) when the
needs of individual counselees
warrant such action.
Service to Students
The Career Counseling Unit of-
fers career counseling to all un-
der-graduates and graduates stu-
dents, alumni of the University,
and a limited number of other in-
dividuals from the community.
While its services are available to
all of these peole, the greatest
volume appears to be from soph-
omores who are in the decision-
making process regarding aca-
demic majors, and from seniors,
and graduate students who are
completing programs but who an-
ticipate some problem in voca-
tional adjustment.
Valuable Information
Many times the service required
is purely informational. There-
fore, the unit maintains a large
library of free occupational in-
formation for counselee use. This
information library has been
acquired over a number of years
from every possible source. A 1967'
list of free and inexpensive mater-
ials developed by the Universty of
of Michigan Library Extension
Service has been helpful in up-
dating our collection. Many use-
ful items were obtained at the
American Personnel and Guidance
Association Convention in Dallas'
during the Spring of 1967.
T h e counseling department
finds it very important to main-
tain a close and open relation-
ship with all other counseling
units on campus, academic de-,
partments, and the community.
The best and most current sour-
ces of information needed for
vocatonal choice often comes3
either from an academic depart-!
ment or from business and in-I
dustry. Thus campus and com-
munity friendships become im-
portant professional assets. It's
location in -the placement office
affords an excellent opportunity
for the unit to be in constant
touch with the world of work
through the eyes and ears of the
recruiters who come to the cam-
pus.
Visits to Various Groups
_ Another important method of
getting information to students
is through annual visits to cam-
pus residence halls, fraternities,
sororities, and other student or-
ganizations. These visits neces-
sitate flexible office hours for
the staff. Often counselees who
have busy schedules find the
evening and Saturday appoint-
ment times convenient. Since
meeting the needs of the stu-
dents is its most important goal,
the counseling department is
happy that it has this flexibi-lity.
Study of Counselees
A current follow-up of seniors
in the 1967 graduating class who
received c a r e e r counseling
should provide the department
with helpful data for use in the
coming placement year. This
stury is presently underway. The
data includes:
Counseling interviews accord-
ing to educational status:
Seniors..................267
Juniors ................... 125
Sophomores...............231
Freshmen................83
Graduate Students .........180
Others....................132
Total........:.......1,018
Counselees from academic areas
areas of concentration:
English..................117
Mathematics ...............84
Education grad level .....73
Undergrad level ........64
Languages.58
Psychology.........47
Political Science........... 35
Economics.31
History.28
Sociology ..................26
(These clients are generally
looking for ideas and suggestions
about jobs utilizing the work in
their areas of concentration.)
The above two tables do not
include the large percentage of
students who frequently visit the
counseling office, but do not have
a formal appointment. Many
students just wander in for in-
formal friendly visits.
What brings counselees to the
career counseling office:
Undergraduates determin-
ing area of concentration . 23%
Graduating seniors and
graduate students who seek
to find employment related
to their majors ..........43%
Entering freshmen who
may have a surface problem
with choice of an academic
area, but who need a
good listener for general
problems -........... .....10 %
Graduate students (some
at advanced stages in their
programs) who are con-
cerned that they are in the
wrong area of concentration. 9%
Undergraduates redeter-
mining area of concentration
(often those seeking to
change colleges within the
university) ................ 8%
Others (variety of people
and -problems) ...,...... ..7%
CAREER COUNSELING
Just how do students start
using the University's career
dents are sent there by school
(especially LS&A counselors or
by another division of the Bur-
eau of Appointments. Others see
advertisements and the booth at
Waterman Gym during registra-
tion. However, a great majority
simply come on their own, by
chance or word of mouth from a
roommate.
The First Step
What is the first step in order
to take advantage of the Career
Counseling? Call 764-6338 or visit
3200 Student Activities Building
and ask for an appointment with
Marilyn Evans, careers counselor.
It usually takes a minimum of two
appointments with her: first one
for her to know the eounselee
and the second 'to find out what
he or she wants to do in the fu-
ture.
- (Continued on Page 6)
will be given to you. Your best
guide is to rely on your own
native courtesy and good sense.+
There are, however, some basic
rules and situations common to
most interviews which may help
you -if you know about them+
ahead of time:
Nervousness: It's normal for
many people to be nervous, par-'
ticularly in an interview. And
there are many jobs open where
a little nervousness isn't looked
at askance. It does help, however,
to dry a damp brow or a clammyJ
hand just before meeting your
interviewer. Experienced inter-
viewers discount a certain amount
of nervousness, but try to avoid
doing things with your hands+
which might make a tremor ob-
vious.
The interviewer is on your
campus because he wants to hire
people-not because he wants to
trip them up or embarrass them.
You have the advantage over an
applicant who walks into a busi-
ness house "cold." Your inter-
viewer wants to hire you if you
have something definite to offer
his company and if he thinks you
will fit into his organization.
Greet him by name as you en-
ter his office if you are sure of
the pronunciation.
Take your cues from him at the
start. If he moves to shake hands,
do so-but not unless he makes
the first gesture. Wait until he
offers you a chair before you sit
down, unless, in a very small
room, he remains seated or sits
down immediately.
If he shakes hands with you,
use a firm grip-a "lim fish"
handshake will maked bad im-
pression. However, don't try to
prove how strng your grip is by
grabbing his hand and mashing
it.
Don't chew gum, and don't
smoke unless he invites you to
do so.
Be ready for at least one sur-
prise question -ight at the start
-a few interviewers favor one of
the following gambits:
" What can I do for you?
" Tell me about yourself.
" Why are you interested in
this company?
If you think those are easy
questions to answer without some
previous thought, 'ust try it. You
don't have time to flounder
around. This is where prepara-
tion will count.
If he wants to know what he
can do for you, tell him that
you would like to apply for a jcb
in a certain operation of his cm-
pany, with an idea toward pro-
gressing into some more ad-
vanced phase-or say anything
that will show him you are in-
terested in progress with his
company. Be as specific as you
can.
Suppose he asks you to talk
about yourself. You have found
out what his company sells and
a little about how it operates. If
you are wise, you have thought,
"If I were in his place, working
for his company, what would I
like to know about an applicant?"
Tell those things about yourself
which relate to the situation-
your background, your education,
whether you are married or sin-
gle. Don't learn a speech by rote,
but have a number of points in
mind. Be informative without
boasting or telling your troubles.
As for the third question, if
you have studied the company's
literature you will not be at a loss
for words.
Keep following his lead. Dont
answer in just yeses and noes.
On the other hand don t talk too
much. If you find yourself talk-
ing overlong in a monologue, give
the lead back to him by saying,
"Perhaps you have some other
questions to ask me?"
Be prepared for a few personal
questions, such as "What is your
father's occupation?" and "Is
your home life happy?"
Sit up in your chair and look
alert and interested at al: times.
Don't look tense, but don't relax
so much that you look slouchy.
Show that you can be % wide-
awake, intelligent listener as well
as a talker.
Look your interviewer - directly
in the eye-and keep doing it
from time to time during your
conversation. This is important.
Nearly every interviewer is con-
scious of it. And remember to
smile frequently, at appropriate
occasions.
Don't let your hands betray
nervousness. If you don't know
where to put them, leave them in
your lap and keep them still.
Don't drum with your fingers or
tap with a pencil. If you are a
girl, don't twist things, such as
your handkerchief, purse strap or
gloves.
A few interviewers like to do
most of the talking and judge you
by your reactions-the interest,
comprehension and intelligence
you show. Others hardly speak at
all, and for an amateur these are
the hardest to deal with. Their
attitude is that it is your job to
sell yourself. That is where you
will have to call on your know-
ledge of yourself and your inter-
est in the work his company does.
In any interview, in the last anal-
ysis, you will have to sell yourself.
Make sure that your good
points get across to him - he
won't know them unless you tell
him-but try to appear factual
and sincere, not bloated with
conceit. If you can mention your
best qualities in relation to some-
Work to
thing concrete, so much the bet-
ter. For example, saying "I paid
for 75 per cent of my own college
expenses" is better than saying
"I am a hard worker and I want
to get ahead." The first estab-
lishes the point more convincing-
ly than the second.
Even if the recruiter does much
of the talking, remember that
you can lead him by asking ques-
tions which call in turn for a
question you want to answer. Ex-
ample: You are strong in extra-
curricular organizations. He has-
n't mentioned that point and you
want to go, into a little detail you
couldn't cover fully in your re-
sume. You simply watch for an
opening and ask, "Are you in-
terested in my extracurricular ac-
tivities?" He's not likely to say
"no.
Most interviews will follow a
rather simple question and ans-
wer formula. If such is the case
your ability to answer quickly and
intelligently is of great import-
ance. If your answers are con-
fused and contradictory your
cause is lost. The greatest pre-
ventive a g a i n s t contradictory
answers is the plain, unembroid-
ered truth. A frank answer, even
if it seems a little unfavorable to
you, is better by far than an ex-
aggeration which may tangle you
up in the next question.
Often a frank admission can be
turned to your advantage. Frank-
Your Adv
THE COMPANY representative is
viewee. Just what goes on in a jol
are asked? How can the student gu
is to his advantage?
ness is admired, and you may be
able to recover in this fashion:
He asks you if you always pitch
right into an assignment and
get it done ahead of time. You
answer, "I'm afraid I don't al-
ways get assignments done before
they are due. I sometimes have
a tendency to put a thing off un-
til it has to be done. However, I
hav
ass
wa
sur
two
my
tell
was
Bo
F
rr.If you don't like the heat, get out of the kitch
H. S. TRUMAN
Chemical Manufacturing
Robnan-d Haas
Company
Plastics, Fibers, Pharmaceuticals,
and Chemicals for Agriculture,
and the Processing Industries.
Will Interview on
NOV. 1, 1967
For positions of responsibility,
diversity and strong future
advancement possibilities.
RESEARCH, ENGINEERING, PRODUCTION,
MARKETING, FINANCE.
Philadelphia headquarters. Plants and Offices throughout
the U.S. and in 23 foreign countries.
REHM EA
PtiLAOILPH$A. PENNSYLVANIA 1100
You save more than money
with U.S. Savings Bonds
ENGINEERS
UARCO INCORPORATED
We will be on campus Wednesday, October 11,
1967, to talk with graduating Mechanical and
Chemical Engineers (Chemistry majors, too), B.S.
and M.S.
Rewarding engineering and management opportunities are
available with UARCO, a leader in the rapidly expanding business
forms industry. Our sales have more than doubled in the past
ten years . our Engineering Department is growing even
faster.
A brief on-the-job training program will lead you to a
responsible research, design, development, project or plant engi-
neering assignment. Your training will familiarize you with our
people, products and policies.
UARCO's Engineering Department is housed in a beautiful,
modern facility; located in the suburbs, about 35 miles northwest
of Chicago.
If you would like more information prior to our campus
date . . or, if our interview date is not convenient, write to
or call (collect, of course) Arthur G. Mason, UARCO Incorpo-
rated, West County Line Road, Barrington, llinois 60010. Tele-.
phone (312) 381-4030.
UARCO INCORPORATED
"AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER"
People who like the heat of management responsibility.
Want to show what they can do-and get ahead. Fast.
Our InitialManagement Development Program is made
to order for people like that. Get in it, and you can find
yourself managing 25 to 125 people during your first year.
No other program matches this one for immediate manage-
ment opportunity. And it's open now to students graduating
in Engineering, Business Administration and Liberal Arts.
For complete information about this exceptional program,
see our recruiters representing:
The Michigan Bell Telephone Company, Bell Telephone
Laboratories, Western Electric Corporation, AT&T--Long
Lines Department
On campus at:
. Bus Ad Placement Office-Oct. 11 & 12
. Engineering Placement Office-Oct. 13, 16 & 17
. Liberal Arts Placement Office (in SAB) -Oct. 18
Or write to: College Employment Manager . Michigan Bell
Telephone Company " 1365 Cass Avenue . Room 1715 -
Detroit, Michigan 48226