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