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Allison Kapner Articles


How Are Dating and Interviewing the Same? Part 4

June 28th, 2010 ::

by Allison Kapner

How are dating and interviewing the same? Let’s examine Step 4: The First Impression.

Congratulations, you made it! You went through the awkward first contact, prepped as much as you possibly could and now it’s show time!

Of course, all that means is that you made it through the awkward initial set-up meeting and now it’s time for the awkward first greeting.

Photo courtesy istolethetv. Flickr Creative Commons.

The interview is easy, shake your interviewer’s hand and mimic their grip. Don’t go in too strong right away… even if you are Superman or Wonder Woman. If your interviewer’s handshake is dainty and delicate and you squeeze too strong, it will work against you. Instead, be firm, quick and confident as you let them lead the way. Two other pieces of advice: 1) As you are shaking hands, make eye contact and smile. 2) Make sure you let the interviewer lead the way to the office if you have to make your way somewhere else in the building, even if you’ve been to this office before.

How about dating? Do you hug, kiss on the cheek, kiss cheek to cheek, shake hands… What do you do? It really depends on your comfort level with the person before the date and how much you’ve spoken. I generally go for the quick cheek-to-cheek kiss or awkward but-trying-to-make-it-not-awkward-hug which turns into a side hug of some sort. Regardless, expect it to be awkward but muscle up a big smile and show enthusiasm. If you are the man, opening your date’s car door will most likely win you some brownie points, and girls, for those of you who are fans of The Bronx Tale, electronic locks make it difficult to pass “the test” so don’t feel pressured. But still pay attention to whether your date doesn’t have the automatic locks or doesn’t use them to unlock his door.

Remember, in both cases, you have only 10 seconds to make a first impression. Your nonverbal communication is imperative during this stage, so make sure you exude confidence and an upbeat spirit. (People like to surround themselves with positive people so this impression will get you off on the right foot.)

No pressure, right? If you fumble during the impression, don’t worry, it’s not the end of the world. Pick yourself up and go get ’em!

Allison Kapner headshotAllison Kapner is a Relationship Manager in Career Services at the Johns Hopkins University Carey Business School where she is responsible for building partnerships with employers to ultimately create job and internship opportunities for students and alumni. She also advises and coaches students on job search techniques and brings a unique corporate expertise to assist candidates, as her past experience was as an Executive Recruiter in financial services in New York City.

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House Hunting, Dating, and the Interview

June 14th, 2010 ::

by Allison Kapner

Photo courtesy david.nikonvscanon/David Blaikie. Flickr Creative Commons.

An interesting twist… how are house hunting, dating and interviewing the same?

This week I thought I would add an additional twist to the mix. Some of our readers may be able to relate to this blog and others may not be ready to consider this question.

The twist: Not only do dating and interviewing share common characteristics, so does house hunting.

And really, all life-changing events can apply to today’s lesson: Patience, timing and optimism are critical.

We’ve discussed some of the fundamentals between dating and interviewing. Let’s take a minute to reflect on the process of buying a house.

You come across many different options and have to somehow begin to target houses within your budget and experience level (already renovated or do you have the ability to fix it up) as well as just the idea of whether each option is overall the “right” house.

Sound familiar? Finding a job or mate that does not align with your needs will not do you any good and will only cause future frustration.

Just like Monster.com, Match.com, and other sites we have discussed, there are house hunting websites where you can opt to have listings sent to you each day. Similar to dating, you won’t be attracted to every house and similar to job searching, they won’t all fit into your desired future plans. With job hunting, you interview to find out if you and a company make a good match. With dating, well, you go on dates. And with housing hunting, you tour houses. And in each case, hopefully you’ll know when you’ve found your match.

Research: House hunting, like job hunting and spouse hunting, takes research. You need to research neighborhoods and figure out what you want out of a house, similar to knowing what type of culture you are looking for in a job and what qualities you want in a mate. Without research, you will spin your wheels because nothing can fits with qualifications that don’t exist.

As someone who is going through the house hunting process, I can attend that it is a rollercoaster. Job searching is a roller coaster. Dating is a rollercoaster. My advice to you, do not try to do all three at the same time!

Allison Kapner headshotAllison Kapner is a Relationship Manager in Career Services at the Johns Hopkins University Carey Business School where she is responsible for building partnerships with employers to ultimately create job and internship opportunities for students and alumni. She also advises and coaches students on job search techniques and brings a unique corporate expertise to assist candidates, as her past experience was as an Executive Recruiter in financial services in New York City.

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How are dating and interviewing the same? Part 3

June 1st, 2010 ::

by Allison Kapner

How are dating and interviewing the same? Let’s examine Step 3: Prepping for the interview or date…

What to wear?

Photo courtesy Athena Flickr. Flickr Creative Commons.

My philosophy for interviewing and dating is to air on the conservative side. Ladies, showing skin is showing skin no matter what situation you’re in. If you’re looking for a quick fix at the bar or to work at a strip club, skin works. If not, I recommend skirts that fall at the knee or below, no stilettos, and blouses that leave something to the imagination. Your hair should be simple, too distracting will take attention away from what you’re saying, and hopefully by this point, you realize the importance of having intelligent things to say. Conservative jewelry is best also, unless of course you are headed into the world of fashion or some other creative industry.

Men, same goes for you, nothing too tight (we’re not on the Jersey Shore) and not too much hair gel or cologne.

Dark suits for all are recommended, again, unless you’re going into fashion or another creative field where a dark suit will be seen as stodgy. And no matter what field you’re going into, stay away from white suits. Laughing at that suggestion? Trust me, I have seen it… and it’s not a pretty sight.

Sure, for dates, there is no standard, but my advice is to stick to something classy or cute that speaks to your personality. And remember to leave something to the imagination. Also, if the guy is picking you up, make sure you ask where you’re going. The last thing you want to do is show up in high heels and a summer dress when you’re going to the rodeo!

Get enough sleep
No one likes bags under your eyes, period. Or someone who yawns their way through an interview or date.

Be there. EARLY!
Before an interview, I always get there an hour early and scope out the area. This gives me time to relax a bit, leaves a cushion for getting lost and alleviates some of the frenzy. However, I don’t actually go into the company’s lobby until much closer to the interview.

As for dating, I think the old school dating rule of letting a man wait for you is just that – old school. If he gets there on time, you should show him the same respect and be ready on time.

Practice, practice, practice!
More so for interviews, but if you have social anxiety or feel awkward on first dates, there is nothing wrong with standing at the mirror and practicing your greeting, answering “typical” interview or date questions or just smiling.

Know your brand (see previous blogs posted by my peers) and do not feel ashamed to practice speaking about yourself. The more natural you are able to speak about yourself the more you will engage people. Energy draws people in and energy is a by-product of being comfortable with who you are.

Allison Kapner headshotAllison Kapner is a Relationship Manager in Career Services at the Johns Hopkins University Carey Business School where she is responsible for building partnerships with employers to ultimately create job and internship opportunities for students and alumni. She also advises and coaches students on job search techniques and brings a unique corporate expertise to assist candidates, as her past experience was as an Executive Recruiter in financial services in New York City.

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How Are Dating and Interviewing the Same? Part 2

April 26th, 2010 ::

by Allison Kapner

What's in Your Bag? Know the Company. Know Yourself. http://www.flickr.com/photos/joi/ / CC BY 2.0

How are dating and interviewing the same? Let’s examine Step 3: Prepping for the interview or date, otherwise known as: Doing Your Research!

Research, research, research!!
I cannot stress this enough: Before any interview, do your homework. (I’m sure you’ve heard this before, but it still bears repeating. You can’t imagine how many people ignore this advice.)

Know the company inside and out. Look at their press releases. Read their annual reports. Find out who works there. (You can use a little thing called social media/social networking to do this.)

Why is this so important? There are hundreds of applicants for every job, and you have to prove that you did your homework on the company and the position if you want to make it to round two.

Be able to answer the question: Why do you want to work at XYZ Company? If you give a generic answer to this question, you’re done. Focusing on the culture shows that you understand the type of people that work there and that you believe you would be a good fit. As someone who interviews candidates for our team, if someone doesn’t tell me something unique about Carey Business School, and instead says “I want to work here because it’s Johns Hopkins,” they are automatically disqualified in my eyes.

Using LinkedIn and Google can also help you lean about the people with whom you are interviewing. For all you know, you can might share an alma mater with the hiring manager… but you’ll never know that unless you look.

So how does research play into dating?
Well, let’s be honest. In dating, research can be a bit stickier. But if you’re anxious to get a head’s up on the person before you go on a date there is always Google, Facebook and LinkedIn. You’d be lying if you said you never Google-stalked someone before going out or hanging out with them. Here’s a hint for you: Make sure to clear your internet browser history when you’re done, because if things go well, this new special someone may be on your computer before you know it and see you’ve been doing your “research.” (Trust me I learned this the hard way!)

Know yourself
In an earlier post knowing your brand and who you are is stressed. This is 100% true!

Before going on an interview, understand who you are as a person, what you want, what your strengths and weaknesses are and what value proposition you provide to a company. For example, are you someone that will bring energy and enthusiasm to a job? If so, how do you articulate that? It’s not enough to just say you bring energy and enthusiasm. You have to show how. With concrete examples, preferably.

Likewise for dating, know what your goals and objectives are and the type of person with which you could see yourself. (I’m not advising to pick out the person down to their eye color but know what your “must haves” and “can’t stands” are.) Why is this so important? Everyone is in their own unique place in life. Knowing what you are looking for will be a great compass in pointing you in the direction of someone who is looking for the same things, meaning (hopefully) less disappointment.

If you’re unclear of what I mean by this, I’ll give you a personal example. When I was living in NYC and accepted the job offer to come to JHU, I wasn’t going to be leaving New York for a few months. I didn’t actively seek out dates during this time. I had dated someone long distance for a year and didn’t want to get back into that situation again. However, if I met someone cool, I also wasn’t about to turn down dinner! Instead, I would enjoy the time with the person while knowing in my head – and heart – that I wasn’t about to jump into a relationship. On the flip side, now that I’m here and settled, my expectations have shifted and a relationship is the goal.

Bottom line, research yourself and the players and you’ll be successful!

Allison Kapner headshotAllison Kapner is a Relationship Manager in Career Services at the Johns Hopkins University Carey Business School where she is responsible for building partnerships with employers to ultimately create job and internship opportunities for students and alumni. She also advises and coaches students on job search techniques and brings a unique corporate expertise to assist candidates, as her past experience was as an Executive Recruiter in financial services in New York City.

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Posted in Allison Kapner, Dating, Interviewing, Personal Brand, WhatsNextGenY | 1 Comment »

How Are Dating and Interviewing the Same?

April 5th, 2010 ::

by Allison Kapner

woman with cell phone

http://www.flickr.com/photos/leonardlow/ / CC BY 2.0

So, now that last week we had our “commercial interruption” last week, let’s get back to the main story. We’re moving from dating and the job hunt process to dating and interviewing. So let’s examine Step 2: the first phone call – setting up the “appointment.”

So, you met someone. Maybe it’s a company that FINALLY called you about that job you’d drying to get. Or it’s that person you really wanted to date. Congratulations! So now what?

Rule number 1: Expect the first encounter to be awkward. Why? Just because! Here you are speaking to someone, not quite sure what they will sound like, their level of energy, their real interest, or who it is that controls the conversation (i.e., who has the upper hand, or who wants who more). Losing the body language aspect can be detrimental if you are not aware of how you should carry yourself… even over the phone.

Rule number 2: Learn to be ok with silence. There may be an awkward silence on the phone. That’s fine. The other person could be taking notes, or distracted by an important email that just arrived in their inbox. Be ok with silence. You don’t have to fill it. In fact, filling it could be detrimental to your prospects, be they professional or personal.

So how do you implement the rules above? Here are a few tips:

  • If you hear from an employer, assume they will control the flow of the conversation and that they have the upper hand. Because chances are, they’re interviewing more than just you.
  • Be energetic and sound excited without going overboard.
  • Make sure you choose a quiet location.
  • Don’t be too long-winded. (There is a good chance this person has 10 other phone calls exactly the same to make after yours.)
  • Make sure you have your calendar ready to go should they ask for a second interview. And if they do, be flexible.
  • If you are asked to come in for an interview, ask for the names and titles of the people you will be meeting or speaking with and don’t hesitate to ask for correct spelling so you can later stalk those people online… I mean, do your research.

Another piece of advice, if you are applying to jobs and get unknown numbers calling your cell, answer it professionally, I had a student pick up the phone saying “yeah…” the other day and I could have been an employer. If you’re not in a good place to pick it up, let it go to voicemail. That’s why it exists.

A lot of these same rules apply to dating: Keep it simple. Again, sound energetic. (No one wants to date a fuddy-duddy.) There may be a power struggle about who keeps lead of the conversation, but do your thing and politely say you were in the middle of something if you’re antsy to get off. Anxiety vanished and date set up. Easy, right?

Also, although it sounds silly, smile on the phone. It will show through. (This is actually a tip for dating and interviewing.)

A side note: A lot of logistics – both for interviewing and dating – are now set up over email, which because of its impersonal nature, is not as difficult, but is just as tricky.

If an employer reaches out via email to you, mimic their tone in your response. Also, keep your response short and to the point. The point of the email is to set up a time and place, not to tell them your life story. My favorite line from my public relations classes: Keep it simple, stupid.

If a date emails you, again, I would mimic the tone. Again, I would recommend keeping things short. (You don’t want to tell them everything in email. If you do, what will you talk about on the date?)

And if you’re concerned about tone, in either case, have a friend proofread the email for you before you send it.

Overview: Do whatever it is you are most comfortable with, but be aware that tone and other nuances easily get lost in translation via email and the phone. If you are cognizant of this going into it, you will be more successful at making the process as simple and painless as possible.

One last thing, do not begin with text messaging in either case.

Allison Kapner headshotAllison Kapner is a Relationship Manager in Career Services at the Johns Hopkins University Carey Business School where she is responsible for building partnerships with employers to ultimately create job and internship opportunities for students and alumni. She also advises and coaches students on job search techniques and brings a unique corporate expertise to assist candidates, as her past experience was as an Executive Recruiter in financial services in New York City.

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The Rules of Recruiters… and Why Commitment Matters to Them as Much as it Does the Guy You're Dating

March 29th, 2010 ::

by Allison Kapner

So rather than go in a boring step-by-step order and continuing with Step 2, I’m going to share a bit about working with recruiters… which, in the dating world, translates into dating guys that are just out for one thing.

For those of you who don’t understand the face of recruiting, times have changed. Employers used to hire recruiters for all levels and all functions. During the recession, companies began realizing how much they were spending on agency fees and started creating strategies around working with recruiters.

Internal HR staff are now trained to make cold calls and use social media to reach out for certain positions. So, for example, analyst roles most likely will not go through recruiters because of the number of applicants who apply on their own. Ask yourself, why would a company pay a VERY hefty fee for me when I can apply directly and not go through a third party?

So while recruiters who are experts in their field can be extremely helpful and add value, if you’re young and inexperienced, I wouldn’t count on a recruiter landing you your first job.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/randysonofrobert/ / CC BY 2.0

Recruiters – of the internal and external sort – can be your best friend or worst enemy. They can act as the gatekeepers to your dream employer, or can be the reason you don’t get your dream job. The genuine ones (such as me in my past life) care about you and put your needs first even if it means missing a deal. They do this because they know and respect good karma. The ruthless recruiters are only focused on you as a dollar sign. Recruiters, by nature, stay on top of their star candidates, the people who can actually interview successfully for the roles they are looking to fill. They woo you, keep you on their good side and walk you through the interview process. The second you mess up or the client decides to “pass,” you are back to the starting line until another job comes along that you’re the PERFECT person for.

The funny thing is, the worst thing you can do to a recruiter is work with other recruiters. They’ll say whatever it takes to keep you from others because they don’t make money if someone else places you…which leads me to a dating story and point that recruiters and men (sorry guys!) can in fact consciously or subconsciously share the same mentality.

I once met a guy – we’ll call him Aaron – who has an intense personality and acts as someone who is driven and motivated. For the first few weeks of knowing each other, he contacted me. I didn’t think much of it and didn’t respond much. In fact, he was upset that I wouldn’t friend him on Facebook. I was impartial. (Similar to how most candidates are in a good market when approached by a recruiter.) He persisted and we went out to a three-hour first date dinner. It was great. He wanted to know all about me (1st interview or “screening” per a recruiter) and I “passed” round one. He suggested going to get ice cream a few days later, and after going to four places and striking out four times trying to get ice cream, Aaron finally figured out a way to find us ice cream. I was impressed, he was creative and innovative. (Similar to a recruiter getting you a first round interview, if you’re a strong candidate, they’ll do whatever it takes.) This continued and things were going well. A few weeks into it, I decided it was time for me to finally give in and be nice and after him asking many times for a housewarming gift (weird, yes), I brought over cookie dough as a housewarming gift.

Stop the presses!! From then on, every time I received a text or spoke to him, the question was “how many guys do you bring cookies to?” Well, he obviously couldn’t handle the idea of me dating other people and he freaked himself out (later apologizing, then falling off the face of the earth). In his apology, he admitted he freaked himself out because he wasn’t ready for someone who would expect something out of him but he was too insecure to have me date others.

Moral of the story: If you can’t make a recruiter a quick buck or be a quickie to a shady guy, you’ll get dropped – and fast – which is probably for the better.

Second moral: Keep your options open until a recruiter asks you to only work with them (or until a guy asks you for a commitment). Don’t give either the satisfaction of being your one and only unless they prove themselves worthy.


Allison Kapner headshotAllison Kapner is a Relationship Manager in Career Services at the Johns Hopkins University Carey Business School where she is responsible for building partnerships with employers to ultimately create job and internship opportunities for students and alumni. She also advises and coaches students on job search techniques and brings a unique corporate expertise to assist candidates, as her past experience was as an Executive Recruiter in financial services in New York City.

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How are dating and searching for a job the same? Pt 2

March 22nd, 2010 ::

by Allison Kapner

… Continued from my last blog post.

Step 1: Finding the date, finding the Job….What’s the Difference? NOTHING!

My last blog examined some of the different media outlets for job and mate searching. We continue that discussion below with other sourcing techniques used.

Networking

Human Neworking

http://www.flickr.com/photos/hikingartist/ / CC BY-ND 2.0

Your Personal Networks
The best way to land a job (or a man or woman) is through friends, colleagues, family and people you know. Network, network, network. If you’re looking for a job, tell people you know and trust. (The trust part is important if you already have a job and don’t want your employer to know you’re looking.) Likewise, if you’re single, make it known you’re open to dating. Don’t act desperate, but realize that you never know who people know or what other circles they run in.

If you do make a connection – job or personal – through your network, manage the process wisely: Make sure that you remove the person who set you up. You don’t want it to be awkward for the middle-man if things don’t work out. I’ve gone out with many friends of friends, colleagues of friends, etc. and I’ve never ruined a friendship. The same goes for job searching. If your uncle sets you up with a company that you end up not liking, remain professional and leave things on a positive note.

And if you’re the connector: Make the intro and then REMOVE yourself. Otherwise it will backfire. I guarantee it.

Happy Hour and the “scene”
More often than not, when you go to happy hour you will meet like-people that can help you for dating and job hunting. (It’s foolish to approach a happy hour – and happy hour – as merely a social situation.) Take advantage of this. Again, you never know who someone’s network is. Plus, many bars have specials, so it can be easy on your wallet. How can you use this to your advantage in your job search? Find out where the company you want to work for is located. Chances are the neighborhood bar is their after work spot. Make it yours as well.

The more obvious happy hour – job search connection are the myriad of professional networking events (as well as social meet ups and groups) that happen every day. Take advantage of people looking for the same things as you!

When you’re starting to feel down, you MUST remember for both, it’s all about…

….Timing
When all else fails, just remind yourself, it’s all about timing. Being in the right place at the right time when the other person/people are in the right place at the right time can and will change your life both personally and professionally.

…Believing
The second you feel defeated in your job search (or dating), you’re not setting yourself up for the next best thing. Keeping the optimism and faith that it will work out will be your strength when it seems that you’ll never get the call for the interview… or find that perfect mate. You must believe they will both come (see timing).

…Smiling
A smile says a gazillion words and can be all it takes to secure your next move.

Allison Kapner headshotAllison Kapner is a Relationship Manager in Career Services at the Johns Hopkins University Carey Business School where she is responsible for building partnerships with employers to ultimately create job and internship opportunities for students and alumni. She also advises and coaches students on job search techniques and brings a unique corporate expertise to assist candidates, as her past experience was as an Executive Recruiter in financial services in New York City.

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How are dating and searching for a job the same?

March 15th, 2010 ::

by Allison Kapner

Let’s examine Step 1: Sourcing your date or job lead through the internet.

Doll at a computer

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kodomut/ / CC BY 2.0

Step 1: Finding the date, finding the Job….What’s the Difference? NOTHING!

So how do you go about finding a new job and a new mate? This post could really go on for days. In fact, I could probably do a PhD on the topic, but I’m trying to keep this fairly concise.

Back in the day you would pick up the newspaper every day, circle the classified ads that looked appealing, fax in your resume and hope for the best. (Believe it or not, in 2004, I actually got my first job this way!) Nowadays there are endless job search engines, job boards, recruiting agencies and other ways to find jobs using the internet. Talk about information overload!

Back in the day, parents set up arranged marriages, or maybe you and the neighbor across the street were stuck with each other because there were so few options for meeting new people. Dating wasn’t socially accepted the way it is today. Nowadays, there singles events, meet-ups, speed dating, online dating… and the world of online dating is segmented out for every type of person: fitness singles, eHarmony, Jdate, etc. The list goes on and one. Seeing a theme? Information overload!

The Internet: Broken out by effort level, where do you look?

Least amount of work – job search: The most common sites are obviously Monster, Yahoo! HotJobs, CareerBuilder, etc. You scroll, search around and stalk these boards and assume every single job that’s available in life will be posted there. (Hint: They’re not.) LinkedIn has become an obvious tool, and over the past few years, LinkedIn has really grown and been a huge asset when used correctly. Twitter and Facebook are now jumping on the job search bandwagon. My point? The jobs that are blasted to the public result in thousands of applicants for each job, and for some reason people apply to jobs no matter whether they meet the qualifications or not.

Least amount of work – dating: Post on Match.com. I used Match.com once in my life while in NY. The result? People of all shapes and sizes banging down my door. Why? Because it’s easy. You post a quick profile and picture and that’s that. People can contact you as long as you pay and you don’t have to do much work other than throw up a profile.

Large amount of work and focus – job search: If you are really focused – and truly want to be successful – you will go to specific companies’ websites, register (if needed), and stalk properly until they post your dream job, then wait for days, weeks, sometimes months until you watch the job disappear or you get that magical call. You’ll be targeted and strategic and put a lot of work and research into finding the “right” companies.

Large amount of work and focus – dating: Sign up for eHarmony or other sites that make you actually do work. I’ve used it, and wow do they put you through the ringer. If you think someone is attractive, chances are they are too “shy” to use the fast-track way of communicating, which means you go through about a 10-step process just to get to writing emails to each other. But eHarmony is more targeted. They send you matches based on a values profile you fill out. You hope that the system matches people who share similar beliefs and values….and I do have to say the work may be worth it sometimes.

Feeling lucky?
If you are feeling lucky with your job search, check out Craigslist. I’ve randomly heard people that have had found a great job posted there. (It is free after all, a lot of smaller companies tend to use it as a tool.) But watch out for sleazy sales jobs. They try to hit the masses with them. One small piece of advice: I’ve know someone who has tried to date through Craigslist. You probably won’t have the same good luck. I recommend staying away from the single classifieds.

To be continued…


Allison Kapner headshotAllison Kapner is a Relationship Manager in Career Services at the Johns Hopkins University Carey Business School where she is responsible for building partnerships with employers to ultimately create job and internship opportunities for students and alumni. She also advises and coaches students on job search techniques and brings a unique corporate expertise to assist candidates, as her past experience was as an Executive Recruiter in financial services in New York City.

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Posted in Allison Kapner, Dating, Job Search, WhatsNextGenY | 1 Comment »

Dating and the Job Search Process…

March 8th, 2010 ::

by Allison Kapner

I’m the girl that all of her friends – married, single and everything in-between – live vicariously through. Why? It’s not because I am a trust fund baby or a supermodel. It’s because somehow, for some reason, I have the most bizarre dating stories. To my friends, my bizarre experiences are a game; to me, it’s a battle of conquering the first few dates so I can get that big diamond ring that’s a sign of commitment.

I’m also the girl who gets multiple job offers, each one incredibly different than the last. And because of that, I spend hours coaching friends before interviews, giving promotion advice and being the go-to person for any and all professional-related questions.

All of these experiences have led me to believe that dating and interviewing are synonymous in a lot of ways, and if you’re good at one, you can teach yourself to be good at the other.

Welcome to Date to Interview!
I’ve recruited in NYC through a recession and currently work in Career Services. It’s my job to know what I’m talking about and understand what it takes to secure employment. The best interviewing advice I’ve given that has actually stuck with clients has been to compare interviewing to dating. Clients find they can relate to these little cliché’s and soundbites. They also find them humorous. It not only helps them see the interviewing situation from a different perspective, it often helps them land their dream job.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/the-o/ / CC BY 2.0

Dating and Job Interviewing are synonymous. A first date mirrors a first round interview. So you need to follow the same rules:

  • Don’t reveal too much about yourself.
  • Hide the fact that you were once arrested (okay, just kidding on this one, well, at least, on the job side).
  • Make them fall in love with your personality.
  • And closing the deal – whichever deal you choose – is a dance, a very strategic and delicate dance that must be played the right way in both cases.

To those who are reading this and saying, “I don’t play games. I’m very direct in dating,” well, I hate to break it to you, but there is still a dance at the beginning. There is no way around it.

My blog posts are meant as entertainment with a moral to each story… however not a moral that has been written about in books like He’s Just Not into You, The Rules, and Why Men Marry Bitches.

Through my entries, you will learn another technique, or hear a different perspective, on how to – or how not to – successfully interview for your dream job… or find your mate.

Allison Kapner headshotAllison Kapner is a Relationship Manager in Career Services at the Johns Hopkins University Carey Business School where she is responsible for building partnerships with employers to ultimately create job and internship opportunities for students and alumni. She also advises and coaches students on job search techniques and brings a unique corporate expertise to assist candidates, as her past experience was as an Executive Recruiter in financial services in New York City.

Posted in Allison Kapner, Dating, Interviewing, Job Search, WhatsNextGenY | 2 Comments »