How often do you get to chat with someone who’s a true pioneer? We just had a chat with the first (we think) personal branding consultant in Japan, our great friend Peter Sterlacci who is based in Kyoto, Japan.
Peter is an American based in Japan for over ten years and he is quickly becoming that country’s go-to guy for personal branding. Being a long-term resident in a country where ‘fitting in’ is the cultural norm, Peter understands the challenges facing Japanese professionals to ‘stand-out’. He is dedicated to empowering on-the-move careerists in global companies in Japan to ‘break away’ from the pack and ride to success.
As you can tell by the picture above he loves his bicycling and nicely embeds this passion into his own brand. See what he had to say here and be sure to check out his guest post How Personal Branding is Just Like Riding a Bike.
Another interview covering personal branding is with Joshua Waldman, see more at .
It’s a fact that Facebook and Google often compete for the same talent. If you’re looking at job opportunities at these two hugely successful tech companies, it can be tough to decide which employer will be the right fit for you from a culture and compensation perspective. On one side, Facebook is currently leading the…
In a difficult job market, making it to the job interview can feel like quite an accomplishment. But in reality, this is where your chance to land the position begins. Most human resource departments will interview several candidates for the job, and in a competitive job market the number of candidates that are interviewed for each position is increasing from three to five or more.
It is important to realize that you need to make the best impression from the time you enter the interview until well after the interview is over.
Preparing for the Interview
Most people know how to dress appropriately for an interview, but your preparation needs to go further than simply choosing the right pair of shoes and getting your haircut.
Prepare a portfolio that displays the work that you have done in the past. The best portfolios are built over time. If you have just graduated from school, you should highlight the classes that directly apply to the position you want. As you gain experience you should substitute out your class projects with examples that you have done in the workforce.
If possible you should also create an online portfolio to include in your resume and cover letter. Take a hard copy of your resume and a copy of your portfolio on a jump drive that you can give to the interview committee at the end of the interview.
In addition to your portfolio, take time to learn about the company. The company’s philosophy and business strategy should be online. Generally you can also find out about the people who are interviewing you or how the department you will be working in will fit into the company. The Internet makes it easier to find this information, but if you can use this in the interview it will help make a better impression.
Practicing the basic interview questions is a good idea. Ask friends and family members to review the basic questions with you. You need to prepare for different interview situations such as a panel interview where you will be interviewed by several people instead of by just one person.
You need to make sure you make contact with each person you are speaking to throughout the interview. It is important to feel comfortable in front of the group.
If you are in a group interview where you and several other candidates are being interviewed at the same time, you should make sure that you volunteer answers for questions.
It is important that you have a unique answer that applies to your job skills and that you are not just echoing someone else’s answers. This is a difficult interview because you need to be assertive without coming across as being aggressive or rude.
In the interview you need a firm handshake, and make a personal connection with the person who is interviewing you. Make sure you highlight any experience you have that they specifically listed in the job description.
Each answer should connect back to one of the strengths you can offer the company with an example of how you have done it in the past. This is essential in the interview; you are selling yourself to the company. This means that it is okay to highlight your strengths and talk about how they can benefit the company.
Take time after the interview to make another good impression. Within twenty four hours you should send a thank you letter to the people who interviewed you. In the email or card you can mention your online portfolio again, but the letter should focus on how much you enjoyed the interview, and that you appreciate their time and consideration.
It does not need to be a long letter, but the people who interviewed you will remember you took the time to thank them. In addition to an email you can send a thank you note through the mail. This may make an additional impression. Be sure to use the correct names on the cards.
Charissa Newark is the resident blogger and the editor for AccountingDegree.net. After graduating from the University of Maryland with a B.S. in English in 2005 and unable to find a “9-5”, Charissa began freelance writing and doing research for various websites. A few of the current topics she is researching include helping with choosing an online accounting school.
Image credit: Astragony
There have been several stories in the news recently about employers requesting the Facebook passwords of employees and job applicants. Should employers have access to our most private details? What rights do employees have in this situation? Is this even legal?
Why would an employer want my Facebook password?
Employers would probably be hard-pressed to come up with a legitimate business reason for requiring full access to an employee’s private social networking profiles. It seems as though employers are taking advantage of desperate job seekers who would rather surrender their rights to privacy than miss out on a job opportunity.
Should employers have access to my private information?
With today’s technology and increasing connectedness, there is a very fine line between our professional and personal lives. This is why we go through the painstaking process of perfecting our privacy settings on our social networking profiles. We know that current and potential employers are likely to research our online presence, but there is a difference between viewing our publicly available information and having full access to our most personal details.
While it might be uncomfortable to allow an employer to read your private messages and scan through your personal photos, this unrestricted access can actually be harmful for employers as well.
Employers are at risk for discrimination claims if:
– the employer asks some, but not all, individuals for certain information (ie, Facebook passwords),
– the employer discovers bits of personal information (e.g. race, religion, sexual orientation, medical conditions or political views) that are typically made available on protected Facebook profiles or in personal conversations.
What should I expect from an employer regarding social networking privacy?
Some companies that have been pressured to cease requesting employees’ Facebook passwords have resorted to “shoulder surfing,” or having an individual log in to their account and click through messages, photos and wall posts while the employer watches. In some cases, student athletes have been required to “friend” a coach or other authority figure as a means of monitoring activity.
Basic background checks are a standard practice in recruitment, and every company should have a formal social media policy that includes guidelines for conducting social networking screening. Ideally, these checks should be carried out by a third party, and certainly not by the individual in charge of making the hiring decision. All employers should reveal their social media monitoring policy to employees, including the use of software that takes screen snapshots of login information.
Is it legal for an employer to ask for my Facebook password?
There are no specific laws to protect the social networking privacy of employees and job applicants, though lawmakers in some US states have introduced bills to prohibit employers from requesting Facebook passwords. In the UK, the Computer Misuse Act 1990 offers some protection to employees. According to the Act, it is an offence to use a computer to gain access to data you are not authorised to use.
Unfortunately, many employees are willing to fork over their passwords in order to keep their jobs, thus “authorising” the employer to access their personal information. However, this practice still constitutes a direct violation of Facebook’s Statement of Rights and Responsibilities. According to Section 4.8 of Facebook’s policy, “You will not share your password…let anyone else access your account, or do anything else that might jeopardize the security of your account.”
What can I do if I’m asked to give up my password?
Do not be afraid to defend your rights to personal social networking privacy. Ask about the company’s social media policy. Express your concerns about your legal rights, quote Facebook’s official policy, or just say no. If all else fails, ask yourself: do you really want to work for a company that doesn’t respect your right to privacy?
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