Tips on job interviews given in NE workshop
by Beverly Stone, reporter

    Employers are looking for people with a vision and a sense of the big picture, an employer service specialist said in a workshop on NE Campus.

   “Showing your strengths in an interview gives the employer some idea of your ability to solve the company’s problems,” Mark Ketcham, a representative from the Texas Workforce Center, said last week in a Salary Negotiations workshop for students seeking jobs.

   Ketcham focused on giving the employer what he is looking for without giving up the employee’s needs.

   “Employers hire you to solve their problems,” he said.

   With a 7 percent unemployment rate in the Fort Worth\Dallas area, employers can afford to pick the best applicants.

   Job seekers should prepare themselves to negotiate by doing research on the company and the specific job they are applying for, Ketcham said.

   “If you know the company, you will feel more comfortable,” he said.

   Knowing the trends and skills the job requires is a good way to prepare for an interview, Ketcham said.

   “Giving yourself a skills analysis by listing your accomplishments and by asking what your time is worth gives a clearer picture of what you can offer to the employer,” he said.

   Vicki McCleery from career and employment services on NE Campus asked Ketcham what a student could do when asked for salary history on the online application.

   Ketcham suggested that the applicant could put zero or “will discuss,” and deal with the issue in a cover letter, leaving the salary negotiable.

   It is probably in the applicant’s best interest not to put a salary history or salary requirement on a résumé but indicate a willingness to discuss salary in an interview, Ketcham said.

   Ketcham said it is best to refrain from bringing up money issues on the first interview.

   “I strongly, strongly discourage this,” he said. “It is always best to let the potential employer bring up the issue of compensation first.”

   Ketcham said the best time to negotiate salary is after the applicant has received an offer and before he accepts that offer.

   “It is in this window that you have the most power to negotiate. Remember your basic position is one of fairness and requesting the going rate. This is an area where your research will pay off,” he said.

   Ketcham suggested ways to research a company before an interview: company reports, salary surveys and books on negotiation.

   For further information, visit www.careeronestop.org.