Wednesday, May 1, 1991 ~ North Shore News - 39

Zen and the art of job interviews

ALTHOUGH A well-designed job resume and cover letter will get
you noticed, the job interview is your opportunity to convince an

employer you're the person for the job.

NEWS photo Terry Poters

The following is a lecture on How to
Attain Employment Nirvana at a [ob In-
terview by Master Yu Noh Nac.

By Dean Sekyer
Contributing Writer

An old master once stated that poor
personal appearance is a great hindrance
to enlightenment. Your standard orange
robe may not be appropriate for the in-
terview. It is advised to dress for the in-
terview as you would for the job.

Timing is everything. Grasshooper,
especially in the art of job interviews.
Arriving early shows dependability. and
being prepared to answer and ask ques-
tions shows you are serious.

If you are nervous, don’t fight it.sur-
tender to it. Teil the interviewer that you
are a little nervous and then use your
sense of humor to break the ice. Even
the most disciplined master appreciates
a sense of humor.

It is s..4 that an employer may decide
your future in the first two minutes of
an interview. A lifeless handshake and
avoiding eye contact may indicate a fack
of confidence. Coricentraie your gaze
upon the interviewer and make that per-
son the centre of your universe.

Pay attention. Tre student who car-
ties a know-it-all attitude will not achieve
enlightenment.

Be confident, put not over-confident,

Uniqu

ideas — perfec

t the Park Roy

and stay focused on the subject of the
job. An interviewer doesn’t want to
know you're allergic to Mongolian sheep
or that your cat has a fur-ball.

When telling the interviewer about
your experience, use the middle path.
Titles like Gas-Jockey or elevated names
like Petroleum Transfer Engineer may
hurt your chances. Use names like Ser-
vice Station Attendant.

The tight attitude is important.
Employers look not only for people who
can perform the tasks of the job but also
for those who can work wel! with peo-
ple. Therefore Grasshopper, don’t ex-
plain that your last boss was a dummy.

Finally, do not be seduced by greed.
This means that you should not ask how
much the job pays as your first question.
Leave that until the end of the interviews.

This is but a brief Jescription of the
way to summer employment nirvana. For
a more complete lecture. contact the
gurus at your local Student Employment
Centre.

— reprinted with permission from *'B.C.
Youth,” the newsletter of the B.C. Youth
Advisory Council.

This week's question:

Will raising the

legal age to buy
cigarettes from 16
to 18 discourage
kids from smoking?

YES OR NO? call

980-KIDS

(980-5437)

LAST WEEK, the legal age
to buy cigarettes in
Manitoba was raised from
16 to 58.

Zap! wants to know if
you think this new law will
discourage teens from
smoking. If not. why nct?

Cail our 980-KIDS
TalkBack line before Mon-
day morning, and watch for
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