Questions Great Job Candidates Ask

Evaluating your potential employer during job interviews!

What do you say when the hiring manager wraps up the job interview and says: Do you have any questions for us? Average employees respond to this question by saying: "No, I think you've covered everything very well". Well, you have just passed on your chance to ask some critical questions that may determine whether you really want to work for this company or not. Great candidates understand that being on an interview is a critical time for them to find out insider information about the company or the position. They formulate questions based on the information they hear during the interview to make up their minds on whether the company is the best place for them to thrive or not. Akhtaboot provides you with some questions great candidates usually ask during job interviews.

How would a typical day in this position be like?

This question reflects your interest in landing the position. It shows that you want to hit the ground running. Great candidates think ahead about what holding the position will actually be like as opposed to just getting through the interview. They want to make a difference, right away! They are dedicated, hardworking people with a dream to accomplish so much, yet they feel they don’t have enough time on their hands.

What does it take for me to be a top performer at your company?

Great candidates want to be great long-term employees. Every organization has a unique set of qualities that are needed to excel on the job. Some of the key qualities companies look for in employees are the ability to handle pressure and long working hours, creativity or being helpful to colleagues. That’s why great candidates need to know such information ahead of time because they want to know if they fit in, and if they do, they want to be top performers.

What are the main activities that I should focus on to drive results for the company?

Employees are investments, and every employee should generate a positive return on his or her salary. In every job some activities make a bigger impact on the companies’ overall objectives than others. Great candidates like to work at maximum efficiency to get exceptional results in less time. In short, great candidates want to know what truly makes a difference. They know helping the company succeed means they succeed as well.

Do you have any reservations regarding my compatibility to this position?

Great candidates are not afraid to face brutal facts about themselves. They understand that asking such questions can be awkward but can also help them nail the job. Clearing the air about any doubts the interviewer might have about you is the way to go.

What is your timeline for getting back to me about the next steps? 

Great candidates need to know what to expect next ad they usually have other options and opportunities elsewhere. If they don’t hear anything from the company, they will send a follow up email.  Many employers see the follow up as a keen show of interest in working at their company.

A great candidate doesn't just want to know what you think; they want to know what you plan to do and how they will fit into those plans. So if you want to earn a place in the great candidate category, you should be prepared. Keep in mind that timing is important; you will have to use your judgment about the number of questions you can ask and when to ask them.

11 Reasons New Grads Should Pursue Nonprofit Careers

A career path many overlook

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All over the country, a couple million young people are graduating from college, including my little sister, Joelle! This weekend, she graduated from Howard University with a Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing. I’m so proud of her, I can hardly stand it. It’s been an amazing celebration weekend with all of our family in town from Ohio, Georgia and Virginia. But after all the partying and congrats we did as a family, our first question to Joelle was, “So when are you gonna get a job?” She’s in the market looking for her first “real” job right now just like everyone else her age. Fortunately, her career field of nursing provides a very clear avenue for what to do next after school. After you graduate with a BSN, you take your certification test, then you go to work at a hospital or clinic. Even better is that in Washington, DC, the starting salary for nurses comes out to about $27 an hour. So new nurses have a pretty linear career path and a good chance that they will earn a good salary.



But what about those that don’t?



What about young people like me who came out of college with a degree in English and no idea what to do with it? Those new grads should definitely consider the nonprofit sector as a career choice for a number of reasons.



Nonprofit Doesn’t Mean “No Money”

Many young people get turned off from the idea of working in the nonprofit sector because they think the term “nonprofit” means that they won’t get paid. While most nonprofits aren’t ever going to be able to pay you six-figures, many positions command a very competitive salary, especially in large organizations. So if you’re that English major like me and you’re good at technical writing and you learn how to write a grant proposal, you could be on track to earn quite a bit more than you thought. Higher paying jobs in nonprofits include: fundraising, marketing & communications, finance and policy.



Nonprofits Are Still Hiring

There are many bright spots for young workers who wish to pursue a career in social change. The Bridgespan Group’s 2009 report, Finding Leaders for America’s Nonprofits showed that nonprofits were still hiring in this economic downturn. According to the Bridgespan Group:



"In the next 12 months, 28 percent of nonprofit organizations with revenues of $1 million and above plan to make one or more senior management hires, translating to 24,000 vacancies in 2009. Those projected vacancies are largely the result of retirement, since much of the existing leadership is comprised of boomers. Vacancies also stem from new roles being created due to an increase in organizational complexity based on growth in prior years."



According to Bridgespan, the need for new nonprofit leaders is especially strong in two areas: human services and arts organizations.



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A Game of Thrones: Lessons About Status II

Lord Varys, the eunuch (source)

This week is my first week of teaching a new course at the University of Illinois. The course is called "Power, Status, and Influence" and so far I've finished preparing about 80% of the lecture materials. I'm pretty excited about the topic and I think (hope?) the students will be as well. In my last post about the course I mentioned considering the popular George R. R. Martin fantasy novel "A Game of Thrones" (now filming its third season on HBO) as a required text. After all, the novel is an impressively insightful study of power and status. In today's blog post I will discuss one aspect of "A Game of Thrones" that relates well with research on one correlate of social status: Testosterone.

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"She Asked For It": The Destructive Impact of Rape Mythology

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A U.S. congressman and senate candidate recently made headlines for his comments about the link between rape and pregnancy. "If it's a legitimate rape," he said in a TV interview, "the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down" (you can watch the full interview here). This statement has been criticized by Democrats and Republicans alike, as it suggests not only that women who become pregnant from rape were likely not in fact raped, but also, more broadly, that some forms of rape are not "legitimate." The congressman has since apologized for his remarks, saying that he misspoke, but the belief system reflected in his words may be more pervasive than we realize. Although most of us are taught that rape is wrong, we are also exposed throughout our lives to ideas about rape that are both inaccurate and harmful. These rape myths, as they are called, can directly or indirectly serve to excuse perpetrators and blame victims, and psychologists have found that they may also increase the likelihood that individuals will commit rape.
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Getting Mad at Work the Right Way!

Because the choice is yours!

From disagreements with coworkers, stress over a tight deadline, to your boss getting on your last nerve; it’s an inevitable fact that every once in a while you will get angry at work. When it comes to your personal life, your response to similar situations might be to start shouting, or to complain out loud about it, but at work, acting this way can harm your professional image, as well as your relationship with others. While anger is a completely natural emotion, we can't just lash out at every person or object that irritates or annoys us at work. Akhtaboot is here with a number of tips to help you better understand and cope with anger in the workplace.

Get to Know What Triggers your Anger

Keep track of what pushes your buttons at work and make a conscious choice on how you’re going to react in the future when presented with similar circumstances. If notice a pattern in the type of situations you walk yourself into, acknowledge that you might need to work on sharpening your social intelligence. Never act upon your feelings in an irrational way.

Don't Play the Blame Game

Own up to your anger. Be responsible for your reactions and for openly expressing them. Once you do, you can look for ways to control it in a constructive way. If you feel that you crossed the line when expressing your anger, apologize. Your apology shows that your relationship with the other person is more important to you than being right.

Criticize “Actions” Rather than “People”

While it might be hard to isolate your personal feelings in the spur of the moment, you need to learn how to avoid making judgments or fixing blame on individuals rather than actions. Hostile statements such as "you are wrong" can definitely elevate the situation to another level of conflict. When expressing your feelings towards the situation, define the actions that led to it and try to suggest some solutions. Keep in mind that today's problem is tomorrows learning experience.

Ask Questions

Get to the bottom of what triggered your anger. Ask if the other person meant to treat you disrespectfully, and if so, make it clear that you won’t tolerate such behaviors. Don’t make up your own assumptions about motives. Ask for an explanation and listen more than you talk. Consider the possibility that you might be wrong, or that you and your opponent may both be right.

Seek a Mediator

There are certain times when all involved parties get so overwhelmed with anger that outside help may be needed to resolve the issue. Having a third opinion from a trusted mediator provides neutrality when you need it most. Set up a private meeting to give all involved parties an opportunity to share sensitive information with the attendance of a third party who can add value to coming up with a solution.

Your ability to resolve conflict and manage difficult situations is critical to your job satisfaction, career success and to the organization's productivity. Always remember; venting your anger is one thing, but taking it out on a coworker in a rude manner is another. Learning how to tame your anger and redirect it in a constructive way will help you earn the respect, treatment, and attention that you want and deserve from everyone.

The "Cohabitation Effect": The Consequences of Premarital Cohabitation

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According to the U.S Census, nearly half of all marriages end in divorce. With such a high rate of divorce, a bit of skepticism and concern about entering into matrimonial bonds is appropriate. Premarital cohabitation allows couples to experience a “trial marriage” before making the real commitment. Cohabitation is increasingly becoming a natural part of the courtship ritual, a transition from dating to marriage. Indeed, according to a recent talk I attended, two thirds of American will cohabitate with a relationship partner, and one half of marriages emerge from cohabitation. Following common sense, it would seem that those who cohabitate before marriage would be more prepared for and confident about marriage having already lived together. This preparedness and confidence should thus lead to lower divorce rates for those who cohabitated before marriage than those who did not cohabitate. Research has shown, however, that in this case common sense is wrong. Premarital cohabitation actually appears to lead to higher divorce rates in many Western countries. Why might this be?
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Don't stand so close to me: Why morality divides us.

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Have you ever discovered that a friend has a dramatically different position than you on a moral matter? Perhaps you found yourself on opposite sides with an old pal in the wake of 9/11 and the US invasion of Iraq. Maybe, during the Occupy Movement, you discovered that some of your friends had a different take on financial inequality than you did. Or, possibly, last week you found out that a colleague lined up proudly to get a Chik-Fil-A sandwich in order to support "traditional marriage day,” whereas you had a different take on the issue. How would these differences of opinion make you feel? It's likely you might find yourself questioning your opinion of the friend and your relationship with him or her.

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Why can’t we accept differences in moral opinion the same way we  readily accept differences in other opinions like music preference? What makes moral attitudes so different and divisive?

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Why Optimists Make Better Leaders

Optimism is an essential ingredient of innovation and success in today’s hectic workplace. Optimistic employees welcome change over security, adventure over staying in safe places and they are more likely to be the ones to climb the corporate ladder ahead of everyone else. Akhtaboot reveals the reasons why optimistic employees make it to the top.

1. People like to be around them.

2. They see an opportunity in every difficulty.

3. They don’t dwell on their mistakes; they try to solve it.

4. They know how to instill confidence and energy within their team.

5. They have a clear vision and a long term mentality.

How the Rich are Different from the Poor II: Empathy

In the many conversations that F. Scott Fitzgerald had with his friend Ernest Hemingway, Fitzgerald was believed to have said "The rich are different from the poor." Hemingway's alleged response: "Yes, they have more money."

While this conversation may have never occurred, it goes without saying that the rich do indeed differ from the poor. In this second part of a four part PYM series I will be exploring precisely how the rich differ from the poor--in a psychological sense at least. In the first post, I discussed how one's social class status--that is, the money, education, and occupation status of one's family--influences the concept of choice. In this second post, I discuss how social class influences patterns of empathy.

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How to make time stand still

It often feels like there just aren't enough hours in the day to accomplish all the things we want to accomplish, let alone find a moment to relax. The demands of work and social life, combined with our basic needs for sleep, food, and exercise, can quickly add up and overflow, producing the sense that time is constantly slipping away and we're constantly running to catch up. Time may be limited, but it doesn't have to always feel that way. New research suggests that our state of mind can change the way we perceive and experience time, and in turn, make us happier and more giving.
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Nailing your Performance Review

It’s that time of the year; whether it’s the mid-year performance review or end of year evaluation, and the results will determine your next course of action. Appraisals can be overwhelming to employees as they are used to measure past performance levels and determine appropriate employee compensation. Akhtaboot provides you with some tips to positively influence your performance review outcome.

1.  Go prepared: write a list of your accomplishments throughout the year and present them to your boss. Most supervisors are pleased when employees assist in their own performance evaluation.

2. Don’t talk about other employees: never blame or compare yourself to others, and most importantly never bad mouth any colleague. Focus on yourself; it’s your evaluation!

3.  Don’t just state facts: give examples numbers, statistics and evidence to verify that you’re on the right track.

4.  It's your chance to ask for a raise: your performance appraisal is the best time to ask for it.

Behind the Scenes of Psychological Research: What Does the Future Hold?

Since starting this blog, I’ve told you about interesting and hopefully useful research findings. But today I wanted to take a step back and share with you a bit about what is going on behind the scenes of psychological research. We assume that findings we are telling you about—those which are published in peer-reviewed journals—are true, but it turns out that is not always the case. Recently, it has come to light that the way we conduct our studies may be leading us to find “significant results” more often than they truly exist. And even more extreme than problems with methodology is the harsh reality that some researchers may be simply making up their findings. So today, I wanted to share with you some of my personal experience behind the scenes of science, as well as three great suggestions I’ve heard for reforming our scientific ways.

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