We have all been there, sitting in the waiting room nervous and uncomfortable waiting anxiously for an interview to start.  All of the questions you practiced in front of the mirror are jumbling together and then you scare yourself into believing you haven’t prepared enough for the barrage of questions that are going to be thrown at you.  As a gentle reminder, the interview has actually already started as you have already been in contact with a company’s first line of defense…the receptionist.

          Finally, you are sitting in front of an employer and you are cruising through questions, until you are hit with one you didn’t prepare for.  A question you have never heard before, one that requires a negative response or maybe one that doesn’t even have a correct answer.  Seconds feel like minutes as you panic to form some form of rational thought.  Here are some tips to push through the tough interview questions that may make or break your chances of landing your next great opportunity.

          The first question is often ‘tell me a little bit about you’.  Although you would like to talk about the car you drive or the buzzer beating shot you had in high school, this should be brief, touching on your education, qualification and experiences that pertain to your long-term goals and the job you are interviewing for.  This speech is a useful tool for networking when having a conversation with someone new. This is fairly easy to prepare for yet extremely valuable, because bits and pieces can often times be answers to other questions as well.

          Another trap you can find yourself in is with questions that are negative in nature or one that will induce a negative interpretation on yourself or others. A classic is ‘tell me about your weaknesses’.  A solid answer is one that turns a negative into a positive. For example, if you are slow at typing, you can talk about the strides you are making to better yourself in that area, such as taking a class. This can be followed up by the improvements you have made on your weakness. Obviously you do not what to admit to something that will have a negative effect on your job performance. So if you are interviewing for a data entry position, I would strongly urge you to not use the above example.  A trap to avoid is to use the generic answer such as, I work too many hours or I am too detailed oriented. The idea is to make yourself memorable and to standout. The person who interviewed before and after you will probably use the broad generic responses.

          Lastly, a common trick question is ‘tell me about the worst supervisor you have even had’.  By now you should know that this is a trap and is not to be answered literally. If you are going to talk negatively about a prior supervisor, years down the road, what is going to stop you from talking down about the person sitting right across from you?

          A quality response to this question is to describe differences that past managers and coaches have had. You could answer by talking about the different management styles you have been exposed to or different actions that managers have used to engage employees.

          Using these simple suggesting to spin negative answers into positive ones will boost the way you are interpreted by the interviewer. If you are stuck on a question you don’t know how to answer, don’t be afraid to say ‘I need a second to think about it’.  Remain in eye contact and answer in direct sentences regardless of how sure you are in your answer. The most valuable tip of all is prepare Prepare PREPARE! Have a general idea of what is good to say and what is bad. Being prepared will not only help with individual answers, but also give you the confidence to nail your next interview.

Every internet article I seem to read this time of year is a Top 10 List.
With that in mind, I am compiling my Top Ten Reasons to Move to Syracuse.

What makes me qualified to write this blog? Well, I am an expert on Syracuse.  I have lived here for four months.  I went to Fayetteville for the first time last week to get my nails done.

In all seriousness, I am very new to Central New York.  I have no family or prior ties to Syracuse.  After seven years in Chicago, I moved to Syracuse this past August.  I moved out of my high rise apartment, quit my job, and drove across the country in a U-Haul.  Now, like most moves and life changes, it was met with much fear and trepidation.  Four months later, I am happy to say I made the right decision.

1. No Traffic – I used to commute an hour each way to go 20 miles.  Add a little rain or snow, and the trip doubled.  Once I was stuck on the train for over 4 hours.  Now I walk 2 blocks to work and it’s a 15 minute drive to literally everywhere else.
2. More disposable income – I was surprised to find that in addition to housing being less expensive, so are the haircuts, parking, and gym memberships (if I had one).  Especially for students that take out loans, Syracuse’s cost of living makes it much more affordable.
3. Travel – Yes, there aren’t as many direct flights, but there aren’t the hour long security lines either.  Last trip, I made it from the parking garage to the gate in less than 15 minutes.  Beat that.  Plus, you can spend the $5000 a year you saved on housing to travel instead.
4. More Free Time – With less commuting, there is more time to develop hobbies, volunteer, take classes and actually start investing in the community.
5. No Reservations – I made a restaurant reservation in Chicago last year.  I called two months in advance and the only available time was a Sunday at 5pm.  Not here, I can show up without reservations to popular restaurants such as Pastabilities and Alto Cinco with only a little wait.
6. Natural Beauty –Syracuse has the Finger Lakes, wineries and lovely surrounding nature-scapes.
7. Wegman’s – There is a grocery store here called “Wegmans”.  It is incredible.  You should check it out.
8. Arts/Sports – I love the Arts; my fiancé loves sports.  Fortunately, there are ample opportunities for both.
9. Farmer’s Market – The regional market on Saturdays is inspiring.  I bought so many peaches that I made a pie.  I don’t even know how to bake!
10. New York City – If you are really dying for the city life, you can always take a day trip to NYC.  Plus, when you tell people you live in New York, they assume New York City anyways.

With the holidays right around the corner, why not take a few hours of your time and volunteer?  Many organizations are looking for volunteers to help make the holidays a happy time for everyone.  If you think there is not enough time to volunteer, organizations are very willing to work around any schedule, and various shifts are usually available!  Whether you are looking to volunteer on a daily or weekly basis, there are many opportunities out there for you.

The benefits of volunteering are endless.  While you are volunteering your time and helping out others, you are also helping yourself.  According to the World Volunteer Web, the benefits of volunteering can be both personal and professional.

On a personal level volunteerism helps you:
     1. Become an active member of your community.
     2. Find new hobbies, talents, and interests.
     3. Feel a sense of self-achievement while making a difference to others.

On a professional level volunteerism helps you:
     1. Boost your resume!
     2. Build valuable connections.  Networking is key tool in the job search 
     process.
     3. Improve your skills.  Volunteering can help you develop new skills, while
     also improving the skills you already have.
     4. Stay engaged.  If you are unemployed, there is no better way to use your
     time than volunteering.

In just a few hours you can help out an organization, feel great about what you have done, and even boost your resume. To find the perfect volunteer opportunity for you, please visit www.volunteermatch.org or www.serve.gov.