Biggest Interview Blunders

Most employers remember what it’s like to be in the position of being the interviewee, so it easy to see why most of them would overlook interview blunders. But some mistakes are too big to let slip. CareerBuilder surveyed more than 3000 employers and human resource managers and came up with the most common big mistakes that will take a candidate out of the running for the position.

• Answering a cell phone or texting: 77 percent
• Appearing disinterested: 75 percent
• Dressing inappropriately: 72 percent
• Appearing arrogant: 72 percent
• Talking negatively about current or previous employers: 67 percent
• Chewing gum: 63 percent

Below is a list of strange interview behavior that went above and beyond the normal mistakes listed above.

• Candidate brought a “how to interview book” with him to the interview.
• Candidate asked, “What company is this again?”
• Candidate put the interviewer on hold during a phone interview. When she came back on the line, she told the interviewer she had a date set up for Friday.
• When a candidate interviewing for a security position wasn’t hired on the spot, he sprayed graffiti on the building.
• Candidate wore a Boy Scout uniform and never told interviewers why.
• Candidate was arrested by federal authorities during the interview when a background check revealed the person had an outstanding warrant.
• Candidate talked about promptness as one of her strengths after showing up ten minutes late.
• On the way to the interview, candidate passed, cut-off, and flipped the middle finger to a driver who happened to be the interviewer.
• Candidate referred to himself in the third person.
• Candidate took off shoes during interview.
• Candidate asked for a sip of the interviewer’s coffee.
• Candidate told the interviewer she wasn’t sure if the job offered was worth “starting the car for.”

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New IRS Instructions for Expanded Veterans Tax Credits

The IRS has released updated instructions for employers desiring to claim one of the new veteran tax credits, Returning Heroes or Wounded Warrior. Before employers had 28 days from the day the veteran begins work to file Form 8850 with the state workforce agency; however, the IRS has released new guidance that employers have until June 19, 2012, to complete and file the newly revised form for veterans hired on or after November 22, 2011, and before May 22, 2012. The 28-day rule goes back into effect for eligible veterans hired on or after May 22, 2012.

Additionally, employers can now submit the form electronically or by fax, subject to the ability of the state workforce agencies to accept submissions in those formats. Businesses claim these credits on their income tax returns. The credit is first figured on Form 5884 and then becomes a part of the general business credit claimed on Form 3800. This credit is also available to certain tax-exempt organizations who file Form 5884-c.

PLEASE NOTE: Hire a Hero, Hire a Vet, its affiliates and its employees are not in the business of providing tax or legal advice to any taxpayer. This content is for general information purposes only, and is not intended or written to be used without the advice of the taxpayer’s independent tax advisor.

May I Have Your Attention Please?

Every three minutes, the average worker breaks from their current task to focus on something other than what they are currently focused on. These breaks, which could include anything from checking email to investigating what’s hot on YouTube, are caused by our ever-depleting attention spans. These distractions consume as much as 28% of the average worker’s day and cost up to $65 billion annually in productivity for American businesses.

The reason we get so distracted? Human beings are not built to stay on task, but to stay alert and able to quickly adapt to change. Generations before have had to cope with distractions as well, but were never exposed to so many concentration-thwarting electronic gadgets that beep, ping and blink in an effort to win our attention. To help the American worker fight these distractions, companies such as IBM and Microsoft are finding that the answer may be to fight technology with technology.

Eric Horvitz, a principle researcher at Microsoft, has spent the last decade creating an artificial intelligence system that observes humans in their work environment. These software programs, loaded onto computers and various hand-held devices, listen to the user, track calendars and note key contacts, all while applying mathematical formulas to estimate the cost and benefit of interrupting someone while on task. While the original program Horvitz designed is not ready for the mainstream, his work has inspired Microsoft to create Outlook Mobil Manager. The program recognizes urgent emails, enabling the software to decide which device the email should be routed based on importance. Future versions of Windows will likely use another element from Horvitz’s work called bounded deferral. This feature holds messages in reserve until the user is ready for a ‘cognitive break.’

IMSavvy, which is IBM’s answer to distraction management in the workplace, functions as an instant messaging answering machine. The program has the ability to sense when you are away or busy by your typing or mouse patterns and informs potential interrupters that you are unavailable. Future versions could come equipped with the ability to gauge each message. By using audio sensors, the program can decide if a message is worth the interruption based on its importance.

Today’s workers, like those of previous generations, have short attention spans. The problem though, is that the modern work place is ripe with enablers of this behavior. And since it’s technology that hinders our concentration at work, it just might be the answer to help us stay focused.

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Veteran Spotlight: Will Simmons

Will Simmons, a former Air Force Office of Special Investigations Captain, was placed with Actavis, a leading generic pharmaceutical company, in November 2009. One year after he started with them, Simmons was promoted from low-man-on-the-totem-pole to the Senior MRF Supervisor. “According to my immediate boss and the director, this promotion was based on my attention to detail, ability to execute under stress, and my ability to connect with the personnel that worked for (and with) me, thus producing excellent results,” explains Simmons.

Simmons says his employer recognized his ability to connect with people. This was an important skill to them, as Simmons works in a union environment that had some issues with disconnect in regards to the operator and management level. “Just as I did when assuming a new command or new reports in the military, I sat down with them as a group and went over my expectations but then took the time to meet with each one of them to go over where they felt their strengths were, what weaknesses (in both themselves and the organization) they saw, and where there was room for improvement,” explains Simmons, “I gathered all this information and then met with them again as a group to go over (with no attribution) some of the information that was brought to my attention. As a group, we went over the information that had been presented.”

And while this may sound like common sense, this approach truly made the difference for Simmons and his team. “I was able to connect with my subordinates on a different level so that while still maintaining the boundary between subordinate and supervisor, I was able to learn how each person worked and what motivated them as such. I truly believe that my experience in the military enabled me to do this in the corporate setting, thereby allowing us to meet or exceed all of our goals,” recalls Simmons.

Simmons also attributes his ability to think clearly and make decisions under stress to his military background. In a manufacturing environment that operates 24/7/365, decisions often have to be made in a few seconds and can be the difference between a successful production campaign or an unsuccessful one. Simmons’ experience, particularly overseas in a combat environment, greatly aided his ability to filter out the “white noise”, as he calls it, and make a quick decision.

Hire a Hero, Hire a Vet hopes employers will take note of Simmons’ success and the fact that it is typical of many veterans in the civilian workplace. Implementing time and battle-tested strategies in a civilian environment provides a fresh approach to many issues facing employers, just as Simmons was able to develop a solution to an issue at his workplace. We wish Simmons continued luck in his career.

3 Tips for Successful Onboarding

Supporting the orientation and onboarding of new team members is an important strategy in building your brand as an employer. It also increases the odds that a new employee will stay with your organization. But successful onboarding requires more than just an orientation program and welcome packet. Here are three actions you can take to ensure you support new employees.

1.Plan Ahead. Prior to the new employee starting, make sure their workstation, office supplies, and equipment are all in place. Being unprepared for their arrival will not only be frustrating to the new employee, but makes the com pany appear unprofessional. Consider assigning a peer to the employee that they are able to speak with in relation to the daily operations and for support.

2.Make time to talk. As the new employee’s manager, take the time to get together and speak with them, ideally at the beginning or end of the first day. Also, schedule time to meet with them again at the end of the first week. This also provides the opportunity to give them any feedback on their first week’s performance.

3.Put the role into context. Reinforce key account-abilities, relationships and objectives important to their http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifrole. Agreeing on performance criteria up front will ensure the candidate is clear on what is expected of them and sets them up for success in their new role.

Following through with these three steps will support you in building your brand as an employer and assist in new hires getting off to a great start.

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