May Message from PSRi--Interview Objectives

Greetings!

The California Technology job market continues to improve and many predict that by July, hiring will be in full swing. The team at PSRi is happy to endorse these estimations, as the volume of available job opportunities has grown steadily since the first of the year.

PSRi is celebrating it's 15th year anniversary this month with a new look for our newsletter and, finally, our new website! Way overdue, if you've been with us for awhile. If you are new to this message, welcome. We retain every resume that comes our way and it is our goal to provide you with job search and career management resources and information. Please take a moment to click on any of the links provided above and below to view current openings, learn more our services and the PSRi team, or to update your resume in our system. As always, best wishes for continued success!

Cathy Ashbaugh,
President, Pacific Shore Resources, inc.

Does the thought of an interview stress you out? There is so much information available online for interview preparation that you can easily go into sensory overload. You may become so overwhelmed that you forget what’s really important—getting the job!
Your goals during an interview process are simple. (1) Get a Job Offer and (2) Determine if you want the Job. Of course, proper interview preparation and execution needs to take place in order to accomplish these goals, but it helps to narrow down the focus. Here’s how.

1. Obtain a Job Offer
The ultimate goal of any interview process is to receive a job offer. If you accomplish this goal, you can either accept it or turn it down—you choose. No one enters into an interview process with the intention of failing, right? Otherwise, you wouldn’t waste your time and energy and take on the additional stress. In order to get to this point, you will need to establish with the interviewer that you are qualified for the job and interested in the job. How do you do that?

-Prepare. Review the company, job description and qualifications.
-Relate your skills and experiences directly to the interviewers needs
-Be honest about your strengths and weaknesses
-Give examples of how you have been successful in the past
-Brush up and be prepared for technical questions
-If you don’t have a specific tool or technology, express an interest in learning
-End the interview with a statement of interest

2. Determine if you want the job
An equally important objective of the interview process is to determine whether you would like the job, if offered. By asking the right questions, observing the environment and using the interview process as guideline, you can learn enough to decide whether this opportunity fits in with your career goals.

-Ask the Interviewer to describe the role and responsibilities
-What are the challenges and future growth of the position?
-What skills do they value most in an employee?
-Ask the interviewers what they like most/least about the company
-Is the corporate culture in line with your work style?
-Are employees a priority?
-Are the salary, benefits, location, hours, etc in line with your goals?

Whether you actually receive an offer or not can be affected by many factors out of your control—a better candidate, position is put on hold, something--the technology or title or level, etc. changes or is a mismatch. Focus on what you can control, however, and you will greatly improve your chances for success. While you can always turn down a job offer, it sure is nice to have the opportunity to make that decision. Knowing your objectives in advance will guide you successfully through more of your interviews, and into positive career growth.

Taken from www.socaltech.com:
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released its March 2010 employment numbers today, showing that the information sector was one of the only employment sectors to buck a further decline in employment in the region in March. The monthly report, which tracks the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), said that overall employment declined by 150,800 people, or 2.9 percent, compared with March of last year in the region. For Los Angeles, the information sector saw a 6.5 percent increase in employment, one of only two sectors showing year-to-year gains in employment. The only other sector gaining in employees was education, with a 1.6 percent gain.
Information's gain in the LA area also countered an overall, national decline in Information sector jobs, down by 4.7 percent. All other sectors tracked by the bureau were negative, with the worst being Construction, where there was a drop in jobs by 18.4 percent versus last year.

Current Openings
In past few weeks, we've added several new positions in the Software Development, Engineering, Information Technology and Research & Development fields, including Architect, Manager and Director level opportunities. Technologies include IPTV, Content Delivery, Business Objects, Decision Support, Mobile UI and Browsers, SCSI, Java, J2EE, .NET, Perhaps there is a great career opportunity waiting for you?
Visit us at www.psresources.com

Help a Friend, Help Yourself
Know someone who is looking for their next career opportunity? Know someone who is looking for a technology recruiter to partner with? We welcome and appreciate all referrals you may have--and we have a great referral bonus program. If we place anyone you refer to us, now or at anytime in the future, we will gladly reward you with a substantial referral bonus as a way to say Thanks! Contact us at any time for more details.

The PSRi Team
Cathy Ashbaugh, cathy@psresources.com
Mara McElroy, mara@psresources.com
Kris Giannetti, kris@psresources.com