A Lack of Direction.

Date: 2015-10-07; view: 658.

Interviewers shouldn't lay out career goals for candidates, yet many first-time job hunters seem to want them to do so. They arrive at interviews hoping to be told what positions they should be seeking.

Don't make this mistake. Before you start interviewing, know what you want, where you see your career heading and whether the available position fits your plan. "Take time for introspection," says Echt. "The most effective workers know where they're going and why."

Naomi Dennis-Whitacre, director of human resources and administration for Mycogen Corp., a San Diego pesticide manufacturer, looks for applicants who know what they've learned in their academic careers and can explain how they plan to apply it.

"Business needs people with intelligence and an attitude of team-work and cooperation," she says. "I'm looking for focus, maturity and a sense of self."

Don't confuse earnings potential with career goal-setting. Candidates for chiropractic internships often are more interested in how much they'll be paid than in "knowing they have to pay their dues" during the three-year program, says Dr. Donn Fisher, a Walnut, Calif., chiropractor. Students who show they're as interested in gaining experience as in what they'll earn are more impressive, he says.