What to Wear for the Interview | The 5 Golden Questions (Fall Edition)

So you've sent out your resume, and you've got a call back for the interview. Congrats by the way! Now that you've got that down, the next thing is: what to wear? If you were a guy, you'd just throw on a button up shirt and some nice slacks and you are good to go. However, for women, there are literally thousands of options for what you can wear for an interview. There is casual dress, semi-casual dress, business professional dress, semi-professional...the list, and the clothing options gets longer and longer...

So where to start?

Ask yourself these 5 golden questions:

1. What type of business are you interviewing at?

The place you are interviewing at are going to have completely different feels to them. Goldman Sachs will  have an entirely different feel than Google. Take this into account when you are interviewing. When I interviewed at a recent startup, they were surprised at the fact that I dressed up, and I decided I wanted to work somewhere with more of a dress code. 

2. Did the person on the phone tell me how to dress?

Often HR can give you some tips when they are setting up an interview with you. Sometimes people forget to ask how to dress because they are so excited to interview, that they forget to ask key questions. 

3. What will the weather be like for the day of my interview?

You might not even think about this until you are stepping out of the door, but the weather can greatly impact what you will wear for a job interview. For fall, you might favor tights over longer skirts. 

4. How long will this interview be?

What you wear can depend on how lengthy your interview will be. You might want to skip on the heels or that uncomfortable button up shirt if you will be interviewing all day. 

5. Would I feel comfortable going to church in this? 

This is for my readers that are LDS or of any kind of faith. The LDS church advocates modesty, and often, many people do not think about if an outfit is modest or not, This is important for any woman, because you want to know you got a job because of your qualifications and not because of how short your skirt was. 

Important Networking Event: Intermountain MBA Consortium

Looking for Networking opportunities? 

Look no Further!

Register for the Intermountain MBA Consortium Event! 

Meet other MBA students, employers, and get yo' self a job! 

Oh, and for all the munchers out there...there will be snacks. 

November 8, 2012 | 4:30 PM - 7:30 PM

Where: Davis Conference Center | 1651 North 700 West, Layton, UT
Cost: $25.00 (non-refundable) in advance by credit card until 11/2/12, or $35.00 by cash or check at the door

REGISTER NOW
MBA Students: online registration deadline is midnight on Friday, November 2nd, 2012.

Register here. 

See which employers will be there....click here. 

I'll be going...wanna carpool?

Awesome Opportunity!

NAC Breakfast: Networking 101

This morning, I had the chance to go to the National Advisory Council breakfast event that was held for the MBA students. The role of the NAC is this:

The National Advisory Council is dedicated to the continuing progress of the Woodbury School of Business and Utah Valley University. The role of the National Advisory Council is to provide advice, opinions and ideas regarding programs, recruitment and placement, and the general competitive environment affecting business education at UVU. Each council member mentors one or more business student. Council members also help improve the visibility and enhance the reputation of the Woodbury School of Business and Utah Valley University in the business community.

The National Advisory Council is dedicated to the continuing progress of the Woodbury School of Business and Utah Valley University. The role of the National Advisory Council is to provide advice, opinions and ideas regarding programs, recruitment and placement, and the general competitive environment affecting business education at UVU. Each council member mentors one or more business student. Council members also help improve the visibility and enhance the reputation of the Woodbury School of Business and Utah Valley University in the business community.

What I got from that was networking, networking, networking. Oh, and let me mention one more thing, networking. I haven't been one that has really been exposed to networking--all of the jobs I've gotten are because I took the initiative to contact someone, and getting jobs because I interviewed well and my resume was outstanding. (Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that people that network get jobs easy--they are just exposed to more opportunities) . I've never had an "in" anywhere, but with a new place, comes new opportunities. I guess I actually like saying that I found a job on my own, and I don't have anyone to thank for it. However, especially in business (and in every aspect of life) relying solely on yourself does not bode well. Learning to rely on others, and letting them help you will get you a lot further in life.

Since this was one of my first networking events, I really didn't know what to expect, and I didn't pressure myself at all. I just wanted to show up, and soak it all in. Here's what I learned:

1. Don't be afraid to ask questions. People are there to get to know other peeps. This means that it's okay for you to ask about what they do. Not sure what something means? Ask!

2. Say who you are. "My name is Neltje and I..." With my first name being so unique, I don't normally have to say anything else (for people to remember me), I learned that it was vital for me to say I was an MBA student. A couple of professors thought I was part of the NAC!

3. It takes work. I somehow managed to make friends with one guy who was super chatty (yay me), and he had connections with almost everyone that he met in the room. It was neat to see that it is easy to keep up contacts, but it does take time!

4. Keep your conversation light, engaging, and funny. Some of the questions that my ol' buddy asked were pretty deep. Remember, business professionals are people too. While they do appreciate deep, meaningful conversation, when it's 8 am in the morning, most of them would rather be talking about something else.

5. It's all about learning. Even if you might disagree with someone you are talking to, keep it civil. Especially for students, this is a great opportunity to engage yourself, and if nothing else, meet new people. I learned tons of things in the hour that I was with these professionals, and it gets me really excited about what the future holds.

What important things do you do when you network? Do you think networking is really that important? Sound off in the comments!

It's Hot as Hades in Here and There Are Two Hours Left of Class...

Our finance professor is a mix of: 

You do IT. IF You DO IT. 

Charlie Brown teacher speak. 

A little bit of singin' in the rain

Plus a dash of Breaking Bad. 

And you know when it's so hot in a place that you start to get sleepy?

Welcome to Thursday class. Though, I'm not sure how much should be attributed to the heat. But let's just go with that. 

On that note, I am having the toughest time staying awake here. 

I've zoned out, probably 20 minutes into class. However, I've felt pretty zoned out this whole day. 

I started thinking of where my dream internships/jobs would be. Here they are, in no particular order: 

Adobe

Dropbox

Hulu

Gmail

Apple

Google

Blogger

Life is Good

Yogurtland

Ebay

writer for SNL

Pinterest

This keeps me going for when the going gets tough. If I could work at just one of these places before we really start our family, that would be the bees knees. I'll stay awake in lecture if I get a shot. 

Team Work: How to Be the Worst Teammate Ever (and Decrease Life Expectancy)

Lately, my group just hasn't been meshing well. I don't know what it is. Is it the fact that we are tired of all our classes? We aren't satisfied with the program? We are frustrated with finance? All in all, it seems like our group has been divided into two camps. Competent vs. not I like to say. But there is someone that causes the rift in our group to become more apparent. (And not to brag—but I picked out this individual from the pack from the get-go). Working in a group can be bliss—or can be a horrendous train wreck that will leave you scarred for life. If you are working in a group and you are going through the same growing pains as we are, you might want to refer your “bad apple” team member to this. Or are you looking to annoy the crap out of everyone around you? Interested in alienating those around you? Looking to shorten your life expectancy by about 30 years? Well, here's your handy-dandy guide to being the most annoying person in a group.

1. Touch people's computer screens. I don't know if others share this sentiment, but my laptop is my holy grail. You. Do. Not. Touch. It. This means, you hover, you don't touch. Ever. But, if you want people to chase you with fire and pitch forks, by all means, grease up your finger and touch away.
2. Complain about what you don't want to do, but offer no solution. If you really want to test the patience of you group, scrunch up your face when you get handed an assignment. And then start whining about how you hate your assignment. But when you get asked what you would like to do—offer up nothing. But don't forget to complain about what you don't want to do.
3. Wants to always take the easy way out. Always opt to take the easy way out—because hey—you obviously have somewhere better to be instead of this stupid group project.
4. Always claim you are busy. Sure, we all lead busy lives—but you should exaggerate how you hardly have time to think.
5. Be a Leroy Jenkins. Skip to about 1:25 if you want to know what I mean. 

There you have it. Now you can be the worst team member in the history of ever.

Please don't do this.

Your team will hate you.

You'll divide up your team, and your team won't be a team anymo'. It'll be a battle zone.

So instead, be flexible and have a desire to help your team.

You'll get the project done even faster if you don't have an attitude about it.