Archive for category: Advice from crew
Not sure what to expect for your first interview at Vanguard? Whether it’s a phone screen, or an in-person interview on one of our campuses, the below tips will give you a behind-the-scenes look at questions to prepare for, how to stand out, and general best practices for our entry level interviews. Practice, practice, practice A best practice is to prepare for your interview the same way you would for a presentation – make sure you have thoroughly gathered the right information to share and rehearse your “speech.” Here are some ways to practice answering questions: The key is to practice repeatedly – don’t get discouraged if you struggle your first few times. Remember that interviewing is a skill, and like any skill, it takes time to develop and become proficient at it. Make sure you are familiar with Vanguard You don’t have to have deep knowledge of our strategy, but be familiar with our mission and the general purpose of our business. Candidates that know the basics about what we do will better demonstrate that they are interested in the role and company. Job descriptions are a great place to start, but we also have videos, crew profiles, a LinkedIn page and other career search related websites.
Know why you want this role
You will most likely be asked why you’re interested in the role you’re applying for. Tailor your answer to what specifically led you here – the role had growth opportunities, the culture was appealing, or you have a passion for doing the right thing for clients. And it’s best to not simply read from the website – make your answer personal. Consider what made you click the “Apply” button – do you have a friend who works at Vanguard and their experience sounded attractive? Do our values match with yours? Take your answer beyond, “I need a job” by telling a story.
Present your best self
We all know that interviewing is difficult and it’s completely natural to have some nerves. Despite this, it’s better to not state how uncomfortable you are. Part of the interview assessment includes measuring your ability to handle challenging situations, so statements like, “I’m so nervous!” can come across that you’re unprepared for the discussion. Go in with the mindset that recruiters and hiring managers want you to do well – your interview performance doesn’t have to be perfect. Interviewers will appreciate confidence and professionalism, but be careful about coming across as overly confident. For example, use phrases such as, “If I were to move on in the role,” not when I’m hired.
Answering the uncomfortable questions
Some interview questions are uncomfortable because they suggest that you’re unreliable or a poor performer. For example, questions related to mistakes you’ve made or challenges you’ve experienced can seem like a trick. But answering these types of questions with responses such as, “I’ve never made a mistake,” isn’t going to reflect as well as it may seem. Remember, everyone makes mistakes. If you are asked to describe an error of some kind, know that it doesn’t have to be a major mistake. You can describe a miscommunication, a time you forgot to return an email, or when you misread a school assignment. Humility and the ability to correct your actions are good qualities to demonstrate. Plus, we want to hire people who are coachable and open to feedback.
Manners count
Also, be careful not to inadvertently insult your interviewers when discussing schools, companies, or colleagues. A recruiter recalls the time a candidate described how they were offered a scholarship, but choose not to attend because the college was, “beneath them.” What they didn’t realize was that they were trashing the interviewer’s alma mater. Ouch!
End strong
Asking questions will demonstrate your interest in the role, so always have a few in mind. Our recruiters love these questions:
After the interview
Even if you decide you are no longer interested in the role, don’t “ghost” your recruiter. You never know when you may encounter them again, or find yourself interested in another role at Vanguard. As soon as you can, let the recruiter know that you’d like to withdraw. It can be a simple note, such as:
“I appreciate you meeting with me for the client services position. After some reflection, I don’t think I’m the right person for the role and would like to withdraw. Best of luck!”
If you’re comparing offers, feel free to call or email with questions. Recruiters can help you understand the job offer and our total rewards package. And it’s recommended that you avoid asking for immediate feedback regarding how you did in the interview – recruiters and hiring managers will need to reflect and collaborate on your interview before making any decisions.
Quick tips:
If you enjoyed this post, check out more from our #LifeatVanguard Blog. And if you’re ready for a more rewarding, engaging, meaningful career, search our Client Services opportunities at www.vanguardjobs.com.
As more and more employers search for candidates online, it’s more essential than ever to have a strong brand on social media. In this step by step series on creating your brand, you’ll learn how to get started, glean tips from branding experts, and discover what really hooks an audience. Kick start your social brand by… Personal versus professional branding – it’s a blurred line. Information that can be found in a Google search (try it!) or on social media is part of your brand. Make sure what you send out into the social universe reflects the impression you want to make.
2. Growing Your Professional Network
Your profiles look great and you are ready to connect with others! But your current network only includes a smattering of co-workers, past and present. Let’s help you make some fresh and impactful connections.
You’ve updated your profile and you’ve made more connections to enhance your network. Now it’s time to tell your story and shape your brand. LinkedIn is your digital business card – so how can you communicate your value and make a memorable impression across social media channels?
Your profile looks good, your network is waiting, and you’ve got a good strategy in place – now it’s time to get more engaged! In this blog, we share tips on finding content, staying organized, how to avoid common disengagement traps, and more.
For more career tips and advice follow us on LinkedIn and check out our careers blog. And if you’re seeking an environment where you can make a difference and develop professionally, check out our career opportunities at www.vanguardjobs.com.
Our new blog series will help kick start your personal and professional brand on social media. We’ll cover looking your best, growing your network, shaping your story, and staying engaged. Read our last blog about telling your story and shaping your brand. Out of sight, out of mind. Don’t let that be you. You’ve worked hard to get to this point. Your profile looks good, your network is waiting, you’ve got a good strategy in place – now it’s time to get more engaged! But first, be careful of these disengagement traps: Staying engaged IS possible and we’ll make it easy for you with a few tips. How do I find content that supports my brand strategy? When thinking about what to write and share it’s always helpful to start by brainstorming a list. Based on the content you learned about in the previous blog, start to jot down a few ideas for each one. Here are some examples:
How do I get organized?
Curating content to read and share can be as organized or unorganized as you like. It all depends on what you are comfortable with and if you need extra help staying active on social. For example, you can use some of the tools and ideas below to streamline content that is meaningful to you.
Don’t feel you need to do all of these things. If you are already very active on social media, you may not need an organized approach and can try one or two of the ideas above.
What should I write when I introduce content in my post?
We are all lazy sometimes when it comes to sharing content, but remember, it’s your honesty, generosity, and authenticity that gets the attention of your network. Talk like a real person.
If you are struggling to come up with an original introduction for your post, try some of these approaches:
How often should I post?
With the variety of content we discussed in a previous blog post there are plenty of options to differentiate your posts. Here are some guidelines broken down by channel:
LinkedIn, 1-2 times a day
Facebook, 2-3 times per day
Twitter, 5 times per day
Instagram, 1-2 times per day
Pinterest, 5 times per day
Snapchat, constantly (just kidding)
If LinkedIn is the only channel you use for your professional network, once a day should not be too hard.
“On LinkedIn, you may not have control over how often your content or profile is viewed, but you can increase the chances of your brand getting noticed by being more visible to your network. And that starts by increasing your activity. The more active you are on LinkedIn, the more “known” you will become to your network who will potentially like and share your content, reaching a much broader audience.
So stay engaged, and don’t forget that passion is personal branding fuel, so post and share content that you are passionate about. Always make sure to introduce the content you share. Your network is more likely to read your post if it has your personal touch.”
-Kendall W., Recruiter
Set a goal!
Schedule time on your calendar each day to review content (similar to the way professionals used to open up the newspaper with their morning coffee). When you like, comment, and share others’ posts, that is an act of engagement. LinkedIn is a professional networking channel, so it’s not only about your content. Talk to others!
Schedule your social posts for the week if that works best for you or set aside 5 minutes every day to post. Staying engaged doesn’t have to be impossible. Figure out what methods work for you and be consistent.
We hope you enjoyed this series about kick-starting your personal brand on social. With these tips you can move forward to make a positive impact and lasting impression. Don’t forget to own who you are and how you make people feel. It’s the reputation you’ve built, your story, and your image on social that makes you unique.
For more career tips and advice from Vanguard follow us on LinkedIn and check out our careers blog. Want to read more from this series? Check them out here: looking your best, growing your network, and shaping your story.
Our new blog series will help kick start your personal and professional brand on social media. Read the last blog to learn how to make connections and build your network. You’ve updated your profile and you’ve made some more connections to enhance your network. Now it’s time to tell your story and shape your brand. LinkedIn is your digital business card – so how can you communicate your value and make a memorable impression across social media channels? Try asking yourself some of these questions to find topics that feel right for you.
When sharing content consider these ideas:
Set a goal!
Take a few minutes to outline focus areas for what types of content you will write and share. This will help keep your story, and brand, consistent and easier to manage.
Remember, the content you write and share is your voice on social. Branding yourself doesn’t happen overnight. But once you try a few of the suggestions above, your audience will grow and perception will become reality. We’ll talk about staying engaged in Part 4 of our series.
For more career tips and advice from Vanguard follow us on LinkedIn and check out our careers blog. If you are looking for additional tips to create a content marketing strategy for yourself check out Neil Patel’s helpful blog.
Our new blog series will help kick start your personal and professional brand on social media. We’ll cover looking your best, growing your network, sharing your story, and staying engaged. Read the last blog to learn how to improve your LinkedIn profile. Your profiles look great and you are ready to connect with others! But your current network only includes a smattering of co-workers, past and present. Let’s help you make some fresh and impactful connections. Who is in your bubble that would make a good professional connection? Who is not in your immediate circle, but would be a good connection? Connecting gets easier the more you do it. Here are a few ideas on how to reach out. Keep it short and to the point. In fact, LinkedIn has a character limit for their connection notes, so you’ll have to keep it brief. You can always hit the connect button without an additional note, but the chances of someone accepting your invitation greatly increase if you reach out to them in a more personal way. Don’t take it personally if they don’t accept or never respond. It happens. People are busy. And since people can be reached a variety of ways nowadays, they are wary of spam, so be careful of phrases that sound too “salesy” or too self-serving. Don’t forget about Facebook. Yes, Facebook! Another good way to gather professional connections is through Facebook. More and more people are starting to use Facebook groups professionally. To find these groups all you have to do is ask either on your own newsfeed, in a community group, an alumni group, school group, or even neighborhood group. For example, “Hi everyone. Does anyone within this group work in the XYZ space? If so I’d like to connect and pick your brain about something. I work for XYZ company in ABC department.” You can reply to any respondents, connect with them on LinkedIn, and possibly message them to schedule time to chat. Respondents might also refer you to other groups on Facebook that are applicable to your profession. The most active and targeted professional discussions sometimes take place within private Facebook groups. If you already use Twitter you might consider creating a separate work related handle. Once you do, you can start to follow influencers in your professional niche, leaders you admire, peers at other companies, and news and professional outlets that publish relevant content. It’s a great way to stay updated. If you choose to tweet, share useful professional content and retweet valuable content that you’ve found by following others.
“As professionals, building a network of other talented individuals gives you the support we all too often lack in both our personal and professional lives. It doesn’t matter if you’re looking to move up in your career, or if you’re perfectly happy in your current role. Having a network of other professionals will make your work life richer, more interesting, and may just help you grow your talents.”
– Allen P., Department Head, Editorial & Creative Operations
Set a goal!
Try to make 1-2 new connections a week. Block time on your calendar to do this. Remember, the quality of your network is more important than the size. When you open up tabs in your browser every morning make LinkedIn one of them. Read some updates from your network, conduct a search or two, and send a connection request if you find someone of interest.
Networking isn’t always easy and it doesn’t come naturally for many people. But once you try a few of the suggestions above, and have a few new connections under your belt, you’ll be well on your way to building a great network. We’ll talk about sharing and shaping your story in Part 3 of our series.
For more career tips and advice from Vanguard follow us on LinkedIn and check out our careers blog. If you are interested in learning more about personal marketing and branding check out this Harvard Business Review Article, How to make the right connections when you don’t already have an in by branding expert Dorie Clark.
Our new blog series will help kick start your personal and professional brand on social media. We’ll cover looking your best, growing your network, sharing your story, and staying engaged. Personal versus professional branding. It’s a blurred line. Any information about you that can be found in a Google search (try it!) or on social media is a part of your brand. Make sure that what you are sending out into the social universe reflects how you want to be perceived. Personal branding is the image you portray and the lasting impression you make. Speaking of your image, do you look like this on LinkedIn? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered below. Is your LinkedIn profile stale? Maybe you set up your profile when you were job hunting, but haven’t updated it since. LinkedIn offers more than just jobs. It’s a legitimate professional networking site and your image on it is important. It’s also a good starting place to create a professional persona that can carry over onto other channels. Your story on LinkedIn begins with your profile. Here are five things you can do to start building your brand. *Source: LinkedIn Once you look good on LinkedIn, take a look at yourself on other social platforms. Looking at other people’s profiles is the #1 activity on LinkedIn. Job seekers now behave like consumers, but they trust people more than brands. Job seekers research people currently in roles they are interviewing for and follow leaders at companies they are interested in. When networking, LinkedIn users search for peers at other companies in similar roles to connect with and follow influencers and experts working in their space. People will find you. And on LinkedIn especially, you not only represent yourself, but also your company and your company’s brand, so make sure you represent it well.
“The one thing you can control in today’s war for talent is having a completed LinkedIn profile. Think of your LinkedIn profile as your online business card. It’s the first thing someone will see when they’re researching you about your next potential job, or when you’re recruiting someone to come to work at your company. This is your chance to build your personal brand and be visible to your network. When you have a completed profile you build authenticity and credibility. Brand or be branded.”
– Brian U., Senior Talent Acquisition Consultant
Set a goal!
Work on one section of LinkedIn at a time – sitting down and doing it all at once can be overwhelming. If you schedule 10-20 minutes every day for one week, you’ll have it updated by the weekend!
If you follow through with the tips above, you will look great and be ready for the next step in building your brand on social media– growing your network. We’ll talk about what you can do to build your own community in part two of our series.
For more career tips and advice from Vanguard follow us on LinkedIn and check out our careers blog. If you are interested in this niche of personal marketing and branding check out some great LinkedIn advice from J.T. O’Donnell on the WorkItDaily YouTube channel.