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In Our Careers 2001 Section: • Answers from the Inside: Q&A with a human resources professional. • Snapshots of the Working World: Profiles of 11 different people and 11 different jobs. • The World's Richest Asians: Billionaires, billionaires, and more billionaires. • Washington Journal: My Life, My Work, My Job • Charts: Top ten lists of the jobs that grew the most, and blew the most.

Judy Kim: Human Resources for Sprint PCS, Employee Relations and Staffing Specialist

Answers from the Inside

Q&A with a human resources professional

By Ji Hyun Lim

AsianWeek: What are the hottest jobs? Do you see any trends in the job market?

Judy Kim: It depends on the industry. There are many openings in the lower-level paying jobs — mall clerks, anything that has to do with the service industry. For the lower-paying jobs, you’ll always see a help-wanted signs. The high-tech industry is not as strong. For the last two quarters, I’ve seen a lot of high-tech companies pulling back on hiring because the economy has gotten so soft. I actually work with several temp agencies as well, and they say many companies are not hiring as much and there are fewer job requests.

AW: How do you dress for a job interview?

JK: It depends on the position and the company; however, you always want to dress up rather than down. A lot of companies are business-casual. If it’s a very traditional company, you’ll probably want to wear a suit, in a dark color like black or navy blue. If it’s a younger, more entrepreneurial company, you may want to research and check their corporate dress code and go dressed-up business-casual. Companies want to know if you are going to fit in with their corporate culture. They need to know if you’re going to get along with your colleagues. The company wants someone who’s going to be a good fit in the organization.

Judy’s Resume Do’s & Don’ts Don’t... • Have more than a one-page resume. • Use dark colors or patterns on the resume. • Use any funky fonts. • Put your social security number on the resume. • Include high school education. • Include any personal hobbies. • Include family information. (i.e. married, two kids, etc…) Do... • Use a light, neutral-colored paper; white or a soft ivory. • Use standard black font. • Use standard font style. (i.e., Times New Roman) • Use font size 11. If you don’t have a lot of information, use font size 12. • Use a plain header at the top with just your name, address, phone number and e-mail address. • Start with your most current experience on top. If you are currently employed, you want to put your employer, title, and three bullet points on what you’re doing. • Include your education on top if you recently graduated. • Include your work experience first if you’ve been out of school for a while. Put your education at the bottom. • Include all your college education. • Focus on strengths, accomplishments and things of that nature.

AW: What kinds of questions should a potential employee ask a potential employer at the interview?

JK: You want to ask hard questions. Don’t ask questions just for the sake of asking a question. Ask questions related to the job. Find out about your career growth within the company; ask questions about what other career paths there might be. You may want to ask if there are annual performance reviews, semi-annual reviews and benefits. It also depends on what stage of the interview you’re in. If it’s your first interview, you shouldn’t ask about benefits. The questions should be geared toward the position and the duties that will be involved. If it the second or third interview, you can bring up vacation time and benefits. You also want to let them know you’ve done some research on the company. If they ask a question about their company, you should be able to say something. Do research on the Internet.

AW: How do you negotiate a salary?

JK: You want to wait until the job is offered to you. If the offer is not acceptable to you, you can let the employer know what you bring to the table. Your qualifications and experience can be the critical points. Give them a range instead of a hard number. You have to see the negotiating process as a win-win situation for both sides. The employer realizes that you don’t have to accept the job. They’re going to try their best to find a number you’ll accept and which is reasonable for the company. You have to approach it in an open, flexible way. People don’t like ultimatums.

AW: Do people switch jobs more frequently lately? Is that good or bad?

JK: Right now, I think career switching may have slowed down a bit. But I have noticed in the last five to seven years that people have been switching jobs more frequently. That has to do with a booming economy and a lot of job opportunities. The pattern of career growth is different now. The worker doesn’t start with a company, get promoted, and retire with that same company. The workforce is concerned with how the job will enhance professional skills. I’ve noticed many people are open to new opportunities. Personally, I don’t see anything wrong with that. If you’re an employer who provides opportunity for employees to grow professionally by giving them constant training, they are more likely to stay.

AW: What kinds of educational background do employers look for?

JK: It depends on the industry. For finance, you should have a finance degree. For sales, your major doesn’t matter too much; personality and your prior sales experience are important. Often, your major doesn’t have that great of an impact. It has to do with activities you have done and prior experience. Technology training is important across the board. Everything is computer-driven, e-mail driven. You need to know how to work a computer, basic software such as Excel and Word, and the Internet. Almost all companies use computers.

AW: When do you provide personal references?

JK: Have them with you when you go to the interview. Give it to them when they ask for it. If they don’t ask for it, they don’t need it at the time. A lot of reference checking is out-sourced. As an agency, their sole job is to verify all the information that people put on their application. A lot of companies may do it in-house, but they’re still checking for a person’s character and work experience.

AW: Are informational interviews important? Will it help your chances of getting a job with that company?

JK: Informational interviews are a great idea. However, employers don’t give them very easily. The employer is very busy. If you ask to meet with the potential employer for 30 minutes, most companies will say no. An informational interview is helpful if you know someone or have a contact. If you’re a recent college graduate and you’re interested in the industry, they can speak to you on the phone for maybe five to 10 minutes and answer a couple general questions. I would pose it in a very non-threatening, non-demanding, informal way. If you know the person, if you are recommended to them, or if there is a better rapport there, then you can request an in-person informational interview. People are very partial to offering students information. That’s a great way to solicit some information and put yourself in front of the employer. If a job opens up and the employer remembers you, they may call you later.