Signature May/June 2015 - 40


"When I talked to her at the time, the
job was kind of up in the air because she
wasn't sure if or when she would have the
money to hire someone for a few months,
which was fine for me," says Rusignola. "I
told her for me the job search was about
finding the right job, and I wanted to wait
for the right one."
Pressley was interested in possibly
hiring Rusignola for the position. "I knew
Diane would be a great fit so I gauged
her interest early on, but we didn't talk
seriously about the role until I was sure
I had the approval to hire for the new
position," she says.
As it turned out, the position did get
approved, and Rusignola went through
the traditional interview process, which
included at least two interviews, completing assessments, as well as meeting
with NACS staff members. Rusignola was
hired for the position about two months
after she first heard about it and - although she didn't know it at the time
- turned out to be the sole candidate.
"I got lucky," says Pressley. "Diane was
the right fit at the right time."

Virtual Interviews and
Employer Ratings
Other notable trends include technology's
continued effect on the interview process,
including the growing use of Skype and
other types of virtual interviewing, which
Garazelli calls "a skill unto itself." She
suggests practicing with friends or family.
"Do not be the person who shows up on
Skype with only the top of the forehead
showing."
Another trend is the rise of the employer research and rating sites, such as
Glassdoor.com, which features comments
and ratings from actual employees who
have worked or are currently working for
organizations. Many jobseekers are routinely checking these sites before applying
for positions at a particular company to
make sure there's a good cultural match.
As a result, employers are paying special
attention to the corporate culture to
attract and retain great employees.
This emphasis on corporate culture
is one of the things that most impressed
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Rusignola about NACS. "I've never seen
a place as focused as much on culture, and
it struck me as a good thing...There's a
very formal orientation process where you
get to meet with every single department
over the course of your first couple of
months here to find out what everybody
does and hear from them directly."
She adds that she was paired up with a
buddy who helped her learn more about
the organization. As a result, Rusignola
says, she almost immediately "felt like I
was part of this great team."

Tips for Successful
Job Seekers
Lawler feels that being organized and
methodical about her job search was key
in helping her succeed and keep the momentum going. She advises those looking
for a job to devote the time necessary.
"The silver lining of not having a job
was that I had a lot of time to devote to
my search," she says. "I was surprised
how much time it took, every day. I would
suggest having a solid idea of what kind
of position you are looking for and trying
not to stray. Trust your gut, and be prepared for interviews to make the most of
the opportunity. Be your own advocate,
and don't take anything personally."
From the hiring manager's viewpoint,
Pressley advises, "Make sure you under-

stand the position and the organizational
structure, and ask questions about future
growth, management style, and about
the workplace culture," she says. "Ask
questions that will give you a clear sense
of what kind of culture you're becoming
a part of."
Recruiter Garazelli echoes what Lawler
says about perseverance, not taking things
personally, and adds "successful job
seekers have patience, persistence, and a
good sense of humor...They understand
that the right opportunity will eventually
present itself, and that the seeming setbacks are all part of the journey. They
interpret these as experiences that they
can learn from - experiences that will
better prepare them for their next interview and their next role." n
Phaedra Brotherton,
CPRW, JCTC, CDF, is
principal of Resumes and
Career Strategies and a
certified professional resume
writer and certified job and
career transition coach. A
former association publishing professional,
Brotherton partners with mid-career and executive
association and communications professionals to
develop career strategies and effective resumes, bios,
LinkedIn profiles, and other materials to help meet
job search and career goals.
http://www.Glassdoor.com
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Signature May/June 2015
