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Show Common Stress Questions By Tracy Barton "Why were you out of work so long?" Have a thorough explanation for any holes in your resume, Best answer: You're not just interested in getting a paycheck you want to find a long-tercommitment. t's 7 o'clock Monday morning, and Amelia Sauer, a senior hn;irip;; maior at Indiana University, chues her coffee before her interview with a company offering a great salary. Going over printouts about the company, she starts to get ready. She puts on her black suit, checks her look in the mirror and heads out to catch the bus. At exactly 7:55 she arrives, five minutes early. When she enters the office where the recruiter is waiting, he snaps at her without I high-profi- le m booking up, "You're late." "I'm sorry," she says, knowing it's not true. "OK, Miss Sauer, this is your 30 minutes," he says, looking at his watch, then focusing on the paper in front of him. Sauer feels a wave of panic, as words start rolling off her tongue. Meanwhile, in another meeting room, senior Brad Barkin, also a senior at Indiana, sits anx"I have interviewed with candidates from Harvard, iously with a recruiter from Goldman-SachI Yale, Stanford and Princeton," says the recruiter. "So why should even consider hiring some-- I one from Indiana University with a 3.0 GPA? How do you explain your low GPA?" ) Are these interviews for real? "I think They are. They're cailed stress interviews. How well the technique works is questionable. stress interviews are pointless. It's stress on top of stress," says Emeli Irwin, an Indiana senior, Some schools, like the Kelley School of Business at Indiana, have some tips for students, j "Seek clarification," says Sue Sgambeoluri, assistant director of the Career Development I Center. "If they're rude or using negative body language, it's OK to say, 'If this is an inconven-- : ience, could come back at a later time.' Don't subject yourself to inappropriate abuse." interview without a word from the recruiter. He never Amelia Sauer finished her even looked at her, appearing uninterested the whole time. In reality he was listening very closely. She did not show nervousness or resentment. She gave the interviewer exactly what he wanted to hear. "I know what my capabilities are," says Sauer. "Sometimes getting a job depends on showing what you know no matter what the circumstances." "See this pen I'm holding? Sell it to me. Tests your understanding of "features and benefits" selling. "Why should I hire an outsider when could fill the job with someone from inside the company?" A chance to sell yourself as a fresh face. I s. I J I 30-minu- te First Impressions Landing the perfect job starts with the perfect resume. After you've spell checked, you're ready for the Lexmark Z32 printer to strut its stuff. With 1200 by 1200 dpi resolution in both black and white and color on all paper types, and 7.5 pages per minute in black and 3.5 pages per minute in color, you'll have your own little press shop printing out ink level resumes faster than you can seal the envelopes. make this a steal at k indicators and printer driver installation the price. Both PC and Mac compatible ($99; lexmark.com). '4- -- On-scre- one-clic- For the Wireless Exec Searching for a job is hard to do between school and having a personal life, but if you're connected, you'll always be ready. Post your mobile phone number on the top of your resume and employers will have your Nokia 3390 ringing off the hook (or vibrating for silent alert). The 3390 boasts personalization options like the 49 possible combinaColor Covers, downloadable tions of the Xpress-o- n screen savers, customizable ring tones and an internal antenna. Play a game or send a mobile message or hours with the stantalk for more than dard battery ($94-- $ 125; nokiausa.com). two-and-a-h- "Would you like your boss's job?" The interviewer wants to know if you are confrontational or overly ambitious. Good answer: "If my boss were promoted, sure." "This is your interview, shoot." Illustrate your qualities with background stories. Take your time, and at the end, ask the interviewers if they have any questions for you. Want More? Pocketful of Data Want the upper hand at your next interview? Show your soon-to-b- e supervisor your knack for with your Sony CLIE handheld organization schedule follow-u- p interviews, jot down questions, and exchange contact information with the infrared port all from the palm of your hand. The 4.27 oz. CLIE features Palm OS Software with 8MB of internal memory, and an 8MB Memory Stick of removable media. 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