Job Search Portfolio: Frequently Asked Questions

 
Have questions about your resume? There’s a whole RESUME FAQ on a different page.

 

 

Frequently Asked Job Search Portfolio Questions

Q. The job application I’m using says to copy my cover letter into a submission box / write my cover letter in the body of an email. What should I do for this project?

A. For the purposes of the Job Search Portfolio project, you should write your cover letter as a traditional, print cover letter for postal mailing. Need help with letter formatting?

Q. Can I use a cover letter template?

A. You may not use a cover letter template of any kind. If you use a template, use a fill-in-the-blank sample, use a cover letter generator, borrow phrasing or sentences from a text you didn’t write, or try to game the system some other way, you will get a 0% on the Job Search Portfolio project.

It has happened before. Don’t let it happen to you.

Q. Does my cover letter need a recipient’s address?

A. Yes. Your cover letter should look like a letter, and letters include a recipient’s name and address. You should look for this information online—try to find a postal mailing address for the company or branch, and try to find the real name of a person who would likely review your materials (a supervisor’s name, an HR person, etc.)

Q. What if I can’t find the address?

A. You should be able to find some address. If you can’t find the address to a particular division of a company, use their corporate or head office address instead.

Q. Who do I address my cover letter to?

A. You should try to find the name of a person who would likely review your materials if you were really applying (a supervisor’s name, an HR person, etc.).

Q. What if I can’t find the name of a recipient?

A. If you absolutely cannot find the name of any person who would be likely to review your materials (if you were really applying), then use the next best piece of information you have to use in your salutation. See “Salutations, Names, Titles, and Closings.”

  • If you don’t know a person’s name or gender, if possible, use the their job title or role (Dear Recruiter, Dear Claims Adjustor).
  • If you are writing to a company rather than a specific individual, use the company name (Dear Pet Smart, Dear E.J.’s Garden Pros).
  • When writing to a group, use an appropriate plural noun (Students, Employees, Customers). When appropriate, use a more direct, descriptive, or friendly plural noun (Hello 3213 Pro Writers, Dear FAU Employees, Dear Initech Team)
  • Don’t ever write: “To Whom it May Concern”
Q. What if I can’t find a position number or job ID number?

A. Look in the listing URL—often the URL has a position number or job ID number at the end. See below.

Q. What interview questions should I respond to?

A. You must answer the four specific interview questions below:

  • What makes you think you’re qualified for this position at this company?
  • Tell me about a time that you had a lot of work to do in a short time. How did you manage the situation?
  • Describe a work or school situation where you had to interact with an irate person (customer, supervisor, group member) and describe how you handled it.
  • What is your greatest weakness?

(These questions are written on the Job Search Portfolio project outline page and on the Job Interviews & STAR Method page.)

Q. Can I just pick any interview questions to answer?

A. No. You cannot pick any interview questions. You must answer the four specific interview questions below:

  • What makes you think you’re qualified for this position at this company?
  • Tell me about a time that you had a lot of work to do in a short time. How did you manage the situation?
  • Describe a work or school situation where you had to interact with an irate person (customer, supervisor, group member) and describe how you handled it.
  • What is your greatest weakness?

(These questions are written on the Job Search Portfolio project outline page and on the Job Interviews & STAR Method page.)

Q. I don’t have any paid experience in my career field. In my cover letter, can I talk about experiences I had in school?

A. Yes! Absolutely!

The work you’ve done as an undergrad is work. Your classroom experiences are experiences. The projects you’ve completed for class are projects. The research you’ve done for classes is research. Your educational experiences are worth highlighting, especially if you don’t have paid experience in your field.

Always keep in mind that your cover letter, resume, and interview responses are intended to “prove” your qualifications for the position. What matters is the experiences, projects, and research that qualify you. It doesn’t really matter whether those experiences, projects, and research are paid or unpaid (or “work” or “educational”).

Q. One of the interview questions asks about an “irate person.” What if I’ve never dealt with an irate person?

A. First, you CANNOT respond by saying “I’ve never dealt with an irate person.” That is not a good response.

Second, whenever you can’t really answer the question you’re asked, just answer a slightly different question. Just make sure to be clear that you’re shifting the question before your answer.

So, if you’ve never dealt with an irate person, perhaps you could describe how you handled a situation with a difficult person, or a frustrated person. Your response might start like this: While I’ve never dealt with an irate person, a few months ago, my manager asked me to respond to one of our most difficult clients… [ …rest of the response ]

Some other shifted-answer response examples:

Interviewer: Tell me about a time when a supervisor criticized you unfairly. How did you respond?

Interviewee (who hasn’t had any formal jobs, and so, no supervisors): A few semesters ago, one of my Computer Science professors gave me some criticism I felt was unfair… [ …rest of the response ]

Or, another example:

Interviewer: Tell me about a time when you missed an important deadline. How did you handle it?

Interviewee (who can’t recall a time they’ve ever missed a deadline): I can’t recall a time I’ve ever missed a deadline, but at my last job, there was a time where a misunderstanding caused me to deliver a product that wasn’t what the client asked for… [ …rest of the response ]

Q. Can I discuss personal information in my cover letter?

A. Only if it applies to the position in some way.

Some examples:

You grew up in a military family and lived in six different countries before your father retired from the military and settled in Florida. Should you discuss this in your cover letter?

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Yes, if you’re applying for a Global Strategist position at Ford Motors, Inc., then you should probably mention having lived abroad—in multiple countries—in your cover letter. Although this wasn’t professional experience, living abroad made you more knowledgeable about other countries and cultures. This makes you more qualified than some other applicant who has no international experience.
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No, if you’re applying for a Wildlife Conservationist position at the Big Cat Sanctuary in Loxahatchee, FL, your international living experiences probably don’t apply to the position in any way, and so there’s no reason to discuss it in your cover letter.

You lived with and helped your aunt while she battled breast cancer—you took her to chemo, cooked her meals, ran errands, and helped to clean her house. Should you discuss this in your cover letter?

✔
Yes, if you’re applying for a position as a Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Manager at the Susan G. Komen foundation. Since the Susan G. Komen foundation raises money for breast cancer research and awareness about breast cancer, your personal experience helping a loved one through cancer treatments makes you a more qualified candidate than a similar applicant with no personal connection or experience.
✗
No, if you’re applying for a position as a Digital Animator with Konami Entertainment—a company that creates, develops, and markets video games—then your personal experience helping your aunt is likely irrelevant to the job. Since it doesn’t help to qualify you for the position or explain your connection to the work, you shouldn’t discuss this in your cover letter.
Q. For the JSP Interview Question Responses, can I answer any interview questions?

A. No. There are four specific questions you must answer.

The four specific questions you must answer are written on the Job Search Portfolio project outline page and on the Job Interviews & STAR Method page. For your convenience, I’m copying the four questions below:

  • What makes you think you’re qualified for this position at this company?
  • Tell me about a time that you had a lot of work to do in a short time. How did you manage the situation?
  • Describe a work or school situation where you had to interact with an irate person (customer, supervisor, group member) and describe how you handled it.
  • What is your greatest weakness?
Q. How long should my written interview question responses be?

A. As it says in the yellow box at the top of the Job Interviews & STAR Method page (under the second heading, “JSP Project Specific Guidelines”), “responses should be between 100-300 words.” I won’t actually be counting your words, though—100–300 is just a general guideline. I won’t take points off if you go over by a few words.