A Conversation With ... Juanita Woods

What is your role with University of Phoenix?
I coach and mentor the other adjunct faculty on the Springfield campus. I also teach classes in information systems, strategy and management, and in those classes, I work with my students to give them the skills they need to be successful in their current and future careers.

What are some key general factors hiring managers should seek in applicants?
A fit (between) the personality of the candidate (and) the culture of the company.

Also, look for excellent communication skills. Many jobs today involve a lot of interaction with customers, and with other employees, and having excellent communication capabilities is going to make it easier for that candidate to work within the company and perform the duties that the manager would be considering.

Which is more important: meeting job requirements or a cultural fit?
I always go back to, “You can’t put a square peg in a round hole.” You need to find someone who will fit the position, though they don’t have to match every single job requirement. … If it’s a very technical position, where they need to have specific skills and abilities, then you need to make sure they have those skills.

However, if it’s not a very technical position, maybe it’s more a people-oriented, relationship-building type of position, maybe you can be a little bit lenient on those requirements, if those requirements that they don’t have can be trained for and learned. (Applicants) may not have the specific skills of making a schedule and managing a budget, but those are trainable. The leadership, communication and relationship skills are more personality characteristics that you can’t really (teach).

What are some common mistakes made by hiring managers?
Sometimes, hiring managers get stuck on the schools that people go to, especially if they’re looking for entry-level employees. … The quality of education you get depends on the quality of the school, not necessarily the type of school. I think, also with the way the job market has been, people are changing careers and trying to find (jobs) they want to do now, so you might see people transitioning from one career area to another. (Instead of being) focused on looking at, “OK, they did X, Y and Z for the last five years, or they did not,” you should really be looking at the whole person and their capabilities. (It’s not about) whether you can check some boxes about what they did or didn’t do.

Is there such a thing as an overqualified job candidate?
The only time I would consider overqualified is if (the applicant) is asking to be overpaid.

People who are looking for career changes realize that it’s not going to necessarily be an advance in income, because it’s more of an experience. … If (applicants) have what you need and more, and they’re interested in your job, you should consider them. … They applied for the position, so they’re obviously interested.

What are some mistakes by job seekers?
Having social media profiles that are not complete, or having social media profiles that are basically just too much information. Their private lives are on display for everybody to see, and hiring managers can look and see what they’re posting. … I tell my students to be very careful, especially while they’re looking for jobs, to make sure their Facebook profile is locked down and very private, or that they just go offline for a while.  (I also advise they) make sure that their professional social media profiles like LinkedIn are up-to-date, honest and accurate, and their contact information is relevant.
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