General Dynamics - Applying for a Job and Interviewing with General Dynamics Information Technology

http://www.ClearedJobs.Net
Tim Strike with General Dynamics-IT discusses their application and interview process.

When someone applies for a position on your website and they are uploading their resume, should it be a detailed resume and how long should it be?
It should be a detailed resume; it should be a detailed specifically for that position that they are applying for and make sure that they do meet the requirements for the position. In terms of length it really depends on the individual, but I will say that optimally, a two-page resume should be able to suffice to give us detailed information on how they fit the opportunity.

Now, one of the reasons why you are looking for a detailed resume is mainly because you are using a search function when you are searching your data base. So, your recruiters are actually looking for specific keywords in these resumes so having it detailed would have those keywords, wouldn't it?
Absolutely, the recruiters are looking for certifications, years of experience. Also in our industry with the clearances, we are looking at the clearances to see if they have the required clearance to meet that opportunity.

When a job seeker is called for a first interview who will they meet with? And what is their process when they interview with General Dynamics?
After the individual is identified we do call them and screen them to make sure that they fit the other areas of the position that might not be covered on their resume in terms of commuting distance, where the position is located, make sure it's within their commuting range. Compensation. Gain an idea of where they are now in terms of compensation and where their desired compensation is to make sure that this position will fit their needs.

After the first screening interview which is done over the phone, then there is a face-to-face interview. How does that process work? How many people will they meet with? How long is that first interview?
Again, it will depend. Some of the interviews for us are done at our regional offices. Other interviews are done on site where we are supporting our customer. They will be meeting with a hiring manager, the decisionmaker in the process, as well as potentially some tech leads and potentially a recruiter as well.

After a first interview how would you recommend a job seeker follow up with you for that interview?
That's a good question because that's something that many candidates forget to do. After the interview it's essential that they make another contact with everyone that they met with. The best way to do that is at the end of the interview to ask for a business card. With the business cards they can follow up with either a letter or even an email if they want to do it quickly. But follow up is key and they need to get that done within the next day or two.

What I'm hearing you saying is you don't receive many thank you notes or thank you cards after an interview process. Is it something you would like to see?
Absolutely, it is very few, small percentage of candidates that do actually follow up. But we look at that and consider that part of the process, and if we don't hear back from them our feeling is that they might not be interested in the position, so it's showing their commitment to the opportunity.

After the follow up and after this initial interview, what is the process to the next stage of the hiring process? And what are your recommendations to a job seeker as far as their participation. Should they call after a week? Should they email after a week? This is a question we get a lot from job seekers.
Well after they send a thank you note or recognition of the interview, there should be a contact coming back from the recruiter and that should be done within a week's time. They can follow up with the recruiter if they don't hear within a week and ask for a progress report on where the process is at.

And in this age of electronics and voicemail, what is the recommended follow up? Is it a phone call, is it an email, is it both?
Any. Follow up communication is key and we are open to emails or letters or even a phone call. But it is important that there is follow up communication not only coming from the recruiters but also coming from the applicant themselves.

At what point or points during the discussions with candidates do you discuss salary?
We will discuss salary during the screening process. We need to know where the candidate currently is and what their desires are in terms of salary and benefits. From there we will discuss it as we go through the process just to make sure that nothing has changed. We know candidates are not only working at General Dynamics as a company, but also other organizations. So, we want to make sure that the salary has not differed from our first conversation