Job Hunting Tips — Interview Preparation — Part 2

The first part of this article discussed the necessity to research the company background, the industry competitors and the industry trends before attending a job interview. In this, the second part, (click here to read the first part) we will focus on the preparation required to communicate at an optimum level with the interviewer.

1) Determine the questions you are likely to be asked

You need to put yourself in the mind of the interviewer, acting on behalf of your prospective future employer before attending the job interview. This will give you the best chance of being prepared to answer all the questions. It will also reduce the chance of being ‘floored’ by a question that you hadn’t even considered before.

Key questions that you shouldn’t have any problem answering include, “Why do you want to work here”, “Where do you see yourself in five years time”, “What do you think are the key skills for this job” and “What key skills would you bring to this job”. You need to practice pre-prepared answers to these questions until they sound natural, believable and confident.

Next, you need to think about questions that you are likely to be asked that relate to the existing or future politics within the organization. For instance, if the original entrepreneur that started the business runs the company, then the interviewer may try and find out if you are comfortable working in a fairly reactive environment.

2) Prepare your own questions

You need to prepare you own questions about the role and company before the interview. This shows that you are keen on the job role and are proactive in nature. In addition, it shows the company that they perhaps may have to ‘sell’ the role to you should it be offered.

The questions that you need to ask should be about the future business strategy, their opinion of their own competitors and current operational and technological procedures. Other good questions to ask include promotional opportunities or personal development opportunities, however these two areas need to be touched sensitively as there may not be any such opportunities available at present, and the company may simply want to ensure that the individual that they recruit will want to stay working in the same role for a reasonable period of time.

3) Be prepared to ‘close’ the interview effectively

If you ‘close’ your job interview effectively, you’ll be ensuring that you know when a decision about a job offer will be made, when a second interview will be conducted, or the likelihood of you being offered the position.

If a prospective future line manager is interviewing you, then the chances are that you will be able to get good feedback on what your chances are of being offered the job. If you ask questions like “Is there anything that you feel I haven’t gone into enough details about” or “How do you think I’d personally fit into the organisation”, it demonstrates your keenness for the role.

If, on the other hand an HR department is conducting the interview, it may be more worthwhile to close the interview by saying something like “I’d like to confirm that I’m very much interested in the position. Do you conduct second interviews or make a decision after today?”

The bottom line is that you have to leave the interviewer with a feeling that you’re keen on the position and that you’d be happy to stay in the job role in question for a decent period of time.

Written by David on November 27th, 2006 with 1 comment.
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Job Hunting Tips — Interview Preparation — Part 1

So many people blow their chances of getting their dream job before the interview. They aren’t armed with the basic facts that make them feel properly prepared and informed at the interview stage. So what information should the interviewee find out before attending a job interview?

1) Company Background

The Internet has to be the key for finding about the company. First of all have a look at the company website. What kind of tone is the website setting? What kind of consumer is the company likely to be targeting?

Have a good read through any mission statements, financial results or ‘about us’ sections on the company website. As well as getting a better feel of the company paradigm, you will be able to discuss future company strategy from a more informed perspective at the interview.

Remember to have a search for other websites that offer a neutral perspective on the company as well. Companies House provides information on previous years’ accounts. Also, the Chairman, CEO or Managing Director may have appeared in the news in the past, so remember to search for their personal names on websites like Google News.

2) Industry Competitors

You need to know who your future competition will be if you get the job. In addition, if you can inform the company at interview stage of things that they don’t already know about the competition, it gives you a significant advantage to getting the job.

First of all, search for your prospective future company name on a search engine like Google. (Don’t type the URL straight into the address box at the top of the page.) Secondly, assuming you find the company’s website listed on the search engine, there should be an option for viewing ‘similar sites’. Click on this option and you should be able to view a list of websites belonging to companies in the same industry.

Once you find the competitors’ websites, it is a good idea to do a very quick ‘SWOT analysis’ of their product and service offering. SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. All you have to do is write down five quick bullet points on each SWOT heading about each company. It should take no longer that an hour to focus on the three most likely competitors, but it demonstrates a superb amount of personal preparation and keenness for the position at the interview.

3) Industry Trends

From your Competitor SWOT Analysis, you will be able to determine whether or not the competitors have any unique selling proposition compared to the company that you have the job interview with. You can then establish whether or not the consumer market for such unique propositions are expanding or contracting.

Ways of determining whether or not it is worthwhile suggesting during your job interview for your prospective employer to consider amending their current product offering include researching consumer trends websites such as Mintel or business information websites like the Financial Times.

In Job Hunting Tips – Interview Preparation – Part 2, we will discuss the questions you are likely to be asked at a job interview, the questions you should prepare to ask at your job interview and techniques to ‘close’ the interview effectively.

Written by David on November 27th, 2006 with 1 comment.
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The Top 10 Ways To Improve Your Interview Body Language — Part Two

The following article concludes the top 10 ways to ensure that you show good interview body language. Make sure that all the preparation you do for a job interview isn’t in vain. Your body language is key to job interview success. (Click here to read part one of the article)

The final 5 of the top 10 ways to improve your interview body language are as follows:

6) Make sure that your eyes sparkle

It’s all very well having good eye contact at your interview, but if your eyes aren’t looking bright and interested then you’re making life difficult for yourself! Make sure that you have a good night’s sleep your interview. Remember – this is a very important day – you need to look your best and have no bags under your eyes! If you want your eyes to sparkle then it’s worthwhile getting some whitening eye drops. It doesn’t cost much but it will work.

7) Be engaged

It’s important to be subtly positive at your job interview. You need to demonstrate that you’re actively taking part in the interview. When your interviewer is telling you about the job role and company, make sure that you nod subtly. This shows that you are listening and are interested in what they are saying. It shows that your are engaged in the discussion process and want to be part of the organisation.

8) Breathe deeply

One of the best ways to relax before an important interview is to breath deeply. If you breathe deeply, not only are you relaxing by slowing your rapid, nervous heartbeat, you’re also ensuring that your brain has as much oxygen as possible. This means that you’ll be able to think clearly at your interview and be able to respond to difficult questioning more rapidly. Breathing deeply before an interview will provide you with the effective combination of being relaxed and alert at the same time.

9) Accept an offer of a glass of water

You may not feel like a glass of water, but taking a sip from a glass of water can have a calming effect on your interview performance. It can give you an opportunity to collect your thoughts while refreshing you. It will also give you a chance to get used to the surroundings while the interviewer is out of the room getting the glass of water. This will also give you’re the opportunity to gather your thoughts and decide upon any amendments to your interview strategy as well as reviewing your prepared responses to questions.

10) Practice your handshake

So many people haven’t got the right ‘professional’ handshake. Remember that this is part of the first and last impression that you leave at the interview. If you have a weak, limp handshake then this tells the interviewer that you may not have the ability to deal with confrontation. On the other hand, if your handshake is too strong, then you may not be a good listener. You may be quite confident about controlling a situation, but you may be less likely to be democratic in approach. To demonstrate the happy medium, have a firm but not hard grip, make good eye contact at the same time and mirror the style of the person whose hand you are shaking.

In summary, mirroring is the key. If you’re able to subtly copy the tonality of your interviewer’s body language, you’ll find it much more easier to communicate because you’ll be speaking the same silent body language. This will put you streets ahead of the competition in the race for your dream job.

Written by David on November 27th, 2006 with 1 comment.
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The Top 10 Ways To Improve Your Interview Body Language — Part One

The following article summarises the top 10 ways to ensure that you show good interview body language. Make sure that all the preparation you do for a job interview isn’t in vain. Your body language is key to job interview success.

The top 10 ways to improve your interview body language are as follows:

1) Eye Contact

There’s nothing more off-putting to an interviewer than the interviewee being unable to make regular, good, strong eye contact. The interviewer may think that because you’re unable to do this, you either have something to hide or you may not have the conviction of your beliefs. If you’re struggling to concentrate when looking straight into someone’s eyes, then try looking in-between their eyes. They won’t be able to tell that you aren’t looking straight into their eyes, but you’ll find it easier to maintain focus. Try it with a friend first to see what I mean.

2) Smile

You need to practice a strong, sincere, smile. A good smile has the power to say, “I’m a happy, confident person and I’d love to work here”. Try practicing smiling in a mirror. Practice a smile that puts people at ease. It’s just as much your responsibility to ensure that there is a relaxed atmosphere during the interview. If you’re embarrassed about your smile, see what a dentist can do about it. It might not cost too much to fix your teeth – and it will save you a lot of money if you get the job!

3) Open Body Language

Again, try practicing this with a friend first. Make sure that your legs are slightly apart if you’re a gent. Place your hands apart, on your thighs is good. Open body language is even more important when the interviewer is talking. It demonstrates that you are receptive to the question and actively listening. Remember when you practice your body language with a friend to take a note of what to do with each part of your body. Unless you do that – and remember – you’re leaving it to chance that your body language come across well at your job interview.

4) Don’t slouch

It’s easy to appear as if you slouch too much. This is especially prevalent if you’re asked to site in a large, soft seat. Try not to appear too relaxed. Not sitting right back in the seat is a good idea. If you sit forward, it makes you look more attentive and more interested. Some people slouch because they’re not very interested. Other people slouch because they have bad body language. Either way an interviewer isn’t going to be too impressed. Try practicing in a mirror at home.

5) Don’t be too erect

If you’re too erect then you won’t appear too relaxed. If an experienced interviewer is interviewing you then they might put this down to stage fright. They might just judge you on what you’re saying rather than how uptight you appear. However, if you’re interviewer isn’t too experienced then they might not feel relaxed either because of your posturing. They could leave the interview with a feeling that you weren’t as good as the other person simply because you were too erect. Try to relax… but not too much!

This article will be concluded in the ‘Top 10 Ways To Improve Your Interview Body Language – Part Two’.

Written by David on November 27th, 2006 with 1 comment.
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Ten Things Not To Write In Your CV — Part Two

This article is continued from ‘Ten Things NOT To Write In Your CV – Part One’. Your CV (Curriculum Vitae) – Resume for our American friends sells you to your prospective employer. It has to be straight and too the point. However too many CV’s contain irrelevant information. What are the ten things that you shouldn’t write in your CV?

6) Don’t be all things to all people

Some people with a broad range of experience or an eclectic background feel that this can’t be anything but good news for their employment prospects. Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong! In all but a handful of circumstances, unless you can demonstrate a clear, logical career progression in your CV then you’re diminishing your chances of future employment. This doesn’t mean that you should lie about your past on your CV. It simply means that you should try and find a common trail of experience in the bullet point summaries of your previous experience. Try not to highlight a vast range of skills from administration to sales unless you’re applying for a general management position.

7) Don’t mention every qualification you’ve every earned

This again stems from pride. It stems from pride and a willingness to demonstrate that you’ve achieved things in the past. Unfortunately gaining a basic qualification in Geography at school doesn’t mean a thing unless you choose to study the subject at University! A rule thumb should be that a better qualification replaces the one before. If you have a degree, you are generally better off not mentioning your school qualifications. Similarly, if you have over five years experience in your chosen industry then you’re probably better off not mentioning your school qualifications. Remember that people will only skim your CV and you only want relevant, important details to be read.

8) Don’t be too personal about your personal interests

You can probably turn people off more than you can turn people on when they’re reading your CV. The secret is to include nothing more important or appealing than your employment experience or qualifications. Sure, you should mention the fact that you enjoy playing golf in your spare time. Some people however talk about their favourite golf course or their best score. That’s going too far. Leave that for bonding with the interviewer if appropriate.

9) Don’t make your CV longer than 3 pages

No matter the quantity or quality of your experience there is no need to have your CV longer than 3 single sides of paper. If you are relevant for a job role, your prospective employer may ask for more information – but until then don’t take the risk of them not finding the most important information. Again, remember that the first and only purpose of your CV is to get you an interview. A CV by itself will never get you a job; so don’t expect it to contain everything about you.

10) Don’t add referee details to your CV

Don’t give out any reference details until you are asked for them. It is unethical and unnecessary for anyone to ask others for information about you before the interview stage. In addition, good references are hard to come by. Why bother your referees about a position that you may not be interested in? You want your referees to be bothered as little as possible and only contacted when necessary. Don’t take the chance that someone may contact them after seeing your CV ‘on spec’. Take their names and contact details off your CV.

Written by David on November 27th, 2006 with 1 comment.
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Ten Things Not To Write In Your CV — Part One

Your CV (Curriculum Vitae) – Resume for our American friends sells you to your prospective employer. It has to be straight and too the point. However too many CV’s contain irrelevant information. What are the ten things that you shouldn’t write in your CV?

1) Don’t use first person in your personal profile

It sounds too informal if you use the word ‘I’ too often. If you see CV’s that say ‘I am good at this’ or ‘I have experience at this’ or ‘My skills include’ it sounds extremely amateurish. However, if you use the third person, it denotes a certain amount of respectability, authority and value to your previous experience. For instance, you would be better off saying ‘David’s core skills include…’ or ‘He graduated with an MBA in 2005’.

2) Don’t write too much in your personal profile

Your personal profile should be a four or five line synopsis about you, your key experience and your unique skills. It shouldn’t contain any more information than that. That’s what the rest of your CV is for. Think of it as a subheading. It should succinctly summarise what is to follow. It is merely an extension to the selling tool that is called your CV.

3) Don’t include family details

Never, ever include personal family details on your CV. If you include details like your wife’s name or your children’s name on your CV then it’s like saying to your prospective employer that family is more important than your current job. Even if it is – it’s not a very good way to ‘sell’ your willingness to focus on work. Think about it. Do business professionals include details about their children on marketing materials for their business? Of course not. It’s as crazy as that. A CV is a selling tool for your industry experience. Nothing more, nothing less. If necessary you can talk about your family at the interview – but it doesn’t do you any favours by discussion them in your CV.

4) Don’t write paragraphs about your previous jobs

CV’s are skimmed and not read by employers. Quite often, good potential candidates are missed out on simply because their appropriate experience couldn’t be found within the thirty seconds used to initially browse a CV for relevance. Think about it from an employer’s perspective. Would you really have the time to read through hundreds of CV’s from start to finish? The secret to ensuring that your application has every chance of reaching the interview stage is to highlight your employment experience in bullet points. You only need a MAXIMUM of 10 bullet points for each job role. Any more, and it would be likely that not all the bullet points will be read. Make sure that you therefore only mention the most important parts of your experience about your previous employment.

5) Don’t focus on what you are proud of

It’s so easy to summarise the things that you are most proud of about your previous employment experience. This is an even more pertinent point for more mature individuals. Don’t do it! The only pertinent employment experience to have on your CV is experience that’s relevant for the position that you’re applying for. That doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t have any other experience on there. It just means that you shouldn’t focus on what you are proud of. You should focus on what is relevant.

This article is continued in ‘Ten Things NOT To Write In Your CV – Part Two’.

Written by David on November 25th, 2006 with 1 comment.
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How to Make Recruitment Agencies Work for You

There are two different ways that you can use recruitment agencies to find your ideal job. This article explores how you can find your ideal job without wasting too much of your precious time.

Most people have experienced the recruitment agency black hole. This is when you register with an agency, fill out every form that they ask you to complete and attend a lengthy interview with a recruitment consultant. Then you hear nothing.

It is so frustrating when this happens because you have been led to believe that you will be flooded with interview offers as soon as you register. It makes you less likely to believe in recruitment agencies and more likely to ‘go it yourself’ in the future.

There are two different ways to use recruitment agencies to find your ideal job. They are as follows:

1) Register with as many recruitment agencies as possible and wait for them to get back to you when a job opportunity appears

2) Register with one or two carefully selected recruitment agencies that specialise in your particular job sector and get to know at least one of the recruitment consultants within that agency as well as possible

Unfortunately most people go for number one. This means that they are only told about jobs that are particularly hard to fill.

So how do you make sure that you are told about they key jobs as soon as they become available? Simple. You need to be KNOWN by recruitment consultants in your industry. Whenever they receive a new job requirement from one of their clients, you need to be the first person on the recruitment consultant’s mind.

In order to be one of the first people to be informed about an excellent new job opportunity you need to initially carefully select one industry specialist bespoke recruitment agency. You then need to meet one of their senior industry specialist consultants face-to-face to explain your specific requirements.

However, in addition to meeting the specialist recruitment consultant face-to-face, you also have to stay in touch. Consultants browse through thousands of CV’s (Resumes) every month, so if you don’t phone them every two weeks then there’s a good chance that they’ll forget about you. Another star candidate will have risen to the surface by then and you will be a historical statistic.

The mantra for dealing with recruitment agencies is

Stay in touch

Stay in touch

Don’t rely on the automated candidate finding systems that each agency has. Unless you form a personal relationship with one of the consultants, constantly asking them about new opportunities then the chances are than you won’t even find out about top jobs that are available.

Good luck with finding your ideal job in the near future!

Written by David on November 25th, 2006 with no comments.
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15 Ways To Sell Yourself Effectively In A Job Interview – Part Three

This article is continued from ‘15 Ways To Sell Yourself Effectively In A Job Interview – Part Two’.

11) Know The Job Role That Your Are Applying For

There’s no excuse not to know as much as possible about the position that you’re being interviewed for. With the job title and the company website you can be very knowledgeable about what your prospective employer is going to be looking for. You should be able to find out additional information from many other areas such as the online press or companies house, so not being able to find out information before hand isn’t an excuse – it’s a reason why your interviewer shouldn’t employ you.

12) Know Your Place In The Company / Organisation

You need to understand where the position that you’re applying for fits in the organisation. If you’re not too sure then there isn’t any harm in phoning up whoever is going to be conducting the interview before hand to ask them the specifics. Tell them that you’re doing research on the position before the interview. It can only impress them that you care enough to find out. If you aren’t aware of where your position sits in the organisation and how it relates to others then you won’t know who you are responsible to and who your are responsible for.

13) Understand The Personality Fit Required

It is extremely important that you understand the style of working environment that you will have the opportunity to work in if you are successful. Again, have a look at the companies’ website before hand. Look at the tonality of the content. Look at previous press releases. Then ask yourself whether you’d describe the company or organisation as formal, informal, or just plain crazy. You’re doing both you and the company a disservice if you accept a position in an organisation that simply doesn’t suit your personality.

14) Ask About Future Plans For The Company / Organisation

There are two main reasons that you should enquire about the future intentions of your prospective employer. Firstly, it wouldn’t be good for either you or the organisation if you wouldn’t enjoy its strategic future direction. Secondly, if you don’t enquire about the company’s future direction why on earth should the interviewer think that you are passionate about the job role? Remember to ask about the future of the company – and be interested in hearing the answer.

15) Ask What The Next Stage Is In The Interview Process

Lastly, you need to know what the next stage of the interview process will be. Some positions – and this especially applies to a sales role will actually expect you to ask them whether or not you have got the job. This shows that you are really keen and have a real desire to get going with things. However, the majority of positions will have a formal process that the prospective employer wishes to follow. If that is the case then you still need to ask what the next stage of the interview process is. This gives you the best possible chance of being invited back as it affirms your desire to be offered the role.

Written by David on November 22nd, 2006 with no comments.
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15 Ways To Sell Yourself Effectively In A Job Interview – Part Two

This article is continued from ‘15 Ways To Sell Yourself Effectively In A Job Interview – Part One’.

6) Know Your CV (Resume) Inside Out

Everyone who has ever applied for a job has written their CV (Resume) more than once. If you’ve written your CV more than once then there’s a danger that you won’t know which version your prospective employer is looking at. You cannot let this happen. The best way of avoiding getting important details of your previous experience wrong at the interview is to bring along another copy of your CV for yourself. You shouldn’t have to think about what you did in previous job roles when being interviewed. Knowing your CV inside out will help you be a lot more spontaneous with your responses and aid the fluidity of the interview.

7) Listen To Each Question Meticulously

Don’t presume what your interviewer is going to ask you. Too many interviewees answer the question that they think they’re being asked instead of the question that is actually being asked. Make sure that you concentrate fully on the question and don’t start forming your answer until the question has ended. If you fail to listen to the question fully not only could you answer incorrectly, you’re failing to demonstrate effective listening skills.

8) Involve Multiple Interviewers Equally

You have to prepare to be interviewed by two people. Being interviewed by two people is different compared with being interviewed by one quite simply because you may have to deal with two different personality types. On the other hand, one of the parties may simply be taking notes. However, you need to ensure that you are aware of the role of each party in order to make sure that one of the interviewers’ doesn’t think that you are paying more attention to the other person conducting the interviews.

9) Smile

A smile is worth a thousand words in an interview. A smile not only relaxes the interviewer, it relaxes you. It helps you keep things in perspective. A smile shows the interviewer that you’re approachable and caring. It shows the interviewer that you have the personality to form a good bond with your co-workers and that you have the ability to relate with and negotiate with your customers. Don’t forget to smile when appropriate at your interview. Don’t forget to show your interviewer that you have a lot more to you than the ability to answer questions like a robot.

10) Use Open Body Language

Remember that your interviewer only has one opportunity to judge your personality. Your interview will probably be no longer than an hour and possibly a lot less. That means that you have a very short time to make a good impression.

By ‘closing’ your body language you significantly decrease the effectiveness of your answers to the interviewers’ questions. This means that with the best will in the world, your interview won’t be listening to you talking as much as they should be because you arms may be folded or you may appear too slovenly.

This article will be concluded in ‘15 Ways To Sell Yourself Effectively In A Job Interview – Part Three’.

Written by David on November 22nd, 2006 with 2 comments.
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15 Ways To Sell Yourself Effectively In A Job Interview - Part One

1) Firm Handshake

At the very beginning, whenever you meet your interviewer, you need to make sure that you greet them effectively. You’ve heard that first impressions count. Well, the handshake is an integral part of first impressions. The key is to be firm without being forceful. However, be particularly careful when your interviewer has a particularly weak handshake. You should also be able to adapt and ‘mirror’ alternative handshake styles. If you’re particularly nervous about the interview then it’s worthwhile rehearsing your handshake with a friend beforehand.

2) Good Eye Contact

One of the most common reasons for the interviewer leaving the interview with a negative candidate impression is lack of eye contact during the interview from the candidate. In a typical example of such a case, the candidate may leave the interview thinking that they have performed well. This is probably because they have answered the questions well, but looked away from the interviewer to concentrate on the answer to each question.

Making sure that you keep an eye on your interviewer will not only help you both have a better conversation, it will make your responses seem a lot less regimented, and a lot more believable. One trick that you could use if you’re struggling to use enough eye contact is to look in-between your interviewers’ eyes. They won’t be able to tell that you aren’t looking directly into their eyes and you may find it easier to focus on the answer to the question.

3) Good Initial Impression

A good initial impression is intangible, yet very important. You need to smile at the right time, ask the right questions, wear the right clothes, have the right hairdo, use the correct terminology – however if you can’t ‘relate’ to your interviewer then getting everything else right could be in vain. The key is being able to react to how they present themselves without loosing your own personality. Only practice makes perfect when it comes to making a good initial impression.

4) Noticing Your Surroundings

Noticing your surroundings is a great way of breaking the ice at interview. If you’re able to say things like ‘This is a great new building – has it recently been built?’ not only are you initiating a conversation to ease the interview process, you’re demonstrating your ability to influence and bond with people – a set of very important traits in most job roles.

5) Put Your Interviewer At Ease

Putting your interviewer at ease is one of the most important aspects of selling yourself effectively at a job interview. No matter how experienced the interviewer is, there will be interviews that he or she enjoys more than others. It is your job to make sure that your interviewer really enjoys the experience of interview, while still demonstrating your professional experience. A good starting point is being pleased to see them and discussing a topical issue.

This article will be continued in ‘15 Ways To Sell Yourself Effectively In A Job Interview – Part Two’.

Written by David on November 22nd, 2006 with 1 comment.
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