Planning: Before your interview, make sure you allow enough time to drive through traffic, find parking, or catch public transport. Decide what you are going to wear to the interview either the night before or well before you are due to leave. Consider the organisation's culture - whether it is a suit and tie / formal business attire environment or a business casual environment. If you are unsure, err on the side of conservative.
Preparation: Prepare yourself for the interview. The more comfortable you are about your resume, skills and your preparation, the more confident you will feel. The more you know about the organisation, the more knowledgeable you will appear. Research the organisation on the internet, try and get hold of an annual report or other information which is in the public domain. Knowledge about the organisation's future vision or direction will be well regarded. Prepare interview responses and questions that will enable you to present an accurate and relevant profile to the employer.
Practice: Practice interview questions. This will enable you to be confident, skilled and successful at interview. Assume they will ask you questions about your skill set, depth and breadth of experience and employment history. If you haven't been interviewed for some time, ask a friend or relative to stage a mock interview.
Presentation: First impressions are often the strongest. An employer will often sum up a candidate in the first five minutes of an interview. Enhance your personal presentation and look professional. Present yourself, your documents and skills to the employer in a professional manner to assist you to get the job you want. If you look slapdash, it may be construed that you carry this into the work place.
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You are the best person to market yourself!
You will have to become a salesperson - ie. believe in your skills and your ability to do the job, then convince the employer of that - in order to sell yourself in the employment market. Most job searches are either conducted from a "here I am" and "this is what I want" perspective, or you’re so nervous you have trouble talking about yourself. However, the reality is that most employers, while interested in your wants and needs and keen to “make a match”, and understand that you may be nervous, really want to hear about how you can demonstrate that you can provide what they want. They care about what you can do for them. And they care about what they can do for you and your career. But generally, it is only after you have first shown what you can do for them that they will begin to focus on what they can do for you in return.
Therefore, learn to market yourself, your skills, achievements, successes and experiences. Market what you, rather than somebody else, has to offer. Your knowledge, experiences, attitude and personal qualities are unique. Present them in a confident and positive way.
To market yourself effectively you must know yourself and why you are looking for employment.
- Know your goals, both long and short term
- Understand why you are looking for employment
- Know what sort of work you are looking for, type of role, contract / permanent work
- Be able to describe your achievements
- Demonstrate how you are able to motivate and work within a team or independently
- Establish that you have the capacity to deliver the results the organisation is seeking
- Demonstrate that you are able to manage different tasks and responsibilities within the job
- Illustrate by example how you are able to respond to problems, conflicts and changes that may occur in the workplace
- Express that you are open to new ideas and knowledge and applying these to your workplace
- Demonstrate that you are able to generate ideas, collect information, analyse information and work independently
- Be able to effectively clarify your appropriate and recent workplace skills and experiences relevant to the particular job you are applying for, in particular -
- Your specific skills
- Your abilities
- Your related experiences
- Your education and related training
Most importantly, talk about what it is that you have to offer above anybody else and why you should be given the job.
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- You must know their goals and business drivers
- Know their expectations of you
- Know their recruitment methods - how they recruit, where and when they recruit, their processes
Have some knowledge about the company their services/products and why you want to work for them. Do your research.
Most people go into an interview ready to present their skills. To be successful in your interview you must mirror, as closely as you can, the characteristics, qualities, skills and experiences the organisation is looking for. You must learn to effectively market yourself to an employer in a way that the employer wants to see you. But importantly, be yourself. It’s in your best interests to be your own person with your own personality – presented in a positive way. If you try to be somebody you’re not because you think that’s what the employer is looking for, and you get the job, chances are you won’t be happy in the role, because you won’t be able to be yourself. And the company will wonder who they’ve hired, because it isn’t the person who was at the interview! Exceed the employer's expectations.
DO'S and DON'TS
- When appropriate, ask questions. It shows the employer that you are interested in the role. Keep your questions clear and simple
- Be a good listener, show patience, concern and interest
- Take in what is actually being said to you, acknowledge where you can to demonstrate that you understand
- Build up rapport with the interviewer
- Ensure you feel comfortable
- Remember that the interview is not just for the employer. It is an opportunity for you to find out more about the role
- Always shake hands firmly with the interviewer, not limply and gain eye contact
- Speak well of former or current employers. Alternatively, make no comment
- Be ready to describe how you used a skill you claim to have on your resume
- Always dress professionally, but make sure you are comfortable
- Leave rate negotiation to your recruitment consultant or until the hiring manager brings up remuneration with you
- Do plan, prepare, practice
- Relax, be yourself, feel confident.
Sourcing information about the organisation
The more you know about the organsiation you are hoping to work on, the more likely you are to impress an interviewer. It shows the interviewer that you are truly interested in the role and that you have an understanding about the role. You can meet their expectations, because you know what they are looking for. You should start by asking your recruitment consultant for the information you'll need. Then we suggest you check out the company's website.
Other good sources of information:
- The Internet - your first point of reference
- People / Contacts / Colleagues / Networking - people you know who have worked for the company
- Professional Associations
- Training / Academic / Educational Institutions
- Newspapers / Media, such as BRW, Financial Review
- Publications such as Annual Reports, Prospectus
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The interview questions that are most likely to be asked of you will usually depend on the role you have applied for. For example if you have applied for a technical, hands on role, it is likely that the format of your interview and the questions asked of you will generally be of a technical nature.
Although it is impossible to know what an interviewer is going to ask you, it is possible to create a list of most commonly asked questions to aid you in preparing for interview. After all, if you know what type of questions to expect, you can plan your answers ahead of time, hence enabling you to feel more confident and relaxed with your responses.
Types of Questions:
- Technically job specific
- Managerial / People orientated
- Company knowledge
- Your experiences and skills/competencies
Sample Interview Questions
Below are some example questions which may assist you to gain confidence and clarification about your own capabilities. Spend some time on these as preparation for the interview
- What is your understanding of this role?
- What experience you have had which is relevant to this role?
- What do you feel is necessary to be successful in this job?
- Why do you want to work for this organisation?
- Why did you leave your last job? OR Why are you looking for other opportunities?
- Is salary or job satisfaction more important to you?
- Why should we hire you instead of somebody else?
- What do you like most about your type of work? OR What do you dislike most about your type of work?
- When are you available to start?
- How do you cope with stress?
- Tell me about a situation where you have failed or made mistakes. How did you cope and what did you learn?
- What five words or short phrases would you say best describe you?
- What are your long term professional / career goals, your long term work plans?
- If we were to employ you, how long could we expect you to stay?
- Tell me why you would be happy in this job?
- What do you know about our company?
- How do you work under pressure and to tight deadlines? Give examples.
- Do you work well with people? What kind of people do you find difficult to work with?
- Are you flexible? Give an example that best illustrates this.
- Give me an example that best highlights your leadership style?
- Please give me an example of a situation where you requested help and found that you were on your own? How did you cope?
- Describe a time that you took a pro-active approach to an issue or problem.
Candidate Interview Questions
Prepare the questions you will ask during the interview. Remember that the interview is an opportunity for two-way communication. The employer will determine through questioning if you have the qualifications and experience necessary to do the job. You must also determine through your questioning whether the organisation will give you the opportunity for the growth and development you seek. Additionally, the more questions you ask, the more interested you appear, but make sure you ask good ones!
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Probing questions you might ask:
- Can you tell me more about the position and the type of person you are seeking?
- Reason the position is available?
- What is the culture of the company?
- Is there an induction and training programme?
- What sort of people have done well in the organisation?
- Are there advanced training programmes available for those who demonstrate outstanding ability?
- How does my background compare with others you have interviewed?
- What will be the measurements of my success in this position?
- What is the vision for the organisation's growth?
- What are the organisation's best selling products or services?
- What is the next step in the recruitment process?
Closing the interview
Make sure you understand the next steps. Ask the interviewer when they plan to make a decision. If you are interested in the role, let the interviewer know you are genuinely interested and if they were to offer you the role, you would accept.
Thank the interviewer for his / her time and considering you. If you have answered the two questions uppermost in her/ his mind:
a) Why are you interested in the job and the company?
b) What can you offer and can you do the job?
- you have done all you can. Remember there are all kinds of reasons for making a decision to hire including team dynamics and your level of experience.
After the interview
To leave a lasting impression, send an e-mail to your interviewer thanking them for the meeting, and you look forward to hearing from them in the near future.
Interview checklist - what to take:
- Appropriate dress style for this occupation / organisation
- Spare copies of resume
- Diary / Calendar
- Pen
- Photo copies of reference letters or letters of recommendation
- Knowledge about the client and their products and services
- A positive attitude and intention to get the job
- Samples of work which may be relevant and which may substantiate your resume
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During the interview remember
- First impressions are powerful
- Firmly shake hands
- Answer questions in detail but don't lose sight of what your key message is
- Make eye contact
- Be comfortable
- Smile and try to relax
To prepare your resume,
- Keep it simple and relatively brief;
- Always submit a typed, not hand-written resume;
- Choose a simple, easy to read font;
- Have your name and contact details clearly on the front page; and
- Be truthful.
A resume is your chance to present all of the information that proves that you have the required skills and experience for the job. Writing an effective resume takes time - you need to ensure that you have included all the desired information clearly and succinctly.
Objectives
When writing your resume, remember that its purpose is to persuade an employer to consider you for the position over the other applicants. It is a compilation of your skills, achievements, employment history and personal interests, and provides the important first impression of you and your skills and experience.
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Content
When writing your resume it is important to remember your objectives of making it clear and easy to read and understand quickly.
Your prospective employer wants to read only information that is relevant to the position on offer, so think of your resume as a series of facts. Keep sentences short and list your most recent jobs first. Before you decide on the layout of your resume, do some research and prepare the content.
Your resume should contain the following information about yourself:
- Name:
- Contact Details: Address, Telephone (AH), Mobile, Fax
- Education/Qualifications
- List the qualifications you have gained since leaving school (list the most recent first)
- Professional qualifications
- List details of any apprentice training, industry accredited courses in specific skills, technical training, management courses etc.
- Career history, past employers and job descriptions
Your approach to supplying details of your employment history can vary depending on your situation you could list your previous employers in chronological order, or you may choose to concentrate on job descriptions or the skills used or developed. This is the most important section of your resume, and you should focus on the following areas:
- Skills;
- Experience;
- Responsibilities;
- Achievements;
- Evidence of progression
Think about your previous positions and the specific situations where your work or actions made a task simpler or easier or solved a problem. Did you save the company money, increase efficiency, identify or act quickly to deal with a problem?
If you have been out of work for a longer period, you may find it difficult to think of example. If so, try talking to friends or ex-colleagues who may be able to help you. For this reason it is important to regularly update your resume so as to ensure that all details are correct and up-to-date.
Awards and achievements
Make sure you include a list of your achievements - your accomplishments are an important selling point.
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Referees
Most employers will want to contact referees when they are seriously considering you for a position. If you supply the contact details of your referees in your resume, it is important to contact them to advise them that they may be contacted for references. It is also important that your referees are people who have worked with you and know your responsibilities and skill levels. A referee who can give a detailed response on your work and your abilities is better than someone very senior in the organisation who may not know you at all, or a personal referee who will be unable to make a comment on your job performance.
When listing referees, you should include the following information about them:
- Name
- Job title and name of organisation
- Telephone number
- Address
- Email
If you want this information to remain confidential, include in your resume the statement "referees will be supplied upon request".
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