Tips for During your Job Interview

Don't be late!! Your interview begins with your timely arrival at the prospective employers premises. So make sure you get there 5 to 10 minutes prior to your meeting. Know the name of the person you will be meeting with. Take a deep breath and believe in yourself. If you aren't sure about yourself then the employer wont be either. 

When you meet your interviewer, give them a firm handshake but don’t squeeze. Smile and look them in the eyes. Let them lead you the way to the meeting room and wait to be asked to take a seat or sit down once they have. They will usually start with a little small talk to begin with, just to break the ice and get you to relax a little. Make sure you maintain a good level of eye contact, try not to stare but make regular eye contact. Have your hands on the table, don’t hide them. Sit up right, but stay relaxed.

People will always notice positivity and friendliness. Always smile and be yourself. Show interest by asking questions regarding the organisation, the positions and the people that work there. This shows your keen and . Answer their questions calmly and concise, make use of examples to explain your background, skills and knowledge better. If you haven’t quite understood a question, there is no harm to ask to repeat the question. If you don’t have an answer, be honest and say that you haven’t been in such a situation before or that you haven’t got this type of experience. However ensure to say what you would do if you were be in such a situation or that you are interested in learning skills and to acquire knowledge.

At the end of each interview, thank them for their time and ask when they will come back to you. Again, smile, look them in the eye and give them a firm handshake..

Nervous about a Job Interview?

It's very normal to be nervous about a job interview. It can be tough and there can be some tricky questions! You need to know how to sell yourself and promote your assets and you need to dress appropriately! Most people decide in the first 5 minutes if they like you or not – How can you impress? And what is this fuss about body language!? Job interviews can be daunting and scary, especially if you have gone through a number of interviews resulting in nothing but disappointment. The good news is it does not have to be a daunting experience.

Firstly, it is a positive thing to have the opportunity to be invited for a job interview and secondly don't forget that it would be unreasonable to think you are going to be successful at EVERY job interview. Every opportunity is a chance to learn more about yourself and to improve your interview skills. You can do a lot before, during and after an interview to increase your chances to impress the Hiring Manager and swing them to your side.

Let’s look at what you can do before an interview. Make sure to do your research on the company and industry. Be familiar with the job opportunity you applied for and bring your experience, knowledge and skills in line with the job requirements. It might help to write down what you could talk about your background in the interview.

Make sure you are ready a day before the interview, what to wear, how to get to the interview and know how long it will take you to get there. If unsure about dress codes of the organisation, there is no harm to ring up and ask. To be on the safe side though, it is generally a safe bet to go in business attire.

Don't forget to Network!

Networking – for some networking is the key to success, for others it is something that just happens from time to time when the need arises. For some it is the regular catch up for coffee, the long overdue phone call to a former colleague, attending industry drinks or something intertwined into all your interactions, networking is undeniably an important aspect in today’s society. The internet is one fantastic avenue for networking, allowing you to connect professionally with your colleagues and industry specialist and of course socially with your family and friends.

Networking tends to naturally happen as part of many peoples’ jobs, but also for their own good and ambitions, again from both sides– professionally and socially.

Let’s look at the professional advantage of networking for your own benefits. For example if you are on the lookout for a new job opportunity, have you thought about chatting to the contacts in your network to see if they are aware of opportunities in their organisations? That bit of ‘vitamin B’ and the recommendation your contact can make to their employer, can open doors you haven’t even thought possible. In many situations your application will be handled favourably and you might find you are being considered for opportunities that haven’t been advertised.

What is Employee Engagement?

Employee engagement is a very important part of any business strategy. Every organisation stays and falls with their employees. There is an obvious reason, why employees are the most important asset of any organisation; Employees form the pillars of your organisation, they carry out your business plan and strategy, they work for you and your success. You might think, financial reward is what your employees need to perform to their best? Well, money is certainly an incentive but that won’t keep your people happy and engaged, and it won’t see your business grow.

It is not difficult to practive Employee Engagement, Bu it does require a big commitment from the the people in higher positions. You can lookup on Google the many facets of Employee Engagement. This will help you to get an idea of what businesses do. Many experts in this field are out there writing blogs so don't be shy and get in contact so you can have a chat about your needs.

Imagine your very own employees that you have hired for reasons of their expertise in certain areas and their attributes and attitudes, go above and beyond their key tasks and start contributing to the bigger picture of your organisational goals. A forward moving organisation will stay on the forefront of their services and will stay competitive in their niche. If you don’t engage your people, your business could get tied up recruiting new employees and spending money on recruitment campaigns instead of staying on track with your business goals and investing in your assets.

Tips for Resume Writing

As recruiter I read a lot of resumes every day. Over the years I have developed a keen eye and it doesn't take long to decide on whether the person knows what they are doing or not. An average written and formatted resume, can have drastic impacts on the outcome of your application, starting with the next step in the process of securing a job interview. Below are three things to avoid when writing your ;

One, who told you to write a full novel about your work history, the responsibilities and achievements? Don’t bore your potential employer as they don’t have time to read through volumes of text. Be concise in your writing, tailor the text to the role you are applying for, dot points are good and make sure your work history is in chronological order.

Two, do your best to avoid spelling and grammatical errors. Thanks to the “Spelling & Grammar” check in Microsoft Word, it is easy to clean up most, if not all, errors. 

Three, it is best not to include a picture of yourself, and even more important don’t include a photo of you on your holiday or with your favourite pet. You might like to know, that most countries do not require a photo on resumes any longer, due to discrimination laws.

I hope this helps a little, good luck with your next job application!