Your CV / Resume is the tool that gets you the Interview but once you have the invitation to Interview – what next?

58 [yes, FIFTY EIGHT] Top Tips for Interviews

1. Fear of interviewing? Practice makes perfect. You’ll get better over time. And it is possible to practice for Interviews.

2. Interviews are a dialogue between two people. What you give is what you get. So be proactive. Ask questions and initiate discussion.

3. Confirm your interview time, date, and location one day in advance. Use this as a way to connect with your contact who could provide additional last-minute information.

4. NEVER be late for interviews.

5. If you are going to be late, call and reschedule instead. You’ll make a much better impression being on time.

6. Bring extra copies of your C.V. with you. Never assume the interviewer can find your C.V.

7. Arrive 15 minutes early and retire to the restroom. Check your appearance in the mirror. Hair in place? Make-up intact? Tights crisis? Women should pack an extra pair, just in case.

8. Introduce yourself to the secretary and be seated. (Secretaries are often hidden power bases, so engage them in conversation.)

9. Take off your coat and hang it up before the interview. In trainers? Change into good shoes before you enter the building.

10. Look busy. Take out reading material on the company or peruse company literature available in the reception area while you wait. Don’t fidget.

11. Some companies require all applicants to fill out an application, regardless of position. Fill it out completely, even if you have a C.V.

12. Stand up to greet the interviewer and extend your hand. Give a firm handshake, but don’t crush. And don’t pump you arm up and down.

13. Once in the interviewer’s office, wait to be seated. You don’t want to sit in the interviewer’s favourite chair.

14. Even if offered, don’t smoke, chew gum, eat, or drink coffee during the interview. And don’t eat garlic or drink alcohol before the interview.

15. Be observant. Are there pictures on the desk? Who’s in the pictures? Trophies, awards? For what? Art? What kind? Be aware for small talk later on.

16. In interviews, be careful not to dwell on your personal life. If asked, be brief but polite. Remember, the interview is about what you can do on the job, not at home.

17. Don’t name-drop, especially with a recruiter. If you know someone important, say so. But make sure there really is a connection. Recruiters have heard it all.

18. Never argue. If the interviewer says something you disagree with, let it go. This isn’t a debate. It’s an interview.

19. Answer only the questions asked. Be direct. Don’t ramble. And never volunteer information.

20. Be brief. The more you try to embellish your answers, the more likely you are to say something that disqualifies you.

21. The earlier it is in the interview, the shorter your answers need to be. The interviewer has limited time and a list of questions to ask you.

22. Never take anyone with you to interviews. Go alone.

23. Don’t assume the interviewer is knowledgeable about your industry, field, or speciality. Don’t use jargon, company lingo, industry buzz words.

24. Be a good listener. Listen actively by nodding your head in agreement acknowledgement. Lean forward to let the interviewer know you’re interested.

25. Maintain good eye contact. Eyes averted spell lack of self-confidence, nervousness, insecurity.

26. Watch your body language. Don’t fidget, cross your arms, slouch. Remember, everything you say and do broadcasts who you are.

27. Be enthusiastic, upbeat. Show your excitement for the job and company. Bring out your evidence file and share your company research with the interviewer.

28. Never ask about salary or benefits in the first interview. Save those issues for the negotiation session. You want the company to fall in love with you first.

29. Whoever mentions money first loses. If asked your salary requirements, respond with ‘What is the range for this position?’ If pressed, give a broad range, but never a specific amount.

30. Interviews are a dialogue between two people. Don’t let the interviewer ramble or get side-tracked. Put your two cents in.

31. Control the interview by asking questions. People feel compelled to answer.

32. Be able to explain in two to three sentences what your job duties were. Keep it simple and basic.

33. Be able to explain in two to three sentences why you’re looking for a job. Laid off? Downsized? Resigned? Why?

34. Never assume the interviewer knows what’s been going on at your company. Explain why you left, but be brief.

35. Interview rule number 1: Never say anything negative about your company, your boss, your job, your colleagues, yourself.

36. Research pays off. Not knowing anything about the company interviewing you will hurt your chances of being hired.

37. Personality and intelligence can compensate for lack of specific job experience. Radiate self-confidence, enthusiasm, congeniality.

38. An interview is a sales pitch. Be prepared to sell your features and benefits. Why should they hire you? Make yourself irresistible.

39. Never show confidential documents or memos from your previous employer(s). No one wants to hire someone who steals company property.

40. Stumped for an answer to a tough question? Take time to collect your thoughts before you speak. Guard against babbling.

41. Don’t be afraid to say ‘I don’t know.’ Then add, ‘Would you rephrase the question?’ Honesty wins points.

42. An interviewer cares about three things: Can you do the job (experience, education)? Will you do the job (hours, money, location)? and Will you fit in the company (personality)?

43. Remember people’s names. Use last names unless the interviewer indicates you by your first name.

44. Past performance is the best indication of future performance. If you performed miracles for your last employer, you can do it again. So capitalise on your successes.

45. Don’t interrupt. Some interviewers talk more than they listen. That’s OK. Be a good listener.

46. Ask for business cards of everyone you talk to in the interview process. This is critical for following-up thank-you letters, future networking calls, general job search record keeping.

47. Interviewing rule of thumb: It takes 10 to 15 networking contacts to generate one interview and 5 to 10 interviews to generate one offer.

48. Rejection is tough, but don’t take it personally. Detach. It’s just business. After each rejection, evaluate why. Then figure out what you can do in the future to avoid the same thing happening again.

49. Never leave an interview without thanking the interviewer and going for the trial close. Ask, ‘What’s the next step? Where do we go from here?’

50. Anyone’s worst nightmare – a group interview. Relax. Don’t panic. Direct your answers to the person asking the most questions but maintain eye contact with everyone.

51. A lunch interview? Order something easy to eat. Always graciously decline alcoholic beverages, even if the interviewer indulges. And mind your manners.

52. If the interviewer keeps you waiting for more than 30 minutes, reschedule. you’ll both feel better meeting under different circumstances.

53. Fear of shrinking? Don’t make an issue out of taking psychological tests. They’re no big deal, and many companies use them, both pre- and post-employment.

54. Don’t be intimidated by interviewers, especially personnel types. They want you to be the right candidate. It makes their job easier.

55. Assess how you did after the interview. Did you babble, evade questions, fidget, reveal too much? Learn from your mistakes, but don’t be too hard on yourself. You’re learning how to interview.

56. Write thank-you notes immediately. Be brief, but gracious. This is a courtesy note only. Resist going in for the kill with a final sales pitch.

57. Don’t use ‘Thank-you’ stationery or stationery with business letterheads. And never send humorous cards.

58. The next time you make a job move for money, take this test: divide the difference between you old salary and your new salary by 12; take about 35 to 40 percent off for taxes and deductions. That’s how much more you’re going to take home each month. Then ask: is making the move worth it?

have you got a tip to share?  Let us know.

Of course, you are keen to find new or alternative employment and you are gathering as much information as you can about yourself, where you want to work, what you want to do and what skills and expertise you have.

You will double your success rate for interviews if you have a targetted job application

It might be that you have rewritten your CV/resume or completed a job application form but if you have not MATCHED the CV/resume or job application form to the vacant role you are applying for, you have set yourself up for failure.

Every job application needs to be unique

How do you match the job application you ask?  There are always clues:

1. The company’s published material – their values, their products or services and their markets
2. The advert – what does it actually ask for in the advert?
3. Research the role, the website and the area and check your alignment with them ALL

• temporary or part-time work to enhance your marketability and industry knowledge and to meet people in your target sector;

• voluntary work to build experience and show your commitment – be clear about what you are offering to do and for how long;

• industry intern-ships, keeping in touch with colleagues you met on your placement;

• professional associations, which may run networking events or useful training and conferences where you can forge new links;

• careers events at university or elsewhere, speaking with representatives from many organisations in one place;

• online professional networking websites – LinkedIn is a popular example that allows you to build an online profile, widen your network and join groups within your industry;
• following up, on not only applications you have sent, but also with people you meet at events, etc.

The better you know yourself, the more likely you are to choose a satisfying successful job.

How do you discover yourself?

One suggestion is to write things down. Have your own journal in which you can jot your musings, thoughts, and feelings down. And you can add results to any of the self-exploratory exercises or psychometric tests that you may take.

Some simple helpful steps:

1. Think carefully about your achievements at school, college or work and identify where you have done well. What particular subject have you excelled and enjoyed, and at work what tasks and aspects go well? What does this tell you about your interests and abilities?
2. Write down three headings – Abilities, Interests and Values and under each heading write down your thoughts regarding how you use your leisure time. So whether it is a hobby, social, political or religious activity, note the theme and points that reoccur when you are enjoying yourself.
3. Complete self-assessment tests or inventories that measure your abilities, interests, values and personality. Do these results reflect a true picture of how you feel and what you are good at?
4. Invest in some professional career counselling.
5. Identify your skills. Work through different exercises and talk through activities with a career counsellor or friend/family member to discover which transferable and employability skills you have; and which ones are your strongest and the ones you really want to use.
6. Write a personal mission statement including what you want to be, what you want to accomplish and what principles you want to guide you. Reread it regularly and add to it the skills, strengths and motivators.

Self-understanding happens over time. Sometimes it is a light bulb moment, but more often it happens over a period of time and with serious reflection it can be an invaluable investment in time and self-awareness.

1. Be specific in your job search. Narrow the search and only apply for jobs you really want and/or are qualified to do. Don’t waste your time. Use it wisely to ensure that you prepare tailored applications for roles you are interested in.
2. Understand precisely what you want and what you can offer. Once you decide exactly what job you want you need to be very clear about what experience, skills and knowledge you can offer an employer. If you need to clarify this, do some simple analysis and draw up a couple of list including key words to help in the job search.
3. Be objective and set clear goals. Long-term goal may be finding the right job but short-term goals will help you develop and maintain your motivation. Hold yourself accountable. Examples might be improve your networking and join a new professional group; contact your alumni and seek out advice or look to attend an event.
4. Develop new strategies. Try a multifaceted approach. Don’t just job search on-line, develop relationships with recruitment agencies and use industry specific contacts.
5. Reappraise your skills. Whilst you are unemployed you have an ideal opportunity to gain more skills, and there are possibilities of funding. Consider carefully what skills would enhance your existing skill set and what skills are missing that would make it worthwhile enrolling on a training course or continuing education.
6. Research research research. If you find a suitable job vacancy and you are tempted to apply; do everything possible to stand out from the rest of the applications. Discover who is the decision maker, the hiring manager, the possible subordinates. Use LinkedIn for searching and make personal approaches to the right people. Include the organisation’s language and vision in your application.
7. Keep your professional edge and keep up to date. You need to be reading current trade publications, industry specific media and contributing to online blogs and forums. This will ensure that you have something to talk about with interviewers and that you are fully aware of new developments, changes in legislation or technology; all of which could be relevant to your job search success.
8. Build your online reputation. Use social media wisely, professionally and consistently. Having a LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook profile, populated with comments relating your field of expertise can position you as highly proficient. And recruiting managers are more than ever before likely to search your name online. Using social media effectively will bring up good results.
9. Have your own website. Write a blog, showcase your talent in different ways. Use wordpress or similar to build your credibility and professionalism. It can be a cost effective way of marketing.
10. Prepare prepare prepare. Keep practising for potential interviews and rehearse your answers. Use competency and behavioural examples. Remind yourself continually about your successes and achievements. Think about the situation, task you did, actions taken and the results and make the response fluent. You are the only person who can can sell yourself well. You must forget modesty and be prepared to shine.

Keep optimistic for as long as needed; looking after yourself and keeping focused will avoid the frustrations of the challenging job search. Join a career transition programme for support as maintaining a positive attitude will help you overcome and learn from any setbacks. It will be tough but it is achievable. Being proactive means you are increasing your chances of landing your ideal job.

The mix of emotions are hardly unsurprising. Your daily structure has just been shattered, so it is more than likely that you will experience amongst other things anger, dismay, rejections, self-doubt and disbelief.

In fact redundancy has been compared to losing a loved one.

As with bereavement, there is often a flow of emotions that we experience and for some the sequence is easier than others, and for others the emotions are more of a challenge. The pattern might be severe at first but ease after a while.

The stages and typical feelings are:

Primary – Initial Phase

• Numbness
• Denial
• Confusion
• Unreal optimism

So this is the time when you get the news, you might be in shock and you can’t believe it’s happening to you. When the truth hits home you might begin to feel confused, or perhaps even think that it’s a mistake and it is not happening to you. You might even think it is a temporary blip and that it is not worth signing on or claiming benefit.

Beware: this is the time that many people spend their payout on a holiday or property alterations.

Secondary – Intermediate Phase

• Worry
• Panic
• Anger
• Grief
• Unreal pessimism

This is the stage when negative feelings set in, fantasising about revenge, worrying about your personal responsibilities and financial status. Anxiety and despair may set in preventing you taking practical steps. If you felt a lack of emotion in the first stage, you might now be feeling overloaded with emotions.

You begin to worry about finding another job, you might have been unsuccessful in your first job applications so your self-confidence has taken a knock. You might even be avoiding your friends and acquaintances.

Beware: this is the time that social isolation can set in.

Tertiary – Settling Down Phase

• Acceptance / resignation
• Realistic optimism / hopelessness
• Purposefulness / defeat

Now, you know you are unemployed and you can accept this in two ways. With resigned acceptance or constructive resignation.

• Resigned acceptance

This is the negative continuation of the last two stages – and your morale dips further; you might be bored, isolated, bitter and your rejection continues. Your aspirations reduce and depression could set in. You have lost hope, our job search is sporadic, purposeless and without hope and expectation.

• Constructive acceptance

You are practical. You have come to terms with your situation, accepting the mix of emotions and your current position. You make realistic future plans and are able to look forward clearly and confidently. You become focused and energetic. You consider your future direction and take stock of your working life.

Depending on your personal coping strategies also depends on whether you are resigned or constructive at the acceptance stage. You will survive redundancy and finding a positive outlook is one way to retain your readiness for work.

There are a few things that help in making a constructive outcome:

1. Structure your daily routine
2. Build your confidence and self-esteem
3. Rebuild your security
4. Plan for the future

Contact us for more information on surviving redundancy and achieving a smooth career transition.

Ki work currently has a network of over 50 career coaches throughout the UK and are contracted to the DWP providing job search support for professionals.

The career transition programme’s main target group is professionals that

- have been unemployed for 3 – 6 months or over;

- were earning over £40k per annum;

- could be looking for an alternative to full time or contract employment; and

- can afford the fees of £595 plus VAT.

The programme is for 12 weeks and includes

- 6 hours of one-to-one coaching

- 6 meetings with a group of five plus coach

- each meeting for 90 minutes once a fortnight

- a total of 15 hours of support

- web-based collaboration, marketing and research tools.

What might be of interest is that prior to the full launch, we are planning to run one or more programmes for FREE.

Would you be interested in participating in this first stage development?  Contact us now for more information

“I’m in a the best of jobs, in an excellent company and  I have great people to work with.”

So is that true for everyone?  Working for a great organisation, getting along with your colleagues and doing what you want to do, will it guarantee job satisfaction?

I would suggest that there are a few other pointers to consider:

1. You really have to understand yourself, your skills and what is and isn’t important to you. Make copious notes on what you really need and want from a job
2. Identify actual jobs that meet your requirements and match your interests
3. Consult a career professional – vitally important if you want to brainstorm ideas and get a reality check
4. Make sure you are satisfied at work. If you are not, depression and other emotions  can set in which affect not only your performance but your wellbeing.  Resolve issues as soon as possible
5. Understand how important  work and your career is to you. What is it about your job that makes it satisfying.  Check out your career values
6. Can you progress and do you want promotion? Is it possible to achieve this in your current role or do you need to look at other options
7. Are your expectations realistic?  Today’s job market is tight, employers may not have your best interests at heart when it comes to career development, so you have to look after yourself. If you are changing roles or direction you need to be proactive

Boost Your Confidence

If you’ve been displaced it’s harder to keep a positive perspective whilst looking for work so here are a few tips for you:

• Think Positive – yes, affirmations can make a big difference and you could replace negative thoughts with positive self instructions to limit any negative thoughts and behaviour
• Deal with the Negatives – unfortunately there might be rejections and disappointments. Learn from the experience, question what you could do differently and how you would change your approach
• Understand Yourself - don’t listen to what others say about you, or let their ideas influence you.  Recognise your talent, your strengths and your potential.  *
• Use Your Nerves – think of the stress as positive, take deep breathes to control anxiety and work with the adrenalin to deliver your best. Nerves are normal
• Believe in Yourself and Stop Making Excuses – this is a challenging time for you but you have your own unique knowledge, experience and capability which will lead you to success

I recommend Cavendish Films DVDs, which are proven to make candidates at least FOUR times more successful at interview.

*Psychometric tests can give you an in depth understanding, ask me for more information

• Career, Aptitude & Selection Tests, J Barrett, Kogan Page
• How to Pass Graduate Recruitment Tests, M Byron, Kogan Page
• How to Pass Selection Tests, M Byron, S Modha, Kogan Page
• How to Succeed in Psychometric Tests, D Cohen, Sheldon Press
• How to Pass Civic Service Qualifying Tests, M Byron, Kogan Page
• How to Pass Verbal Reasoning Tests, H Tolley & S Thomas, Kogan Page
• How to Pass Computer Selection Tests, S Modha, Kogan Page
• How to Master Personality Questionnaires, M Parkinson, Kogan Page
• Test Your Own Aptitude, J Barratt, G Williams, Kogan Page
• How to Win at Aptitude Tests, P Pelshenke, Thorsons
• Interviews Made Easy, M Parkinson, Kogan Page

Lynn Tulip Chartered MCIPD, PgDip Guidance & Assessment
HR & Career Management Consultant
http://assessment4potential.tel/