Archive for the ‘Interview Skills’ Category

Why interview coaching pays

Tuesday, February 9th, 2010

If you’ve seen any of the shift happens videos you’ll know the stat that young adults joining the world of work today are likely to have 14 different roles by the time they’re 38. Sounds a little scary and improbable? What the figures were not clear on was whether these would be different careers or different roles. In my view, it probably refers mainly to different roles and there are likely to be some career changes thrown in as well. So, what’s this got to do with interview coaching?

interview coaching

Firstly, if there are going to be so many role changes, there are going to be lots of interviews! It’s likely that people will be interviewed regularly both by their employers as well as partners of employers as they move between projects and roles. Those people that are skilled in being interviewed and building their personal brands will get the pick of the projects. They’ll be on the interesting projects, learning new skills etc while the rest are left with the less interesting stuff.

Not only are interviews going to be more regular, they’re going to be more competitive. The globalised and project nature of future work will mean that you are almost certainly going to be competing for work with people who have similar aspirations and skills levels anywhere in the world.  There’ll be more “clutter” and the ability to build relationships and make a positive impact in interviews will be even more important than it is now.

Finally, interviewers themselves are becoming more expert. Recruitment has become and will continue to become more rigorous and analytical and candidates will find there’s less room to hide. Social profiles are already freely available and who you are is open to easy scrutiny. The ability to communicate clearly one’s skills, key messages about your personal brand, engage with a broad variety of cultures and ways of working will be required to stand out.

Convinced? One of the options is self help. That’s always a good start and indicates the right attitude. If you’re serious about competing though, you’re likely to need professional coaching. Learn the skills early and you’ll have them for the rest of your life!

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“It’s not what you said… it’s the way you said it!” - By Kara Wirt

Monday, December 14th, 2009

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In a stereotypical argument this is what a girl will say to her boyfriend and he will then complain that he meant what he said and the way it was said is irrelevant. Whatever your stance on this scenario… have a think about what you can learn from the title quote if you think about how you can apply it to the first impression people get of you!?

Often it is true… that the content of what is said is far less relevant than the way one comes across. Whether this means posture, neat appearance or correct use or grammar, the first few seconds of a first meeting undoubtedly have a profound effect on opinions.

Now… think how this relates to a job interview? Often the way you act and say things will matter more than the content of what you say. Obviously someone isn’t going to employ you if you have absolutely nothing to bring to a company, but a good impression will definitely differentiate between similar candidates.

There are many ways that you can improve your first impression. Making sure you are well presented is key, as is your friendliness to everyone you meet in the company. Eye contact, smiling and trying to introduce some rapport with the interviewer can also enhance your chances of getting that job. Notice the details of people that are important figures in the company or that impress and try to mirror them. Remember to sell yourself in all aspects of your character. If you want further advice and to get more confidence get an experienced interview coach.

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Different stages in Graduate Recruitment

Thursday, November 19th, 2009

I was writing an article earlier today for an engineering institute and I had a “mini - revelation”. In the article I identified the major steps in the graduate recruitment process. If you haven’t got there yet, the process looks something like this:-

1) Application
2) First interview (normally on the phone) together with numerical and verbal reasoning psychometric tests. These are used to see whether you have the base level intellect to be considered. So the focus of these tests is mainly IQ (what we generally see as intelligence).
3) Face to face interview
4) Assessment centre. These mainly aim to get a better feel for your EI (emotional intelligence) and will test your softer skills e.g. listening, questioning, teamwork, leadership and others.

assessment centre

5) Offer - for the fortunate few.

What struck me was the fact that different skills are required at each of the key steps. The application stage doesn’t require particular skills, but does mean that you are spotting opportunities, networking and completing applications well. The psychometric tests are generally looking to see whether you have the necessary numerical ability together with the ability to process and analyse written information. Normally, you will need to do some practice tests to make sure you know what you’re letting yourself in for. Interviews are a test of your ability to communicate face to face as well as your ability to research prospective employers and to market yourself as a personal brand. Assessment centres call for different skills and these are more group oriented as you’ll often be asked to solve problems and work on tasks with a group of candidates.

So, in thinking about it, a well implemented graduate recruitment process will test a very wide range of skills and aptitudes. By focussing on the relevant ones at each stage, you’re likely to have a better chance of being successful.

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Interview Coaching - Building Confidence to Succeed

Wednesday, November 11th, 2009

Last week I was contacted by someone who had an imminent interview for a role she was really keen to get. Having checked out her needs, the customer was assigned to work with one of our interview coaches - Paula. Paula always produces exceptional results and that’s down to 2 main reasons:

1) She’s got the background to make a difference. She has solid senior management experience in HR
2) Secondly, she’s the right person. She loves what she does, offers much more than the minimum and her customers can immediately sense that.

interview-success
This is what her coachee had to say post the coaching …

“Hi Paula,

Thank you so much for your help. The interview went really well. I’ve just had a call from the agent to say out of all the people they interviewed over the phone, I am the only one they are considering for 2nd interview - she said I was a delight to talk to! I’ve never had such good feedback before. The interview coaching has really boosted my confidence.

Thanks,

Kerry”

How good is that? We’re all really proud to be able to offer interview and career advice services that are rated so highly by our customers. If you’re interested, check it out here

Make sure you’re the only one interviewed as well - kind of helps when most of your competition is removed from the equation before you even get to the face to face stage!

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The “No bull” Career Advice Carnival for July

Wednesday, July 15th, 2009

Welcome to the July 18, 2009 edition of the no bull career advice festival. I’ve put together a range of contributions that will help you in your career planning and job hunting.

career advice

Sridhar presents 6 great tips to manage your career posted at lifesays.com, saying, “This post provides easy ways to recession proof your career in these tough times. The tips are no-nonsense, practical and timeless.” Almost all of these can be applied to first time job seekers.

Lucrezia Wise presents Job advice for grads posted at Imaginary Compass, saying, “Career advice for recent grads or anyone starting out in the entertainment industry.”

Ray presents Most Overrated Careers and Jobs. posted at Money Blue BookThis is obviously a very personal view, but Ray makes some good points - particularly about our reasons for choosing careers and the flaws in this reasoning.

GeekMBA360 presents From laid-off dot com worker to medical doctor. posted at GeekMBA360

nissim ziv presents Retail Store Manager Career: Retail Store Manager Salary & Job Description posted at Job Interview Guide, saying, “This article deals with many aspects of the retail store manager career – job description, duties, the store manager salaries and career road map for those who are interested in retail manager position.”

presents When even the lack of expectations remains more than you can handle posted at Young and Employed, saying, “Advice on what to do when you are young, out of college, and named the head of a Marketing Department - where there was no Marketing Department.”

Linda Jones presents 100 Useful Twitter Tools and Feeds for Your Job Search. posted at JobProfiles.org - Job Descriptions and Online Schools to Start Your CareerThere’s so much information on Twitter, that these tools are really useful to help you to research and find jobs.

Anne Simone presents 100 Motivational Blog Posts for the Unemployed. posted at Psychology DegreesIf you are going to be unemployed for a while, then you might find some solace in some of these!

interview skills

nissim ziv presents How to Interview a Candidate - Selection Criteria & interviewer tips posted at Job Interview Guide, saying, “One of the first things to do while holding an interview is to get a clear, better picture of what qualities and talents the profile requires as well the importance of each selection criteria.” If you know what interviewers are looking for, you’ll be better prepared.

nissim ziv presents Tell Me about Yourself - Interview Questions and Answers posted at Job Interview Guide, saying, “During a job interview, the interviewer can ask many questions. Some of the common questions are the ‘Tell Us about Yourself’ interview questions. Your answers to these questions are important. Make sure that you are prepared for these types of interview questions.” The “tell me about yourself” question often reveals the most telling answers, so you have to get this one right.

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of the no bull career advice festival using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

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Posted in Interview Skills, Student Career Advice, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

How to Perform in your Interview

Thursday, July 2nd, 2009

So we’ve talked about how to prepare for an interview, in this post and video, we’ll be talking about the things to get right in the interview so that you can stand out and be successful.  In addition to the basics (your dress, how you’re presented, having all the details needed and arriving on time), The video talks about making a positive impact on the PA or receptionist. Interviewers will often ask their view of a candidate. Having a clear “elevator pitch” of who you are and what your CV is about is key. You don’t want to be stumbling around in response to the question “tell me about yourself”. I suggest you talk about your background, key events that have shaped you and what your focus and motivations are.  

I won’t give all of the tips away. Listen To Jenny Hayden’s experience as a recruiter and make sure you apply her points. They will help you to succeed an your interview. Click the link to view the video

Good luck! We’ll be providing lots more in teh way of interview tips over the next couple of months. If you sign up to the Career Club new posts will be mailed to you automatically, so it’s even easier to build your skills.

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5 ways to prepare to Succeed in an Interview

Thursday, June 18th, 2009

OK, so it’s coming up to interview season. Wimbledon, Ascot and Interview season. Now, we’re all very confident about wowing the interviewer? Yes? Unfortunately, the reality is that there are going to be lots of applicants for any vacancy we might be applying for. So, the real question is, what do you have to do to STAND OUT?

Well, I asked Jenny Hayden who has lots of experience in recruiting graduates and others to give us her 5 top tips to preparing properly for an interview

If you have an interview coming up, you might need a little more help to make the most of your opportunity. Go to www.mytalentplace.co.uk/career-advice/interview-coaching to book an Online Coach!

There’ll be more soon on how to make sure you stand out in the actual interview

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