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In
today’s increasingly difficult job
market, it’s important to be properly
prepared when you secure an interview.
This article will provide some useful
tips when entering the job
market.
Firstly, make sure your
CV is done professionally and factually.
It’s relatively easy these days to do
background checks on the information in a
candidates CV so rather stick to the fact
and avoid any mistruths or
embellishments. You can enlist the use of
professionals to draw up your CV or look
online for some templates. These are some
general guidelines:
·
List your jobs from the most
recent
·
Make sure you include the
company name, your job title, period of
employment, a detailed job description
and your reason for leaving each
employ
·
Include references and make
sure these references are informed that you
have included them in your CV and get their
permission to do
so.
Once you have secured
an interview with a company make sure you
do some research on the company before
your interview. Go onto their website to
gain a greater understanding of what they
do, how many offices they have, their
company structure, their visions and
goals, staff compliment etc. This will
enable you to interact more in the
interview by asking question or
commenting on facts about the company. An
interview need not be a one way
conversation. Most potential employers
will appreciate you asking informed
questions about their company and it
shows that you have done your ‘homework’
on their business and have not merely
come unprepared. If they have supplied
you with a job specification for the
position, go through it thoroughly and
identify what you have done before, what
interests you and what you would find
challenging.
When preparing for an
interview, go through your CV, and make sure
that you can adequately explain your
different jobs and your reasons for leaving
each company. Also write a list of your
strengths and weaknesses or developmental
areas. This is generally a question people
love to ask during interviews and you’ll
find that if you have writing them down
prior they will come back to you easily and
you won’t be left umming and aahing for
answers. Think of your strengths in terms of
the job you are applying for as well. Things
like attention to detail, numeracy,
leadership skills, ability to work in a team
etc. In terms of weaknesses, it’s best to be
honest but you can put a spin on the
negatives things i.e. if you are impatient
mention that although you know it’s an area
to work on, your work is however always done
to deadlines as a
result.
Present yourself well.
Everything from your hair, make-up, nails
and dress will make an impression.
People’s first impression of you is made
within the first few minutes of meeting
you, which makes it imperative that
during this 30min or hour interview, you
put your best foot forward and create a
good, lasting impression. A good tip
would be to try and visit the company if
possible beforehand. This way you know
exactly where it is located and you can
get a feel of the dress code and company
culture.
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