Friday 3 July 2009

Interview well: Dress in a suitable and professional manner

Being able to Interview well is an invaluable skill. The initial opinion formed by the Interviewer can be crucial to your Interview success, that is why your Interview attire can be considered a highly important Interview technique.

You need to ensure that you are dressed in an appropriate manner and a way that conveys the message that you are a professional and successful individual. This is an important segment in your ability to Interview well.

When applying for the majority of roles (this won’t be appropriate for every job Interview) make sure you stick to the following Interview attire:

Wear solid, conservative colours.
Wear a neat, tailored suit or dress.
Go easy on jewellery.
Women - go light on makeup, perfume and hairspray.
Men - go light on cologne, and after-shave.
Overdress rather than under dress. Be neatly groomed
Wear a smile!

If you are in appropriate Interview attire, the Interviewer will pick up the message, that you are professional, you are interested in the position as you have dressed appropriately and that you take a general pride in your appearance and more than likely will do with your work.

If you fail to dress in an appropriate manner I’m sure you can guess that the conclusions drawn by the interviewer will probably be quite the opposite to what’s above. I hope this demonstrates how important wearing the correct Interview attire is and that in future when you use this check list your Interview will go well and your Interview success as whole will increase.

www.land-that-job.com

Interview well: Dress in a suitable and professional manner

Being able to Interview well is an invaluable skill. The initial opinion formed by the Interviewer can be crucial to your Interview success, that is why your Interview attire can be considered a highly important Interview technique.

You need to ensure that you are dressed in an appropriate manner and a way that conveys the message that you are a professional and successful individual. This is an important segment in your ability to Interview well.

When applying for the majority of roles (this won’t be appropriate for every job Interview) make sure you stick to the following Interview attire:

Wear solid, conservative colours.
Wear a neat, tailored suit or dress.
Go easy on jewellery.
Women - go light on makeup, perfume and hairspray.
Men - go light on cologne, and after-shave.
Overdress rather than under dress. Be neatly groomed
Wear a smile!

If you are in appropriate Interview attire, the Interviewer will pick up the message, that you are professional, you are interested in the position as you have dressed appropriately and that you take a general pride in your appearance and more than likely will do with your work.

If you fail to dress in an appropriate manner I’m sure you can guess that the conclusions drawn by the interviewer will probably be quite the opposite to what’s above. I hope this demonstrates how important wearing the correct Interview attire is and that in future when you use this check list your Interview will go well and your Interview success as whole will increase.

Interview well: Don't complain about your current or former employer

Being able to Interview well is an invaluable skill. This is rather an unusual technique as it’s a behaviour you need get out of the habit of doing as supposed to one you need to learn to start doing. Countless number of Job Interviewees do it (including myself at one point) and that is slating your current/ previous employers or boss. Just avoiding doing this simple thing will help you to Interview well and raise your Interview success.

Lets discuss why this simple Interview technique will raise your Interview success. Any respectable Interviewer will want to employ someone that is loyal, slating your prior boss or employer isn’t the actions of someone who is loyal.

The other reason you need to avoid this bad habit is because it can look like you are perhaps covering the real reason why you left your current position. I can recall on several occasions where I have interviewed candidates who have really torn strips off their prior employers, then when further research was carried out into the candidates background it turns out the candidate was fired or performing badly there. So its best to avoid slating prior/ current employers and bosses altogether.

If you are asked why you left or are looking to leave answer the question similarly to this:

“I am looking for a new challenge and to move in to position where I can progress within my career and improve upon my skills set. I don’t believe this is something I can achieve staying with my current employers.”

You will Interview well if you follow this basic Interview technique, the main reason being is it stops the Interviewer forming negative thoughts about you. The key to Interview success is to make the Interviewer positive about not only your skills and how you can aid the Interview but positive about you as an individual.


Learn the secrets to land th job you desire: www.land-that-job.com

Interview Well: Prepared answers for Interview Questions

Being able to Interview well is an invaluable skill. Your preparation for your interviews will be an integral part of your success. We are going to discuss, being prepared for the questions you expect the Interviewer to ask you in your Job Interview. This is an important Interview technique to learn as it will positively affect your Interview success in more than one way.

There are several advantages to being prepared for questions that you expect to be asked:

Your answers will be well structured.
Your answers will be delivered with confidence.
Your answer will portray you in a positive light.

Needless to say not being prepared for Interview questions can have the opposite effect, you can come across incoherent nervous and portray yourself in a negative way with your answers.

No we can’t be prepared for every question any Interviewer can ever fire at us but we can be prepared for the more common ones and figure out the best way to answer these questions and demonstrate our suitability for the role. For example:

Tell me about yourself

Answer by highlighting your finest traits which best match with the proposed job.

What are your strengths?

Outline your strengths that are relevant to the position you are applying for.

What are your weaknesses?

Use a weakness that can be turned into a positive such as “at times I get annoyed if other peoples work doesn’t meet up to the standards as this can reflect badly on me but I have now learnt to refocus my energies into making sure what I’m responsible for is to as high a standard as possible as it’s the only part I can influence.”

Using this Interview technique will allow you deliver your answers in a confident & concise manner, not only that but you will have also demonstrated your suitability for the role. This is one of the main behaviours to master that will help you Interview well and will vastly improve your Interview success. Think of other questions you may be asked in an Interview and how you can answer them in a way that will demonstrate how you can help the organisation reach their goals.

Mastering this Interview technique will get you far in to your journey to be able to Interview well and will have a positive outcome on your Interview success.

Learn the secrets to land the job you deisre: www.land-that-job.com

Thursday 2 July 2009

Interview well: Eye contact & body language

Being able to Interview well is an invaluable skill. If its something you don’t already do maintaining eye contact and portraying positive body language is a very good Interview technique to pick up and improve your Interview success on a high scale.

Things to avoid:

Not making eye contact with the Interviewer they are talking to you and visa versa.
Covering your mouth with your hand when speaking.
Tapping your foot against the table.
Crossing your arms.

Reasons

Not maintaining eye contact can make you come across shifty and give the impression of dishonesty.
Covering your mouth when you speak implies that you don’t mean what is being said and the interviewer could draw the conclusion your not being honest or that you are lying.
Tapping your foot against the table can give the impression of nervousness and you want to be portrayed as a confident individual.
Crossing your arms makes you appear defensive and interviewers may think you have something to hide.

Now we’ve covered what you shouldn’t do I will briefly go over what body language we should use to Send across the right messages and improve your Interview success:

Maintain eye contact approximately 80% of the time.
Hand placed in front of you on the table.
Sitting with back straight.
Feet should be still in front of you.

If you follow the tips above you will portray the right body language, once you eventually get this interview technique perfected it definitely will help you to interview well and should dramatically improve your Interview success and in the long run the amount of job offers you get.

Learn the secrets to land the job you desire: www.land-that-job.com

Interview Well: Have a prepared list of Questions

Being able to Interview well is an invaluable skill. One of the main parts of your Interview will be your opportunity to ask the interviewer some questions about the position, company, Industry etc. The importance of asking the Interviewer good questions is an Interview technique a lot of candidates forget altogether. Being able to do this well should vastly improve your Interview success.

Asking the Interviewer good or bad questions can have the following positive and negative affects on the interviewers opinion of you:

Positive:

They have done some research into our organisation and have some questions accordingly.
They have listened to what I’ve said and some questions regarding what I’ve said.
They have listened to what I’ve said and noticed there are some things I haven’t covered and they ant to go over it, they must be interested in the position.

Negative

They probably haven’t done any research as they don’t have questions about the company.
They probably haven’t listened as they are unable to ask any questions related to what I’ve told them.

The negatives don’t paint a very good picture of you as a candidate hence being able to ask the Interview effective questions is an important Interview technique and should help raise your Interview success levels.

The types of questions you should be asking the interviewer are:

Is there any scope for progression or training within this role (demonstrates you would be looking to commit to the organisation)
How do my skills and experience aid your company (this reconfirms in the interviewers mind what you will have already told them about your suitability for the role)
Try to ask at least one question based around the research you did on the organisation.
Try to ask at least one question based on what you were told and weren’t told throughout the interview.
Ask when they are looking to make a decision on the hire and when will be a good time for you to catch up with them (this confirms your interest in the role)

You get this Interview technique right and your on the right track to Interview well and vastly improve your Interview success.

Learn the secrest to land your ideal role: www.land-that-job.com

Interview Well: Speaking clearly and illustrating your points concisely

Being able to Interview well is an invaluable skill. Two things that will affect your Interview Success and Interviewers opinion of you, is your ability to speak clearly and illustrate your points concisely. Getting those Interview technique is crucial and I will elaborate as to why.

Speaking Clearly

The main worries for employers when a candidate can’t speak clearly during an Interview are:

They may not be confident in what they are saying and are therefore perhaps not being totally honest.
Other members of the team may struggle communicating with them, which could lower work efficiency and essentially productivity.
If they are dealing with customers, they may lose out on business as a result of poor communication and someone who can’t speak clearly isn’t a good representative for any organisation.

In order to Interview well you do need to be able to speak clearly, here are some tips to remember to make your voice sound as clear and pleasant as possible.

Speak slowly (even if sounds ridiculously slowly to you, I guarantee it won’t sound that slow to the person listening)
Imagine your performing on stage, project your voice like you would in that scenario, so you are not shouting but speaking in a way that ensures your voice is heard (obviously don’t go over the top with this)
Smile when speaking, smiling makes your voice sound far better in both a face to face scenario and over the phone.

Illustrating points concisely

The main worries for employers when a candidate can’t illustrate their points concisely are:

That they are not confident in what they are saying which means they may not be being honest.
They may cause internal confusions if they can’t communicate clearly with colleagues.
The may lose them business if they are dealing with customers and they communicate their points clearly.

Being able to communicate your points concisely is a crucial Interview technique to learn it will help you to Interview well and improve your general to your Interview success.

Getting these interview technique correct will dramatically improve your Interview success, these little things can be the difference between you interviewing well and the interview going not so well.

Learn the secrest to land your ideal role: www.land-that-job.com

Interview Success: Addressing your strengths & Weaknesses

Being able to Interview well is an invaluable skill. One of the questions that will always come out in an Interview in one form or another is “what are you’re strengths and weaknesses”. To ensure your Interview success you need to be able to answer this questions well and in a way that lets the employer know you have the experience skills and attitude they are looking for.

Before we can answer this question in an effective way we first need to know what the employer is looking for in terms of skills and experience. I believe the best way to approach this is to ask yourself the following questions:

What skills do I have that can help the employer reach their goals?
How are my life and work experiences going to be of use to this company?
What traits do I possess that the employer will see as a positive?

Now we know the answer to these questions you are well on your way to improving your Interview technique which will improve you Interview success.

Now lets start of with the positives, when you are asked what your strengths are it’s not enough to just list the skills, experience and traits you have that will be of use to the employer, you have to elaborate and explain how it can help the employer reach their goals, this one of the main keys to Interviewing well.

For example saying “I have a lot of contacts in the Industry” isn’t enough you need to further elaborate as to how having those contacts can help the employer, whether it’s a case of due to your contacts you know you can increase their sales or lower their production costs. You need to go into explicit detail how your strengths will be of advantage to the employer. That can be the difference between an average Interview and a super Interview.

Lets move on to weaknesses I suggest you name just one and if you are intelligent you can use it to highlight another one of your strengths. I suggest when discussing your weaknesses you say something along the line of “my main weakness is” then go on to name a positive trait such as precision. We then turn this into a slight negative by saying something like “I’m very hot on everything being precise, at times when other peoples part of the project isn’t up to the companies standards I get annoyed.” What you then do is continue by saying its something you’ve learnt to deal with and again highlight the strength which in this case would be precision.

So as an example a full answer to the questions what are your weakness could be “I’m very hot on everything being precise, my main weakness is at times when other peoples part of the project isn’t up to the companies standards I get annoyed. I’ve learnt to deal with this however and as supposed to getting annoyed I channel my energies in to the precision of my part of the project and making sure it’s as good as possible.”

Following these interview technique and you will dramatically improve your Interview success, this little tricks can be the difference between you interviewing well and the interview going not so well.

Learn the secrest to land your ideal role: www.land-that-job.com

Wednesday 1 July 2009

Interview Well: 8 Behaviours to Discover for Interview Success

Jobs can be won or lost at the Interview stage and due to the current financial situation the job market is highly competitive, so you will need to make every interview count. In order to give yourself the best opportunity of getting the positions you interview for, you need to be able to create the right impression to make the Interview a success.

In order to Interview well, you need to develop good interview technique and be prepared for whatever comes up in the interview. Here are eight key behaviours to develop that will improve your interview success.

Know what your strengths and weaknesses are and be prepared to address them in the interview.

Speak clearly to the interviewer/s and demonstrate your points concisely.

Have a prepared a list of questions you want to ask the interviewer.

Maintain eye contact.

Have answers prepared for the questions you expect to be asked by the interviewer.

Don't complain about your current or former employer.

Don't discuss salary; benefits holidays etc. unless the interviewer brings it up.

Ask what the next steps are in the process. Try to get a specific answer, i.e....When they will be in contact.

Dress in a suitable and professional manner.

Being able to Interview well is an invaluable skill. Failing to do these things can drastically affect your Interview success. I will be going into further detail as to why in future posts, so for further advice on how to Interview well check out my future articles.

Learn the secrest to land your ideal role: www.land-that-job.com

Tuesday 16 June 2009

Recession job seeking

When searching for a job during this economic downturn, you need to be more alert and smart. Here are a few points to keep in mind.

Recession Proof Jobs – Conduct your job search laying more emphasis on ones that are not going to get as badly affected by recession. There are fields such as education, health care & food where growth is far less likely to be dampened. Try sticking to these industries for higher job security.
Research the Company - Research comprehensively into the company you plan to apply for. Go through their finances, read up all information you can find on them. There is no guarantee that your job would be 100% safe, but take measures to minimize your risk.

Look at alternatives - It is not necessary to follow the same routine you have in the past. Figure out alternatives, maybe a hobby you can pursue which could also add to your income. It may give you the opportunity to explore yourself better while adding volume to your resume and bank balance.

Social networking – Try attending seminars, social events, find ways to get in touch with people with similar interests and similar line of work. Try joining online networks, the larger your network the more powerful tool it becomes.

Learn the secrest to land your ideal role: www.land-that-job.com

Friday 12 June 2009

A job winning attitude

You will be amazed at how your attitude can evident in your resume and interviews. If you are negative, you will likely be careless & rush while drafting your resume. Your negative attitude may be evident through typos, plain statements and poor formatting. It can also show when you are being interviewed or speaking to recruiters over the phone. This will likely give the impression that something is wrong and the assumption made that you are either uninterested or wrong for the job and he or she will likely want to move on to the next candidate.
A small thing like smiling affects your tone and will make you come across positive over the phone regardless of how you truly feel.

In a recent article, Fred Coon, chairman and CEO of Stewart, Cooper, and Cone, an executive search firm, said "One of the worst killers of a good job search is attitude. People can sense "attitude" and nobody who interviews you will tell you what they sense from you." It is up to you to be positive and leave that impression." (Garone, 2009, The Wall Street Journal).
I appreciate it is difficult to stay motivated when bills are piling up and you can't get a break. However your situation will not change unless you do something about it. You will not find a job, unless you convince an employer that you are the right person; and your chances will be slim if you have a sloppy resume, you show up late for interviews, and you have a poor attitude when speaking to hiring manager! Job searching is a full-time job; it requires your best efforts in marketing yourself to prospective employers.

Employers like consumer are looking for quality products, goods, and services for their companies. In a hiring situation you are the goods. You need to demonstrate how good you are and make the best impression. You can do this by having well written self-marketing materials - cover letter, resume or biography. Whenever communicating with prospective employers always do your best to sound enthusiastic.
Hiring managers want to feel good about the person they select. You will increase your chances of making a good impression if you have the right attitude!

Learn the secrest to land your ideal role: www.land-that-job.com

Monday 8 June 2009

Job Interview feedback

This is an important question especially in today's market. What's next when your CV doesn't lead to an interview; your first round doesn't lead to a second or your final round ends in polite rejection?

In this post I'll highlight the key steps to follow when this occurs.

Follow-up and ask for feedback
This is your top priority. There is a good chance you will get a call after your initial interview. If the caller is one of your interviewers, make sure you politely ask them for feedback on your performance. Avoid coming across as bitter, upset, or anyway emotional just explain that you’re simply interested in receiving feedback for future improvement.

If the caller is not one of your interviewers you send an email to schedule a quick chat for post-interview feedback. The majority of the time they'll agree. If not they'll most likely respond directly to the email with some feedback.
Once you've received you feedback, take it on board! Practice will only help for future interviews!

Learn the secrest to land your ideal role: www.land-that-job.com

Friday 5 June 2009

Cover letter tips

Your cover letter is an extremely important sales tool and can be the difference between your CV getting the attention it deserves and just getting the once over.

In order to make sure your CV is as effective as possible follow these tips.

Address your CV to the relevant hiring manager.
Explain why you are contacting them.
Highlight your necessary skills and how this can fill the employers’ needs.
Tell the employer exactly how and when they can contact you for an interview.
Always proof read your cover letters before sending.

Having an effective cover letter will ensure your CV gets the time spent on it that is deserved which in turn will increase your number of interview and last of all the job offers you get :)

Learn the secrest to land your ideal role: www.land-that-job.com

Thursday 4 June 2009

Job Interview: Questions to ask the Interviewer

No matter where you are interviewing and who it is with, you should always be given the opportunity to ask any questions you may have. Having several questions that you can ask is very important as it demonstrates a clear interest in the position.

If you have very few questions or none what so ever to ask the interviewer will probably assume you're not interested.

Here are a few good questions you should be asking at interviews.

What scope for promotion and upward progress is there within this company?

I am keen to further develop my skills and experience. What sort of scope is there to do this within your company?

Come up with at least one question that is related to what they have been telling you at the interview.

Based on what you have heard today do you have any reservations about my ability to do this job?

For further advice on effective questions to ask yor interviewer check out www.land-that-job.com

If you are looking for an extremely effective tool for advising on the best questions to ask interviewers, check out Job race or Job Interview.net under our links.

Learn the secrest to land your ideal role: www.land-that-job.com

Wednesday 3 June 2009

Interview Tips: Interview Attire

Your interview attire is vital as how you are dressed is the first thing any interviewer will notice, if you look unprofessional or fail to impress at this stage there is a good chance the interiewer will already have discounted you as being inappropriate before the interview even begins and won' give you a fair job interview.

To ensure you create the right impressions follow these guidelines:
Wear solid, conservative colours.
Wear a neat, tailored suit or dress.
Go easy on jewellery.
Women - go light on makeup, men..... No makeup please.
Go light on cologne, after-shave or perfume.
Be neatly groomed
Wear a smile!!

If you ahve any questions feel free to respond and I will get back to you ASAP!




Learn the secrest to land your ideal role: www.land-that-job.com


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Thursday 28 May 2009

Interview Tips: The importance of presenting a postive attitude: Smiling

Smiling is one of the most under used tools in any job seekers arsenal. This is especially important when conducting telephone interviews.

Employers will quite often gauge someone’s ability based on the tone of their voice, if you're having a telephone interview and you sound down and depressed not only does the interviewer pick up on that but it’s quite often the case they ten associate that with other negative traits such as incompetence.

A simple thing like smiling can make a big difference face to face job interview but especially over the phone. It makes your voice sound more pleasant and even if you aren't feeling particularly positive your voice will convey that you are positive.

So big tip for today is always wear a smile! :)

Learn the secrest to land your ideal role: www.land-that-job.com



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Wednesday 27 May 2009

CV writing tips: Make your CV relevant to the position applied for

One big mistake a lot of job seekers make is not to tailor their CV to the jobs they are applying for.

You should never use one generic CV which you send for all job applications, you should always edit the content to make sure it is as relevant to the employers needs as possible.

If you have professional certifications only include those relevant to the position applied for.

If you have a vision statement or an aim, make sure it’s relevant to the employers requirements and can demonstrate how you can fill their needs.

If you have performance figures which will be relevant to the employers’ requirements make sure you have those figures in your CV and they are easily noticed!

Far too many job seekers bog down their CV's with content which isn't relevant to the specific job applied for, in turn this bores the line manager or HR representative reading it and you resume will not get the due attention it deserves.

A tool I have found particulary useful with resume advice and just about every other aspect of your job search take a look:

Learn the secrest to land your ideal role: www.land-that-job.com



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