Job Advice From Interview and Recruitment ExpertsJob advice For more advice read these responses from some of my colleagues. Job Advice Post 1 Smile.... not a lot but remain focused. Usually this will take away some of the nervousness. Don’t paint your nails some outrageous colors like bright red, blue...etc. try a pale shade of pink. Make eye contact...even if you are afraid to look at the interviewer, at least look at the top of their head. YOU WILL BE ASKED ABOUT ANY STRENGTH...YOU WILL BE ASKED ABOUT ANY WEAKNESSES. Don’t say that you don’t have any weaknesses. Be honest As for strengths...don’t mention things such as underwater basket weaving unless you are interviewing for a job as an underwater basket weaving.... they don’t wish to hear about your cheer leading trophy from the 9th grade. Say things that you think will be necessary skills for the job. SOME JOB ADVICE: DONT CHEW GUM.... DONT HAVE ANYTHING IN YOUR MOUTH THAT DOESNT BELONG THERE...DONT SAY…. LIKE.... OR UM...AND UM...SO...TRY TO USE CORRECT GRAMMAR... AS FOR FAKING IT.... ITS NOT POSSIBLE UNLESS YOU HAVE AN IQ OF 140 OR ABOVE...DONT TRY IT.... IF YOU HAVE TO FAKE SOMETHING...MAKE A GENERAL STATEMENT THAT LOOSLY ANSWERS THE QUESTION...THEN ASK A QUESTION FOR THE INTERVIEWER THAT MIGHT GIVE YOU A LITTLE MORE INFORMATION ON THE SUBJECT. Job Advice Post 2 I also interview people frequently. I can heartily concur with almost all the points above and emphasise a few good bits of job advice: I will always ask you what you're doing now and why (how do you fit in the company? Do you know how your role relates to the rest of the firm? Are you interested in the company you work for?). Apart from anything else, it acts like an ice-breaker and lets me frame some of my follow-ups. I will ask about strengths, weaknesses, things you're proud of, things you wish you'd done differently. Don't hide the negatives. I will never believe a candidate who has no weaknesses or never made a mistake. If I start distrusting you on that, I will distrust you totally. I will ask you why you want the job and why you want to get out of your existing one. If you have specific relevant skills beyond the more general (obviously this depends on the role) I'm bound to ask about them. Think like the employer. I will not know what the PQR system or department is. If possible, don't put things on your CV that will just confuse me, but if you do, expect me to ask. Have a simple and concise explanation prepared. Expect me to probe your answers. I will not always take your first answer for granted. Try not to make me feel ill at ease. If I ask you what you've been doing for 6 months (say you have a break in your CV) and the answer involves a death in the family, etc., do your best to tackle the subject in a matter of fact way. I have been taught to handle things if you get unexpectedly emotional, but that doesn't mean I feel comfortable with it. If you have something like that lurking in your CV, expect it to come up. BIG JOB ADVICE TIP: Be honest. Always. I'm not even sure I would try the "ask a general" question approach. If you're using an agency, be aware that they might have re-drafted your CV. Make sure you have a copy of their version. Also, be aware that some agencies highlight relevant words in the document. They don't do this well. I am always looking for knowledge of Fixed Income products. Most of my job specs include that phrase. I have lost count of the number of CVs I've seen which have the word 'fixed' highlighted in the following: "... we fixed the problem with...." Job Advice Post: 3 Oh yes, make sure you have some questions for me. It shows you're interested and gives you an opportunity to lead the conversation to interesting areas we may not have explored. Job Advice Post: 4 All the above contributions are absolutely spot-on. It's true - you really shouldn't worry too much about how you dress. However, CLEAN is a must! If, like me, you spill coffee down your clothes on any and every occasion, mention it if and when you can - perhaps when asked what your weakness is ('apparently clumsiness!' should get a sympathetic laugh) but don't harp on about it - the interviewers will be embarrassed. Always make sure that you look and smell clean. Arrive early enough to go to the loo to brush the dandruff from your collar and wash your hands and mop your brow. One caveat - when asked what your 'weaknesses' ('challenges', 'developing skills', 'training needs’) are, DON'T say 'I'm a bit of a perfectionist' 'I expect everyone to work as hard as I do' or any other self-aggrandising, mock-deprecatory answers. Trust me on this - because people are still being trained to say this sort of thing - the only effect you will have on the interview panel is that they will laugh themselves sick after you've left the room. If any of these things are really faults of yours, explain why you think this is a problem for you rather than a problem for your colleagues. (Nevertheless, these are such serious faults, I'd suggest you conceal them and admit to something less appalling!) If you're nervous to the point that your voice shakes or you can't conceal it in other ways, it won't hurt to say so to the interviewers. They've all been there and know how it feels. Take time to think about the question BEFORE you start to answer. A pause of 6 or 7 seconds (longer than it sounds) is definitely okay. If you lose track halfway through the answer, stop, ask the interviewer to repeat the question and MAKE SURE YOU STICK TO THE POINT. Points already made about asking questions are both sensible and well-made. Make sure that you ask a question appropriate to the post. If you really must ask about promotion, ask whether people who have come into the company at this level have been promoted internally. That sounds less pushy and less as if you are going to leave if you don't get promoted in the next five minutes.
Job Advice Post: 5 I've also interviewed a lot of people, and the number one reason we have for not hiring someone is that they're not actually interested in specifically working for us in this job. Many people come in looking for A job, they don't care if it's THIS job or not. They have to know something about the company beforehand or at least sound enthusiastic when they hear what the job involves. If an interviewee seems nervous, we don't hold that against them (anyway, the work doesn't require courage!). Job Advice Post: 6 I had a 1 hour telephone interview a while ago - the company I was interviewing with is a long way from where I live. It was - interesting. Two people on a conference call with me, and they picked my resume apart point by point. One of them was familiar with a company I had worked for 5 years ago, and asked me how they were doing now! Threw me off completely! I made some sort of recovery, and told them what I knew about recent developments, without telling them I'd heard they were going to lay off 50 workers. The advantage of a telephone interview was that I was in jogging pants sitting at my kitchen table, with my resume spread out before me. And they couldn't see me sweat! Job advice from a salesman and actor - if you're nervous, swallow it! Don't let them see you sweat. Be as totally prepared as you can. Fore more advice on career and career planning you must check out
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