Job Seeker Resources

How to Succeed at Interview


Prepare

  • It’s the oldest trick in the book but there’s a reason the ‘research the company’ rule is still around. Find out as much information as you can about the organisation including what they do, who their clients are, how many offices they have and where they are based, etc.

  • Know what it is you are seeking from your next career move and ensure the position you are interviewing for and the company you are interviewing with are potentially the right match for you. If you’re not genuinely passionate about the position or the company you are interviewing with, it will probably come across during the interview.

  • Ensure you have been made aware of the interview process! Your recruitment consultant should have armed you with as much knowledge as possible to prepare you for the interview. If they haven’t, ask them! Ensure you know the name and job title of the person interviewing you, the web address of the company, the position you are interviewing for and ask to see a copy of the position description.

  • Plan your journey to the interview and ensure you allow enough time to get there, taking into account factors such as traffic, public transport interruptions, the walk from the station or car park to the office, etc. Arriving late could cost you the job. Similarly, try not to arrive more than 15 minutes early so as not to inconvenience the person / people interviewing you.

Practice

  • With the rising popularity of behavioural or competency based interviewing, you need to be prepared to answer some of the general behavioural-based questions that come up in interviews. Questions such as “tell me about a time when you had to deal with an unsatisfied client” or “tell me about a situation in which you had to show leadership skills” are common.

  • Conduct a mock interview with a friend, family member or in the mirror. Practice being asked common interview questions and responding to them confidently. Prepare your responses to ensure that, during the interview, your answers to questions are informative, succinct and you don’t waffle.

Present Appropriately

  • Whether you are invited to attend a ‘formal’ interview or a ‘casual’ interview, always wear a suit. Women should present to interview in a suit and blouse with appropriate footwear. Men should present in a suit and shirt with a tie and appropriate footwear.

  • Dressing appropriately isn’t just about the clothing you wear. It’s also about the way you present yourself overall. Hair should be neat and tidy and, if long, tied back. Men should be clean shaven. Shoes should be shone and nails should be cut and clean of polish or newly polished (not chipped). Piercings and jewelry should be kept to a minimum.

Relax

  • It’s often easier said than done, but being relaxed in an interview will ensure you shine and your nerves don’t take over. It can help to do something a few hours before the interview to expunge negative energy like going for a jog, hitting the gym or meditating. In addition, try to remember that the person interviewing you is not there to interrogate you. They are a person, just the same as you, and you are interviewing them as much as they are you. You need to establish whether the company is the type of company you want to work for, and the individual is someone you can work with as much as they need to establish your fit with them.

Use Positive Body Language

  • Others can easily recognise negative body language so ensure you come across as interested, engaged and positive. We all know you can do this by smiling, making eye contact, sitting correctly in your chair and shaking hands somewhat firmly, but you can further demonstrate positive body language by allowing the interviewer to set the tone and reacting to their mannerisms. For example, the interviewer may not shake your hand but you should extend yours when introducing yourself, and if the interviewer is softly spoken then don’t speak loudly back to them.

Listen and Respond Appropriately

  • Listening carefully to the questions being asked of you will ensure you respond appropriately instead of missing the point of the questions. If you don’t understand a question or need further clarification, check back with the interviewer. An interview is a two-way conversation and the interviewer will respond more favourably to being engaged this way than to you not answering their question.

  • Appropriate responses to questions should never include the word ‘crap’. Many employers and recruiters view this and similar words as a mild form of swearing and therefore deem it inappropriate in an interview. Keep the language of your responses professional at all times.

Sell Yourself

  • If you have prepared well for an interview you will know what skills and attributes the interviewer is seeking and you can align them with your own experiences to demonstrate how you meet the selection criteria. For example, if the interviewer is seeking someone with problem solving skills, you might demonstrate your ability to do this by sighting an example (as long as it’s truthful) of a time when you had to smooth things over with an unsatisfied customer in order to retain the customer’s business.

  • Turn negatives into positives when responding to questions. For example, when asked why you left your last position, you might say “there was no room for career progression” as opposed to “I wanted my boss’s job and he/she wasn’t leaving the company”. When asked what you most disliked about a past position, saying “it wasn’t challenging enough” is more positive than saying “it was really boring”.

  • When the interview is coming to a close, don’t be afraid to express your interest in the position, if you are indeed interested in it. Conveying to the interviewer that you are keen on the role now that you have found out more about it can be a strong closing to a well performed interview.

Follow Up

  • It is a professional and courteous gesture to send a follow-up email after your meeting, thanking the interviewer for their time. This puts your name and memory at the forefront of the interviewer’s mind again and, hopefully, a job offer is just around the corner.

How to Write a Cover Letter

Tips to Get You Started

  • A cover letter should be no longer than one page – three of four paragraphs ideally
  • It should be written in plain, professional English using short sentences and avoiding words you wouldn’t normally use. It should also be free of colloquialisms and contractions (eg: “I’ve” instead of “I have”)
  • You should tailor your cover letter to each position you apply for, ensuring you demonstrate that you have carefully read the job advertisement. There’s nothing worse than receiving a cover letter stating, for example, that you are interested in the ‘telesales’ job being advertised when the employer is actually advertising a ‘sales executive’ position
  • Be aware of how you begin each sentence. Don’t start every one with “I”
  • Your cover letter should not be a summary or repeat of your resume
  • Ensure your cover letter demonstrates what you can offer the employer, not what you expect the employer to offer you
  • Remember, employers receive hundreds of cover letters daily so you want yours to be very easy to read and to be straight to the point

Paragraph 1

  • The first paragraph of your cover letter should engage the reader and capture their attention
  • Avoid standard openings such as “I wish to apply for the position of_____________ advertised in ______________” and start with something more inviting
  • It’s not necessarily important to state how you became aware of the job vacancy – the more pressing matter is what you can bring to it
  • The first paragraph should state why you’re writing to the employer – namely the position you are applying for
  • Keep your first paragraph to 1 – 3 sentences

Paragraph 2

  • The second – or second and third – paragraph of your cover letter should demonstrate the skills and qualifications you possess and align them with the requirements of the position

  • Avoid stating what you want to get out of the deal and, instead, outline the contributions you can make to the company

  • Keep your second – or second and third – paragraph to 3 – 5 sentences (each).

Paragraph 3

  • The final paragraph of your cover letter is an opportunity for you to prompt action from the employer. End with a question or a positive statement that will cause the reader to consider you further

  • Don’t be presumptuous and close with “I look forward to meeting with you soon”. Rather, thank the reader for their consideration and invite them to view the enclosed resume

  • You might want to state that you are available for interview immediately (this is not to presume that an interview will be granted but simply highlights your availability should the employer wish to see you)

  • Keep your closing paragraph to 2 – 4 sentences

Tips to Help You Finish

  • Triple check your cover letter for errors, including the name and job title of the person it is addressed to and the job title of the position you are applying for

  • Spell check, spell check and spell check again. Once you have used the computer spell checker, you should also read over the cover letter again yourself and, perhaps, ask someone to read it for you as well. Computer spell checkers can often miss spelling and grammatical errors (eg: If your rely on the computers spell checker alone, it mite miss some spelling an grammatical errors that could cost you a interview)

How to Write a Resume

Tips To Get You Started

  • Your resume is the first impression an employer or recruiter gets of you; it is the tool that

    either gets you an interview or lets you down, so it’s absolutely vital that you tailor your resume to each position you apply for and address any criteria set out in the advertisement for the position

  • Unless you are a graphic designer or similar, making your resume pretty won’t do you any favours. Employers and recruiters spend about 30 seconds looking at your resume before making a decision so keep it simple. Black text on a white background is easier to read, especially when you consider that those doing the hiring look at hundreds of resumes daily

  • Similarly, don’t include a photo in your resume. A picture is not required with job applications and is therefore unnecessary

  • Be honest about your skills and experience and don’t use false or misleading information in your resume

  • Leave out personal information about your health, marital status, religion, children, etc. This information is not relevant to your career or the positions you are applying for

  • Don’t submit your resume for a position for which you are not qualified. Your resume is a reflection of you and you don’t want to be perceived as wasting employers’ time by applying for positions you aren’t suitable for. Ensure you meet the criteria in the job advertisement before sending your resume off

Step 1 – Highlight Your Contact Details

  • Make it easy for employers and recruiters to contact you by highlighting at the beginning of your resume your phone number/s, email address, home address and any other personal information that might be relevant, such as your date of birth, etc

  • Don’t include links to your Facebook or Twitter account unless you use them for professional branding and networking (like you would LinkedIn), otherwise they are irrelevant. Employers don’t care how many ‘friends’ or ‘followers’ you have or what your status update says, and your weekend life should be kept separate from your professional life

Step 2 – Write a Personal Profile

  • Your personal profile is the introduction to your resume, it invites the reader to continue past this point so what you include in this section is very important. The personal profile should highlight who you are, what you have to offer and what your objective is. It should also be written in the first person, not the third

Step 3 – Highlight Your Skills

  • The skills section of your resume should comprise bullet points outlining the hard skills you possess (eg: Microsoft Word) and possibly the soft skills you possess (eg: staff management). Try to avoid demonstrating standard soft skills like “Communication skills” – everybody has the ability to communicate and this doesn’t make you stand out from the crowd. Don’t forget to tailor this section for each position you apply for and include essential criteria from the job advertisement that you possess

Step 4 – Include Your Employment History

  • Your employment history should be listed in reverse chronological order (ie: your most recent position first and your first job last)

  • For each position you should highlight the dates you were employed from and until, the company you worked for and your job title at that company. This information should be followed by bullet points of your duties and responsibilities (bullet points make a resume easier to read than long paragraphs of text)

  • For your current position you should write in the present tense (ie: I manage and oversee the customer service department), but for all previous positions you should write in past tense (ie: I managed and oversaw the customer service department)

  • At the end of each position summary, you might want to include a list of ‘Achievements’ relevant to each position (eg: Voted ‘top seller’ in my region in December 2010)

Step 5 – Outline Your Education and Qualifications

  • When listing your education you should include the educational institution you attended, the years you attended from and until, and the course you studied

  • This section should also include any onsite training carried out with past employers and any courses/seminars you have attended

Step 6 – Interests and Referees

  • While neither of these sections are essential, they can be beneficial to an employer or recruiter
  • If you do include an ‘Interests’ section, it should be limited to 1 – 2 sentences
  • If you do include referee information, you should list the referee’s name, contact number, email address, job title and the company they work for (or their previous job title and the company they used to work for, if they have left the company in which you worked with them)

Tips To Help You Finish

  • The formatting of a resume is hugely important, especially if you are an administrator or similar, as you are demonstrating your MS Word skills. Ensure consistency throughout the resume (eg: if you BOLD one heading then all headings should be BOLD) and only use one font.

  • Spell check, spell check and spell check again. Once you have used the computer spell checker, you should also read over the resume again yourself and, perhaps, ask someone to read it for you as well. Computer spell checkers can often miss spelling and grammatical errors (eg: If your rely on the computers spell checker alone, it mite miss some spelling an grammatical errors that could cost you a interview)

Interview Tips

DO:

  • Ensure you smile, make good eye contact and remain positive
  • Research the company before attending the interview
  • Prepare a list of questions you would rather not be asked and ensure you can answer them
  • Remove your coat/hat/gloves, etc at reception
  • Ensure you know the name of the person/people interviewing you
  • Read any company material available whilst waiting at reception
  • Shake your interviewers hand firmly without cutting off the blood supply
  • Advise the interviewer if you are nervous – we are all human and they will understand
  • Be honest about your experience and expectations of a role
  • Show genuine interest in the work and the company you have applied to
  • Thank the interviewer/s at the end of the interview

DON’T:

  • Arrive to an interview late or more than 15 minutes early
  • Leave your mobile phone on or wear your hands-free into the interview
  • Walk into a room with a closed door without knocking first
  • Mumble. Instead, speak clearly and concisely
  • Be flippant of offer a joke instead of an answer
  • Interrupt or talk over the interviewer
  • Drink too much alcohol the night before the interview
  • Take luggage or shopping bags to the interview
  • Chew gum, smoke, bite your nails or display any other potentially annoying habits
  • Ask about salary unless the topic is raised by the interviewer
  • Be negative or critical of past employers or colleagues

Personal Presentation

Give careful consideration to your personal presentation prior to any interview, whether it is with a prospective employer or a recruitment agency. The way you are presented in the first impression an employer or recruiter has of you so ensure you make a positive lasting impression. Dress conservatively rather than fashionably (unless you are interviewing with a fashion company) and ensure your shoes are polished, your shirt is crisp, your suit is clean and tidy and that you wear a jacket (and a tie, for men). Keep your jewellery to a minimum and be sure to clean your finger nails. Always brush your hair before the interview and – for men – ensure you are clean shaven.

Greeting

From the receptionist to the person interviewing you, you should show everybody respect. Greet the receptionist politely as your interviewer may ask their opinion of you later. Greet your interviewer/s with a firm handshake and a smile.

During the Interview

Sit comfortably in your chair and be aware of your body language. Maintain eye contact without creating a staring contest and reflect your interest in what the interviewer is saying by leaning in slightly or nodding to affirm your interest/agreement. Pay attention to what the interviewer is saying and, without making it obvious, reflect key words, attitude or phrases back to the interviewer. This will prove you are listening. Try to remain focused when answering questions and avoid one-word answers like ‘yes’ and ‘no’. For example, if you are asked if you caught the train in, respond by saying something like ‘yes, it was a very quick and direct service from where I live and only took me half an hour’ rather than simply saying ‘yes’.

If your interview is held in a pub or café, remember, there is no such thing as an ‘informal interview’. It is still a meeting to measure your behavior. Don’t be tempted to drink alcohol – keep it professional.

Closing the Interview

At the end of the interview, ask a handful of questions to demonstrate your interest in the company and position available. If you are interested in the role, let the interviewer know but, if you are offered the position, respond positively and ask for the day/night to discuss it with your partner/family. Always ensure you thank the interviewer/s for their time and thank the receptionist for their help on your way out.

Follow Up

Following any interview that was arranged by a recruiter, call your consultant and give them feedback on the meeting. If the interview was not through a recruiter, it is always nice to email the interviewer/s to thank them again and demonstrate your interest in the company now that you have met them. If you are unsuccessful after an interview, don’t take it personally. Every interview is great experience and there might be a better opportunity available for you just around the corner!

For assistance in preparing for interviews, please complete our Interview Preparation Worksheet by clicking here.

GOOD LUCK!