I thought it would be useful this month to look at job hunting and to give those of you looking for jobs some tips to help you along the way. My key pointer is preparation – the more you do the more likely you are to feel confident and give of your best.
- Research as much as you can about the company - products, services, markets, competitors, trends, current activities by going on the website or reading quality papers.
- Prepare your answers for the type of questions you'll be asked, eg why you want the job, what your strengths are, how you'd do the job, what your best achievements are and be able to give succinct examples of similar tasks in your current/last role.
- Prepare good questions to ask at the interview. Avoid “how much will you pay me!”. Try “What will be my priorities if I were offered the job?”
- You can request a copy of the company's brochure, employment terms and conditions or employee handbook before the interview, as part of your preparation.
- Assemble hard evidence (make sure it's clear and concise) of how what you've achieved in the past – interviewers are looking for fact and not fiction.
- Make sure your CV is up to date, well presented and truthful. Ensure you know what is on it including dates in case you are asked to summarise your CV.
- Organise two or three really good reputable and relevant references, and check they'd each be happy to be contacted and will say some positive things about you.
- Adopt an enthusiastic, alert, positive mind-set and demonstrate this at your interview. No one likes a gloom and doom interviewee.
- Particularly think about how to deal positively with any negative aspects, eg age, reason for redundancy, gaps in CV or lack of relevant work experience.
- Think about what to wear. Wear something that makes you feel and look good – not something brand new but something that has brought you success or happiness before.
Daryon Eldridge runs Eldridge People Solutions who provide a range of human resources, business consultancy, training and coaching solutions to businesses and individuals in the local area. She can be contacted on daryon@eldridgepeoplesolutions.co.uk or on 07876 214020.