Going for a New Job?
(by Jo Ellen Grzyg).
Jo Ellen has been offering careers advice for many
years. She has run career development workshops, and now does one-to-one
sessions called Career Action. She also had a Careers Advice column in
Cosmopolitan Magazine. She received a lot of queries on Interview
Techniques, Interviewers and how to get that perfect job. Here are some of
her thoughts after years of helping people get where they want to go:
Interview rules
You hear all sorts of rules about job interviews:
interviewers decide about you in the first few seconds, and you have
to make a good "first impression". You should ask insightful questions,
learn as much as you can about the company, they will probably ask
questions designed to trip you up, so have some quick answers ready.
As far as rules go, some make perfect sense. However, getting the job you
want is not about following the rules. It is about presenting yourself in
the most marketable way possible, that takes care of you and the
interviewers' needs.
So many people throw their chances away. They do not prepare to make the
whole interviewing process stimulating, enjoyable and informative for all
concerned.
The Curriculum Vitae (CV) and getting
those elusive meetings
If you want the job, chances are so do a lot of other other eager people,
so your application has to stand out from the crowd. CVs. are usually dull
and boring, and people create them as historical documents, rather than as
marketing tools. You can boost your
chances of getting an meeting by making your CV look and 'sound' special.
Use good paper, make the layout, readable an easy on the eyes. Edit it
ruthlessly. People usually put in too much detail. Highlight the bits that
relate to the job you're going for. They don't need to know you went to St
Mary's School when you were 12. If you don't have what
you think are the right educational qualifications, don't worry. Just
leave them off. If you include enough interesting and intriguing material
about who you are now, what you didn't do is far less important.
I recommend a short paragraph at the
beginning that says something about your personal qualities and your
business skills. A short statement about what you're seeking can also go
down a treat. As we know, a job for life is so rare
nowadays, that eclectic, unusual and even inconsistent C.V.s are OK as
long as they're presented well. Even if you think your
current job stinks, look at the good points as though you were looking at
it from the outside in. Most jobs appear much better from the outside than
they do from the inside (only you know the real truth); so pump up the
goodies and soft-pedal the baddies!
So that worked. You've got the meeting.
Here's the key and the most important thing to remember
before you go through the door. Unless they are simply going through the
motions because they've already appointed someone, they want it to be you.
They want to know their search is over, so for the length of the meeting,
the job is yours. You need to make the most of it.
Having said that, first impressions are incredibly important. Be yourself
right from the start, turning up the volume on those bits of you that most
match the job; turning down the volume on the bits that don't. However,
never ever shut the volume off entirely, as you will then be pretending to
be someone you're not – a sure recipe for disaster.
Not a good idea to lie! You can be judicious with the truth, but lies have
a tendency to return and bite you in the bum! Even if they don't know
you've lied, you will be giving out signals that are a give-away that
something is wrong.
Being put on the spot by interviewers can feel very uncomfortable, and
it's easy to fall into a defensive posture. If you're not sure of the
answer or feel boxed into a corner it's all right to buy time – including
saying "I need some time to think about that."
No matter how nervous you are, you do need to look after the people
interviewing you. Show that you know how to communicate and relate to
people: ask surprising questions.
Have a stockpile of anecdotes of past triumphs. This is not just a list of
what you can do, but some personal examples that paint the whole picture.
Phew! You got through that; anything else you
can do? At the end of your meeting, if
you haven't been advised, ask when they think they'll be making their
decision. At least then you'll know how long you’ll have to wait before
you hear.
Many employers don't automatically let people know if they haven't got the
job; so one follow-up call is allowable. More than that and it can feel
like badgering.
No matter how badly you think the meeting went, if you want the job,
always send a follow-up letter. Since
most of us think of clever things to say after the fact, include one or
two of those, referring to something specific from the meeting.
Use phrases such as:
1) 'I've given a lot of thought to our meeting and...'
2) 'Something you mentioned got me thinking...'
3) 'What you said about _______ really struck home...'
If you don't get the job and you're curious why not, phone up and get some
feedback.
Presentation, Communication,
Team Building, Leadership Skills and Executive Coaching
People Skills Training that offers options, choices, changes in
perspective and attitude and the sort of 'Aha' experience that allows
quick and radical development. We cover Presentation Skills,
Communications Training and Team Building, through to Leadership
Development and Executive Coaching for individuals.
About the Author: Jo Ellen Grzyb is a Founding Partner of Impact Factory,
a training and personal development company specialising in making work a
better place to be.
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