CV 4 Jobs

Interviews can be challenging events which can through up a wide variety of possibilities. There are many different types of interview that you can face such as traditional interviews, competency based interviews or behavioural interviews, panel interviews and phone interviews. But what about the different types of interviewer. Below are different types of interviewer that you may face at interview and how to handle them.

The different types of Interviewers

“Buddy” Interviewer – They will smile and joke and get you to relax at interview. They can fall into two categories – just a poor interviewer who wants to be liked OR a skilled interviewer trying to get you to relax and reveal more information. You need to be friendly with this interviewer but don’t drop your guard.

“Inquisitor” Interviewer – This interviewer has a poker face and never cracks a smile. Normally throws a stream of tough questions. Try to remain calm and project confidence. Don’t be put off by the tough exterior as all interviewees will get this treatment. This type of interviewer believes that the real you will come out under pressure.

“Laser Beam” Interviewer – These interviewers have one topic and will focus on this area. The best approach is to try to satisfy their request for information on this issue. This will normally satisfy their agenda.

This article was provided by an interview expert in Ireland offering interview coaching across Dublin, Meath, Louth and Kildare.

If you would like to read about three additional types of interview visit this post.

Interview Tips, Skills & Techniques

You invest time into writing your CV and now feel you have a document that will make an impact and get you interviews. A strong CV will help but it is only part of the process for securing interviews. You have to distribute your CV. Easy you might say but you would be surprised how many individuals I meet who can’t seem to find jobs and manage their job search ineffectively. Below are some of the key channels to explore.

Recruitment Agencies

This is a popular resource for jobseekers as it takes the hard work out of finding a job. Send your CV off to an agency and sit back and wait for the interviews. There are some important points to remember when dealing with agencies. You need to find the right agencies for your skills so you must research the market. A tip to find suitable agencies is to see what agencies are advertising for your skills on the job boards and or you can ask for recommendations from friends or work colleagues. You must also try to meet the recruiter and build a relationship. A final point is to take the initiative and keep in touch with your recruiter(s). They may not have a job for you immediately and you cannot assume that they will call when they get a suitable job. Agencies house thousands of CV’s and recruiters vary in ability.

Job boards

CV databases are an increasingly popular tool offered by job boards in Ireland. You submit your CV to the job board database and the job board will offer this database to employers as part of their service. This is still in its infancy in Ireland and I question how many recruiters or employers actually put the effort in to searching the databases. If you want a good database try this job board.

Sending out speculative CV’s

It has been many moons since I heard of a jobseeker walking the local industrial estates and distributing CV’s. With the market tightening in Ireland this practice may return. If you cannot find suitable jobs online, with agencies or in the papers then go and look for them. This is a time consuming approach BUT an option all the same.

If you need help with CV distribution or you want professional advice on job search strategies in Ireland why not seek help from an expert. Help jobseekers nationwide – Dublin, Meath, Louth, Cork, Limerick, Galway, Waterford, Sligo and all other counties.

I hope you find the FREE CV advice on this site useful.

For those new to the site it has information on CV writing, CV format, CV layout, CV mistakes, CV lies and much much more.

A CV is a key ingredient for success in the job market and you must get it right to make an impact and get the opportunity to interview.

If want more advice or a professional CV service visit this site.

Why do CV’s get rejected?

There are many reasons why a CV can be rejected by the employer and this post will examine some of those reasons.

CV has poor visual layout

Employers need to be able to find information quickly. You may use the correct wording, grammar and language but if it is difficult to find the information the employer will move onto the next CV. You should have plenty of “white space” on your CV, you should have clear headers and ideally use bullet points. Use white paper and uniform font and font size.

CV that is too long

I normally suggest that individuals try to keep a CV to two pages, unless a client requests that you provide a longer CV. If you find it difficult keeping your CV to two pages you are obviously writing the CV for you and you have not understood what the client is looking for. Remember employers only want to read information that is relevant for them and their recruitment needs.

CV that gives a poor first impression

Like most things in life first impressions count – this is also true for CV’s. You have a 20-30 second window to make an impact. Fail to deliver and fail to get an interview. An employer may have a pile of CV’s to review. Place the information that matters on the first page. Do not leave it to chance that an employer will read to the end of your CV

If you need help with preparing an impact CV why not seek the help of a professional.

More and more people are looking for employment on Second Life and guess what – many are finding employment and making a living.

There are recruitment agencies on Second Life to help you find that job. I wonder are they any better than the agencies in the real world.

Does anyone actually know anyone working and making a living?

I did visit Second Life a few times but found it hard work. Thats the old man in me.

Is the real world that bad?
Are real jobs that bad?
Are real agencies that bad?

I have posted quite a few articles on your CV and how to excel at interview. But what about those of you who don’t know what you want to do. There are many employees in Ireland in the wrong job but feel lost as they don’t know what to do next.

There is no point writing a CV or preparing for interviews. You must sit back and analyse the situation. Try to understand yourself providing clarity and career direction.

If you find this difficult to do you can access career assessment tests to support this self discovery. There are tools like personality questionnaires, ability tests and interest inventories. Many organisations use these too to see if you are the right person for their company so why don’t you use these tool to see if you are right for a particular career or job.

To support you through this process there are many career coaching services in Ireland.

When you know what road you want to take pop back to the site and the many resources and article can help you land that dream job.

I came across an interesting employer survey by law firm in the UK called Peninsula. The survey asked employers t identify what they disliked most about jobseekers. Well here is what the survey found.

These are the top 10 reasons why jobseekers do not land their dream job:

1. 26% of those surveyed disliked candidates with improper dress.

2. 19% of those surveyed said lateness was their greatest frustration. The survey also revealed that 1 in 7 jobseekers arrive late to interviews.

3. 15% of employers dislike candidates too focused on money and salary.

4. 11% of employers surveyed disliked jobseekers that were cynical towards colleagues past or future.

5. 9% of employers rated a limp handshake as a major NO.

6. 7% surveyed were not impresses by jobseekers that lacked direction and career ambition.

7. 5% indicated that poor eye contact was a key hate.

8. 4% said lack of research into the company put them off jobseekers.

9. 3% said poor verbal communications and mumbling was a reason to reject jobseekers.

10. 1% of employers surveyed disliked the know-all

An interesting point about the above findings is how much is non-verbal – improper dress, lateness, handshake, eye contact, research into the company. Interviewees are warned it is often not what you say that dictates interview performance.

There is no problem finding examples of interview questions on the internet. I have outlined a number of common interview questions to help you prepare for your next important interview. Over the coming weeks I will be telling you how to answer these questions. The secret to interview success is a combination of things BUT interview questions plays an important part.

Tell me about yourself?
Tell me what you know about this company?
Why did you apply for this job?
Why should we hire you?
What makes you different from other applicants?
What previous experience do you have relevant to this role?
How do you work under pressure?
How do you react to criticism?
What are your strengths and weaknesses?
How do you cope with failure?
Do you prefer teams or working on your own?
What has been the biggest disappointment in your career to date?
What annoys or upsets you?
How would your fellow workers describe you?
How would a previous boss describe you?
What would you hope to achieve in the first year of this job?
Where do you want to be in five years?
What is the next important step in your career?
Why did you choose the qualification you did?
What other positions or types of companies are you considering?
What is your greatest achievement in your career to date?
Describe what you would do in your first week in the job?
Why are you leaving your current position?
Why do you want to work for us?
Tell me what you know about this position?
What are your salary expectations?
When are you available to commence employment?
Tell me about your interests and hobbies?
Describe yourself to me?
What questions do you have?

Need help with interview preparation – why not talk to an expert.

Many jobseekers fail to land dream jobs because they don’t catch the eye of the reader before their application details are filed in the bin. You have a 10-30 second window to make an impact. I have read thousands Cover Letters and to be honest I would have more fun reading a law journal. Cover Letters play an important part in the job hunting process so. They are even more important if you are not an ideal fit to the job specification. If you are struggling to get called for interviews then push the boat out and get creative.

Handwritten Cover Letters

If you have better writing than your children then try hand writing your cover letter. A decade ago a typed letter stood out from the crowd of hand written cover letters. Nowadays the opposite is actually true. In a world of email, Bebo text and computer hand writing is a rare commodity. This is why a hand written application could bring attention to your application

Show your personality on a Cover Letter

When I read cover letters I lied. I rarely read cover letters because they are all the same boring stuff. I would normally just jump to the CV. Some clients are the same but it is still important to send a Cover Letter and let the client make the decision to read it. Cover letters can provide the opportunity to show your personality so use this opportunity. Use the Cover Letter to tell the employer how much the job means to you and what you can bring to the table. In your Cover Letter write how you feel and not like you are writing a solicitors letter.

Other helpful resources

For additional career advice check out careersandjobs.

For news about jobs in Ireland check out jobsnews.

Employment References are a bit of a taboo subject at the minute. References were once a key component of any recruitment and selection but now they have a reduced role. Increasingly companies are refusing to give out references on past employees for fear of court cases. Most just provide standard script about then length of service and job title BUT they will not go into detail about performance or related issues. What do these standard references tell a hiring company? Not very much.

This development has let many jobseekers with a dodgy career history of the hook.

In a past life I took many references on jobseekers and it always amazed me how many provided referees that did not speak highly of them. You would think that these jobseekers should have an indication about what sort of reference would be provided. This was deflating when you had invested alot of time and effort into the recruitment process only to stumble at the reference hurdle.

On the subject of references. Should you list them on your CV?

I normally say NO and suggest that jobseekers put “References on request”. I say this because it gives more control to the jobseeker. You will know when a potential employer is chasing references as they will have to request this information. The only time I suggest you put reference names and details on a CV is if they can help your cause and get you to interview. Another example – I helped one jobseeker with a CV to apply for a role with a political party. She had two references in the party. I made sure these two names were very visable. And YES she was called for interview.