‘Getting the basics right’ 

Hello and welcome.  Thanks for taking the time to read this document. It has been written to give you some straight talking guidance to help enable you to secure a new job that is right for you. At Recruitment Matters we do not profess to have all the answers for you, we do however have your very best interests at heart. We clearly wish you well in your search for a new challenge and have written this as a prompter and a reminder both for now and, also, perhaps the day before you go to interview. It may be some time since you were last interviewed or you may have been on a few recently but were unsuccessful. So while we do not intend ‘teaching granny to suck eggs’ do please use this to enhance your preparation to ensure that you meet your potential future employer with confidence and a positive attitude.

A positive attitude is the key to your success. I cannot stress the importance of attitude enough. When there are a number of people in the frame for a job and little to choose between them, it’s far more often than not the one with the best attitude, the one who is most flexible and the one who shows that they want it most who is awarded the job. So, how do you increase your chances of success at interviews?

Interviews can be viewed as either a ‘necessary evil’ or your opportunity to impress. With a positive, focussed attitude it is not only possible for you to have the opinion that they are an opportunity to impress but even enjoy the experience! Nothing gives someone confidence quite like the comfort of good preparation. The next few minutes reading will, I hope, give you some effective pointers to help you succeed in getting to the next step on your personal career ladder.

First some basic do’s and don’ts for you to consider:

•    Do be on time
•    Don’t under-sell yourself
•    Do be honest
•    Don’t argue
•    Do listen carefully
•    Don’t put on an act
•    Do speak up
•    Don’t talk about interview travel expenses unless they offer
•    Do be polite at all times
•    Don’t mumble
•    Do smile
•    Don’t be late
•    Do sell yourself
•    Don’t slouch in the chair
•    Do look neat and well groomed
•    Don’t lie but don’t volunteer damaging information
•    Do be well prepared
•    Don’t be cluttered
•    Do appear interested and alert
•    Don’t be the first to mention salary
•    Do be yourself
•    Don’t criticise previous employers

Many an interviewee failed at the first hurdle because they forgot the obvious. Let us take the time now to make sure you make the most of every opportunity to impress your potential employer with your personality and skills.
It is a well known fact that people make judgments on the first few seconds of a meeting. If your personality and skills are going to get the platform they deserve, then let us briefly cover now the little things in life that will help you do just that.

How do I look?
When an interviewer finds you pleasant to look at, his or her first impressions will get you off to that vital start. So, the night before, check your clothes (dark suits are always a safe bet) make sure they are well pressed, clean with no loose threads or buttons.

Ensure your shoes match your clothes, brown shoes do not go with black skirts or trousers (even if it is fashionable!), make sure they are clean, polished and in good repair.

Socks or tights again need to match your clothes. Let your personality come out in conversation and not in your leg attire.

Tie – conservative and as high quality as befits your suit. Wacky ties say wacky person and unless your job is a children’s entertainer or comedian, play safe.

Shirt or blouse – well, white is always safest but again clean, well pressed and well fitting.

Fingernails, trimmed, clean and clear nail varnish only.

Finally jewellery, keep it to a bare minimum.

Just before you go, make sure you have the following with you
(Prepare them the night before and give them the final once over before you leave for the interview)

•    One briefcase, handbag or document case only, as you will need one hand free to hold doors and shake hands.
•    A good clean copy of your CV because the interviewer may have mislaid their copy or you may want to refer to it during the interview yourself.
•    The letter you received inviting and confirming your interview because this will help with names and telephone numbers in case of emergency.
•    A map, directions and special instructions.
•    A mobile phone, phone card or change for the phone box.
•    Paper and pen which should be neat, tidy and conservative.
•    Finally, a diary or Filofax to confirm any future appointments if offered.


The first point of contact
The receptionist at the front desk when you enter your potential, future employer’s building is just as important to your chances of success as the interviewer. First impressions go a long, long way. A polite, confident, friendly, organised manner will be relayed to others in the receptionist’s tone on the phone or in discussions with colleagues later, and so will the opposite. Unless the front desk is busy or the phones are ringing constantly make small talk for a few moments, smile and take the opportunity to go to the toilet and freshen up and check your appearance.

When met by an employee or directed to your destination, thank the receptionist and make a point of saying ‘Cheerio’ on the way out.

Aim to arrive ten to fifteen minutes before your appointment, do not arrive any earlier, walk around the block first if you have to. In that ten minutes or so that you have, get a good feel for the company by reading company brochures or literature. Pick up on conversations around the place, listen for a good, open atmosphere, study the people passing through – are they relaxed, hurried, organised, dishevelled?

If you are offered a refreshment and you have the time, always say yes. If you only have a couple of minutes before you go, simply ask for a glass of water. Why? Well a simple acceptance of an offer of something goes down subconsciously far better with the person who offered it than a no. Remember the receptionist can be a potential ally.

Meeting and Greeting
Effective communication is made up of three clear parts: What we say, how we say it and body language. You may be surprised to learn that the three parts split down into percentage terms are like this: What we say 7%; how we say it 38%, and body language 55%. With that information in mind, clearly your first encounter with your interviewer needs a clear, confident, professional yet friendly voice tone and open, confident body language. The fact that you are talking about the weather or your journey is almost irrelevant.

A good firm but not over-powering or lingering handshake works well, practise with a friend if not sure. Smiling, nodding, leaning forward whilst listening and replying and good eye contact should get your meeting off to a good start. Only sit down when asked and, as before, if offered a drink, accept.

Likely styles of interview
In simplest terms they are really only three styles of interviews.
A)    30/70
B)    50/50
C)    70/30

Those figures show the percentage of time talking that the interviewer and interviewee spend during the interview. Figures quoted first are the interviewer. So a 30/70 interview taking place means that the interviewer wants to glean as much information as he can from the interviewed to help them make a decision. These are very often first meetings in order to select a shortlist for a more two way type of meeting later.

A 50/50 interview is clearly a healthy, two-way, fact-finding conversation.
A 70/30 one is where the interviewer does more of the talking, perhaps when he is trying to sell himself or their company.

Although the interviewer is unlikely to give you an indication of how they intend the conversation percentages to go, they may perhaps tell you the format. How long it may take, what they will ask, when you are to ask questions and such like.

The best interviewers will always take the time to outline the format for you. If you are not told, simply say this: ‘I am very keen to learn more about you and your company as I am sure you are to learn about me. If I have any questions shall I ask them as they arise or would you prefer me to wait until the end?’

No matter how structured the interview is always leave the interview having taken the opportunity to tell your prospective employer why you want the job and why you feel you are really suited. You may of course be asked at some stage for that information, if not leave the meeting on a high by saying this: ‘Thanks for taking the time to see me. I have appreciated the opportunity to discuss the vacancy. Before I go I would just like to emphasise that...…’ so just exactly what do you say at that point?

First of all then, you need to prepare what is ideally a thirty second commercial. Simply take an A4 piece of paper and write down all the features and benefits you like about the company and all the benefits and features you have that will relate to them. A feature is a simple fact; a benefit is the reason that makes the fact relevant to you or them, or ideally both.

So, examples of futures and benefits? Well XYZ Company only appoints partners from within (that is the feature). The benefit – allowing you the opportunity and challenge to work your way up and affording them the confidence to appoint you when ready.

One more? Feature: You have five years experience in the specialism they are looking for. Benefit: Enabling you to bring a fresh, yet seasoned perspective on their current issues.

In a nutshell have a features and benefits statement prepared and ready. Practise it on a friend until it sounds natural. At the meeting, use it, even if you manage to get all the points over separately over the rest of the meeting, try and get the moment to summarise your worth to them.

As a final clincher in your interview bag of answers have a U.S.P. U.S.P stands for unique selling point or, in other words, what makes you stand out from the other candidates the interviewer is meeting.

An old question that sometimes comes out is ‘Why should we hire you before any other?’ Your U.S.P is the answer to that question. If you are not asked the question or a question does not merit that answer, then you bring it up. Say this: ‘You know it must be difficult seeing so many people for the vacancy. You are probably wondering what I can bring to the company that the next person you see can’t. Well I would like to say that….’ at that point get over your U.S.P.

Do not think these tips are being pushy, they will not be seen as such, just a professional, well prepared candidate, who wants the job and is capable of doing it. If you were an employer who would you want to hire? That’s right: a professional, well prepared candidate who wants the job and is capable of doing it.

Interviews are all about questions. The only way that your prospective employer can find out all he or she needs to know about you is to ask questions. He or she will probably have a number of them prepared and written down ready to ask. As well as ones to gauge your technical ability for the position, there are likely to be those that are aimed at finding out about you and your personality. The very best interviewers will prepare a number of questions that will try to uncover your suitability under three headings: knowledge; skill; behaviour.

Well just as your interviewer will have prepared some questions, so should you. Time spent finding out all you can about the company before will, of course, help you in answering questions on the day. It will also help you decide just what further information you need to know before you can make a decision as to whether you would wish to join the company. Therefore, after jotting down as many questions as you can that you genuinely want the answers to, sit down and put them into priority order. There is no optimum or minimum number but, by listing them in order of importance, my advice would be stick to a dozen or so as your final list.

When offered the chance to ask any questions in the interview, you can then simply open your notes or folder and a neatly typed A4 sheet and say something like this: ‘Thank you, I did do some research beforehand and then came up with a few questions that still need answering. I think we have actually covered a lot of them during our conversation. If you don’t mind may I just take a couple of moments to quickly check? Thank you.’ Then take your time and tick off those that have already been covered and simply ask the remaining ones.

Your interviewer will be impressed by your organisation and professionalism. Far better to do it this way, than try to remember them off the top of your head or worse still, to fumble a reply like ‘Umm, well, actually I think you have covered everything, thanks.’

Do not be afraid to mention that you have some questions if your interviewer does not offer you the chance at the appropriate moment either. Remember interviewers can get just as nervous or excited as the next person; they may not be experienced in interviewing or simply forget the running order. If the interview does not appear to have a structure and you do not feel that he or she is getting the important information from you, volunteer it. By the same token, if they are not giving you the facts that you want, ask for them. Thankfully, these situations are few and far between, but preparation for you is the key to getting that job. After all, it is your career.

What questions can you expect to be asked? It is, of course, impossible to be sure, but what follows are perhaps the typical top ten standard questions that interviewers ask:

1.    Why did you apply for this particular job?
2.    Tell me about yourself.
3.    Why should we hire you as opposed to the next candidate?
4.    Tell me about your recent achievements.
5.    What do you consider to be your main strengths?
6.    What do you consider to be your main weaknesses?
7.    What do you know about us?
8.    How would your friends describe you?
9.    Do you work best on your own or in a team?
10.    How do you manage your day?

Writing winning CV’s
Your CV will, in all likelihood, make all the difference between getting an interview or not. An average candidate who presents him or herself well on quality paper in a neat, concise, professional and informative manner will stand a very good chance of being asked to interview. Yet a potentially outstanding candidate who cobbles together three or four pages of personal information and sends a poor quality, photocopied version, will not.  It is the same with an emailed document – a well put together one that is easy on the eye on the computer screen will win the day.

Well written and presented CVs can turn average candidates into potential employees. The interview will make or break your chances but the CV will open the door and increase your future employers’ pre-interview expectations of you. When an interviewer is hoping that a candidate is as good as they look on paper, your chances are greatly increased because they want to like you.

Getting the basics right first
If posting, the paper you use says a lot about you. Use quality 100gms or heavier white paper. Print a fresh copy every time, if you do not have access to a computer and printer yourself then have someone do it for you. Photocopies look like, well, photocopies. Embossed covers, photographs and coloured paper can all have their place when job searching, just not in a professional marketplace. Conservative, yet informative and professional, will always win the day.

How many pages should a CV be? Well a balance between getting all your personal and work related information verses giving not enough is obviously necessary. Think of your CV as a prompter for the interviewer that you are meeting with. If you are talking and they want to check what you are saying against the CV, do you really want them to have to flick through five or six pages to get where they want to look? Two page CVs are ample to inform the recipient of the necessary facts and user-friendly enough for them to scan and refer to at an interview.

When they first pick up your CV from the pile of applications that arrive, what do they want to know and quickly?  They want to know are you working at the moment and for whom, who else have you worked for, have you done this particular role or job before, are there any career gaps, where do you live, what salary are you on, what are you relevant qualifications and any major career achievements. Finally, is this applicant therefore potentially a good match for the vacancy?

How to enhance your CV
•    Show the information in a logical sequence - personal details first, work history second
•    Keep it to two pages if at all possible
•    Take out any unnecessary words
•    Use tried and tested font types (font size 12 is easy to read)
•    Do use italics and bold type but sparingly
•    Keep personal details brief – name, address, contact details and qualifications (apart from job related ones, qualification grades such as O-Levels are not always necessary, simply state either the number or subjects). If you mention family status then giving the age of your children is fine, but names including spouse are a little unnecessary. (“Married to Janet who is my rock” is OTT).
•    Work history – that should read most recent first working back. Stating start and leaving months and years. If there is a gap, show it and explain. When stating your responsibilities for each job, keep them brief. It is highly likely that the interviewer knows the roles anyway. If mentioning any figures as a sign of confidentiality try and talk in percentage terms instead such as  ‘an increase of 12%, year on year’, ’45% of the Group turnover,’ that type of thing.
•    Use bullet points and short statements as opposed to long paragraphs.
•    Do get in some good achievements under each previous employer or maybe as an attractive summary at the end.

Finally, when you think it is the best you could possibly do and you are pleased with the end result, put it away for 48 hours out of sight. Then sit down afresh and read the document as if you were viewing it for the first time. Can it be improved in any way? Are there any spelling errors? Have you missed out any achievements? Do all the dates stack up? Does it look an attractive document that is aesthetically pleasing on the eye? Only when you have answered these questions is it almost ready for a prospective employer.

It is at this stage that you should give it to someone else you trust to review it and take on board any comments they have and amend if appropriate. CVs need a lot of time, care and attention. Your CV will get you the first foot in the door, and if that results in a job then your salary offer will be because of the time you spent on your CV. The time you spend on your CV will be a reflection of your worth both to yourself and an employer.

Well that brings you to the end this document on getting the basics right.  Thank you for taking the time to read it.  I would like to wish you the very best of luck in your job search.