| Recipes for success... | ||
| Perhaps you are the perfect candidate for a career opening, but without paying close attention to your resume presentation and your interview skills, employers may overlook you and settle on a less qualified candidate. | ||
| The following bookmarks are provided to help you build a powerful resume and prepare for the all important interview. | ||
| Bookmark this page as we continue to update this page with more extensive tips/advice. | ||
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 Preparing for the interview......
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At the interview......
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| Preparing your resume... | ||
| A resume is the means to market yourself to a prospective employer. It is your first point of contact and first impressions are made at this juncture. | ||
| Your resume should be well laid out, clear, concise and consistent in style. Begin sentences with verbs and make liberal use of white space to make the important points stand out. | ||
| It should include the following sections: | ||
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Personal details should include... | ||
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Name and contact details
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Education and qualifications
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Industry/training courses
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Memberships/Affiliations
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Hobbies/Interests
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Languages
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| Do not include any information such as marital status, sex, religion and age. | ||
| This section gives the employer an opportunity to see you as an individual outside the work environment. Your qualifications, hobbies and interests are especially important in this regard. For instance, if your hobbies include team activities, this demonstrates your ability to work as part of a team. Activities which are singular in nature, may indicate your ability to work on your own and are self motivated. Each activity has its own merits so be honest with yours. You may be asked to talk extensively about your interests at an interview, so back it up by being honest. | ||
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Employment History...... | ||
| In order of most recent, list each of your previous positions. Pay particular care to this section. Your documented experience will determine your suitability for the current opening. Emphasize past experiences that are relevant to the position that you are applying for. You need to convince the employer that you are a potential suitable resource. Don't wait for the interview to convince the employer that you are the best, do it with your resume. | ||
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Name and location of employers
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Company division/department
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Duration of employment
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Position title
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Responsibilities.
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Promotions/awards/recommendations
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| Be sure to spell and grammar check your resume. Proof read it many times and ask some trusted friends to critique it. | ||
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| Preparing for the interview... | ||
| Don't overlook the obvious ... | ||
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Prepare your clothes in advance.
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Dress conservatively.
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Don't assume you'll find your way, find out in advance.
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Know where to go, who to contact.
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Know your resume!
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| Research the company profile ... | ||
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Talk to current employees.
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Search the web.
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Visit your local library.
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Ask your recruiter for published materials.
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| The Interview... | ||
| The interview is your opportunity to elaborate on your resume and to demonstrate how your experience will be of value to the employer. It also gives both you and the employer a view on how well you would adapt to their environment. | ||
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The interview will probably take the form of several phases, not necessarily in the following order:
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Introductions & small talk
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| This is to break the ice and make you feel comfortable. Follow the interviewers lead here don't initiate too much yourself. Be calm and friendly. | ||
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Company profile and description of current opening
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| Listen carefully to the needs of the employer. You can use this information later in the interview to demonstrate why your qualifications and experience make you the most suitable candidate to address their needs. | ||
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Your experience
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| This phase may take the form of a question and answer session or a more general format where you are asked to talk generally about your previous projects/experiences. In either case, talk with enthusiasm, honesty and clarity. Avoid the royal 'we' - take credit for your past achievements and do not criticize any previous employer. | ||
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"What if" scenario's
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| "What if" scenarios are an excellent method of determining a candidates awareness/understanding of a situation/project/environment. While the scenario may not be directly related to your past experience, you can demonstrate your analytic capabilities by drawing on your past experiences to answer the question or indeed to question the interviewer more about the scenario. | ||
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| You may be asked a number of questions such as your greatest strengths and weaknesses, are you a team player. Tie in your responses to your experience and elaborate on how your strengths, weaknesses etc. have aided you in some projects. Be matter of fact. | ||
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| You will probably be asked what are your desires and goals.. 5years, 10years etc.. Be prepared for this question and tie your response to how their company can offer you the opportunity to achieve your goals. | ||
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| The interview is normally drawing to a close when the interviewer asks you for questions. Having some good questions prepared is in an indication of your interest in the position. Do not raise the question of remuneration, especially if this is the first interview. If the interviewer raises the subject, talk honestly. If you are genuinely interested in the position, say so, and sum up why you think you are their best choice. | ||
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| You may wish to follow up the interview with a letter or phone call. Again, this will indicate your level of interest in the job. In either case, use this as an opportunity to recap why you are a suitable candidate. As a minimum you should contact your RESCON consultant for feedback on how the interview went. | ||
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