Interview Advice

Be prepared
Be as prepared as you possibly can be for the interview. Look at the

employer’s website and find out as much as you can about the company

before you go. In particular, ensure you know:

•The names of your interviewers and their roles within the business.
• The organisation's products and services.
• The structure of the organisation. For example, is it part of a

larger group or does it have
• subsidiary companies?
• Staff numbers

If the interview has been arranged through Sewell Moorhouse, ask your

consultant if they have any additional information. Write down any

queries or questions. It is vital to have a good selection of

questions in advance of the interview.

Make an impression
Don’t forget the first impression is the lasting impression. Make sure

you are well groomed and clean cut. Make-up, aftershave and perfume

should be minimal. Invest in professionally dry cleaning your

interview clothes. Try to avoid the latest trends and instead go for a

professional, business like approach.

Be on time
Employers will disapprove of lateness. There may be sound reasons for

being late, such as an obscure office location or traffic, but none of

these will help your cause. One suggestion is to arrive 15 minutes

prior to the interview and wait out the time near, but not at, the

interview location. If you anticipate being late, call us so we can

keep your interviewers informed.

Maintain your self-confidence
When you introduce yourself, offer a firm handshake. Call the

interviewer by name, smile and maintain eye contact without glaring.

Those who do not are often regarded as deceptive, evasive or lacking

in self-confidence. Avoid any nervous mannerisms such as tapping your

feet or twirling your hair. Don't smoke even if the interviewer does.

Show politeness to the interviewer and do not ramble in your

conversation. Be pleasant with everyone you meet. Often, receptionists

may be asked for their opinion of you.

Practise your answers
What you say and how you say it is important. Try to convey

self-confidence and maturity. A self-confident individual will impress

the interviewer as someone who will be a good company spokesperson. A

clear and concise expression will sell better than a rambling

explanation. Try to prepare responses for some of the most common

interview questions:

• “Why are you seeking new employment?"
• “What are your strengths and weaknesses?"
• “What sort of salary are you looking for?"
• “What attracted you to this organisation?"
• “What has been your greatest achievement?"
• “What do you enjoy most about your current job?"
• "What skills can you bring into the company?"
• "What do you want to achieve in your career?"

Focus on the opportunities
In marketing yourself, think from the employer’s perspective. Rather

than talking about salary and benefits during your first interview,

impress the interviewer with what you can do for the organisation.

Salary discussions are best left for discussion in subsequent

interviews. Try to talk about potential opportunities within the

company.

Be enthusiastic
A portion of your interview is likely to focus on your work

experience. Your experience will give you something to talk about; it

should help you package yourself more attractively. Sell your

experience with enthusiasm. Be yourself and be your most charming. As

the interview closes, thank the interviewers for their time and be

positive about the position and the company, even if you are not

entirely sure this is the right move for you. You should never close

off an opportunity at this early stage.

Stay positive
Accept the fact that regardless of your interviewing skills, you may

still not get some job offers for a number of reasons. These may have

little to do with your qualifications or interview skills. Sewell

Moorhouse will try and get feedback on such occasions wherever

possible, as this will be valuable in the future.

Interview Tips

Interview tips

1. Be on time!
Aim to be early - you can always find a nearby café or shop to wait

in. Remember, you never get a second chance to make a first

impression. If you are going to be late, then ALWAYS ring ahead and

let them know.

2. Be Prepared!
Look at the employers' website and learn something about the company

before you attend your interview. Discover some facts about the

industry they operate in and the type of services and products it

offers. Find out about any recent successes and bring this to the fore

when given an opportunity during the interview. People like to talk

about good news.

3. Write down and practice possible questions!
Writing them down and practicing them with someone will make it easier

to remember when you get to the interview. Use the third person when

talking about the job. Avoid sounding as though you assume the job is

yours.

It is perfectly acceptable to ask about the package and benefits on

offer. It can sometimes be helpful to ask how they differentiate

themselves from their competitors and looking specifically at the role

what they think the toughest and hardest part of the job is.

4. What are your weaknesses?
Don’t be a know it all! Try to find an area of your experience/skill

that is currently lacking and relate it to how this role may help to

develop your skills. An interviewer will appreciate your honesty.

5. You never get a second chance to make a first impression!
SMILE! Dress professionally in simple business attire. Yes it is true,

a firm handshake and maintaining eye contact (without glaring!) goes a

long way.

6. Be honest!
There really is no point lying about your background and/or skills.

It’s a foolish thing to do, if you get found out, you can be sure you

won't be around for long! Job interviews are about matching needs - if

there isn't a good match, chances are that the job won't work out.

7. Check your CV for possible gaps!
Make sure you know how you are going to explain time gaps on your CV.

8. Talk about specific achievements!
Interviewers like to know how you felt about a particular success.

Some will ask for specific examples of things you've done that you're

particularly proud of; how you solved problems; how you learned - and

improved - from difficult situations.

9. Don't talk too much!
Communication is a two-way thing so give them a chance.

11. Take a spare CV with you!
Your interviewer won't be expecting it so you will impress them. It

also helps them remember you after the interview.

12. Be enthusiastic and positive!
NEVER criticise previous employers. Focus on positive achievements and

views

CV PREPARATION

Your CV must be well presented; it is essentially a selling document. It is a presentation of your achievements and needs to create an interest to the person who opens your envelope.

Generally your CV must not be more than two/three pages long. It needs to be clear, concise, and factual, and must demonstrate your ability to do the job you are applying for. We think your CV should include the following:



1.


The first page should contain personal details for a recruitment consultant or an employer if they need to contact you.


2.


Ensure that the format of your CV/Resume is in key headings e.g.
a. Key skills
b. Key achievements etc


3.


Your employment history should commence with your current or most recent position and work backwards.


4.


Information provided must clearly demonstrate your ability to do the job.


5.


Achievements should be bullet points and indicate your role, action taken and the result of that action.


6.


Make sure you leave out details that are irrelevant.


7.


If the information on the advert specifically asks for certain skills, make sure they are at the top of the CV/Resume.


8.


Make sure you include a brief summary of your educational details, training courses attended and professional memberships. Do not put information in that isn't pertinent to the position.


9.


You can include hobbies and interests as they show the employer your potential personality traits or maybe even skills like leadership or team membership. It is not essential to include this.

Example CV template

Tips to Help Balance Career and Family

Whether you are male or female, a mom or a dad, balancing career and family can be really difficult. When you're a woman, though, the choices you have to make seem especially difficult and the responsibilities all the more great. For some reason, women are guilt-ridden with their career decisions and the choices they make about working while trying to raise their children, providing nutritious meals for their family, keeping a respectable house and keeping their husbands happy. Last on the list, of course, is finding some time for themselves. So how does a woman find time to actually feel happy with her daily activities while keeping up with all of the responsibility?
First, take time to smell the roses! Literally, you can take time to smell the roses but you can actually do this with no flowers in sight. Every day, try to look around and appreciate what you have, taking in the sounds of your child's laughter, the wag of your dog's tail, the special glance of your husband as you tell a funny joke. Sometimes, the knowledge of what you have on your plate for the day will feel overwhelming, but a little perspective goes a long way. It may be a cliché and a very tired phrase, but it truly does work. People tend to get lost in the mundane, day-to-day "functioning" instead of really living their lives. For example, next time you are worried about fitting in your exercise with your child's play date at Little Gym, forego the Little Gym and head out with your son or daughter for a run. Strap the little one in the jog stroller or if he or she is old enough, ask them to put on the running shoes with Mommy and head outside! Once outside, you can literally stop to smell the roses. Just a few minutes of gratitude a day will work wonders for your soul and automatically make your life feel more balanced.
Along these same lines, try and give yourself some "me" time once a week. Once a week may not seem like much, but if you really allow yourself to soak it in and enjoy the time spent, it will make the stress of all of the rest of the hectic days melt away. Take a good block of time on a Saturday or Sunday - 2 hours, maybe - and mark this time in your calendar in pen, not pencil. Keep a standing appointment with yourself, and honor it as you would any other. Think you are too busy on a weekend to do this? You will feel much more productive the rest of the weekend allowing yourself this little ‘refresher', rather than trying to cram some time in on a random Tuesday or other weeknight. For this special time, you can book a massage or a facial at your favorite spa. Take a couple of hours to go window shopping at your favorites stores, by yourself or with a friend. Take in a matinee with a couple of girlfriends. If your husband is willing to fly solo on a Saturday night, you can even book a girls' night out once in a while and truly let loose! Even if your budget doesn't allow for these activities once a week, you can lock yourself in the bathroom with a good book, a bubble bath and a nice glass of wine and feel good about your time alone - you deserve some!
Probably the most obvious way to balance career and family is to incorporate your family into what would otherwise be "work time". If you have a short commute to work, for example, perhaps you can drive your kids to school each morning instead of having them take the bus. In the alternative, you could have your morning cup of coffee at the bus stop with them and spend a few minutes chatting about their day and what they plan to learn in school as you sip your cup of Joe and breathe in the morning air to mentally prepare for your own day ahead. If you normally exercise in the morning and leave the house very early, switch your workout time to lunch and leave the office to go to the gym, eating at your desk when you get back. You will have more time with your family each day and get a healthy break from your pile of papers to boot.
You may need to get a little creative with your schedule, but there are definitely ways to help balance career and family. Sometimes an extra few minutes each day or a once-weekly good block of time can go a long way in helping restore your peace of mind and help you feel less harried.
Megan Hazel is a freelance writer who writes about women's health and career topics, similar to what consumers read in Women's Health

New Career Tips

People usually look for a new career either when they are bored or when they are looking to do something new. Starting out a new career maybe scary for few people in the beginning, but it promises to be a completely new adventure in the long run. Planning plays an essential part of success when embarking on a new career. The first thing to do when planning on a change in career is to check the prospects the new career has to offer you, both professionally as well as personally. It also includes forgetting the skills or experience that you have acquired from your old job.
It is obvious that if you've been working as an engineer for two years, you can't use those skills if you have thoughts of starting out a career in writing, unless you're writing on engineering subjects.
Given below are some of tips on starting out on a new career:
-Look for some support: Be sure that your family and friends support you with respect to your new career. Starting a new career doesn't mean that you should shut them out of your social life. Keep yourself surrounded by positive people who drive you to achieve your goals.
-Recognize your strengths and weaknesses: It may also mean that you need to know your likes and dislikes. The reason why you're starting out a new career may be because of something that you didn't like in your previous job. Don't repeat that mistake. See what you're good at and try to improve the areas where you lack potential. Try and find out your passion, since that is an ideal way to start a successful new career.
-Talk to people who have gone through your experience: Knowing what other people went through in similar experiences and how they have achieved success will prepare you in advance to encounter problems in the future. People who have had experience in this matter provide great advice on change in careers. Try and dig out information on what amount of commitment it takes to change and start a new career.
-Keep track of emerging careers: Due to innovative concepts, new career options are sprouting up everywhere you look. Do your homework and look out for new and exciting career options before settling in for any one. The IT and retail sectors are on a roll. You will find many career options in these sectors.
-Groom yourself and create a good resume: Always keep your resume up-to-date - you never know when you'll need it. The first impression you make is often a lasting one.
Starting a new career can be stressful; but by following the tips above, you can give yourself the best chance for success.

Tony Jacowski is a quality analyst for The MBA Journal. Aveta Solution's Six Sigma Online offers online six sigma training and certification classes for lean six sigma, black belts, green belts, and yellow belts.