Career Services from Measurability

Interview preparation is about much more that what you say. Many jobseekers practice interview questions for days before an interview. Ok this plays an important part but too often interviewee fail at interview for other reasons. Good verbal communications will help your cause BUT good non-verbal communications will often secure the deal.

To back this point I noted the results of a survey carried out by Peninsula – a UK law firm. This survey researched employers in the UK and identified the most popular reasons why they rejected applicants who had applied for positions at their company. I have outlined the top 10 reasons below.

1. 26% rejected because of improper dress.

2. 19% rejected because of lateness

3. 15% rejected as they were too money focused.

4. 11% rejected because they were cynical towards colleagues past or future.

5. 9% rejected because of poor handshake.

6. 7% rejected because they lacked direction and career ambition.

7. 5% rejected because of poor eye contact.

8. 4% rejected because of lack of research into the company.

9. 3% rejected because they mumbled.

10. 1% rejected for being a know-all

If you are blessed with impatience like me the most frustrating thing about job hunting is waiting for feedback and decisions from Job Interviews. Waiting for a call from a recruitment agency or a company where you have submitted a CV for a job. I would say it is even worse waiting for feedback from an job interview though as you are at the final hurdle.

So how do you manage this to ensure prompt feedback without annoying the potential employer?

1. It is essential to ask the employer when they hope to have a decision. You can do this at the end of the interview. Ensure that the employer has the correct contact details for you.
2. Some will advice you to send a thank you letter. I have never personally done this myself but it cannot do any harm. It will keep you in the employers mind and could help sing a recruitment decision.
3. If you don’t hear within the agreed timeframe – call the employer unless it was clearly stated not to do so. To facilitate this make sure that you have his or her contact details. If you are not provided with a business card at the interview you can request it.
4. Chasing feedback from an interview when managed correctly shows that you are keen and take initiative. But ensure that you do not overstep the line as this can paint a picture of annoyance and desperation.
5. Recruitment processes do not always run to smooth timeframes so stay patient. An employer may provide you with a decision date BUT when this passes it does not always spell bad news. To counter this keep yourself busy applying and interviewing for other positions.

When you do finally get a job offer it is a nice touch to let appropriate parties know this. This can be recruitment agencies or other employers where you are in consideration. This is a nice touch and will ensure you leave a good impression with people as you do not know when you will be back on the job market.

Need help with your CV or interview coaching contact Meaurability.

It is difficult to predict what questions will arise at interviews. There are however a few gems that keep coming up over and over again. I posted previously about the “Salary Question” and in this post I will examine how to handle two additional interview questions that may come up at your next interview.Interview Coaching – Question – Why should we employ you?
This can be taken as a guaranteed question at any interview. Here you have the employer asking you how you meet the job requirements. Some jobseekers take this as the opportunity to babble on about everything positive they have ever achieved. Be careful!! You must take a focused approach. You will have identified the key points the employer is seeking and now is your opportunity to tell them how you meet the requirements. Back up any points with evidence. So tell them what you did but also the results and achievements.Interview Coaching – Question – Why do you want to work for our company?
This question is the employers establishing if you have researched and planned your job hunt and if you have researched their organisation. Another way to ask this question is “How do the company and the role meet your needs?” This question is important as it helps the interviewer find out if you have a scattergun approach to job hunting or a planned approach. You will need to research the company and analyse the role and pick out key points that relate to your career goals.Preparing for interviews can be a daunting thought. By working with an Interview Coach you can access unlimited professional support, experience and advice. This could make the difference between success and failure. Contact us for more information about our service and costs.

Probably the most common question I am asked when providing interview coaching sessions is “How do you handle the Salary question?” Simple think of a figure and multiply it by 10 – That would be nice!!There are a couple of points I make clear to job-seekers.1. It is probably best to dodge answering this question because you could price yourself out of the job BUT worse under-price yourself. I advise job-seekers to respond something like “I am currently on x but I am open to salary depending on the role and the location” This side steps answering and it also give the impression that you are not money driven. Or you could answer with a question “What would a role like this pay in your company?” The important thing is that this strategy forces the employer to lay their cards on the table first. If they make an offer under your expectation then you can negotiate. If they make an offer over your expectation – great!!.

2. If you have a minimum figure and money is a key motivation it is probably best to give the client indication of this if asked. Again how you ask for it is important. There is no point dancing round the question only to find after 3 interviews and alot of time invested that they can’t meet your expectations - wasting you precious time.

3. Final point – it is probably best to let the employer bring up the Salary topic. Only time I would go against this if you have to go to great time or financial expense to attend an interview and what to assess if it is worth your effort.

For additional information on Interview preparation, Interview Coaching, Competency Interviews and more check out our website Measurability.

 Happy Job Hunting

This post will look at two reasons why many jobseekers fail at interview and why Interview Coaching can help..

 Poor communication at a Job Interview - I am not talking about verbal but non-verbal communications. Have you ever heard the 55:38:7 rule. 7% of communication is the words you say so 93% is actually non-verbal. This means that honing non-verbal skills is essential for interview success. You have heard the urban myth that many interviewers make a decision within a few minutes of meeting the interviewee. Interview Coaching can help you get the basics right and you can improve your performance greatly.

Not asking questions at a Job Interview - It is essential that you ask questions. Interviewees will be asked if they have questions at a job interview so have must be prepared for this. By not asking any questions you are sending out the wrong message and a lack of interest in the position or even a lack of preparation for the job interview. Not asking a question is a missed opportunity to get valuable information to help you make important career choices. A job interview is a 2-way process and it is an opportunity for you to find out information about the company.

Interested in interview coaching?

Paul Mullan founded and manages Measurability. He is a consultant with 13 years career coaching, recruitment and assessment experience in the UK & Ireland. Paul compliments his expertise by tapping into a talented pool of associates with hr, recruitment, occupational psychology and career coaching backgrounds.

Paul has worked with many organisations in a variety of sectors helping them recruit, assess and select the right candidate. He has designed recruitment processes, analysed job requirements, managed recruitment projects and helped oganisations implement psychometric assessment solutions. Paul previously worked with Saville & Holdsworth and was a founder and former Director of Eden Recruitment Limited.

Paul helps jobseekers to achieve career, life & business goals using an innovative approach in a one-one and workshop format. He is unique because he has experienced jobs, recruitment and careers as an employer – hiring staff, as a jobseeker – looking for work, as a recruitment consultant – finding jobs for others and as an assessment/hr consultant – helping company’s design recruitment processes, interview, assess and hire the right people. Paul is a Career Doctor with the Irish Independent for their Thursday Jobs & Careers supplement and The Sunday Tribune, regularly posts career articles on www.recruitireland.ie , www.salesjobs.ie and www.eirjobs.com and comments on jobs, careers and work life balance topics in the media and national radio.

Paul studied in Liverpool and qualified with a Degree in Business Studies from John Moore’s University and has since been awarded a Diploma in Business & Life Coaching. He has extensive training with Saville & Holdsworth including psychometric testing (Level A & B), competency based interviewing, job analysis and competency design and assessment center design.

Measurability is a professional, well established consultancy offering tailored solutions to meet our client needs. Our service is underpinned by psychometric assessment to help organisations recruit and develop the best but also to help individual’s achieve career satisfaction and success