Career Services from Measurability

Job Interview Questions – What are your strenghts?

Short video to help you answer that difficult interview question “what are your strengths?” REMEMBER! Preparation for better interview results.

CV Writing Advice

How to create an impactful CV (part 3). Short video outlining key CV tips. CV advice from leading CV writer Paul Mullan.

CV Writing

How to create an impactful CV (part 2). Short video to help you build a stronger CV. Useful CV tips to help your CV stand out from the crowd. Useful CV advice to help you generate more interviews.

Job Interview Preparation – Is it important?

Absolutely YES!!! Most jobseekers neglect preparation before interview and fail as a result. Quite often jobseekers who prepare for interviews lack the knowledge or direction on how to prepare properly. Remember the saying “fail to prepare, prepare to fail”. This is very true when we talk about interviews

What is important – Interview Preparation?

Understand the employer – This is the key to interview preparation. You need to know the employer and what they want. Only then can you focus your interview preparation.

Identify how you meet the job requirements – Hey this is what the employer will want to know at interview. You should also prepare examples and achievement to back this up.

Know your CV – The first question I ask individuals is when did you do you Leaving and most fumble to get an answer. This is just to prove a point. If you do not know yourself how do you expect the employer to know you.

Research the company – Expect to be asked the question – “what do you know about us?” Research the company shows you are prepared BUT also interested.

Interview questions – There are a number of questions that you can be certain that you will be asked. Having said this if you get the above points right you will be fine.

Another important point about Interview Preparation.

Try getting as much information about the recruitment process as you can. This will help you save time and improve focus during preparation.

Do you need help with interview preparation?

We can help you. We are experts in the area. Paul Mullan is a leading Interview Coach in Ireland (Dublin, Meath, Kildare, Louth) helping professional at all levels of the organisation across industry sectors. Read about Paul, the Interview Coaching service and what other individuals had to say about the service.

CV Format – What is a chronological CV?

CV format is an important aspect of CV writing which is often overlooked by jobseekers. There are a number of CV formats that jobseekers can consider but the most popular CV format is chronological CV. Basically Chronological means that your work experience is arranged so that the most recent work project is first. The chronological CV is currently the most popular CV format with employers in Ireland.

CV Format – Advantages of the Chronological CV

There are a number of advantages of the chronological CV. It is a familiar format, recruiters in Ireland expect this format and they are comfortable reading this CV format. It is also very easy to read and highlights the recent work experience and education.

CV Format – The Disadvantages of the Chronological CV

There are a number of disadvantages of the chronological CV. It focuses on facts and dates and has little emphasis on abilities and competencies. It limits the jobseeker particularly if your most recent work experience is not relevant to employer. It also highlights gaps in employment or frequent changes in jobs.
 
CV Format – When to use a chronological CV.

A chronological CV is fine when your recent work experience and recent qualifications are relevant to the post you are applying for. It is an appropriate choice if you have no gaps in the CV or have not regularly switched jobs

You should avoid a chronological CV is you have switched jobs often or if you have a few gaps in the career history. You might also avoid this format if you are re-entering the workforce after a long period out of work. Finally avoid this CV if your most recent jobs are not relevant to the post you are applying for.

If you are struggling to write a CV perhaps we can help. Measurability designs CV for professionals across Ireland – Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway, Waterford & Sligo. We are CV experts with a professional approach and vast experience in the Irish job market. Read more about our CV service.

 Interview Preparation for jobseekers in Ireland

 Below is a list of common interview mistakes you should avoid at interview. These mistake are feedback from interviewers as to why jobseekers failed at interview. You have been warned!!

Interview Preparation will help you avoid these mistakes

Poor personal hygiene or appearance
Lack of interest
Money orientated
Negative about past employers
Lack of eye contact
Limp handshake (my pet hate!!)
Not following directions
Late for interview
Lack of appreciation for the interviewer’s time
Not asking questions
Indefinite response to questions
Aggressive or “know it all”
Poor communication
Lack of career direction or goals
Lack of confidence
Lack of participate in activities
Not prepared to get hands dirty
Excuses AND evasiveness
Poor tact
Bad manners
Immaturity
Lack of vitality
Indecisive
Poor application forms
Impression that only shopping around.
Indication that the job is short time solution
Lack of interest in company or the industry
Low standards or morals
Cynical
Laziness 

Interview Preparation – Do you need help?

If you are seeking interview preparation support contact us for more information about how we can help you to success at interview.

Many jobseekers focus on the type of interview they will face and often neglect preparing how to deal with different interviewer styles. Just like there are different types of interviews you can face there are also different types of interviewers you can face. Below I have listed 3 types of interviewers:

Different types of Interviewers

“Absentee” Interviewer – You may get the impression that this interviewer is absent from the room and the interview. And yes they could be dwelling on something else.  Try to get you message across but it is difficult. Using the interviewers name can bring them back for important point you want to get across.

“Shotgun” Interviewer – This interviewer is firing questions all over the place. Changing and moving from different topics with ease. It is difficult to gauge where they are coming from. It is important to pay attention and try to relate back to the key requirements for the job.

“Silver Bullet” Interviewer – This is the one question wonder and your response to this gem will dictate that you are right for the job. “Who would you share your last role with?” Your answer will dictate if they feel you are right for the job. Your best approach is to just answer the question and move on.

Measurability offers expert interview coaching for all levels of the organisation and across all industry sectors. If you want to maximise your performance at interview then an interview expert can help. For more information about services visit our site.

One of the popular questions I am asked by clients is “where are you based?” I guess most of them do not realise that 99% of CV design is completed without any face to face contact between career expert and the client as the process is completed by phone and email. I never recommend meeting as I find this adds unnecessary time to the process. It would be different for career coaching or interview coaching where 99% of this I complete face to face.

Important questions to ask a CV expert

Experience – Very few clients ask me about my experience and knowledge. OK this is outlined in my profile and many clients see my career advice in the Irish Independent, Sunday Tribune and websites like RecruitIreland. Having said this I think it is still important to ask the question.

Track Record – A few references would be nice.

Approach to CV design – Get the career expert to discuss their views on CV’s to get a feel for their knowledge and approach. There are many “grey men in grey suits” designing CV’s from standard templates with little impact.

Price – It is important to shop around but like any other service the lowest is not always the best

If you want more information about our CV writing service why not visit out website.

Jobseekers can fail interviews for many reasons. I received a phone call from a jobseeker I had previously help with CV design. Their problem had now moved another step down the line. They were able to locate the jobs and get the interview but unfortunately failing at interview. My initial response was to enquire what feedback they were getting from the employers. There was a mixed response which can be normal as may employers feel they do jobseekers a favour by letting them down politely greatly reducing the opportunity to improve. Two bit of feedback stood out. The individual said one employer said that he came across as desperate to leave his current job. Another employer said that he didn’t seem interested in the job.

Interview preparation – hiding desperation.

Quite often a jobseeker can be desperate to leave a job BUT employers will look on this negatively as the question will always be there – does this individual want to join us or just get away from the current role. The likelihood is that most employers will shy away from these individuals as could be perceived that negativity is your driving factor and you would take any job. If you are desperate you must ensure that you do not portray this to the employer.

Interview preparation – playing it cool

Many jobseekers use a play it cool strategy when job hunting. They will not show desire to join a company for fear that they may seem desperate or that it may affect salary and package negotiation. Playing it too cool though can give the impression of lack of interest.

Conclusion

There are responses that can help you get the balance right ensuring that you do not fall into the above pitfalls at interview. Interview preparation will hone these skills so ensure you spend the time. Interview coaching can help you iron out the problems and improve your success.

Most jobseekers take a reactive approach to job hunting. What I mean is that they send a CV to a few recruitment agencies or set up job posts with an online job board and sit back and wait for the interviews to roll in. This is great if it is working for you but what if you are not getting the results you want. There are 3 responses you can take;

1. Keep doing what you are doing – don’t be surprised when you keep getting the same results though!!
2. Change your approach when dealing with agencies or search the job boards differently.
3. Try a more proactive approach to job hunting.

Proactive job search strategies can help.

There are two popular strategies networking and speculative CV’s.

Speculative CV’s can take up a lot of time and seem a thankless task BUT when you do strike gold it can erase all these feelings and memories. A few tips about sending speculative CV’s include;

Targeted Approach – try to focus and not just approach this sporadically. Target a geography region or an industry sector. Ideally a preferred region or sector. Also record all your activity and responses.

Avoid HR Departments – Sending speculative CV’s to HR can be a waste of time. Although most recruitment will go through the department quite often there is an information time lag between them and the function you want to join. For example the Marketing Manager may know that an executive has just given notice or that it has been agreed with the MD to increase headcount and not have passed this information to HR yet.

Focused cover letter – A general letter with not title will lose impact. Find out the name of the department manager and address it to him/her directly.

Follow Up – Try following up with the manager you have targeted with a call. Have short sales pitch prepared.

Measurability offer expert career coaching services including career assessment, career direction, cv writing and interview coaching,