CV & Interview tips
Constructing your CV
The most important attribute of a successful CV is that it clearly explains to the reader what it is that you can do for them.
Elements to consider when constructing your CV.
1. Begin with your name, address and contact details
2. Then provide details of your educational background starting with your most advanced qualifications and following on with the least.
3. Now, your work experience should be detailed from the most recent to the least recent, clearly showing dates, company, job title and roles/responsibilities.
4. Make sure the CV is well presented, an honest critique of your past, easy to read and grammatically correct - make sure there are NO spelling mistakes.
5. Put yourself in the shoes of the person reading your CV - make sure it is interesting and relevant to the role your are applying for.
6. Make sure your CV is relevant to the job you want - it must meet the needs of the target organisation where possible. A single generic CV will not suffice for certain roles where it will be necessary to concentrate more on certain elements of your experience.
7. Highlight your achievements and how these relate to the job you are appplying for.
8. When describing responsibilities and achievements, avoid long sentences. Use bullet points which are easier to read.
9. Dont be modest - make the most of this opportunity to impress.
Interview tips
Our interview tips can be broken down into a number of essential criteria:
Preparation is key - make sure you do your research. This is extremely important. Read up on the company, visit their website, know what projects they are involved in and who their main competitors are. You can never know too much about the company - this will impress and remember, first impressions last.
Get there early - Arrive at least 10 minutes early
Presentation - Make sure you dress smartly and bring some preparation with you - an interview is an opportunity for you to find out more about a company so make sure you have a few questions ready.
Difficult questions - Try not to panic should you encounter a difficult question. Interviewers mainly use difficult questions to find out how Candidates can think on their feet. Here are some important hints and tips on what to do:
- Feel free to pause before making your answers. Do not ramble - stick to the question and be relevant.
- If you are having trouble with a question, be honest with your answer and use the skills and experience you have acquired to show what you can offer should you not be 100% experienced in a particular area.
- Always offer positive information.
- Look the interviewer in the eye
Don't badmouth a boss - Bad mouthing a previous boss in a job interview is a huge negative. They may have been the worst boss in the world but expressing that in a job interview is a huge mistake.
Don't play with your face / hair - Interviews can be a nervous experience but rubbing your chin, twirling your hair, or anything else along those lines makes you look like you're lying or lacking confidence, both not good.
Have accomplishments - Be prepared to talk about something that you're proud of accomplishing, whether professionally or personally (or a failure and what you learned from it).
Have passion - Be able to express why you want to work in that field/industry and what you do to further your knowledge (books, blogs you read). The more intelligent or informed you are the more impressive you'll look.
End of Interview Questions - At the end of every interview it is important to ask some questions about your possible employer. This will give you an insight into how the company is run and will impress the interviewer as it will show added interest from the Candidate.
It is extremely important to approach any interview in a professional manner - Good Luck!!
