CV and Interview Tips
Positioning Yourself: Your CV
Think of yourself as a product – what truly differentiates you from other candidates?
What have you done and what have you achieved and where do you want to go in the future?
Your CV and your interview should help tell that story.
Powerful CVs need to be complete, absolutely accurate and professional in appearance. In a competitive marketplace, employers look for traits that distinguish one candidate from another.
We prefer CVs which present jobs and accomplishments in chronological order, with the most recent events listed first.
The CV Check List
- Write a cover letter that includes the type or title of the job you are after and a brief outline of the type of work you have done and why you would be suitable for the position.
- Start your CV with a brief profile statement that describes your work experience accurately. Then document your work history accurately. Make dates and places of employment very clear.
- Follow with a list of your major strengths.
- Give appropriate attention to jobs or educational credentials according to their length or importance to the reader.
- Only present information that is job related or clearly demonstrates a pattern of success.
- Be explicit, leave nothing to the imagination.
- Condense everything down to two pages (three at the most if you’ve had a long career and are applying for a senior position).
- Create an error-free document representative of an educated person. Check your CV for spelling, grammar and punctuation. Have someone else check it. Then check it again.
- Organise thoughts in a clear, concise manner.
- Select a simple layout and a popular easy-to-read font such as Times New Roman, Helvetica or Arial. Don’t use fancy colours or fonts.
- Include your full name, address and email, plus your home, mobile and work telephone numbers. We recommend that you use your personal, not professional, email address. As this document will reflect your professionalism, use a simple email address, not one that you might have used that demonstrated your partying prowess at university.
- For now leave off professional references and your portfolio or work examples. These can come later.
A few other elements you may want to include:
- Relevant professional achievements – awards received, goals met, people supervised.
- Educational accomplishments – special honours or training.
- Additional areas of competency – details on computer literacy, other languages spoken.
- Professional designations and certifications.
- Success indicators – anything that distinguishes you as a leader or winner.
- Related experience – such as a journalism background.
- Citizenship status if appropriate.
A Couple of Don’ts
- Your CV is not the place to talk about salary history or requirements.
- Leave out personal information. It is not appropriate on a CV.
Employment References
References can be the difference between getting a job offer and not getting an offer. Never underestimate the power of a reference. Its main purpose is to give a potential employer an insider’s view of how others evaluate your skills and perceived strengths and weaknesses. Most importantly, the potential employer has an opportunity to explore issues that may be of concern to them.
For a candidate, the reference check can be the most effective selling device he or she has. For an employer, the reference check can be the best source they have to verify that the candidate will indeed be a good match, not only for the position, but also for the team and company. Take the time to prepare a well organised, carefully thought out reference list. Think about who would be best able to answer in detail the questions that a potential employer might have. Don’t forget to contact the referees ahead of time and let them know to expect a call.
The Interview
Interview Preparation Steps
One: Be Prepared
Plan for your interview well before the event. Make sure every contingency is adequately covered. You never know exactly what will happen, but by being prepared, you can eliminate a lot of the uncertainty and know how to react to different scenarios.
Experience has shown that interview preparation is perhaps the single most overlooked aspect of the job search process. Candidates who have done their research, who are motivated and ready to go at the time of the interview, have a tremendous advantage over candidates who have not. The more carefully you prepare for your interview, the better your chances of getting hired.
It’s critical that you know something about the company where you are interviewing – their markets, key products and management team. In fact, knowing something about each of these categories should significantly improve your odds of getting hired. Take a look at their website, check out their latest news.
On the day bring several copies of your CV and be completely familiar with everything you’ve written.
You might also bring your portfolio or writing samples that would be particularly good at illustrating an important aspect of your work.
It’s a good idea to bring a leather folder with you so you can take notes or store written materials the company might hand you during the course of your interview.
Always remember to bring a pen or pencil.
Two: Appropriate Dress and Appearance
Keep it professional. Dress for success and choose wisely because you’ll only make a first impression once.
Three: Know Where the Interview is and How You’re Going to Get There
Getting there: Get advice on the best way to get to the interview and where you should park. Do a dry run if necessary. See what the traffic is like and how long it takes to get there at the time of your interview appointment.
Arrive at the interview site a few minutes early (but not too early) to observe the environment. Look around and see how the people there react to one another. You might be able to gain some insight into the workings of the firm, or, at least, determine if this is the type of environment that you want to work in.
Turn off any electronics/cell phones. You don’t want these things ringing or going off during the interview.
Four: Questions
Jot questions down that arise from your research.
During the course of the interview, your dialogue with the other person will probably lead to a number of questions spontaneously. However, there may be important issues to discuss which will never come up unless you take the initiative. So make sure you bring a list of questions that will address these issues, so that you don’t leave the interview uninformed.
Prepare answers to the type of questions the interviewer may ask you.
Anticipate challenging/unusual questions, i.e. “How did you handle an awkward situation?”
Five: Demeanour
During the interview, maintain eye contact and a professional demeanour throughout. Listen carefully and respond to questions thoroughly, but do not ramble. Please, answer the question asked and then STOP SPEAKING. One of the most common mistakes during an interview is to talk too much.
Show enthusiasm – there is no substitute. This can be demonstrated during the “Do you have any questions” stage. Have some questions whose answers will be useful for you. This is not the time to discuss salary levels, holidays or pension schemes. This is an opportunity for you to discover everything there is to know about the firm and your potential place in the firm.
Above all, be honest and forthright.
Immediately after the interview, write a short “thank you” note to the interviewer. Don’t be over the top or smarmy. A simple “thank you for your time, it was appreciated” type thing is all that’s necessary. If, on the other hand, you feel this is a wonderful opportunity, mention that. You will be the only candidate interviewed who will send a thank you note, versus an email and this will be noted.
Call Communicators to let us know how you felt the interview went.