Protégé Tips

Jobsearch

Step up your job search

Request more face-to-face meetings, be as flexible as possible, don’t just apply for vacancies – cold call and take advantage of social networking sites.

 

Network, network, network

There are lots of networking groups on LinkedIn and events that you can attend. Join the groups which are relevant to your industry and skills and attend networking events.

 

Add your skills and duties to your Linked In profile

A lot of times recruiters do key word searches and if they are looking for something in particular and you do not have anything listed except your job title, you might not come up in the search results.

 

Make sure your Facebook account is set to private

It might be a possibility that the interviewer jumps on your Facebook before your interview. Make sure all your photos are on private and you have an appropriate profile picture. Last thing you want to portray is that you get drunk every weekend and are most likely to call in sick on a Monday!

 

Interview

Dress and present appropriately

Presentation is a very important aspect when you sit an interview. It only takes 90 seconds for an interviewer to decide whether or not to hire you. It is essential that you look professional and well presented especially if you are applying for a role in a corporate environment. Try and dress for one level higher than for the role you are interviewing for. People won’t appreciate if you walk into an interview for a corporate job in a mini-skirt and chipped nails. Know the culture of the place that you are interviewing for and try to dress appropriately. Men, don’t engulf yourself in cologne. Not everyone’s noses can take strong smells. Bad breath is also a no-no, but don’t walk in chewing on gum either.

 

Ask the right questions

Asking the interviewer questions can make a better impression than asking none. But don’t ask just ask any questions, make it worthwhile by asking questions such as:

  • How would the employees describe the culture of the organization?
  • What are a few things that really drive results for the company?
  • What are the common attributes of your top performers?
  • What would be the ideal candidate for this position?
  • What are the common attributes of your top performers?

You can even be a bit forward and ask: “What are some of your concerns about whether I would be a good fit for this position?”

 

Give thanks

Send a thank you note to each person who interviewed you. An emailed note is sometimes appropriate, but a hand-written note is a bit more memorable. It makes a difference and shows you are interested and understand how to communicate well. This will make you also stand out from the rest that don’t send a thank you note.

 

 

 

The big No’s!

Having your partner/friend/parent call up about a vacancy

Having someone enquiry on your behalf gives a terrible first impression.

 

Not having an active voicemail or voicemail is full

There is no excuse. It looks very unprofessional and foolish to not have an active voicemail when job hunting. If you don’t normally have voicemail on your phone turned on, then make sure you do turn it on and make sure to clear out your old voicemails regularly.

 

Using a juvenile email address

Using emails such as: beach_bum@… Sexylegs1993@… and john.loves.beer@… is not acceptable and leaves a very bad impression. When job hunting, create a new email address that is just your name such as john.smith90@… or jsmith@ … or smith1988@… This way your email looks clean and professional.

 

Arriving at interview far too early

Arriving 5 minutes early for an interview is ideal, 10 minutes is ok but arriving any earlier can come across rude.If you have lots of time to spare it might be ideal to sit in the car and go over the position and the company so it is fresh in your mind and you are well prepared for your interview.

 

Arriving at interview with a half consumed takeaway coffee

You wouldn’t arrive with a half eaten burger, same goes with a take away drink.

 

Bringing a friend/partner to the interview

Once again this is rude and unprofessional. If you have someone with you, ask them to wait for you in the car or send them to the nearest café to wait for you.