The interview process is increasingly becoming a lengthy, highly detailed and in some cases stressful experience for candidates. We all have our nightmare interview stories, but hearing some of the experiences of candidates it seems to be that it is standard practice now for candidates to be very flexible and go out of their way for a job they have no guarantee of getting.

How often as a candidate have you been asked to attend a lengthy interview process of several hours, do a telephone interview outside normal business hours, travel to the company’s head quarters miles away from where the job is based or be subjected to high numbers of interviews for the same role.

The problems these nightmare interview practises create amount to the fact that if you are unemployed and seeking a new job, you may not be able to afford things like long distance travel at short notice. Equally if you are employed and are seeking to change your job, you may not have the time – either holiday or personal, to get to interviews at short notice or take part in a longer process.

But should you have to do this? Should candidates expect to have to be more flexible in their approach to interviews and be prepared to exceed the normal level of commitment in order to land that job?

We asked Phil Roebuck, Chief Executive of Webrecruit, for some tips to help try and get around and avoid those nightmare interviews:

Be proactive

Ask questions such as “Why do I need to travel there?”, “Is it necessary to travel there?” but whilst retaining a degree of professionalism and seeming flexible. It may be there is a simple reason which makes you feel better about the need to travel so far. It could also give you an indication as to how you are faring in the interview process, i.e. are they asking you to travel to the head office to meet the rest of the team before making a job offer. Continue reading “The Job Hunt: How far would you go to get the job you want?” »

There are many benefits in using social media within your job hunt, but one that is often overlooked is the information that you can get from following bloggers.

Many HR and recruitment professionals write regular blogs, and they often offer invaluable insight into the recruitment and hiring process, giving the job seeker a chance to see how their interviewers see things.

A lot of recruiters also offer their thoughts on how candidates can improve their chances of being considered for a role and of getting feedback from, and interaction with, the people involved in the hiring process. We read one such blog today from US recruiter Amy Ala in which she offers some advice for making sure that your application doesn’t get stuck in the process…and most of her points echo those made by other recruiters.

The four key actions to follow are:

Know What You Can Do

What are you good at? What training have you had and what skills have you developed? Where can you have a positive impact? Many of these questions are those that you should ask yourself when writing your CV and certainly when applying for roles. Your chances of making a shortlist will be enhanced if you are applying for roles that match your skills and capabilities.

Be Selective

A common complaint from recruiters is over the volume of applications for each role. They know that in the current jobs market there are many people looking for work and applying to vacant positions, but when they are trying to fill a specific role they want to be able to focus on those who have relevant skills.

It isn’t easy, but the process will be helped if you target the vacancies and companies that best suit the person you identified in point 1…you!

Contact the Recruiter

It may seem that we’re going out a bit on a limb with this one, but many recruiters do respond to contact…provided you are a good match for the role and can demonstrate it. If you are using social media in your search then LinkedIn could be a starting point as you can find the relevant person and see if you have any connections that may be able to introduce you. Don’t start sending invites through LinkedIn if you haven’t a connection though…use the contact information that the recruiter gives in their profile.

Sometimes an e-mail, even a phone call, can get through…provided you can show that you have the skills and abilities to do the job, and have done your homework on the company. After all, the recruiter wants to get the right person to fill the role as soon as possible. Try and make their life easier!

Patience

Maybe the hardest part of all is the waiting. You don’t know if you’re being considered or not and the temptation is to start following up. This is particularly tough at the moment, as the volume of applications is high, so even if you are dealing with a recruiter who does get back to all candidates, it may take time.

Any follow up should be professional and courteous, and should re-affirm your relevance for the role. The key words Amy used for the right follow up approach were steady, consistent and positive.

Let us know how you’ve had success…

One of the findings in our recent Quarterly Recruitment Review was that there was a slight shift from passive job seeking to active. This could be due to concerns over a current role, or future of a current employer, or unfortunately an impending redundancy.

The shift from passive to active job seeking will usually require a change in mind-set and a different, more pro-active approach. It will also call for a mix of strategy, planning and relationships to help with your momentum. If you’re about to take the plunge, here are 5 things you should be doing:

Make Sure Your CV is Up to Date

This isn’t just about ensuring that your most recent job is included but taking a look at the whole CV and how it is presented. Follow the advice in our recent blog Four Questions to Think about When You Write Your CV and check that your skills, capabilities and achievements are clearly set out and demonstrate how you can add value and make a real difference. It needs to be your sales document so make sure that it plays to your strengths and that if you get in front of companies for interview you can make it come to life!

Check Your Social Media Profiles

Most potential employers will look at your LinkedIn profile…some recruiters spend half their time on the platform! Check that your skills and qualifications are up to date, and that you have some good recommendations…but not too many; it may give a signal that you’re thinking of moving on. Our recent post Are You Maximising Your LinkedIn Profile should help. Continue reading “Five Things to do if Your Job Hunt is Going Active” »

None of us likes to be late. For some it’s a regular occurrence and for others an occasional happening, yet whatever the reason lateness is one of the things that will usually come near the top in any survey of irritating or most annoying habits, either socially or in the workplace.

It can reflect on us as an individual, an employee, a jobseeker or a friend, and quite often is the cause of much unnecessary stress.

Sometime it can’t be helped, but if it’s happening to you more often than not then here are 4 tips to try and get you back on time:

Know your Time Bandits

Any time management training will start with you identifying your time bandits – those things you do which eat into your time, distract you or take your concentration away from the job in hand. For some it will be e-mails, for others web surfing or social media, possibly gossip or coffee breaks.

Sometimes it’s tough to admit what it is – it may be something you really enjoy and can’t imagine not doing. But you do need to be tough with yourself and understand how time bandits eat into your time and impact on getting other things done. Continue reading “4 Tips for Never Being Late!” »

One of the key parts on any interview is when the interviewer asks the interviewee if they have any questions. Many jobseekers are never sure how much detail to go into at this stage and it’s not always easy to strike a balance – ask too many questions and it can seem presumptive but ask too few and it can give the impression that you’re not interested in the role.

Yet the key to doing well at interview isn’t always just giving good answers…sometimes it’s about asking good questions too!

You won’t always get the opportunity to ask as many questions as you answer so it’s just as well to have some prepared. You may well be looking for some clarity around the company’s business or structure, and any logistical issues you see around the role, but to give yourself the best chance to success you’ll need to get answers to these questions:

Why is the role open?

Is this a newly created position or has someone left or been promoted? If it’s new you’ll probably want to find out more about why it’s been created and what expectations the company have for the role. If the previous incumbent has left you may want to find out why. Continue reading “5 Questions to Ask Your Interviewer” »