Approaching a face to face interview
March 5, 2010 by ProGrad · Leave a Comment
Face to Face interviews need to be approached as though they were a business meeting. In a business meeting, each party would arrive with preparation, and armed with pens and paper to take notes.
Please ensure you aren’t arriving empty handed to an interview. Please have the following:
1) Your resume (don’t assume the employer will have it already)
2) Your preparation
3) A notebook and a pen to take notes
We often advise candidates to take with them a list of questions they would like to ask in an interview. We’re not suggesting you consume too much time with your questions, but probing for information demonstrates a genuine interest in a company and the role. That said, please be aware not to ask questions about holidays, hours of work or salary. These can sometimes produce an awkward moment in an interview.
Feel free to take any other “props” that might assist you in an interview, such as transcripts, written references, examples of relevant work etc. But please only do this if it is relevant for the role you are being interviewed for.
ProGrad is a specialist graduate recruitment company working with over 600 companies across Australia. For more information about our process, please contact our ProGrad Graduate Management Team on 02 8235 8300.
Experienced people are guilty of bad interviews too
February 16, 2010 by ProGrad · Leave a Comment
When I’m looking to fill senior roles, we naturally look to recruit experienced people who can bring an established skill set, with a proven track record.
And so we do the same as many companies, and we advertise online, receive lots of resumes, conduct telephone screening and invite people in for interviews. With experienced people there is an expectation particularly in interviews that they will perform in a more superior manner to graduates. The good news for graduate job seekers, is that this isn’t always the case. With experience, comes confidence and sometimes laziness around preparation and performance in interviews.
The common mistakes that experienced people make are as follows:
1) A lack of preparation which they are quite often honest about. They might be “experienced professionals” but they miss the basics of preparation and research. It comes across as lazy. If this is how they approach an interview, how will they approach the role?
2) A lack of questionning ability. This is one of the saddest things to see from an experienced person as it is a fundamental part of any interview, regardless of your experience.
3) Talking too much. Perhaps this one is more prevalent with experienced people as they have so much more to say. Talking too much is a crucial error for anyone in interviews.
The bottom line is that no one is perfect in interviews…but there are some fundamental principles to be aware of when you’re meeting someone in this environment. Regardless of your experience levels, always research the company and be sure to articulate this knowledge. Such a basic thing to remember, and yet so rarely so we see it in a face to face interview.
If you’re a recent graduate who is new to job hunting and interviews, take some comfort in what is being revealed here. Experience doesn’t necessarily lead to a great interview, trust me. Even with a lack of experience, just stick to the basics and you’re likely to outperform even those with 15-20 years in the industry!
Davinia
Davinia is the Sales Director of ProGrad Pty Ltd, and is responsible for the sales division within the organisation. ProGrad is a graduate assessment, placement and training company and specialises in the placement of graduates into B2B sales careers across a number of industry sectors. For more information about our unique model, please call 02 8235 8300 or visit www.prograd.com.au
Why am I not getting any interviews?
February 10, 2010 by ProGrad · Leave a Comment
Firstly, you’re probably not alone in not getting any interviews and so please don’t worry. Currently in the job market there are fewer roles and more people competing for them. With such high competition, it is definitely not easy to get offered an interview. This is particularly difficult for graduates at the junior level with limited experience.
First and foremost, have someone look over your resume. Ask someone who is close to you, such as a family member or someone you trust. What I like about this approach is that they are incredibly honest, almost brutally so and will probably provide you with some strong feedback.
If you’re applying for jobs, you should be making a note of what you’re applying for and follow up those applications with a courtesy call. At the very worst, someone might be too busy to take this call. The best outcome however, is you will get to speak directly to the person who is recruiting the role and you have a great opportunity to impress them with your confident commication skills!
The key here is to be proactive in your job hunt. Currently, there is this expectation that employers or recruiters will just get back to the job seekers when the time is right. But that could be weeks! Don’t rely on waiting for their calls. You could be waiting for too long. Cease the moment and get proactive.
We’re like so many other recruiters and are receiving hundreds of applications each week to sift through. We simply don’t have enough man-power to get through all applications and therefore rely on the proactivity of candidates. If you call us directly, you get priority - easy as that. Employers want proactive people. Clearly they don’t want to hire lazy reactive people. And so, in applying for jobs what better way to demonstrate this proactive nature than getting on the phone and making it happen.
Good luck!
Dressing for Interviews
February 9, 2010 by ProGrad · Leave a Comment
For years we have been quite literally telling graduates how they should dress for interviews, there are certain basic principles to adhere to. Wear a suit to an interview (of course), ensure it is well cut, clean and teamed with a clean shirt and tie. Polish your shoes, cut your hair, shave any facial hair and look clean-cut and well polished. For the ladies, wear a suit, iron a shirt, tie your hair back and ensure you are free from distractions. In short, the ladies should “dress for business, not for fashion”.
And yet, time and time again - despite this message we see candidates will still march to the beat of their own drum and wear what they feel comfortable in. Which in essence, makes me think the advice we have given needs a new approach.
So I have been thinking about how in interviews, you are selling yourself. It is as though you are a product, or a brand if you like. You are representing this brand in a face to face environment. How you dress that brand demonstates how that brand would be positioned. If you are a “premium brand”, dress yourself in a premium manner. If your brand is casual and laid back, then your dress is likely to be the same.
Once you’re clear about the brand you’re representing, it is easy to establish what to wear for an interview. Typically, the safe option is to wear a business suit. The Managing Director doesn’t wear a suit? Well, he doesn’t have to. He has probably done his “hard yards” and has proven himself enough to run a business. The approach of visiting this individual without wearing a suit could be read as disrespectful…so be careful.
To play it safe I would strongly recommend that all graduate job seekers should wear a suit. You’ll quickly be told if it is too formal for their office environment. If that is the case, then at least you have the opportunity to turn it around for the second stage interview.
ProGrad regularly provide advice to job seekers at the graduate level and try to assist where possible with organsing interviews. On a weekly basis, we also provide a training session for graduates highlighting the importance of first impressions and how to be successful in graduate interviews. For more information, please contact ProGrad on 02 8235 8300.
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