I know that there are a lot of blog posts out there about interview preparation however I still seem to come across so many candidates that miss out on their dream jobs simply because they didn’t take the time to prepare.

If you are applying for a sales role, you are not guaranteed to secure that role just because you have a sales background. A one hour interview gives you such a small portion of time to be able to explain why you are right for a role. If you are unable to give clear concise answers during that hour… then you may very well miss out on the role, even though you were perfect for it!

Before interview, take the time to consider the skills and requirements of the role that you have applied for versus the skills and the experience that you actually have. Ask yourself “If I was the recruiter what would I want to know about the potential candidates for this role?”

For example;

• Does the role you are applying for require a great deal of multi-tasking? If so, then the interviewer will want to hear about times when you have succeeded in multi-tasking in the past.
• Is the position a sales role? If so, the interviewer will want to find out about your success in previous sales environments.
• Am I missing any of the key capabilities? If so, the recruiter will want to know how you will overcome this, or what transferable experience might be relevant.

You get the picture…

Therefore in my opinion, one of the best ways to prepare for an interview is to think about some of the transferrable experiences that you have had in previous roles (that relate to the role you are applying for) and practice explaining them in an easy to follow, chronological order.

The last thing you want to do in interview is stuff up the answer to an easy question just because you run out of time to remember the details, or can’t remember the specific order of events.

When a recruiter asks for an example in an interview, they are looking for a SPECIFIC answer. Not… “I did that all the time” or “I met my KPI’s every day”. They are looking for exact examples of real situations and YOUR exact part within that example.  If you have taken the time to prepare an easy and concise way of explaining your experience you will avoid drawing a blank.

The interviewer will want to hear you talk confidently about your experiences, successes etc. If you stumble, stutter or backtrack it is much harder for that confidence to shine through.

When you walk out of an interview you want to be thinking to yourself “well I have done all I can do and I am feeling confident” not “far out I really stuffed up that basic question about my experience!”

We’re all really busy. More so than ever. Everything is at our fingertips providing instant results. It’s the age of technology and it’s amazing.

However, there are some things that haven’t caught up to this go-go-go revelation. And probably should. Common courtesy and politeness are two things that come to mind.  It is only too often these general manners have been lost or forgotten in our fast paced ever-ready indulgence.

The one thing that I find completely disheartening is the lack of response in returning phone calls, both as a prospective candidate and on the job. I’m sure this fits into the common courtesy category.

As an experienced Executive Assistant currently looking for new opportunities, I’ve had to swiftly adapt to the changing market and methods to a get a look in. The job market moves very quickly, blink and you’ve missed an opening.

Occasionally the standard thank you email comes through. Occasionally the phone rings for a great chat about a position, which may lead to interview. Sadly a large proportion simply don’t respond. I’ve experienced positive conversations ending with “you’ll receive a phone call by the end of the week either way”, yet that phone call doesn’t come. I’ve experienced being the final candidate with referees lined up to never hear about the role again. But these types of behaviour happen in the every day workplace too. I’ve experienced people not responding to me on the job simply because I am the EA and not the boss.

A good EA is integral because they are organised, savvy and well connected. We know as much about the goings on as our boss. We’re the movers and shakers behind the Executive, the glue that binds the pages of the book, if you like. We can be influential and we usually have good memories.

Take a moment out of your busy schedule. Call if you said you would. A short email is quite acceptable, even the standard response is ok, at least then we know exactly where we stand. Either way, have the common courtesy to respond. It is always appreciated.

Written by Sharon Herzog

You read the job ad on SEEK and you believe you are perfect for the job – you’ve got all the qualifications they are asking for. Oh hold on… What does that say? They want someone who has experience with this, that or the other. “Well, I could do that,” you think to yourself. “I haven’t done it before. But, I could learn.”

Given that the job market is as tough as nails at the moment it may be tempting to bluff your CV but is that a really a good idea? Not if you are the former Yahoo CEO Scott Thompson: he was fired last May after he was caught out for including a bogus computer science degree on his CV. With so many social mediums like Facebook, Linked In, Twitter etc. you can assume that everything you say will be checked – and can be verified with the click of a mouse! So how do you sell yourself without a little bit of embellishment? Here are a few do’s and don’ts when playing around with your CV…….

Job Title

Never upgrade your job title, too often when screening resumes recruiters can think “too experienced” when in fact you may be doing that exact job now –you’ve just exaggerated your title. You can of course adjust it if it’s not a common role like “new category consultant (sales consultant)”. This is the first thing people look at on your CV. Recruiters literally read hundreds of CV’s a day, they don’t read every single line so take that into account.

Dates of Employment

Many people lie about gaps in their CV’s or remove temp/ contract roles to show employers they are stable and loyal – DON’T! Fill in all the gaps – if you were travelling……..state it, if you were only in a job for a short time…… include it! You can always explain that it wasn’t the right fit. If you had a few contract roles – list them; just the  job title, company and dates – no need for duties here unless the role is specific! Recruiters don’t want to see your 6 temp reception duties replicated in a row.

Education and training

Never ever lie about your education as this information is very easily verified. If you don’t have tertiary qualifications then list your education at the end of your CV so more emphasis can be placed on your skills and work experience.

Key strengths

Don’t list skills that you don’t have on your CV. This goes without saying, if you are not comfortable with Microsoft Excel – leave it off your resume altogether.  List the skills that you are good at, try be more creative than “Excellent communicator” or “Organised” as this doesn’t set you apart from the competition.

Little things can make the world of difference on your CV to fluff it up and emphasis what you ARE good at not what you WISHED you were good at. A layout that highlights your skills, expertise and summarise your capabilities draws the reader into your CV and as a result you avoid those awkward moments when the truth comes out – and believe me it always does!