Tag: interview tips

What Should a Candidate Expect from a Recruiter?

Posted on by Naomi Marshall

A good recruiter will partner with a candidate during their job search and often well into their career. Just like all professional relationships, there is always a limit to what the recruiter is able to do (we cannot force a client to offer you a job), but all candidates should expect the following to happen when dealing with a recruiter. (Sadly, this is not always the case but rest assured, there are plenty of great recruiters out there willing to do all these things and even go beyond!!)

A Face-to-Face Interview

Before a recruiter sends your CV to a client or company, they should have met with you and interviewed you first. From time to time (when urgency is a problem), the recruiter may wish to telephone interview you, or set up a Skype meeting. However in any case, they should absolutely have spoken with you in detail first to understand your experience and what you are looking for. This is as much about an opportunity for you to get to know the recruiter representing you, as it is about you having the opportunity to demonstrate your skills and personality.

The better a recruiter knows you, the easier it will be for them to sell you into their client, and the better your recruiter can explain to their client why you are the right fit and have the right skill-set for the job. Hint: If the recruiter doesn’t know you, they won’t be able to fight for you and back you when it comes to the crunch.

Advice on your CV, Presentation & Interview Tips

Recruiters advising candidates on any improvements that can be made to their CV is part of the service. If you have a terrible CV, but excellent experience that is clearly not represented in your CV – your recruiter should tell you. Any advice or tips that they give you should be constructive and helpful. Again, we want you to get the job and sometimes a little guidance is needed (remember that we are experts on this.)

A recruiter lives and breathes CVs, candidates and clients. We know what we are talking about and if we are telling you, it is because we want to help you.

Briefing before an Interview

Before you go to a client interview, your recruiter needs to brief you about the company, the person you are meeting with and what they are looking for in a candidate. This DOES NOT mean you are not expected to do your own homework and research, however, a good recruiter will give you as many pointers as they can to help you succeed in your interview. It is after all, in their best interest for you to smash the interview!

Feedback on Interviews

Your recruiter should be able to give you feedback on all your interviews, including your interview with them. We can often help guide and advise on where you can improve your interview skills after the first interview (and we hope to pick up anything that could be an issue for a client in that interview – hence the importance of having a face-to-face meeting with your recruiter in the first instance).

It is part of our job to speak in detail with the client after your interview. From that conversation, your recruiter should be able to give you feedback on your meeting with their client and how you went.  Take this feedback on board, as it could be the difference between you nailing your next interview and totally flunking out!

Follow up

A good recruiter will care where you land. Whether they place you, don’t have any appropriate jobs on at the time or don’t in fact place you in your next role – they should follow up with you and keep in touch. A candidate should always expect a follow up email, text, or phone call from their recruiter.

On the flip side of this – you too can follow up with your recruiter.  A solid, two-sided relationship is ultimately the best type of relationship for a candidate and recruiter.

A Friendly Ear

This one is a tricky one as we are all super busy and from time to time, this friendly ear is taken advantage of/the line is a little blurred. BUT any good recruiter will be available as a friendly ear to their candidates.

We understand that just because we see people going through the recruitment phase every day, doesn’t mean that the candidate does as well. As recruiters and consultants to businesses, we are speaking with HR and business leaders daily so we do know a lot of what is going on in companies and how businesses work. Just like in all of life, we appreciate that our knowledge and experience is better shared than kept bottled up. A good recruiter will be available as a sounding board and able to offer some insight when a candidate needs.

Just like in any industry, there are plenty of average recruiters out there but there are some really great ones too.  More often than not, it is the candidate and recruiter who establish a really solid ongoing relationship, that have the best outcomes.

For Naomi and the team at Sprint, we pride ourselves on having genuine and long lasting relationships with our candidates throughout their careers. It is not uncommon for us to place a candidate in several of their roles over the years that pass. This is recruitment at its best. It won’t always work like this, but we hope by sharing the above, you know what you as a candidate should expect from your relationship with the recruiter.

 

Tips on Handling Interview Nerves

Posted on by Naomi Marshall

How do you handle nerves before an interview?   We get asked this a lot from our candidates and truthfully, it is not so much how you stop those nerves but how you manage them. Here are our top tips for prepping for an interview & not letting those nerves get in the way:

  1. Take Control of what you can

Nothing gives your nerves an adrenalin kick like running late or being disorganised for an interview. Make sure you control what you can and be as organised as humanely possible. This means:

  • Do you research a few days before your interview (no cramming on the bus on your way in).
  • Know where you are going, who you are meeting, what time you have to be there and allow extra time for any delays out of your control.
  • Have your outfit picked, ironed and ready to go to avoid any wardrobe malfunctions.
  • Have a good nights sleep the night before (no big nights or hangovers before the Big Day).
  1. Take Care of the Physical Nerve Reactions

If sweaty palms are a side effect of your nerves – be prepared and have a hanky in your bag or pocket (we know – you might have to borrow one from your Nanna – but they are so handy & don’t disintegrate after the first use). There really is nothing worse than shaking hands with a candidate and feeling the balmy squelch as you connect…YUK!

  1. Own your Nerves!

We get it. The Hiring Manager gets it. Everyone is human and nerves are natural. Own them!! Let your interviewer know you are feeling a little nervous and be honest. It will not only help diffuse the situation & let everyone know how you are feeling, it also demonstrates that you are a good communicator who is able to articulate what you are feeling and not being too shy or embarrassed to say so! Also, nerves mean you are keen on the job & want to make a good impression! That never hurts for the interviewer to know!!

  1. Deep Breaths and Take your Time

Your voice is shaky, or perhaps you are talking really fast, maybe you have sweat dripping off your brow as you try to listen to the questions. Sound like you??
STOP. Take a deep breath. Have a drink of water (wipe your brow if necessary). Slow everything down.
Focus on the question you are being asked and answer the question. Don’t waffle. Stop and take a breath whenever you feel like you are starting to nervously waffle, wobble or lose concentration.

Interviews are not easy. They are not mean to be. They are as much as about seeing how you perform under pressure as they are about your experience & getting to know you better. Take control of what you can, do your best to manage the nerves with all the components you can control. Practice deep breaths, have a laugh and run with it. Now is your time to SHINE!

If you want to talk more about how you can prepare for an interview, feel free to get in touch with the Sprint Team.

What do I bring to my interview with Sprint People?

Posted on by Naomi Marshall

Congratulations! You’ve been asked in to meet with the recruiter for an interview. This is the first step to securing that dream job you applied for. Now is the time to shine. Please don’t get complacent about this recruiter interview and fall into the trap of thinking “it’s just the recruiter, it’s not a real interview”.

Meeting with your recruiter is as important as meeting a client. If we don’t love what we see and we can’t see you sitting in front of our client, answering the same questions with the same fabulous answers you are giving us…we won’t be sending you anywhere! Least of all, to our client who are expecting only the best from us. When we send a candidate to a client, you are representing us as well as yourself so we want you to *Shine*.

Which brings us to our question in the title. What do you need to bring to your interview, to demonstrate not only your skills and how right you are for that job, but also to make sure you are a bonafide, registered candidate on our books?

Come prepared
Know how you want to present yourself and your experience. Know your strengths, weaknesses and accomplishments. A job interview is not the time to wing it!

Arrive on time
Early or late – neither looks good. Arrive on time (maybe 2 or 3 minutes early) and announce yourself. Remember how you speak to the reception staff – they will taking in the first impressions and are often called on for insight.

TEMPS – Bring your Paperwork
If you would like to be considered for temp work (now or in the not too distant future), you will need to bring your paperwork so we can pay you!! This includes:
* Tax file number
* Bank details
* Superannuation information
* Any appropriate visa documentation

Bring your Testing
If you have done prior testing with another agency, bring a copy of these results for your file.

Know your Referees
We may need to do a reference check. It is a good idea to have a couple of referees up your sleeve that you can call on if need be. We won’t be calling them without your prior consent (and time for you to give them a heads up), but come prepared with their details.

Bring your Best You!
We want to see you at your best. That way – we know that we are recommending our client hire the right candidate and the best person for the job.

If you would like to know more about how you can prepare for an interview. Please refer to Sprint Coach on our website or get in touch with us directly.

Aligning your Ambition with the Job Interview.

Posted on by Naomi Marshall

When you are talking about “ambition” in a job interview, make sure that you are keeping it relevant and aligning your response to the role you are interviewing for. Make no mistake, ambition is great. It creates energy and enthusiasm in people and it’s what drives them. All very good things.

No employer ever briefs me on finding them a lazy, unmotivated, disheartened employee – ever. What they do, is brief me on a specific job and quite simply the want someone to do THAT job. End of story.

The word “ambition” is often brought up before, during and after an interview. Sometimes clients say that they’d prefer to find someone who isn’t too ambitious, as they would prefer the person to stay in the role for a length period of time (as opposed to going through the effort and expense of re-recruiting quickly). Other times they’re open to recruiting an ambitious person with a bright, active mind – full of new ideas. Perfect for a dynamic, growing business and/or team. It really will depend on the role and company.

But what I need to help you understand is that if you WANT TO GET THE JOB you are interviewing for, then you need to keep your ambition aligned with what an employer would most likely expect for the role that they are recruiting.

Recently I’ve had a few candidates asked the question: “Where do you see yourself in 5 years?” (In the world of office support roles I feel is a ridiculous question. But I will write about why I feel that way next week so stay tuned!)… I had one candidate reply with “running my own childcare centre. I’ve been saving for years now, it’s a pipe dream but I know I’ll get there eventually”.

Ok. So this came from a fantastic EA who had a hell of a lot to give the business and she genuinely felt that would show them that she was ambitious and capable of more than just an EA role. However, we must remember that the client is a CEO, and he is hiring an EA. He wants someone to be the best EA in the ENTIRE world, save his day, make him even more successful than he ever thought he could be and build a close knit business partnership…He doesn’t want to hire someone who isn’t committed to him and his role. You can imagine how that interview ended. She missed out on the role. Sadly, up to that point he wanted to pretty much offer her on the spot (due to her background, presentation and the first 30 minutes of the interview).

It’s not that her ambition was wrong – but sometimes you have to show discretion when you are in an interview. Keep your short term ambitions relevant to the role you are interviewing for and hold off on disclosing your long term ambitions (as long as it doesn’t effect your ability to commit to the job at hand).

Some might say that the role wasn’t right for her, as ultimately she wanted to run a childcare centre. I disagree. It really was a pipedream and for the next 3-5 years she is ready to commit to a fantastic EA role however, by disclosing her ambition she was overlooked.

If you think of how a CEO of any major corporation would answer that question, he wouldn’t be saying to answer the board of Directors , “I’m keen to retire in the country, build up my own B&B business, grow citrus trees and tend my veggie patch’. It doesn’t really scream “hire me” as the driving force of your company.

So by all means be open about your plans for the future but try to keep them relevant to what relates to the employer and the job you are applying for. Use some discretion and make sure your ambition is aligned with the role you are interviewing for.

Naomi Marshall – Director
P: (02) 9271 0011
M: 0422 139 910
E: naomi@sprintpeople.com.au

 

The Must Have Interview Preparation Checklist

Posted on by Naomi Marshall

Do you have an interview checklist? You can only be so prepared for an interview, especially when you are still working in your current job and you are interviewing for multiple roles. However, every candidate needs to do a little bit of preparation before every interview. It’s not only common sense, it will end up being what sets you apart from the competition!!

So with that in mind, and to keep it simple and easy, I wanted to share with you my Interview Preparation Checklist. These are the absolute MUST DO’s before you go into each and every interview (yes…even with us recruiters)!! You can of course do more than this but these are the basic ones that too often, I see candidates skipping some or all of and then losing out on a great opportunity.

Bookmark this page and come back to it before you go to your next interview!

Interview Preparation Checklist:

  1. Research the company
    Hello Google!! But also, ask around, get some insight from any contacts or friends who work there or have worked there. Ask your recruiter for their insight!
    HINT – Did you know that if you type in the name of a company and then under the Google search bar, click on “news”, the results will bring up all the latest news articles about said company. This is a great way to know what is currently going on in this organisation!
  1. Research your Interviewer
    LinkedIn makes this easy – but also take the same approach as above. Ask around, do some Googling. Know whom you are meeting with and what their background is. (It is even better if you can find some common ground or people you both know).
  1. Review your resume!
    I know, this sounds simple but look it over and make sure you know what you have included and left out!! The better you know your resume, the more confident you will be when talking about your experience and your career to date.
  1. Plan your Answers
    Crazy right, how can you predict what you will be asked? Most interviews include some behavioural based questions (click here to find out more). It is really important you have a list of examples you can give to these questions and don’t try to think them up on the spot.
    Have a handful of really good examples you can call on. Usually one example would suit a variety of questions, you just need to be prepared!
  1. Rehearse your examples out loud!
    Don;t worry about sounding silly! You need to practice articulating your answers and examples of your experience out loud. You don’t want to stumble on your responses (and it is an easy thing to do during an interview). Check out what Nyome had to say about this recently here.
  1. Plan YOUR questions.
    Make sure you are prepared to ask the interviewer questions (more often than not, candidates forget this step). Asking questions is so important in an interview and it is an opportunity to demonstrate your enthusiasm for the role as well as the fact that you have researched the company.
  1. Have your outfit planned
    Make sure your shirts are ironed and clean. Suit up and dress to impress. It is always better to be overdressed for an interview than underdressed.
  1. Triple check the interview details
    You are human, mistakes can happen – trust me I’ve made many. Triple check you know what time your interview is, where you are going and how you are going to get there (on time)! Nothing worse than rocking up to your interview flustered because you got the time wrong or couldn’t find the address, etc.
  1. Tell yourself You ROCK!
    Be confident and believe in yourself. As recruiters, we believe in you, that is why we’ve sent you to our client or called you in to meet with us. Remind yourself of your skills and that you are a valuable team member.

Of course, there are other things you can do for an interview and there are sometimes homework “tasks” you are asked to do before specific interviews. But as a rule of thumb, the above checklist works! Being prepared and demonstrating this during your interview (and believe me, clients and recruiters know if you have prepared) really sets you a part from what most of your competition is doing. So take a little time, the day or night before an interview and go over this checklist.

If you are still not feeling confident or have other questions you want clarity around, contact us at Sprint. We are here to help and will always go over any interview preparation you think you may need.