Simply Hired UK Blog

Taking Control of Your Job Search

Let’s face it – outsourcing is very popular, whether it’s the specific design needs of a small company or even your very own job search. While it’s one thing to use industry recognized resources to find employment opportunities and seek advice, it is quite another to place your future entirely in the hands of job agencies and third party organisations. With this in mind, it is important to take control of your own job search, and assume absolute responsibility for your future.

The Benefits of Conducting your Own Job Search

Time is of the essence when it comes to your job search, so being prepared and organised can help to the make the most of the opportunities that come your way. While you may think that outsourcing part of your job search to an agency is productive, remember that you are placing your trust in others and may have to spend a portion of your time managing their time.

By managing your own job search, you have complete control over the jobs that you apply for and those that you don’t – and nobody knows better than you whether a role is suitable or otherwise. Managing the whole of your search also allows you to dictate the exact areas that you are willing to work in and the levels of salary that you would consider.

Searching for employment in a competitive market is a time sensitive issue, so managing your quest gives you the best chance to respond to opportunities as they arise. After all, if an employer rings your phone number rather than an agency’s, you are already ahead of the game when compared to your rival candidates.

Additionally, it is far more time and cost effective for you to drive your own job search, as the time that you spend contacting agencies and chasing them for information could be spent speaking with employers directly. Also, rates of pay may be lower in agency secured roles due to the commission that they take on your salary. 

How to Conduct your Job Search

If you have decided to conduct and manage your own search, you need to develop a strategy to do this effectively. Planning and organisation are significant in defining the success of your search, as is having a clear and concise understanding of the type of role that you are looking for. When planning your search, you should:

• Be ruthless when deciding what roles you may be interested in, and take the time to identify the specific industry sectors and salary bands that interest you. This will help you to make quick and efficient decisions, and make sure that the job you eventually find is the one for you.

• Always make sure that your contact details are included on any document for correspondence connected to an application, and take care to ensure that they are correct. You must be constantly available to potential employers through a range of different mediums.

• Be proactive when contacting employers, and do not be afraid to approach them if you have any queries or concerns. An agent may be hesitant to make regular contact with an employer, whereas by taking control you have the power to communicate with them concerning the role and salary. 

What is your opinion on job agencies, and what do you think the benefits are of conducting an independent search? Share your thoughts below!

The Screening Interview - Making the Right First Impression

There is a saying that suggests first impressions are crucial, and this does not just apply to the world of dating. According to certain reports, an estimated 7% of employers form a judgment about you as a candidate within the first minute of meeting you, and this is based on your appearance, mannerisms and the nature of your body language. This largely explains the purpose of the screening interview, which forces you to make a positive impact within a short space of time spent with a potential employer.

What is a Screening Interview?

A screening interview is a brief entity designed to assess the skills and attributes of a potential candidate, and ultimately phase out applicants who are the least suitable. It is important that you first understand the nature of the interview, so that you can make the best possible impression on the interviewer:

• Consider the event as an impact interview, where you must maximize the brief period of time afforded to you to create the most favorable impression. Plan your time well, and use every question as a base from which to sell yourself as a suitable candidate.

• Although this type of interview is considered as a process for screening out unsuitable candidates, it is also an opportunity for an employer to decide who may make the most valuable contribution to the organization. Bare this in mind, as making a good impression also gives you an advantage during the next stage of interviewing.

• Remember, your task in a screening interview is purely to convince an employer of your value as a candidate. Any discussion concerning salary should be refrained from until the next interview stage.

How Do You Succeed in a Screening Interview?

With these points in mind, how do you go about succeeding in a screening interview? Consider the following to enjoy the experience and secure your goal of achieving a second interview:

• As it is an impact interview, you will need to keep your answers concise and to the point so that you have enough time to articulate your suitability. Consider each answer as an expanded bullet point, and deliver each with confidence.

• By focusing on the positive aspect of the interview rather than the negative, it becomes more of a platform from which to sell yourself rather than an exercise in mere survival. Do not aim to simply make the next stage, but strive to gain the edge on your rivals.

• Focus solely on your skills, experience and personal attributes, and refrain from posing too many detailed questions concerning the role. The screening interview is an exercise to assist the employer rather than yourself, so display your self-belief and remember that you can ask more necessary questions during the next interview stage.

Have you ever undertaken a screening interview, and if so how did you complete it? Do you have any tips on how to sell yourself during the process? 

Things to Avoid During an Interview

The Internet is full of resources that offer interviewing tips to job seekers, and most of these place the emphasis on what to do rather than what not to do. It’s important to keep in mind the pitfalls of a professional interview, and most crucially the subtle behavioural trends that could scupper your dreams of employment. Remember, the most insignificant of details can render a good application bad, so self-awareness is key to making an excellent first impression. 

Everyone has their own opinion on what not to say or do within an interview, as this is often based on an individual’s subjective experience. It is up to you to decipher what is relevant and what is not, and then ensure that your specific answers and conduct are in line with this. So with this in mind, what are the most important statements and behaviours to avoid during an interview situation?

• Displaying inflexibility is potentially disastrous for your chances of employment, especially if it is reflected across the majority of your answers or job history. For example, while it is more than acceptable for you to declare that you are unwilling to relocate for a role, it is quite another to refuse to work any changeable or additional hours where required.

• You cannot expect to be employed by an organization if you display no interest in them, as they will simply assume that you are money orientated and unlikely to stay in one role over time. Regardless of your true motivation to work, do not emphasise salary requirements or display a negligence of a company’s philosophy, successes and suitability to your skills.

• Your social skills and behaviour are a reflection of your quality as both a person and a candidate for employment, so do not neglect the importance of social etiquette in your interview. This applies to everything from how you greet and interact with your potential employer to the way in which you respond to questioning, and gives those present a clear indication as to how you would get on with colleagues and management alike.  

Getting Down to Specifics

So how do these behaviours actually manifest themselves during an interview? While understanding the theory is key, it is equally important to be aware of specific things to avoid during an interview. Consider the following:

• The majority of employment opportunities are based upon cooperation between you, your colleagues and management representatives. If you are therefore unwilling to work either as part of a team or help to cover another’s workload in your role, then an employer is unlikely to think of you as a good fit for their organization. So never dismiss any suggestions of flexible working out of hand, and try to embrace these where possible.

• If you are being questioned about your knowledge of an organization, then there are two things you must avoid. Firstly, if a question is posed that you have not researched, the refrain from attempting to bluff an employer, and instead show a willingness to absorb the information. Similarly, do not simply relay company facts from a website, as this simply suggests that you have little understanding of a brand or their status.

• Finally, and most crucially, refrain from any impolite or aggressive words or gestures. For example, never criticise a former employee, and you should also avoid selling yourself in an overly aggressive or overbearing manner. Remember, your CV should market your skills adequately, so take a quietly confident approach to displaying your ability.

How to Ace Your Sales Interview

As businesses seek to advance through the recent period of economic recovery, they have looked to boost their sales teams with temporary and permanent workforce members. This has created numerous opportunities for individuals to begin or resume their careers as sales representatives, and undertake a prosperous career that can deliver both in terms of progression and financial rewards. However every role or job type has a specific set of interview questions that stand in your way, and it is important to understand these in order to answer them adequately.

What Questions are Asked in a Sales Interview?
While preparation is an important part of acing a sales interview, researching the specific product or service sold by the organisation is only half of the challenge facing you. It’s important that you decipher which skills you will need to display in order to represent the brand, and sell yourself as the most suitable candidate for the role. With this in mind, you will most likely be asked the following questions:

Do you have an example of a time where you dealt with a difficult customer?
This is the question most synonymous with any sales or customer service role, and requires you to give a genuine example of a time where you have faced this situation and resolved it to the satisfaction of both the consumer and your business.

How do you approach achieving targets and goals?
Specific targets play a significant part of any sales team, and companies often set individual targets to staff either in terms of basic revenue generated or the units of product sold. This approach also addresses your own career goals and how you would plan to achieve them. 

Have you ever had to adapt your customer approach during a pitch or sale?
One of the key skills required to work as a salesperson is flexibility, especially when pitching your organisation’s product to different members of your trade or the general public. This question is designed to assess how able you are to change your approach to benefit you and the brand that you represent.   

How to Answer These Questions Suitably
These questions address three of the main skills required to work in sales, which are namely tolerance, an ability to handle targets and workload and flexibility. With this in mind, how do you answer these to give the best possible reflection of yourself as a candidate for employment?

Do you have an example of a time where you dealt with a difficult customer?
When referring to your experience in handling difficult customers, refrain from describing the consumer in question in a derogatory fashion. Be succinct and highlight the issue, the customer’s grievance and your resolution. Be sure to emphasise how you listened and understood the nature of the complaint, before delivering a solution that was beneficial to both parties.

How do you approach achieving targets and goals?
While company structured targets and your own individual career goals may be entirely different, they require the same focus and organisation to achieve in a timely manner. Link the two in terms of your approach to attainment, and highlight any examples in your career where you have met or exceeded targets.

Have you ever had to adapt your customer approach during a pitch or sale?
In terms of answering whether you have had to adapt your customer approach, you must not be afraid to admit that your original strategy was floored. This displays that you are a self aware individual who is able to learn and adapt to their experiences, and that you possess the reactionary skills to turn consumer interest into direct sales.

How will your Greatest Strength Help you to Perform? The Follow Up Interview Question

When people talk about dangers in interviews, they always seem to address specific questions or behavioural patterns which may influence the impression that you give of yourself. However, they do not always consider types of questions or the exact conduct of an employer, and these factors can be just as significant in determining if you get the job. ‘How will your greatest strength help you perform?’ is an example of a follow up interview question, but what exactly does this mean and how can you answer this question effectively? 

What is a Follow Up Interview Question?

One of the most recognised interview questions is ‘what do you consider to be your greatest strength?’, and on our own Simply Blog we have offered suggestions on how to answer this previously. With this in mind however, this can be followed up with a question that asks you to apply this strength to the role which you are applying for, forcing you to support your response with something tangible and of interest to an employer.

A follow up question such as this is designed to make a candidate place importance on everything that they say, and take the emphasis away from sound bites or generic interview responses. You must be ready for this type of question, as otherwise they can expose you as being ill prepared and reliant on bluster rather than actual skills and experience.

These questions, and this one in particular, also require an actual understanding of your strengths and weaknesses, and most importantly how they influence your everyday life and activity. This type of self-awareness is very attractive to potential employers, as it allows you to adapt to different challenges within the work place.

Finally, a follow up interview question of this nature does not necessary come hot on the heels of the initial question, and may be posed later during the process. This is why honesty is a crucial part of your response, as you will need to answer relevantly and support this through understanding and previous experience.

How Do You Deal with This Follow Up Interview Question?

Take a positive and realistic approach to assessing your strengths and weaknesses, as this will help you to understand these and apply them to real life scenarios. If you decide that your most notable strength is your attention to detail, then consider 5 - 10 aspects of your everyday life and how this attribute is used within these.

Secondary to this, read and comprehend the job description of the role you are applying for. It is important to understand each task and duty, and then consider how your strengths may help you to perform these roles adequately. Not only will you understand yourself better, but you are also reflecting this self-awareness through your response.

Finally, do not try to tailor your answer to the job if it has no basis in fact. If the job role requires a set of strengths and attributes that you simply do not have, it would be far better to seek an alternative job rather than try to mislead an employer. This type of follow up question is designed to separate self-aware candidates from those who are not, so keep this in mind at all times.

Can you think of other examples of this type of question, and do you have experience of answering these adequately?