Getting That Job

Thoughts and tips on navigating the ups and downs of hunting down the right role.

Wacky interview techniques - do they actually work?

Perusing some of the recent press articles about how companies inundated with applicants are trying to differentiate between them by using what can only be described as wacky interview techniques, it got me thinking…

Granted, if I were in the situation where everyone wanted to work for me and I only wanted to hire the most capable, I’d be creative in my approach, but are these interview questions actually effective to find the right people or are they just headline grabbing?

For me, it’s about going back to basics – what is the point of interviews? Really they’re about uncovering information about someone’s intellect, skills and ability to help decide whether they’ll fit into a company’s culture and be able to do a superlative job, now and in the future.

One of the articles I read was about Saatchi and Saatchi, who are offering potential graduate trainees a chance to give a 30 second elevator pitch about why they should hire them.  On the face of it this is a headline grabber, the only applicants who’ll ace the test are your sales and marketing people.  But Saatchi and Saatchi have actually hit the nail on the head as they are recruiting for their shopper marketing division, so this type of assessment is ideal.  To me it also gives a great flavour of the fun and creative culture at Saatchi and identifies who will best fit in.

The creative interview techniques I’m less sure about are questions such as “tell me about your favourite biscuit” or “if you were an animal what would you be”.  To me these questions don’t uncover the ability or skills that an interviewer may be looking for, or give an applicant a flavour of the business they’d be working for.  They are pointless, often thought up by companies who haven’t taken the time to think about the profile of the individuals who will really drive their business in the future and how best to assess it at interview. The risk is that you end up taking on applicants who are all the same, great at sales and communication, as they can answer these questions amusingly, but lacking in other skills.  Businesses that succeed tend to be diverse and have teams of people who bring a range of backgrounds and experiences to the table.

Google are renowned for their challenging and often off the wall assessment techniques, but where their approach differs is that the questions, for example “how would you weigh your head” or “what number comes next in this sequence…” are designed to assess the problem solving skills and intellectual abilities that Google look for in their new recruits.  Applicants undergo a whole range of assessments as well as meeting people who work for the business. From my experience, it’s companies who this type of scientific approach to assessing candidates’ skills and ability, rather than using wacky techniques, who are more likely to make the right decisions. 

So, there’s a place for wacky interview techniques, but a business uses them at their peril if there is no link between the type of assessment and making informed decisions about the hires with the ability to drive future business success.

Ruth Miller is Director of rma, supporting businesses with advice on talent acquisition, and jobseekers with Career counselling and CV Writing.  If you need advice on how to market yourself effectively to find a new job get in touch. www.being-brand-you.co.uk

Five new ways to market your CV

As a career counsellor, I’m often telling jobseekers that relying solely on agencies to tout their CVs is a mistake. Although it is certainly one way of marketing your credentials, it’s just as important to create your own Brand You action plan..

Here are the top five ways I advise my jobseekers to publicise their CVs:

  • LinkedIn:  Whatever industry you work in and level you are at, this site is a must for those on the lookout for a new job – everyone who is anyone is on LinkedIn.  Get back in contact with old colleagues and ask them to recommend you for jobs; follow companies you want to work for and surf their opportunities; join groups specialising in your line of work.  If you’re not on it you are missing out on a big pool of potential jobs.  The more contacts you have, the more visible you are, so get going on building up those connections. 
  • Facebook contacts: If you are keen to work for a dynamic, communication-savvy brand, or are a new graduate, it’s likely you’ll find companies advertising jobs you may be interested in on Facebook.  “Like” them, so what they post will come up in your news feed. You can also look through your friends and their contacts, and if anyone works for a business you are keen to be introduced to, there’s your way in.
  • Real-world contacts: Think about all the work and social contacts you’ve made over the years, and make a list. Then, get on the phone or send an email to them explaining what you’re looking for.  If they remember you doing a good job they’ll be the first to recommend you for any opportunities they know of or hear about in future.  People are always willing to help if you ask them.
  • Library: Old hat these days?  Definitely not – and a virtual library is just as good.  Use Yell or your local Chamber of Commerce business directory to create a list of companies you would like to work for in your area.  Find out the name of the person who heads up the department you’re interested in and email them direct. This shows initiative and dedication, plus, you’re more likely to grab their attention than an HR person who has hundreds of CVs in their inbox.
  • Work for free: if you’re out of work and looking for a way back in, then get volunteering.  Not only is this good for the old brain cells and keeping you busy so it’s harder to get down about not working, but you could make new contacts as many businesses encourage their employees to give time to local charities.  At the very least you’ll improve the content on your CV!

 
And finally, there’s no-one better than marketing your Brand You than you, so get out there, believe in yourself, and shout from the rooftops about how brilliant you are! 

Can you use transferable skills to change career?

Well, it’s probably worth defining what transferable skills are before we tackle this contentious issue. They are usually described as behavioural skills that are applicable to any industry. They could be:

  • Communication skills
  • Ability to work with customers
  • IT skills
  • Meeting deadlines and multi tasking
  • Working in a fast paced, pressurised environment
  • Dealing with change

Of course this list is by no means exhaustive, but it gives you an idea of the skills you could highlight to any employer in any sector. 
 
So, when recruiting, do employers really look at transferable skills or is experience everything? 
 
Peter Reilly, who is director of human resources, research and consultancy at the Institute of Employment Studies, commented just this week on how important having transferable skills is when you find yourself out of work. He said, “The people who are most likely to fare best are the people who have got generic skills.”

But you need to take a common sense approach. If a job advertisement is looking for technical skills gained on the job, for example in roles like accountancy and law, then you don’t stand much chance of success without them.  But in commercial businesses where it’s about how you ensure customer satisfaction, like retail and sales, then it is much easier to transfer your skills. 
 
Generally, the more senior you are, the harder it is to move careers as there is going to be a level of industry knowledge and technical skills that will be expected. Look at the job description; the greater the emphasis on skills gained from a specific job or industry, the more likely a recruiter is looking for experience. But if they are focusing more on behavioural skills, then you’re more likely to be considered as a candidate.  For example, even in a senior role, if you have had experience managing a large team and a key part of the job you are applying for requires this skill it is much easier to transfer. 
 
So, how do you prove to a recruiter that you have the ability to start a new career in a different industry?  Here are the key things:

  • Tailor your CV and cover letter for each application to pick up on the skills that the job description is asking for.
  • Create a short and focused personal profile at the top of your CV detailing your transferable skills. Make sure it steers away from clichés like “perfectionist who is results orientated” or “works well under pressure”.
  • Focus on your transferable skills and ruthlessly cut out any references to industry jargon and technical skills that aren’t relevant to the job you are applying for.
  • Think creatively about all the skills you have picked up; for example, if you have been at home looking after children or out of work, you may have had voluntary work experience which has expanded your skills.
  • If you’ve changed direction in your working life, perhaps self funding a return to college or demonstrating your drive and determination to succeed in other ways, then those are great skills to include.
  • When preparing for an interview, think about scenarios in your career that demonstrate you have the skills the employer has mentioned.

People are likely to have at least two different careers during their working life, and with today’s rapidly changing job market it’s my guess employers will be looking for transferable skills more and more. 

“Tell me about yourself” what’s worth telling?

Being crowned county trampolining champion at nine or “finding yourself” trekking in Borneo are great life experiences, but they won’t convince a recruiter to give you a job. As an experienced interviewer, I freely admit “tell me about yourself” is one of the hardest questions to answer; you’ll be nervous at the start of the interview and the question couldn’t be more open.


To help you figure out what are the most important things to say, imagine you’ve only got an ad break to fill. You need to get across your unique selling points before it finishes, so you need to be ruthless with the facts. 


Here are a few good places to start:

Career history
In which part of your career or during what educational experiences can you highlight some really interesting personal achievements?  At this stage, don’t go into detail, the interviewer may pick up on them later if you spark their interest.  Try to give them a flavour of your personal approach to work and what drives you.

Job description
Pick out areas that illustrate you have the skills detailed in the job description.  What parts of the role would really motivate you and have you got any examples to prove that you are the right person for the job? in, you don’t need to go into detail, just a headline about what you have done.

Research
Every employer wants to be wanted, so make sure you do your research on them!  If you can tie in why you are interested in their company or what you know about them while answering this question, you’ll always impress.
 
In my 15 years of interviewing, the two most common mistakes are to go through the minutiae of your CV without demonstrating relevance to the job, or to sound as if you spout the same identikit story to every employer, so that your interest in the company seems insincere.

So, when you’ve figured out your personal advertisement, remember:

  • Keep it short - no more than five minutes.
  • Don’t go into too much detail.
  • Drop in relevant snippets of your research.

Recruitment consultants: best friend or sales shark?

Having spent many years in the industry, I know that both can be true.  But you can find helpful consultants and keep them on side just by following my three “R” guide:


Recommendations:  There are literally thousands of recruitment consultancies out there, so how do you know who to register with?

  • Ask for recommendations from people you trust.   
  • If you’ve been made redundant and can look for a job openly ask your HR team who they use to recruit.
  • Getting a name you can call is a great start as you already have a “warm contact”.
  • Look on a consultancy’s website to see who their biggest clients are.  Are they businesses you want to work for?

Relationships:  Recruitment consultants are paid only when they successfully place people. So it’s no surprise that as sales people they will see you as a product they could make money from! Make sure they treat you as a human being instead by establishing personal relationships with them.

  •  Keep in regular contact and let them know about any other jobs you are going for.
  • The best consultancies will interview you face to face to get to know you, or at the very least conduct a telephone interview.  Be sceptical about how professional they are if they don’t! Never agree to be put forward for the same job by several different consultancies and make sure your consultant won’t send out your CV without speaking to you – you could really annoy  a potential employer if they see your CV more than once.
  • Register with the best three to four consultancies in your area of expertise.  Quantity is not necessarily better here; the quality of consultancy and their clients is much more important.


Reliance: Finally, don’t rely entirely on recruitment consultants. Most employers are cutting costs by using them less and will try every other method of attracting applicants first. 

  • Make the most of job sites, social networking sites and company websites too. 
  • Ask your friends or ex-colleagues who work for companies you’re interested if they run employee referral schemes.

Good luck with forging solid relationships with the best recruitment consultants out there!