Career Advice

10 Tips  for a Brilliant Interview - How to wow your way through an interview

1. Manage first impressions
Be aware that an interviewer is making a decision about you in the first 30 seconds. The way you dress, sound, and move are all taken - quite wrongly - as indicators of your job performance. Read the dress and behaviour codes of the organisation; try to look and sound as if you already work there.

2. See the recruiter’s perspective
Do your homework: scrutinise the job advertisement; read through company literature - ring the press office and ask for recent press releases. Look at the big picture: what problem is the job there to solve? Learn about company culture from websites and press articles, but - better still - find someone who can tell you the inside story.

3. Analyse the job
Take an A4 pad and draw a line down the middle. On the left-hand side write out all the requirements of the job, trying to work out what is really on an employer’s shopping list. In the right-hand column, write down your matching experience and achievements.

4. Focus on your message
Think about your overall message: what do your CV, your application letter and your interview performance say about you? Work out a clear, upbeat answer to the question ‘Why are you interested in working here?’ and prepare your evidence. In an interview this means you have to offer convincing mini-narratives. Begin with a situation - a time, place and context where you used a particular skill. It doesn’t have to be an earth-shattering event. Talk about your individual contribution. If your contribution was as part of a team, how effectively did you fulfil your team role? Then talk about the outcome.

5.  Learn how to translate
Don’t assume that a recruiter will see the relevance of your work history or qualifications. Learn how to translate what you know and can do into employer language. Dig deep for evidence of work-related experience (temporary or summer jobs, work placements or visits), and ensure you provide evidence of achievement around key skill areas - team- working, goal orientation, IT awareness, communication and negotiation.

6.  Pick up the clues
The snippets of information the interviewer gives you about the job, the questions that are asked - these things give you clues about the job, but also tell you what language to use. If the questions are all about targets and performance, your language can shift to take the same emphasis. Do the same thing with questions about people, ideas, planning - feed the interviewer with the key words she expects to hear. Don’t be shy about using this year’s buzzwords. Panel interviews are particularly tuned in to a checklist approach, so showing that you are aware of up-to-date issues can get boxes ticked very quickly.

7 Pace yourself
Be aware of the structure of an interview. Some interviewers want to jump straight in with a question of the ‘Tell me about yourself’ variety. Others will have a game of two halves in mind - a first half where they go through a checklist of the things they want to know, and a second half where they probe things more deeply and get a chance to discover some background. If you sense a “checklist” approach, don’t go into too much detail with each question, since it irritates the interviewer. You can always give a brief answer and then offer more detail if it’s helpful.

8. Listen for a change of timeframe
Most interviews begin with looking at your past by digging around in your CV. If you address the needs of the job, the discussion will inevitably shift from your past to the present - what are you doing right now? What are you looking for? Recruiters buy in to a short, clear summary of (a) who you are, (b) what you have done so far, and (c) what you want to do next. Try not to have too many fuzzy edges, particularly around the future. The important thing isn’t that you are 100% convinced, but that you appear to have 100% conviction. This is particularly important when dealing with recruitment consultants, as they like to have a very clear idea of which candidates make a straightforward fit to a client vacancy.

If things go well, the timeframe moves to the future. You’ll hear the interviewer say, ‘In this post you would...’ or, ‘If you join us you will....’ Try to encourage this by asking questions about the way the job will develop in the future and do what you can to stay firmly in future mode, encouraging the employer to see you in the job. 

9 Prepare for killer questions
There’s some evidence that interviewers are increasingly using ‘sudden death’ interview techniques. Even fairly standard questions like ‘Where do you want to be in five years’ time?’ or ‘Why do you want this job?’ can stop you in your tracks. Worse still are questions about your weak points. Everyone likes to talk about winning experiences at interview, but a good interviewer will ask you to talk about failures and near misses. If this happens, emphasise what you learned and would do differently.

Even more difficult to handle are ‘off-the-wall’ questions supposedly designed to sort the sheep from the goats. Someone may just ask you, ‘If you were an animal in the jungle, what kind of animal would you be?’ Others include, ‘How would you stick jelly to a ceiling?’ or ‘Who is your hero in life?’. Quick wit and a light touch are your only hope when up against such oddities, but do expect the ‘sell me this paperclip’ variety of question if you are going for a sales related role, and don’t be surprised if you’re expected to role play against an angry customer if you’re going for a service sector job.

10 Have your own questions ready
Too many candidates smile gratefully because the grilling is over and say ‘I think you’ve told me everything I need to know’. Wrong answer. What you say now could be remembered far more than anything else you have uttered during the interview. Don’t ask no-brainer questions about company structure (study the website). Don’t ask how much the job pays (try to discuss money only when you are offered a job). Ask questions about the future of the job. Do ask about the way the role might develop and about opportunities for training. These questions help to create a firm picture of you actually doing the job. Create that picture strongly enough, and the recruiter quickly gets to ‘we must have this person’ before you have left the room.

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The six habits of successful job-hunters

They say that habits become your destiny. But if that’s the case and if a great job is your dream destination, then how will you get there? Successful habits require flexing your career muscles in a determined way. Read on for six of the best tips

1. Be proactive
Proactive candidates stand out: “It’s easy to follow a well-worn path - to apply passively to published advertisements, register with one or two agencies, and half-heartedly put the word out that you’re looking for something ‘interesting,’” explains careers expert John Lees. Instead, take nothing for granted (“Read every line in your CV and ask yourself ‘so what?’”), and actively seek unadvertised connections and opportunities (see #3).

2. Research
The most successful applications are where careful preparation has been done on what the job involves, what’s going on in the sector and who the competitors are. The winners will be candidates who’ve done their research and looked at how it fits in with their skills.

3. Speak to people
A key strategy, and the easiest way to get the edge on your competitors. Ask around, don’t discount family and friends who might just know someone who knows someone, and try to keep in contact with former colleagues as they will provide a useful network. You want to glean essential advice on what the company is looking for in its employees, what the work culture is like and how you can best sell yourself to them.

4. Get a life
Hiring well-rounded employees is increasingly important to organisations. Besides academic results, or evidence that you’d been in a job role for a while, employers want to see examples of your attributes and experiences, whether that’s being extra proactive at work or undertaking an activity outside work which shows what a motivated person you are. Employers like people who get involved and make a difference. Plus it gives you more to talk about at interview.

5. Keep learning
Ideal candidates are adaptable, open-minded and eager to learn. “To demonstrate this in applications and interviews, don’t talk in terms of ‘what I’ve done’ but ‘what I have learnt from what I’ve done,”advises Professor Lee Harvey who is an expert on employability at Sheffield Hallam University. “Do not undersell your achievements, but do avoid arrogance,” he says. “Don’t say things that imply you know it all. You have to show you are keen to keep learning.”

6. Keep your chin up
Everybody gets rejected. It’s how you handle it that counts. Ask for feedback from employers and remember that negativity isn’t helpful. Use friends and family as a source of support. They can also give you really positive feedback on what your unique strengths are. It helps you reflect on what you have to offer.

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GETTING BACK INTO THE JOB MARKET CAN BE DAUNTING. EXPERT JOHN CAUNT SUGGESTS 8 WAYS TO KEEP YOUR SELF RESPECT INTACT.

1 Set goals
Confident people tend to have a clear sense of where they are going. They know what is important to them and what they are trying to achieve. When you are goal setting be Clear, Realistic, Economical (don’t set too many or you’ll get demotivated) Active (rather than resolving to ‘be promoted in a year’ frame your goal in active terms i.e. ‘to demonstrate that I have the skills to work at a higher level’). And consider the Means by which you aim to achieve them. This may require that you learn new skills or behaviours, which are goals in themselves.   If you have several goals that you wish to achieve think about setting smaller targets.

2 Realise the importance of attitude
If you can’t control the situation control your attitude. Avoid the tendency to view yourself as a victim, instead adopt the role of competent professional, even if you don’t feel it. To shift your viewpoint ask questions to yourself: how else can I look at this, what are my options, what new things have I learnt from this experience? Simply raking over the debris is not the way to do it.

3 Set your own criteria for a job well done
Whenever possible make your own measures of achievement independent of other people’s judgement. With a job interview, for example, step back from the result and look at how you dealt with the questions,

not whether they selected you. This approach allows you to take the lead in examining what you might do differently in the future. Don’t solely put your self confidence in the hands of others.

4 Don’t take it personally
One of the most unfortunate tendencies in dealing with setbacks and failure is to treat them as indicators that there is something wrong with us rather than as challenges to change our behaviour. We start to see ourselves as failures rather than people who have experienced failure. The ability to learn from failure is important and that learning will be hampered if it’s accompanied by self-disparagement.

5 Set graded challenges
If you are scared of speaking up in meetings, set yourself the target of asking one question or making one simple point. Reward yourself for achieving this then set yourself a new level. Even if they are small steps or there are times when your confidence takes a dip the overall trend will be upwards.

6 Visualise your success
Routinely picturing yourself succeeding can make a significant difference in your performance. It serves to remove psychological limitations you have placed on yourself through negative self talk. To prepare for an interview mentally rehearse the way you will talk to the person, the words you will use, even your body language. Repeatedly visualise yourself handling the situation assertively and successfully. If any negative elements come into the picture don’t dwell on them just gently let them go. And remember that visualisation is a supplement not a replacement for any other preparation!

7 Make affirmations
Our self belief or absence of it is partly a result of the messages we have fed ourselves. But just as negative self talk leads to a loss of confidence, positive affirmations can boost it. Consciously eliminate the negative messages and replace them with simple constructive statements of encouragement. Repeated frequently enough they can make a real difference.

8 Laugh
The ability to laugh at yourself is an essential skill of a survivor. Searching out the humour in your situation allows you to step back and get it in perspective. Plus laughter has a genuine role in the reduction of stress and tension. When we laugh at ourselves we are acknowledging our shortcomings in a way that doesn’t carry the negative impact of self condemnation.

LAUGH AT YOURSELF. IT WILL HELP KEEP THINGS IN PERSPECTIVE!

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Skills to Die For

What will make you shine in the job market?  Well, every employer is looking for a different mix of experience and expertise but there is something that they are all after: soft skills. Read on for our definitive list of the top eight skills that employers really want.

Initiative
Over 90% of companies are SME’s (250 people or less), requiring employees that are hands-on, prepared to come up with ideas and get involved. The same applies with the bigger employers. Try to show that you’ve gone the extra mile in your last job. List areas where you looked for ways to make your organisation or job role more efficient and where you identified areas for improvement.

Team work
What job doesn’t involve team work?  Can you communicate, get on with people and motivate them? Many companies have a flat structure and small project teams are the norm. The teams are often made up of people of all ages, backgrounds and from various departments within the company (IT, marketing, technical etc). Consequently you need to exhibit team skills and the potential to manage people, some of whom might even be older than you.

Confidence
Don’t mistake this for arrogance. We are talking about self awareness, direction and an ability to articulate your skills by using evidence of what you have learnt. At interview stage it comes across not only through body language but if you’re able to deal with nerves, or being put on the spot by a difficult question. Have the confidence to say “I don’t know” rather than being flustered and unable to cope. Think relaxed, composed and poised.

Flexibility
The world is moving fast, and businesses are in constant flux. Employers are looking for staff who can handle changing workloads and demands. Think of examples to demonstrate your adaptability, such as balancing a demanding schedule, picking up an absent colleague’s workload or running a project at the last minute.

Business awareness 
The employer’s agenda is focused on ‘what are you going to do to add value to our business?’  Even in the not-for-profit sector, this means awareness of customer care and best value. Think about times that you have managed a budget under deadlines, either alone or in a team. And develop your understanding of the business world by reading the papers and watching the news, making particular note of information that is directly relevant to the company you are applying to.

Problem solving
How many times have you read terms like ‘you will hit the ground running’ in a job ad? Probably the most desired skill is critical ability: being able to take things apart and think along different lines. Employers want people who can think outside the box and deal with tricky situations, be they human (defusing an argument, using diplomacy) or technical (the ability to sit down and logically work something through within a timescale).

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Write a Brilliant Cover Letter

IT’S THE FIRST THING THAT THE RECRUITER WILL READ ABOUT YOU AND COULD MAKE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN YOUR CV HITTING THE BIN OR HITTING THE RIGHT NOTE. READ ON FOR TIPS FROM SECSESS.

The CV and cover letter routine is essential for many applications, whether you are applying by post or, more commonly, by email.  Employers might receive several hundred CVs for one position and your cover letter is the first information they read about you, and is therefore crucially important.  

“If the cover letter is rubbish and you’re applying for a competitive job, then the recruiter may not even read your CV,” argues Colette Cooke, careers consultant at the University of Manchester. “People tend to put all their effort into the CV and often rush the cover letter, writing something like ‘Please find enclosed my CV - I’m available for interview.’ This completely underestimates the impact of the cover letter, so all the time you should be thinking ‘How am I going to set myself apart from the competition?’”

When you send an email apply exactly the same principles. Too many people believe that using email allows for some informality which often translates as sloppiness. You can either include your cover letter as an attached document or, better still, as part of the email main text.

COLETTE ADVISES THAT:

Your letter should be one side of A4 (three or four paragraphs) and it should be quite concise. “Don’t include info that is not in the CV. It’s a flyer - the preview to the main event, which is your CV.”

Keep it short, keep it professional and “if you want to use some bullet-points, then fine.”
Make it personal: “Make a phone call so you can actually address the letter to a specific name. It shows some initiative.”

“The key thing is saying not just about what the job has to offer you, but why you’re interested in that organisation, so spend a bit of time (perhaps on their website) to find out how they’re different.”

 “Don’t over-flatter them or be crawly.”

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10 tips for Perfect Presentation

Confident, poised and capable, that’s how you want to appear when you meet a prospective employer.  Communications trainer Liz Banks takes you through the steps.

Controlling nerves
It is natural to feel nervous before an interview, but when you are nervous you are more likely to rush and this will make you feel even more nervous.  To help control this, take two deep breaths before you start, breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth.  Try to breathe out for as long as possible and think of releasing tension with the out breath.  This breathing technique will encourage you to slow down when you start to speak and help you create a more confident first impression. 

Speaking clearly and confidently
When you speak, you want the interviewer to sit up and take notice of what you say. To do this it is very important that they hear every word.  If some of your words are unclear, merge together, or are too fast they will soon lose interest.
To help maintain a clear voice that is easy to follow, take your time over each word you say.  Don’t snatch at any words.  Each word has a beginning, middle and end – even if it only consists of one syllable so make sure each part of the word is fully pronounced.  Leaving off word endings can give the impression that you are hesitant and your voice will lack conviction.

Using pauses to control your pace
Speaking in a steady pace will also help the interview to listen and remember what you are saying.  When you first start to speak, it helps to pause at the end of your first sentence for a couple of seconds.  This will help you to control your pace and you will be less likely to speed up once you start speaking.  Pausing also gives you time to collect your thoughts and you will be less likely to lose track of what you are saying or for your mind to go blank.

 
Make a strong first impression
People make judgements about you from your non verbal communication – the way in which you say things and use your body language.  So, to project yourself in a positive way, you need to make a confident entrance.  Make sure that you look at the interviewer when you shake his/her hand.  Ensure that your handshake is firm but not bone-crushingly forceful.
Good posture can help generate a confident attitude.  It is very difficult to project a confident manner if you slouch in your chair.  To achieve a strong first impression, ensure that the small of your back is firmly in the back of the chair when you sit down so that your sitting position is strong and your back is well supported.

Using eye contact effectively
Eye contact also helps you maintain a confident style and it is important to maintain focused eye contact during the interview.  The key time to look at someone is at the end of your sentence as this helps cement the message in that sentence.  If you look away at that moment you may appear hesitant and your words will lack conviction.
If speaking to an interview panel the rule of thumb is to give around 3 seconds of eye contact at random to individuals on the panel.  This is long enough to engage with individuals without over-staring at any particular individual. 

Preparing for questions
Before your interview, brainstorm all the difficult questions you could be asked.  Write down the questions on prompt cards.  On the reverse side write down the answers you would give.  Practise the questions and answers so that they become very familiar to you.  The more you practise, the more you will be prepared for them in your interview.  Having prepared answers to hand can help you to avoid any mental blockage which can happen when you are thinking on your feet and under pressure.

 
‘Tell me about yourself?’
This is one of the most common openings in an interview but it is often difficult to think up a well structured response when put on the spot.  The purpose of this question is to give you an opportunity to make a good first impression and say something unique about yourself.  You are not trying to give your life history, just a few interesting facts about yourself to help make the interviewer remember you.  To prepare beforehand, brainstorm three key things about yourself to use in this question.  For example a recent success, a personal challenge, your main skills/qualities.  The number 3 tends to be the magic number that people remember things in. 

Preparing the interview presentation
Create a strong opening to capture the interviewer’s attention and clearly communicate your key message.  The opening needs to clear and succinct.  A long rambling opening gives the impression that it is going to be a long rambling presentation.  Likewise the ending should also be memorable.  Use the opportunity to re-emphasise your key message.
Restrict the main body of your presentation to three main sections.  This helps to keep a strong focus.  Each main section is like a mini presentation.  It should have a beginning, middle and end.  This makes it easier to follow and easier to remember.

Delivering the interview presentation
Apply the voice techniques mentioned earlier – to help you make a confident delivery.  Remember to use pauses to help you maintain a controlled pace throughout the presentation.  Ensure that you stick to the required time limit and that you don’t go over this – this means rehearsing the presentation beforehand so that you are totally comfortable with the material.  Learn your opening and ending off by heart to create a strong first and last impression.

Leave a lasting impression
Finally – try to enjoy your interview.  If you look as it you are going to enjoy the experience you will send out the right signals.  At the end finish confidently with a smile and avoid any apologetic comments even if it hasn’t all gone according to plan.  If you don’t draw attention to these things they are less likely to be noticed.

Liz Banks is the managing director of Skillstudio Limited, a specialist communication training consultancy that uses proven theatrical techniques with a pragmatic, business-focused approach to help develop clients’ presentation and communication skills.
www.skillstudio.co.uk

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The 6 Worst CV Mistakes
There maybe no single right way to construct a great CV but there are plenty of things which you can do wrong. Read on for a lowdown on the worst.

1. “Achievements: Came First in St Margaret’s Primary School Annual Egg and Spoon Race (1967).”
Writing everything you’ve ever done, including getting your swimming medal when you were 12 won’t impress anyone. This is not an autobiography. Your job working in a shoe store when you were 15 may have a limited bearing on your application to a marketing company, for example. Including such details could dilute the impact of your other, more relevant skills and experiences. Your aim is not to show your infinite accomplishments but to beat the opposition and you’ll do this by demonstrating that you have the skills necessary to the job in hand.

2.  “And then I took a job as assistant to John Stokes who was a very nice man and……”
Don’t ramble on. Stick to two pages for your CV, three maximum. Having two well-spaced pages has a much greater impact than a meandering five-page tome. Think of the poor recruiter and what a friend you’ll make if you cut to the chase. If they have to hunt for the relevant details on your CV, they could get bored and frustrated – and could discount your application altogether so consider the layout carefully. It’s no longer enough to list qualifications, job titles, firms and dates and expect your audience to guess the rest. Use three or four bullet-pointed phrases to highlight responsibilities and achievements. Use succinct, sharp phrases rather than flowery sentences.

3. “l left this job because I hated it and was bored.”
Choose your words carefully. Sprinkling your CV with professional jargon and industry buzzwords could help your case. According to researchers the University of Hertfordshire there are 10 words that ensure CV success: achievement, active, developed, evidence, experience, impact, individual, involved, planning and transferable skills. Others that might hit the target are ‘action verbs’ like delivered, evaluated and negotiated. The researcher’s top 10 words to avoid were: always, awful, bad, fault, hate, mistake, never, nothing, panic and problems.

4.  “In my spare time I enjoy ferret racing. ”
Never regard the ‘Hobbies and Interests’ section on your CV as unimportant stuffing. Presented well, it might just give you the edge. Your mission is to attract an employer’s eye as they sift through a huge pile of applications and allow them to get a more rounded picture of you.  Often it’s not the hobby itself that’s important, but the skills you develop doing it. And be careful about putting more unusual interests in there as they might not reflect well on you. More than 80% of recruiters in a survey said that what is listed in other interests can have an influence on hiring decisions and anything too “weird” can have a negative effect. These include real life example such as the one listed above and Samurai sword collecting. ‘Voluntary work’, ‘team sports’ or ‘travelling’ were rated highly by recruiters. ‘Drinking’, ‘reading’ and ‘socialising’ got a thumbs down.

5. “After saving the company from bankruptcy I was awarded Employee of the Year 2005………”
For some candidates there are lies, damned lies and CVs: more than 70% of HR managers frequently experience cases of mispresentation on CVs from prospective candidates, according to a recent survey. But with advances in technology and databases, your sins will find you out. Fabricating hobbies, interests and work experience is a similarly dangerous game as you’ll often be asked about these in interviews. Also be aware of your own internet profile. Google yourself – employers will. If the first hit is of those compromising pictures of you at that hen night last year then get them removed. Ditto anything which similarly contradicts an image of you as a savvy business minded person.

6. “Full driving license”
Accuracy: comb through your CV for errors and get a friend to cast an eye over it, too. It’s amazing what gets through the spell-check. “I’ve lost count of the number of CVs I’ve received indicating experience in pubic services,” shudders one recruitment consultant. One of the most common is listed above. License is correct when you are using the word as a verb but what you own is a driving licence. As license is a correct spelling the spell checker won’t pick it up but plenty of recruiters will and it serves as an irritant to them.

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Sell your Skills
Underselling yourself on the job market? Many candidates are. Secsess gives you 8 ways to sell your skills.

1. Know what confidence is.
Self-efficacy, despite sounding like a disease, is actually an individual’s estimate or personal judgment of his or her own ability to succeed, says Gilleard. “In a way it boils down to self-esteem. If you believe in yourself then there's a higher chance that others might also believe in you.”

2. Think up examples.
Good skills can be established in many different ways. You don’t have to have lead a team of 20 to glory and victory in your last job in order to demonstrate that you’ve leadership qualities. You probably have more examples than you realise. Sit down and list what you do with your time both in work and out. Next to each example think about the types of skills which you need to manage these tasks. Don’t discount anything you do. It can be as simple as caring for an elderly relative (organisational skills, time management, dedication) or working in a bar (communication, people management, ability to work under pressure),

3. What’s your point?
Conciseness and relevance are all: don't include information without knowing how it strengthens your application or answer. Put yourself in the employer's shoes - what information would be valuable to you?
You want the recruiter to believe that you’ve done your homework on the company and have thought very seriously about what you can offer them. Don’t just turn up and rattled off your skills. Research carefully what skills the employer is looking for.  Look at each one and to review whether you have these skills. List at least two examples of how you have demonstrated them.  

4. Break it Down
Try to quantify what you’ve done. Rather than saying “I helped out at my local school” break down what you did. “I hold hour long reading sessions with 32 children under the age of seven every morning.” And don’t ramble on. Careers advisers suggest breaking down your answer into three chunks. About 15 per cent of that should be the situation or problem. The majority (about 70 per cent explaining how you solved or dealt with the situation, and what skills you used to do that and how you evaluated it (communication, creativity, leadership). The final 15 per cent should explain the outcome of your example. 

5. What did you learn?
It’s all very well to have a list of amazing achievements like scaling Everest and running the London Marathon but this won't impress employers unless you can articulate the skills you learnt from it and how they relate to the role in question. Again breakdown the skills which you have used.

6. Be Active
Another classic mistake in CVs and application forms is to write in a passive voice. Splashing statements such as "I was required to run weekly reports on behalf of the marketing manager" over lacks impact. Better to write, 'I compiled weekly reports for the marketing manager', then go on to say what use was made of your reports to demonstrate your effectiveness. What were the end results? Think about this during interviews too. Use action words like 

7. Learn the true meaning of communication
Yes you can read, write and talk. But what employers actually want are quite high-level communication skills, including empathy and persuasion - being able to make an impact on people, whether it's in a presentation or in a written report, or by giving feedback. Try to think of examples that demonstrate these skills when you are answering questions about communication.

8. Train yourself
The ability to promote yourself needs developing over time. You should use every opportunity to build these skills. Booking yourself on to a presentation skills course, volunteering for major presentations in your job, or put yourself in positions of responsibility which you normally might shy away from in order to develop your skills.

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Make the most of Recruitment Consultancies

Just like a matchmaking agency recruitment consultancies match job hunters with employers. They can be the perfect way to find your dream employer. But how can you get the best out of the experience?

1. Appreciate the advantages
There are key advantages to getting a recruitment agency to help you in your job search. A main one is that there are hundreds of good jobs out there that never get advertised. Recruitment agencies often have these vacancies on their books and might be able to put you in touch with the right one.

2. Dress to impress
Just like the employer the recruitment consultant will be assessing your suitability as a good candidate. It is in the recruitment consultants’ interest to find good job candidates. Why? Because many recruitment consultants earn commission on the people they place into jobs and they don’t want to take on someone who is difficult to place.Treat the consultant’s interview as a job interview. Dress smartly, rehearse questions they may ask and look interested in what they have to say. First impressions count.

3. Find an agency with relevant clients
Different agencies specialise in different fields. Do your research before approaching the consultancy to ensure that they offer the kinds of jobs you are after.If a friend has been treated well by an agent or agency, then use them too. When you talk to agencies, ask how many clients they have in their sector, even how many people they find jobs for per month.

4.Get ready to get started
The job process may move faster than you expect so make sure that when you sign up you aren’t heading off to Thailand for a month. If it’s a busy time on the job market you might go for an interview with the consultant and then start heading out to job interviews later that week.

5. Get on with them
The relationship you build with a consultant is vital.The more time you spend talking with a consultant, the more chance they have to find you a suitable vacancy. If they call you call them back, don’t leave it to them to chase you. And likewise don’t call all the time. If they aren’t calling you back when they say they will then you clearly aren’t getting the service you deserve. But likewise if they say they will call you on Wednesday don’t call them on Tuesday just because you are getting impatient.

6. Don’t be afraid to temp
Temping jobs can lead to permanent placements. Temping in a field you like could open doors and it’s a good way to prove your enthusiasm for the job. It’s also really good networking and gives you a chance to see inside a variety of different companies.

7. Get the most out of it
Many consultancies offer skills training and CV services or at the least will offer good advice on what you need to do with your CV, interview mannner or general approach to the market. Listen to it! This is free advice from an experienced professional. It’s in the agency’s best interest to ensure that you present yourself well at interview so you could benefit from some good advice.

8. Get online
Online recruitment sites provide the perfect place to get your CV to a number of recruiters. They can put you in touch with the people that are offering the kinds of jobs you are after, to save you trawling throught the websites of hundreds of different consultancies. Plus signing up for email alerts can be a great way to get all the latest jobs through to your inbox.

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You’ve been warned! Secsess has uncovered behaviour that guarantees instant rejection

1. Lack of research.
Lucy, now a senior recruiter, remembers being caught out at the very start of the interview. “I’d gone for the interview having done very little preparation. The recruiter asked me what I knew about the organisation, which was an IT consultancy. I told them ‘Well I was reading your webpage yesterday but I don’t know a lot’ expecting them to tell me about themselves. But they replied ‘Well why did you apply for us then?’
There is simply no excuse for not swotting up as much as you can on your interviewer’s firm ‘So get to grips with the company's products and services, its structure and the role for which you are being considered (the duties it involves and how you are suited to it).

2. Monosylabic answers
‘The worst is when a interviewee doesn’t respond to small talk or gives one word answers in an interview,” says one recruiter “I won’t spend much time prompting for full answers, I’ll quickly get tired of it and give up.”
Don’t make the poor interviewer sweat to get an answer from you. And when you are asked ‘What questions do you have?’ don’t say ‘Nothing, I think we’ve covered it all.’ Failure to pose relevant questions just makes you look unenthusiastic, unimaginative or both. Make sure you’ve prepared a list beforehand and try to find questions you’d really like answered. And never ask ‘How much do I get paid?’

3. Longwinded answers
Pointless rambling to fill time will drive recruiters crazy. Keep your answer short succinct and to the point. Then be ready to add some further information if you are asked. Hold the recruiter’s attention by showing enthusiasm. Don’t speak in a monotone and lean forward and smile to show how keen you are. If you lose the plot halfway through and have to ask “sorry what was the question again?” then you’ve blown it.

4. Lateness
It’s hard to imagine a worse way to start. If you can’t be relied upon to be punctual for a first meeting, what hope is there for you long-term? Even if you were kidnapped by aliens last night or your dog ate your car keys, get to your interview on time. Plan your journey well in advance and leave home in extra time bearing in mind traffic, weather and the state of our nation’s transport system. If you’re early it will be a good opportunity for some relaxed preparation and tidying up your appearance.

5. Poor presentation
Limp handshakes, not making eye contact, umming and ahhing and chewing gum are all a big turn off. A lot of interviewers make up their minds in the first two minutes and spend the remaining 28 re-enforcing their judgement. First impressions count. Appearance is not more important than what you can offer as a person but attend your job interview in shorts, shades and flip-flops and you can kiss employment goodbye. Forget about excessive make-up, jewellery or perfume and try not to stink of cigarettes or last nights booze. Oh, and don’t forget to wear a smile.

6. Lying
“You’d be amazed how often candidates can’t back up claims they put on their CV or have even forgotten the little embellishments they’d added,” says one recruiter. “Be ready to back up everything on your CV or application. Interviews are a chance for us to see how your personality matches the paper qualifications. By all means emphasise the good things and don’t dwell on the bad, but don’t lie. I interviewed one girl who put down she was fluent in Russian, Greek and Polish. So I threw a few questions at her in Russian (I studied it a few years ago) and she clearly knew nothing. At that moment she lost any chance of ever working for us.”

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