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RF_GEN_1_SUDHA
REJUVENATE INDIA MOVEMENT
377, 5th Cross, 1st Block, Jayanagar, Bangalore - 560 011
Tel: 6563214; www. indiamovement. org
7th Nov, 2002
To:
C- I-’ ■ CcLL
Dear Sir,
Thank you very much for attending our consultation and sharing your insights with us.
Please find attached the proceedings of the consultation.
We have started the process of coming with an action plan for Karnataka. We will keep you
updated on the progress.
Regards,
u Naik
Proceedings of the RIM-Karnataka: Anti- Corruption Consultation
Date: Oct 27*, 2002
Time: 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Morning Session: 10:00 a.m. to 1:00p.m.
1. Self-introductions by all participants
2. Sindhu Naik welcomed the participants
3. Ravi M. defined the objectives of the one-day consultation:
a. capacity building
b. to seek feedback and inputs on the two strategies that have been drawn up
for Karnataka.
Ravi further mentioned that, while there are several levels to address the all
pervading issue of the corruption, the Karnataka movement is considering an
agenda to tackle “retail corruption- corruption that effects the common man
on a day to day basis’*.
4. Mr. Rangarajan gave a background of RIM. Its focus on the rural volunteer
program and the current status. Dr. Sudarshan added that the issue of corruption
being an impediment to all development, RIM-Kamataka chapter has decided to
focus on creating a movement against corruption in Karnataka.
5. Mr. P. Rajendra- deputy chief editor from Vijaya Karnataka, was called on to
speak on the role of the media in the anti-corruption movement. Mr. Rajendra
highlighted the proactive role of the Lokayukta in Karnataka and urged NGOs to
make more effective use of the Lokayukta. In his experience, people do not report
cases because they are afraid. The NGOs can provide the necessary support
system and security which would enable individuals to report cases of corruption.
Vijay Karanataka is already playing an active role in reporting cases of corruption
being unveiled by the Lokayukta. In a people’s movement they will continue to
provide coverage to such cases.
6. Dr. Jayaprakash Narayan from Loksatta, Hyderabad, gave a short presentation on
the role of civil society in a movement against corruption. Listing out the main
causes of corruption. Dr. Narayan gave examples on how our humongous election
campaign expenses, create a vicious cycle of corruption. He very briefly touched
upon the need for following reforms:
a. Electoral reforms: preventing criminalization of politics and checking
abuse of unaccountable money power.
b. Empowerment of local government: transfer of funds to local governments
c. Instruments of accountability: right to information, independent
appointment of constitutional functionaries, citizens charters
d. Judicial Reforms
Lokasatta has worked on citizen’s charters, election watch, initiated a movement
for candidate disclosures.
Dr. Narayan ended with some suggestions for a statewide movement in
Karnataka:
A group of credible people with an excellent track record. Full time commitment
and professionalism
A deep understanding of the political and governance process
A collective agenda and informed assertion.
He suggested that we could focus on 4 areas:
People’s watch: to fight against misgovemance
Election Watch
Building National Platform
Identify and work on specific local reform goals
7. Sri. Ramesh Ramnathan then briefly outlined the work of Janaagraha and the
latest campaign PROOF, which aims at bringing about transparency and
accountability in the Bangalore Mahanagar Palike. The campaign is hying put a
process in place to promote periodic and standardized financial reporting by the
governmental institutions, starting with the BMP. The quarterly financial
statements will be discussed with the public and these discussions are expected to
improve accountability and performance. Simultaneously performance indicators
are being drawn up for the various services. To begin with PROOF has started
with developing performance indicators for the education sector, which will be
used to analyze the performance of the corporation schools in the city. Health is
the next sector that they are working on.
8. Mr. Nirmal spoke about few case studies where Fifth Pillar has been successful in
fighting against corruption and related issues. He narrated how corruption is being
accepted by the people at large. Exnora founded a separate initiative called Fifth
Pillar basically with a vision that only People’s power can fight against social
evils such as corruption where as all the other four pillars are doing justice. The
fourth pillar - media, according to him is far better than the other three i.e. the
legislature, the bureacracy and the judiciary. Whatever be the issue related to
corruption, we need to work on sensitizing people and take people along with us
and that alone can help in this kind of movement, he opined. He gave case studies
where even the bribe takers have been made to give back the amounts to People at
Cuddalore.
9. Parivartan, from Delhi, was represented by Sri. Arvind Kejriwal. Mr. Kejriwal,
spoke about Parivartan’s work in tackling corruption that effects the common
person. He vividly described cases in Delhi where Parivartan has used the right to
information act, to get the information on public work contracts and expenditure
to people at the block level and mobilized the general public to demand for
accountability. The focus of Parivartan is to create an enabling process to get the
information to the people, demand accountability and transparency and to
improve the implementation of the right to information act in Delhi.
10. Dr. Shenoi felt that we need to work on reform in governance, especially the
political process. We need to work on making the governance process more
transparent.
11. Sri. Doraiswamy suggested that besides NGOs we also need to involve active
consumer forums, such as the ones in Udupi and Mangalore. He felt that we need
to focus on building good values in our youth through education. Educational
institutions should give a special emphasis to character building.
12. Dr. Yellappa Reddy spoke about his experience with big water projects in
Karnataka and felt that there was need for people to work together to fight against
suppression of information.
Afternoon Session: 1:30p.m. to 5:30p.m.
Dr. Samuel Paul, summarized the morning sessions and made some important
suggestions for an agenda for action in Karnataka. Corruption is all pervasive and there
many different levels at which it can be addressed. Each method has its own merits and
its own impact The key success factor for an action agenda is not spread itself too thin.
He shared Public Affairs Center’s (PAC) experience with a research on maternity homes
in Bangalore. This research lead to an action plan of a help desk with the help of a local
NGO. He mentioned that for a statewide action plan, PAC can help with research,
documentation, education material.
Dr. Paul suggested that we should not launch a statewide campaign in the beginning. The
idea of beginning with one or two districts was a good one. The choice of the district
could be based on where we have set of committed people. Some pointers:
• Strengthening the Lokayukta as a mechanism. Analyze the complaints and focus
on areas where launch an intensified campaign based on the analysis. The
Karnataka movement could piggy-back on the Lokayukta
• Another option is to focus on collective problems: such as the PDS, Public works
like Parivartan is doing in Delhi
• Start small
• Network with people/groups working on these issues in the state
• Specify how to use partners in the network
• Use the wider, national network to learn
• Finally the movement should be lead by a set of committed individuals who can
devote full-time to this.
Mr. Ramesh Ramanathan pointed that for an effective network of partnership, the group
leading the movement should clearly define the objectives of the movement and their
core competence, as well as be able optimally utilize the core competence of its partners.
He indicated that Janaagraha could be partner, once more clarity emerges in the action
plan and the role Janaagraha could contribute to.
Sindhu presented the two strategies for Karnataka. Sri. Kejriwal pointed out that the first
strategy is too Lokayukta focused and could be a constraint for expansion and replication.
It was recommended that the two strategies should be combined together.
Strategy 2,: To bring accountability and transparency in Public Delivery Services and
Public Works;
will define the goals, short and long term objectives of the movement. The action plan
will emerge out of strategy 2. Strategy 1, becomes an action item within strategy 2.
RIM-Kamataka needs to further refine this strategy 2 and come up with well-defined,
focused action plan.
The following suggestions emerged out of the discussions:
District Focus
Desirable. Select one or two districts where you have a set of committed, dedicated
people and credible NGOs e.g. Bangalore -Urban, & Rural, Chamrajnagar
Structure
Revisit, the structure of village level volunteers. What may be more desirable is a team at
a block/taluk level as also at a district level. There also needs to be a team at the state
level.
Identify local NGOs to work collectively on issues. Be selective and choose credible
NGOs, who can work in a movement mode and are not afraid of the impact on
government aid received by them for various programs.
In the city, do not limit to NGOs, but work with welfare associations, individuals,
consumer forums and other groups. These groups need to provide individuals security
against victimization.
The leadership for this movement should be given by a set of highly committed,
motivated individuals with an excellent track record and who can give full-time to this
movement.
Capacity Building
Capacity building of NGOs/other groups is essential: Right to information act,
information dissemination on government schemes, grievance redressal procedures
available
Disseminate the Right to Information Act in to local bodies, women’s groups, youth
groups.
Activities
Taluk and District Level teams to assist people to utilize the right to information to get
information on contracts, expenditure
Identify corrupt officials and initiate action through people against these officials
Involve and recognise ‘honest’ officials.
Citizens charters for every service
Helpline
Create a database of complaints received on the helpline and analyze them for a more
focused campaigns
Publish booklets on "how to get certificates/registrations” that people need, and use the
library network, student community, sanghas, communuity based oragnizations as well as
the NGOs to disseminate this.
Using IT
Utilize the cybergram information kiosk for information on schemes, citizen’s charters at
gram sabha levels
Analysis of complaints received by the Lokayukta
Build a volunteer team
Identify some high visibility, low cost event, which will capture the imagination of the
public and
Media
Talk-shows, Call in radio programs, TV skits
Action Items for RIM- Karnataka
1. Proceedings: Nov 1**
2. Work on Action Plan: Oct 31 st
3. Draft Action Plan: Nov 1“
4. Set up an E-group: Nov 1st
5. Feedback on Action Plan, by all: Nov 8th
th
6. Discussions with possible partners on Action Plan: Nov 11th to Nov 15'
7. District Level Meeting: PAC- Koramangala: Nov 22nd
8. Intervention Begins: Jan I*1
The meeting ended with a vote of thanks to all participants for their valued inputs.
Anti-Comiption Consultation
Oct 27,2002
Venue: Indian Social Institute, Benson Town
Participant List
Name_____
N.B. Nirmal
Organization & Address______________
Fifth Pillar
20, Giriappa Road
T. Nagar, Chennai -17;
e-mail:exnora@vsnl.com_____________
Prithvi R.
India Friends Association
Sharma
2261, El. Nido Court
Camarillo, CA- 93010
e-mail:billababu@aol.com____________
Manjita Pikle
D-3, Kudremukh Colony
Koramangala, 2nd Block
Bangalore, 560 034_________________
Surekha Shanna India Friends Association
2261, El. Nido Court
Camarillo, CA- 93010
e-mail:billababu@aol.com____________
A.L. Rangarajan RIM- Tamil Nadu
A-l Monisha Sriram Apts
#9, Kulothuran Cross St.
Chittalapakkam, Chennai- 64
e-mail: alrangarajan2001@eth.net______
Dr. Jayaprakash LokSatta
Narayan
401/408 Nirmal Towers, Dwarakapuri
Colony, Punjagutta, Hyderabad-82
e-mail: loksatta@satyam.net.in_________
Dr. P.V. Shenoi Member, PAC Board
20-C, 1st Main Road
RMV Extension, Stage 2, Block I,
Bangalore -94
e-mail:Shenoipv@vsnl.com____________
Jagdish
605, RMV Clusters Phase 2
Damania
Devinagar, Bangalore -94_____________
Prahlad
C.H. Cell, 367, Koramangala 1st Block,
Bangalore -34
_____________
Ananda N.
Fevord-K, No.44,2 Floor, New Bamboo
Bazar Road
Cantonment, Bangalore -51
e-mail: fevordk@vsnl.com_____________
Arvind Kejriwal Parivartan, E-109, Pandavnagar, Delhi -92
parivartan india@rediffmail.com_______
Designation
Founder
Gen Secretary
Architect
Sevak
RIM Tamil Nadu
Coordinator
National Coordinator
Volunteer
Social Scientist
Executive Officer
Volunteer
Name
Samuel Paul
Dr. S Ajai
kumar______
TK Ramkumar
Suchitra Rao
H Doraiswamy
Vinay Baindur
Ravi M.
Sindhu Naik
Dr, Sudarshan
Subbu Vincent
Organization & Address____________ _ Designation
PAC
27, SBI colony Bangalore -24
e-mail: pacindia@vsnl.com_________
IHDUA Mysore
■ Chairman
____ _
Advocate 12, Pelathope, Mylapore
Chennai-4 t.k.ram@vsnl.com_________
UNICEF-GOK-NGO Magadi child labour
project. Bangalore
svnaraYan@mantraonline.com
No. 14,2nd Floor, 4*11 Main Road, 12"1
Cross Road, Vasanthnagar, Bangalore-52
civicblore@vsnl.com____________
RIM
e-mail: np-india@eth.net___________
RIM- Bangalore sindhunaik@eth.net
RIM hsudarshan@vsnl.net__________
India Together
subbuvincent@vahoo.com
_______
P. Rajendra
No. 38, AM. Road, Kalasipalayam Extn.,
Bangalore -2
_
Ramesh
Ramanathan
Janaagraha
198, Nandidurg Road, Bangalore 560 046
janaagraha@vsnl.net; proof@vsnl.net
Advocate
Volunteer
National co-ordinator
Convener
Deputy Chief Editor
Vijay Karnataka
^os5e n (4>o£rordo)
FORM No. I (COMPLAINT)
[See Rule 4(1)]
Before the Lokayukta/Upa-Lokayukta for Karnataka
1.
d?jdD
avazS
Name and Address of the Complainant for
all Correspondence in respect of the
complaint
2.
ctfrad jrodF&dtf
adod djado
^edouAdoi^e edri djJdo dodo
Name and Address of the Public Servant
complained against:
3.
djsdo aeadod ^d wrt
II d&dad -^oiroraoi)
addrfcb (d,d3,
ort^ddesb)...
Brief facts relating to the action complained of:
(complainant's affidavit in the Form-II to
be enclosed)
4.
<j|jo*sFa eqta
es
sddssan eskb
A/aoddoi)
If the Complainant or the person for whom
he is acting is aggrieved the nature of the
grievance should be specifically mentioned :
5.
essTOdtfrttf ^dodFefofoi), ^atoFCicrfoo
doe^derfodc ed^^od ao^dori^o dodo,
dvojJri^o :
Name and Addresses of the witnesses whom
the Complainant desires to examine in
support of the allegations :
6.
tjzraddoi) J5d)^Fc3oS>© 4)6toracdx) edootO^dod
d/TOdeaarttf addrttfo :
Particulars of the documents relied up on
by the Complainant in support of the
allegation :
wqadjroAdod
wcjta
djAritfo ^oirordoi) to<? ^dd
doab edjrttf dddritf^ ^drvjd«fc>:
at>qro
If the documents relied upon or their true
copies are available with the Complainant
they should be enclosed and details thereof
should be furnished:
8.
z^ab
If the documents relied upon are ndt in the
custody of or cannot be produced by the
Complainant, the office or other places or
individual from whom they may be secured
should be specified
eodrs>c^ ASztoahdasS jrosdrfc&tJ
abort
^jr? rtjado aertobAdort tf^rt tfozjortcJ£,
4joijsrrtcd3o bs rtxotSoSoe ddrrort ijsortdab
rtosada^A cl/aeroo&otJ egto enort-tfuaewolDti
0^533 O^TOS^)de
4)O13bFrfO
?5©X)rtc5e ?
(&>oa£ djsod ?Ji)3*>oddj?>oart addrttfdj^
z^rtA^defc)
Did the complainant make a complaint
previously to Lokayukta or the UpaLokayukta or any other authority for
redressal of his grievance, In respect of the
action now Complained of against the
public servant mentioned in column (3).
(particulars to be furnished together with
the result of the previous Complaint.) ...
9.
Q
<■->
i
10.
Remarks, if any
: i^eooi) w^Sron
NOTE
_
Place
OoSDO^
Date
:
doio rt?jsrtet^rt^
sjbdrrtatf ^dd
^gjSabQ, sfcab
adort^ rtjado aedejsAdaLae ea^ djzi
rttfO
Copies of affidavits and documents shall be enclosed in duplicate for office use and in as
many sets as there are public servants complained against.
4)0±3FOo±>
eqissa
rtdoio
Signature or the thumb mark
of the Complainant.
: sdFMfofcb, sfco^ro, eJeiOrf ro£fc>0, zb* a>$J zb«rt, <beroe, t3orttfjKb-581 »oi)F*i>8a 01237 / *8
Form Deptwise / Lokayukta / 01237 / P8 / 2
d;dd> ^o^6-3 (^criJoraoto
FORM No. II (COMPLAINANT’S AFFIDAVIT)
p (O)& acdododdo^ djaeaj
(see Rule 4 (1)
^osortstf jfcrdd d^soodoo^/yDd-d^eocdoo^d doocd
BEFORE THE LOKAYUKTA/UPA-LOKAYUKTA OF KARNATAKA
dd.d©
2>
r? _
dd (do
.
_____ ___
“
dd^cdo
3'0'gjaedg OTX^o^do^
ssojs
ass^ofcahdod
-
,-
______ _______________
to^atoAdod
C*5
ddrd
^rcdoa6er»d©dod
f*>
----------------------edd dorsad
<ao£j E3^do
I______
years, profession
aged
Taluk
_______________ District
Taluk
District
follows •—
0.
-di dje$dodoodo§ ^do ^od^raoj^Ad^eeS.
1.
That I am the Complainant in this case-
__________________
doooadddo^ e?odd :—
son of Sbri__
resident of
at present at
do hereby
t5dd £>do^ edjsedddo^
^d^ t^odo
ddH djsod ^^odri^do* ds e^datsd doo52»s spartda^A Lafja^tododo.
d^ddo^
2-
I have enclosed hereto a complaint making allegations against Sri/Smt.
The contents of my complaint may be read as part and parcel
of this affidavit.
do^o^ F&rt a^adodd^d dot^rt ddri d^d^ dJakS dodo, XoSodoio wQSdd doe<d
^d5dodo csado
d^a^oriod^cS.
...aodo
dojooE? d^co^^dr&oaA
doodo^ecS.
3- That the statements of this complaint petition have been read by/read over to me and
undersbood by me and that I declare and affirm that they are true to the best of my knowledge
information and belief.
Signature of the Deponent
Dated
________________________________________________ _ _____________________
^ddo^
day of
CP
tfd<0
co________________________________
a^o^do
co
doood dd^^adFusooA c^a^o^Ad.
solemnly affirmed before me this
199
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Signature
WD 04672—HOP—500 pads of 100 sheets each—16 3-98
rtos5e o (^cxtoFrio)
FORM No. I (COMPLAINT)
(v(n)cfe
^eQ)
[See Rule 4 (1)]
/ enj^-fiJjaesao&oid s&oorf
&33Fi3i$zS
Before the Lokayukta/Upa-Lokayukta for Karnataka
1.
djaort
aoTjdo
^oiroraoi)
sag,
£<ro?j
Name and Address of the Complainant for
all Correspondence in respect of the
complaint
2.
crfcrad
aederoAdoJjae edsi aS^do
adcfod
dusdo
Name and Address of the Public Servant
complained against:
3.
djado Seacb^
tort tfojg asSdrteb (^d,
II dOcbzS jpoiroraai)
oria?te3e&)...
Brief facts relating to the action complained of:
(complainant's affidavit in the Form-II to
be enclosed)
4.
^oirora ecjta oirazS
^d^ddd^ ^dFs^roA,
^dsroA erfcfc
tro^dFsaAdd i/aoddoi)
:
If the Complainant or the person for whom
he is acting is aggrieved the nature of the
grievance should be specifically mentioned :
5.
«EH)dFfrtV' SjdodFFfOS’oO, 4)03’37^005’30
dde^deifodo erfe^od aoridorttfo do^
OvoAjrttfo :
Name and Addresses of the witnesses whom
the Complainant desires to examine in
support of the allegations :
6.
essDC&oi)
4jo±rorao±o
asrfdritfo :
Particulars of the documents relied up on
by the Complainant in support of the
allegation:
eqrodzroAdod d?rode&SDrt^o
ed)rt^ o±>qro
s^Brttfo 4)OiJOFdob zoe ^dd
doab
Oddrttfc^ ZodA^ded :
If the documents relied upon or their true
copies are available with the Complainant
they should be enclosed and details thereof
should be furnished:
*
eqrobsjDAtfod
tfo jpoj'jarao^o
es^sss eztoo
arowbodax>os$)do ?ro0a^oadcf,
ddodioadcrod &i5eo
djioi) tort a^Fsgiron 3C^t3e&
8.
If the documents relied upon are not in the
custody of or cannot be produced by the
Complainant, the office or other places or
individual from whom they may be secured
should be specified
9.
/
3FSe eotfradO AtfrieiaAdbd zrodrfc&tf j^^dd Sdoc^
doado SedcDAdod tfd.d
4joiroFdcdx
doootSafce d^rrod Nodded
doarodo^n duertwoiatf wqta wd-tfuaewototf
et-to
STOjdwd^ 4)Ota)Fdo
V
“
v
^€)X)dc$e
?
<~> a
(fioodd doao^ dO3^oddj7>oart addrttfdj^
t^dn^defo)
Did the complainant make a complaint
previously to Lokayukta or the UpaLokayukta or any other authority for
redressal of his grievance, In respect of the
action now Complained of against the
public servant mentioned in column (3).
(particulars to be furnished together with
the result of the previous Complaint.) ...
10.
«$aro,oi>ri<fc,
Remarks, if any
:
£>3^ ad TOdr»^^ j^tfdd
tJejSeooi)
CJ
acbdQ djsdo aederoAdol/w
NOTE
:
(tSwo) ritfO e>rt3?Jd^d^.
Copies of affidavits and documents shall be enclosed in duplicate for office use and in as
many sets as there are public servants complained against.
Place
dpoiTOFDoii ?j2o oqisss
Signature or the thumb mark
of the Complainant.
Qc330^_
Date
sfco^tfci): SdFttJtfcto,
de&)FS rosfcQ, dwb
sd^rt, ^eroe, dorWjsct-581 sx>dF?U>ti 01237 / *,8
Form Deptwise / Lokayukta / 01237 / P8 / 2
FORM No. II (COMPLAINANT’S AFFIDAVIT)
[V (O)&
toS]
(see Rule 4 (1)
BEFORE THE LOKAYUKTA/UPA-LOKAYUKTA OF KARNATAKA
y
tSdMoJo _
c-?_____________________
de^cdo
toasxderafidod
co
________
ddrd
ercdua 6ertdOdod —-----------
fssnd
I_______
aged
Taluk
Taluk
follows •—
0.
1.
doooddddo eodd •—
son of Sbri
resident of
at present at
years, profession
____________ District
District
do hereby
d^dQ^ooiog
That I am the Complainant in this case-
3.
edd ^doc^ tsdjaedddq* eojaDft ^d^ uodo
djadofo^ orte^d)edj
e^d^d doosDg d^dd^A
d^od
I have enclosed hereto a complaint making allegations against Sri/Smt.
The contents of my complaint may be read as part and parcel
of this affidavit.
2.
si.
-d? djsdo e^rcdo
dodo^, ddrt a^ddods^d
ssfL
detfcand dodq^ aado
d^afojo&d^
dado, sckdctio e^add doeeS es^j ^d5dodo csado
ddrt ci^d^
d^^O^o^ed.
djadod,^.
...(dodo ds dauaotf
3- That the statements of this complaint petition have been read by/read over to me and
understood by me and that I declare and affirm that they are true to the best of my knowledge
information and belief.
Signature of the Deponent
Dated
<p
^d<0
co
a^o^dOco___
^ddo^ dc^ doood ddcjfcgpdFston d^tfo^ftd.
day of_
solemnly affirmed before me this
199
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rJ&O
Signature
WD 04672—HOP—500 pads of 100 sheets each—16 3“98
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PAGE
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Being interviewed
| Second interviews
' Jan Perrett
!
KOGAN
PAGE
Contents
III
Part A: CVs and application forms
1
2
3
4
1
Introduction
2
Self-marketing
Self-assessment 2; Skills and personal qualities 3; Job analysis 5
9
The curriculum vitae
The basic sections 9; Putting your CV together 18;
When to use a CV 26; The covering letter 26; Moving on 28;
Curriculum vitae exercise 31
32
The application form
A standard application form 32; The covering letter 36
37
Bibliography
Self-assessment 37; Careers Advisory Service resources 37
Part B: Being interviewed
5
First published in 1996
Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of research or private study, or
criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act
1988, this publication may only be reproduced, stored or transmitted, in any form
or by any means, with the prior permission in writing of the publishers, or in the
case of reprographic reproduction in accordance with the terms of licences issued
by the copyright Licensing Agency. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside
those terms should be sent to the publishers at the undermentioned address.
Kogan Page Limited
120 Pentonville Road
London N1 9JN
6
7
8
9
1
38
Introduction
38
What is an interview?
39
Styles of interviewing 40; What do you think an employer wants
from the interview? 41; What do you want from the interview? 43;
The format of the interview 43; Equal opportunities 44
Practical preparation
45
Predicting the questions 45; Trick questions 48;
‘Tell me about yourself 49; ‘Is there anything you would like to
ask me?’ 52; Job description 53; Completed application
form 54
Performing well
58
Verbal behaviour 58; Non-verbal behaviour 61; The de-brief 62
What next?
64
Bibliography
65
Assertiveness 65; Careers Advisory Service resources 65
© De Montfort University, 1996
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A CIP record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN 0 7494 1869 9
Design and typesetting by Paul Linnell, De Montfort University
Printed and bound in Great Britain by Biddles Ltd, Guildford and King’s Lynn
V
Part C: Second interviews
Introduction
10 The second stage
Why do they want to see you again? 67; What to expect 68
11 Preparing for a second interview
Can prepare 72; Can’t prepare 79
12 What next?
Summary
13 Bibhography
Company information 101; Careers Advisory Service
resources 101
Appendix
66
Part A: CVs and application forms
66
67
Introduction
72 This part aims to provide an introduction to the basics of written applications, to
enable students to make the most effective use of the three main marketing tools: the
96 application form, the curriculum vitae and the covering letter. It will also address the
99 underlying need for self-awareness and job analysis.
101
If you have not completed graduate appUcation forms before or if this is your first
attempt at a CV, don’t worry - this is a skill which can be learned and, once learned,
102 will be useful to you throughout your future career.
Objectives
At the end of the exercises in Part A, you should be able to:
• recognise and understand the different usages of the application form and
curriculum vitae;
• apply the principles of self-assessment and job assessment to any application;
• design and organise a good curriculum vitae and understand the benefits of
updating it;
• complete a standard application form;
• compose an appropriate covering letter.
This book is designed to enable you to work at your own pace and, although each part
is written as a complete unit, you may select the sections or exercises most
appropriate for you at any given time.
Throughout Part A you will be presented with information about the process of
making applications and will be questioned to check your understanding. You will
perform exercises as you go through the text, including compiUng a practice GV,
which will form the basis of your own GV for present use and for future reference.
Good luck!
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Self-marketing
Since you’ve picked up this book, I assume you’re thinking of making an application
for something. Whether it’s a job or a postgraduate course, your objective is the same
- through that application you will get what you want! But before you put pen to
paper, there are some important things to think about.
whole idea of analysing your skills, interests, values and personality is so alien to our
natural reserve (you must never talk about yourself), you push it away with distrust.
However, selectors do need to see some glimpses of your abilities and personal
qualities in your application. How can you answer a question like this, from the Marks
& Spencer form, without giving some thought to your personality and behaviour?
'Give an example of where others have disagreed with your views (or you with
theirs). How did you deal with this and what was the result?’
Application = marketing
So what are we marketing here? Right - it’s you. You are selfing yourself and if you
don’t want to end up in the end-of-season bargain basement, you have to use a
strategy.
Consider the following assumptions:
• I have qualifications from my university/college, therefore employers know
my capabilities.
• I have spent several years in higher education, so I deserve a good job.
• If I give details of my courses and qualifications, that’s enough.
• Selection is so hit-and-miss, there’s no point trying to tailor my application.
• Every accountancy job is the same, so I can send the same standard form to
loads of firms. I haven’t got time in my final year to spend hours on
applications.
You probably feel that several of these statements come close to the truth; you may
even agree wholeheartedly with some of them. But they skirt around the main issue,
which is that getting a job is your responsibility - very rarely can anyone do it for you
(unless you’re veiy well connected! Giz a job!'). So it’s in your interests to look
seriously at the two most important aspects of preparing to sell yourself:
- self-assessment
- job analysis
This section of the book will get you started and tell you where to go to get further
help.
Self-assessment
The instant reaction from most people to this subject is ‘Oh no, not those questions
again like “What are you good at?” or ‘Where do you see yourself in 10 years’ time?”
and the endless questionnaires which give a picture of your personality and values in
just 20 minutes.’
This cynical response to self-assessment can be due to the way it is presented. Often
it isn’t finked to anything else, so you come away thinking -T’m a “social” person who
values independence, variety and status (join the club!) - so what?’ Or, because the
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No? You’re not interested in retail management anyway are you? (Coward!) Well,
what about this one from a recent Lloyds bank form?
'What have been the most important events in your life so far? Explain what
happened and why they are ofsignificance. ’
So you don’t feel you’re suited to finance either! You can’t keep running away from
these questions. Wherever you turn, you will find a similar one. Whatever you feel
about the employers who use these questions, you’ve still got to fill in the forms, so
try to be positive about it.
One way of being positive is to understand what the selector is looking for. In most
cases they are not judging your answer on the facts, but ratheron the way you use the
facts to show skills and personal qualities. So you can see that knowing yourself is the
only way you can come up with the goods. Well, you could take on another persona
(maybe your best friend’s), but it would be very difficult to sustain this through an
application form, aptitude tests and two interviews! Anyway, you’re not that bad, are
you?
Skills and personal qualities
Most selectors have a clear idea of the skills needed for a job and also a checklist of
desirable personal qualities. Some of these lists have been written down and you can
find examples in your Careers Advisory Service (CAS) (see Chapter 4, Bibliography,
page 37).
I
Activity 1,1
Let’s take a typical graduate ‘management’ position - don’t worry about the
details. What skills and personal qualities do you think you need to present?
I bet you had ‘communication skills’ - everybody gets that one!
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If you struggled with this exercise, it’s probably because you haven’t got the
vocabulary yet. You may know what you’re good at, or what your strengths are, but
not be able to give them a ‘name’.
Have a look at this typical list and cross check it with your own fist. Don t assume that
this is an exhaustive list and don’t assume that you have to have all these skills - that
would really make a nonsense out of the selection process.
I
a
Communication skills - the ability to communicate both verbally and in
writing. Being able to express ideas in a clear, positive and appropriate way.
b Problem solving - a capacity for analytical thought and the applicatiiion of
this process to problems. Evidence of the identification of key issues z.and
priorities.
c Leadership - the effective organisation of people and events. This will
include some evidence of developing and channelling the ideas and potential
of others.
d Flexibility - the ability to adapt to changing circumstances. A proactive
approach may be sought, which also checks out initiative and motivation.
e Planning and organisation - the ability to produce logical action plans and
to follow them through with appropriate strategies to a successful outcome.
f Team working - the ability to work effectively with colleagues towards the
accomplishment of a task.
g Achievement - although not strictly a skill, evidence of the ability to achieve
is an indication of management potential.
h Networking - the ability and confidence to seek out named contacts and to
use them as a source of personal introduction to further contacts.
There are many more of these skills, and when we look at job analysis you will learn
how to seek them out. The most important thing to remember is that you wifi have
to give evidence of situations, work/leaming methods, experiences, etc which helped
you to develop those skills, so start to think about yourself, what you’ve done and what
alone in any job. Write down now what activities or experiences would
demonstrate your ability to work as an effective team member.
How did you get on with that? Did it occur to you to include seminars and
projects, as well as sport? Did you get a spread of academic and extra
curricular activities? Can you specify what your role was in the team - leader,
coordinator, facilitator, scribe, etc?
Now, problem-solving. See what you can make of that...
More difficult? That may be because you’re interpreting ‘problem’ in a very
narrow way. Think about an employer’s requirement and look at the definition
again. The emphasis is on your approach - how you face and overcome
difficulties and how you develop strategies for coping. For instance, the need
to change your project because of unforeseen circumstances, or handling a
tricky situation with your landlord - these would be acceptable, it doesn’t have
to be a major disaster that you recall.
Let’s try this out on an application form question. Look at that second one
again and see if you can draft an answer, using some of the skills vocabulary.
'What have been the most important events in your life so far? Explain
what happened and why they are of significance. ’
How was that? Read it through from the employer’s point ofview. What does
it say about you? Is it a purely narrative account with facts and figures? If so,
you’re missing a great opportunity. Or does it evaluate the events - giving
reasons for their significance in terms of your personal development or
subsequent actions? Does it give clues about your ability to deal with situations
and your response to challenge? If not, have another attempt.
What about this one?
‘List two or three words which a friend may use to describe you. Can you
give examples of actual situations which would have merited this
description?’
Well done! You’re getting the hang of this now, aren’t you?
you’ve got to offer nowl
Job analysis
Activity 1.2
Let’s take two of these skills and see if you can start to think of evidence. Team
working is a popular one with employers - it is rare that you would work totally
4
Knowing what you’ve got to offer is all well and good, but you also need to take into
account the other side of the equation - what does the job require?
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With most advertised jobs you get some form ofjob description. This can vary from
a glossy brochure with lots of profiles of young graduates to a paragraph in a
newspaper. Whatever details you have, make the most of them, by analysing the
content. Selectors want the best people, so it’s in their interest to give enough
information to attract the best people. Sometimes it’s easy to find out all you want to
know, but sometimes you need to read between the lines.
Let’s take an example. This excerpt from the graduate brochure of a leading retailer
is explicit:
H
‘Drive and determination, plus resilience and stamina are the basic
requirements needed to succeed on this scheme. As you will be running your
own department after only six months, you will also need to demonstrate strong
leadership qualities and excellent interpersonal skills. ’
No excuse, here, for failing to target your application. Obviously you need to give
evidence of the ownership of these skills and also to find more explicit detail about
the tasks of the job - but that’s usually available in the brochure.
Another example, this time for marketing with an international consumer goods
business:
‘What we look for in you: intellectual rigour, analytical ability, commitment,
determination, enthusiasm, debating skills andflexibility.
Rather a tall order - but at least you’re prepared. So when you’re filling in this
company’s application form and they ask you about suitability for the job, or about
achievements, you can refer to their list of qualities and make your response
accordingly.
realise your mistake and leave.
Sometimes you don’t get the full picture from a job description and you have to work
harder to draw out the qualities. Let’s look at the profile approach favoured by some
recruiters.
6
‘Communication is very important in this job. I need to know what is
happening in the video business. I talk to the buyers, but I’ve also developed my
own contacts with the video suppliers who I speak to practically every day. If
there is a new title or range to promote I discuss with the suppliers how we are
going to do it and agree a charge. I then have to brief a design agency on
exactly what we want for the advertising display. They can come back to me
with some rough designs from which I select one.
‘Decisions have to be made quickly in this business and because it’s so small and
new you have to be a real entrepreneur, prepared to do everything yourself. I
wouldn’t recommend it to everyone, but it certainly suits me.’
Activity 1.3
Write down the sldlls/pi•ersonal qualities required of this last job.
Reading between the lines, are there other things you can say?
I hope that this has given you an insight into the importance of reading job
descriptions with an attentive eye. Don’t miss the implied quafities, or the
suggested ethos of a company. It may make all the difference to your
application.
Activity 1.3 - solution
Ifyou’re saying to yourself- ‘That’s easy. With that sort of list I can use the words and
make my statements fit in with what they want, even if I haven t got all the qualities
-beware. Recruitment is a two-way process-the recruiter wants the right person and
you want a job - but the rightjob. So be honest with yourself when you’re reading
these job descriptions. Is it really for you? Will you be able to meet those expecta
tions? Will you want to work for a company which has those expectations? If you are
doubtful, get more information or talk to a careers adviser. If the answer is no, then
forget it, you’ll only have to go through all this again next year, when you eventually
I’m now with Our Price Videos in London, u
WH Smith Retail. It’s a small but rapidly growing business. There are very few
ground rules and almost no hierarchy - it was the MD who taught me to use the
computer!
i is very different from
Here’s my list. Compare it with your own.
a Communication skills - oral and written.
b Team work and the ability to mix at all levels.
c Networking.
d Liaison skills.
e Taking initiative and working independently.
f Planning and organisation.
g Decision making including sound judgement.
h Entrepreneurial skills (encompasses many of the above).
i Flexibility.
j Rapid assimilation of information.
And implied 1 ’ the style and words of the profile:
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k Commitment (probably involves irregular hours).
1 Outgoing personafity.
m Capacity to thrive on pressure.
n Interest in product, not just the job.
You may very well have got different qualities or a longer list - whatever you managed
to glean, well done - this is an important stage in tailoring your appheation. You can
apply this method to any job description, short or long, and come up with extra
information to give you an edge over the other applicants.
Before we go on to look at the process of writing appheations, let me restate the
importance of the exercises you’ve just done.
Looking at yourself and looking at thejob are essential before you put pen to
paper.
Activity 1.4
Summarise what you’ve learned from these exercises.
Activity 1.5
Now note down any further action you need to take, eg look at self-assessment
material at the CAS, or use Prospect (see Chapter 4, Bibhography).
We are now going to move on to the practicalities ofwritten applications, starting with
the curriculum vitae. So maybe now is a good time to have a break and return
refreshed and ready for the fray!
2
The curriculum vitae
The term ‘curriculum vitae’ means ‘the course of life’, but this should obviously not
be taken too Ute rally. Employers are generally not interested in events before the age
of 16 unless you were in the child prodigy league! Rather you should look at a CV as
a reflection ofyour adult educational and work career and, by impheation, a dynamic
device. I know what you’re thinking, Yes, that’s me-dynamic!’, but actually I mean
dynamic in the sense of moving/changing/developing, not static. This may be the first
CV you’ve ever written, but it won’t be the last. You won’t be able to take it out ofyour
file in five years’ time, dust it down and send it for that internal promotion you’ve just
heard about. So, as we look at the basic components and structure of a CV, I’ll remind
you constantly about updating and reviewing it, so that it always does you justice.
A note, here, about the relationship between the CV and the appheation form, which
differ from one another in purpose and usage. Both are marketing tools and you will
be presenting the same kind ofinformation on each, but whereas in your CVyou have
a great deal of choice over content and presentation, with a form you must work
within given parameters and still sell yourself effectively. I deal with the CV first,
since you will have to work through some very basic concepts in order to design the
best possible CV for you, and this will help you to avoid the pitfail of rushing at an
appheation form without thorough preparation.
The basic sections
Activity 2.1
I expect you have an idea ofwhat should go into aCV. Note down the sections
you would include (just the headings, not the details).
As we gothrough the main sections, you can check whether you included them
in your list and also whether you had additional sections (you’ll need to look
carefully at the checklist of‘optional extras’).
Another thing to bear in mind when you’re writing a CV is that you should have
a reason for everything you include. This is not like an application form, where
the selector calls the tune; this is your marketing tool: use it well.
Personal details
What are you going to include in this? Have a look at these possibilities,
consider their relevance and tick one box per entry.
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(1 = Essential; 2 = Not sure how important; 3 = Unnecessary)
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surname
3
first name
other names
title (eg Mr, Ms, Dr)
it: 1
additional information. Any mention of physical disability needs sensible
handling - give it the most appropriate place. Do you need it in personal
details, or can you make a positive statement about it elsewhere on the GV?
This would be particularly important if you see your ‘coping’ as an achieve
ment or a difficulty overcome. Then you could incorporate it into details of
education, work experience or leisure activities or even under additional
information. Are you getting the message?
marital status
nationality
religion
Activity 2.2
home address
Certain personal details are essential. List them now.
term address
telephone number
Other details can be added at your discretion. Always ask yourself why you’re
adding them and whether they are relevant.
age
date of birth
You should now be able to complete the personal details of your CV. Turn to
the CV headings on page 31 and do that exercise now. Don’t worry about
presentation, we’ll get to that later.
place of birth
maiden name (if appropriate)
disabilities
driving licence
father’s occupation
Education
dependants
Selectors are always interested in your education and exam results as an undergradu
ate or postgraduate, so it’s important to present them in the most positive fight.
^Remember that as you progress in your career the detail of your academic courses
becomes much less significant as it is overtaken by work experience. However,
getting the information together now will save you lots of panicked phone calls home
in the future, demanding your O-level/GCSE certificates. So start searching now.
geographical mobility
Activity 2.1 - solution
That’s quite a list, isn’t it? How many ofthem did you think were essential?The
following would be generally regarded as essential:
‘How far back should I go?’
As a fresh graduate or college leaver, you’ll still need to mention O-levels/GCSEs and
A-levels, as well as your course. If you’re studying on a postgraduate course, you can
afford to ignore the O-levels, or at least condense them dramatically. ‘What about
BTec, how on earth can I condense that list of subjects?’ many of you will be saying.
The answer is, you can’t. Give the main detail in the body of the GV and then, if you
feel it’s necessary, attach a photocopy of your results certificate.
- surname
- first name
- home and term address
- telephone number
- date of birth (probably).
The rest is optional or, in some cases, irrelevant. If you think that your
'What about me - I’m a mature student?’
nationality is important, especially if you are an international student who
would need a work permit, then include it. Equally ifyou would argue with me
conveys messages of J agree that it may seem silly to be presenting exams which you took 15-20 years ago,
that marital status, and possibly even dependants,
<
but you probably did some more recent study before coming to university, eg Astability, maturity, etc, that’s your decision.
fjevels, Access or OU, and these will compensate for any previous gaps or failures.
ions, eg City & Guilds or SRN, should not
Certain things on that list are important b”* would be better put elsewhere. Remember, also, that vocational qualificatl
Driving licence is not really a personal
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HUNTING
Work experience
be overlooked, as they show what you have already achieved. When you’re consid
ering what to include in this section, look at it from the selector’s point ofview- recent
events will normally be of greater interest. Your past educational training may be
fascinating to you, it may represent your ‘roots’, but does it need to claim more space,
or even as much space as your degree?
Most students have to work in their vacations in order to pay off debts and, often, to
keep themselves. Very few can find stimulating or relevant jobs, when the only place
that’s offering work is the local pie factory. But it is work (and it may be all you’ve got
to put down) so make the most of it. If I had to choose from my list, I would say that
selectors are looking mostly for evidence of skills learned. So what skills did you leam
packing pies in the aforementioned factory? Remember what I said earlier about
skills - consider personal skills as well as technical/professional skills.
'What about my failed A-level Greek?’
How important is the subject to your application? Will the selector be pleased that
you have studied the subject even without a pass grade? If so, then include it: studied
Greek to A-level standard’. Yes, I know - anybody with any sense will know that you
failed it! But it’s a lot more positive than saying ‘A-level Greek grade F’. Ifthe subject
is not important, or if you retook it the following year and passed, then don’t include
the failure.
j Activity 2.5
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| Activity 2.3
Write down what you will include in the Education section of your CV, and
make a note of any questions. Next time you look at the CV headings you’ll
probably know the answer, but if your query is very individual you may need
Take any one ofyour jobs. What did it teach you about yourself, about the work
environment? Why would a selector want to know about it? Copy the table
below and fill it in. I’ve given you a starter for free.
Job title
Employer
What did you do?
What did you leam?
Sales
assistant
Boots
Served customers,
operated till,
stacked shelves
Tact, patience,
working under pressure,
communication skills
|
to consult a tutor or a careers adviser.
Activity 2.4
Before I say anything about work experience, make a list of all the jobs you ve
done.
Did you include every single one - even the Saturday job in the paper shop
Refer back to the earlier section on skills for the key words which tend to crop
up in job descriptions. Use them to make the most of your work experience.
Don’t get carried away though -1 have seen examples of excess, eg making a
counter job at Pizzaland sound like the managing director of an international
company! Have another go with a different job and think hard about what you
gained from the job.
when you were 14? Any more?
Now, look at the list with a selector’s eye. What is s/he looking for in your record
of jobs? Here are a few suggestions:
- relevant experience
- a commitment to holiday work
- evidence of the skills learned
- something to talk about in the interview
- an inkling of ‘real fife experience’.
Can you think of anything else, especially in your own case? Make a note of it.
Are you beginning to use the right words now? What you have just done is an exercise
in analysis. When you are writing your CV you won’t have much space, so you will
have to condense what you say and cut out any unnecessary detail.
Tve got hundreds of casualjobs, I can’t include them all. ’
Group casual work together, and give a summary of what you learned generally.
’Some of my work experience is really relevant, but the rest is not. Should I only
include the relevant stuff?’
Obviously your relevant work experience will interest an employer particularly, so
you need to give it precedence. But if you only include the one relevant job it may
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d to distinguish you from the other 200 geography students
who have also applied
look as ifyou haven’t done anything else. Why not split your work experience into two
sections: relevant and other. That way you get the best of both worlds.
e to see the ‘whole person’
‘My work experience was so long ago!’
If you’re a mature student who’s brought up a family you may be presenting jobs you
did 15-20 years ago, and then nothing for the last 10 years. This is not really a
problem, since selectors accept that mature students (and career changers) are using
education as a way of changing direction. You can still note down your previous work
and what you learned from it, or you can write a short paragraph about your progress
into higher education, including reference to former jobs and your ‘time out’ with the
family and linking it to your present and future plans.
All are valid reasons, except a. If you ticked it, you need to keep this kind of cynicism
under control! Perhaps the most dubious reason is c, which tends to suggest that
selectors are making judgements about you. For example, if you wrote as your
interests ‘reading, playing patience, listening to music on my personal stereo and solo
hill-walking’, does this necessarily mean that you are introverted and unable to relate
to your peers? Yes, probably it does! So one of the messages must be to give a broad
span of interests, but without inventing any! You’ll be found out!
Another important point about activities/interests is that ifyou want to say something
about yourself, through the things that you like doing, you should give enough
information. A list of interests will get the selector yawning in no time, but if you
include tantalising detail, s/he may actually want to see you to talk about it. For
example, compare the following two examples:
’Jyl Activity 2.6
Are you ready to fill in this section now? As you’re doing it, look always for the
positive aspects, but keep it short and concise. Turn to the CV headings on
page 31 and do it now.
7 enjoy photography and sport, mainly football.’
Let’s think about this dynamic CV again. What you’ve written down for this section
reflects the ‘newly qualified student’ looking for a first permanent job. As I said about
the education details, recent events overtake the past and your GCSE/A-levels will
gradually fade into insignificance as you accumulate degree and professional quali
fications. This is even more true of work experience. In five years’ time, when you go
for internal promotion, you won’t be including your holiday jobs or jobs you did
before you came into higher education, you’ll be concentrating on your professional
experience. So the exercise you’ve just done has taught you a way of breaking down
jobs into tasks, responsibilities and skills, and you will need to do this again and again
as you progress through your career.
Activities/interests
‘I enjoy photography, particularly black and white studies of towns and cities,
and I have learned recently to process my own film. My other main interest is
sport, mainly football, and I have playedfor the Hall team this year. This not
only keeps me fit, but gives me an opportunity to be part of a team and to mix
socially with students from other courses.’
The interests are the same, but the effect is very different.
| Activity 2.8
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statement.
•■ -
Activity 2.7
One more thing before you complete this section. You should be presenting not only
what you do for recreation, but also what you do in the student community, eg
membership of societies, community action, AIESEC. If you are secretary or a
committee member, look at the section on optional extras, but if you are involved in
Why do selectors want to know what you do in your spare time?
Tick which of the following you think are most likely:
any way it is worth mentioning.
a idle curiosity
b something to talk about in the interview
c evidence of personality type
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G
For other referees, it is useful to give them a copy of your CV, just to remind them
who you are!
Activity 2,9
u
So turn to the CV headings on page 31 and do the exercise.
I ; j | Activity 2,10
Additional information
You may be wondering what on earth can be left to say! Any thoughts on a few extra
things you’ve got to offer? Look back at the details you’ve given under the CV
headings, and then jot down anything else you think might be important for a selector
to know.
I
a
Certainly c, d, e, and f are worth including with some detail, eg which language and
to what level? use of own car? what computer skills, systems, packages and lan
guages? If you wrote something similar to a or g, then look at the optional extras
section. You may have included other things which haven’t occurred to me, so think
how important they are, and where you should put them. This may be the place where
you want to say something about your health in a positive way. No, I haven’t forgotten
the swimming certificates. I would merely ask that you consider carefully their
relevance to your application.
any one of them.
|
Did you include any of the following?
a school prefect
b swimming certificates
c other qualifications, eg typing
d foreign language skills
e driving licence
f computing skills
g treasurer of the Parachute Society.
if
Turn to the CV headings (page 31) and make a note of possible referees. It is
always useful to have at least three to choose from, in case of the absence of
Optional extras
a
Positions of responsibility
Some companies are keen to see evidence of leadership skills, so it s often
worth including your committee or society jobs, back to 6th form at school. If
you have lots, such as team captain for several sports, county standard,
Student Union posts, you need a separate section. If, on the other hand, you
have only one or two, or none at all, don’t worry - not everyone has the
chance or the desire to be captain of everything from the age of 5. You simply
include what you’ve done in your activities/interests section.
b
Awards/scholarships/exhibitions
If the above applies to you, you should be proud of it - after all it's an
achievement. For some students, for example, of visual/performing arts, it is
crucial to include details of awards and exhibitions, and you would certainly
need to create a special place in your CV for this. For other students it may
be just the one award, eg science prize at school or best student award at
university. Again, you can include it under additional information, but if you
want to highlight it, then let it stand alone.
c
Personal statement
For some people this is cringe time as it smacks of self-publicity. In fact, it
can be very effective to make a statement about yourself and your aspirations
in a CV. It doesn’t have to be over-the-top or brash - it’s better to make it
precise and clear, so that a selector knows exactly what you want and what
you feel you have to offer. Think about it. You’ll find an example on page 29.
If it appeals to you, then try drafting your own. If you’re still not tempted,
then that’s OK.
Referees
Ii
It is usual to include the names of referees in a CV, although as you progress through
a career this can become awkward. Your first CV as a recently quafified student
should include one academic referee - probably course leader or a tutor who knows
you well - and, if possible, a work-related referee. This may be relatively straightforward if you have done a placement as part of your course, but if not you can use
a vacation employer. Should you feel that this is not appropriate for some reason, you
can use a second academic referee or someone who has known you for a long time
- not a relative though.
t
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§
|
I’ve outlined three areas of optional extras, but there may be others which are
appropriate for you. As I keep saying, this CV is yours - you can add other sections
as you wish, so long as you bear in mind the basic guidelines about length and clarity.
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Remember to ask permission. Most academic tutors complete references for
students all the time, but you may need to check that they know your career interests.
16
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A: CVS AND APPLICATION FORMS
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specifically, so that it didn’t look as if you wrote the same thing on
every form?
h Does it impress you when you read it through or does it make you
cringe? (You may have to come to terms with the ‘cringe factor’.)
In summary: facts alone will not do. You know, from your job analysis, what the
employer is looking for. You know, from your self-assessment, what you have to offer.
Put the two together, and make your answer interesting and appropriate.
| Activity 3.2
If you ticked a fair number of these questions, then you’re on the right lines.
Remember this is not a comprehensive list, but just a few prompts to bear in mind
when you read it again. Many forms will allow you a whole page for this statement and
will invite you to attach additional sheets, so it has to be tackled thoroughly.
Now fill in the questions on page 2 of your form, referring to your notes under
the CV headings on page 31.
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The remainder of page 3 is generally a mix of questions on various aspects of
administrative importance, eg health, mobility. Two are particularly significant: the
question of points for interview and the additional information item. The former is
probably just an aide for the future interviewer, so s/he can prepare any specific facts,
but it also gives an indication of your interest in the company and the job. Equally,
the latter is an opportunity to present information which does not fit into other
questions, but will interest the selector and may gain you extra points.
£
[-
I have discussed choice of referees on page 16, so you can refer to this if necessary
before completing this page of the form.
L
L
Have you noticed where you must sign and date the form? Failing to do this can lead
to automatic binning!
Page 3
Here we have what might be termed the ‘crunch’ question -why do you want thejob
and why should we appoint you? This is where the marketing becomes explicit and
any natural reserve has to take a back seat. You want this job, don’t you? (Ifyou don’t,
then you have a strange way of passing the time!) So you have to tell the selector why
and then give enough ‘evidence of suitability’, ie personal skills, experience, job
knowledge, and so on, to get an interview.
Activity 3.3
Make a first draft now, using a job you’re considering.
\
‘Explain what attracts you about the type(s) of work for which you are
applying and offer evidence of your suitability. ’
| Activity 3.4
Now look at my checklist and tick off what you achieved.
Did you think about the requirements of the job before you put pen
to paper (in a real situation this would mean re-reading brochures, job
descriptions, etc)?
b Did you describe the origins of your interest, eg arising out of the
course/work experience/leisure activity, and plot its progress?
c Did you mention action taken, eg the pursuit of relevant work
experience, voluntary work, attendance at presentations?
d Did you mention aspects of the job/training specifically? This shows
that you know something about it.
Did you then link what you know to what you have to offer academic/technical skills (if appropriate), experience and personaL
qualities?
f Did you say positive things about yourself, using your ‘skills
vocabulary’?
g Did you mention some aspect of the compg'-v/organisation
34
Now turn to your SAP and complete page 3, re-drafting your answer to the
‘crunch’ question, if necessary.
L
Page 4 of the SAP is for monitoring purposes and will not appear on every employer
form.
this exercise, you will be able to keep this form as a good
Once you’ve completed
<
reference for■ any other you complete.
b
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I do not intend to instruct you in how to complete individual application form
questions. If you have read and understood the sections on self-assessment and job
analysis you should be ready to tackle anything thrown at you. Simply remember thaL
the function of an application form is to inform and interest the selector. You must
regard it as a marketing tool, so include details ofsuitability, skills, personal qualities
and let your personality show through. Impress the selector with your knowledge of
|
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the job/course and!' positive - distinguish yourself That’s the way to get an
interview. Objectiv^ .aieved!
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The covering letter
4
Bibliography
A note about letters with apphcation forms. These do not really need to be the full
covering letter described in When to use a CV on page 26. In fact, you may find that
any extra bits of paper are detached by a secretary. However forms do merit a short
accompanying letter, indicating the position applied for and the source of the
vacancy. You can also use the letter to point out any unusual features of your
application, eg that the company is not visiting your institution or the impheations of
Self-assessment
semester dates for interviews. An example is given next.
Very user-friendly.
13 Green Road
Barnsley
BS2 STR
Bolles, R. N. (1990) What colour is your parachute?, California, Ten Speed Press.
A practical manual.
Hoopson, B. and Scally, M. (1991) Build your own rainbow, Lifeskills Associates.
Careers Advisory Service resources
Your Careers Advisory Service holds a great deal ofinformation about self-assessment
and job-hunting, much of which is produced by AGCAS (The Association of
Graduate Careers Advisory Services). The following material is particularly relevant:
12.5.96
Ms S. Tempest
Blake’s Emporium
Chattel Road
Leeds
LS5 9YO
Where next? Exploring yourfuture. A practical career-planning workbook.
Applications and interviews. A very useful booklet containing hints about CVs and
application forms.
Write giving full details. A 20-minute video on written applications.
Dear Ms Tempest
I enclose my application form for the Trainee Manager vacancy, as advertised in
Many university careers services have a computer program, Prospect, which serves
as an aid to self-assessment and career choice.
Blankfield University Current Vacancies.
As stated on my form, I am in the final year of a degree course in Emporium
Management and will be available for interviews at any time excej:pt from 9th to 23rd
June, when I have my exams.
I look forward to hearing from you in due course.
Yours sincerely,
John Mason
36
37
Part B: Being interviewed
Introduction
This part aims to provide an introduction to the basics of interview preparation and
performance, to enable students to make the most of this opportunity for self
marketing.
If you have limited experience of interviews, or if that experience has been negative
so far, don’t worry - your performance can be improved through a greater under
standing of technique and presentation.
Objectives
At the end of the exercises in Part B you should be able to:
• understand the purpose of the selection interview and be familiar with two
different models;
• prepare for standard areas of questioning and predict specific questions by
analysing an application form;
• develop a strategy for the unstructured interview;
• analyse your own competence in verbal and non-verbal interview behaviour
and design an action plan for future improvement.
This book is designed to enable you to work at your own pace and select the chapters
or activities most appropriate for you at any given time.
I
5
What is an interview?
Silly question? Everyone has an idea of what to expect from an interview - usually a
battery of questions. But what is the purpose of an interview? Silly question again!
Obviously the purpose of a selection interview is to select someone! But how does the
interview achieve that? Asking questions and getting answers will not alone allow the
interviewer to make a decision. It is the interpretation of the answers which counts
and, perhaps more importantly, the communication which develops between inter
viewer and interviewee.
So, it’s not an interrogation. Nor is it a kind ofvictimisation. The ideal ofthe interview
is two-way communication. Unless you are encouraged to talk, and unless you take
the opportunity to talk, the interviewer will learn very little about you and will not be
able to decide about your suitability for the job.
Perhaps this is the point at which to allow you to grumble about all those awful
interviews you’ve had where two-way communication certainly didn’t happen and
you came out wondering what had hit you!
,f J Activity 5.1
Think about those occasions and make a note of why the experience was not
a good one.
In this part you will be presented with information about interview preparation and
procedure and then questioned to check your understanding. You will perform
exercises as you go through the text and these will form the basis of your preparation
for any interview which you may attend in the future.
Now look at your comments. What went wrong? It will normally be one oftwo things:
Take the challenge!
You have to be very honest here - it’s always easier to say ‘the questions xyere stupid'
than to admit that you couldn’t answer them. Putting the blame on the interviewer
may make you feel better, but you won’t learn anything from the experience.
a you were not well-enough prepared;
b the interviewer was not competent.
This part is about performing well at interviews and much of that is to do with
preparation - so we can deal with any problems in that area. However, what you can’t
control is the behaviour of the interviewer. Some are just not very good or haven’t
been trained. This may make the experience very frustrating for you, but it does not
negate the need for preparation. You should approach every interview expecting the
highest level of‘good practice’ and, if it turns out differently, then at least you can
attempt to take some control of the proceedings. More of that later.
So start being positive. Put all the bad experiences behind you and see how you can
make the most of I
lext time’.
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Styles of interviewing
The majority of people involved in recruitment are trained in selection interviewing.
They will not all be trained in the same way. Individual companies design their own
application forms and their own interview assessment models. You will not know
what these models are, but I can introduce you to one very common type - that ofthe
behavioural interview.
What do you think an employer wants from the
interview?
What do you think an employer wants from the interview? Tick the ones you
agree with.
Now, settle down, this is not going to be a psychology lecture. It will take only a few
lines, but they may be the most important few fines you will read for a while!
a To look at you
What is behavioural interviewing? It is, quite simply, getting a candidate to describe
events in the past (or sometimes the present) which can be used to predict whether
the individual will, in the future, demonstrate skills which are important for a specific
job. Just as on application forms you are asked to describe achievements in terms of
‘when you did it’, ‘how you did it’, ‘what the results were’ etc, so similar questions will
c To check what you know about the job
crop up in the interview, eg:
b To see if you match up to your application form
d To have a friendly chat
e To find out why anyone would want to study nutritional
biochemistry with Serbo-Croat
j
f To see if you are basically suitable for the job
‘Give me an example of a time tvhen you were able to persuade someone of your
■
point of view. ’
Activity 5.2 - comments
‘When you had to do a piece of work in college which was really uninteresting
to you, how did you deal with it?’
Can you see the connections? By looking at your past achievements and at the way
ill ,you will cope with particular
you have handled situations, selectors judge how wef
aspects of a job in the future.
In terms of your preparation for the interview the message is clear. You should give
concrete evidence to support your statements - general comments like Tm good at
talking to people’ are not enough; you will receive the challenge ‘Give me an example.
Not all interviewers will use a behavioural model - some will have a fixed assessment
schedule, as described in the next section. However, all selectors will appreciate
specific information rather than generahsms, so preparing for this model will ensure
that you have covered the ground thoroughly.
These may all be valid reasons for wanting to interview you, except for d.
Recruiters, these days, can’t afford ‘friendly chats’. There’s a purpose to
everything, so don’t think that ‘the gift ofthe gab’ will get you a job without very
careful and thorough preparation to back it up. Let’s look at the other reasons.
a The way you look does matter. If you didn’t tick this, remember that
the impression you make is based on a number of things including
your appearance. We will look at the ‘non-verbal’ aspects of an
interview later.
b I’m sure you ticked this. Getting an interview means that you did a
good written application - now you’ve got to five up to it, expand on
the information and show off your communication skills.
c Here’s where all that research in the Careers Service pays off!
Now that you can see, in theory, what the interview is all about, let’s consider your
practical preparation. In order to prepare well, you must look at it from both sides:
the interviewer and yourself.
e OK, it’s unlikely that an employer would interview you just for this
alone, but s/he certainly will be checking out the details of your
course, since there is so much scope for ‘optional extras’ these days.
f Absolutely! This is the real purpose of the first interview and it takes
in all the preceding reasons plus a few more.
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For example:
•
•
•
•
•
BEING
INTERVIEWED
i
I could show you more of these forms, but it is enough to know that the interviewer
is looking for certain attributes and that all candidates will be judged in the same way.
Obviously, ‘chemistry’ or ‘gut reaction’ can never be ruled out, nor can you totally
eradicate personal prejudice, but those things are out ofyour control. Let s deal with
what you can control or at least what you can prepare for!
3
G
to talk about your work experience;
to see how well you respond to ‘difficult questions ;
to get some idea of your personal quahties;
to talk about your interests;
to give you a chance to ‘sell’ yourself.
What do you want from the interview?
Are there any other things you can think of that an employer might want from
an interview? Note them down now.
i
in the short time you have with a selector?
Here is a possible checklist:
Most employers will have some kind of checklist to fill in after the interview
— some are more structured than others. This not only helps them to
remember who you are, when they get back to the office, but it also allows the
interviewers to assess candidates on the same criteria. This is particularly
important when the forms are passed on to someone else who was not in on
the original interview, but who has to make decisions about second interviews.
a
To create an impression - a positive one that will stay in the selector’s mind.
b
To market your suitability for the job by presenting relevant information
about yourself and your experience.
c
To collect information in order to make a sound decision.
I
So, let’s look at one example of a typical interview evaluation form.
Preparation Into
company and lob
Read company recruitment
literature?
Company report?
Read about type of work in
Careers Centre handouts?
Preparation on sett
Your course?
Experience?
Ambitions?
Reasons for applying, etc?
Motivation for job?
Self-expression
Clarity, speed and audibility
of speech?
Explanation of ideas?
Adequate
Excetent
|
A
B
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None of the above can be achieved by a passive attitude. Active participation is the
Poor
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key to a mutually satisfactory selection interview.
Comments:
The format of the interview
Adequate
Excetent
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A
B
Poof
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E
Comments:
Adequate
Excetent
A
|
B
|
Anyone who has applied to the Civil Service will tell you about the panel experience
- six to ten people arranged at a long table facing the solitary candidate s chair! Similar
arrangements happen in teaching, social services, academic posts, etc, but the panel
Poor
c | D |
We tend to think of an interview as one-to-one, and this is probably the most common
form it takes. Selection is a very costly business for organisations, so there has to be
a good reason for having more than one person involved. But it does happen.
E
is normally smaller - maybe two to four members.
Comments:
Adequate
Excetent
A
|
Comments:
B
Poor
| c I D T~E
A panel interview will not make any difference to your preparation, but it will mean
extra flexibility in your responses to questions. All the panel members have a reason
for being included and they probably each have a ‘pet’ subject. You won t know this
beforehand so you will probably find that the interview doesn’t flow in the same way
as a one-to-one. It’s not easy building a rapport with five people at the same time! We
will discuss your response to a panel interview in Chapter 7 on pages 58—63.
Bear in mind that panel interviews become more common as you progress through
your career, so eve
'ou haven’t met one yet, it s lurking round the comer!
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But what about you, the candidate? Don’t you have needs too? If you are going to
prepare effectively, you should understand what you want out of the interview.
But what do
Yes, OK, obviously a job or a place on the course. P
J - you want to achieve
Activity 5.3
Appearance and manner
Suitably dressed?
Neat?
Any curious mannerisms?
Facial expressions?
Confident?
Diffident?
Eye contact?
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Equal opportunities
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Practical preparation
You put a lot of work into your written application, didn t you? Well, now is the time
to revise it all. Find your applications file (and if you haven’t got one, make one now)
and take out the photocopy of your application form and the graduate brochure etc.
Write a definition of equal opportunities.
Let’s run through the procedure again.
I
Difficult? This is something you need to think about. Equal opportunities is now the
cornerstone of all good recruitment practice. This obviously means that you should
not be asked offensive or discriminatory questions. If you feel that a particular
question is discriminatory or that the whole tone of the interview is suspect, then you
a Read the brochure noting details of company organisation, job functions and
do have the right to comment.
the job.
d Draw up a person specification from the details given, especially relating to
Remain calm and rational and ask about the relevance of a question or enquire about
the company’s equal opportunities policy. The more people who do this, the less
common it will become. Remember iso what I said about good recruitment practice
- many organisations will not appreciate the importance of equal opportunities and
this will show in the way they conduct their selection.
skills, qualities and personality.
e Check whether the Careers Advisory Service has a video on the company. By
the way, you did attend the presentation, didn t you?
f Read your application form through and jot down what specific skills and
experience you mentioned and what examples you used.
It is common now in the public sector to be given an equal opportunities interview,
sometimes as the only one or sometimes as a supplementary one. This serves the dual
purpose ofchecking out your own attitude andbehefs about equal opportunities, and
also satisfies the organisation’s selection requirements. Practice does vary, but you
may be given a series of questions in a set format, in a neutral tone and with no verbal
or non-verbal feedback from the interviewer. This ensures that no candidate has
preferential treatment. The intention is good; the practice is extremely unnerving if
you don’t know what’s happening. We all look for reaction from our interviewer - this
is rather like being interviewed by remote control in a box!
Summary
Understanding the purpose of the interview is crucial. By knowing what the
employer wants and what you want from the proceedings you can start to plan your
strategy.
Which is what we’re going to do next.
particular requirements.
b If there wasn’t a brochure, where did you research the company?
c Read the job description and make sure you understand the tasks involved in
Now you are ready to start predicting the questions.
Predicting the questions
Every interview youi experience will be different, but your selectors will share
common concerns, As
i a graduating student, you can predict certain areas of
questioning and, having predicted them, you can thoroughly prepare for your
answers.
| Activity 6.1
Make a list oftopics you would expect to come up in an interview for a graduate
job.
Can you, even at this early stage, begin to put these topics into categories? For
example, do you have several topics relating to your education or your work
experience? Before I help you to expand this list, see if you can create
categories and then fit your suggested topics into them.
Activity 6.1 — comments
You may have found that your categories mirror the normal sections of a CV
or applicati' rorm. This is very understandable as the interview normally
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Another source of possible questions lies in the brochure or job description. You will
have used all this information in your application already, andyou will now be revising
this for interview. Again, assume that you are the employer. Look at the job
description provided and think whether this suggests ‘extra’ questions. I’ll give you
an example:
Have a look at a sample of‘expected’ questions.
Now, let’s move from the general to the more specific. When you attend an
interview, you will normally have submitted something in writing beforehand.
You can assume that your interviewer has read this. So, as well as the general
questions which relate to every student, there will be particular points from
your application to be covered.
‘.... our aim is to give you middle management responsibility as early as
possible. ’
Using the behavioural interview model, you would now be looking for evidence, from
the past or present, of an ability to take on responsibility. So in the case of this
applicant, you might want to check out how much of the work experience was
‘undirected’ and whether there was scope for initiative. You might even want to
challenge the interviewee to produce evidence, since there is no mention in the form
of positions of responsibility.
I
| Activity 6.3
I
For this next exercise I have provided you with a job description and a
completed application form (see pages 54-57). Look at the form with an
employer’s eye. First, are there any gaps or inconsistencies you would want to
clarify? Note them down now.
i
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Lastly, take this a step further. Pick one of the above and think up a couple of
questions which would encourage a candidate to give you more information.
46
Look at the job description and pick out the most important requirements of
the job (you will have done a similar exercise already if you have completed
Chapters 2 and 3). Ifyou were interviewing for this job, what would be on your
checklist?
Now, for each of the items on the list, look for evidence in the application form
and tick if you find any. When you’ve finished, there will probably be items
unticked, or perhaps queried, if the evidence is slim. These will form the core
issues to be addressed in the interview. My own analysis follows.
Activity 6.2
Secondly, why would you want to interview this candidate? What is offered
over and above the expected? If you have worked through Part A, on written
applications, you will know that there is an emphasis on giving evidence both
of experience and skills. What parts of this application fonn would you want
to examine at interview? Write them down.
INTERVIEWED
Now you know how hard it is to be on the other side of the desk! Looking at your
application form with an employer’s eye is an excellent way of predicting likely
questions.
follows a successful written application and wiP therefore, continue and
expand the same areas. This also reinforces what I said earlier about revision
of your written application. So you can see that for part of the interview you
are on safe ground.
a Why did you choose to take a qualification in ... ?
b What benefits have you derived from your education?
c What aspects of your degree/diploma/etc are most relevant to this job/
course?
d What do you hope to be doing in five years’ time?
e What are your strengths and weaknesses?
f Tell me about your most relevant work experience.
g What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
h How did you find out about our company/course?
i Why do you think you are suited to a career in ...?
j Why have you applied to us?
k What skills do you think you will need for this job?
1 How would your best friend describe you?
m How does this course fit into your future career plans?
BEING
Key requirements
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• intellectual ability
• relevant work experience
• character - lively personality, an ‘individual’
• common sense
• flexibility
• eye for detail
• leadership ability
• communication
• physical/me’^'d stamina
• judgement
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• takes responsibility
• rises to challenges
• ambition
• problem-solving
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BEING
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‘She said “I’m surprised that you are interested in accountancy with a
Social Science degree - I thought you’d go for public sector work.
‘ ‘Why should I appoint you,” she said, ‘when I have hundreds of
applications from people with relevant experience?” ’
So, if I were interviewing Sheila Brown, I would now have an idea of how far she
matches my requirements and of where any weaknesses may he. I would also have
earmarked some topics for further discussion. Now I’m ready to map out my
questions. Are you ready to answer them?
‘ “Tell me how you feel about the removal of the binary divide” - I didn’t
know what on earth it was. ’
Trick questions
' “Since you’ve applied to the NHS, you must have strong views about the
present re-structuring.” Since I didn’t know what his views were, I was
afraid of giving a wrong answer.’
I
‘So, how did you feel the interview went?’
i
Is there such a thing as a trick question in an interview? Can you define what it means
to you?
I
Activity 6.4
Give me an example of a trick question you’ve experienced. Or if that’s not
possible, can you think of what you’d describe as one?
"I
il
Activity 6.4 - comments
1
For trick questions read tricky questions. Most interviewers do not try to catch
you out - despite the horror stories you hear. But they do try to challenge you.
They need to check out how you respond underpressure and whether you can
put together a calm rational answer to provocative questions. Leaping across
the desk and grabbing the interviewer by the throat will not impress upon h im
your great negotiating skills!
Should you be asked questions which you do not understand, then say so and
ask for clarification. Don’t waffle on and hope nobody notices.
1
-
Now why is that a trick question? Here are some of the examples people give:
‘He asked me something really technical about my subject which I
couldn’t answer. ’
‘She said that an English degree was pretty useless and what relevance
could it possibly have?’
7 happened to mention that I belonged to the Student Union, and the
interviewer was very aggressive about my political activities. ’
‘She said “Suppose that you are a store manager. It’s 8 o’clock on a
Friday morning and your main delivery lorry has overturned on the Ml,
leaving your shelves rather bare in two sections. What would you do?”
How could I answer that - I’m not doing thejob yeti’
‘ “What would you say was your main weakness” - do they really want to
know?’
He kept on and on about my A-level repeats and whether I would cope
with professional study. ’
48
Tricky questions still draw on the preparation you have done on the company
and on your own suitability for the job. Be calm, be flexible and don t rise to
what you see as an implied insult. Even the political questions are in there for
a purpose - to check your understanding of current topical issues and to see
whether you can argue your case rationally. There is no wrong answer- except,
obviously, one which is blatantly discriminatory in some way.
-
3
Tell me about yourself’
When you go into an interview, you expect to be asked questions. I ve spent a lot of
time in this chapter talking about preparation for questions and how this can make
you feel much more confident.
!
So, you walk into the room, feeling calm and confident, but anticipating some
challenging questions. What does your interviewer do? Sits back in the chair, looks
you full in the face, smiles and says Well, Ms ..., tell me about yourself ’ The sheer
panic which follows chases every rational thought out of your head as you struggle to
string a few coherent phrases together.
49
I
!
B :
Performing well
7
Verbal behaviour
s
INTER
Asking for a iew seconds to gather your thoughts
for a difficult question
1
2
3
4
Saying T don’t know the answer’
i
2
3
4
2
3
4
Dealing with apparently inappropriate questions
You will have noticed that so far we’ve talked mainly about preparing for the
interview. I hope that you agree with me that this is the foundation of good intemew
performance. If you’ve done your homework you can go into the room feeling far
more confident. And confidence is the key to performing well. But if interview
success depends simply on preparation, then why do we all feel nervous and why do
3
BEING
Disagreeing with the interviewer
1
2
3
4
Asking questions about the job/employer
1
2
3
4
5
Asking questions about your likely opportunities
1
2
3
4
5
we sometimes mess it up?
Demonstrating a sense of humour
1
2
3
4
5
Partly, of course, it’s lack of practice. Think of some other activity which scared you
the first time you did it, eg giving a presentation, asking someone out, getting your
hands on a computer - all these things get easier the more you do them. Unfortu
nately, or fortunately more likely, we don’t go for interviews on a regular basis. It
happens now and then, so there’s no chance of much practice. On occasions when you
are attending interviews regularly, (eg the milkround), then your performance does
improve dramatically over an intensive three- or four-week period.
Demonstrating self-confidence
1
2
3
4
5
Butyou can learn from experience and improve your performance. Even ifyou venot
had many interviews so far, you will already have an idea of your strengths and
weaknesses in this context.
I
Activity 7.1
I]
Work through the following list of skills and rate yourself on a scale of 1 to
5 (from ‘not at all competent’ to ‘very competent’)
Initiating’ conversations
1
2
3
4
5
Carrying on conversations
1
2
3
4
5
Speaking clearly and audibly
1
2
3
4
5
Expressing ideas fluently
1
2
3
4
5
Talking about yourself
1
2
3
4
5
Discussing your strengths/achievements
1
2
3
4
5
Demonstrating interest/enthusiasm
1
2
3
4
5
Discussing your weaknesses in a positive manner
1
2
3
4
5
Providing succinct but comprehensive answers
1
2
3
4
5
Seeking clarification
1
2
3
4
5
The examples in Activity 7.1 demonstrate verbal communication skills. Some people
are naturally very good at communicating - in social situations, in seminars, in work
- but cannot get it together in an interview.
For them, the experience mirrors the tyrant-victim relationship. From being a
bright, articulate, confident, active person they become completely passive; re
sponding and reacting, but taking no responsibility for what happens in those
important 30 minutes. It’s rather like Mastermind - spotlight on you, mouth goes dry,
mind goes blank and someone batters you with questions!
It’s not really like that, is it? Now that you understand the purpose of the interview,
you can see how unhelpful it is to the interviewer if you adopt the passive victim role.
They have to work twice as hard to get anything out ofyou and, if it’s so difficult, they
probably won’t bother.
I used the phrase ‘taking control’ at the end of Chapter 6. That’s a very extreme
measure - though you may be tempted to do this with an incompetent or inexperienced interviewer who’s almost cryingout for help. ‘Taking responsibility’ is'probably
a better phrase. You’ve done all the preparation. You believe you are a good candidate
(if not the best). So it’s up to you to make the most of the opportunity. The techniques
of performing well at interview are very similar to those learnt through assertion
training. If you wish to read more about this, I have included a few relevant books in
Chapter 9.
| Activity 7.2
Compare the following dialogues:
a
58
I-er: I see you’ve been involved in the Student Union. Still, I suppose
59
B :
BEING
INTERVIEWED
hunting
that’s quite common isn’t it, since you’ve all got to he members?
I-ee: Yes, I suppose it is. But not everyone is actively involved.
I-er: Do you have any
college life?
examples of positions of responsibility outside
matter what you go on to say, you can’t take away that first word. Rather say
7 would consider many aspects of my course to be vocational. I’ve had the
chance to develop good communication skills, to use information technology,
research and process data and to work as a member of a team. These seem to
be very relevant skills for your company training programme.’
I-ee: Well, I’ve not really had the chance to do things off campus.
Non-verbal behaviour
I-er: I see you’ve been involved in the Student Union. Still, I suppose
that’s quite common isn’t it, since you’ve all got to be members.
To be successful at an interview, you need to reassure the interviewer that you are
the best candidate for the job. This is as much to do with the way you act as with what
you say.
I-ee- Actually, the reason I put that down was because it has involved
quite a lot of committee work, which I think is useful experience for
I firmly beheve that thorough preparation brings confidence -so that’s your first goal.
someone hoping to go into personnel.
I-er: Right, tell me about that.
| Activity 7.4
Write some notes about the evidence of 'taking responsibility’ in these two
There are also some very easy practical steps to creating the right impression
examples.
in the interview:
a Dress appropriately. What does this mean to you?
b Check out the geography. What do you need to know before you start
Activity 7.3
Think how you might respond to the following comments:
a Your work experience is not really relevant, is it?
b Has your degree contained anything vocational at all.
c It must be nice to be able to spend a year travelling around E»roPed Mature entrants often have some difficulty fitting in to the office
e
staff are nearly all under 30.
You didn’t do too well in your A-levels, did you? I’m not sure that
you’d cope with the qualification study.
Activity 7.3 - comments
You could say that these are in the tricky question league, but they come at you
almost as throwaway lines, effectivelyblockinganydevelopment. Youneedto
challenge the unspoken assumptions or you will miss good marketing oppor
tunities. Use the good old assertion technique: 7 understand why you might
think that, hut actually ...’
a negative. For example, with question b you
However you reply, don t admit
case by startin;
ur reply ‘No it hasn t. No
would seriously weaken your
out for the interview?
c Arrive in good time. Why?
d What are you going to do as you enter the room?
e Eye contact is extremely important. Why?
f You are allowed to smile. What effect does this have? Can you overdo
it?
g What are you going to take into the interview? Why?
b What are you going to do with your hands? Is this a problem? (It isn’t
for most people.)
How will you sit? Do you need to practise? (Coffee bar lounging can
lead you into bad habits.)
j How can you show the interviewer that you are interested?
k What will you do at the end of the interview? (ie before you leave the
i
room.)
Activity 7.4 - comments
Are you feeling nervous already? This checklist is a way of making you aware
of what’s important. It isn’t whether you wear blue socks or a plain white shirt
(contrary to popular belief). These things are only important in so far as they
make you feel comfortable and allow you to appear confident and relaxed.
61
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Day 2
h
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6.00 pm
7.00 pm
Free time
Dinner with recent graduates and managers
9.00 am
10.30 am
11.15 am
12.00
1.00 pm
Technical interview with two engineers
Personnel interview
Management interview
Lunch
Psychometric testing: verbal reasoning,
abstract reasoning
Site tour
Depart
2.30 pm
4.15 pm
'ay or the other! Glad you’re not a chemical engineer, are
Pretty heavy stuff, one way
you? Well, hang on a minute.
you are applying for any management function,
minute. If
If you
whether it be personnel, marketing, finance or suchlike, you are 1likely to have to go
through similar programmes, only more so!
Here is a typical assessment centre programme for marketing candidates:
Day 1
6.30 pm
7.15 pm
8.00 pm
Arrive at hotel
Briefing session
Information meal with two young managers
(not assessed)
Day 2
8.30 am
8.45 am
9.20 am
9.50 am
Arrive at Head Office
Aptitude tests
Mutual introductions
Group discussions on a topic of the group s
choice
Coffee and preparation for Group Task
Group Task: business situation
Coffee and preparation for Interactive
Case Study
Lunch
Opportunity to read company information
Tdk on graduate training programme
Individual interviews
1 Two selectors
2 Interview with psychologist and
discussion of test results
3 Training Manager
Debriefing session
Finish
10.15 am
10.45 am
11.25 am
12.35 pm
1.45 pm
2.15 pm
2.30 pm
4.30 pm
5.00 pm
70
SECOND
INTERVIEWS
6
You can draw breath now. Yes, it is very intensive and very varied and if you get
through the process successfully you will know that you deserve the job! But always
remember what I said about first interviews: it is a two-way process. The second
interview is normally held on company home ground and involves lots of different
people. Use it as a way of deciding whether you like what you see.
| Activity 10.5
Jot down some of the things you might want to find out while you are there.
Let’s turn this into an aide-memoire which you can photocopy and take with you on
your visit. Remember you can add to this when you’re there. For example, if the
presentation mentions the choice between block and day-release, you might want to
use your time in the bar to check out what type of training the recent recruits chose
and why. The headings below are useful for jotting things under as they occur or in
your free time at the end of the day.
What I want to know
How
When
What I found out
71
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11 Preparing for a second interview
Now that you’ve had a chance to look at what might happen at a second interview, you
will want to think about your preparation. With the first interview it was fairly
straightforward - you can look back at Part B: Being interviewed. You revised
everything that went into your application form and you attempted to predict areas
of questioning. So what should you do this time around? Is it just a repetition of the
first interview? Clearly, it is not. There will be panel or one-to-one interviews as part
of the process, but there are all kinds of other activities, some of which would seem
impossible to prepare in advance.
’^ | Activity 11.1
SECOND
INTERVIEWS
Personal introduction
There are several ways this can be organised. Sometimes you are given one minute
to talk about yourself and sometimes it is turned into an ice-breaker exercise where
you talk to a partner and then you introduce your partner to the group. However it
is organised, you need to think about what you will include.
| Activity 11.2
Jot down what you would say about yourself. You might also want to try timing
yourself. Many people don’t realise how long a minute can be! Use a stopwatch
and see how it feels. Always bear in mind the person spec, for the job you want
- can you use this short time to project important information or qualities?
Look again at the interview programmes in Chapter 10, pages 69-70. Place the
activities into categories of Can prepare and Can’t prepare.
Am I right in saying that your Can’t prepare column is longer that your Can prepare?
OK, so your lists may be different from mine, but it does look as if much of the
programme is unseen. There are reasons for this, which I will look at in a moment,
and, more importantly, there are ways of maximising your potential!
But first let’s look at the Can prepare items and run a checklist on those.
Can prepare
In this section we’ll consider how you can use your time most effectively in the run
up to your second interview. The time you spend at an assessment centre will be
packed with activities, interviews and sociaUsing, so it will be difficult to find space
for quiet contemplation and preparation - except when you’re in bed and maybe this
time is best spent sleeping!
Therefore, if you want to present yourself as a well-informed and well-prepared
candidate, you’ve got to do your homework beforehand.
Presentations obviously need a great deal of time and attention, especially if you are
relatively unused to giving them. But equally, introducing yourself in a concise and
interesting way will benefit from a dry run. You will also be expected to show a greater
insight, at second stage, into the job itself and the company/organisation, so you must
do extra research and firm up on some of the generalisations which may have been
acceptable at first interview. Remember, you’re now in competition with the best
candidates. Do yourself a favour and prepare well - as with exams, it will pay off in
the end.
72
Remember, these may be the first words your assessors hear from you. Make it clear,
concise and interesting. And don’t mumble!
Company information/job knowledge
Obviously, as part of your general preparation, you will re-read the company
brochure and any other information you managed to find. Further details will be
given to you at the time of your second interview, perhaps in written form, perhaps
also via talks, videos and tours. You will be expected to take in this information (so
don’t fall asleep), and it may possibly form part of the interview questioning. It is also
important for you to be absorbing the company ethos and forming your own
impressions. How do you feel about the style of presentations - can you see yourself
working with these people? Do you think the company has given any thought to equal
opportunities - are there any women managers involved in the assessment centre or
representatives from ethnic minorities? Are you picking up any discrepancies
between what you’re hearing and what the brochure says? Are they talking down to
you or treating you as an equal?
s
There is no way you can anticipate these details, but by doing your homework on the
company beforehand you will be able to understand the new information more
readily and ask intelligent questions about it.
Try to expand the base ofyour company knowledge before you attend. The brochure
may just be enough to get you through the first stage, but now that you’re so close to
success, you need to go the extra mile. Read through everything in the Careers
Service file, including Annual Reports - these may seem very dry but they can give
you useful facts about expansion, turnover, product development etc. It may also be
worth visiting your university or public library to see if they offer a press cuttings
search such as McCarthy, or if they hold Extel cards. I’ve given you a list of sources
in Chapter 13. Your inte’' ’ wers will be impressed with any extra details you have
discovered through your
a efforts.
73
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SECOND
INTERVIEWS
a
You will also be given a much greater insight into your chosen job area through
contact with graduates and through the various activities. This may form the focus of
your interviews - it may even be a time to discuss a change of mind, eg marketing >
sales/finance > IT. Don’t expect to get away with a woolly definition - it may just have
got you through first interview, but it won’t be good enough for the fine managers and
section heads. Ask questions, get yourself informed - these people are doing the job
you want to do, use them.
Three
Three things
things are required to catch the selectors’ attention: well-reasoned and
thoughtful directions in your CV history; enthusiasm for the job; close
awareness of what the company requires from its employees as set out in the
brochure.
Interviews
You have, no doubt, read Part B: Being interviewed. The preparation suggested in
that part will be exactly the same for these one-to-one or panel interviews at the
assessment centre. Expect more focus.
In addition to your application form or GV, this time the selectorswill have notes from
your first interview. In Part B I gave an example of a typical assessment form (page
42). These forms, with the interviewer’s notes, are passed back to the Graduate
Recruitment Office who use them as the basis for deciding who to invite to second
interview.
By now, the selectors are forming a picture of your strengths and possible weak
nesses. They will meet beforehand to discuss all the candidates and to share the
information from first interviews. From this discussion they may draw up a shopping
list for each candidate, eg:
‘John is obviously very articulate and highly self-confident, but is he really
committed to information technology? We know he’s also applying for
accountancy and finance work - where do his priorities lie?’
Or
of their perfonnance at the first stage they may be able to use their knowledge to
improve things this time around, eg:
(John) ‘They asked me where else I was applying and seemed a little surprised
that I was interested in accountancy. I need to show a lot of enthusiasmfor IT. ’
(Mandy) T know I was nervous, but I think it got better as the interview went
on. I really must make an effort to join in and state my opinions assertively. ’
Well done, John and Mandy. Now how about you?
You will meet a variety of interviewers - personnel managers (usually different from
the milkround), technical managers, occupational psychologists, section heads etc.
Each will have his/her own particular interests, and if you have several interviews,
expect some duplication of questioning. You may be encouraged to talk in more
depth about relevant academic work or relevant experience. You will certainly be
challenged to demonstrate your knowledge ofthe job and the organisation and, above
all, you will be expected to sell yourself.
I’ve talked a great deal throughout this book about self-marketing or selling yourself.
You have got to show yourself in the best light at an interview and particularly at an
assessment centre, where your interpersonal skills are being judged throughout the
two or three days. Just don’t go over the top. If you watch the AGCAS video Two
whole days you will see one character who makes an art of arrogance and self
satisfaction. Guess who didn’t get the job! True self-confidence and assertiveness
come from a respect for oneself and for others. Once you overstep the mark into a
dominating, cocky or superior attitude with your fellow candidates, or with the
selectors, your behaviour may be thought dishonest and offensive. Be true to yourself
- show your good points, but don’t hit people over the head with them!
J Activity 11.3
Interviews at assessment centres can also be used to feed back test results,
personality questionnaires, profiles and observers’ comments. Why do they do
this?
‘Mandy was very well informed about the job and the company and has some
relevant work experience, but she seemed rather nervous at first interview - will
she be able to cope with the pressure of our working environment?’
Now write down three good reasons why the employer would share this
information with you.
You need to think back to your first interview, and if you used the checklist I
suggested in Part B, Activity 7.5, page 62, you will have some idea of the good points
of the interview and also areas of weakness or gaps in your knowledge, which should
be filled before your assessment centre interview. If John and Mandy were to think
Did you think of three? Were they sensible? I’m sure they were. You know by now
the lands of qualities demanded of candidates by graduate recruiters and several of
these can be checked out through this sharing process. For example:
74
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JOB
defines an accent as regional?
| Activity 11.5
highlighted, to redress the balance.
• Self-awareness: were you aware of occasions when you didn t contribute as
well as you could? Can you evaluate your overall performance and talk
about the skills you showed in the various exercises, without resorting to
hollow boasts or excuses (I wasn t at my best)?
3
So let’s assume that you have been asked to give a five-minute talk on one
aspect of your extra-curricular activities. What subject will you choose? Bear
in mind the time limit - do you know enough about this subject to fill five
minutes? Orthe reverse - will you struggle to squash yourvast knowledge into
Remember always that recruiters are looking for reassurance. Appointing staff is a
risky business. The more confident you appear about your ability to do the job an
the more open you are in discussions about your potential, the more likely they are
j
INTERVIEWS
content ofyour talk is less important than how you present it. Apologies to all citizens
of the North-West for answer b. Regional accents are not a problem. Anyway, who
• Communication skills; a chance to give clear, rational responses.
• Team-working skills: your ability to work with managers towards an
assessment of your skills and development needs without being defensive.
• Self-confidence: this is your chance to argue your case, and if weaknesses are
. i. 1
SECOND
HUNTING
such a short time?
Write down the subject you have chosen for this exercise.
to view you favourably.
What is the main theme ofyour talk? F or example, ifyou choose to speak about
It is useful to think broadmindedly and answer with well-reasoned, common
J
sense answers.
Presentations
K
For my purposes here, I will comment briefly on doing a presentation in the context K
h
■
of the assessment centre.
i
windsurfing, your main idea could be:
- the Windsurfing Society at university
- windsurfing equipment
- the history of windsurfing
- a typical day’s windsurfing
- your own involvement.
And so on.
One main theme is all you’ve time for, so write that down. Now think of three
M
1
I J
Why do recruiters want to hear you giv<-e a talk? Tick which apply:
a To see how clearly you speak
b To reject anyone from the North-West
c To check out whether you can switch on an OHP
d To see how logical you are in your planning
e To find out how much you know about a given subject
□
□
□
□
□
Hands up anyone who said, tWhat’s an OHP?’
Presentation skills are very important to anyone contemplating a management or
research job. Most recruiters will need to checkout your skills either through a formal
talk or through a group exercise presentation.
Answers a and d obviously reflect the concerns of the recruiters, as does c to a certain
extent - although not all students have a chance to use audio-visual aids on their
course and employers appreciate this. Answer e is a possibility ifyou are set a workrelated topic or if you are presenting your
larch project, but in many cases the
aspects of your main theme:
Windsurfing
eg
Subject:
My personal involvement
Main idea:
1 how I became involved
Three aspects:
2 where I do it
3 how much it costs.
Activity 11.6
Write down the three aspects you would cover in your talk.
Are you happy with those? If at this stage you are struggling to get an angle on
your subject, then you still have time to try another one. Certainly ifyou are
planning this presentation several weeks in advance, you may want to test out
an alternative.
Write down a second idea.
77
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I said earherthat recruiters are mostly interested in the way you plan and deliver your
presentation. Hopefully the content will capture their interest, but offering them
fascinating and erudite detail on the mating habits of the tree frog will not, in itself,
win you brownie points.
You have, possibly, been on the receiving end of lectures from experienced,
knowledgeable people, which have either sent you to sleep or left your head reeling.
Aim to get your message across clearly and concisely - give your talk a structure.
• introduce yourself and your subject;
• outhne the main content of the talk;
• give the talk, moving clearly from section to section (links);
• summarise what you’ve said and give a conclusion;
• ask for questions.
| Activity 11.7
Over to you now. Make some notes on your talk under the following headings:
• Introduction
• Outline
• The main talk in sections: a, b, c
• Summary and conclusion.
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How did you do that exercise? Did you make notes or did you try to write it out
longhand? This question leads on to a consideration of how you give your talk.
SECOND
quickly when they’re nervous. And try to anticipate likely questions. Don’t
over-rehearse, though, otherwise it will sound like something you know off by
heart.
Summary
So there is a certain amount of preparation you can do beforehand. Doing this well
will allow you to feel much more confident when you arrive at the assessment centre.
However, you will remember that most of the activities noted in Activity 11.1 fell into
the Can’t prepare category.
Can’t prepare
When you attend your first assessment centre, it may feel like walking into the
unknown. It is difficult to imagine what it will be like and you will naturally feel
apprehensive.
As you will discover from working through this section, recruiters use the unfamili
arity of the situation as a way of seeing the real you and of presenting you with new
challenges. This may explain the mystique which seems to surround assessment
centre practices. Of course, ifyou attend several ofthese affairs, you will become less
apprehensive, but each occasion will be different and will contain new and unex
pected activities, so the adrenalin will start to flow just the same. Don’t allow yourself
to become blas6!
| Activity 11.9
p
Here are a few summarised points about how to give a talk.
• Perform - don’t read - your presentation.
• Use notes not a script.
• Don’t: mumble, gabble, shout or be sarcastic.
• Do: keep audience eye-contact, explain, intrigue, keep it personal.
Ifyou do decide or are encouraged to use audio-visual aids, think about their best use.
There is very little point holding up a picture in a large room - wouldn’t it be better
to photocopy it on to an acetate or not use it at all? Badly used and badly presented
audio-visual aids are worse than nothing.
Let’s look at the Can’t prepare tasks now. First of all, why do you think
recruiters want to put you through so many unseen exercises? Look at the
reasons below and tick which ones you think likely.
a To see how you respond to pressure
b To check out the personal qualities you claimed to have on the
application form and in the first interview
c To experience living with you for two days
d To make sure you don’t slurp your soup
e To see how well you work in a team
Activity 11.8
Now you’re ready for a rehearsal - with the stopwatch or kitchen timer. Run
through your talk several times, preferably with a friendly audience. Remem
ber you’ll probably speed up when you do it for real - most people speak more
T-.
INTERVIEWS
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f To check out your stamina
g To see how good you are at adapting to new situations
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You may have hesitated over ticking c or d but you are on show and rightly or wrongly,
you will be judged in terms of the company image. So your social behaviour is
mentioned some reference books in Chapter 13, but you can’t beat actually doing
some tests. Check out whether your Careers Advisory Service runs practice sessions.
important, but more of that later.
| Activity 11.11
|^| Activity 11.10
Are there other reasons for using unseen exercises? Write them down if you
have thought of any not included in that list.
Recruiters can learn a great deal about you from watching you perform tasks in a
group. It is the closest they can get to judging how you will do the job. Most
organisations use occupational psychologists to design their group exercises, so that
they can observe certain skills/qualities accurately. A typical list might include:
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• drive
• competitiveness
• decisiveness
• self-confidence
• task orientation
• social skills
• communication skills
• debating skills
• logic
• quick thinking
• imagination
• speed in assimilating data.
I could add more, but it’s enough to show you why these exercises are used and also
to stress that you cannot presume to know what each recruiter is seeking. If you try
to play up to an imagined agenda, you may go horribly wrong. If you dominate your
group in the assumption that leadership skills are essential, then you may score nil on
the team working/facilitating scale - and this may be more important to that
Set out below are some examples from the most common types of tests: verbal
reasoning, numerical reasoning and diagrammatic reasoning. Have a go at
these (the answers are in the appendix on page 102).
Example A: Verbal reasoning (reproduced by permission of Saville and
Holdsworth)
Read the passage and consider the statements which follow it. Then mark the
answer boxes according to the key. You must fill in only one box for each
answer.
In a large town where the drink-driving laws are rigidly enforced, it was found
that only 30 per cent of drivers breath-tested were completely alcohol-free
during a certain period. Among those who were married, however, 50 per cent
were completely alcohol-free during the same period.
a Strict enforcements of the drink-driving laws did not prevent 70 per
cent of drivers drinking some time during this period.
b If drivers had to be married, their drink-driving record would
improve.
c Less than 30 per cent of those drivers who were unmarried were
completely alcohol-free during this period.
ABC
A Clearly true
B Clearly untrue
C Cannot say/insufficient evidence
>□□□
particular recruiter. Hard cheese!
Let’s look at these activities in greater detail.
Aptitude tests
I put a question mark after this item in my Cant prepare column for Activity 11.1.
The reason being that you can only do a certain amount of preparation for aptitude
tests by famdiarising yourself with the format. For obvious reasons of validity,
psychometric tests are not released to the general public - you are unlikely to see the
actual test beforehand. Nor should you, since these are measures of ability and
therefore should not be rehearsed. However, you can get hold of examples. I have
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Example B: Quantitative reasoning {reproduced by permission ofBT)
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Example D (reproduced by permission of ASE Occupational Division of
NFER-NELSON)
automatic transmissions
a Which one of the five words on the right bears a similar relation to
each of the words on the left?
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3
5
1
2
Unjust
Fair
Brunette
Just Blonde Light
Only
3
?
8
?
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?
sunroofs
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stereo cassettes
b Which one of the five words on the right bears a similar relation to
each of the words on the left?
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1
2
3
5
Soft
Difficult
Inaudible
Loud Hard Noisy
Brittle
a
Numbers of cars with refinements, manufactured by a small company in a
short period, are distributed as follows:
a How many cars have automatic transmission but no other
refinements?
b How many cars have a stereo cassette but no sunroof ?
c Overall, 17 cars have two out of any of the three refinements.
If 42 cars are manufactured altogether, how many have all three
refinements?
diagrammatic reasoning
Example C: Non-■verbal
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Write down the number of the word which would come in the
middle, if the words were arranged in order according to their
meaning.
7
1
2
3
4
5
6
Book Sentence
Page
Chapter
Paragraph Letter
Word
d Multiply the second whole number by the third decimal.
1, .9, 2, 4, .8, .7, 8, .5
e Hear is to see as listen is to . . .
1
2
3
touch
audit
see
4
feel
f Backwards is to reversed as uipside-down is to . . .
1
2
3
4
rightside-up
converse
forwards
inside-out
5
look
5
inverted
g Give the next number of the series:
1/2
2/3
3/4
5/4
5/6
7/6
h The third number of this series is missing - what is it?
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...
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Don’t worry if you found some of these questions hard - no one is expected to get
everyone right. The numerical tests tend to be the most feared-by all students. Even
maths/engineering students sometimes struggle with the arithmetic through lack of
recent practice. These tests may also use graphs and statistical tables - so if you are
not familiar with such devices it may be worth looking at a couple of the suggested
books -just so that you don’t fall to pieces as you come face to face with a spreadsheet.
Anfwer
• bed
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All such tests are timed, so you will feel under pressure. Just listen carefully to the
instructions, str alm and work as quickly and as accurately as you can. Finally,
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remember that tests are only part of the whole assessment procedure. For a very few
jobs the results alone will determine your progress. For most positions, however,
your scores will be discussed alongside other information, egyour performance in the
group exercises, in order to give an all-round view of your potential.
Personality questionnaires
There is no preparation you need to do for personality questionnaires. I have
mentioned one book of examples in Chapter 13. and occasionally your Careers
Advisory Service may offer the Occupational Personality Questionnaire (OPQ), but
such tests are costly and time consuming. Obviously there are no right or wrong
answers - you answer truthfully.
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So what is their purpose? Again, as with aptitude tests, these are used by occupational
psychologists to identify certain traits or characteristics which are important to a
given job. The profile from your marked questionnaire may be discussed with you in
one of the interviews and your reactions sought. If you feel that the profile does not
represent your personality then say so - such measures as these are not 100 per cent
accurate.
Here are two examples of personality questions. Have a go.
Example 1 (reproduced by permission of ASE Occupational Division of
NFER-NELSON)
Example 2 (reproduced hy permission of Saville and Holdsworth)
Mark the statement most (M) like you and the one least (L) like you out of each
trio.
a I don’t feel that time is wasted on planning.
b I feel uneasy in the company of unconventional people.
c If I’m annoyed with someone I don’t show it.
a I find rowdy social evenings fun.
b I always set my sights high.
c I think it’s important to preserve our traditions.
Now you think you’ve cracked this, don’t you? You’re saying it’s obvious which
statement they want you to tick. Is it? Take this example:
When you are given an assignment to be handed in on a date in three weeks’
time, do you:
a go straight to the library to find the books;
b put it on one side until nearer the deadline;
c set yourself a date for starting it then carry on with other work;
d do it at the last possible moment before the deadline?
| Activity 11.13
Come on then, use the crystal ball and predict the right answer. (Didn’t I just
say that there are no wrong and right answers?) What is your choice? Why is
that the obvious choice?
Which answer comes closer to telling how you usually feel or act?
Are you usually:
a a good mixer, or
b rather quiet and reserved?
In deciding something important, do you:
a find you can trust your feelings about what is best to do,’ or
b think you should do the logical thing, no imatter how you feel about it?
If you were asked on a Saturday morning what you were going to do that day,
would you:
a be able to tell pretty well, or
b list twice too many things, or
c have to wait and see?
1
I can give you an indication of personality for each of those answers:
a This person is well motivated and hard working,
b This person is independent and can make decisions,
c This person is good at prioritising.
d This person works well under pressure and can cope with tight deadlines.
But my colleague might read very different things into these answers:
a This person lacks confidence and needs to read every single book on the
subject.
b This person has no time management skills.
c This person cannot juggle two balls at the same time.
d This person is irresponsible and sloppy.
j
What’s the best advice? Just do the things as they are natural to you, don’t try and turn
yourself into the psycL ^ogist.
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Group exercises
Discussions
It is very common to include at least one group discussion as part of the assessment
centre programme. This can be either led or leaderless. In most cases you will be
given a topic to discuss, but occasionally the group has to choose one from a given
number.
All such discussions are observed by members of the assessment team. Write
down what you think your observers will be looking for.
Now look at this typical observer checklist.
Evaluate the candidate you are observing according to the following criteria. Please
tick for each contribution to the discussion.
Number of contributions
Initiating
• 3
Seeking information/opinion
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Giving information/opinion
Clarifying/elaborating/summarising
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Well done! You realise that being the leader doesn’t mean taking over the group and
doing it all yourself. Ifthere is one golden rule to remember about any group exercise,
discussions in particular, it is to take an active part and try to contribute fairly early.
There’s nothing worse than sitting in a discussion unable to break in because the
others have thrown themselves into the topic and left you behind. Get stuck in - give
the observers something to observe.
‘They are assessing you all the time, so you have to start off with a positive
attitude, especially in the group discussion when you have to project yourself
and get your ideas across. ’
| Activity 11.14
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Encouraging others
Group tasks
These are often the most enjoyable and challenging part ofthe programme. They are
more structured than the discussion and often involve reading and absorbing a great
deal of information. Sometimes a leader is chosen and sometimes you play a role, but
again the observers are watching you perform as a member of a team and have a
checklist to complete.
'We had to make a "decorative brickstand"! It had to support a brick and look
good. What more can I say!’
I’m going to give you an example of a case study - this one is a variation of the who
is the most valuable person to keep alive’ exercise. I’ve chosen this case study because
the first part is an individual exercise, so you can sit down and work through it. At an
assessment centre, you would then take your individual ranking into the group and
the ultimate aim is for group consensus.
Dominating
Ignoring contributions
Notes
So it’s not just how often you speak but what you say to help discussion along. In a led
discussion one candidate will take the chair and the group will be expected to reach
consensus by the end of the time limit.
| Activity 11.15
| Activity 11.16
Cave rescue - briefing
Your group is asked to take the role ofa research management committee who
are funding projects into human behaviour in confined spaces. You have been
called in to an emergency meeting as one of the experiments has gone badly
wrong.
Put yourself in the position of the Chair. How would you see your role? Write
down up to five things which the observers might be watching for.
Six volunteers have been taken into a cave system in a remote part of the
country, connected only by radio link to the rescue hut by the cave entrance.
It was intended that the volunteers would spend four days underground, but
they have been trapped by falling rocks and rising water.
You obviously included leadership skills and probably summarising. Did you also
think of encouraging everyone to participate, keeping the discussion on track,
keeping an eye on the clock and possibly controlling a dominant team member?
The only rescue team available tells you that rescue will be extremely difficult
and only one person can be brought out each hour with the equipment at their
disposal. It is likely that the rapidly rising water will drown some of the
volunteers before complete rescue can be effected.
!
!
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The volunteers are aware of the dangers of their plight. They have contacted
the research hut using the radio link and said that they are unwilling to take a
decision on the sequence of their rescue. By the terms ofthe research project,
the responsibility for making the decision rests with your committee.
Life-saving equipment will arrive in fifty minutes at the cave entrance and you
will need to advise the team of the order for rescue by completing the ranking
sheet. The only information you have available is drawn from the project files
and is reproduced on the volunteer personal details sheet. You may use any
criteria you think fit to help you make the decision.
Volunteer 1: Helen
Helen is 34 years old and a housewife. She has four children aged between
seven months and eight years. Her hobbies are ice-skating and cooking. She
lives in a pleasant house in Gloucester and was bom in England. Helen is
known to have developed a covert romantic and sexual relationship with
another volunteer (Owen).
Volunteer 2: Tozo
Tozo is 19 years old and a sociology student at Keele University. She is the
daughter of wealthy Jap;•anese parents who five in Tokyo. Her father is an
_ who is also a national authority on traditional Japanese mime
industrialist
theatre. Tozo is unmarried but has several high-born suitors as she is outstand
ingly attractive. She has recently been the subject of a TV documentary on
Japanese womanhood and flower arranging.
4
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Volunteer 3: Jobe
Jobe is 41 years old and was bom in Central Africa. He is a minister of religion
whose life work has been devoted to the social and political evolution of
African peoples. Jobe is a member of the Communist Party and paid several
visits to the USSR. He is married with eleven children whose ages range from
6 to 19 years. His hobby is playing in a jazz band.
fl
Volunteer 4. Owen
Owen is an unmarried man of 27 years. As a short-commission officer he spent
part of his service in Northern Ireland where, as an undercover agent, he broke
up an IRA cell and received a special commendation in despatches. Since
returning to civilian life he has been unsettled and drinking has become a
persistent problem. At present he is Youth Adventure Leader, devoting much
energy to helping young people and leading caving groups. His recreation is
preparing and driving stock cars. He fives in Brecon, South Wales.
Volunteer 5: Paul
Paul is a 42-year-old and has been divorced for six years. His ex-wife is now
happily remarried. He was bom in Scotland, b
low lives in Richmond,
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Surrey. Paul works as a medical research scientist at the Hammersmith
Hospital and he is recognised as a world authority on the treatment of rabies.
He has recently developed a low-cost treatment which could be self-admin
istered. Much of the research data is still in his working notebooks. Unfortu
nately, Paul has experienced some emotional difficulties in recent years and
has twice been convicted of indecent exposure. The last occasion was 11
months ago. His hobbies are classical music, opera and sailing.
Volunteer 6: Edward
Edward is 59 years old and has lived and worked in Barnsley for most ofhis life.
He is general manager of a factory producing rubber belts for machines. The
factory employs 71 people. He is prominent in local society, a Freemason and
a Conservative councillor. He is married with two children who have their own
families and have moved away from Barnsley. Edward has recently returned
from Poland where he was personally responsible for promoting a contract to
supply large numbers of industrial belts over a five-year period. This contract,
if signed, would mean work for another 25 people. Edward’s hobbies include
collecting antique guns and he intends to write a book about Civil War
Armaments on his retirement. He is also a strong cricket supporter.
Did you think any ofthem worth saving? Ifyou can get a few friends to do this exercise
as well, you can then move into the second part, which is the group task. If you
managed to do that, how' did it feel to have to break up your carefully considered
ranking order for the sake of group consensus? Not very easy is it?
’^3 Acfwiti/11,17
What do you think the observers would learn about you from this exercise?
Write down up to five things.
Now look at this assessment form.
Assessment form
Please try to make an assessment of the ‘candidate’ you are observing using the
following criteria:
Acceptability
Personal style not likely to be abrasive to colleagues or chents.
Persuasiveness
Ability to make a pe
isive, clear presentation of ideas or facts, convince others to
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own expressed point of view, gain agreement or acceptance of plans, activities or
products.
Problem analysis/critical thinking
Effectiveness in identifying problems, seeking pertinent data, recognising important
information, drawing sound inference from fact and reasoning logically.
Judgement
Ability to evaluate data and courses of action and to reach logical decisions.
Decisiveness
Readiness to make decisions, render judgement and take action.
Initiative
Actively influencing events rather than passively accepting; sees opportunities and
acts on them. Originates action.
Planning and organisation
Ability to establish course of action for self and/or others to accomplish a goal.
Please use the following grades in assessing your 'candidate’:
A = Well above required standard.
B = Achieved an acceptable standard.
C = Showed some skills but failed to reach standard.
D = Well below standard.
E = No evidence or conflicting evidence.
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One other possible surprise for you in this exercise is that you (or another group
member) will be asked to present your decision and give reasons. So you can’t nod
off or leave it to the others, because the finger may point at you!
| Activity 11.18
Here is another example, this time of a more active group task. Your brief:
You are a member of the Graduate Recruitment Team for Chocolat, a leading
confectionery manufacturer. It is nearing the time for the launch of the
graduate recruitment campaign and you are looking for a fresh, dynamic
approach. Your task is two-fold:
I
a Design a recruitment poster for university Careers Services, which
carries the main message of the campaign notes.
b Compile a two-minute plug to be broadcast on campus radio.
Here are the campaign notes:
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Chocolat, one of the leading manufacturers of confectionery in the UK
(Choxaway, Choclettes, Ultrachox and Chickenchox), are looking to recruit 30
graduates on to their Commercial Management Training Scheme. Any degree
discipline is acceptable, but applicants must have some commercial work
experience. We want drive, determination, creativity and a go-getting person
ality. Fluency in a foreign language would be a bonus since we anticipate
expanding rapidly into the European market with our new range of chocolate
credit cards, Lollichox. We want only the best students.
I bet you’re really tempted by this one, aren’t you? Well, find a blank sheet of
paper. Get some friends over (4-6 people is a reasonable number) and give
yourself 30 minutes to complete one or other of the tasks.
How did that go? The great thing about this exercise is that you can be as outrageous
as you want, so long as you cooperate well with your fellows and finish the task.
Remember you may be asked to give a presentation to the assessors, so keep your
objectives firmly in mind.
Good fun, this assessment centre stuff, isn’t it? Listen to some other student
comments about group tasks.
It is important to be continually involved, to push your own ideas, but not to
dominate, and to be receptive to the views of others.'
‘Probably the most frenetic hour of my life. Very complex “game” in which you
had to manage four trainees (who act as nasty as possible) as they move the
counters on a giant draught board! Everyone is shouting, the phone is ringing,
the intercom is bleeping! Good luck!’
‘Wilderness exercise. Fun! Six of us had to complete answers to questions about
surviving in the wild and then compare answers and agree a group consensus, s
Some great discussions about the relative merits of putting batteries under your
armpits! It’s all about consensus, so be prepared to concede if you’re not making
any headway after trying to persuade the others that you’re right!’
Individual exercises
Although I’ve said that the emphasis at the assessment centre is on group activities,
there will probably be one or two exercises which you do on your own.
A very common one is an in-tray exercise where you are given the contents of your
in-tray (memos, letters and phone messages) and asked to prioritise, giving reasons.
You will also be given extensive details about the company - key roles, organisation
hierarchy, employee attitude surveys, personal files etc, to help you in your decisions.
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At the end of the given time you must present your priorities to an assessor (usually
one-to-one).
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| Activity 11.19
Think about this activity. Which of the following qualities/sldlls can be
assessed? Tick whichever apply.
a Time keeping
b Planning
c Logical thinking
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d Team work
e Absorbing information
f Working under pressure
g Forward planning
h Judgement
i Speed reading
j Self-confidence
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k Decision-making
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I’m sure you ticked them all except d. Even this can be checked out during your
feedback because you may be asked how you would handle certain situations with
colleagues, which may arise from your decisions. You can see that it’s the closest they
can get to seeing you actually do the job.
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Action
1 Decide upon your aim.
2 Make a complete written plan.
3 Prepare a briefing to selected members of your staff.
Background information
1 Your store organisation is as follows:
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Staff Manager (Mrs White)
ASM (I) Mrs Cole
AM (Mr Green)
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(Mr Cook)l
Produce
(Mr Brown)
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Bakery
(Mr Edwards)
HAN
(Mr Hersey)
Meat
(Mr Black)
Fish
(Ms Robins)
Wines
A Spirits
(Mrs Mellor)
Dry Grocery
(Mr Ford)
2 Your store has a sales area of 33,000 ft2 and a back area of 15,000 ft.
3 Your turnover last week was £310,000. For the equivalent period last
year it was £276,000.
4 You have 350 staff, of which 190 are part time.
5 Your staff turnover figure is 53 per cent.
Social events
Activity 11.20
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Here is another individual exercise, which you can do now.
Visitation
Scenario
You are the General Manager of a Betterfoods Superstore. On Friday
afternoon at 4.30 pm you receive a telephone call from your regional execu
tive. ‘The Chairman is visiting this region on Monday. He wants to visit your
store as he hasn’t been there since you’ve been in charge. The Chairman, the
RM D and I will be arriving at about 10.00 am. It will be the normal Chairman’s
visit. You haven’t done one before, so here are a few points - we’ll want a
complete store tour, front and back, and he’ll want to meet all key staff and as
many others as possible. Arrange coffee for us. We’ll be leaving at about 12.30
pm. Do ensure the store is clean and fully stocked after Saturday.’
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All th rough your one or two days with a company they will spoil you rotten: good hotel,
nice food, free bar, friendly and relaxed atmosphere! What have you done to deserve
this?
They will also bring in young graduate trainees for you to talk to, so that you can get
an insider’s view.
I’d say this was one of the most important "tests”. Use the opportunities over
a "few” drinks to chat to the selectors and the other undergraduates. This is
where you make the biggest impression, when everyone is relaxed, but studying
you very closely /’
Recruiting this way costs a company dearly, so they must think it’s worthwhile. The
fact that most large organisations still do it, despite the recession and the buyers’
market, must mean that the style of the assessment centre is right. Treat you well,
make you relax and then work you really hard the next day. Everyone will respond to
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that. But you do have some responsibilities. You are the guest for two days in
someone’s house. What are the no-nos?
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Activity 11.21
Write down up to five don’ts. Here are two to start you off.
1 Don’t be rude about the food/service.
2 Don’t smoke at meals or in groups without asking permission of the
others.
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I can tell you were well brought up! It’s all common sense. Behave yourself and
remember that even when they say you’re not being assessed, such as at dinner, in
the bar and so on, you are still making an impression. And these may be people you
will have to work with at some stage. Oh, hello! Yes, I remember you. You were the
one who said anyone would be mad to want to work in marketing! (Oh dear!)
‘Although the dinner was very relaxed, we were informed that every manager
present would be askedfor his/her opinion of the candidates. ’
You may be wondering what to wear during these gruelling two days. Obviously you’ll
be working hard and you’ll be involved in all kinds of activities, so you’ll need to feel
comfortable -but you are on show. Some companies will give you guidelines in their
letter, eg Dress will be smart casual, but ties should be worn for the evening meal.
Others will leave it to your discretion.
SECOND
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much on these occasions. Sorry, no snoozing in the back row! Stay alert - you may be
asked for your comments later on. You may even want to talk during the interview
about what you’ve seen and heard. It’s a two-way process, as I keep saying. Ifyou don’t
like what you see, then will you really want the job?
A good chance to get some candid answers from the people herding you around!
Summary
I hope that you now see how useful these unseen activities are to a recruiter. They
can’t put you in the job and observe you for six months before giving you a contract
(shame!), so they have to simulate the kind of situations you might encounter or use
exercises which allow you to demonstrate certain skills and qualities.
The majority of students who attend assessment centres really enjoy them - honest!
The experience is demanding and is intended to stretch you and challenge you - not
scare you out of your wits. It’s your wits they want to see! So go along well prepared
and throw yourself into the proceedings. Be seen as enthusiastic, lively, enquiring
and ready to participate in everything (except, perhaps, the T can drink more than
you and still be standing at 2.00am’ game!). But remember - make a positive
impression and learn as much as you can about the company and the job.
Ifyou do all this yoi•u can relax on the train back home, and feel satisfied that you gave
it your best shot.
This is an interview, so dress accordingly. If you are travelling by train, you may want
to wear something casual and then change as soon as you arrive. Take a change of
shirt, tie or blouse, just in case of spillages, leaking pens or sweaty weather. It is
worthwhile having something different to wear for the evening meal, especially for
the women who may choose to wear a suit or skirt and blouse during the daytime. The
evening meal will not be formal enough for a cocktail dress! You may, occasionally,
be required to go on a tour of the office, factory or site - make sure your shoes don’t
cripple you!
Students are not expected to have an extensive wardrobe of formal clothes, but this
is an important occasion so beg, borrow or even buy the right kind of clothes. As an
investment, it will certainly pay off eventually.
Non-participative activities
That is not a very accurate title as; you will want to be thoroughly involved in
everything that happens, but these ;are things like company presentations, tours,
videos and so on. You may feel inclined, in a busy schedule, to sit back and relax too
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12 What next?
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Hopefully a job offer. Yippee! And usually very quickly. You will receive your offer
by letter or even by telephone and you will be asked to respond.
Freeze the picture!
There you are, with the job offer in your hand. Will you accept? By this stage you
should have a very good feel for the company and for the actual job you will be doing.
You may be totally over the moon because you know that this is the job for you. So
there’s no problem - you write your letter of acceptance, confirming your start date
and then wait.
It’s quite likely that you won’t get a formal contract until certain conditions are met:
medical examination and satisfactory degree results (some employers will specify a
class of degree) and so on, but if you accept in writing then you have committed
yourself to the company and you should not be considering other jobs. It is very bad
practice to renege on an acceptance without very good reason and it can get you into
trouble (a word to a professional body could make life difficult if you apply to other
member companies). So don’t accept a job with the dehberate intention of rejecting
it if something better turns up.
J
But what ifyou still have doubts? It’s a good job - it may be the only offer you’ve had
- it may be the only offer you’ll get! Go on, take it! So what’s being whispered in your
other ear? You weren’t really keen on having to move three times in the two-year
training programme, were you? And you didn’t like their response to the suggestion
that you might be interested in doing an MBA, did you? Let’s use a well-known
mnemonic to check out this job offer.
S - surroundings (where will you work?)
P - prospects
E - environment (do you like the image of this industry/service?)
E - effects (lifestyle implications)
D- description of work
C- conditions
O- organisation
P - people
To be sure that you’ve got enough information to make the right decision you should
have checked out each of these initials. If you haven’t, how do you find out more?
| Activity 12.1
Under each of the eight categories above, make a note of what you can do to
find out more information.
You will have used each stage of the selection process to check out these things, so
you are probably now looking at very specific concerns.
Here are a few suggestions:
• Ask to visit your office/section/site before making a decision. This way you
can see exactly where you’ll be working and with whom.
• Ring the Graduate Recruitment Office and ask them specific questions. If
they can’t answer, they will find out for you or refer you to another
department.
• Talk to other people doing this job or similar work. How do they feel about
this company?
• Re-read everything you can find about the company. Will you be proud to
work for them?
‘But if I’m waiting for the results of other interviews, what do I do?’
Most employers realise that good candidates may have several irons in the fire and
they will respect this. Explain that you are committed to other interviews or awaiting
results and negotiate a deadline for letting them know your decision. But then try to
stick to this deadline - the employer will need to offer yourjob to someone else. Don’t
hog it if you don’t want it!
‘Now, I’ve got two job offers, which one shall I accept?’
Lucky you! Or possibly not-so-lucky you, as this can put you in a very difficult position.
You may have been happy with either offer if they’d come separately, but when they
come together ...? Decisions! Decisions!
Obviously you’ll need to look carefully again at the jobs, the terms and conditions,
training, future prospects and so on. If you’re really stuck, it will help to talk to a
careers adviser who will be objective and may put things into perspective for you.
Try a SWOT analysis. No, it’s not a joke, it’s a marketing technique! Divide a sheet
ofpaper into quarters (see below) and for each job, write something in the boxes and
then compare your findings.
Here’s an example:
96
97
]
C:
J
O
B
h
u
N
T
I
N
Strengths
Weaknesses
Good starting salary
In London
Day release for professional
qualifications
Start date August - no
holiday
Very long hours - expected
to work Saturday if necessary
Opportunities
Threats
If I want to move company,
how acceptable is my
training?
There is nobody in the office
over 35 - where do they go?
Good chance of foreign
placements
Company is expanding into
USA
SECOND
INTERVIEWS
G
Activity 12,4
It may be useful now to write down a plan of action for future occasions. I’ve
given a short example here, but you will need to make your own when the need
arises.
Feedback (self or company)
Action
• Careers Service test
sessions?
• Find some reference
books on aptitude tests.
r| Activity 12,2
Use blank SWOT forms when you need to make a decision.
• Find some basic school
arithmetic test books.
There is a chance, of course, that you will not be successful on this occasion. As I said
in Part B: Being interviewed, it is important to review each interview as soon as
possible afterwards, so that you can note down any unexpected questions or gaps in
your knowledge. This is equally true for second interviews.
• Careers Service
workshop?
• Watch AGCAS video
Two whole days.
Which activities did you enjoy? Which were a chore? Did you get involved in all the
exercises or were there occasions when it all passed you by? How did you feel about
the tests? It’s important to do this analysis, since you can seek feedback from the
company if you are unsuccessful and you will want to compare their comments with
• More information about
job.
your own feelings.
• Fix up work experience.
• Talk to people doing the
job.
| Activity 12,3
Get your assessment programme and list all the activities down one side of the
page. Now think about what happened and rate yourself on a scale of 1 - 5 for
each activity. Where your rating is low, make some notes about what you did
and what you could do better.
If you’re not successful, try ringing the Graduate Recruitment Office as soon as you
receive your letter. If they’re not too busy, they may talk to you individually about
your performance. However, they often are extremely busy during the selection
season and they may ask you to put your request in writing. Ask for specific reasons
for your rejection and for feedback on test results as well as general comments on your
performance at the assessment centre.
98
Remember that your performance will improve with practice, so any apparent
weaknesses at your first assessment centre may very well have disappeared by the
time you reach your third!
Summary
If you are invited to the assessment centre, you are already successful. You have
reached the last 5 per cent, and companies are definitely interested in you. took
forward to these days as an enjoyable challenge.
99 a
o
J
o
B
H
u
N
T
I
N
G
Even if it doesn’t work out first time, you are well on the way to your first graduate
job and, with some careful thought and extra preparation, next time could bring the
h
longed-for letter.
Dear Mark,
I am delighted to be able to offer you
Well done! Now wasn’t it all worthwhile?
‘Advice -just try to relax and be yourself. Be friendly. Everyone else feels
nervous as well, so just make the effort and you’ll feel (i lot better. I know I did.
I must have done OK - I got the job.’
13 Bibliography
Barrett, J. and Williams, G. (1990) Test your own aptitude, London, Kogan Page.
Bryon, M. (1994) Graduate recruitment tests, London, Kogan Page.
Bryon, M. and Modha, S. (1992) How to master selection tests, London, Kogan Page.
Eastwood, J. (1993) Presentation skills, Leicester, De Montfort University
Eysenck, H. and Wilson, G. (1991) Know your own personality, Harmondsworth,
Penguin.
Eysenck, H. (1990) Know your own IQ, Harmondsworth, Penguin.
Company information
J
The following sources may be available in your university library or in the business
section of a large public library:
Extel Cards (Extel Financial Ltd)
McCarthy Cards, UK (McCarthy Information Ltd)
The Hambro Company Guide (Hemmington Scott Publishing)
Kelly’s Business Directory (Reed Information Services)
Key British Enterprises (Dun & Bradstreet)
Kompass UK (Reed Information Services)
Who Owns Whom (Dun & Bradstreet)
Careers Advisory Service resources
Your Careers Advisory Service holds a great deal of information about self-assess
ment and job hunting, much of which is produced by AGCAS (The Association of
Graduate Careers Advisory Services). The following material isparticularly relevant:
Applications and interviews. A very useful book containing hints on preparation for
first- and second-stage interviews.
Two whole days. The second stage - assessment centre. (20 minute video.)
Check with your Careers Advisory Service about the availability of second interview
workshops and aptitude testing sessions.
100
101
C:
j
o
B
H
U
N
T
I
N
SECOND
INTERVIEWS
G
Example D
Appendix: Aptitude test answers
Example A: Verbal reasoning
a A - this is clearly true as the passage states that only 30 per cent of drivers
breath-tested were completely alcohol-free, consequently 70 per cent had
taken alcohol.
a 4
- just and blonde equate to fair
b 5
-
c 1
- letter, word, sentence, paragraph, page, chapter, book
loud and hard are the opposite of soft
d 1.4-
2x.7= 1.4
b A - again clearly true. The passage states that the drink-driving record of
married drivers is better (50 per cent alcohol-free) than that of the general
population sample (30 per cent alcohol-free).
e 5
-
hear is to see as listen is to look
f 5
-
backwards is to reversed as upside-down is to inverted
c C - cannot say/insufficient evidence. The passage does not state what
proportion of the sample were unmarried, therefore you cannot substantiate
g 7/8- pattern recognition - 1/2 (2/3) 3/4 (5/4) 5/6 (7/6) 7/8
The bracketed numbers are irrelevant.
this statement.
h 24 -
6 (x2) 12 (x2) 24 (x2) 48 (x2) 96
One important message for this type ofverbal reasoning test is that you must base your
answers solely on the information provided. Don’t bring your own knowledge or
assumptions into your answers. You are being tested on how well you can interpret and
reason with data, not on what you know about the subject.
Example B: Quantitative reasoning
s
a 3. This is a given number.
j
b 13. This is the sum of the cars with only stereo cassettes (5) and those with
stereo and automatic transmission (8). Don’t forget to include these 8 as the
question does not ask for those with only a stereo cassette.
!
c 6. The total number of cars is 42. The given numbers add up to 27, therefore
the three question marks add up to 15. 17 cars have two refinements,
therefore the two question marks where two circles overlap equals 9, because
we are given the other equals 8. Therefore the middle question mark where
all three circles overlap equals 6 (15 - 9).
You can solve this without knowing the individual values of the other two question
marks.
Example C: Non-verbal/diagrammatic reasoning
The missing figure is b. Reasoning is as follows:
• Both the given figures have one shape within another shape (triangle in circle,
circle in square), therefore the remaining combination is square and triangle.
• Both the figures have a smaller version of the enclosed shape at one end.
at the other end.
• Both the figures have the following pattern j.
b is the only figure which combines these features.
102
103
Also available from Kogan Page
!1
1
i
1
I
Great Answers to Tough Interview Questions: How to Get the Job You Want (3rd edition),
Martin John Yate
How to Pass Graduate Recruitment Tests, Mike Bryon
How to Pass Numeracy Tests, Harry Tolley and Ken Thomas
How to Pass Selection Tests, Mike Bryon and Sanjay Modha
How to Pass Technical Selection Tests, Mike Bryon and Sanjay Modha
How to Pass the Civil Service Qualifying Tests, Mike Bryon
How to Pass Verbal Reasoning Tests, Harry Tolley and Ken Thomas
How You Can Get That Job! Application Forms and Letters Made Easy, Rebecca Corfield
How to Win as a Part-Time Student, Tom Boumer and Phil Race
Job Hunting Made Easy (3rd edition), John Bramham and David Cox
Making it in Sales: A Career Guide for Women, Mary J Foster with Timothy R V Foster
Manage Your Own Career, Ben Bell
Preparing Your Own CV, Rebecca Corfield
Readymade Job Search Letters, Lynn Williams
Test Your Own Aptitude (2nd edition), Jim Barrett and Geoff Williams
Working Abroad: The Daily Telegraph Guide to Working and Living Overseas (18th edition),
Godfrey Golzen
Working for Yourself: The Daily Telegraph Guide to Self-Employment (16th edition),
Godfrey Golzen
y
■<
i6The killer CV and the
professional assassin
have a lot in
common."
part three
your marketing
brochure - the
killer CV
n-’
z
15
“What - and
who - is a
CVfor?"
why most brochures
don't get read - and
how to make sure
that your CV does
Have you ever been involved in creating a brochure? If you have,
you will be only too aware of how much effort, how much care
and how much agonising goes into it.
Now put yourself on the other side of the fence. Think of all the
brochures that have landed on your desk over the years. How
many of them can you honestly claim to have read word for
word? How many did you even skim right the way through, from
the front cover to the back? And how many were given little more
than a glance before ending up in the bin?
So, what goes wrong? Why does all that effort so often get
completely wasted? Here are some of the more common critic
isms levelled against marketing brochures:
• too long;
• too much solid text;
• too many different typefaces;
• bad layout;
• poor quality;
• too glossy;
• too much hype;
• boring;
• just like everyone else’s nothing to make it stand out;
• gimmicky;
• all about what they wanted to say, not what I wanted to know;
•MO
WHY MOST BROCHURES DON'T GET READ
YOUR MARKETING BROCHURE - THE KILLER CV
• it did not explain what the benefits to me of the product or
service were.
someone in the research department as a basis for deciding
whether or not to put you on their database.
In case you have not already guessed, most of these criticisms
apply just as much to CVs as they do to any other kind of
marketing brochure. Some of the faults listed above are to do
with the details of how to present a brochure/CV. and Chapter
16 is going to be devoted to explaining the mechanics of pro
ducing one which is easy to read and which creates a strong
impact on the recipient. Before we get on to that kind of detail,
though, we need to take a few moments to consider some very
basic, very fundamental points.
When you are networking, you may take your CV along to
meetings with a view either to asking for advice on it or in order
to give copies to your network contacts, which they may in turn
pass on to other people who could have a job for you.
• • • A means to an end
To begin with, what - and who - is a CV for?
Get one thing straight, right from the start. Your CV is never
going to get you a job. Only you can do that, and in order to do
it you have to get in front of the person who has the power to
make the appointment. The role which your CV plays in that
process varies considerably, depending on which approach you
are using and who is going to be reading it.
When you are responding to an advertised vacancy, your CV together with your covering letter - will be what determines
whether you get an initial meeting, usually with a recruiter
rather than the ultimate decision maker. The way most re
cruiters use CVs is as a method of ruling people out rather than
in. so you have to pay as much attention to avoiding the snakes
as you do to climbing the ladders.
When an appointment is being headhunted, you will normally
have spoken either to a researcher or to the executive search
consultant who is handling the assignment before you provide a
CV - which you may then either send in prior to an interview or
take with you to your first meeting. Either way. you will have
learned a fair amount about the job on the telephone before you
submit your CV. Bear in mind. too. that headhunters rarely pass
your CV on to the client. Instead, they prepare their own report
on you, which you are unlikely ever to get a look at.
You may, of course, send your CV to headhunters on spec. In
that case it will be used either by a search consultant or by
icn
When you are making speculative applications, you are initially
likely to send a letter, rather than a CV. perhaps taking your CV
along to any meetings you obtain. It will then be used in much
the same way that slides or handouts are at a presentation - as
something to refer to in order to give structure to the session and
as a reminder, afterwards, of the key points.
What this all boils down to is that your CV may be used in a
variety of different ways and for several different purposes.
Which, in turn, begs the question: can a single CV satisfy them
all?
• • • Horses for courses
In the dim and distant past, before word processing became
widely available, there would have been no point in even asking
that question. No one seriously thought of retyping their CV
each time they applied for a job. Now, with the opportunity
there for you to customise your CV to every single application
you make, the point at issue is whether or not the time and
effort involved can be justified. If it makes all the difference to
you getting the job you want, then it has to be worthwhile. On
the other hand, you do have a lot of competing demands on
your time. Could you find a better use for that time than
endlessly tarting up your CV?
Because everyone's circumstances are different, there is no one
answer that is right every time, but there are some simple
criteria which can be used to help you make the decision. They
just happen to be the same criteria marketing people are
recommended to use before they start to write a brochure.
Each time you need to submit a CV. ask yourself the following
questions:
--------------• What am I selling?
• To whom am I selling it?
1R1
YOUR MARKETING BROCHURE - THE KILLER CV
WHY MOST BROCHURES DON'T GET READ
Why do they need what I have to offer?
• Why shpuld they go for me rather than my competitors?
every CV from any given firm looks exactly the same.
If you are genuinely convinced that a standard CV is going to do
the Job. fine - but do be honest with yourself and make sure that
you are not Just taking the easy option because you cannot be
bothered with the editing process. Always remember that, if you
are to win the kind of position you really want in today’s Job
jungle, nothing but your very best effort will do.
If you have never sat and waded through several hundred CVs
in one day, you have no idea just how boring it can be. While
recruiters are not going to be impressed by silly gimmicks like
printing your CV on magenta coloured paper or plastering it with
graphics that would be better suited to the wallpaper in a
toddler’s bedroom, they do nevertheless prefer to see some
evidence of it having been written by an individual human being.
• • • Vested interests
• • • The personal profile
The standard CV does, of course have its supporters. However,
the worldly wise reader will be only too aware that, in judging
how far to be influenced by the views of others, one must always
bear in mind where they are coming from and what is in it for
them.
A lot of outplacement consultants, together with the authors of
many articles and books on the subject of job hunting, would
have you believe that the way to add this individual impact to
your CV is to include a paragraph the intention of which is to
summarise, in no more than a few lines, your key selling points.
Most commonly referred to as a personal profile, this normally
appears either right at the beginning of your CV or immediately
after your brief personal details. It is the written equivalent of
what one American writer of career books calls the ’15-second
sales pitch’ you are supposed to deliver at the beginning of a
networking or speculative telephone call.
Look in the appointments pages of the major national news
papers and you may well see a whole section devoted to 'CV
services', with a dozen or so different firms offering to prepare
and print your CV for you at apparently very reasonable rates
While these operators may. to be fair, turn out CVs which have
a superior appearance to many that pass across the average
recruiter's desk, they are inevitably going to be standardised - in
more ways than one.
To begin with, when you have a supply of CVs printed off by one
of these companies, you inevitably forfeit the ability to customise
it, even when there is something you would rather add - or omit
- to improve your chances in respect of a particular job vacancy.
Secondly. CVs produced in this way often have a mass-pro
duced. and sometimes excessively slick, appearance which can
easily give the impression you are conducting a bulk mailing
campaign. Finally, recruiters like to get a feel for the individual
behind the piece of paper and consequently tend to be turned off
by CVs which have obviously been professionally written by a
third party.
Exactly the same reaction is created by the CV which comes
from an outplacement organisation. Many a recruiter has been
heard to groan, ‘Oh dear, another three from XYZ & Co.!’ It is not
that outplacement firms encourage their candidates to produce
bad CVs - in general, they are better than average - it is just that
152
Once again, the recipient, the average recruiter, displays
considerably less enthusiasm than the outplacement couns
ellors. The general reaction of selection consultants and HR
professionals was summed up by Alan Dickinson, managing
director of Michael Page Finance. ’Personal profiles are a waste
of space, which could be used more valuably to highlight
experience and achievements. Candidates should stick to the
facts on their CVs. If your experience cannot sell you. personal
views certainly will not. Leave the interviewer to make the sub
jective judgements’.
Another recruiter, confronted by a profile to which he took
particular exception, expressed his objections rather more
picturesquely. Casting the offending CV on to the floor of his
office, he exclaimed. ‘If I get one more dynamic, resultsorientated executive today. I shall throw up!’
To be fair, it is not so much the concept which is at fault, but the
way it is used. The most common errors which people make in
preparing their personal profiles are:
1S?
I
WHY MOST BROCHURES DON'T GET READ
YOUR MARKETING BROCHURE - THE KILLER CV
• copying American examples which are too ‘over the top' for
the British market:
• employing tired, over-used vocabulary, taken from job
advertisements or from examples of personal profiles in job
search manuals, rather than making the effort to find fresh
and individual words of their own;
• being too subjective and insufficiently objective - too many
adjectives and not enough facts;
• producing a profile which, far from making them stand out.
makes them sound just like any number of other candidates
- there is a remarkable tendency for the majority of profiles to
highlight exactly the same personal qualities.
In addition to avoiding these errors, you also need to consider
whether the same personal profile is appropriate on every
occasion. In order to follow the excellent advice of a leading
outplacement consultant and ‘write your CV as a solution to
someone else’s problem'. you may well need to adapt your profile
to each individual target. Although at first sight this may seem
unduly onerous, it could pay a double dividend. As well as
enhancing the impression your CV makes on the recipient, it will
also concentrate your mind on precisely why you are the right
person for the job in question.
Naturally, the same added advantage applies to customising
your whole CV for each application, rather than just your per
sonal profile - it forces you to focus on those aspects of your
experience, skills and achievements which are going to make
you the number one candidate for that particular job. You can
even go a step further by trying to predict the questions that are
likely to be asked about your suitability and then adapting your
CV so that it provides the answers to them.
Some job search gurus recommend that, rather than custom
ising the whole thing every time, you use what is often called a
performance CV. This includes not only a personal profile, in the
form of a paragraph describing your personal qualities and
experience, but also a run of bullet points under the subheading
Achievements’, both of which are placed close to the beginning
of your CV, before your career history. The idea is that you select
different achievements each time, but leave the rest of the CV
the same.
While the idea behind this has a certain degree of merit, there
are some dangers too. Revamping the opening without changing
the main body of the CV may end up sending conflicting
messages to the reader. Furthermore, recruiters - who like to be
able to home straight in on what you have done and where you
have done it - tend to be all too easily irritated if they are delayed
from getting into your career history by what they may see as
irrelevant clutter. If you lose their interest, you lose the
interview.
• • • Which format?
Speaking of which, how does the average recruiter like you to lay
out your CV?
The format preferred by the vast majority of selection
consultants, personnel managers and line managers/decision
makers is as follows.
• Start with brief personal details - name, address, telephone
number, date of birth.
• If you opt to include a personal profile, keep it succinct and
factual - no adjectives, no hype.
• Then give relevant qualifications and educational details, i.e.
your university degree but not the subjects you passed 20 or
30 years ago at O level.
• Next, and you should by now be only about a third of the way
down the first page, go into a reverse chronological career
summary.
• Recruiters prefer you to list achievements under the comp
anies they relate to. Otherwise, if you summarise them at the
start of your CV, the recruiter's suspicious mind will probably
conclude that you are dragging up something you did years
ago when you were only just out of university and will
consequently discount it.
1
I
'fl
In addition to being the one most recipients prefer, this format
has the advantage of focusing attention at an early stage on your
most recent experience which, in the vast majority of cases, will
also be the most relevant.
J
I
• • • Alternative formats
There are. however, alternative formats, and you should be
1 rr
WHY MOST BROCHURES DON'T GET READ
YOUR MARKETING BROCHURE - THE KILLER CV
aware of.their pros and cons so that you can decide whether
your particular circumstances make them worthy of consid
eration.
A straight chronological CV. starting with your first job and
ending with your current or most recent one. makes it easy for
the reader to follow your career progression, if that is
particularly impressive. This advantage, on the other hand,
tends to be outweighed in most cases by the ‘most relevant
experience first’ argument. Furthermore, do bear in mind that
the vast majority of people will initially give your CV only a very
cursory glance. Unless you grab their attention straight away,
they are unlikely to read on and may therefore completely miss
your key selling points.
For some candidates a chronological format of either the straight
or reverse kind has inherent disadvantages in that it highlights
such matters as gaps between jobs, frequent changes of
employer and switches in career direction. Furthermore, if your
last post is not the most relevant one to the application in
question, the material which is going to sell you really strongly
may be buried somewhere in the middle and could consequently
be overlooked.
In an attempt to overcome these disadvantages, candidates
sometimes use what is often called a functional CV. Experience
and achievements are classified under functional headings like
‘management’, ‘business development’, ‘training’ and so on.
rather than being listed under each job. Career history is then
summarised, towards the end of the CV. giving only company
name, position held and dates. People with really patchy careers
may even fudge this section, for example by referring to ‘12 years
at senior management level in the retail sector’.
Most recipients dislike this format and there are two reasons for
this. The first is because it is unfamiliar and, unable to find the
information they are looking for. they get irritated and probably
lose interest - which means the end of the line for you. The
second reason stems from the fact that recruiters, being cynical
types for the most part, will all too quickly suss you out and
realise that you are deliberately trying to hide something.
Catch-22?
So. what on earth do you do if you have this kind of problem?
Are you going to be a renegade, and risk annoying recruiters and
decision makers? Or are you going to give the customers the
format they want, in spite of the fact that it may not show you
off in the best light?
Furthermore, even if you do not have anything to hide and the
customers’ preferred option - the reverse chronological CV presents you with no problems, is using a standard format not
going to make you look just like everyone else? How on earth do
you make yourself stand out?
The answers are actually remarkably simple. To begin with,
avoid focusing on the CV in isolation. It is just one part, albeit
an important one, of the whole process of finding a new job. For
example, if your CV is going to draw attention to something like
a choppy career record, there may be a far better solution than
trying to fudge around it by using a CV format which makes
people irritated and suspicious.
Start by going back to your targeting. There are some jobs where
the fact that you have moved around a lot may actually be seen
as an advantage. Take management consultancy firms - they
need people who have hands-on exposure to a variety of different
situations. Candidates who have spent their entire working life
in a single organisation are rarely of interest to them.
Then give some thought to the methods you are using. In the
case of advertised vacancies the volume of response often results
in CVs being used negatively, as a means of screening people
out. If your patchy career history is the reason you are not even
getting to the first interview, consider concentrating more on
networking and speculative applications, where the CV does not
have to be submitted until you have already got yourself a
meeting - at which stage it is not being used to rule you in or out
but as a basis for discussion.
Talking of which, let us go back to two more of the basic rules
about marketing brochures. Firstly, wise marketing profess
ionals always question, right at the start, whether a brochure
actually is the best way to achieve their objective. Sometimes it
is. while on other occasions it is not. It is exactly the same with
CVs. Sometimes you do need to submit one. In other circum-
1S7
YOUR MARKETING BROCHURE - THE KILLER CV
stances you may have a greater chance of achieving your
purpose by using a letter or a telephone call. For example, while
a functional CV is not popular with recruiters, they will be far
less likely to react adversely if you summarise your experience in
a similar fashion in a letter. Whereas they expect CVs to be in a
certain format, against which they can tick off whether or not
you conform to what they are looking for, there are no such
expectations with letters.
Secondly, marketing people always think carefully about how a
brochure is going to get to its target audience. Will it be part of
a bulk mailshot, handed over personally at a client visit, sent
with a personalised covering letter following a phone call etc.?
Again the same applies to CVs.
When responding to an advertisement you use a covering letter.
Since this letter will normally be looked at before your CV, it may
well be the best place to emphasise your key achievements and
to make use of some of the material which might otherwise go
into your personal profile. Many recruiters find such material
much more acceptable in a letter, although you must still take
care to stick to facts and avoid excessive hype.
When you are being headhunted, you either mail the CV, again
with a covering letter, after you have had a chat on the phone or
else you actually deliver it personally. Speculative applications
to headhunters always involve a covering letter as well as a CV
and may be preceded by a phone call.
In networking, you hand the CV over personally and if contacts
pass copies on they again either do so personally or use a
covering letter. Finally, when making speculative applications
direct to potential employers, you may initially use a letter
which, in effect, summarises selected parts of your CV, the parts
you select naturally being the ones which sell you and the ones
you leave out being those which might turn the buyer off.
What this all adds up to is that your marketing brochure really
consists in many cases not just of a CV. but of a CV which is
complemented and enhanced by the letter which accompanies it.
There are even instances in which a letter on its own becomes
your marketing brochure. That is why we are going to spend the
whole of Chapter 17 looking at letters and how to make them
work for you in a variety of different situations.
WHY MOST BROCHURES DON'T GET READ
• • • Keeping the customer satisfied
First, however, you will see how you can give the customers the
kind of CV they like to receive, yet still create an impact that will
put you one step ahead of the competition. Contrary to what
some people may suggest, this involves neither the use of over
blown hype, nor being devious or concealing information.
Instead it is based on employing the inside knowledge which you
now have of how CVs are perceived by their recipients, and then
on applying yourself to the preparation of your own CV in a
professional manner, using the tool kit contained in the next
chapter to bring out your individual personality and USPs.
Whichever way you produce your CV. you will always find
someone who would like it done differently - it is impossible to
please all of the people all of the time. A more realistic aim is to
try to please as many people as possible as much of the time as
possible and you can do that by observing the following guide
lines.
• Always be aware of whom your CV is going to, how it will be
delivered to them and how they are going to use it.
• Write your CV as a solution to the other person's problem not as your personal ego trip.
• Use the format most people want to see: reverse chrono
logical.
• Only insert a personal profile before your career history if it
is going to have a stronger impact on the recipient than your
most recent experience and achievements. If you do use one.
keep it brief, factual and very precisely targeted.
• Prepare a core CV for general use. but study it carefully
before each submission and always edit it to whatever extent
is necessary in order to present yourself in the best possible
light for the specific purpose in question.
• While a covering letter can be used to avoid or limit the extent
to which you customise your CV. beware of the risk of incons
istencies between the two documents.
• Never allow a ‘second best' CV to go out. It will probably be
the end of that particular opportunity as far as you are con
cerned. Consider the time you spend on getting it dead right
not as a chore but as an investment.
66Good presentation
will never make up
for weak content,
but it is easy
to ruin strong
content by poor
presentation."
the killer CV - what it
is and how to
produce it
The killer CV and the professional assassin have a lot in
common. Just as real life contract killers have none of the glitz,
glamour and gadgetry of The Jackal, so the killer CV has no
truck with being flashy or gimmicky. There are no short cuts, no
magic wands. The qualities that make a killer are:
• a clear goal:
• complete single mindedness in pursuing it;
• total efficiency - no waste of either time or energy;
• awareness of risks, and a thorough understanding of how to
avoid them;
• outright determination to eliminate the opposition;
< complete mastery of all the tools of the trade;
• total professionalism.
When applying these qualities to the preparation of a CV there
are two aspects to consider - content and presentation. Good
presentation will never make up for weak content, but it is all too
easy to ruin strong content by poor presentation. That is why the
first two stages in preparing your CV are all about what you are
going to include - and what you are going to leave out.
• • • Getting started
The preparation of your CV involves several stages:
• gathering together the information;
• selecting those facts which will enable you to achieve your
purpose:
Id
YOUR MARKETING BROCHURE - THE KILLER CV
• choosing a layout which is easy to assimilate and conveys a
professional impression of you;
> finding words which get your message across in a vivid and
individual manner;
• reviewing your draft:
• editing it;
• checking it.
The reviewing and editing stages must be repeated - over and
over if necessary - until you are completely satisfied that your
CV is going to do you justice.
The first stage, the assembling of the necessary facts, should
involve comparatively little effort. You ought to have all of the
information you need in the asset register you compiled right
back at the beginning of your job search.
Stage two. on the other hand, is not nearly as straightforward. It
is here that so many people start to go astray and. instead of
producing a killer CV. end up by shooting themselves in the foot.
The first, and most common, error is to concentrate on the
wrong person. Your CV may be about you but it is - or. rather,
should be - written for the recipient. Busy recruiters and
decision makers do not want to have to wade through your entire
life history. Still less do they want to be told irrelevant details
about your family and leisure interests. What they do want to
know is how you are going to add value to their organisation.
So. before you start to wade through your asset register, put
yourself into the shoes of the kind of person to whom you are
going to be sending your CV. Take a sheet of paper and write
down at the top of it what that person will want to see in order
to be persuaded to take the action you are after - calling you in
for a meeting, for example. Then, keeping that sheet of paper in
front of you all the time, start selecting the relevant facts.
You should find that your problem lies in being spoilt for choice.
Be ruthless. Include only those skills, strengths, achievements
and so on that really do make you stand out. This will not only
ensure that you produce the best possible CV. but will also be
valuable preparation for an ultimate meeting, helping you to
concentrate your mind on your key assets and the ways in which
they will benefit your prospective employer.
If. by any chance, you find that your problem is too little choice.
THE KILLum CV - WHAT IT IS AND HOW TO PRODUCE IT
rather than too much, there are two possible explanations.
Either you are targeting the wrong kind of opportunity or you did
not do your initial self-appraisal thoroughly enough.
• • • CV suicide
If you are to be ruthless in selecting only those assets which are
going to ensure that your CV achieves its objective, then you
must be even more ruthless in dealing with other matters which
probably do not need to be mentioned at all. and in avoiding
some of the more common risks and pitfalls. Here are some
examples.
• Leisure interests should appear on your CV only if they pos
itively strengthen your application - for example, active
involvement in professional and trade associations, or
pursuits which demonstrate qualities like fitness and ten
acity. Any that are not directly relevant add nothing, except
clutter. Oddball interests are a distinct liability - do not risk
being labelled a weirdo.
• Political and religious affiliations are even more risky. Keep
them to yourself, at least until you find out what your
prospective employer’s views are.
• Voluntary/community work falls into the same category as
leisure interests, i.e. to be omitted unless directly relevant.
While some potential employers may admire your public
spiritedness, others may fear that you will always be running
off to do good works instead of staying late in the office when
you are needed.
• It is not necessary to provide references at this stage, except
in the case of public sector applications.
• Addresses and telephone numbers of employers are also
superfluous.
• Beware of jargon, and of abbreviations which - though uni
versally recognised in your current environment - may be
meaningless to the person reading your CV.
• If possible, avoid the risk of either over- or under-pricing
yourself by omitting details of your remuneration. Should it
be specifically asked for, deal with it in your covering letter,
as described earlier, in Chapter 8.
• Reasons for leaving jobs are a potential minefield. Let them
wait for the interview.
YOUR MARKETING BROCHURE - THE KILLER CV
• Career goals and ambitions are another dicey area. Unless
you are sure they match both the specific job and the future
prospects in the organisation in question, leave them out.
• Once you have made a statement in your CV. you have invited
the reader to ask you to justify it at interview, so do not
include anything you cannot prove, if challenged to do so.
• Explain gaps between jobs, otherwise people may jump to an
unfavourable conclusion.
• In particular, avoid lies. Be sparing with the truth, if you
must, by omitting things completely, but do not risk getting
caught in the act of trying to deceive - it will be the end of
your chances of the job in question. Professional recruiters
check, as a matter of routine, whether candidates actually
have the qualifications they claim, while all sorts of other
matters - such as dates of employment, and details of salary
and benefits - are verified in the course of taking up refer
ences.
• • • How to present yourself
You should present your CV the same way you would present
yourself for an interview: smart, positive, professional - convey
ing an image of efficiency but not going over the top by being
flashy or too smooth. The following specific points need to be
kept in mind.
• Length - A couple of pages should be enough, three at the
outside. If you need to list out technical information (this may
apply, for example, to IT people, academics or scientists), do
so in an appendix attached to the back of your CV. Do not
enclose photocopies of reference letters, detailed job descript
ions or certificates relating to professional qualifications.
• Spacing - Do not. however, sacrifice legibility on the altar of
brevity. Three well-spaced pages, using bullets, indents, clear
margins and so on, will produce a more favourable im
pression on a tired-eyed recruiter than two cramped ones.
This is why a one-page CV, for all its apparent advantages, is
not generally to be recommended for a mid to senior level
executive.
• Priority - Assuming, then, that you are going to have to rely
on gaining sufficient interest from your reader to ensure that
they do turn the page, remember to put ‘first things first’.
4CA
THE KILLER CV - WHAT IT IS AND HOW TO PRODUCE IT
After providing only the absolutely necessary personal details
(name,
address,
telephone
number,
professional
qualifications, relevant educational details and any foreign
languages spoken), go straight into your most relevant
experience and achievements.
• Typography - Stick to a single typeface. Mixing them creates
a messy effect. Choose a clean, businesslike typeface like
Times New Roman and use a size that will not cause eye
strain - 12 point is ideal. Achieve variety by the use of
capitalisation, emboldening and - discerningly - variations in
typeface. Italic is best avoided, so is underlining.
• • • Be verbally lean
Presentation is not just about layout. It is also about the words
you use - or. rather, not just the words you do use, but also the
ones you do not. The first rule is that every single word you
employ in your CV must earn its keep, otherwise it has no
business being there.
Start at the beginning. What are you going to put at the top?
Curriculum vitae’? Does anyone really need telling that? So why
put it there? Why not just head the sheet with your name?
Economise on space, as well as words. You want your reader to
get to the important stuff as quickly as possible. Your address
need take up only one line. Do not forget the post code - its
omission is likely to be considered either careless or unbus
inesslike. Another single line will be enough for home and, if
applicable, office telephone numbers. Recipients of CVs do like
to have your business number and will very rarely fail to be
discreet in its use, but there is clearly no point in including it if
you cannot talk freely from your office.
Avoid, by the way, taking economy with words to the extreme of
omitting contact information completely on the grounds that
your address and telephone number are on your covering letter.
The two documents can, and often do, become separated.
‘Age’? No, use ‘Date of Birth' instead. There is no more certain
way of making a CV look tired than by forgetting to update it
when you have a birthday.
Marital status and numbers of children are optional. Include
16S
YOUR MARKETING BROCHURE - THE KILLER CV
them only if they help. Many employers prefer the impression of
stability which is given by someone who is married with twopoint-four children. On the other hand, if a job involves a lot of
travel away from home, it could be an advantage to state that
you are single.
Then, after dealing with qualifications, education and languages,
you come to your most recent job - or. if you are really convinced
it is going to do you more good than harm, your personal profile.
Either way. you need to be aware of a couple more words which
should be avoided at all costs: ‘I’ and ‘me’. Once you start using
them, you have to go on doing so, and there is no easier way of
making yourself sound nauseatingly egocentric. Remember who
the CV is for? It is supposed to be a reader-centred document,
not a you-centred one.
The way to avoid those two pronouns, by the way. is not to put
the whole thing in the third person. Recruiters loathe the kind of
CV which has apparently been written by someone other than
the subject, e.g. ’Smith spent 10 years with XYZ Co.’. The correct
method is to eliminate not only F and ‘me’, but also a lot of other
unnecessary little words like ‘a’, ‘an’ and ’the' by scrapping full
grammatical English and using note form. Compare the
following examples for snappiness and impact:
• I installed a Ji-dly computerised accounting system which
resulted in a reduction in the amount oj time it took to produce
the monthly reporting package from thirteen days to seven
days.
• Installed fully computerised accounting system, reducing
time taken to produce monthly reporting package from 13
days to 7.
Writing in note form also ensures that you avoid two more pet
hates of people who read a lot of CVs - long sentences and heavy
wedges of solid text.
The clearest way to set out your career history is to put dates to
the left (months are not necessary, just years are sufficient), and
indent the text. State your job title and. unless the company is
a household name, indicate its size and what it does. Rather
than detailing duties, which are often largely self-evident from
the job title, list achievements. Give some thought to why the
company was better off for your contribution and get this across
in a succinct but striking manner.
•i ce
THE K
1
.R CV - WHAT IT IS AND HOW TO PRODUCE IT
Unless an earlier job is particularly relevant to your current
application, go into more detail on your current or most recent
position and progressively less as you work backwards. If you
had several short periods of employment right at the beginning
of what is now a lengthy career, you can summarise them rather
than listing them individually.
• • • Finding fresh words
If eliminating words that do not earn their keep is one half of the
job. then making those words you do use earn not only their
keep, but also a handsome bonus, is the other half. The English
language is an exceptionally rich one. with many alternative
terms for any one noun or verb, adjective or adverb. Do not be
lazy. Avoid serving up the same tired old words that everyone
else is using. Take the trouble to find the words that precisely
describe what you want to convey, words which express the
individualism that makes you unique, rather than just another
faceless candidate, desperate for a job.
Study the suggestions in the word lists which follow, but do not
stop there. Your word processing package probably incorporates
a thesaurus. If not. you can buy one in book form. Each time
you want to describe something, consider all the alternatives.
Select the one that sits comfortably on your shoulders, like a
well-fitting jacket. Avoid using outlandish terms just to be
different - you can achieve a striking impact simply by careful
thought and accurate choice.
To take one or two examples of how to make your personal
qualities shine through, here are a couple which impressed
recruiters who were interviewed in the course of compiling this
book.
• A recruitment consultant who was trying to fill a vacancy for
an auditor to work for a large European financial institution
- not exactly the sort of job that has the majority of people
jumping up and down with excitement - was struck by a CV
which said, Particularly enjoyed audits of international
organisations in finance sector’. The applicant had not only
drawn attention to relevant experience, but had also
personalised that statement.
• Another candidate, working in a business where security was
167
I
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YOUR MARKETING BROCHURE - THE KILLER O
■ T'
vital, said. ‘Regarded by my boss as the safest pair of hands
in the whole company'. This applicant had correctly identified
the fact that reliability was what the reader of the CV would
place at the top of the person specification for the job in
question, not executive Rambo qualities like being dynamic
and results orientated.
2
1
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THE KILLER CV - WHAT IT IS AND HOW TO PRODUCE IT
Get the idea? All right, now have a go yourself. Here are the word
lists (they are all action words, not adjectives), together with a
sample CV layout on pages 170-71.
Achievement
Initiative
Leadership
Problem solving
accelerated
accomplished
achieved
attained
carried out
completed
conducted
delivered
demonstrated
doubled
effected
enhanced
enlarged
exceeded
expanded
expedited
finished
implemented
improved
increased
negotiated
obtained
perfected
performed
produced
secured
succeeded
surpassed
tripled
won
created
designed
devised
established
extended
formulated
generated
improvised
initiated
instituted
introduced
launched
originated
pioneered
redesigned
set up
started
controlled
developed
directed
drove
guided
headed
inspired
led
managed
organised
revitalised
undertook
analysed
corrected
cut
eliminated
ended
evaluated
examined
identified
investigated
refined
reduced
reorganised
repositioned
reshaped
resolved
restructured
revamped
reviewed
revised
simplified
solved
streamlined
strengthened
tackled
traced
trimmed
turned round
uncovered
unified
utilised
168
At first glance the sample CV overleaf may not look dramatically
different from many others you have seen, and this is quite
intentional. Gimmicks and unfamiliar formats do more harm
than good. What is different from so many CVs that recruiters
receive, and reject, is that this CV makes it so easy for its
readers to pick out the kinds of things they want to see - Hilary
Brown’s international exposure, computer systems experience
and so on - as well as making the excellent career progression
stand out. Careful selection and the elimination of all
irrelevancies, combined with clear layout, means that this CV
sells itself - or. rather, its writer. Does yours do the same?
• • • Reviews and wraps
In any professional organisation, a draft report always gets
reviewed carefully before dispatch, whether it is being presented
to a committee or board, or being sent off to clients. This review
process usually involves someone other than the writer taking a
look at the draft. A fresh pair of eyes often spots things the
writer, who has been too closely immersed in it for too long, may
no longer have the objectivity to notice.
So. when you have had a first go at reviewing and editing, and
have tried to anticipate - and answer - the questions you think
the reader might want answered, ask someone else to have a
look at your draft. Find someone qualified to pass a reasonably
expert judgement. While colleagues or friends may be able to
help, you could kill two birds with one stone and actually use
your CV to do a bit of networking, especially if you are sounding
out a new area you wish to move into.
Get more than one view if possible. Each person will have his or
her own quirks, and you will never please everyone 100 per cent,
but listen for the consensus. Try asking the question. ‘If you
were ploughing through two or three hundred CVs, would mine
stand out?’
And when, finally, you really do have the best effort you can
possibly produce - and have run your word processor’s spell
check over it - take care not to let yourself down with your
printing and stationery. The aim here should be for a crisp, prof
essional appearance without going over the top. An excessively
glossy presentation will turn recruiters off just as quickly as a
1AQ
. KILLER CV - WHAT IT IS AND HOW TO PRODUCE IT
YOUR MARKETING BROCHURE - THE KILLER CV
IJ
.
II
f'-
I'
Is
HILARY BROWN
Address:
23 Laburnum Gardens, Suburbia on Thames, Middlesex MX9 9XM
Telephone:
Home 01999 000999
Date of Birth:
17 9/54
Qualifications:
FCA
Education:
Bristol University BA (1st class). History
Languages:
Eluent Erench
1983 - 1989
International Fragrances C orporation
(Cosmetics distributor Turnover £900million)
1987 - 1989
Management Accountant
Office 01999 989898
Based at worldwide headquarters in London Responsible for budget
preparation and management reporting setting timetables, ensuring
figures received on time from 23 subsidiaries, checking accuracy,
consolidating and producing commentary for parent company board
1985 - 1987
Co-ordination between group MIS department and users on all new
accounting systems, from initial specification through to successful
implementation
Career History:
1989 to date
Global C omputer Corporation
(Turnover £4billion worldwide, £600million Europe)
1991 to date
Financial Controller, Europe
Systems Accountant
1983 - 1985
Operational Auditor
Genuine operational auditing, rather than internal checking
function Visited I4 different subsidiaries in Europe, the Far East and
Australasia
Report to VP, Europe, plus functionally to VP, Finance in Chicago
Control 6 staff in London plus further 12 on continent
Achievements
1976 - 1983
introduced centralised treasury system covering all seven
European subsidiaries, reducing interest paid on overdrafts by
24%.
Articled to this major international firm of Chartered Accountants
Rose to Audit Manager, achieving all promotions at earliest possible
opportunities Audit clients were mainly international groups, both US
and UK owned, in the manufacturing and service sectors
Reduced average debtor days throughout Europe by 18%
Implemented completely new computerised accounting
systems, cutting time taken to produce monthly reporting
package from 11 days to 7
1989- 1991
Finance Manager, Global France
Coopers & Andersen
Other Interests
Member of Institute’s Anglo-French liaison group
Run half marathons
Set up accounting systems in newly established Erench
subsidiary joining as only the fourth person recruited at
greenfield site
As member of small management team, helped develop the
company to sales of £35million and second highest profitability
in Europe
171
YOUR MARKETING BROCHURE - THE KILLER C
tatty, amateurish one, probably because it smacks of a factory
produced bulk mailshot.
You do not, therefore, have to spend a fortune on a laser printer.
Bubble jet or daisy wheel will do just as well - but not the dot
matrix that came with your seven-year-old child's toy computer,
and certainly not that old typewriter with its uneven print and
the odd letter that keeps trying to jump up above all the others.
THE KILLER CV - WHAT IT IS AND HOW TO PRODUCE IT
knowledge, gained either through previous personal experience
of working in the country in question or through obtaining
advice and guidance from people who do have that knowledge.
Having taken the trouble to achieve high quality printing, avoid
- if at all possible - faxing your CV. The print always lacks
crispness, and the paper creates a distinctly tacky impression.
t!
I
r:i
The same need for a balanced approach applies to stationery as
it does to print quality. Fancy folders are not appreciated, at
least not in the UK. but do print out on a decent quality white
paper, even when you are running your CV through a photo
copier. White? Yes. Although cream, buff or pale blue are
generally acceptable, a main board director of a highly regarded
merchant bank was recently seen to cast a CV abruptly aside
with the comment, ‘Blue paper! No way am I going to employ
someone who sends in a CV on blue paper!'
L
You may not be able to predict all the whims of the people you
are targeting, but there is no point in taking avoidable risks.
Keep the presentation professional and then let the carefully
chosen content do the rest.
I
• • • International aspects
The first point that needs to be made is that you need to
translate your CV into the language in question or. in some
cases, languages - plural. In Belgium it is customary to have a
CV available in French. Flemish and, if you are dealing with
subsidiaries of UK or US corporations, English too.
Custom and practice varies enormously from one country to
another. In America you never mention age or date of birth (age
discrimination is illegal), and you omit details of marital status,
children, religion and nationality. You also print your resume on
an American paper size, not on A4. In Germany you give greater
prominence to qualifications. In France it used to be the norm to
attach a photograph, but is now becoming less so.
I
What it all adds up to is the fact that you just have to have local
172
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8
“What you need to
do is whet the
reader's appetite,
not cause
indigestion."
belles lettres - the
other half of your
marketing brochure
Letters are far more flexible than CVs. People have fewer
preconceived notions about them, and those expectations they
do have relate mainly to presentation rather than content. On
the other hand, flexibility brings its own dangers. In many ways,
it is easier to write a good CV than a good letter. You have a
standard format and a set of rules to follow.
This chapter will show you how you can have the best of both
worlds, exploiting the flexibility of the letter yet working with
some broad templates and guidelines to ensure that your corres
pondence puts you one step ahead of the average job-hunter.
Before looking at what should go into letters which are designed
to achieve a whole range of quite different objectives, we will take
a look at a set of basic criteria which apply to all letters, regard
less of their specific purpose.
• Put yourself in the reader's shoes. Before you even start
typing your letter, get clearly in mind what the benefit to the
recipient is going to be.
• Be equally clear about what your own purpose is. In the
context of job hunting, it is usually, but not always, to get a
meeting.
• Remember that your reader is almost certainly a busy person,
with no time to waste. Ensure that your first sentence
captures the reader's attention. If it does not. then the rest of
the letter is likely to be at best skimmed, if read at all.
• Ask your readers questions. This makes them feel that they
simply have to read on.
17^
YOUR MARKETING BROCHURE - THE KILLER CV
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s
• Do not lapse into excessively formal language. Try to write
very largely as you would speak if you were actually sitting in
the recipient's office.
• Be short and sweet. Keep the letter to one side of typed A4 if
at all possible. Avoid long sentences and paragraphs. Use
short, punchy words rather than polysyllabic pomposities.
• Use bullet points and tabulation to make key items stand out.
rather than risking them being missed because they are
buried in a solid slab of text.
• End your letter with a clear and positive request for action.
• Observe the same presentational rules as for CVs - good
quality white A4 paper, businesslike typeface, clear margins
and spacing. Go easy, however, on emboldening and variat
ions in type size.
• Finally, do not forget to sign the thing. One recruitment
consultant estimated that at least 5 per cent of the job
hunters who write to him forget to add their signature - a
sure sign either of carelessness or of bulk mailings.
Now. keeping these points in mind, here are some specifics.
• • • Not just an ad on
Some of the greatest lost opportunities occur when people are
responding to advertisements. Perhaps because so many ads
end with something like, ‘send your CV to . . .’ many applicants
say little more in their covering letter than that they are
interested in the job in question and that they are enclosing, as
requested, their curriculum vitae.
Put yourself in the shoes of the recruiter reading a pile of two or
three hundred applications, and looking for the handful of key
criteria which are going to rule each candidate either in or out.
Would you not be pleased if, instead of having to wade through
the whole CV each time, you found that the job had been done
for you? Example A at the end of this chapter illustrates the
principle.
If the advertisement highlights five criteria and you only possess
four, just list out those four and ignore the other one. Since most
recruiters divide letters into three piles on the first screening probables, possibles and rejects - you should at least end up in
the possibles, if not the probables.
17A
BELLES LETTRES - THE OTHER HALF OF YOUR MARKETING BROCHURE
If you match only one or two of the criteria, you obviously cannot
use this format - but then, if you are that far off the
specification, you should really not be wasting your time
applying at all.
Assuming, however, that you are a reasonably close match, here
is the way to ensure that you go straight into the ‘probables' pile.
• Avoid being too familiar. Although many recruiters put their
full name on their ads. they tend to react unfavourably to a
letter which starts ‘Dear Bill' or ‘Dear Sue'.
• Use a clear heading which quotes the title of the
advertisement, the publication in which it appeared and any
reference number, e.g.:
Production Director. Sunday Times. 21 May 1995, Ref. GP/179.
• Catch the reader’s attention in the first sentence by
demonstrating that you have a genuine reason for being
attracted to this specific position. Do not just say. ‘I wish to
apply for . . .' Say something like. T was particularly
interested in your advertisement because I enjoy the chall
enge involved in extensively restructuring manufacturing
facilities while continuing to operate to tight deadlines'.
• Then go straight into the main body of the letter, in which you
show how you match the requirements of the post. Do be
sure to use a tabulated format rather than solid text. It is so
much easier for the reader to take in.
• End with a brief but positive sentence like T look forward to
hearing from you and to having the opportunity to discuss
this position with you'. While this can be preceded by a
statement that your CV is. as requested, enclosed, this is
somewhat superfluous. Recruiters have seen enough CVs in
their time to be in little doubt as to what the document
attached to your letter actually is.
• • • A letter without a CV
Sometimes an advertisement simply says. ‘Write to . . In these
circumstances your best bet might still be to use the kind of
letter discussed above and to send it off together with your CV.
On the other hand, in the following situations a letter on its own
is likely to have a greater chance of success.
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YOUR MARKETING BROCHURE - THE KILLER CV
• The advertisement may have said little, or have been vague
about, the required criteria and it may therefore be difficult
to produce a ‘You require - I have’ response.
• Your most recent experience may not, in this particular case,
be the most relevant, and you may prefer to avoid your CV
sending the wrong message.
• If your career history is a bit patchy or has gaps, you may not
wish to draw attention to this, which both a chronological
and a functional CV do in their different ways.
• Just occasionally there may be a case where you fall some
what short of the advertised requirements, but it is clear from
what is said in the ad that you do have other qualities which
mean that you could make an exceptional contribution. Ifand only if - this really is the case, then it will take a well
thought out letter to demonstrate your suitability.
While this kind of letter is to some extent a letter and CV
combined, the last thing you should try to do is to get the whole
of your CV into the letter. Quite apart from the fact that that
would make it far too long, the whole essence of the exercise is
to be selective.
In order to ensure that you select the right things, keep firmly in
mind the purpose of the letter. Assuming that this is to get your
self a meeting, then what you need to do is whet the reader’s
appetite, not cause indigestion. The format should be as follows:
• Clear heading.
• Attention-grabbing opening sentence explaining why you are
interested in the advertised position.
• Succinct summary of your strongest USPs. Highlight your
most relevant achievements and give a brief rundown of those
aspects of your career which are going to get you an
interview. For example, if you have 25 years’ work experience
of which 10 are in the advertiser’s industry (publishing), all
you need say is. My last 10 years have been spent in the
publishing industry’.
• Better still, use at least some bullet points and tabulation especially for the key. factual items.
• End with a positive statement saying what you want, i.e. a
meeting.
This kind of letter not only emphasises the points which sell you
most strongly, it also enables you to p^oid drawing attention to
any points which may be considered
>e negative, such as the
BELLES LETTRES - THE OTHER HALF OF YOUR MARKETING BROCHURE
fact that you may be above or below the advertised age para
meters. A CV on the other hand inevitably draws attention to
such matters.
• • • Writing on spec
A speculative letter to a potential employer may have a number
of similarities to the kinds of letters we have just been looking at.
but it needs even more thought before you launch into it. When
you respond to an advertisement, you know that there is a
position to be filled and you usually have a reasonably clear set
of criteria (the person specification part of the ad) to use as a
structure for your letter.
In the case of a speculative application you may be writing
because you have noticed a news item which suggests that the
company is likely to have recruitment needs, or you could simply
be applying to a company to which you believe you could make
a contribution, in the hope that they just might either have a
current vacancy or be sufficiently interested in your background
and achievements to create one for you. Furthermore, you will
certainly not have a person specification to which to relate your
selling points. You will have to identify, by intelligent research,
the potential problem to which you could be the answer, and
then decide which of your assets to highlight in your letter.
Your research will also have to include identifying the person to
whom the letter should be addressed. This should be the most
relevant decision maker - usually the chief executive in a smaller
company, or a functional head, such as the finance, production
or sales director, in a large one.
As we explained in Chapter 12, if you are to achieve your ob
jective of obtaining a meeting it is better not to ask, in so many
words, for a job. but rather to use phrases like ‘seeking a new
challenge’, which imply that you would welcome a job offer but
also leave the way open for a more general discussion.
This leads to the question of whether you are more likely to
achieve your defined purpose by sending a letter on its own or
whether to accompany it with your CV. There is no hard and fast
rule - you have to make a separate judgement on each occasion.
Where only limited aspects of your career are relevant, use a
letter on its ovr" Where there are a number of areas which could
170
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YOUR MARKETING BROCHURE - THE KILLER CV
appeal to a prospective employer, include the CV as well.
It
Whichever choice you make, the format of the letter will be
broadly the same:
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• a brief, attention-grabbing introduction explaining why you
are writing to that particular company and what benefits you
can offer to it;
• a statement of your USPs either one or two paragraphs, or
a series of bullet points;
• a clear request for what you want, i.e. a meeting;
• a closing sentence mentioning that you will be telephoning
within a few days to arrange a convenient date and time.
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• • • Headhunters and agencies
The main difference when you are writing on spec to
headhunters and agencies is what you say in the opening para
graph. Whether you like it or not, recruitment consultants
always want to categorise you. Partly because of the way their
minds work, and partly because of the way their computerised
databases are constructed, they like to be able to define you in
terms of:
• your core discipline, e.g. finance. HR, IT. production, sales;
• the business sector(s) in which your experience lies;
• the kind of job you are looking for;
• your salary expectations;
• the locations you will consider.
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Define these at the outset and you will get off on the right foot.
Fail to do so. and you risk irritating your reader, who will
inevitably be a busy person with only a very limited amount of
time to spend on each application.
Another thing which at best irritates recruitment consultants
and at worst completely scuppers your credibility as an
applicant is being too vague about what you want to do. It is
instant death to say. T am open to anything' even if. in your
heart of hearts, you are. Headhunters expect you to be focused
and even agencies, who want to be able to market you widely,
expect you to be clear about those options you will consider and
those you will not. This goes back to what we said at the beginn
ing of the book: it is all a question of targeting
180
BELLES LETTRES - THE OTHER HALF OF YOUR MARKETING BROCHURE
• • • Examples and excesses
The rest of this chapter is taken up with examples of the diff
erent kinds of letters that have been discussed. However, before
you start rubbing your hands in glee and assuming that you can
get out of all the hard work, a word or two of warning.
First, never copy anyone else’s letters parrot fashion. If your
letters are going to work for you. then it is essential that your
personality shines through them. Make sure that they reflect
your individual attitudes and feelings. Use your own words and
phrases.
Secondly, it is worth repeating that you should never copy
American examples. They tend to be so over the top as to make
the average British recipient cringe. Avoid anything that sounds
insincere or over familiar. It ought to be possible to achieve an
effect which is both positive and professional.
Finally, here are a few words about the examples.
• Example A - Advertised vacancy, covering letter to
accompany CV - comes from a candidate who meets all main
requirements specified in the advertisement and who there
fore has only to be sure not to be missed in the screening
process. This is achieved by clearly tabulating how the key
criteria are met.
• Example B - Advertised vacancy, application letter
without CV - comes from a candidate who in fact lacked one
of the key advertised requirements, a professional qualif
ication, but did possess some exceptionally relevant exper
ience. Whereas a CV would have highlighted the lack of
qualification, the narrative format of the letter emphasises
the candidate’s pluses without drawing attention to this
shortcoming.
• Example C - Letter to headhunter, with CV - is a straight
forward letter to an executive search firm, highlighting an
impressive career record and relying on this, plus careful
targeting of a headhunter operating in the areas in which the
candidate has been working, to attract interest.
• Example D - Letter to headhunter, alternative approach was suggested by a leading outplacement consultant and
plays on two factors: the natural curiosity of headhunters;
and their eagerne not to miss out on any opportunity to
pounce on new bu^aess.
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YOUR MARKETING BROCHURE - THE KILLER CV
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Example E - Speculative letter to potential employer,
referring to a news item - comes from a candidate who has
spotted the fact that a company is entering a phase of
regional expansion and who. having excellent experience in
the business in question, is getting one step ahead before
jobs are advertised or put out to headhunters.
• Example F - Speculative letter to potential employer,
vacancy likely to exist - is aimed at a firm of management
consultants. Such firms tend to recruit on a frequent basis
and are therefore a good bet for a speculative approach.
• Example G - Speculative letter to potential employer,
creating a vacancy - is from a jobhunter who has identified
a benefit which other firms of a similar nature to the one
being targeted have already seen and exploited. Bringing this
to the attention of the firm may well result in the creation of
a new position for which the writer of the letter could be the
one and only candidate.
T
BELLES LETTRES - THE OTHER HALF OF YOUR MARKETING BROCHURE
Example A - Advertised vacancy, covering letter to
accompany CV
I The Pines
etc
etc
31 May 1995
Mr L Challis
Managing Director
Templar Hotel Group
etc
etc
Dear Mr Challis
IT Manager, Sunday Tinies: 28 May 1995, Your Ref. CD/749
Your advertisement caught my attention because it offers a new challenge
in an environment which I find extremely stimulating and enjoyable.
What is more, as you will see from the following summary, my
background is particularly relevant to your requirements:
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Hotel Experience
Last 8 years in this sector, with major UK and
US groups
IBM AS400
Implemented AS400 in both current and
penultimate jobs
International Exposure
Have worked in 7 different European countries
plus USA
Languages
Fluent business French, working knowledge of
German
I would welcome the opportunity to discuss this appointment with you
and look forward to hearing from you.
Yours sincerely
182
183
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YOUR MARKETING BROCHURE - THE KILLER CV
i
Example B - Advertised vacancy, application letter
without CV
BELLES LETTRES - THE OTHER HALF OF YOUR MARKETING BROCHURE
Example C - Letter to headhunter, with CV
2 Cedar Grove
etc
etc
2 Chestnut Lane
etc
etc
31 May 1995
31 May 1995
Mr J Bunyan
Managing Director
Progress Construction Co. Ltd.
etc
etc
Mr H Hunter
Eurosearch International
etc
etc
Dear Mr Hunter
Dear Mr Bunyan
Financial Controller, Daily Telegraph: 25 May 1995, Ref: DT/431
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Your advertisement was of particular interest to me, since I have a proven
success record in implementing improved management information systems
in the construction industry.
During my five years with O'Reilly and Mulholland, we made several
acquisitions of companies which had systems ranging from the outmoded to
the virtually non-existent. In each case I upgraded management reporting in
such a way as to achieve compatibility with group accounting policies whilst
retaining the flexibility to provide executives in each company with
information in a format which reflected the individual characteristics of their
particular businesses.
As Business Development Director of Cormorant Holdings I have, over
the last four years, been instrumental in increasing sales sixfold, and in
broadening the base of the group's activities to protect it against cyclical
influences in any one market. However, with the group now entering a
consolidation phase, I cannot see the same level of challenge being
available to me in the immediate future, and I am therefore considering
alternative career options.
As you will see from the enclosed CV. my experience has been primarily
in the distribution and service sectors, and I see myself as being most
marketable in those areas. Being aware that you have a number of major
service industry clients, I wondered whether you might be handling any
suitable opportunities for me.
Having spent this period with a mechanical and electrical sub-contractor. I
have gained an excellent understanding of the relationship with main
contractors and feel that, by becoming a poacher turned gamekeeper, I could
make a strong contribution to your own organisation.
I am willing to relocate anywhere in the UK or continental Europe and
am currently earning £85,000 plus the usual executive benefits.
My earlier career included articles with a firm of accountants which had a
number of construction company audits. Then, prior to joining O'Reilly and
Mulholland. I gained valuable computer implementation experience in an
American engineering group where I was exposed to exceptionally tight
reporting deadlines. Now age 35, I am looking for a Financial Controllership
in a group offering opportunities for long term career development.
Yours sincerely
I would be pleased to meet you at any time to discuss this matter further.
I would be pleased to discuss this position with you.
Yours sincerely
124
185
YOUR MARKETING BROCHURE - THE KILLER CV
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BELLES LETTRES - THE OTHER HALF OF YOUR MARKETING BROCHURE
Example D - Letter to headhunter, alternative approach
3 Willow Walk
etc
etc
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4 The Oaks
etc
etc
31 July 1995
31 May 1995
Mr H Hunter
Eurosearch International
etc
etc
Dear Mr Hunter
You may well already be aware, through your usual grapevines, of the
recent events at the Hawkswell Group which culminated in my decision
to tender my resignation after eight very successful years, the last three of
which I spent as Sales and Marketing Director.
However, in the event that the full ramifications of the boardroom
reshuffle, and its effects on the various divisions, have not yet reached
your ears I wondered whether you would be interested in meeting so that
we can catch up on things.
h
Example E - Speculative letter to potential employer,
referring to a news item
Naturally, I would also appreciate your advice on the direction in which
my own career should now be heading.
I will call your secretary within the next few days to see if we can find a
mutually convenient date and time to get together.
1
Yours sincerely
Mr B King
Chief Executive
Fast Food Inc
etc
etc
Dear Mr King
My interest was aroused by the recent article in the Financial Times
indicating that, now you have outlets throughout Greater London, you are
planning to extend your network into the regions.
As you will see from my enclosed CV, I have fourteen years’ experience
in the fast food business in the UK, having worked my way up to Area
Manager with one of the most successful burger chains.
Whilst I could go further with my present employers, their growth has
levelled out. In any case, what I enjoy most is building up new operations
from scratch - hence the attraction of your expansion plans.
Whilst I can easily travel to most parts of England from my current base
in the Midlands. I would be happy to relocate, if required, for the right
career opening.
I would welcome the opportunity to meet you to discuss this matter
further and will call you early next week to see if we can arrange an
appointment.
Yours sincerely
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BELLES LETTRES - THE OTHER HALF OF YOUR MARKETING BROCHURE
YOUR MARKETING BROCHURE - THE KILLER CV
Example F - Speculative letter to potential employer,
vacancy likely to exist
Example G - Speculative letter to employer, creating a
vacancy
7 The Limes
etc
etc
6 Beech Close
etc
etc
31 May 1995
31 May 1995
Mr O Richards
Chairman
Interconsult
etc
etc
Mr F Cholmondeley
Senior Partner
Beauchamp & Farquharson
etc
etc
Dear Mr Richards
Dear Mr Cholmondeley
In the course of my fifteen years as a Human Resources professional. I
have worked in both manufacturing and service industries and have
gained wide exposure to all aspects of the HR function. Since I
particularly enjoy new challenges and the problem solving aspects of my
work, I am seriously considering developing my career in the field of
management consultancy.
I have noticed that many leading law firms are recruiting professional
managers to run their ‘back office' functions, thus leaving partners free to
generate increased fee income. Although, as far as I am aware, your own
firm has not yet taken this step, I wonder if you may be considering
doing so.
As one of the leading firms of consultants in the UK. I wonder whether
you might have a requirement, either immediately or in the foreseeable
future, for someone with my background.
I enclose my CV and would welcome the opportunity to talk to you. or to
the appropriate manager within your firm, both about my interest in
management consultancy generally and about any possible openings
swithin Interconsult.
Should this be the case I would, as the enclosed CV demonstrates, be
well equipped to take over responsibility for your finance function. Four
years ago I was appointed to what was then a newly created appointment
as Financial Controller of a firm of chartered accountants with thirty-five
partners. Having now upgraded their computerised work in progress and
billing systems, streamlined management reporting, and introduced cash
How forecasting, I feel ready for a new challenge.
I will call you next week with a view to arranging an appointment.
1 would welcome the opportunity to discuss this matter with you and
will call within the next few days to see if you would be interested in
arranging a meeting.
Yours sincerely
Yours sincerely
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18
6iDo not skip this
section if you
already have a
near perfect CV."
3
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building a smarter CV
The CV example on pages 170 and 171 speaks for itself. Univer
sity degree, professional qualifications and languages spoken all
stand out. It takes only a glance at the work history to identify
impressive achievements, relevant experience of working over
seas and of implementing computer systems, and consistent
career progression. The content was there to begin with. The
presentation has ensured that its impact is not lost.
It is not everyone, though, who has such an impressive career.
What do you do if your pedigree is somewhat less pure?
If the content is not there, presentation can help only to a very
limited extent. Rather more can be achieved by:
• concentrating on your most marketable qualities;
• targeting your search carefully;
• using the telephone and letters, rather than a CV where this
highlights, even if only by the omission of what people norm
ally expect to see, your shortcomings.
!
An even more positive contribution, however, can be made by
consciously building a better CV. You may not be able to change
the past, but there is an enormous amount that you can do to
influence the future. Furthermore, while some of the actions you
may need to take will involve too long a timescale to help in the
immediate job search, there are others which can have an
impact in the relatively short term.
Do not. by the way. skip this section if you already have a near
perfect CV. Right now you may well be all set up to make your
next career move, but what about the one after that? Career
progression is largely about looking ahead and choosing the
right stepping stones. What looks like the obvious step at this
point in time may not be the best one in terms of finding the
most effective
te to your longer term goal.
BUILDING A SMARTER CV
YOUR MARKETING BROCHURE - THE KILLER CV
packages. When you are out of work, learning something new
has the added advantages of providing intellectual stimulation
which may otherwise be lacking, of making you feel that you are
achieving something and. where it involves going to classes or
courses, of giving you the chance to meet some new people.
• • • Past, present and future
The first thing you need to do in order to build a more
marketable CV is to make sure you are looking in the right
direction. There is nothing to be gained by worrying either about
mistakes you have made in your career to date or about things
you should have done but have failed to get around to. Even
professional recruiters do not expect you to be perfect. They will
overlook the odd minus, so long as it is outweighed by enough
pluses.
• • • The experience factor
Perhaps the most important single factor, though, is your actual
work experience. Think about all the years you have been at
work. How much of the time were you actually doing things
which added to the marketability of your CV?
Take a piece of paper, then, and - bearing in mind the kind of
job you are looking for - write down everything you could do to
give yourself a better chance of getting it. You will probably find
it useful to divide the paper into two columns or halves, one for
the short term (things you can do within the next few months)
and the other for the longer term (things which will take years
rather than months and will therefore help you to get the next
job but one. rather than assisting with the immediate job
search).
6
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Now come even closer to the present day. Consider your last 12
months of work experience. If you had written your CV once at
the beginning of that period, then again at the end of it. how
much more marketable would you have become? Would that
second CV. in fact, have looked noticeably different at all?
Take professional qualifications, for example. If you have
continually been putting off taking the last set of exams, a
determined effort to get them out of the way could be a relatively
short-term aim. For those who have never even made a start on
their studies, on the other hand, the objective of becoming prof
essionally qualified has to go into the longer term category.
A similar situation exists with languages. If you were once fluent
but have become rusty through lack of practice, a quick
refresher may well be sufficient. Learning from scratch, unless
you can afford the time and cost of a highly concentrated
language lab course, will inevitably take some time.
|l
Some people are lucky. They can point to a long history of new
challenges. Many on the other hand will, when they sit and think
about it. realise that there were periods, often long ones, when
they were just doing the same thing over and over again. Think
about your own last five years. Were they five years of added CV
value, or just one year's tasks repeated five times over?
Many skill updates, on the other hand, fit comfortably into the
short-term category. It need not take very long to become
familiar with a new spreadsheet package or to get yourself up to
date on any recent legislation which is particularly relevant to
the area in which you operate.
If you are in work, you may be able to get your employer to send
you on appropriate courses, or at least to help with the cost. If
you are unemployed you may have to think twice about investing
significant sums of money but there are usually ways round
this. like subsidised adult education class
or home study
I
If concentrating your mind on these questions has made you
realise that you have been getting into a rut. now is the time
to do something about it. Do not waste time crying over spilt
milk, just start adding to your marketability right away. You can
do this regardless of whether you are currently in work or
unemployed.
• ••Taking the initiative
The proactive approach starts with a ‘gap analysis' - a look at
where you want to get to. the experience you need in order to get
there, what experience you have already and. by comparing one
with the other, where you fall short. If the gap is relatively small,
you may be able to fill it by undertaking some short-term,
project type work. Where it is larger, you may need to consider
tailoring your immed;~*e job search to finding a position which
YOUR MARKETING BROCHURE - THE KILLER CV
will provide a stepping stone to achieving your ultimate goal in a
few years' time.
If you are in employment you can often volunteer to undertake a
particular project, or join a committee or working party, which
will give you the experience you seek. It may also be possible to
organise a secondment for a few months, or even a year or two.
either within your organisation or outside it. Management con
sultancy firms, for example, sometimes make secondments of
senior staff, or even partners, to major clients such as banks or
government departments. The consultancy practice benefits
from the contacts and inside knowledge gained, while the individ
ual in question obtains valuable experience, expands their net
work. and earns a good few brownie points into the bargain.
Ideally, of course, there should always be a mutual benefit, a win
win situation. In practice this is not difficult to achieve. If you
are expanding your capabilities by breaking new ground, you are
not only likely to be providing an immediate benefit to your
employers, but will also be of greater value to them in the future.
The people who are at greatest risk of being made redundant
when times get tough are those who have ceased to add value to
themselves, the organisation or its customers.
If you are out of work, you can use interim or temporary work,
whether full-time or part-time, as a means of increasing your
marketability. While in these situations clients inevitably want
to hire people who. by dint of their existing knowledge and
experience, can hit the ground running, it is rare for an assign
ment not to add something to your value to a future employer.
• • • Some further angles
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Looking into the longer term, those who really want to broaden
their experience should give serious consideration to a spell in
management consultancy. A major practice once ran a
recruitment advertisement which said. If you want to pack ten
years’ experience into the next five, have you thought about a
spell in management consultancy?’
I
The broadest experience is normally to be had in the generalist
practices which have not yet grown so large that consultants
have become pigeon holed into narrow specialist divisions. When
attending interviews for consultancy bs be sure to check not
194
BUILDING A SMARTER CV
only on the range of work which you will be expected to under
take but also on the duration of assignments. If you get stuck on
a single assignment for two or three years, your learning curve
will start to look more like a horizontal line.
Those whose work, whether permanent or temporary, does not
provide the opportunities they seek to plug the gaps they have
identified in their experience should consider looking outside the
field of paid jobs. Professional societies, trade associations,
voluntary organisations, sports clubs and other leisure groups
can all offer openings for the proactive individual to acquire new
skills and experience.
Finally, while your first thought should be to plug identified gaps,
do keep an eye open for any chance that arises to gain add
itional experience which, though not on your immediate target
list, could be useful.
Take the case of Tim. who worked for a large accountancy
practice. As part of his ongoing development, he was asked to
help out from time to time with the firm’s training programme,
working alongside professional tutors who were brought in from
outside. The immediate benefit to Tim was an improvement in
his presentation skills and in his general confidence with groups
of people. However, when Tim’s division lost its biggest client and
he was one of a number of people made redundant, he used one
of the trainers he had worked with as a network contact. The
outcome exceeded his wildest expectations. The training firm
asked him if he would like to consider switching careers and
coming to work for them. That was four years ago. Tim is now
one of their most successful tutors.
The moral of Tim’s story is that it never does any harm to
acquire new skills and experience - or new contacts.
• • • New frontiers
In the mind of many an ambitious executive, the most attractive
of all new horizons may well be an international career and. to
judge by the writings of some business journalists, you would
think that opportunities for such careers grew on trees. In
reality, unfortunately, this concept currently has about as much
substance as that other great love of the business media, the
paperless office.
■inr
YOUR MARKETING BROCHURE - THE KILLER CV
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In spite of the remorseless expansion of multinational
corporations and the somewhat more hesitant progress of the
EU (European Union) towards European integration, most
organisations still prefer to fill senior positions with a national of
the country in which the job in question is based. The reasons
for this include the following.
• Cultural differences, which make it difficult for - say - a
German to be a successful manager in an Italian company, or
vice versa.
• Knowledge of local markets.
• Fear that the appointee, or their family, will not settle. Due to
factors ranging from climate and culture to children's educ
ation and spouse’s career, failure rates - especially for those
lacking previous overseas experience - are high.
• Even if short-term problems do not arise, there tend to be
concerns over length of tenure in the medium term, since
overseas nationals are seen as being likely to want either to
return home in due course, or to move on somewhere else.
• Costs of relocation.
• Language - to fill a managerial role, complete business
fluency is required, and that is almost impossible to achieve
without actually working in a country.
• Difficulties in obtaining work permits - although EU
nationals can move freely within member states, moves else
where present far greater difficulties. The US. for example,
has very tough legislation, while it is about as easy to get into
Switzerland to work as it is to discover the identity of the
holder of a numbered bank account.
Being realistic
I
I
In order to overcome such a long list of handicaps, there have to
be some very positive benefits to justify employing an overseas
national. The situations in which the advantages do outweigh
the disadvantages fall mainly into the following categories:
• people with rare technical skills:
• high performing chief executives:
• developing countries importing expertise which they cannot
find at home:
• multinational corporations making internal transfers of
existing staff.
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BUILDING A SMARTER GV
Assuming that you are neither one of the world's leading
biotechnologists nor a second Sir Colin Marshall, we can
concentrate on the last two options.
Back in the 1960s and 1970s. even into the early 1980s. plenty
of opportunities existed for UK citizens, and other nationals of
the more developed countries, to take a two- or three-year
contract in places like Africa and the Middle East, and come
back with a greatly improved bank balance. Localisation,
together with the prolonged worldwide recession, has largely
seen an end to that. The relatively few opportunities which do
exist these days are in different locations, places like South
America. China and Eastern Europe which - unlike Britain's
former colonies - are not English speaking. What is more, they
are not paying the inflated salaries which used to be on offer in
the oil-rich Gulf states.
In any case, emerging nations are interested in expatriates from
developed nations only in the short to medium term, until they
have their infrastructure in place and have used the expats to
train up their own nationals to take over. This kind of experience
will not necessarily do wonders for your future marketability
back home.
Your best bet is therefore to obtain a job in the UK with a British.
US or European group and then work yourself a transfer
overseas. Some multinationals have a positive policy of
developing teams of mixed nationalities, usually based at their
worldwide, or in the case of US companies. European head
quarters. This is particularly likely to happen in marketing.
International companies may have a central marketing team
made up of representatives of each of the major countries in
which they operate so that products and strategies take account
of consumer preferences in the various local markets.
While English may well be widely spoken at the continental HQ
of. say. a US corporation, your chances of getting a posting will
nevertheless be significantly enhanced by some existing ling
uistic accomplishments. You can then use a spell in Europe to
acquire true business fluency. An MBA will also help you on
your way. especially if it comes from an internationally renowned
business school like INSEAD in Fontainebleau. France.
Once you have had one spell in a foreign location, and have
proved that you can r pt both at work and in domestic terms
197
r
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YOUR MARKETING BROCHURE - THE KILLER CV
to a different culture, you will then find it easier to make
subsequent international moves. It is breaking the ice for the
first time that is the greatest problem.
!
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198
1
i6Can you. do the job,
will you jit into the
organisation and do
you want to do the
job?"
part four
dosing the sale
a
il
II
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19
“Each time
you attend an
interview, you are
in a make or break
situation."
interviews - the
myths and the reality
You are not going to get that new job without having an
interview. Even when an opportunity arises directly out of
networking or a speculative application, rather than through an
advertisement, headhunter or agency, there will be an interview.
It may be less formal, but do not be fooled by that. No one is
going to invest tens of thousands of pounds a year in you
without checking you out. Nor. if you are sensible, will you
accept a new position before you have found out as much as you
possibly can about the company, the job. your boss, the way
your performance will be measured and so on.
Before a senior position is offered and accepted there will, in
practice, normally be not one. but two or three interviews,
sometimes even more. The length of an interview can vary from
30 minutes or less to several hours, although 1 to I1
/ hours is
about average. There is just as great a variation, too. in the
interviewers you will face, both in their approach and in their
quality. What is more, while some organisations rely on inter
views alone, others use tests, assessment centres, present
ations. report writing and a variety of other aids to the selection
process.
The bottom line, however, is that each time you attend an
interview, you are in a make or break situation. The future of
your career, to an extent your whole life, depends on the
outcome of the brief amount of time you spend in that inevitably
artificial situation. Perhaps it is this that has given rise to the
many myths which surround the interview - myths which need
io be exploded if you want to get ahead of the competition and
increase your interview success rate.
§
I
II
INTERVIEWS - THE MYTHS AND THE REALITY
CLOSING THE SALE
They show you the same courtesies, offering tea or coffee,
making sure you are comfortable and outlining the programme
they have arranged for you. Then you both get on with enjoying
each other's company.
• ••The big fight
The first, and most dangerous, myth is that the interview is a
contest between you and the interviewer, the object being to
score points off your opponent. While an interview may be
challenging - indeed it is in your interests, if your strengths are
to be brought out, that it should be - there is a world of diff
erence between a stimulating discussion and a punch up.
Enjoying? What - an interview? Yes. Why not? If. when you say
goodbye, both you and the interviewer can genuinely say. I
enjoyed meeting you', then you probably succeeded in estab
lishing the kind of rapport which is the bedrock of a good
interview.
The outcome of a properly conducted interview should be the
same as that of a successful negotiation: win-win. The negot
iations which get locked into a situation in which one party is
perceived as beating the other are the ones that have failed. All
too often, in fact, their ultimate outcome is not even win-lose but
lose-lose, with neither party really gaining anything. A prof
essional interviewer will aim not for confrontation but rapport,
and you should be prepared to reciprocate. The two of you can
then use the limited amount of time at your disposal
productively, rather than wasting it by playing silly games.
• • • The stress interview
So. is there really no such thing as a stress interview? Given that
senior executives need to be able to cope with stress, do inter
viewers not try to simulate it in an attempt to see how well you
cope?
The short answer is that the stress interview is talked about far
more than it is actually used. Professional recruiters know that
the way people deal with simulated stress in an interview is a
poor predictor of the way they will actually respond to stressful
situations in real life. The pros also know that they have far more
to gain by making you feel relaxed and opening you up. than by
putting you on edge and making you defensive. If they do
challenge and probe in the course of a discussion, this will
normally be done in a firm but fair way.
• • • The Gestapo
Another myth, favoured by the less combative, rather more
defensive, kind of candidate, is that the term 'interview' is really
just a euphemism for ‘interrogation’. They ask the questions,
you answer them.
Anyone who suffers from this misconception should substitute
'meeting', not 'interrogation' for the word 'interview'. To treat the
interview as a one-way process is a fundamental error. If the
process is to work effectively, then it must operate on a two-way
basis.
In a sense, of course, it is easy to see how this myth arises. You
are summoned to their offices. The interviewer seems to be in
control of everything from the layout of the chairs to the length
and structure of the session. You seem to be at a disadvantage
right from the start.
If this is how you feel about interviews, try adopting a different
approach. Imagine that you have been invited to someone else's
home as a guest. Since it is their home, you naturally observe
the basic courtesies. You arrive when you said you would, let
them show you in. wait to be asked to t
a seat and so on.
■
You are more likely to experience stress when you meet an
untrained interviewer. Although the majority will be affable,
probably displaying more warmth than the brisk and efficient
professional recruiter, it has to be said that a proportion of
people who get to the top do behave in a manner which is overtly
aggressive, even boorish and downright belligerent. Regardless
of whether this is simply put on in order to test your mettle, or
whether it is how they always treat people, the golden rule in
responding to such behaviour is to remain calm, courteous and
businesslike. Never allow yourself to be dragged down to their
level.
You should also keep your cool if you encounter a problem like
finding, on taking the seat which is offered to you. that the sun
is shining right in your eyes. Rather than getting paranoid and
assuming that it is
eliberate stress ploy (it probably is not).
4
INTERVIEWS - THE MYTHS AND THE REALITY
CLOSING THE SALE
simply move the chair, explaining politely why you are doing so.
or ask the interviewer to pull the blind across the window.
• • • Turning the tables
Having examined the myths about interviewers, let us turn for a
moment to the equally prevalent misapprehensions which exist
about the behaviour of interviewees.
It is often said that the person who gets any given job is not
necessarily the most suitable candidate, but the one who per
forms best at interview. To be fair, there is an element of truth
in this. However well qualified you are for a job. you can ruin
your chances if you blow the meeting with the potential employer
or the recruitment consultant.
This does not mean, on the other hand, that you can wheedle
your way into a job for which you are totally unsuitable just by
becoming a slick, practised performer on the interview stage. It
is very much the same as the situation which exists with CVs:
poor presentation can ruin good content, but a polished present
ation will never make up for a lack of underlying substance.
What is more, just as recruiters are put off by over-glossy CVs.
so they are suspicious of interviewees who come across as too
smooth or glib.
• • • But don't be passive
This does not. however, mean that you can just sit back and wait
for the interviewer to draw out all your strengths. Even profess
ional recruiters, working to a carefully prepared plan, may miss
key areas. The risks with line managers, who may well have had
no training at all in interviewing skills, are very much greater.
All too often the decision makers, the people who have the final
say in which candidate to hire, are notoriously bad interviewers.
They frequently fail to prepare for the meeting, in many cases
not even reading your CV thoroughly, let alone thinking about
how they are going to structure the interview in order to elicit the
required information. They do too much of the talking
themselves and ask closed or leading questions when they
should be using open ones.
If you are to overcome the problems posed by the clumsy amat7
eur. you need to be extremely well prepared, having a clear idea
of exactly what you need to get across and making sure that
none of your key selling points are missed. Never fall for the
myth that the interviewer can be relied on to do the job for you.
• • • The truth, the whole truth
Another myth, perpetuated by writers of articles about the
recruitment business, is that candidates can. and often do. lie
their way to interview success. There are. no doubt, some who
try it. Very few succeed.
Professional interviewers spend every day of their lives sorting
fact from fantasy, true substance from hype. To get one over on
them, you have to be an extremely good liar. Very few people
indeed are that good.
One of the problems is that once you start lying it is difficult to
stop. The first lie leads to a second, the second to a third and so
on - until, sooner or later, you trip yourself up. That leads to the
next problem. Get caught out once, even on something relatively
insignificant, and nothing else you say will be believed. It is just
not worth the risk.
Being economical with the truth, on the other hand, is a
different matter - at least, to an extent. If there are topics you
would prefer not to have to discuss, then clearly you do not raise
them.
If a difficult subject does come up. the situation is more
complex. In general, it is best to say no more than you have to
and to change the subject as soon as you can. On the other
hand, you have to avoid making any discomfort you feel obvious
to the interviewer. Like dogs, interviewers smell fear and. once
they get their teeth into something, they will not let go.
• ••Being smart
Another school of thought says that there is a far smarter
approach than telling lies. All you have to do is to anticipate the
awkward questions you are likely to be asked, prepare clever
answers to them °nd then trot these out at interview in response
INTERVIEWS - THE MYTHS AND THE REALITY
CLOSING THE SALE
to the appropriate cues. This theory has become part of
recruitment folklore, which is where it belongs, because its rel
evance to reality is. at best, decidedly limited.
In spite of this, the concept does get perpetuated by journalists.
There has even been a whole book published on the subject,
entitled Great Answers to Tough Interview Questions (Martin
John Yate. Kogan Page), which lists over 100 questions ranging
from the fairly sensible to ‘What would you say if I told you your
presentation this afternoon was lousy?'
There are several reasons why mugging up pat answers to what
one writer describes as ‘the tough, sneaky, mean and low-down
questions the interviewers love to throw at you' does not work in
practice.
• Pat answers sound just that, and this will do you absolutely
no good at all.
G Most interviewers do not ask catch questions.
• If a question seems tough, it is most likely to be because your
interview preparation has paid insufficient attention to the
company, the job and your own relevant background.
• Thorough interview preparation would be a far better use of
your time than trying to memorise over 100 questions, let
alone the smart answers to them.
9 You will, in any case, never predict everything you might be
asked. If you rely on having all the answers, rather than on a
sound knowledge of your own CV. you are likely to get thrown
by the first question you have not anticipated.
While you will never be able to foresee every question you may
be asked, you should put yourself in the interviewer's shoes and
try to predict the key areas they are likely to concentrate on.
Some of these will be determined by the requirements of the job
in question, others by your own CV. Any reasonably competent
interviewer is obviously going to want to discuss your career
progression, your reasons for leaving jobs, your aspirations for
the future and the extent to which you fit the specification for
the post you are being interviewed for. The ability to discuss
matters like these confidently is what you need to concentrate
on, rather than clever replies to smart questions.
• • • A confidence trick?
Mention of the word confidently raises a further issue. The last
thing many people feel when they attend an interview is con
fident. So what do you do? Put on an act? Pretend to be some
thing. or someone, that you are not?
The idea that you should do that is just one more myth. The
candidate who walks in with a cocky. T'rn God's gift' kind of
manner is going to get off on completely the wrong foot. Inter
viewers expect candidates to be a little nervous initially, and
consequently allow for this by taking deliberate steps to break
the ice and relax them. In fact, if you do not feel slightly-keyed
up before an interview, you probably will not give of your best.
As a famous stage personality once said, after years and years of
appearing before the public. 'The night I don't have butterflies in
my stomach before I go out there is the night 1 ought to give the
business up’.
• • • Too keen?
A related issue to that of confidence is the matter of how much
enthusiasm you display. There is an argument which says that
it is wrong to appear over-eager at an interview because this
weakens your negotiating power if you are eventually offered the
job.
The only grain of truth in this is that you should not actually
appear desperate. People who have been out of work for some
lime, especially those who have heavy financial commitments or
who believe themselves to be victims of ageism, can fall into this
trap. Even if you actually are beginning to feel desperate, you
will certainly do yourself nothing but harm by letting it show.
This does not mean, however, that it is smart to go to the other
extreme and project an attitude which suggests that you really
do not care a toss, and that, if they want you to join their
organisation, they had better make all the running. This is
another example of playing silly games, which will not help you
one bit.
In any case, do remember the three basic items on any interviewer’s agenda: cr“ you do the job. will you fit into the organ
isation and do you ant to do the job? It is not uncommon for
r
CLOSING THE SALE
interviewers to ask. towards the end of the meeting, why you are
interested in the position in question. Unless you have been
displaying a reasonable amount of enthusiasm, you may find it
difficult to give a convincing response.
• • • Winning ways
If you want to succeed at interviews, there are three basic
principles to follow.
• First of all. forget all the tricks and games.
• Secondly, be yourself. By all means show your best side,
rather than going out of your way to draw attention to your
warts, but do not try to be something you are not.
• Finally, remember that the only way to be certain that you
will present a positive and confident image when it comes to
the crunch is to invest the time and effort beforehand in
making sure that you are really thoroughly prepared.
!
F
^The most vital stage
of preparation is
research."
the chapter you can't
afford to skip preparing for the
interview
Before you start beavering away at researching the company or
matching your CV to what you know about the job. sit back and
ask yourself the following questions.
• What is your objective - what do you want out of the
interview?
• Whom are you going to be interviewed by?
• What do they want out of the interview?
The answer to the first one may seem obvious: you want to be
offered a job. However, you also need to find out enough about
the company, the person who will be your boss, the responsib
ilities involved in the job and the performance measures by
which you will be judged to be able to decide whether you will
accept the offer if you get it.
Some career advisers say this does not matter. Concentrate on
getting the offer. You can always turn it down — or arrange a
further meeting to obtain the additional information you need to
make your decision. In practice there is more to it than that. If
you do not show enough interest at interview, you are unlikely
to get the offer to begin with. Many interviewers ‘mark’ candid
ates. even if only subconsciously, on the number and relevance
of the questions they ask. They also respond, again often without
necessarily being conscious of it. to the amount of enthusiasm
the candidate displays.
">1 ■?
1
THE CHAPTER YOU CAN'T ?
CLOSING THE SALE
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1
more aggressive in their questioning. They will, however, usually
be the best people from whom to obtain the information you
need about the company and the job. They may well ask quest
ions with a greater technical bias and will oertainly be
particularly concerned with personal chemistry.
What interviewers are actually looking for are the answers to
three questions.
• Are you capable of doing the job? In other words, do you have
the technical ability, the experience and so on?
• Will you fit. both in terms of organisational culture, and in
terms of getting on with your boss, peers and staff?
• Will you be motivated by the job? Does it make sense in terms
of career progression and does it match with what you say
you enjoy doing?
Professional advisers - bankers, auditors and lawyers - tend,
both by their training and their relationship with the company,
to be cautious, concerned primarily with avoiding a mistake
being made rather than with the more personal or positive as
pects of the selection process.
Unless you score highly on all three counts, you are unlikely to
get the offer.
• • • But who are they?
;
We have, however, skipped one of the original questions. Who is
the interviewer? It could be:
• your potential boss, who may be the owner of a business, its
chief executive, a director heading up a function or a senior
line manager;
• the person to whom your potential boss reports, who is vett
ing the appointment:
• another line manager, who is giving a second opinion;
• the organisation’s banker, auditor or lawyer, or a non-executive director, being used either for a second opinion or for
their ’approval’ of an appointment on which things like prov
ision of finance may depend;
• a personnel or HR manager;
• a headhunter;
• an executive selection consultant, who is handling an advert
ised recruitment campaign on the company’s behalf:
• an agency recruiter.
Depending on whom you are seeing you will find, and therefore
need to be prepared for, significant differences in style, expertise
and the emphasis which is put on different areas of the interview
agenda.
Line managers often lack training in interview techniques and
tend to be less skilled at eliciting information from candidates.
Often egocentric, especially if they own or run the business, they
frequently do more of the talking than they should and may be
RD TO SKIP - PREPARING FOR THE INTERVIEW
HR managers are normally skilled and structured interviewers,
who often give little away about their own feelings. They are the
people who will provide you with the best run-down on company
policies and benefits, areas about which line managers are often
vague and out of date.
Headhunters tend to be more affable than other outside re
cruiters. Used to having to seduce people away from existing
secure jobs into the arms of the search firm’s client, they often
start an interview with a relaxed chat about your present
situation and your aspirations, then, having established what
you are looking for. embark on a soft sell of their client and the
job they are trying to fill.
;
Selection consultants have the task of reducing the vast
response to an advertisement down to a short-list of probably
about four to submit to their client. Although they need to
ensure that you are sufficiently interested in the job to attend an
interview with the company, if short-listed, they will be con
cerned mainly with whether you match the specification, and
whether you are likely to fit in with the personalities and culture.
If in doubt, they tend to err on the side of caution rather than
taking chances.
Agencies, being paid only if they succeed in making a placement,
may in some cases be more willing to bend a specification. You
may also find that, if they have not met you before, they may kill
two birds with one stone, combining an interview for a specific
job with a more general chat about the kinds of opportunity you
would consider.
215
CLOSING THE SALE
•••Where it's at
The assumption thus far has been that there is already a welldefined job. with a specification against which you can be meas
ured. That, however, is not always the case.
If you have been networking or making speculative applications,
you may have identified an organisation which is interested in
what you have to offer but which does not have a vacancy as
such. The object of the interview may be to discuss and enlarge
on the needs and benefits you identified in your approach to the
company. You may then find yourself, either at that meeting or
a subsequent one, participating in the preparation of your own
job specification.
A variation on this theme is when you identify one of those
windows of opportunity, a vacancy which has been approved but
not yet advertised or put out to consultants. Depending on the
stage things have reached, there may be a well-defined
specification or they may still be knocking ideas around, in
which case the initial interview may still have an element of
writing the spec about it.
Even when there is an apparently clear specification, things are
not always set in stone. A company may already have tried one
recruitment campaign and failed to find the right person, in
which case they may be considering amendments to either the
job responsibilities or the candidate requirements. Or they may
be trying to fill a vacancy where, by its very nature, it is unlikely
that they will find someone who can do all aspects of the job
equally well. They may know that they will have to compromise
somewhere, but be adopting a suck it and see approach, waiting
until they meet some suitable candidates before deciding exactly
where that compromise will be.
T-
«•
h
I
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• • • Doing your homework
Only by being aware of what stage things are at (preliminary
screening interview, short-list etc.), whom you are meeting, and
what both you and they want out of the interview, can you focus
your preparation to maximum effect.
The first and most vital stage of that preparation is research.
Never skimp this stage. Comprehensive research gives you at
least four major advantages:
216
THE CHAPTER
CAN'T AFFORD TO SKIP - PREPARING FOR THE INTERVIEW
• it enables you to ask pertinent questions:
• it puts you one step ahead of the competition by demon
strating to the interviewer that you have done your
homework:
• it gives you much greater confidence:
• it helps you to be more certain that you are making the right
choice of your next job and employer.
So. what do you already know about the company and job? What
do you need to know? What ought you to check out prior to
interview and what should be left for that moment in the inter
view when you are given the opportunity to ask questions? And
how can you find out what you need to know in advance?
Begin by gathering the information you have already: the
advertisement, what the headhunter told you over the telephone,
(he information your network contact gave you. the research you
did before making a speculative approach. Compare it with what
you need to know.
Here is a checklist of things to find out about the organisation.
• How long has it been in existence?
• How has it changed and developed from its inception to the
present day?
• What is its current situation?
• What are its future plans?
• Who owns it?
• If owner managed, what about succession or likelihood of a
sell-off?
• What is its legal status
quoted PLC. private company.
partnership etc.?
• If unquoted, any plans for a flotation?
• How many locations, and where?
• Range of products/services.
• Markets - split by level (e.g. quality or cut-price) and geo
graphy (percentage exported, and where).
• Market share and details of main competitors.
• Financial details: sales turnover, profitability, return on
capital employed, order book.
• Number of staff employed.
• Funding: analysis of borrowings (from whom, on what terms)
and gearing.
• Where will future funding come from, especially for any
expansion plans?
CLOSING THE SALE
• Assets, e.g. are buildings owned, leased or rented?
• Liquidity and solvency.
• Organisation structure.
• If part of a larger group, similar details to above for rest of
group, plus information on how autonomous or otherwise the
part you are being interviewed for is in terms of decision
making, funds etc.
• Details of operations, e.g. depending on the type of job you
are going for, you may need information on production
processes, distribution networks and methods, customers,
suppliers, sales/marketing policies, credit terms.
• Major risk factors, for example vulnerability to foreign ex
change rate fluctuations, changes in government policies, the
weather, fashion swings.
• Key people in the organisation.
• Any recent news items about either the organisation itself or
the business sector in which it operates.
As far as the job is concerned, you need to know the following.
■j
• Job title.
• Reason for vacancy.
• Urgency of filling it.
• How many incumbents over, say, last five years and reasons
for leaving.
• Whom it reports to - position, name and personality.
• Where it fits into the structure.
• Where it is based geographically, and how much travel.
• Main purpose of job.
• How performance will be measured.
• Detailed responsibilities.
• Budgets controlled.
• Limits of authority.
• Reporting methods and frequency.
• Staff supervised: how many, their quality, staff turnover etc.
• Systems and equipment in use.
• Opportunities for future career development.
• • • Filling the gaps
The length of these lists may look daunting, but in reality the
task need not be too onerous. Put it into perspective.
THE CHAPTER YOU CAN'T ArFORD TO SKIP - PREPARING FOR THE INTERVIEW
• Some of the information you have already, from research you
have already carried out. or from what you have learned from
an advertisement or a headhunter.
___________
Quite a lot may be provided automatically by the company or
the recruitment consultants they are using. It is becoming
increasingly common for job applicants to be supplied with
an information pack, including details on both the organ
isation and the job.
Where this is not the case, or where you need more, you can
get a lot just by asking. Company reports and accounts are
freely available. So too are sales brochures and catalogues. In
some ways it is better when organisations do not send this
kind of information out to everyone, because those who dis
play the initiative to ask for it get ahead of the competition.
You can get a further step ahead by ringing up the person you
will be meeting, or their secretary, and asking a few pertinent
questions - which will provide you with the ammunition to
get yourself better prepared for the interview itself.
Some of the questions you have, like those about the comp
any’s plans for future development, or questions about your
boss, peers and staff, are actually better left to be asked at
the actual interview. When you are given the opportunity to
put your own questions, you want to make sure that you have
some good ones, so that you score maximum brownie points.
For instance, always ask at least one question that shows
that you have read the company’s annual report and
accounts.
At executive level, another key area for scoring, or losing,
points is business awareness. If the interviewer makes a
reference to recent press coverage of the company or the in
dustry in which it operates and you do not have a clue what
this was about, your credibility will immediately plummet.
Keeping abreast of business news should in any case be part
of your regular routine on networking and speculative
applications.
You can also double up on your time utilisation by combining
research with networking. Although some of your research
will be of the ‘desk’ variety, either at home or in the library,
calls to people who might know the company in question are
a vital part of the process. The facts come from reference
books like KBE. Kompass, Who Owns Whom? and Who's
Who? The gossip and opinions come from people who know
the industry, from the company's customers and suppliers.
CLOSING THE SALE
from its competitors, from headhunters and recruitment con
sultants.
# You may even know, or be able to network a contact with,
someone who works for the organisation itself. Do. however,
be discreet, and do not be tempted by the more outrageous
suggestions made by some job hunting articles, like hanging
around the pubs near the company’s premises in the hope of
striking up conversations with its employees!
• ••The glass slipper
Once you have gathered as much information as possible, you
can set about ensuring that your foot is the one that will fit
snugly into the glass slipper. Keep constantly in mind the three
things that the interviewer will be looking for.
• Can you do the job?
• Will you fit into the organisation?
• Will you want to do the job?
Remember, too. the added value’ test. What problems and needs
does the company have? What benefits can you bring to the
party?
Go back to your asset register. Select from each section qualifications and training, interests, experience, skills, streng
ths. achievements - those assets which are going to make you
someone the organisation cannot afford not to hire. Tattoo these
points onto your mind so that, when you are at the actual
interview, you can mentally tick them off as the opportunities
arise to get them across. If there are any which you do not get
the chance to mention in response to the interviewer’s questions,
make sure you take the initiative. You normally get an invitation
to raise anv further points or questions towards the end of an
interview. On the rare occasions when you do not. create one
rather than risking underselling yourself.
It is also useful to encapsulate your USPs in a carefully pre
pared. succinct presentation since it is not uncommon for an
interviewer to ask something like. ‘What do you think you could
contribute to our organisation?’ or ’Tell me why we should hire
you for this job’ .
THE OW . _.< YOU CAN'T AFFORD TO SKIP - PREPARING FOR THE INTERVIEW
• • • Watching your back
Scoring goals, though, is only half the battle. You also have to
avoid conceding them. Put yourself into the interviewer’s shoes.
Take a careful look at your own CV. What would you home in
on? Get someone else, a friend or network contact, to provide a
second opinion. Give some thought to any Achilles’ heels. How
are you going to defend against them?
Areas which interviewers commonly pick upon include the
following.
• Speed of career progression. Why did you stay so long in
that job? Valid reasons could include the interesting projects
which provided the icing on the gingerbread of the same core
duties, loyalty (staying with the company to see it through a
tough patch even though the recession meant a lack of per
sonal progress), or the fact that, although the job title
remained unchanged, the job content was in fact developing
all the time.
• Logic of career progression. People expect to see a rational
development. Be ready to demonstrate the reasons for any
apparently sideways moves. For example, they may have
plugged a gap in your experience which would enhance your
long-term prospects.
• Reasons for leaving jobs. Be sure to have explanations
which are both credible and positive. Do not bend the truth this is an area which will be checked out when references are
taken up. so be aware of what your former employers will say.
If you did have a bust up with your boss, discuss it
objectively, e.g. *We simply had diametrically opposed views
on the way the company should develop’. Be particularly on
your guard if you feel yourself getting angry or displaying any
other negative emotions when you discuss such matters.
Skilled interviewers are adept at picking these up. Above all,
never knock either a person or company you have worked for.
• Gaps between jobs. Be prepared both to explain why they
arose and to show that you made positive use of them.
• Gaps between what they want and what you have.
Provided that you meet the bulk of the requirements, do not
worry about the odd shortfall, so long as it is not in a vital
area. After all. if you could do the whole job standing on your
head, where would the challenge be in it? Whatever you do.
avoid getting defensive and making claims you cannot justify.
THE CHAPTER YOU CAN'T AFFORD TO SKIP - PREPARING FOR THE INTERVIEW
CLOSING THE SALE
lead into these topics yourself. A particularly appropriate point
to do this is when you are being quizzed on one of the potentially
difficult areas listed above, like your career progression. Switch
ing the discussion away from what you should have done, but
failed to do. in the past, and moving on to what you intend to do
in the future, has a double benefit.
That will damage your credibility not just on the item in
question, but in every other respect as well. Instead, be
prepared to show how you could readily acquire the
necessary skills, experience etc. to plug the gap.
• Your strengths and weaknesses. Although this question
may be asked in exactly these general terms, you should
obviously gear your reply to the specific situation under
discussion. The strengths aspect gives you the opportunity to
summarise that list of reasons, which you have committed to
memory, why you are the ideal candidate for the position.
Being asked about your weaknesses is a bit more tricky. Try
to come up with one or two which are really the reverse side
of strengths, like T sometimes get impatient with people who
aren’t pulling their weight’ and do be sure to avoid any that
might prejudice your suitability for the post in question.
Do also, by the way. be ready for a question about your own
future, as well as any about how you would do the job. ‘Where
do you see yourself in five years’ time?’ is a popular one. If the
interviewer is your potential boss, be wary of responding with
the pat answer. ‘I’d like to be sitting where you are now’. The
individual who is occupying that seat may still be ten years off
retirement with no obvious promotion prospects.
• • • And other gaffes
Some people find it useful to practise an interview by getting a
suitably qualified friend to role play the recruiter or potential
employer, while others feel that this is too artificial to be of real
value. Whether you actually act it out or not. there certainly can
be mileage, if you have the opportunity, in getting someone else
to give a second opinion on your preparation, and particularly on
the areas of potential difficulty, like those listed above, which
you need to be prepared to deal with. Another person will always
spot one or two things you have missed, and that could make all
the difference between success and failure.
That gaffe is by no means the only one you have to watch out for.
Having taken all the time and trouble to prepare yourself so
carefully, take care not to wreck it all by slipping up on what
may appear to be minor details. Here are some examples.
• If you do not get a letter confirming the interview details, send
one yourself. A small but steady percentage of candidates
insist on turning up either on the wrong day or at the wrong
time.
• Likewise, make sure you have the right address, especially
when an organisation has more than one office building.
• Unless you know an area well, check your route out carefully.
• Make sure you have plenty of change for parking and. if you
are on a pre-payment meter, buy plenty of time. You do not
want to be sitting in an interview worrying about whether you
have been wheel-clamped.
• Allow for Murphy’s Law. Road works, wide loads and accid
ents always occur when you have a vital appointment. And do
not feel smug if you are using public transport: when did the
trains ever run on time when it really mattered?
• Give yourself plenty of time at the other end of the interview,
too. You are not going to be thanked for cutting a meeting
short because you have another appointment. If in doubt, call
the company and ask approximately how long the interview is
likely to last.
• Avoid going into an interview on either an empty stomach or
• • • Looking to the future
Although interviews inevitably concentrate largely on the past your education, career history and so on - a powerful method of
setting yourself apart from the other candidates is by being
prepared to talk about the future. The more astute interviewer
will in any case raise questions like these.
• How would you go about this job?
• What do you see as the major challenges (or opportunities) in
this role?
• What is the first thing you would do if you were appointed?
If questions such as these do get raised, you may well be the only
candidate who has thought about them in advance and prepared
answers to them. If the interviewer fails to ask them, you can
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CLOSING THE SALE
an over-full one (you do not want to feel sleepy) and avoid
alcohol. For obvious comfort reasons, it is best not to have too
much tea or coffee either, even if you have arrived early and
need to find somewhere to kill a bit of time.
• Arrive about five minutes before the appointed time and. even
if you do not need a comfort break, make use of the cloak
room - to check your appearance. First impressions are
crucial.
7')/1
a professional image
i6Interviewers are
human. They
cannot help picking
up signals any
more than anyone
else."
You never get a second chance to make a first impression.
Recruiters, it is often claimed, make up their minds about cand
idates within the first four or five minutes of an interview. Is that
really so? And if it is. what can you do about it?
In some ways, the position is even worse. A lot of judgements are
made within a matter of seconds. Think about it. What do you
do when you meet someone for the first time? The moment you
clap eyes on them you start pigeon holing them without even
thinking about what you are doing. Pin-stripe suit? City gent.
Twin set and pearls? Middle-class shire county lady. Long
haired bloke with beard? We could go on for ever.
But it is not just clothes. We also make assumptions based on
build, posture, vigour and a host of other factors. And thal is
before people even open their mouths. When they do speak,
more judgements are made, based on accents, vocabulary,
fluency, confidence, voice pitch and so on.
Like you. interviewers are human. They cannot help picking up
all these signals any more than anyone else can. The only
difference is that professional recruiters are trained to be aware
of the processes which, in most people, take place purely sub
consciously. Particularly when a candidate makes a very strong
first impression, they try to be objective, even playing devil's
advocate for the rest of the interview in an attempt to validate,
or repudiate, that initial judgement.
At least, that is what they should do. It does not always happen
in practice, especially if they are tired, or pushed for time, or
having a bad day - or because they already have a good short
list and are. without necessarily being aware of it. looking for
reasons to rule people out rather than in.
Once a first i^nression has been formed, it is all too easy to filter
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A PROFESSIONAL IMAGE
CLOSING THE SALE
all subsequent information, rationalising each item to fit the
judgement which has already been made. When the initial
impact is favourable, this is called the halo effect: when
unfavourable, the reverse halo effect.
If highly experienced, professionally trained recruiters find this
behaviour pattern difficult to counteract, imagine how much
more likely it is to occur when the interviewer is an amateur, like
the typical line manager who will claim with great conviction. I
know how to judge people. That’s how I got where I am today'.
• • • Mirror, mirror
What kind of an impression do you make? Dressed as you would
be for an interview, stand in front of a full-length mirror. Take a
good look at yourself. Try to be objective. If you find that
difficult, get a second opinion. In fact, get a second opinion
anyway - no one is that honest about themselves. And do not
ask your partner or your children or your parents. Find someone
who is both independent and who can angle their opinion from
a business viewpoint. It could be a networking contact or one of
the people you meet at a job club. The main thing is that it must
be someone who understands what is expected in business
circles and who will not be embarrassed about being completely
honest with you.
If you have the opportunity to be put on video, do not be afraid
to take it. Disconcerting though it may be to watch yourself on
the box, you can learn an awful lot from it. This is what
happened to Brian when he attended a session on interview
techniques. Although he was impeccably dressed and highly
articulate. Brian habitually talked into his boots rather than
projecting towards his audience. As soon as he saw this on
video, he realised what he was doing and. by correcting it. was
able to achieve what was little less than a complete transform
ation in the impact he created.
it
n
• • • Bearing up
it
There is. of course, a lot more to posture than the angle of your
neck. What is more, the importance of good posture lies not only
in the effect it creates on the interviewer, but ah in its influence
779
on the way you feel and. in particular, on your confidence.
We cannot all have the kind of height and build which creates
that automatic physical presence that enables some individuals
to dominate a whole room full of people. Fortunately, this is not
at all necessary. It can even be a disadvantage, in that some
people actually find it threatening and that is not the effect you
want to have on interviewers.
When you greet the interviewer you must, however, achieve that
positive first impression, which means the following.
An upright, but not stiff, stance.
Looking the interviewer in the eye - which will also ensure
that you do. in fact, keep your chin up.
Smiling warmly, with your eyes as well as your mouth.
Shaking hands firmly. The wet fish handshake creates such
a negative impression that many interviewers will reject a
candidate on that factor alone. Do not go right to the other
extreme, though. If you see the blood rushing to the other
person's eyes, let go.
Making sure that your first few words are clear and positive.
A lot of candidates are too eager and either gabble or fall over
themselves. If you are prone to this all too common tendency,
try steadying yourself by taking a breath before you speak.
Being too keen can also be a danger if the interviewer comes to
collect you from a reception area. Be sure to get out of your seat
in a businesslike, but not rushed, manner. One recruiter
commented on the number of candidates who. in their eager
ness. dropped the magazine they were reading or slopped the
cup of coffee they had been given, while another interviewer had
clearly not been impressed by the candidate who leaped out of
the chair like a guard dog going for an intruder’s throat.
• • • What to wear
If anything, your clothes are even more important than your
posture. Certainly clothing, and other aspects of appearance like
hairstyles and accessories, cause far greater problems. While
there is general agreement on what constitutes a businesslike
bearing, what clothes to wear on any given occasion can be far
more complicated.
229
CLOSING THE SALE
I
A PROFESSIONAL IMAGE
One problem is that there are so many different prejudices.
Asked what would turn them off a candidate before a single word
was spoken, a diverse group of line managers came up with long
lists which included (for men) beards, white socks, grey shoes
and strong after-shave and (for women) no make-up. too much
make-up. bare legs and trousers. The safest bet is therefore to
err on the side of neutrality and conservatism, avoiding the
inherent risk of making yourself instantly forgettable simply by
being that bit more crisp and professional than the competition.
while only if you have reason to believe that your appearance is
having a seriously detrimental effect on your job prospects. For
those whose appearance is broadly acceptable but who could
just do with a bit of extra polish, the following extracts from what
the image consultants would probably charge a three-figure fee
for telling you ought to suffice.
You should, of course, give some thought not just to your own
image but also that of the organisation you are being interviewed
by. Different expectations do exist in a City bank, a factory, a
housing association, an advertising agency and so on. Normally,
if you have been working in a given environment, you will be
aware of its standards.
The following ground rules are valid for both men and women.
If, on the other hand, you need advice on the kind of appearance
that would be appropriate, there are always people you can turn
to. Network contacts are a useful source, especially where you
are transferring your skills from one business sector to another.
Alternatively, when you have had a first interview with a head
hunter, selection consultant or agency, you can always ask them
for tips about how to present yourself when you meet their
client. It will be as much in their interest as your own to ensure
that you create the right impression.
Finally, there are the professional image consultants, who - for
a fee - will do for you what they have done for politicians and
other public figures. Whether ordinary mortals like job-hunters
need this kind of service is a somewhat moot point. Power
dressing, like the excessively glossy CV. may be seen by inter
viewers as over the top.
Furthermore, although a session with an image consultant will
cover all aspects of your appearance, a significant chunk of the
time is usually devoted to the colours that are right for you and
the impression that you make as a result. Since executive males
are effectively limited to dark grey or navy suits and a restricted
range of shirt colours, and many women have a natural sense of
the colours that suit them best, the value of this is questionable.
Unless you can get a free image session - some companies run
courses for their employees, either just on image or as part of
training in things like presentation skills - it is probably worth
230
Unisex tips
Quality rather than quantity applies once again. It is better to
buy two good suits than four cheap ones. Quite apart from
their better appearance and fit. good clothes actually provide
better value in terms of cost per wearing because they last so
much longer.
Having invested in good clothes, look after them. Brush suits
after wearing, keep them on the proper type of hangers and
have them cleaned regularly. Get shoes re-soled and heeled
before it is overdue and use shoe trees so that they keep their
shape.
In the vast majority of business environments, you should
avoid being trendy. Classic styles are not only more
acceptable, but also mean that you do not have to keep
throwing clothes out and replacing them with the latest look.
Do not ruin a good suit with tacky accessories such as nylon
shirts and cheap acrylic blouses. In particular avoid juvenilia,
like pink elephant ties, teddy bear brooches and watches that
say Mickey Mouse past Donald Duck rather than ten past
two.
If your body shape is less than ideal (join the club), choose
clothes that compensate for its failings, rather than
accentuating them. For example, short people can achieve an
illusion of greater height by wearing vertical stripes.
Even if the interviewer does not see you arrive, someone else
will. Anoraks and plastic macs are the pits. Invest in a decent
coat.
Carry only a briefcase (a handbag is an alternative for
women, but do not carry both). Go to the bottom of the class
if you arrive with one or more plastic carrier bags. Do your
shopping after the interview.
• Never neglect personal hygiene. Dirty nails are a killer. So is
lank and grea*"' hair.
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CLOSING THE SALE
• Even worse are odours. Use a (fragrance free) deodorant and.
particularly if you smoke, a mouthwash. Women should
apply perfume only very discreetly, if at all. and men are
definitely advised to leave the after-shave for the weekend.
International aspects
Do not be fooled by the fact that in some continental European
countries dress is apparently more casual than it is in the UK.
Although men may wear jackets or blazers rather than suits,
these are carefully co-ordinated. The overall effect is often
smarter than the average British businessman’s appearance.
Style is particularly important in Italy.
In any case, at an interview you will rarely go wrong by erring on
the side of formality.
l/Vomen only
While women have rather more freedom, or quandary, of choice
than men. the following broad guidelines will apply in most
cases.
|
i
• Whilst a suit is not obligatory, a jacket is - at least in all bar
the most casual of environments. Women should take advant
age of the fact that, unlike men. they can choose a variety of
jacket lengths. Short women should normally wear a short
jacket to keep them visually in proportion, but any women
who have large thighs or hips should avoid jackets which
accentuate these features by ending at the widest point.
• Do not try to wear the trousers at the interview, at least not
literally.
• Skirts, like jackets, need to be selected carefully, bearing in
mind your figure shape and the features which you conseq
uently wish either to emphasise or conceal. You must also
ensure that the skirt co-ordinates with the jacket.
• While a shorter skirt will give a woman who lacks inches a
leggier look, it is generally better to err on the conservative
side with regard to length.
• With all garments, but particularly skirts and jackets, a good
fit is vital - neither baggy nor too tight. The latter is the
greater sin. Never let anyone apply to you P G. Wodehouse s
232
A PROFESSIONAL IMAGE
tart comment: ’She looked as if she had been poured into her
clothes and had forgotten to say ’■when ".
• Belts give authority but must be the right width for your
waist.
• Blouses sit right next to your face, so choose them with care,
and make sure that pattern, colour and collar all go with your
jacket.
• Knitwear is casual and reduces the amount of authority you
convey.
• Classic shoes, enclosed and with leather uppers, are the most
professional bet. Heels, which should never be scuffed,
should strike a balance between the frumpy flattie and the
6-inch stiletto.
• Unless you are being interviewed in a heat wave, and your
legs are smooth and tanned, always wear tights. They should
be plain, not patterned, and do carry a spare pair - remember
Murphy's Law?
• It should not be necessary to mention underwear, except that
panty lines can show and dark lingerie may be visible
through light clothes. Make sure that you are not the one to
let yourself down.
• Make-up is considered to be an essential for the executive
image, but not too much - and do take care to ensure that it
never gets onto your collar.
• With jewellery, the rule, once again, is quality rather than
quantity. Always wear earrings, but not dangly ones. A smart
brooch can liven up a sober suit.
• Make sure that your hairstyle suits both your face shape and
your professional image. You also need one that will still look
good when you arrive at the interview, not just for five
minutes after you have set it.
• If you wear glasses, select them with care - interviewers are
going to be looking at your eyes for more of the time than all
of the rest of you put together. They should complement the
shape of your face, and you should avoid both old-fashioned
and gimmicky designs.
• Scarves, gloves, watches, pens and so on should all be
tasteful and of good quality. Do not spoil the ship for a
ha’p’orth of tar.
CLOSING THE SALE
Men only
The impression a man's clothes make can vary just as much as
a woman's, even though his choices are fewer. Watch the
following points.
• Suits are de rigeur for interviews at executive level in the UK.
• Darker shades give increased authority but black makes you
looks like an undertaker. Browns and greens give a rustic
impression, as do tweeds.
• If you buy suits off the peg. do make sure that the jacket fits
properly across the shoulders and that the sleeve length is
correct - when your arms are by your sides the sleeves
should end at the thumb knuckle, where hand meets arm.
• Trousers with turn-ups make legs look shorter.
• If your trousers have belt loops, wear a belt. Braces may be
more flattering if your waist is not exactly trim, but avoid
trying to emulate those worn by Sir John Harvey-Jones
unless you can also match his personality.
• Waistcoats do not go with double-breasted suits. If you do
wear a waistcoat, the done thing is to leave the bottom button
unfastened.
• Buy good quality shirts in colours that complement your
complexion. Shirt sleeves should be long enough to show
about '/2 to X inch of cuff below the jacket. A correct collar size
will enable you to insert one finger between the collar and
your neck.
• Ties offer the greatest opportunity for the male to make a
personal statement and are consequently also the greatest
potential hazard. Try to strike a balance between being
deadly dull on the one hand and ruining an otherwise
professional impact on the other by being patently crass. Pre
matched shirts and ties are out unless you actually want to
be labelled a chain store clone. Prefer silk to polyester, and
take the trouble to tie a neat knot which stays in place.
• Socks are the next most hazardous area. Wear plain ones
rather than the pair the kids bought you for Father’s Day.
and remember that an expanse of hairy leg is unlikely to
enhance the interviewer’s opinion of you._
• Black is the safest colour for shoes. Suede is distinctly naff.
• Identity bracelets come into the same category as suede
shoes. The only permissible items of jewellery, unless you
count your watch (not plastic, please), are a signet ring or
234
A PROFESSIONAL IMAGE
wedding band and cufflinks - tasteful, good quality ones.
• Hair must be cut regularly and in a businesslike style. Sorry,
but you cannot be an executive and look like a rock star.
• If you are thinning on top. do not make yourself look silly by
combing a few lonely strands across a shining bald pate. Be
equally wary of hairpieces, unless you can afford to spend a
fortune on one that really does look natural.
A significant proportion of interviewers are prejudiced against
facial fuzz, especially beards.
Glasses are a key area. The interviewer will be looking into
your eyes for at least half the time. Pick a style which not only
complements your face shape but also avoids being either
fuddy-duddy or trendy.
Do not let yourself down with cheap accessories. Bic pens and
scuffed briefcases do not fit with the senior executive image.
• ••Looking your age
First impressions become even more important, if that is
possible, as time goes on. One recruiter used to get his
receptionist to guess the ages of candidates when they arrived
for interview. On one occasion, she put two candidates as.
respectively. 40 and 60. In reality they were both within a few
months of 50. The older you get, the more attention you need to
pay to your appearance.
Here are a few of the most telling factors.
• Glasses. Bear in mind the amount of time the interviewer will
be looking you in the eye. Half-moon glasses add a good ten
years to your appearance, while specs on strings consign you
to the Darby and Joan club.
• Hair. If you do colour grey hair, make sure it is not blatantly
obvious. Keep your hairstyle reasonably modern, but do not
try to emulate a 20 year-old. as you will only succeed in
looking ridiculous. Men should bear in mind the comments
under Men only’, above, about bald patches and hairpieces.
• Weight. It is natural to put on a few pounds as you get older.
Some put on a few stones. Take care to choose clothes which
minimise the effects on your contours.
• Posture. If your chin or shoulders begin to sag. people will
assume that you are wilting. Keep your chin up and your
back straig’
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• Vigour. Show that, even if you can no longer match the
energy levels of your youth, you are far from having run out
of steam. Move briskly and positively.
• Speech. It is important not only to maintain a lively voice, but
also to watch the words you use. Derogatory references to
young people and new-fangled ideas are a dead giveaway.
• Attitude. You really are only as old as you feel. Think young
and you will feel young, and give the impression of actually
being younger. Think old at your peril.
• • • Health and fitness
All of this will, of course, be a lot easier if you keep yourself in
good shape. Rightly or wrongly, interviewers do discriminate
against candidates who are overweight, seem to have trouble
with their breathing, are subject to coughing or just look un
healthy.
Getting in shape does not have to mean gruelling sessions in the
gym or running a marathon. Particularly if you have been neg
lecting exercise for longer than you wish to admit, overdoing it
may well be positively dangerous. Gentler pursuits like golf,
swimming or walking can. if practised regularly, do wonders for
your skin and body tone, and for the way you feel about yourself.
Keep your mind in trim. too. Always be learning something new.
Seek out the company of stimulating people and avoid assoc
iating only with your own age group.
Nutrition is another important consideration. There is a lot of
truth in the saying, 'You are what you eat'. Forget the freaky
diets. Rapid weight loss is all too often followed by an equally
rapid weight gain. Cut down on sugar and fat if you need to. but
maintain a balanced regime including adequate supplies of
protein, as well as plenty of fruit and vegetables.
Finally, do not assume that this section is just for those who are
in. or approaching, their middle years. Health and fitness affect
the first impressions made by candidates of all ages.
*
66If you want the
Job, you will be
soaking up every
first impression
you can of the
interviewer."
why the best
candidate doesn't
always get the job establishing rapport
and controlling the
interview
Try answering this question: while the interviewer is absorbing
all those (hopefully positive) first impressions of you, what are
you doing? If you want the job, what you will be doing is soaking
up every available first impression you can of the interviewer.
Are you too nervous to notice anything about the interviewer?
Well here is your chance to kill two birds with one stone. The
most effective way of avoiding being preoccupied with yourself
and the impression you are making, which is what is at the root
of nervousness, is to concentrate completely on the other
person, leaving no room for self-consciousness.
ft
-if
The reason for paying all your attention to the signals being
given off by the interviewer is to help you to establish as much
rapport as you can in the shortest possible period of time.
Professional recruiters will be trying to do exactly the same thing
themselves, so you should have an easier time with them than
with line managers, who probably conduct interviews less freq
uently than you attend them and consequently may well be more
nervous than you.
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i
*
I
In order to achieve rapport you do not have to be sycophantic.
The last thing you want to do is give the impression that you are
a Grade A creep. In any case, it does not matter if you and the
interviewer are very different in terms of background, attitudes
or personality - opposites can, and often do, attract. You do.
however, have to establish an effective working relationship, and
this embraces such factors as courtesy, consideration, respect
and trust. If you are attending a screening interview, with a
recruitment consultant or personnel manager, the amount of
rapport need only be sufficient for the purposes of that brief
meeting. If you are meeting your potential boss, on the other
hand, it clearly needs to go a lot deeper. Personal chemistry will
be a major factor in the ultimate hiring decision.
In making your initial assessment of the person you are meeting,
it helps if you can learn to recognise the different types of
individual you may be dealing with and respond to them
appropriately.
For example, the affable type of interviewer may want to spend
several minutes chatting about what sort of journey you had.
whether you are familiar with the area and so on before even
beginning to get down to business. A busy, hard-nosed line
manager, on the other hand, may keep the preliminaries to the
bare minimum, diving almost straight into the matter in hand. If
you have any sense, you will clearly play along in both cases.
• • • Spotting the clues
In the above examples, the behavioural differences would have
been self-evident from the first few words spoken. In practice,
you can often pick up the signals before interviewers even open
their mouths, especially if they are seeing you in their own office
rather than an impersonal meeting room. For instance, the
affable type would probably have had photographs of spouse
and children on the desk, plants on the window sill and a plaque
commemorating some sporting or business achievement on the
wall.
Clothes, pens, briefcases, the tidiness or otherwise of the office
- these, and a host of other factors, are all part of the non-verbal
communication on which, consciously or otherwise, we base so
many of our decisions.
740
WHY THE BEST CANDIDATE DOESN'T ALWAYS GET THE JOB
You can continue to make use of the non-verbals as the meeting
progresses. By watching the interviewer’s body language, you
should be able to tell how things are going. An alert posture with
the body leaning slightly forwards, the occasional encouraging
nod of the head, good eye contact and so on will indicate that the
other person is attentive and interested. If the interviewer
slumps back in the chair and fails to make much eye contact,
this may well be a warning that you are waffling. Sudden
movements such as a jerking of the head or a pronounced
blinking of the eyes often indicate surprise or disbelief.
Experienced interviewers will, of course, be picking up the same
signals from you. checking whether your subsequent behaviour
validates their initial judgement. Although a bad first impression
may be difficult to wipe out, a good first impression is not
necessarily so readily sustained. You must therefore stay on
your guard and continue to give off the right signals, displaying
an aleit. positive manner and trying to avoid sending any
negative signals. While it is difficult to control your own body
language for any length of time, here are a few things to try to
steer clear of.
Sitting with arms crossed, which looks defensive.
Covering your mouth with your hand when you are speaking.
Lounging in your chair instead of maintaining an upright, but
not stiff, posture.
Fidgeting, which makes you look either uncomfortable or
nervous.
Insufficient eye contact. It is acceptable to avert your eyes
while considering the answer to a question, but look at the
interviewer when delivering it - and do pay attention when
you are being spoken to.
Too much eye contact. While you should be looking at the
interviewer for about two-thirds of the time, do glance away
intermittently. When your eyes are meeting the interviewer’s,
avoid staring - instead send a positive message such as
interest or enthusiasm.
• • • What's in a question?
Although first impressions are based heavily on non-verbal
signals, and body languaf "ertainly continues to play an import
ant role throughout an L.^rview, as the meeting progresses an
CLOSING THE SALE
increasing amount of the interviewer’s judgement will be based
on what you say. If you got off on the wrong foot, it may be
difficult to talk your way back in. but it is very much easier to
do the opposite and, having started well, then proceed to talk
yourself out of the job.
The biggest danger is doing just that - talking too much. It is a
far more common problem than saying too little. In case this
sounds as though you will be damned if you do, and damned if
you don’t, a few words of explanation are probably required.
It is, quite obviously, vital that you find the opportunities to get
all of your key selling points across. What is more, good
interviewers will ensure that you do more of the talking than
they do. On the other hand, you must, at all costs, avoid
waffling. Be particularly wary of open questions. If the inter
viewer says, ‘Give me a brief summary of your career’ and. 10
minutes later, you are still talking about things that happened
20 years ago. you have blown it. Efficient executives commun
icate clearly and succinctly. That question you were asked may
have had more to do with testing your communication skills
than finding out about what was, in any case, largely selfevident from your CV.
Although open questions have their dangers, they do at least
give you the chance, provided that you stick to the point, to say
what you want to. Professional recruiters use open questions a
lot, both as ends in themselves and as the first stage in what is
known as an interview funnel.
The open question with which the funnel begins gets you talking
freely. The interviewer waits for something interesting to come
up. such as a major success you claim to have achieved, then
latches on to it, probing more deeply by saying something like,
‘That’s interesting - could you just tell me in a bit more detail
exactly what you did?’ Further probes close you in further and
further - hence the funnel analogy - until the interviewer finally
pins you down and you either substantiate your claim or it is
shown to be unjustified. This technique works to your advantage
if you can back up your claims, but to your detriment if you
cannot.
Open questions can be particularly tricky when you are on
sticky ground, such as explaining why you apparently resigned
from your last job without having ano
r position to go to.
747
WHY THE BEST CANDIDATE DOESN'T ALWAYS GET THE JOB
Rather than asking openly if you were fired, the interviewer may
simply say, ‘Why did you leave XYZ?’ It is all too easy to say far
more than you intend, especially if the interviewer employs
reflective questions (encouraging you to go on by repeating
words or phrases you have just used) or, worse still, saying
nothing in reply when you stop speaking. Most people feel
uncomfortable when faced with a silence, and consequently
proceed to fill the empty space - frequently blabbing themselves
into ever deeper water - rather than sitting it out and forcing the
interviewer to pick up the baton.
While you should avoid saying too much, it is equally dangerous,
on the other hand, to leave obvious doubts or suspicions to
fester in the interviewer’s mind. As in any sales presentation,
objections do need to be identified and dealt with. If you have
prepared thoroughly, you should have spotted potentially
difficult areas and have decided in advance the best methods of
dealing with them. This in itself should enable you to respond
clearly and concisely when they come up, rather than talking
yourself into trouble.
• • • The other side of the coin
Professional recruiters use questions skilfully. If you are right for
the job and have prepared thoroughly for the interview, this can
only be to your benefit. Untrained interviewers, on the other
hand, can make it more difficult for you to demonstrate your
worth because they are prone to making greater use of what are
all too often the wrong kinds of questions. These include the
following types.
• Leading questions, e.g. ‘Wouldn’t you agree that . . .’.
Although the desired answer has been flagged up for you.
simply sitting there and agreeing will hardly advance your
campaign to show what you c i offer the company, unless
they are simply looking for a ‘yes person’ - in which case it is
probably not the job you want anyway. Occasionally, canny
interviewers may use leading questions to see whether you
have sufficient character and conviction to disagree. Body
language, especially the expression in their eyes, may be the
best way of sussing this out.
* Multiple questions, i.e. asking two or more questions at the
same time. Th’ an be confusing. Unless you want to cop out
747
CLOSING THE SALE
of the difficult part of a multiple question by answering the
easy bit, the best way of dealing with this is to say that you
will take each point in turn and then proceed to do precisely
that.
• Closed questions. Sometimes a question which can be
answered only by ‘yes’ or ‘no’ is appropriate. More often it is
not. At the very least it limits your opportunity to sell
yourself. At worst a closed answer could be positively
misleading. Do what politicians do when the media try to trap
them in this way. Insist on opening the question out by
saying something like, ‘That is actually quite a complex issue’
and then exploring it fully.
1
In addition to using inappropriate questions, untrained inter
viewers also have a tendency to do far too much of the talking
themselves. This can be a real problem, facing you with the
dilemma of either failing to get your USPs across because you
cannot get a word in edgeways or of appearing rude by butting
in. Since it would give offence to interrupt and blatantly switch
the discussion from what the interviewer was rattling on about
to what you want to say, the best approach is to display interest
while biding your time then, when you see an opportunity to link
what the interviewer has said to something you wish to say, seize
the initiative without appearing to break the flow of the
conversation. The professional recruiter’s trick of reflecting the
other person’s words back to them can be invaluable in this kind
of situation.
WHY THE BEST CANDIDATE DOESN'T ALWAYS GET THE JOB
• Take care not to ignore members of the panel who are seated
to one side or the other of you. It is all too easy to pay most
attention to those within an easy line of vision.
• Although the implication of a group interview is that the
decision will be made by consensus, there may be a first
among equals and it is sensible to pay this individual prop
ortionately greater attention. If you cannot identify the primus
inter pares from titles (e.g. chairperson, senior partner),
watch body language. The rest of the group will probably tend
to turn their bodies and eyes towards the key person in
subconscious deference.
• If, before you have finished answering one question, someone
else chips in with another, say politely that you will answer
the second one in a moment, as soon as you have responded
fully to the first. As a result of poor preparation or chairing,
this is unfortunately an all too common hazard.
• If you feel yourself getting flustered, cool it by taking a breath,
or a sip of water, before responding to a question or cont
inuing with what you were saying.
• When you are given the opportunity to ask questions, try to
draw in as many of the members of the panel as possible.
• As you continually move your eye contact round throughout
the interview, try to get a feel, by their body language, of
which members of the panel are on your side and which have
still to be won over. Try to get their doubts out into the open,
so that you can deal with them.
*
i
• • • The mob scene
!
I
So far we have been talking in the context of the one-to-one
interview - the most common kind. Sometimes, however, and
especially when the job is in local government, with some official
body, or with a professional partnership, you may have to face
the dreaded group, or panel, interview. This is inevitably more
stressful, but you can minimise the stress if you follow a few
basic ground rules.
• When you are being asked a question, maintain eye contact
with the person who is speaking.
• When you reply, concentrate mainly on that person, but
include all the others by glancing round and establishing
intermittent eye contact with them too.
7AA
• • • Don't relax
After a formal interview, whether it is with one person, two or
three, or a whole gang, you may be given the opportunity to have
a guided tour of the organisation’s premises. Although this may
genuinely be primarily for your benefit, do not treat it solely as a
one-way situation. You will be expected not only to display
genuine interest, but also to ask relevant questions and make
sensible comments. While you should avoid offering instant, and
probably ill-informed, solutions to any problems that are raised,
going to the other extreme and just wandering round looking
relieved that the interview is over could equally well blow your
chances of the job.
Another situation in whi
it is all too easy to drop your guard
AC
c
CLOSING THE SALE
is the social meeting. You may be invited to lunch or dinner, or
asked to meet some of your future colleagues over a drink. Since
it is important to be sure that you will fit into the culture of the
organisation, these occasions can be mutually beneficial, but
they do also have their dangers.
Although it is important to relax a little and be less formal than
you would be in an interview, you still need to be cautious. This
applies particularly to alcohol. The best rule is to say that you
have to drive your car later on (even if you do not) and either stay
off alcohol altogether or limit yourself to a single drink, taking
care to sip it extremely slowly. If you are having a meal, avoid
any dishes which are messy to eat, even if they are your
favourites. Pay your host the compliment of enjoying the meal
but do not make a pig of yourself.
Finally, do prepare for this kind of meeting just as thoroughly as
you would for a normal interview. While there will be a certain
amount of purely social chat, you should also be ready to
advance your candidature by discussing relevant business
issues.
• • • International aspects
I
When you are being interviewed in an overseas country, or for
that matter even in the UK but by someone who is not British,
you need to be aware of the cultural differences and their implic
ations. For instance, while it is common nowadays to use first
names in an interview in the UK (once the interviewer has taken
the initiative), people are much less familiar in Germany,
addressing each other by formal - and often complex - titles. The
French will probably get onto first names eventually, but not as
quickly as the British, and the *tu’ form would certainly never be
substituted for ‘nous’ at an interview.
Another difference relates to the fact that although a touch of
humour might be considered desirable in an interview in the UK.
as a means of relaxing the atmosphere, it would be thought
frivolous in Germany where meetings of all kinds tend to be
more formal and serious. A further example to watch out for is
when a Japanese executive gives you a business card. Do not
just pop it into your pocket. You are expected to sit and gaze at
it in reverence for a few moment’' Tdeally, you should have one
746
WHY THE BEST CANDIDATE DOESN'T ALWAYS GET THE JOB
of your own to give in return, so that this gesture of respect can
be reciprocated.
Body language has some major differences too. In terms of
interpersonal space, people from the Middle East tend to stand
much closer to each other than we do. While they may make a
European feel uncomfortable, the distance a European main
tains seems positively aloof to them. Crossing the legs is
considered rude in the Middle East, while showing someone the
soles of your feet is positively insulting.
Gestures may also have different meanings. There are even
countries where nodding the head means ‘no’ and shaking it
means ‘yes’. What it all adds up to is that you need to mug up
on such matters - there are books and even courses available if you are to avoid misinterpreting behaviour or, worse still,
giving offence.
• • • Thanks for the memory
Since last impressions are. in many ways, just as important as
first impressions, do be sure to end on a positive note. Without
being insincere or nauseatingly gushy, thank the interviewer for
their time, and say that you enjoyed the meeting and look for
ward to hearing about the next stage. If you have not already
been told what that is. there is no harm in asking.
There are. however, two things you should not ask about. One is
whether you have got the job. or a place on the short-list if it was
just a screening interview. The other mistake is to ask for
expenses. If the company is going to reimburse them, they will
make the offer. If it has cost you a lot of money to attend the
interview and you feel strongly about it, at least wait until you
have heard the outcome before raising the matter.
Finally, when the moment comes to say goodbye to the inter
viewer. do so with a firm handshake and a warm smile. That is
the very last impression you will leave, so it needs to be a good
one.
After the interview, ignore the advice sometimes given to send a
letter thanking the interviewer and confirming your interest in
the position. The vast majority of people in this country regard
such beha^our with distaste. A telephone call is even worse.
CLOSING THE SALE
However, where you have been to an interview arranged by a
headhunter, selection consultant or agency with one of their
clients, it is a good idea to ring the consultant and report back
on how it went. The consultant will appreciate being kept
informed both about your ongoing interest and about your
reaction to the client. If you leave it a day or two before you call,
you may in return be able to obtain some feedback on your
performance at the interview.
After that, it is unfortunately just a matter of being patient.
Although news often seems to take far longer than it ideally
should, chasing the interviewer is likely to do you more harm
than good. The majority of prospective employers will tell you
why you have finally been ruled out, so to an extent no news is
good news - even if it only means that the delay is due to the job
having been offered to someone else but you being held in
reserve in case the first choice declines.
5
1
I
Should you be rejected, there is equally little to be gained by
ringing the interviewer and asking why, even if you do phrase it
as a request for advice as to what you might do better in future.
Such requests are embarrassing to the interviewer, who will
probably not tell you the truth in any case.
WHY THE BEST CANDIDATE DOESN'T ALWAYS GET THE JOB
Being evasive.
Failing to keep to the point.
Playing games.
Raising the question of remuneration at an early stage.
Being more interested in what you can take than what you
can give.
Concern with trivialities like hours of work.
Indecisiveness.
• Apathy.
And now for the dos.
Prepare thoroughly.
Keep your objective firmly in mind.
Put yourself in the other person’s shoes.
Consciously seek to establish rapport.
Watch - and respond to - not only what interviewers say, but
also their tone of voice and body language.
Treat the meeting as a two-way conversation between equals
who respect each other’s professionalism, not as a question
and answer session controlled by the interviewer.
Ensure that you cover the whole of your agenda and do not
fail to communicate any of the ways in which you can add
value to the organisation.
• • • Dos and don'ts
The chances of being successful, rather than rejected, can be
increased significantly by keeping in mind the key dos and
don’ts. Here are some of the things that most commonly turn
interviewers off.
I
I
i
• Arriving late, especially without the courtesy of a phone call.
• Unprofessional appearance.
• Weak or clammy handshake.
• Over-familiarity, e.g. using first names without being asked
to.
• Lack of eye contact.
• Fidgeting.
• Lounging.
• V.D. (verbal diarrhoea).
• Jargon.
• Name dropping.
Knocking previous employers.
74R
"Ma
minefield for
the unwary."
interview add ons tests, assessment
centres and other
selection tools
If you have ever wondered, after attending a badly conducted
interview, just how good an indicator of future performance the
interview actually is, you are not alone. Various surveys have
shown that the predictive success rate of the average interview
is in fact not much better than pure chance.
Untrained interviewers score particularly badly, but even
professional recruiters do not exactly produce ratings which
Inspire very much confidence. Since the tendency to make
instant judgements in the first few minutes - or even seconds of an interview probably has a lot to do with this, it emphasises
just how important it is to ensure that you make a good first
impression.
While many employers continue to rely solely on the interview,
in spite of its obvious shortcomings, an increasing number are
supplementing it both with tests and with a variety of other
selection aids, ranging from assessment centres to graphology. If
you are not to be thrown out of your stride by these techniques,
you need to know what to expect and how to handle them.
• • • A testing time
Tests are the most commonly used form of interview add on.
Their (at least p
do-) scientific nature appeals strongly to
CLOSING THE SALE
employers who have been rattled by scare stories about
interview unreliability. The idea of being able to allocate people
marks, and offer the job to the one with the highest score, has
the attraction of taking the onus off the decision maker although, in practice, by no means all tests permit this kind of
simple comparison and very few recruiters would, in any case,
recommend such a simplistic approach.
Reliable information about the validity of tests as predictors of
job performance is difficult to come by, since most of the stat
istics are produced by the people who develop and sell the tests
- not exactly an independent source. The picture is hardly made
any clearer either by the obsession the testing fraternity has
with using a volume and complexity of jargon that makes comp
uterspeak seem like plain English, or by the acrimonious rows
between the supporters of different kinds of test.
What is perhaps an even greater problem than whether tests
actually do what they claim to do, however, is whether employers
select the correct test for a given purpose. The failure to do this
is often compounded by a tendency among employers to
interpret the output of tests negatively, paying less attention to
indications of a candidate's plus points and potential, than to
the odd word in a report which sows a seed of doubt and sug
gests that a hiring may involve a risk which could subsequently
rebound on the decision maker. No wonder that the Institute of
Personnel and Development (IPD, formerly the IPM) has
described psychometric testing as ‘a minefield for the unwary’.
What is a test?
The term ‘test’ gets applied very loosely to a whole range of
instruments. The main types you are likely to encounter in the
selection process are pencil and paper (or computer keyboard)
exercises, in which you answer a number of questions; and
activity tests, in which you simulate tasks you would carry out
in the course of a job. The latter, which include, for example,
in-tray exercises and group discussions, will be examined when
we look at assessment centres.
The former can be further subdivided into performance-based
tests, under which you are scored on the basis either of the time
you take to complete tasks or of the number of correct answers
you achieve; and self-description questionna
, the output
nc->
INTERVIEW ADDONS
from which is a profile, describing your temperament in terms of
a range of parameters such as introversion and extroversion. Per
formance-based tests are used to measure abilities, aptitudes,
attainments and skills, while self-description questionnaires are
used to assess rather more subjective areas like interests, motiv
ation and personal qualities.
Most such tests are of either the multiple choice variety, in
which you have to choose your answer to each question from
several alternatives, or the forced choice variety in which you
have to choose between just two options. The problem with the
forced choice type is that you often find either that neither of the
two options really applies, or that both do with almost equal
relevance. You may occasionally come across free response tests,
in which you can give answers in your own words, but these are
difficult to mark and consequently not greatly favoured.
Ideally a battery of tests should be used, rather than just one,
preferably with a qualified psychologist on hand to interpret
them and discuss the results with you. In practice, however, a
day, or even half a day, spent with a psychologist is expensive in
terms both of candidate time and company money. Many
organisations just throw in the odd test, selection being based in
the better cases on proper trials and experience to verify its
predictive value, and in the less laudable instances on its
specious appeal or on the persuasiveness of a salesperson.
Presumably also for cost reasons, some companies test just the
final one or two candidates, and only do this at the end of the
selection process, as a kind of insurance policy against having
missed some fatal flaw. It would be much more useful to apply
tests at an early stage, and use the output as a basis for
discussion at interview.
Test types and tactics
So much for categories and formats, but what kinds of test are
you likely to encounter and how should you deal with them? The
types you may come across in the selection process at manag
erial levels include the following.
• Ability - the most commonly tested ability being intelligence,
often incorrectly leferred to as ‘IQ’. These tests usually
involve solving a nun
• of problems which are often divided
*
CLOSING THE SALE
into sections such as numerical, verbal, logical and spatial.
Your performance on such tests, like your ability to solve
crossword puzzles, can be improved significantly with famil
iarity and practice. If you cannot get hold of actual test
blanks, you can buy books containing tests of this type. Apart
from preparing you for any tests you may encounter, they are
useful for sharpening up your mind generally.
• Interests - these are more likely to be encountered at a
career guidance session than as part of a selection process.
• Management style - questionnaires may be used to assess
whether your style is autocratic, consultative or somewhere
in between. There is not necessarily any one right style. Even
within a given organisation and culture, different managers
may be equally successful, even though their styles vary
greatly.
• Motivation - not too often found in practice, due both to the
complex cocktail of factors which comprise motivation, and
because it is so dependent on the relationship between an
individual and an organisation. The same person might be
highly motivated in one environment and completely demot
ivated in another.
• Personality - a number of personality tests may be
encountered in the selection process, including some which
were not designed for use in recruitment at all. Unfortunately
the ones which appear to candidates to be most plausible
tend to be the least reliable, and vice versa, so do not be
surprised if you cannot see the relevance of some of the
questions you have to answer. These tests, or - more correctly
- questionnaires or inventories, are usually of the self
description variety. Although their designers claim to build in
‘lie-detectors’, candidates may be tempted to answer with
what they perceive to be the desired, rather than true,
answers. For example, if a job seems to call for an extrovert
and there are questions like ‘Do you prefer to spend an
evening (a) reading a book, or (b) going to a party', you do not
have to be Machiavelli to plump for the latter.
• Team building - the most widely used questionnaire,
Meredith Belbin’s Self-Perception Inventory, classifies people
into various different team roles, each of which has its value.
Even if you were to familiarise yourself with these roles, and
to guess which one would make you the ideal candidate for the
job, the nature of the questionnaire would make it difficult to
fake. It is probably, therefore, best
answer honestly.
PSA
INTERVIEW ADDONS
At managerial level you are unlikely to encounter either aptitude
tests (used to assess people’s potential for such roles as
computer programming or operating machinery) or attainment
tests (again used mainly at lower levels, e.g. word processing
tests given to interviewees for secretarial jobs). Executives’
aptitudes and attainments are more likely to be evaluated by
technical questions or by the kinds of participative exercises
used in assessment centres.
Activity tests
The fundamental principle behind assessment centres is job
simulation. Given that it is impracticable to put a bunch of
applicants through a trial period in a job in order to decide who
is going to produce the best performance, it is argued that the
next best thing is to create situations which, though inevitably
artificial, do replicate as closely as possible the job in question,
or at least key elements of it. Therefore, while a full assessment
centre programme may well include interviews, and pen and
paper tests, the emphasis will be on what are often referred to as
activity tests - the sorts of things you may have done on
management training courses. There will also probably be group
discussions.
These attempts to simulate the work situation are both a
strength and a weakness of assessment centres. The idea makes
a lot of sense, but it is difficult to put into practice because it
involves getting a bunch of job applicants, the four or five people
on a short-list for example, together for at least one whole day,
quite possibly two. This may be practicable when a large comp
any is making an internal promotion, but it presents major
problems when the candidates are all currently employed in
demanding jobs of their own - and, of course, bringing together
such applicants also raises the thorny problem of confident
iality.
This difficulty, combined with the inevitably high costs of
running assessment centres, results in them not being as widely
used for external selection purposes as you might expect.
However, because the principle behind them is sound, individual
elements of them - the activity tests and group discussions may well be encountered as part of an executive selection
process.
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CLOSING THE SALE
Group exercises
When short-list interviews for a position are being set up.
candidates may be asked to leave the whole day free so that, in
addition to being interviewed by one or more people, they can
participate in a group exercise or discussion. The dynamics of
this are, to say the least, interesting. Although the task or
problem with which the group is presented may involve the need
to work together as a team, the candidates for the position in
question will be aware that they are being observed and will
consequently feel the urge to compete with each other to make
the best impression.
Such exercises vary a great deal in structure, depending on such
factors as;
• whether objectives are tightly defined or are expressed only in
general terms, leaving the group to define them more pre
cisely;
• whether a leader is nominated in advance or simply left to
emerge;
• how much preparation time is allowed - if any;
• the extent to which competition and co-operation are
deliberately built into the briefing;
• whether or not specific roles are assigned to the various part
icipants.
Since the variation is so great, no perfect formula can be
provided for dealing with such situations - you need to be ready
to think on your feet. Nevertheless, here are a few basic rules
which will stand you in good stead.
• Keep your cool. Careful study of the briefing you are given will
often reveal information which is deliberately designed to be
missed by those who dive in feet first.
• While you need to make a contribution which will be noticed,
do not try to monopolise the show. Yes, you have guessed, it
is quality rather than quantity that you should aim for once
again.
• In choosing how to contribute, try to relate the exercise to
what you know, from interviews, from the job spec and so on.
about the type of person they are looking for. Aim to demon
strate these qualities in what you say and do.
Do not openly knock the other members of the gr~’p. You are
likely to score more brownie points by acknc edging the
INTERVIEW ADDONS
value of someone else’s contribution
your own.
then going on to make
In-tray exercises
One of the most popular individual, as opposed to group,
selection aids is the in-tray, or basket, exercise. You are asked
to assume that you come into the office one morning to face
either a series of crises in your normal job or the need, due to
some emergency, to take over someone else's job. There will,
needless to say. be a number of conflicting priorities - far more
than you can possibly deal with single-handed in the time
available. You will be assessed on both the decisions you take
and the reasons you give for making them.
Once again, the first requirement is not to go into a flat spin.
Beyond that, it helps to know what the exercise is trying to
assess, so that you can aim to demonstrate the required
qualities. These include:
• your ability to work under pressure;
your skill in prioritising a number of conflicting requirements;
the ability to sift the wheat from the chaff - the in-tray will
usually contain a certain amount of information which can be
binned straight away;
how good you are at delegation;
whether you can distinguish between fact and opinion;
how sensitive you are;
your capacity for logical reasoning, and analytical and critical
thinking;
how flexible and imaginative you are.
Reports and presentations
If the job you are applying for is one in which report writing is a
key element, you may be asked to bring with you to the interview
a relevant piece of written work you have produced. Altern
atively. since the prospective employer has no way of checking
that such a sample is entirely your own work, you may be asked
to write a brief report or essay, based on information, or a
subject, which will be given to you. Essay subjects can range
from topics of general intei
to current issues relevant to the
CLOSING THE SALE
industry in question, and they may even be as specific as ‘How
would you tackle your first three months in this job?’.
employer playing the other role. While many people seem to be
thrown by role plays, they do normally represent situations
which you should have encountered many times before in your
everyday work experience, so they should not present undue
problems if you simply ignore the pressures of the selection
process and behave as you normally would in real life.
As yet, it is rare for candidates to be asked to submit a video but.
when oral presentations are important in the position in
question, you may be asked to make a presentation, either just
to the interviewer or to a small group of people. Sometimes you
are given the opportunity to prepare visual aids such as flip
charts or slides for overhead projection. On other occasions you
may be given very little time to prepare anything at all.
• • • How to respond
These occasions are inevitably nerve-racking but remember that
everybody is in the same boat. Keep your head and do. in
particular, take care to ensure that you have understood the
briefing properly. If you are faced with a demand to make a
presentation at zero notice, you can always gain a breathing
space by asking to use the cloakroom before you proceed.
Tests - using that term in the very broadest sense - seem to
throw candidates far more than the interview does, however
nerve-racking that may be for some people. The reason for this
may well be primarily the fear of the unknown. Interviews are at
least something most of us are familiar with. Tests tend to be
shrouded in an element of mystery.
Eyes and ears
Other forms of activity test which are sometimes encountered
include fact-finding and listening exercises. The former, which
test things like analytical and reasoning ability, involve you
being given a certain amount of information to start with, then
having to obtain more, usually with a view to making a decision
or recommendation - which may be used as an opportunity to
make you give a presentation. Listening exercises use either
film, tape or a live presentation to provide you with information,
then test your perceptiveness of it by using questionnaires.
You may also, occasionally, be presented with case studies. For
example, candidates for a finance director’s position may be
asked to compare the profit and loss accounts and balance
sheets of two companies, and to comment on such matters as
the comparative performance and strategies of the two busin
esses. An exercise like this - which will probably have one or two
‘tricks' built into the information provided - tests the ability to:
• keep calm and analyse the information thoroughly:
• consider not only technical, but also commercial, aspects:
• make a brief oral presentation with minimal preparation.
Then there is the dreaded role play. You may be asked to
participate in such scenarios as a client meeting, a negotiation
or a staff appraisal, with a represe
live of your potential
t-
INTERVIEW ADD ONS
Occasionally candidates do refuse to take tests. In some cases
they may actually be justified in doing so. The potential employer
could well be using a test that is totally unsuitable for the
purpose in question, or may be failing to observe accepted
administration procedures. Unfortunately, though, the assump
tion is likely to be that, if you refuse, you must have something
to hide. It is rather like ducking a question in an interview.
Generally speaking, therefore, you would be advised to be
prepared by acquiring in advance a knowledge of the kinds of
tests you are likely to be faced with, then, when you do get
presented with one. to keep a cool head and give it your best
shot.
The ethics of the testing business dictate that anyone who is
given a test is entitled to feedback on the results and a chance
to discuss apparently erroneous assessments. Primarily for cost
reasons - it is very time consuming - this is rarely volunteered.
If you do decide to insist on your rights and ask for feedback,
you may prefer to play safe and wait until you have heard
whether you have got the job or not. in case you are seen as a
nuisance, or even as a troublemaker.
• • • Graphology
Widely used in France, and also in Switzerland and Frenchspeaking Belgir-*\ graphology is still not generally accepted in
7S9
CLOSING THE SALE
the UK as a selection tool. Its theoretical basis actually seems
eminently sound. At any given school, it is argued, all the
children will be taught to write in exactly the same script yet. by
the time they reach adulthood, they will all be writing in a
uniquely different way, as identifiable as a fingerprint. Graph
ology argues that the development of each person’s individual
script must be driven by subconscious factors relating to their
different temperaments and that, by analysing the various
elements of a person's handwriting, it is therefore possible to
deduce relevant information about their personality, and phy
sical and mental health.
*
While many people would probably agree with the first part of
this argument - something, after all. must cause the change
from a standard to a uniquely individual script - the second part
is more contentious. Some practitioners in graphology do prod
uce remarkably accurate analyses, identifying factors ranging
from basic personality traits to disorders like heart problems,
alcoholism and sexual perversions. On the other hand, there is
a strong subjective element. Two or more practitioners cannot
always be guaranteed to agree on an analysis of the same
handwriting sample. Graphology seems to be as much of an art
as a science and. as such, may have as much in common with
the interview as with the psychometric test.
<-■
260
Military spending and the peace
dividend:
■ -- -
-
= ;" •
- ^..Moo-ner.r '
- "i’- -'■ ^',r- ‘Z::.
Vvc/ z i-
■ :j- c age-3?
f
I
Gaps betweenJ
between 31.3^5
South Africa: disparity between
blacks and
“ZE.--'-""’
larger than in the United States
: -.-.-.r-o
worlds." HDR 199^
United States
''
~
South Africa
Whnes
3£- •
Whites
■ t"E"
IF I
F
Whiles
75
feu
WruiC'
7t '
Wrvxe'
Wmtes
&
B!ac*l.
&
Blacks
Blacks
Stacks
Life
expectancy
(years
JkX-
< ONoC
Blacks
CX62.............
Lite
expectancy
ivea'v
different
■■
whites tour times
•. - .w;
HD-.
GDP per capita
HD!
Biacr.s
'?'.C
GDP per
capita
. .
■
> FIGURE 3 2
The human cost of military spending in developing countries
:
Eurren: annua cost.
1’5$ D'ii’ons
. '.2G
Military spending in
developing countries
- $125 billion
Cost in heahh
i ’x.
F
9-:
>2% of
military
spending
sc
One pillion people never see a health protessiona
More than two million children die of oreventaoie
infectious cesease
192 million children are malnounsnec
1.3 b<. on people suffer from tne effects o* . “.ate water
supplies
Aod.uona cost tc preside enma'. -•eaitr. care to* a;
tnciucnc immunization of a;* cnnp'er.. elimination o’ severe
mainutfHion anc reduction o{ moderate malnutrition py ha!‘
anc provision o’ sate prinking wate* ’O? ah
! 70
Cost in educator.
900 million people cannot reap and write
80 million children oo not attend primary school.
Female literacy rate is 70% tnat o? male rate.
60
50
4 Sc Of
militan.
spending
40
Additional cost to reduce aoult iline-cCy oy ha1provide universal primary eaucano- anc
educate women to the same leve; as mer
Cost in population
3:
Nearly Three otlhon oeopie live in countries with annua
copulation grovvtn exceecinc 2.0:<-c.
c-c.-pe a ca?:
. z-c" -z cac- ape
a-' - ji5L‘n”'e wc' c occu-at z- u. ? -e .z'-
I
m.. ;?•.
SCer-c.' z
7
FIGURE :
Suppliers of weapons to three trouble spots
World military spending equals the income
: Percentage O’ conventional weapon-, sate:- only, 1980-90
Suopliers to
Iraq
Suppliers to
Somalia
of nearly half the world's people
SuDpiiers tc
Sudan
so:
?r
so:
FO’me'
USSF
£^t
Iw
I
9aas
20.
France
Otht” •
k
7! Span
B L Arat? tmirateB Liova____
1992 world
military spending
$815 piliior
ComDined income of 491of the wood’s people
$815 pillion
—----- -ir’-wiriTMIIr
‘fl*-
®F
..
i & i <. 3..kinug
;
F»GUC< 2 5
Profile of human distress in industrial countries
reportedrapes
lbintentional
J I* homicides by males per 100.000 mates
Per 100.000 women aged 15-59
-< United Slates
-< United States
■m;.........
’C
Bv
E
6C-
t
-< Australia, Sweden
Finland
4
-4 Hungary
HGJnE 2 r
ktost industrial countries
Most industrial2Ccountries
Japan
61:1
Japan
_T Haty
o
!
INJURIES FROM ROAD, •Tc «!>]:: >414
DRUGCRIMES
Per 100,000 people
Pe- 100,000 peco’e
.^5 Australia
40C
Unnec States
30(
; ooc
ii
-4 ’JSA
◄ Be-grum.
.-4 Austria
Canada
200
Germany
-< Denman.
Switzerland
'^4 Canada
**
Most tndusvia countries
30 ••
>oc.
Most industrial countries
250
I
I
Denmark
Australia
Portugal
Italy '
c
INCOME DISPARfTY
pnmrnoN
Kilograms of sulphur and nitrogen
Richest 20% c4 housebeic:- poorest 20%
emissions per capita
’C '•
2 SC
-4 Australia
-◄ Czechoslavakia
Untied State:
I
200..
ISC
Canada
e •
Switzerland
USA
6
Most industrial countries
Most industrial countries
’00......
-4 Japan
' ’ '■*< Poland
196C
The widening gap between
the rich and the poor
Hungary
50.
New Zealand
Switzerland
Ponuaal
0
2.1.
1991
i
Ratio C' >' icon '■' ■S'''. ric’ier 2?‘. po'
•
O- WP’IC UODu a:: ’
k
......... . ............. _ -I
'
■
• FIGURE 4.7
ODA distribution not linked to human development objectives
the developing world, those with higher incomes receive the most....
In
Tod 4C't.t income grouc
ODA pe' C50:>c
S2C
i
Boiton- 40% ■’
income prou: ’'
The too 40% income group
now gets twee me assistance
given to me poorest In 198C
the ratio was 2 5 to one
Tod 40%
interne
crouc Bottom 40%
income
orouc
' S2
1992
1980
and the poorest receive the least.
Two-thirds of the world s 1.3
billion poor live in ten countries
that together receive less man a
third of ODA
10 countries
with 66% of the
world's poorest
32% of ODA
FIGURE 5.i-
1992
men ci
The top ten performers in human development, 1960-32
i96C
■ -i'jman devetoomem inae^
90C
: .850
I
..............................
Htan
human
development
7QC ...... •:.....................
Medium
human
I
I
i 600 ^.'.9°^
I
!
500
: 4oo
Low
human
Portugal
..o?X?loprn?nt................
Korea, Rep.
. .300
; 2oo
i
Thailand
Malaysia
,,
Turkey
Iran
Syria
__ .L.....
Coins
Botswana
100 -
i
.
./ .
..
.
.
...
•1
':r.
gji 1 »■?/ M J § Vi3
//13.J-77l RT1994
High human development
Medium human development
1 Canada
2 Switzerland
3 Jaoan
4 Sweden
5 Norway_________
54
55
56
57
53
0 France
7 Australia
3 USA
9 Netherlands
10 Un tied Kingdom
59
60
61
52
63
Fiji
Mauritius
Kazakhstan
United Arab Emirates
Brazil________ ________
11 Germany
12 Austria
13 Belgium
14 Iceland
15 Denmark
64
65
66
67
68
Dominica
Jamaica
Georgia
Saudi Arabia
Turkey_______
Thailand
Antigua and Barbuda
Qatar
Malaysia
Bahrain
16
17
18
19
20
Finland
Luxembourg
New Zealand
Israel
Barbados_________
69
70
71
72
73
Saint Vincent
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Azerbaijan
Romania
Syrian Arab Rep.
21
22
23
24
25
Ireland
Italy
Spain
Hong Kong
Greece
74
75
76
77
7E
Ecuador
Moldova, Rep. of
Albania
Saint Lucia
Grenada
26
27
28
29
30
Cyprus
Czechoslovakia
Lithuania
Estonia
Latvia
79
BC’
81
82
S3
Libyan Arab Jamahiriya
Tuncmenistan
Tunisia
Kyrgyzstan
Seychelles_____________
31
32
33
34
35
Hungary
Korea. Rep. of
Uruguay '
Russian Federation
Trinidad and Tobago
84
85
86
87
88
Paraguay
Suriname
Iran. Islamic Rep. of
Botswana
Belize
36
37
38
39
40
Bahamas
Argentina
Chile
Costa Rica
Belarus
89
SO
91
92
93
Cuba
Sri Lanka
Uzbekistan
Oman
South Africa
41
42
43
44
45
Malta
Portugal
Singapore
Brunei Darussalam
Ukraine
94
95
96
97
98
China
Peru
Dominican Rep.
Tajikistan
Jordan________
46
47
48
49
50
Venezuela
Panama
Bulgaria
Poland
Colombia
99 Philippines
100 Iraq
101 Korea, De^. Rep. of
51 Kuwait
52 Mexico
53 Armenia
1C2 Monge ua
1C3 Lebanon
1G4
105
106
107
108
Samoa
Indonesia
Nicaragua
Guyana
Guatemala
109
110
111
112
113
Algeria
Egypt
Morocco
El Salvador
Bolivia
114
115
116
117
118
Gabon
Honduras
Viet Nam
Swaziland
Maldives
low human development
119
120
121
122
123
Vanuatu
Lesotho
Zimbabwe
Cape Verde
Congo
124
125
126
127
128
Cameroon
Kenya
Solomon islands
Namibia
Sao Tome ana Principe
129
130
131
132
133
Papua New Guinea
Myanmar
Madagascar
Pakistan
Lao People's Dem. Rep.
134
135
136
137
138
Ghana
India
Cote d’Ivoire
Haiti
Zambia_______________
139
140
141
142
143
Nigeria
Zaire
Comoros
Yemen
Senegal______________
144
145
146
147
148
Liberia
Togo
Bangiadesn
Cambodia
Tanzania, U. Rep. of
*49
150
151
152
153
Nepat
Equatorial Guinea
Sudan
Burundi
Rwanda
154
155
156
157
158
Uganda
Angola
Benin
Malawi
Mauritania
159
160
161
162
163
Mozambique
Central African Rep.
Ethiopia
Bhutan
Djibouti___________
164
165
166
167
168
Guinea-Bissau
Somalia
Gambia
Mai*
Chad
169
170
171
172
Niger
Sierra Leone
Afghanisian
Burkina Faso
173
Guinea
_______
THE UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPME-iT PROGRAMME
UNDP is the world's largest multilateral grant development assistance organization, serving more
than 170 developing countries and territories through a network of over 130 offices worldwide.
To execute its projects and programmes, UNDP draws upon developing countries national
technical capacities, as well as the expertise of specialized UN agencies and nongovernmental
organizations. Developing country governments provide personnel, facilities, equipment and
supplies that cover more than half of total project costs.
People are at the centre of ail UNDP activities, which aim to build countries' capacities for
sustainable human development in six priority fields: poverty alleviation and grassroots develop
ment environment and natural resources; management development; technical cooperation
amono develooing countries; transfer and adaptation of technology; women in development.
Entrepreneurship is promoted as a force for human progress. Global and interregional pro
grammes address worldwide problems, including HIV/AIDS. All activities are scrutinized for their
environmental impact.
Of UNDP's approximately 8,000 staff members, 85 per cent serve in the field. In 1992 UNDP
recruited 9,093 international and 12,896 national experts and made specialized expertise availaoie
through 2,098 United Nations Volunteers. It awarded 10,366 fellowships to enable developing
country citizens to undergo advanced training abroad, in addition to providing training for
national personnel within nearly all projects funded.
UNDP also administers several associated funds, including the UN Sudano-Sahelian Office;
the UN Capital Development Fund; the UN Fund for Science and Technology for Development
and the UN Development Fund for Women. With the World Bank and the UN Environment Programme it manages the US$1.3 billion Global Environment Facility. It plays the chief coordinating
role for development activities undertaken by the whole United Nations system. At the country
level, the head of each UNDP office is usually designated as Resident Coordinator of the United
Nations System's Operational Activities for Development and is the local representative tor many
UN organizations and agencies.
UNDP's funds come from the voluntary contributions of nearly every nation on earth. In 1993
UNDP received over $1.4 billion in contributions to its various funds and programmes. Fifty-eight
per cent of resources are allocated to least developed countries; 87 per cent go to countries with
annual per capita GNPsof $750 or less.
"y-
t
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