Cv For Interviews

Posts Tagged ‘career’

Interviewing is a two-way street.  Obviously, the organization is using the interview process to evaluate you and your credentials to determine if you are a solid fit for the company’s needs.  But the interview is equally important for the opportunity it affords you to evaluate how well the company and the position match what you are seeking.  Formulating a series of well-thought out questions in advance of the interview will not only help you draw out pertinent information form the interviewer, but also demonstrate your intelligence and sincere interest in the position at hand.

The best questions are those that arise from the initial research you will conduct of the organization while preparing for the interview.  Whenever possible, questions should be tailored to the position and company.   The following questions will provide you with some ideas and get you started thinking about potential interview questions you may want to consider asking employers during the interview.

- Fit for the Position

What are the most important skills and attributes a candidate needs to be successful in this position?

What are the characteristics of a successful employee in your organization?

Describe the work environment.

What are the challenging facets of the job?

What would be a typical work day in this position?

What is your management style?

What is your preferred method of communicating with your team?

What is the next step in the interviewing process?

- Company Culture

How would you describe your company culture?

What is the organization structure of your department?

Who are the primary parties that you are responsible to support: shareholders, customers, employees, etc.?  How do you go about making decisions when the needs of these groups are at odds with each other?

- Measures for Success

What are your expectations for new employee hires within their first 90 days on the job?  Within the first six months?

How and when will my job performance be evaluated?

What metrics are used to measure whether or not you are achieving your predetermined goals?

How will my success in this position be measured?

How is success measured in this department (or organization)?

- The Future of the Organization

What is your vision for the organization (or department) over the next two years?  Next five years?

What current major challenges are you facing as a manager?

What is the organization’s biggest challenge currently?

What is the organization’s competitive advantage in the marketplace?

…It’s About YOU!

What you are marketing here is YOU – and your value is entirely dependent on your qualifications for the job. 

The key here is to present yourself in a way that will give these prospective employers the perception that you are fit for the job and the position applied for.  Highlighting your strong points that are relevant to job of concern will increase your chances of getting noticed. 
It’s Also About The Prospective Employer!

While indeed you are selling yourself, it is also about considering and keeping in mind the needs and requirements of these employers. 

If you are able to analyze and understand the employer’s needs, and make your CV with these in mind, you will be able to show that you are deserving of the position applied for. 

They should be able to see you as someone who can be relied upon to do the job well and fit in their organization harmoniously.  They should get the impression that you are their best choice among others. 

Bonus Tip # 1:  Don’t include your “hobbies”.

Generally, It is not of any value to put in your hobbies on your CV. Otherwise, if it should be related and of relevance to the position applied for – then you may do so. 

Bonus Tip # 2: Your CV is more about your accomplishments.

Most are mistaken of the idea that CVs are a plain listing of their work experiences – it is actually more than that.  It provides for a record of your accomplishments that would show your capabilities and effectiveness to carry out the responsibilities of the current job aspired for.

Bonus Tip # 3: It should clearly tell what you could do for the prospective employer.

Even at a glance or a quick run over of your CV, the employer should be able to get the impression that you are qualified for the position and should be given a chance for a job interview.  Your highlighting, organization and presentation plays a major role here. 

Bonus Tip # 4: Make sure that it is free of spelling and grammatical errors.

To maintain the professional appeal of your CV, these errors should be avoided.  Fancy fonts will take out its formal look and at worst cases, especially if not done tastefully, may look like an experiment of sorts. 

Bonus Tip # 5: Be concise.

 A two-page CV that is well organized and targeted will do the job effectively.  You don’t need to stuff it with lots of unnecessary stuff.  Doing so may just lose the focus of your CV and may provide cluttered information.

Sadly it is all too easy to become complacent about your CV. It is easy to right it, forget it, never update it, then when you want to change jobs or start a new career, you find out that you aren’t being chosen and you wonder why? Well it is probably because your CV looks dated. Even if you only wrote it last year, it is time to go back and make it more up to date and relevant.

If your CV doesn’t have anything on it relating to the last year or so, a potential employer will look at it and think that it hasn’t been updated. Then they will think that it hasn’t been updated because you aren’t that interested in finding a new job or that you can’t be bothered. But when they think like that then it will be far harder for you to find a job, so make your CV work for you and make it up to date and relevant.

Even if your CV is up to date but you are still not being short-listed for interviews, then perhaps you need to look at changing the style or layout of the CV. There are lots of different layouts available on the internet, so make sure that you try out different styles and formats. Then use the one that seems to bring you the most benefits.

If you have updated, changed the style of the CV and still aren’t getting any interviews, then don’t despair, it may just be that you need to ‘beef up’ your CV to make it look more exciting. Do not lie, but ask a friend to read it and give an honest assessment. Ask them to identify areas where they think you are not coming across as strong or places that may need elaborating or even cutting down. Then you can either streamline your CV to make it more readable, or add to it, to display all your skills and attributes!

Arrive 15 to 20 minutes early before the actual interview time.  This will ensure you will not be gasping for breath in front of your interviewer as you were hurrying your way up to the office. 

And during the interview, listen well to the interviewer’s questions and get the main concept of his question and answer that point.  Stay relaxed and concentrate well.  Though you may feel the pressure for badly wanting the job, it will be to your disadvantage if you allow your feelings to get the best of you. 

Staying calm will allow you to focus.  You will be more alert to the questions thrown at you, and you will be able to give the right answers to these.  Find comfort in the thought that you are doing your best, and with some stroke of luck – and hopefully with some divine intervention, you may just get the job.  Whatever thought that relaxes you, find it and dwell on this.