The role of a resume has always been subjective. It depends on the owner. Some serves as an identity of the candidate, some serves as the credibility certificate and most, as the communication skills of job seekers finds new low, as the only source of information on the jobseekers.
What is a resume by the way? Originally spelled as résumé, Merriam Webster dictionary defines it as a summary of a set of accomplishments. Answer.com says it is “a brief account of one's professional or work experience and qualifications, often submitted with an employment application”.
It’s time to take another look as one thing is for certain, resume is not your business card to be stored away by employers for future reference, and a resume is your personal assistant that should work for you!
Indeed, it is a summary of you and your qualifications, a tool and a marketing brochure of you and your career. It is true and it is persuasive in its approach and not just a mere template.
Its purpose is simple: to get you an interview!
Your readers
Yes, you have a reader, whether or not you realise it. A writer craves recognition from his or her readers. A sports columnists throws his views and opinions that should intrigue and trigger response to sports enthusiasts, while a political journalist would comment on the current state of the nation to the amusement or the dismay of newspaper readers with a nose for armchair politics.
Likewise, a resume is basically a piece of literature, albeit non-fiction of yours, that should pique the interest of your readers.
Who are your resume readers then?
Well, there are actually two stages of readers. On the first stage occupies human resource (HR) executives and HR Managers. The second stage would see readers such as the hiring managers (big corporations), department heads followed by general managers, managing directors and chief executive officers.
In short, it’s no ordinary bunch of readers you have there…and it shows how much the content of your resume is worth.
Most writers write with readers in their mind. A typical reader would appreciate this and that content; expect this and that issue, can digest this and that conclusion. It is no different with your resume.
The difference here is you have two set of readers. Here the first stage readers (remember, the HR execs and managers) would do a skim-scan, meaning they have no time to delve into details, just quick to the point on whether or not to shortlist you. This is where brevity matters.
Readers Objectives
Their main objective is two:
1. To disqualify as many candidates as possible
2. To shortlist listing candidates
The first objective certainly sounds nasty, but someone has to do it and an ineffective resume, i.e. totally unreadable and messy resume, no matter how great the experience and qualification is, may not appeal to these eyes.
Once cleared, your resume moves on to the second stage where the decision makers reside. Here, they know that the first stage had shortlisted the best possible candidates and their job has become simpler. They simply have to look at the qualification and match experience with requirements and specific needs, and find Best Possible Fit.
So bear that in mind. Your readers come first when it comes to sitting down and drafting that darned resume of yours. It takes a lot of courage to be honest and honesty is what selling many writers out there and there are no reasons why you resume should be different.
Showing posts with label Interview Tips. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Interview Tips. Show all posts
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
How To Negotiate for A Better Salary
Graduates these days find salary negotiations to being a very difficult aspect and experience during an interview with a prospective employer. Indeed it is uncommon for one to want the job yet also at the same time need more money. To make things worse, having little or no experience being a fresh graduate does not help either during negotiations for a higher salary or improved package of benefits from a prospective employer. These graduates simply lack the ability to being more assertive towards the employer.
The remedy for this lies with the graduate itself in accepting that they may not get what they want. But this does not mean that they should simply give up and settle for less. Graduates need to get a clearer picture on what and how the negotiating process really functions. Aligning themselves to being more active will serve to make the graduate feel more in control and maybe even negotiate for more money in the process.
What are "Negotiations"?
Negotiation according to the oxford dictionary means to confer in order to reach an agreement. In simpler words, it’s when one meets and discusses a subject with another person or party, in order to reach a conclusive agreement. It is to be noted that the art of negotiation is based upon mutual agreement of issues, not confrontation. The end result should be a win-win situation for both parties.
Contrary to popular believe, negotiations do not start towards the end of the interviewing process, but instead begin when the graduate tells the company about themselves, their accomplishments and what they can do for the employer given a chance to work. Using active words in the interview to describe one’s accomplishments such as: I oversaw, I developed, I took charge of, I initiated, I followed up on, I actively contributed to, and I created, will only serve to the graduate’s advantage as it will increase the graduate’s "value" when the time comes to offer them a job. The ability to handle details whether minor or major, multiple projects or excellent time management and follow up skills will also contribute to increase the graduate’s value.
If already graduates have correct information or answers to the above questions, employers will most likely have some objections to request for more money. Some of the common objections are as follows:
The remedy for this lies with the graduate itself in accepting that they may not get what they want. But this does not mean that they should simply give up and settle for less. Graduates need to get a clearer picture on what and how the negotiating process really functions. Aligning themselves to being more active will serve to make the graduate feel more in control and maybe even negotiate for more money in the process.
What are "Negotiations"?
Negotiation according to the oxford dictionary means to confer in order to reach an agreement. In simpler words, it’s when one meets and discusses a subject with another person or party, in order to reach a conclusive agreement. It is to be noted that the art of negotiation is based upon mutual agreement of issues, not confrontation. The end result should be a win-win situation for both parties.
Contrary to popular believe, negotiations do not start towards the end of the interviewing process, but instead begin when the graduate tells the company about themselves, their accomplishments and what they can do for the employer given a chance to work. Using active words in the interview to describe one’s accomplishments such as: I oversaw, I developed, I took charge of, I initiated, I followed up on, I actively contributed to, and I created, will only serve to the graduate’s advantage as it will increase the graduate’s "value" when the time comes to offer them a job. The ability to handle details whether minor or major, multiple projects or excellent time management and follow up skills will also contribute to increase the graduate’s value.
To negotiate does not simply mean that the graduate asks for more money from the employer. Graduates need to ask themselves a few questions prior to discussing the issue of salary, in order to know if they have a chance to get more. The idea of a negotiation is basically to reach a common outcome. That is why, asking a few questions may be necessary to see if there might be a way to reach a similar outcome and or a compromise. Among the types of questions graduates need to ask themselves are:
- What would be the lowest salary that I would consider accepting?
- What the salary range is for the job in question?
- What makes myself worth a higher salary?
In order to get information on salary, graduates could approach people who work in that particular industry or at that very company, libraries, trade associations and trade publications or even at job hunting web sites found on the Internet such as JobsDB.com
If already graduates have correct information or answers to the above questions, employers will most likely have some objections to request for more money. Some of the common objections are as follows:
- That other employees in their company are not making more
- That the graduates do not have enough experience
- That their budget would not permit it
Thursday, February 11, 2010
4 Job interview “Don’ts” that you may have committed unknowingly.
Yes, you have had it up here with working people, lecturers, seniors, and some helpful blokes giving you advice on the "dos" and the" don'ts" of job interview. You are always ready, but you can slip.
Yes, there could be some serious no-nos you have commited without knowing. “But dude,” you may ask, “I am very aware of what I am doing and saying, how could I have done anything wrong”. Well, for a start zip up your pants.
See? You got panicky there, because you know you can commit mistake. We are not perfect. To err is human and all that you know. So, here let me share with you some of the things that you may have done in the past. Don’t do it again. Please.
So you equate your previous employer with Hitler or Stalin or even Hitler and Stalin combined with Miley Cyrus, a truly terrifying picture that is not going to help you at all with your prospective employer.
I understand if you view your previous employer with venom. Maybe they didn’t pay your last salary. Maybe they didn’t even contribute your Employers Provident Fund. Heck, they might even have taken away your “Hello Kitty” coffee mug.
But all this does not give you the license to spit venom about the previous boss during the job interview. Right?
Why not?
Because it makes you a schmuck, no different than your previous boss. Your, what-could-have-been, prospective employer will view you as a bitter, selfish person who will have no qualms to bitch about your interviewer to others if things go wrong.
Are you that kind of person? If no, why even want to uncoil yourself that when the interviewer ask you about the reasons for leaving previous place of employment. They don’t want to see you smacking the table, having seizure or steams out of your ears. Stay calm, and just say things like, you wanted to move on, or looking for better prospects. Old, clichéd reasons, but they still work.
2. Don’t show you are desperate for job.
Times are bad, you are broke and your pet cat know very well that you have switched to a cheaper brand cat food, and disgusted, it has hitched with your neighbour’s kitty. You desperately need a job and when the interview session takes place, you blurted out pleading to the interviewer you need the job badly to afford Whiskers again. Well, don’t be so blatant, will ya?
Why not?
Look, if you are just moving on you’d be cool about it and take your time switching job. But if you are desperate and you show, chances are you might be taken for a ride. You may not be getting the kind of paycheque your skills, expertise, talent and experience might deserve, with pet cat or not.
If you had issues with your previous employer, chances are you might head onto the same problems with your new one. Why? They hired you because you are cheap and therefore they can step on you. So, watch it, don’t go in teary eyed with dopey face. They will sign you in and ask the help to bring the chain and handcuff.
3. At the same time, don’t behave like they must hand you the job on gold plate.
Of some of the recent interviews that I have done with some employers, they (some off-record and I won’t say who) commented that many job seekers come in thinking that the job is theirs…and it should be offered on gold plate. They want all the perks, privileges and be driving a brand new Beemer in just few months time. Well, go ahead and walk in with that smug outlook of the outcome, and you will still be reloading your bus card for many more years to come.
Why not?
Dude, that denotes arrogance. If you indeed deserve a gold plate, you must have that credential. If you have none of them, then they won’t even offer the job on plastic plate. I mean, forget about the plate, you are not getting that job. So, I advised you to not to be desperate, but show some moderate amount of humility and modesty, especially if you do have those credentials then you will see. Then, the job is yours though you might have to buy your own gold plate.
4. Know what your potential new job is about.
Again, you’d be retorting, “Look Rakesh, I had enough of your preaching. I know what job I am about to do. Duh!”. Sure, you walk in for that mechanical engineering job, except you didn’t actually looked at the first word when they listed for the “Sanitary Engineer” job. No, sanitary does not mean “mental state”. Look it up, will you.
Many have walked into the interview sessions without matching the job title with the organisation. You must have read that you must always do your homework before attending interviews. Some responsibilities for the same job wary from one organisation to the other. And don’t blame your dog’s dietary habit if you haven’t done your homework.
Why not?
Err…you are not the right person for it? Hello?
Hope you find the above useful and hope you have good sense of humour to take the occasional ribbing there. Happy job hunting and watch our space for more stuff. There is a Career Expo coming up on 7th of May and if you register with us, you’d be entitled to lots of workshops and personal development trainings, and you might even get hypnotised. Now, close your eyes and says this “I am attending JobsDB Career Expo”. Repeat seventeen times.
I can be reached at rakeshkumar@jobsdb.com.my if you need help to dehypnotise yourself. Cheers.
Rakesh Kumar.
Editor, JobsDB
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
2 Random Job Interview Questions Tackled pt 1
First, I thought of picking just tough interview questions for this article, but I guess that would be subjective. You can probably give an easy answer to the question, “what will be the best contribution you can give to the company?”, unless you give answers like, “my entire EPF”. Other candidates may be stumped. They might go, “Contributions? I did it in church last week…” and trail off in total confusion.
So, I thought let’s pick up some random questions and deal with it.
1. Question: Tell me about yourself.
After all the intros about yourself in social networking areas like Facebook, blog, website, toilet (graffiti), and suddenly you are stumped not knowing how to answer this. Here’s the deal: they really want to know who you are before they put you next to a cubicle of an employee who probably doesn’t like coffee. If you are a coffee addict, they would most likely not hire you. Of course, why they hired a coffee hater in the first place could be baffling, but that’s the nature of human being you see. Especially the long suffering Human Resource (HR) managers.
What do they want to know?
Qualities that will fit into the organisation, that’s all. So, if in your Facebook you describe yourself as “Lollypop loving person striving for world peace by posting various famous quotes and not crediting it”, then chances are you have to talk more, especially your love for uncredited quotes.
What should be the best answer?
Hey, here’s a chance to brag about yourself, go ahead and boast what you can. But…but don’t be obnoxious. Your ability to clip your nose hair without a clipper will not interest the interviewer…especially so if you want to do a demo. Sure, there are fine human qualities you possess, like your cheery outlook of life and your friendliness or anything that makes you a swell addition to the organisation instead of another anti-social coffee hater.
So, chose and present yourself carefully. If you are a team player, say so. If not, then you have leadership quality and please if you want to reaffirm that skill don’t say you are a big fan of Star Wars, in particular Darth Vader.
Good answer:
“…People always said that I have leadership qualities and true enough I have led many wonderful projects during my student days...”
Worrying answer
“Well…I am a good boy…I help old people, especially my parents at the old folk’s home…”
Answer that will send you to the exit door.
“I read many leadership books that help build my character, including ‘Mein Kampf’”.
2. Question: How can you contribute to the company?
Sure, I kidded about it in the opening paragraph of this article, but look at it again, it says, “What…” HR managers don’t want you to contribute “things” to the company, so don’t offer your preserved grasshoppers collection. It’s what part of you that can best benefit the company, and we are not talking about your kidney either…unless it’s legal to sell one to private enterprises here.
What do they want to know?
Look. They are taking you in, paying you every month with the best ability, and putting you amongst the best they got and you better have something to offer to this team in terms of capability, skills and experience. Your experience in killing domestic lizards using lime paste (this writer excelled in it when he was a kid) can in no way contribute to the team, unless they are pest busters. Even then the method is questionable and your team member may not be comfortable with you alternating the use of lime paste to killing little reptiles and mixing it to chew betel leaf. I am digressing, but you get the picture. Do you? No? Moving on…
What should be the best answer?
Think carefully. What was the part your former employer, or your college lecturers, fellow students or seniors they praised the most? That you have keen eye for numbers? That you are a great critic? Note that great critic here means someone able to come up with constructive criticism, not an obnoxious whiner. Use these positive aspects of yourself and translate them into efforts you can put in to make the current team stronger.
In short, remember the question about yourself? Yeah, rework on it and say that these traits will definitely be your contribution to the company. Instead of fan of Darth Vader, say that you will be part of The Force and that The Force will always be with you. Of course, if you get strange stares from the HR managers when you say that, it’s time to switch your strategy.
Good answer
“…I can bring my experience as a moderator during many debates we had in college and my aptitude for discipline to help with the company’s mission…”
Worrying answer
“Why contribute when I can distribute? I love to rap, ha-ha.”
Answer that will send you to the exit door.
“…I know how to deal with people, especially with my hands…”
Happy job hunting. Keep an eye on our website, www.jobsdb.com.my and don’t forget to check out other articles, upcoming events, etc. While you were reading this, someone else would probably have snatched your dream job. Try again.
Rakesh Kumar
Email: rakeshkumar@jobsdb.com.my
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
7 Things about Resume Writing (that won’t get you the job).
1. The resume gets you the job.
Nope. It does not. It gets you the interview. That is if you are shortlisted. No use moaning that you have a fantastic resume yet you didn’t get the job, as you were not even invited for an interview. Take a look at the resume again. Is there any goof up? Have you added your contact details properly? There might be an “S” missing in your email address. Or that you have changed your phone number due to stalkers. Have you updated the dates? Have you accidentally cut and pasted a passage from romantic teen vampire fan-fiction? Clean it up and try again.
2. It’s cool to include your blog/website address
It’s great that you have a blogsite or website of your own. It may be about your pet subjects, like stamp collecting or your obsession with poodles. At the same time, think again. Is it going to help with your interview? There are high odds against the HR managers with affection for poodles, and even so they are trained to be unbiased, poodles or not. Or worse, you might be an amateur political analyst with vocabularies of a football hooligan. Forget about it, there is no better turn off than a very off-putting web/blogsites. You better remove them.
3. List all your hobbies/interest.
In addition to the above, think very carefully, how is it your love for collecting teddy bears going to get you that dream accounting job? Or would your penchant to party all night long over the weekend excite the HR managers to the point they hire you immediately as SAP consultant? If the interest corroborate with the job, like reading books if you applying the position of a journalist, or collecting technical manuals if you are a technician, it will be a great boost for your resume. Just make sure they are relevant manuals, not the one about making homemade bomb or something.
4. Fantastic design and great writing skills wins the interviewer.
Sure, if you are applying for the post of designer and writer respectfully. Even then, it’s the content that matters. Putting a cute picture of little pony on every corner at all pages is nice, but not if the HR has allergy to little ponies, even the pictures. He or she is only concerned with what you want to tell them, and tell them in simple manner as possible. Writing lines and lines of skilfully crafted prose would only drive them to either tear their respective hairs or your resume apart.
5. Completing Online resume form once is good enough.
You registered in online career portal like JobsDB, fill up the forms and click “done”. And you don’t go back for years and you end up thinking, “hey, I did upload my resume, filled up the online form, why the heck am I not getting any calls, or any mails”. Only the latest gets to the prospective employers eyes. If you last updated it back in 1999, chances are it is at the bottom pile rotting away to no one’s attention. Online resumes are sorted by computers first, so you have to be careful in what you are putting in there. You better take another look at that online resume of yours, especially if you are looking for IT technician position and you get mail saying that you have been called for an interview for nursing position.
6. Pix of you in cool pose is, err…cool.
No it is not. Just a usual passport sized picture would do. Ask the studio folks to give you a soft copy and insert it on the resume. We have seen some pictures which seemed to be more suited for matrimonial page than a job page. Go easy, willya? It’s okay if you don’t attach your pix if you think you have a face of a handsome horse. Who cares? It’s your experience, your skills, your education and your enthusiasm as an employee that matters…the HR manager can deal with your face later. You know what they say about don’t judge the book by the horse face.
7. There is a magic formula on resume writing.
Yes, it can be found in a spot marked with X in some strange island somewhere. Give yourself a break, there is no magic formula. Ultimately the magic is you, yourself and well, you. Resume guides online, workshops like the one conducted by JobsDB are merely helping hands. These help you to Find Your Voice. We don’t have a lab that makes magical formula that you sprinkle on your resume and voila! A Guaranteed For Job resume that works like love potion with HR managers. If you have what they want, and you have it there in the resume, you have greater chances of getting that job. If your resume is filled with words like “Abracadabra” or “The Force Says You Will Get Me The Job”, prepare for long, silent wait.
For more tips, guides, articles & announcements on career related stuff, check out www.jobsdb.com.my. Happy job hunting, and if you are not looking for one, wait for the head-hunters to look for you. The job head-hunters. What were you thinking?
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Tell Me About Yourself
So, tell me about yourself.
The "Tell me about yourself" question is probably as old as dinosaurs but it is also one of the toughest questions to be asked as well. There is no one absolutely right answer to the question, because being an open-ended question, no one could say that you've answered wrongly.
However, in the context of an interview, it would be wiser to conform to the expected answers to the question, as required by the interviewers. All questions are asked with an underlying purpose, because in an interview, time is of essence. No one wants to be wasting time asking silly questions or questions that do not give them any vital information about yourself, unless it's intended for ice-breaking.
"Tell me about yourself" is designed to let you reveal information about your personal achievements, your strong points, your character and how you can actually contribute to the company. This question actually lets you preview your best side to the interviewer, as you will subsequently go on to expand on your answer in the following questions asked by the interviewer.
When asking that question, interviewers are not expecting you to tell them a long-winded story about your life. They need you to tell them the highlights of your career, be it academic or working life. Being extremely interested in singing, and explaining that you often spend your free time unwinding at the karaoke stations in town with a bunch of your friends is not going to help the prospective employer analyse any strong positive points about you that could be converted for the benefits of the company.
Give them the milestones in your life whereby you have managed to overcome some huge obstacles in your life, or have accomplished some major project that could have changed the lives of people around you. Give them something stunning and outstanding about you that would make them want to rope you in to work with them. Tie your achievements to the needs of the company hiring because that would ultimately be what interviewers are looking for-how you could fit in into his team of people and what you could contribute for the company.
But please be prepared to expand on your answers because you are not helping things if you merely slap the interviewer with just a one-sentence answer, such as, "I'm really good with my words.". The next thing that would inevitably pop out in the interviewer's mind would be, "And.?". You need to justify your answers and not leave the interviewer with more question marks concerning you. You could probably say, "I'm really good with my words because I'm really passionate about language and linguistics. I could come up with write-ups or stories really fast, and I could even adjust the tone of my writings to the client's needs, which makes me really versatile with my words."
At times, interviewers may also help you along the way, after having asked this question. But don't be too dependent on it because it may leave the interviewer with the impression that you are not well-prepared.
This, being one of the first questions usually asked during interviews is definitely your best shot at marketing yourself to the prospective employers, because it is the time when you have full control of what comes out of your mouth. Use the opportunity wisely and you may have just talked your way to employment with the company.
The "Tell me about yourself" question is probably as old as dinosaurs but it is also one of the toughest questions to be asked as well. There is no one absolutely right answer to the question, because being an open-ended question, no one could say that you've answered wrongly.
However, in the context of an interview, it would be wiser to conform to the expected answers to the question, as required by the interviewers. All questions are asked with an underlying purpose, because in an interview, time is of essence. No one wants to be wasting time asking silly questions or questions that do not give them any vital information about yourself, unless it's intended for ice-breaking.
"Tell me about yourself" is designed to let you reveal information about your personal achievements, your strong points, your character and how you can actually contribute to the company. This question actually lets you preview your best side to the interviewer, as you will subsequently go on to expand on your answer in the following questions asked by the interviewer.
When asking that question, interviewers are not expecting you to tell them a long-winded story about your life. They need you to tell them the highlights of your career, be it academic or working life. Being extremely interested in singing, and explaining that you often spend your free time unwinding at the karaoke stations in town with a bunch of your friends is not going to help the prospective employer analyse any strong positive points about you that could be converted for the benefits of the company.
Give them the milestones in your life whereby you have managed to overcome some huge obstacles in your life, or have accomplished some major project that could have changed the lives of people around you. Give them something stunning and outstanding about you that would make them want to rope you in to work with them. Tie your achievements to the needs of the company hiring because that would ultimately be what interviewers are looking for-how you could fit in into his team of people and what you could contribute for the company.
But please be prepared to expand on your answers because you are not helping things if you merely slap the interviewer with just a one-sentence answer, such as, "I'm really good with my words.". The next thing that would inevitably pop out in the interviewer's mind would be, "And.?". You need to justify your answers and not leave the interviewer with more question marks concerning you. You could probably say, "I'm really good with my words because I'm really passionate about language and linguistics. I could come up with write-ups or stories really fast, and I could even adjust the tone of my writings to the client's needs, which makes me really versatile with my words."
At times, interviewers may also help you along the way, after having asked this question. But don't be too dependent on it because it may leave the interviewer with the impression that you are not well-prepared.
This, being one of the first questions usually asked during interviews is definitely your best shot at marketing yourself to the prospective employers, because it is the time when you have full control of what comes out of your mouth. Use the opportunity wisely and you may have just talked your way to employment with the company.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Top 10: Interview Mistakes
Most of the time, potential job candidates are not aware of the mistakes they make before and during the interview. These small mistakes that might cost them a job.
Running Late Without Notice
Turning up late for the interview and never calling to say you are running late will not give a good impression to your potential employer. If you are running late, do inform your interviewer and apologize that you are running late and ask if it is possible for you to attend the interview a little bit late or just request for the interview to be rescheduled if that is not possible.
Of course, the worst that could happen which could quash your employment chances is your attitude when you do not even bother to turn up at an interview without calling.
Lack of Preparation
Preparation for an interview includes:
In the event that you are required to attend an interview at short notice and you applied for a job with no company description stated in the ad, keep your cool and ask questions during the interview to know more about the company.
It is recommended that you carry an extra copy of your resumé in your working bag just in case you are called for a job interview during your lunch/tea break at short notice.
Lack of Confidence/Over Confidence
Lack of confidence could be perceived by potential employers as your lack of preparation; being nervous could also be giving the impression that you are trying to cover something or is lying. Being over confident may turn interviewers off as you may be viewed as being too big-headed or you may be viewed as a braggart who talks more than you deliver.
Talking Too Much
It is not wise to talk too much and fail to listen and understand the questions asked. Listen carefully to answer the questions asked, be clear and concise in your answers to show that you understood the question and are not just rambling for the sake of talking. Be specific and respond directly to the questions asked. Be careful with your selection of words and think before you say anything to decide if what you are going to say is necessary or appropriate.
Inappropriate Dressing
Avoid revealing clothes or being underdressed - stick to conventional dressing, i.e. mono colours and minimal accessories.
Body Language
Avoid weak or too strong handshakes, minimal or almost no eye contact with the interviewer and slouching when seated. Keep a straight back when seated and refrain from fidgeting or shaking your legs, twitching your nose, biting your nails or other signs that showed your nervousness. Take a deep breath to remain calm and be aware of your body language. Your body language tells your interviewers more about you than your speech.
Criticising or Slating Your Previous Employers/Company/Colleagues or Complaining About Your Day
No one likes a person who complains, keep in mind that it is not a recommended icebreaker. You are being interviewed to promote yourself as the best possible candidate for the post, not to criticise others or complain about the train/car that broke down on your way to the interview.
Lying or Concealing Information
Never attempt to lie or cover up any vital information, no matter how important you thought it was for you to conceal the information. You may land the job but how long it will be before you are found out?
Failing to Ask Questions
Ask questions to show that you are interested in the job, lack of enthusiasm is a killer of your chances of employment.
Money Talk
Never bring up talk on salary at the beginning of the interview. Only talk about salary or your employment package, i.e. remuneration, benefits, etc. when the interviewer asks you or the matter has not been brought up and the interview is near its end.
Running Late Without Notice
Turning up late for the interview and never calling to say you are running late will not give a good impression to your potential employer. If you are running late, do inform your interviewer and apologize that you are running late and ask if it is possible for you to attend the interview a little bit late or just request for the interview to be rescheduled if that is not possible.
Of course, the worst that could happen which could quash your employment chances is your attitude when you do not even bother to turn up at an interview without calling.
Lack of Preparation
Preparation for an interview includes:
- Research on the background of the company
- Bring along an extra copy of your resumé and relevant supporting documents, just in case
- Be prepared with the answers for possible common interview questions
- Rehearse on your speech, clarity, confidence, etc. prior to the interview
In the event that you are required to attend an interview at short notice and you applied for a job with no company description stated in the ad, keep your cool and ask questions during the interview to know more about the company.
It is recommended that you carry an extra copy of your resumé in your working bag just in case you are called for a job interview during your lunch/tea break at short notice.
Lack of Confidence/Over Confidence
Lack of confidence could be perceived by potential employers as your lack of preparation; being nervous could also be giving the impression that you are trying to cover something or is lying. Being over confident may turn interviewers off as you may be viewed as being too big-headed or you may be viewed as a braggart who talks more than you deliver.
Talking Too Much
It is not wise to talk too much and fail to listen and understand the questions asked. Listen carefully to answer the questions asked, be clear and concise in your answers to show that you understood the question and are not just rambling for the sake of talking. Be specific and respond directly to the questions asked. Be careful with your selection of words and think before you say anything to decide if what you are going to say is necessary or appropriate.
Inappropriate Dressing
Avoid revealing clothes or being underdressed - stick to conventional dressing, i.e. mono colours and minimal accessories.
Body Language
Avoid weak or too strong handshakes, minimal or almost no eye contact with the interviewer and slouching when seated. Keep a straight back when seated and refrain from fidgeting or shaking your legs, twitching your nose, biting your nails or other signs that showed your nervousness. Take a deep breath to remain calm and be aware of your body language. Your body language tells your interviewers more about you than your speech.
Criticising or Slating Your Previous Employers/Company/Colleagues or Complaining About Your Day
No one likes a person who complains, keep in mind that it is not a recommended icebreaker. You are being interviewed to promote yourself as the best possible candidate for the post, not to criticise others or complain about the train/car that broke down on your way to the interview.
Lying or Concealing Information
Never attempt to lie or cover up any vital information, no matter how important you thought it was for you to conceal the information. You may land the job but how long it will be before you are found out?
Failing to Ask Questions
Ask questions to show that you are interested in the job, lack of enthusiasm is a killer of your chances of employment.
Money Talk
Never bring up talk on salary at the beginning of the interview. Only talk about salary or your employment package, i.e. remuneration, benefits, etc. when the interviewer asks you or the matter has not been brought up and the interview is near its end.
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