Life After School

ACE THAT JOB INTERVIEW

Did you know that the costs of just recruiting one single, managerial-level employee could amount to as much as two months remuneration?

To this context, add the costs of hiring someone overseas, processing their work permits, assisting them in relocating to the new country, aiding their acclimatization to the new culture and organization – and what you have is a pretty comprehensive picture of why it is so important for organizations to select just the ‘right’ candidate for overseas recruitment.

This is where it falls to you – the candidate – to convince the organization of your being that one person they are looking for. One way to do this is to put your best foot forward during the job interview – whether that interview is conducted in-person, on the phone, via video conferencing or on the Internet.

Following are a few quick tips to help you along:

The Prep

The interview is the turning point in any job search. No amount of groundwork done for the interview is too much. During an interview, the task is not just to convince the organization of your skills and abilities, but to show them that these skills and abilities are a perfect fit for their requirement. You have to demonstrate that you understand and value what they are doing and are interested enough to be willing to live and work in a new, unfamiliar setting. Be honest about your capabilities; it will actually go a long way in helping you find a job that keeps you happy.

The Interviewers

Most large organisations abroad have a standard format for conducting interviews. You will likely face a panel comprising an HR manager, a global/ international manager and a manager from the particular team or department you are applying to. To prepare better, you could ask in advance for details of the panel that would conduct your interview.

The Actual Interview

In the digital age, candidates are assessed right from the moment their name first pops into the recruiter’s inbox. Many companies may check your Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and other profiles, and some will even pay an external agency to verify your credentials. This means that you should be prepared to field questions about anything and everything in your bio-data, whether or not you explicitly mentioned it on your resume. For some positions, interviews can last for hours. Second interviews conducted by a new panel, too, are common.

In addition to your professional background, most companies will try to get information about your health and family life as well. Candidates who demonstrate a balanced, realistic perspective on living and working overseas and who showcase soft skills such as an ability to work with people from different cultures/ nationalities, are likely to be preferred. As in domestic recruitment, the ability to work well as part of a team is valued highly.

The Medium

We’ve listed below a few quick tips to prepare you for your international job interview, whether it is conducted online, on the phone, or in person.
Go face-to-face, confidently />

• Arrive at least 10 minutes before the interview and turn off your cell phone
• If no one is available to introduce you, shake each person’s hand and introduce yourself
• Maintain eye contact while addressing anyone
• Promote your qualifications effectively, particularly as you answer questions about why you want the job and what you can contribute to the company
• Always ask questions about the job, the lines of authority and your future responsibilities, because this demonstrates your research and interest in the job
• Follow up the interview with a ‘Thank you’ letter. Employers regard this as an indication of your strong interest in the position.

Get a job, on the phone />
For telephonic interviews:</>

• Fix the place where you will attend the phone call. Make sure the place is quiet and has good network coverage
• Have your resume and a glass of water with you
• Keep a pen and notepad in place
• Avoid keeping the phone engaged a few minutes prior to the interview. The interviewer may call a bit early
• Note your interviewer’s name and address them with it
• Make sure the interviewer has followed what you have said. Else, repeat yourself slowly and clearly.

Crack the Video/ Skype interview />

• Equipment: Make sure someone shows you how to use the equipment beforehand and test everything out in advance
• Camera: Set up the camera so it focuses on you. If you can get a tight head/ shoulders/ desk shot, this is the best. Dress professionally
• Microphone: Make sure the mic is near you. Even little noises can be very loud and distracting on the other end, so be careful about shuffling papers and tapping the table near the microphone
• Watch yourself: Some systems allow you to keep a ‘picture-in-picture’ of yourself on the screen, so you’ll be able to see what the other person sees
• Multiple interviewers: You cannot make direct eye contact to signal whom you are speaking with. It is therefore important to get the names of the interviewers in advance, and use the names to indicate who you are focusing on, during the interview.

So there! Ready to get cracking? Take the first step with our free trial of the Personal Job Hunt Manager where a real person helps you at every stage of your job search process, finds jobs that fit your profile and tailors your CV and applications to the selected jobs.

Now, go get that job that awaits you!

*Source: The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, UK

Ten step guide to getting a job
Job hunting is a complicated, scary and truly exhausting activity often specialized to the 
types of positions you’re applying for. However, following these 10 crucial steps will give you a 
massive boost towards bagging that first job.

01  FOCUS your search
You could apply for loads of varied jobs without having the full set of skills and experience for any of them. Or, you can specialise, and make sure you’re armed to the teeth with relevant skills, knowledge and experience, for a particular type of job. Which could take some time. But it’s a surer route to success than applying for jobs you don’t have a chance of getting because you don’t stand out from the crowd. The key decision you have to make is choosing the narrower area to specialise in.

02  Specialise your job applications
Focus and specialisation applies right down to the actual individual job applications themselves. One specialised application, with the CV, cover letter and anything extra tailored exactly to that particular job is worth ten, twenty, generic ‘one size fits all’ applications.If you find a job, you REALLY like, that’s REALLY you, why not spend a week on the application, rather than applying for a dozen OK ones? It’ll probably make you twelve times more likely to get to interview than the others, and it’ll be for something 

you’re genuinely excited about. 

03  Evidence, evidence, evidence
‘I know I can do a brilliant job’, ‘I’ve got a great sense of humour’,‘I’m highly organised’.It’s a terrible thing, but not having met you, employers can’t just take your word for it. Any time you claim a skill - show evidence. And show the best evidence possible. A link to an award, or an online review of a play you directed is better evidence than ‘was commended for directing a school house play and can show certificates upon request’. A link to a tumblr that shows the kinds of things you find funny (or maybe your own 
memes?) is better evidence than ‘all my friends say I’m hilarious’. If you haven’t got good enough evidence for your skills - get some.

04 Turn your Twitter stream into an ‘insider’ CV
Social media monitoring service Reppler surveyed 300 recruiters:
• 90% have visited a candidate’s profile on a social network
• 69% of recruiters have rejected a candidate based on content found on his or her social networking profiles
This shows that your social media presence (Twitter, Facebook, YouTube account etc.) is important. It can ruin your chances of getting employment.But the good news is that you can control it. If your Facebook’s not 
saying the right thing about you - make it private.The even better news, is that your social media presence provides a huge opportunity. According to the same survey:68% have hired a candidate based 
on his or her presence on those networks.You have the power to shape and control your online profile. To have it working for you. Your Twitter stream can become the ideal insider ‘snap-shot’ of your life, your style, humour and interests. One that you want an employer to see. One that will help you get that job.

05 Cast your net wide
Broaden your search as far as can go. Systematically cover all companies in the industry, including smaller 
and medium sized ones. Visit their specific websites. If they’re not hiring, send speculative letters, or make speculative phone-calls. Scour industry press, see which companies are thriving, growing fastest, target 
these first.

06 Exploit networks, grow networks
Never underestimate the power of who you know, or who you can get to know.At the least, people you know or hardly know or who you’ve never met but know someone you vaguely know, can give you invaluable advice and info. At best they can be the key reason for you finding employment. Conduct regular network audits - make sure you haven’t missed a single contact. Go through all your Facebook friends. All you mother’s friends. All your grandmother’s friends. All the people that live in your grandmother’s sheltered 
housing, and all of their sons, daughters and granddaughters. Seriously. Leads can come from the strangest, most tenuous links.Furthermore actively grow your network. Got a friend with a job in an industry related to your job search? Go and stay with them, sleep on their couch. Meet their work colleagues. Find out about their working life, learn what you can from them and their peers. You don’t have to become a ‘networking’ maniac, just make sure you get yourself into positions that give your network the opportunity to grow and ask for advice, info and yes, help. People can be generous.

Culled from http://www.studentbeans.com/lifeafteruniversity

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