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Imagine you have interviewed for three positions. Positions that you really liked. However, you didn’t land any of the jobs. You are stressed out as you are called for another interview. The stress of an interview doesn’t just face mid-level career professionals but also those who start out. It might be your first interview and you don’t know what to do. Here are some tips on how to prepare yourself ahead of the interview. 1. Research about the company It is important to know more about the company ahead of the interview. Expect the question “So what do you know about us?” to be thrown your way. Go online and find out more by looking at its profile, product and services, organization structure if available, milestones, etc. Don’t stop there. Read news articles, online and in print, related to the company so you can find questions to ask during the interview. Ask those you trust in your network about the company and if it happens that you know someone working there, you can use t...

In our previous blog posts, we talked about Don’t of CVs and redundant information that doesn’t add much value to your CV. We have received many questions from job seekers, asking us to elaborate on the structure or format of a good CV. In simple words, the different elements that are needed in a CV. For those who have not written a CV before, this will be a good article to start with because it will lay the foundation of the basic layout of a CV. However, this article is also important for those who have been writing CVs for some time now, because they might be able to learn a thing or two about the subject. The basic CV format includes the following.  1. Personal Details It is conventional to start your CV with your personal details. Write your legal name and not you a.k.a. Include your email address and follow the practice of using a professional email address that includes your names. This could be the first name followed by the surname or with a separator in the middle...

Imagine you have interviewed for three positions. Positions that you really liked. However, you didn’t land any of the jobs. You are stressed out as you are called for another interview. The stress of an interview doesn’t just face mid-level career professionals but also those who start out. It might be your first interview and you don’t know what to do. Here are some tips on how to prepare yourself ahead of the interview. 1. Research about the company It is important to know more about the company ahead of the interview. Expect the question “So what do you know about us?” to be thrown your way. Go online and find out more by looking at its profile, product and services, organization structure if available, milestones, etc. Don’t stop there. Read news articles, online and in print, related to the company so you can find questions to ask during the interview. Ask those you trust in your network about the company and if it happens that you know someone working there, you can use ...

Last week, we looked at what you should do to make your cover letter strong enough to attract the attention of those who will go through it. This week, we are going to look at some of the Don’ts of a cover letter. These are things you should avoid when you are preparing or writing a cover letter. Including them in your cover letter will reduce the chances of being called for an interview. 1. One cover letter for every position There is a very common practice of sending out the same cover letter for similar positions. Don’t do this. A generic cover letter will read like something that fits everywhere but doesn’t perfectly fit the position you are applying for. A generic cover letter is boring and it will not attract the interest of the reader. Remember, your cover letter should address the job requirements. Take the time to craft each of your cover letter. Even if you would like to use an old cover letter, update it accordingly with the requirements of the position you are applyin...

As a job seeker, your CV is what will determine whether or not you get invited for an interview. Meaning it is important to ensure your CV is well written and shows that you are the person the employer is looking for. So if you want to get interviews, there are things you need to include in your CV, no matter what position you are applying for. Here’s what you should always include in your CV 1. Your Contact Details This is an important part of your CV. You should never send your CV without including ways the employer can contact you in case they want to invite you for an interview. But that’s not all; you need to ensure that the contact details you put on your CV actually work. You do not want to miss out on an interview opportunity because you gave the wrong contact details or none at all. The details you need to put in the CV are your Name as they appear on your ID, Telephone Number (preferably 2) and your Email Address. 2. Profile Summary According to Rebecca Nya...

Towards the end of most interviews, it is common practice for interviewers to wrap up the job interview by asking you if you have any question to ask. As a job applicant, you should not wave this aside by channeling all your energy into responding to questions alone. While you are expected to respond to questions with insightful answers, you are also expected to ask intelligent questions. Especially when asked. Never forget that all through the duration of a job interview, the interviewer never stops assessing you. Therefore, you should focus on asking questions that reflect your knowledge of the company, your interest in the position, your experience as well as your personal work ethics. Here are 5 questions you should never ask an employer during an interview. 1. Can I Work From Home? Unless this was mentioned in the initial job description, don’t bring it up. Asking to work from home might indicate that you do not work well under direct supervision. It could also be interpr...

Preparing for a job interview can be an overwhelming task for many job seekers. I mean, where do you even start? How can you anticipate what questions the interviewers will ask? How do you answer questions? The anxiety of thinking about the job interview causes many candidates to panic and make one of the biggest mistakes a job seeker can make – that is ramble on and on. One great way to prevent this during your interview is to follow a structure of answering questions. One popular strategy to use is the  STAR  Technique: S ituation OR  T ask: Describe a situation you were in or a task that you were required to undertake that prepared you (is relevant) to tackle this problem. For instance, “In my old company, I was challenged with the task of _______ that had similar problems” A ction: Describe the action you took to solve the situation. R esults: Describe the outcome. And how you can bring what you learned to the company and their challenges. So now that ...

First impressions can play a major role in how an employer perceives you as a candidate. What you say during the first phase of the interview can make a difference in the outcome – in a good way or in a bad way. You don't want to come across as awkward and lacking in social skills. Rather, you'll want to show that you have the professionalism and communication skills to be an asset to the company if hired. Some hiring managers may even make a decision to reject a candidate based on a poor first impression. For instance, showing up late or checking the phone throughout the interview, can lead the hiring manager to perceive candidate as having an inability to make a commitment, meet deadlines, focus, and follow-through, which are not qualities that will impress an employer. Little things make a big difference at this stage of a job search. That's why it's important to pay attention to interview manners and to think through how you will introduce yourself during the j...

If you have gone through interviews, you would know that this is one of the hardest questions to answer. It is always in the beginning of the interview, serving as an icebreaker of sort. It is a difficult question to respond to because “tell me about yourself” can receive a very long-winded and incoherent answer. Do you talk about your career path? Do you talk about your hobbies to show the interviewer that you have a life outside work? Or do you say you are married with three children? Do you say you are more of a cat person? The best way to gauge how to respond correctly is to ask yourself what the interviewer is trying to achieve with this question. The best guess is that they want to see if you are a perfect fit for their organization. In order to prevent answering this question in an awkward way that will jeopardize your chances of advancing in your interview process, incorporate the following tips into your response. 1. Talk About Your Career Path/ Work Experience Ta...

Towards the end of most interviews, it is common practice for interviewers to wrap up the job interview by asking you if you have any question to ask. As a job applicant, you should not wave this aside by channeling all your energy into responding to questions alone. While you are expected to respond to questions with insightful answers, you are also expected to ask intelligent questions. Especially when asked. Never forget that all through the duration of a job interview, the interviewer never stops assessing you. Therefore, you should focus on asking questions that reflect your knowledge of the company, your interest in the position, your experience as well as your personal work ethics. Here are 5 questions you should never ask an employer during an interview. 1. Can I Work From Home? Unless this was mentioned in the initial job description, don’t bring it up. Asking to work from home might indicate that you do not work well under direct supervision. It could also be interpr...

How you answer interview questions is more important than experience The most nerve-wracking thing about the job interview is not knowing what questions you’ll be asked. So, to help you avoid been caught off-guard and panicking, here is how you can answer some of the most common and toughest interview questions. 1. Tell us about yourself? The interviewer doesn’t want to know when you were born and what year you had your first kiss, instead, they want a brief yet compelling narrative about your professional career. Let’s say you are being interviewed for a Marketing Manager position for a bank. You can say something like, “Well, in university I took a part time job as a social media manager for a new restaurant near my college campus. I quickly fell in love with the whole process of creating a brand voice and connecting with clients online. So I changed my major from Business Administration to Marketing and Communication – with a minor in IT. I’m a millennial, so I’ve grown...