Category: Recruitment

If you are a company owner or self-employed business owner, then there may come a time when you need to take on new staff. Finding staff that you can reply upon and are qualified to do the job can be daunting as unless you know them, you have to trust that what they have put on their CV is true and may end up taking someone on that is not really suitable if you do not carry out the interview process correctly.

Some employers set candidates a small task to complete during their interview process to see if they can manage some of the work that they may be expected to do. Although this is a good way to fish out the people who have lied, you could lose a good candidate due to the fact that their nerves get the better of them.

Ideally you want to obtain references from previous employers to get a true picture of what the person is like in a job role.

If you have been out of work for a period of time, it can be daunting knowing how to get back in to it. It may be that you feel you do not have the relevant experience or qualifications to go back in to a similar role you previously had any more or maybe that you did not enjoy it and want to look for something different.

If you are registered with your local Job Centre, they will be able to assist you with finding work in your area and that matches your skill set. They will even help you with interview techniques along with CV and cover letter writing. When I found myself out of work after having m two children, I decided I wanted to get back in to it. I met with the Job Centre and they offered me courses to go on to allow me to learn everything I needed to, to set up my own business.

If you are at school or college / uni then a careers advisor will also be able to discuss your job opportunities with you and lead you in the right direction.

Interviews can be daunting and if you have one coming up then you may want to read these few handy tips and advice that may just get you that all important job you have been aiming for.

• Dress to impress – Too many people turn up for a formal interview dressed in jeans and a t-shirt or even a hoodie. Many companies will expect you to be dressed smartly for an interview and therefore will expect you to be wearing office attire. This doesn’t necessarily mean you need to wear a full suit and tie, but it is definitely better to over dress than under dress.
• Make sure you are confident with everything on your CV. You may be questioned on previous employment, gaps on your CV or a specific task you have said you have previously been responsible for – If you cannot answer the questions it will put doubt in the interviewers mind that you have been truthful.
• If possible have examples of previous work you have done. Show the interviewer types of projects you have worked on and what you have achieved for that client along with what you achieved for the company you worked for.

So much of human communication is non-verbal that we almost forget the importance of it. In fact a recent study has suggested that 93% of daily communication is actually non-verbal, this includes things such as facial expressions, body language and posture.

In an interview situation where someone is trying to make a good impression it’s important that all of these things are taken into account when trying to present yourself.

Facial expressions – it’s important to have an open face, this means that your face stays relaxed with a naturally smile that is not obviously put on or un-natural looking. People with an open expression often come across as warm and friendly, honest and open.

Body language – this should also look quite open, avoid folding your arms as this can look defensive and also avoid any fidgeting as it can make you look over nervous and uncomfortable.

Posture – you should always try to maintain good posture throughout an interview, avoid slouching or slumping as this can make you look disinterested and give the impression that you don’t care.

When writing a CV it can be a bit of a minefield with plenty of websites listing lots of do’s and don’ts but not making clear what a good CV should look like.

The hard part is that really the detail in a CV needs to be tailored to each job that you apply for so it would be difficult to design a specific template that would be useful outside of the basic headings and layout structures.

So where can you get help with your CV if your struggling?

There are companies on the web who will (for a fee) write a CV for you, all you need to do is provide them with the details such as qualifications and job history and after having a consultation with you they will produce a relevant CV that reflects the skills you’ll need for your new role. As you can imagine this is quite a costly option and may not be necessary.

The government have a careers website to help with CV writing that gives clear comprehensive advice and even has a free phone number where you can speak to an adviser if you are stuck.

So before forking out for a ready-made one maybe check out the .gov website and see how you get on.