CURRICULUM VITAE TIME

Nov 28, 2017

Is your resume making a favourable impression or is it perhaps a cause for severe depression?

Research has shown that the daunting task of compiling a CV is listed as one of the main challenges job seekers encounter during the career hunting process. Curriculum Vitae, CV, Resume, Profile. Call it what you like, but one thing remains certain: finding a job without submitting a document containing information about your qualifications, skills and work history is nearly impossible. Your CV is, in fact, the first opportunity you get to attract the interest of potential hiring managers and recruiters to your ‘’brand’’ as a prospective employee for their organizations or clients. A stellar resume,also serves as the foundation document to use when designing your professional social media profiles with the aim to promote your ‘’brand” further via your digital networks, to secure that dream opportunity in future.

Basics before Graphics

Writing a 10-page document focused on title, duties, and money with an appendix containing copies of all the courses, workshops and conferences you have attended since 1992, is not an option anymore. Innovative CV templates, quirky diagrams, holographic profile summaries, video resumes, personalised candidate meme’s and professional Facebook employment albums, are some of the graphic tools available to transition a resume from boring to scoring. However, before hitting the record button or subscribing to the hippest website for CV templates, be mindful of the basic rules and standards of CV crafting.A CV conforming to generally accepted basic standards will not necessarily secure your application a place in the shortlisting pile yet, but “oh boy!”,getting the basics wrong is a guarantee to regret, decline, unsuccessful or complete radio silence in terms of application feedback.

The CV Cheat Sheet below provides guidance on navigating through the basics:

Examples of WOW Factors: Adding the Bells & Whistles

Now that the foundation is set, it is time to move into second gear and add the bells and whistles to make your resume stand out from the crowd. Using resume tools like Visualize.me, Resumeup.com or Slashcv.com will enable you to create a visually appealing profile in a few minutes. These tools are free to use, but only works when you have created sufficient content in your basic CV draft. Adding WOW Factors (Works of Wonder/World outside of Work), should be approached with caution, including too many and you may seem overconfident, including too little creates questions regarding your self-esteem.

• Extra – Curricular Activities: These provide insight into your personality traits, level of commitment, drive, and determination. What do you like to do in your leisure time and what kind of activities did you engage in previously? Types of activities to include here would be sports, cultural, hobbies, event participation and volunteering or community projects you were or are currently involved in.
• Leadership: If you were, for example, part of the Student Council at University, Captain of the U/21 Rugby Squad or Head Scholar in High School, feel free to include these in your resume. Please use your discretion though: Class Captain in Grade One, does not hit the mark in proving your leadership attributes.
• Creativity:Use Pie Charts, Graphs, and Venn Diagrams to creatively display your personality type, communication style, and soft skills strengths. Add striking colours, but remember this is a CV, not a Christmas Tree.
• Photo: Add a nice picture, however, not that one of you dancing on the table at the local pub or sunbathing on the beach.
• Achievements & Awards: Common sense is essential in this case. Receiving National Colours for Athletics is in, but being employee of the week back in 2005 is out.
• Proving Value Added: What are you most proud of in accomplishing during your career thus far? Include examples of projects you have been involved with, articles you have written and even research papers done during your time at university for example.

Return on Effort

Whether you are applying for your first job, a new position at another organisation or a promotion at your current company, the importance of presenting a well-structured resume is undeniable. That PDF, Word or Excel document is your showcase to potential employers and can either make or break your chances of landing your dream job. Expect not to produce a ready to submit version of your CV on the first attempt. Creating a proper resume will require time, effort and quite a few “do-overs” initially, but the rewards may be well worth it when the interview invites start hitting your Inbox.

AVOIDING THE INTERVIEW GREMLINS – “If anything can go wrong, it will.” Tips to bypass Murphy’s Law during the interview day.

Nov 21, 2017

Preparing yourself for an interview is no small feat. This process requires substantial effort on your part in the form of logistical planning for the appointment, research activities about the organization, practicing your responses to potential questions that may be asked and formulating a list of items you would like to address during the meeting. These preparatory activities could be utterly worthless, if you fail to plan for the seemingly insignificant issues that may have a detrimental impact on the day of your interview.

Anticipating Gremlins by planning for the Nitty-Gritties.

• Interview Time and Date:

Be sure to confirm these details again on the day before your interview. Typos can happen, and electronic calendars have gone rogue before. If you have a Skype interview with a client in another country, take note of Time Zones affected by Daylight Saving modes.

• Location:

Do not just rely on Google Maps, TomTom and GPS devices to get you to your destination. If possible, drive past the venue during the weekend before your interview to verify the exact location, building number and parking options. Note the distance between the parking area and the actual building where your meeting will be taking place. Believe it or not,for some of the organizations in for instance JHB CBD, the allocated parking areas are not adjacent to the actual office buildings. Thus, you may need to make provision for an added 5-to-10-minute walk, before arriving at reception.

• Dress Code:

Rather smart than casual. Looking overdressed amongst everybody else wearing jeans and T-Shirts, is more appropriate than you trying to hide your casual attire amida pool of Armani and Jenni Button. Ladies, if you are not used to walking in 10-inch heels, do not wear them for the first time on interview day. (Falling down a set of stairs in front of your potential new boss won’t be fun). Make sure your interview outfit is ‘’ready to wear” at least two days before your appointment. The time to discover missing buttons or wine stains, is not in the hour before you need to leave for your meeting.

• Appearance:

Personal hygiene should be a given, but Guys listen up: you should not be a walking advertisement for Jean Paul Gaultier. Ladies, regarding make-up and hairstyle, be reminded of the golden rule: Less is more! You are there for an interview, not the Oscar’s. As a final point pertaining to appearance, repeat after me: “No new hairstyle cuts or colour make-overs, in the week before your interview.”

• Interview Equipment & Documentation:

Tablets are fine to capture notes on during the interview, but take a pen and writing pad with just in case one of your updates causes a shutdown when you least expect it. Print a copy of your cv, not for the interviewer, but as a guiding document to yourself in case the nerves set in and you cannot remember your dates of employment or companies worked at previously. (Yes, it has happened before!) You may be asked for proof of identification when entering the building or parking area, thus remember to take your ID or Drivers Licence with you. Ensure to have copies of your academic qualifications like degrees, certifications and matric certificate on hand.

• Getting ready to leave:

Check the traffic updates early enough to plan for alternative routes if needed. Rather skip the travel mug of coffee or take an extra shirt, just in case. Do a final check to verify that you have everything you may need like cell phone, directions, parking reference code, proof of identification, tablet, notepads, enough stationary and your car charger for your cell phone. Add the number of your Agent or the person who scheduled the interview to your phone, prior to your departure.

• Before you get out of your car:

USE THE MIRROR! Mute your mobile and please spit out that Stimerol you have been chewing. Make sure that you are parked like a human being (between the lines) and furthermore not standingon a reserved spot. (It could be the CEO’s!)

• Timing:

Fashionably late for an interview is not an option, nor is arriving an hour early. Report to reception 10 to 15 minutes before the meeting is scheduled to start. Receptionists are busy people, they may forget about you, thus remind them of your existence again 5 minutes prior to your appointment time. Always remain courteous and professional, even if something goes wrong and your interviewer is nowhere to be found. The best option in this scenario, is to call your agent or the person who scheduled the interview in the first place.

• During the interview:

Avoid taking a seat at the head of the boardroom table, unless prompted to do so. A firm handshake goes a long way to create a good impression, but this is not a testosterone contest. No use crying over spilled milk or cappuccino after the fact. If your hands are jittery, perhaps decline the coffee and stick to water instead. Eye contact with everyone in the room is important, but you are not watching a match at Wimbledon. Keep the conversation natural by remembering to BREATHE.

• Upon leaving the interview room:

Thank your interviewers for their time. Remember to gather all your belongings;it is very embarrassing to reach your car only to discover that you have left your keys or handbag in the interview room!

Overkill? Think again.

The tips and examples mentioned above, are based on “real life” examples of instances that transpired in and around interview days. Take note and have a plan B and even a plan C ready to execute when needed. “Murphy” is an unpredictable guest, who visits when least expected. BE PREPARED. Wishing you all the best with your next interview day.

TO ASK OR NOT TO ASK: Acing or Flaking the FIRST Interview

Nov 14, 2017

The interview event is a two-way street of mutual interaction between client and candidate. Candidates often fail miserably during the interview process because of two main reasons:

• Number 1: talking too much and asking the wrong questions or interrogating the interviewer with volumes of questions.
• Number 2: minimal engagement with the interviewer whereby yes or no answers are given without substance or limited questions are being asked by the candidate during the interview.

Examples of (A)CE style questions

When preparing for an interview, you should preferably devise a standard set of well- structured questions to ask during the interview, which display intellectual curiosity about the role and shows your interest in the company you are applying to.

• What would you highlight as the most challenging areas of this role?
  
• Which milestones would you expect the successful candidate to achieve during the first three months, six months and twelve months?
• Please tell me more about the structure and dynamics of the team?
• Why did you decide to join this company?
• Does your organization encourage employees to continue with further education?
• What is the next step in this interview process?

Examples of (F)LAKE style questions

Be very cautious when deriving your interview questions as not to sound entitled, demanding or superficial with no intention of investigating the essence of the role at hand.

• What can you tell me about the company? A sure FLAKE! You should have researched the company yourself, before attending the interview.
• What is the salary on offer? A kamikaze topic to crash and burn your chances immediately. If you are working via a recruitment agent, the salary details should be discussed upfront, before you even sent in your application for the position. If you applied directly to the company, salary discussions are to be done during the second interview.
• Do you offer any benefits? Right question at the wrong time. Benefits like medical aid, pension, and provident funds are important factors when deciding to accept an offer; these should also be clarified during the second interview or with your recruitment agent beforehand.
• Tell me about the growth opportunities in your company? Circumstances leading to career advancement and promotion are mostly dependent on candidate performance, thus enquiring about growth prospects without explicitly referring to WHAT your career aspirations are will be deemed as shallow and artificial.
• How many leave days will I get? A big no-no. Are you applying for the role or for the time off? Discuss this question with your recruitment agent or with HR during the application process.
• Do you have flexible hours? An epic fail straight away. Does your interest in the position depend on traffic or career progression? Should flexi hours be a deal-breaker, rather discuss with your recruitment agent before applying for the role or enquire from HR

Finding a balance

Interview questions and subsequent answers should originate from both parties involved.The aim is to strike the right balance between question overflow and question anaemia. If you generally come across as a runaway train, pipe it down a bit. Are you like a deer caught in headlights during an interview, get more comfortable by practicing the interview questions in front of a mirror.

Turning from “interview zero” to “interview hero” takes continuous effort on your part. Gary Player once said: “The more I practice, the luckier I get”!

FOUR CLASSIC INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

Nov 7, 2017

Tips from a Talent Professional to a Candidate Professional

You have an important date coming up. Time is confirmed, you have just googled the physical address and hanging in your closet are three different outfit options for the occasion. This is not a social endeavour though, you have been invited for an interview after being shortlisted for that dream position you have applied for. The nerves are setting in and while you have imprinted the job description in your mind and memorised the company’s entire website, just thinking about the actual interview sets of an array of butterflies……

If you Google the term “interview questions” a total of 50 700 000 search results will appear. Navigating through just the first few pages to find the most probable set of questions you can prepare for, is like swimming breaststroke with your hands tied behind your back: A completely drowning experience.

Frankly, it matters less which questions you prepare for, but more about the sense of confidence this preparatory action will give you. Even though there is no guarantee on the type of questions you can expect during your interview, the chances are good that at least one of the Four Classics will be addressed.

Tell me about yourself?

This question may seem simple enough, but believe me, it is not. Candidates fall of this bus quickly by either saying too much or saying too little.

 Getting it wrong

This is not an open invitation to go into details relating back to your date of birth, family tree or primary school career. They do know your name, surname, age, current position and employer already, as these are displayed on the resume in front of them, hence constructing a singular statement stating the obvious won’t get you very far in creating a positive impression either.

Getting it right

Follow the 80/20 rule.Eightypercent of your story should include information about your academic history (what you have studied, reasoning behind choice of career), your career history (industries you have worked in and unique areas of skill or technical competence) and your specific career aspirations (what you are looking for in terms of functional exposure). The remaining twenty percent should revolve around your life outside of work like hobbies, extra-mural activities, community involvement or volunteering experience.

What do you perceive as being your major strengths?

Confidence is crucial, arrogance is not. Your sense of self-worth and credibility are beingtested here.  Remember features tell, but benefits sell.This is also a numbers game, and you should aim to provide three key “strengths” in answering this question.

Getting it wrong

Flexible, dynamic and hardworking with the ability to adapt to change are not regarded as strengths. Making statements regarding your strongest competencies, without substantiating them with cold hard facts, will swiftly transition your interview into failure mode.

Getting it right

Think statement coupled with reinforcement. This is your professional “proof of life”. Each strength you mention should follow with an example or reasoning to back it up. For instance:“I would cite one of my strengths as X,because I did Y” or “I am and expert regarding A, due to my previous exposure to B”.

What would you identify as your weaknesses?

No one is perfect, and that includes you. This type of question is often used to verify your authenticity and level of humility.

Getting it wrong

Working too hard or being a perfectionist are not regarded as areas of weakness, and articulating such statements will label you as fake or egotistical. On the flip side of the coin, refrain from delving into excessive detail about your perceived shortcomings. Your goal is to impress, not to distress.

Getting it right

Put a more positive spin on the term of weakness, by rephrasing it in your mind to an “area of development”. Now you are able answer such a question by discussing an area of development pertaining to a problematic issue that requires improvement, as well as an area of learning where you would need training from scratch. Be sure to offer a solution to each problem statement and stick to three examples at most.

Please share your achievements and accomplishments?

This question relates to what you perceive as adding value and your beliefs around what standards of excellence entail, in your personal and professional environment.

Getting it wrong

“Employee of the month” or “company socialite of the year” do not constitute as professional accolades worth declaring. Unless you achieved National Colours or Olympic entrance in sports or was awarded Dux Scholar status in High School omitting achievements from your time in Secondary School would be best.

Getting it right

The easiest way to answer this question is to divide it into three parts: Firstly, state any significant sporting, leadership or academic accomplishments during your tertiary educational tenure. Secondly, discuss the notable awards you have received relating to your professional career or major tangible accomplishments, but use your discretion. These should really be WOW case scenario’s. Thirdly, address one or two things you have accomplished that you are most proud of and these may include professional or personal milestones, like learning a new programming language by yourself, or mastering a third language.

In preparation for your next interview think carefully about these questions and your corresponding answers. Write them down, then say it out loud and repeat them a few times until you are comfortable with your commentary. The interview event provides you with an exclusive platform to showcase your skills and personality to a hiring manager.

Prepare well in advance and make it count!