Your Comments

• I Don’t agree with most of these

  1) Everyone is or has been in a sports team or did wcharity work at one point or another. Pick something about you that is more a) Impressive and b) Unique.

  3) Experience at any interview counts regardless of wether you want the job or not. It’s a good time to learn to bluff it. Even better is if you get declined. Then you can get feedback and know exactly where you might possibly go wrong in the interview you want.

  4) In my opinion it’s almost even more important to have researched the role and the sector. What does it matter if you love the company if you have no true interest in the job or sector?

  David Galbraith – 27th Jul 2010

• I have to say, your points are really good – it’s great to know your thoughts too!

  In response though, I would say that not everyone has taken part in extra curricular activities. They are however a start and something to add to your CV and elaborate on. Lets not forget, you might have done something within Charity work that makes you unique – as an example, won an award for your efforts. I would agree though that if you can differentiate yourself from others, that would be excellent.

  Any experience is good experience… but what I meant by the tip – was that I understand how much time and effort it takes for each application. If you are struggling with balancing Uni work with applications for a placement/internship, and you know that you are categorically not going to work in one area of the country (as an example), then I would recommend spending more time on opportunities that you really do want – at the end of the day, you may have to spend a year there.

  This is a very valid point with regards to researching the sector and role, however, would you not agree that they both go hand in hand? If you go to an interview understanding the role and sector, backed up by research on the company itself – recruiters are bound to be impressed. They also often ask you to research into the company before an interview so this is something to think about.

  What other tips would you give? It would be great to hear about your experiences!

  Sam – 27th Jul 2010

• I agree. Fair points in all.

  My experience lends to about 8 phone interviews, 7 assesment centres and returned about 6.5 offers. I took the process very seriously and took it with a competitive nature. Here are a few things that instantly come to mind in terms of what I learned:

  Remember: Master the process and you can get any job you want. Every job has largely the same initial recruitment process. But for some reason candidates (and schools/unis) don’t put enough effort into an important but predictably consistent area.

  Be prepared. Revise Numercy and verbal tests. They are consistent and in any major recruitment process. Master it once and it will become a part of the process you wont have to worry about anymore.

  Have a hook. Make the interviewer remember you. Have something aside that you understand and they don’t. My hook was that one of my hobbies was caving. I’m not anything more than amateur at it, but its interesting and impressive to those unknowledgable about it.

  Don’t rely on your charity work and sports team experience unless you did it at a high level. They very rarely apply to any job. Its also imo boring. Most jobs will be looking for groupwork in a corporate setting. Think more about uni and specific club projects. Think Yearbooks, Seminar days, UNI assessed group projects.

  Be confident, look well and reek of professionalism.

  Wikijobs and The student room are huge resources for what to expect. Alot of the time you will find the exact questions and tasks you will be provided on those websites.

  Finally: Drink TEA not Coffee

  David Galbraith – 27th Jul 2010

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