These notes are not only for job seekers but also for any business/official meeting, other than the CV part. Take up these 14 notes before commencing a Skype interview, zoom or whatsoever that demands a live video interaction.
Ensure you get them covered and, you’re right at the top of the consideration list. This List is culled from a professional.
DON’T forget to:
- Test audio and camera.
- Elevate your laptop to avoid staring down into the camera.
- Dress professionally from at least the waist up.
- Position yourself at a desk or table, against a plain, neutral background( best to be recorded behind a white wall so the video won’t look cluttered).
- Check the lighting in the room.
- Close all other applications on your laptop.
- Silence your cell phone, and disable vibration alert.
- Have a copy of your CV/Resume at hand. (see how to prepare your CV below)
- Attach post-its around the laptop screen with prompts, and the questions you wish to ask the interviewer.
- Ban kids, pets, and spouses from the room for the duration of the interview.
- Have pen and paper at hand.
- Have a glass of water next to you.
- Always be careful of facial expressions we sometimes don’t realize (be cognizant of hand gestures as well). Read this article on improving calmness
- Check the power connections/backups of your laptop computer and mobile phone (Having an alternate internet connection sorted i.e a ready dedicated mobile hotspot internet connection in case of the primary internet connection glitches-up)
And….
Don’t forget to talk into the camera, not into the screen! Have verified a telephone number of your interviewer beforehand in case the power is off or you may experience loss of net signal? You may continue your interview by phone if anything goes wrong during the call. It’s easy to get excited and forget to ask for a phone number.
We panic, feel lost and devastated, anxious if they ever call back. Seconds are ticking, we check our equipment again and again. If we are lucky enough and they call back, we appear to be out of focus
Simple Tips on Successfully Having Phone Interviews
Obviously you will have prepped ahead of time. You will know your transferable skills, have practiced C.A.R., C.A.R.L. technique, and competency-based sample questions.
You will have thoroughly researched the company, know who the interviewer is, and will have prepared 3 questions to ask that person.
If you have done ALL of the above, there is no reason why you won’t ace the interview.
C.A.R – Context Action Result
C.A.R.L. – Context Action Result Lesson learned
Positive English Phrases to Use at Interview
See the Top 15 General Knowledge Blogs In Various Fields
We all struggle to come up with the right phrase to use in an interview, especially school leavers. Try some of these….
?I am incredibly ambitious, and this role would be an excellent opportunity for me.
?I’m confident I would make a valuable asset to your team.
?I am conscientious and make sure I take care when doing a task.
?I am easy-going and find it benefits me to be kind and helpful.
?I pride myself in being honest and loyal because I believe it’s essential.
?I’m very motivated and love what I do.
Using phrases and keywords in your interview will increase your chance of success.
Try writing more and use them at your next interview.
8 steps to prepping before an INTERVIEW
1. Research the role and the company.
2. Check company financials, if available.
3. Check the LinkedIn Profile of interviewer.
4. Identify your transferable skills.
5. Practice competency based interview questions.
6. Prepare questions that you wish to ask.
7. Test audio and camera for phone and video interviews.
8. Practice role play with family member or friend.
If you are prepared, there is no reason why you can’t ace it! Avoid prepping at the last minute, unless invited to interview at short notice!
No need to be nervous! An interview is a two-way conversation, not a dangerous situation!
The Job Seeker Daily Routine List and How to Get Hired With It
8 sections of CV/Resume
1. Professional Summary -“what,” “who” and “why” about you.
2. Core Competencies and Achievements – hard skills, tech skills, transferable skills. Achievements backed up by numbers and percentages.
3. Professional Experience with sub-heading. Earlier Work Experience for experience older than 10-12 years.
4. Education
5. Certifications/Professional Training
6. Awards/Affiliations
7. Publications/Patents
8. Volunteer/Charity Work
1-3 are NOT optional.
4-8 ARE optional; they either apply to you or they don’t.
Freshers/Recent grads: your order is: 1,4,2,3 and substitute Professional Experience with Internships if you need to.
CV/Resume length
Freshers/Recent graduates/ Less than 5 years experience: 1 page.
Non-CEO/CFO/CTO/CSO etc: 2 pages.
C-Suite: Up to 3 pages.
Medical, Legal, Military, Law Enforcement, or any field with case detail: 4 pages+
This order of CV/Resume is applicable for ATS and also non-ATS applications.
Take the time to get it right!
Or hire a professional CV/Resume writer to get it right for you! Not everyone is good at selling themselves on paper!
See 7 Professional Reasons Your CV May Not Get You A Job
6 ways to tailor your CV/Resume for a specific ONLINE job application
1. CV/Resume must be ATS-compliant.
2. Make sure that the application job title appears quickly. These are the first keywords that the ATS algorithm will search for.
3. Make sure that keywords in the job description appear throughout your CV/Resume.
4. Make sure that keywords in the job requirements appear in your Core Competencies and Achievements section.
5. If specific tech skills are requested, example; Python, Devops, Prince2, make sure they are prominent.
6. If specific languages are requested, these must appear in Core Competencies.
For each individual job that you apply for online, ATS algorithm will be searching to match keywords in the job description to your CV/Resume.
If applying for Business Analyst role, it is most likely that ATS will search for these 2 keywords first. If it doesn’t find them, you will be rejected within 6 seconds, and you will never know why.
Please submit in Word form, unless PDF is specifically requested by the portal. The “machine” is here to stay for now.
Now is not the time to be a rebel!
As a job seeker, your CV/Resume is your “passport” to getting a job. Make sure it hasn’t expired!
ATS; Applicant tracking system software
Source credit: Kirsty on LinkedIn