Seems obvious doesn’t it – but all too often people are keen to point out what their limitations.

A while back I had client who  - like the young man above – was frustrated that although she had applied for many jobs she had not been successful in being invited to interview  - until then. Now she wanted to work with me to prepare to do her best.  For that role she would be pitching to clients so – nor surprisingly – she was asked to prepare a 5 minute presentation as part of the interview which she wanted to run by me .  So she had her slides, her script  and off she went starting with

“I get really nervous about presentations so bear with me….”

Now I know we were practising but when I checked she agreed that she would probably have said that in the interview .

Being nervous when making a presentation is natural and very common.  The audience does not need to be told. And by flagging it up to an interview panel who were making a choice about a recruiting someone onto the team who would be responsible for pitching to clients was not the best strategy.

Remember to always tell us the good stuff up front – what you can do, how you do it, why you are special. Even if you are missing something let the recruiter – and if you are a business owner a potential client –  decide that on balance what you DO have outweighs what you don’t.

If you think you might be sabotaging your own best efforts with the words you use  get in touch to find out how a 60 minute coaching session might help you change that jackie@consultcameron.com

Did I include all of this on my CV when applying for my first “real” job? I certainly mentioned that I had worked there but I am pretty sure I didn’t give any more than that because I didn’t recognise what I had learned and the importance of telling that story to potential employers.

So – if you are about to start a summer job/temporary contract/whatever  - be sure you take a note of what you do, what feedback you get, what you learn and how you learn it ( training or under your own steam), how you handle difficult situations, what you are good at and what you might want to work on.

And – stay connected with people you worked with. They can  form the basis of your business network ie the people who know the person who might be looking for someone just like you to fill a job in future.

It’s never to early to start a Linkedin profile  www.linkedin.com

I work with clients to help them create CVs and their online profile. More information here

We  respond best to having control over what we do – and how we do it – so here’s some suggestions for starting that process

1  Draw up a pros and cons list

What’s good about your job and what isn’t. Simple as that …or is it? If you feel that there is nothing  good about your current job take some time to reflect in a balanced way. The fact that you get paid – pro or con ?  That you have a permanent contract – pro or con? That you only have a 20 minute journey to work – pro or con? That you get 5 weeks holiday a year – pro or con. See where I am going here?

Start the list  the put it aside for a couple of days and come back to it and be ruthless with your decisions. By doing this you should start to see what you want from work and what you don’t.

2 Draw a wheel of life

Here’s an excellent link to creating a wheel of life and working through what to do with it.

3  Take stock of what you have going for you

If the first 2 exercises show you that you should change jobs  – and be open to the idea that what you really want is for your current job to be better!! – then now’s the time to list your skills, talents and experience. Be honest with yourself and list everything that you think you are good at. If you are not in a good place emotionally this might be hard to start but can really lift your spirits by going through the process. Ask friends and trusted colleagues to support you in this.  You could try a Johari Window to add more to what you understand about yourself .

4 Brush up your networking strategy

Increasingly recruiters are finding other ways to place jobs than the traditional newspaper and jobs listing websites. You owe it to yourself to get a good professional profile and network going on Linkedin.  Some advice on how to do this here .

Hopefully now you are feeling more in control. If you find that you are ready to take your career to the next stage – with your current employer or otherwise – and you would like some help get in touch for a no obligation chat ! Send me an email to to arrange jackie@consultcameron.com

In any game when the supporters are interviewed – or filmed watching the game which seems to be popular now ( last night I saw German fans in Munich and Berlin…cool!)…. the underlying theme to me is HOPE.

There is belief in their team’s abilities, patriotic pride – and hope that their team will do well when it is needed.

There are many situations where we hope for a positive outcome - often when we have done all of the preparation and planning that is needed but a decision lies in somebody else’s hands . A job interview for example – or the outcome of a key presentation to a potential client.

Sometimes it doesn’t work out – in the World Cup a win is the great result of course. Sometimes a draw will do.  Ultimately somebody has to lose.

This is  not a suggestion that you think about winning and losing in a job search context but when things don’t work out as you had hoped like so many of the teams in South Africa right now you need to pick yourself up, think about what went well and do more of that …and put the other stuff right if you can.

Or of course – you could always sack the Manager ( only joking…but maybe that’s a theme for anther post!)

The previous day I was speaking with a colleague and she mentioned that she was scoring the application forms she had received for a recently advertised post.  She was bemused by how many people either don’t answer the question asked on the form and if they do how they answer it with irrelevant information. She explained the points sorting process which went something like

3 points for everything asked for

1 for some of what was asked for

0 for no mention or clarity on what was asked for!

The criteria for inviting to interview was supported by the scores. A simple and effective way of sorting out a handful of candidates from hundreds of applications.

We did discuss why someone would go through the process at all if they didn’t have all of the “essential” requirements. I have to admit that I have encouraged clients to include the best fit of their experience to meet that requirement – and leave the judgement up to the recruiter.  But you must always always always  – answer the question.

A couple of years ago I applied for the Business Manager role in a local school. I had never seen such a huge list of essential and desirable skills and realised that it was unlikely that any one person would have equal experience in them all so made my experience fit with what was being asked as far as I could. I did not start any section though with ” I have no experience in this..” but I really worked hard at applying what I did know to each section appropriately. I got an interview and clearly my answers there satisfied the interviewers as I got the job.

My lawyer colleagues used to talk about something “being silent” in a document – ie it was not mentioned so decisions had to be made in absence of the information ( please  – if you have a better explanation let me know!). But staying silent on an application form makes no sense.  As they would say in Eurovison – nul points!

So here’s some advice that might stop your application end up at the bottom of the pile

• Be systematic – have the job and person specifications beside you as you work.
• Answer all of the questions
•  Use the key words they use in your answers .
•  And use the “any other information” wisely to highlight what else you would like the recruiter to know about you.

And get the suit to the cleaners and the shoes to the cobblers so that you are ready …

“I would also say once you start talking about something you love you start getting the interviewer “off script” and build that real conversation that every interviewer is really trying to get at. My main question after interviewing someone is “Where’s the vision?” I don’t care about how good you are at maintaining something I want to see how you are going to improve it. And to do that you really have to love some part of your job.”

This is such good advice.  As an interviewer I want to hear how the candidate will apply their learning to the job  – albeit often with limited information about what it really  entails ( job and person specifications can be notoriously vague) . So Dan’s idea of getting the interviewer away from their script is a good one . With confidence in your abilities you will be able to find a way to do this.

Taking a UK based view on this though a couple of things to bear in mind

1 no matter what you do make sure you answer the question! The interviewer working from a script will have to note whether you have or not.

2 throwing everything that you have into the answer is likely to confuse the interviewer – make sure you highlight what you want them to remember about you. Summarise it at the end if you think you might have rambled.  Try to have a beginning, middle and end to each answer.

3 It is possible to be overconfident! I once had a candidate tell me that I had asked the wrong question and they went on to tell me what I should have asked and then of course answering it in relation to themselves. I was dumbfounded. Maybe you could do that if you have established rapport – but it is still risky!

As is usually the case when I am coaching for interview the client has talent and skills in abundance. Sadly what is also often the case is that they struggle to  recognise and value them! 

The reason that most come to me is that they are terrified of the thought of the interview and that they will do badly. I know from general conversations that is really common   but the big issue – for both candidates and recruiters – is where that fear gets in the way of learning whether they are the right person for the job.

As an interviewer myself I have met with people who on paper have everything we were looking for but who are unable to tell me ( and  provide evidence )- by the answers to the interview questions or in any other information they give – that  that is really the case. What a disappointment.

I know that it is common to worry about not being able to answer the interview questions and this is where I believe that those who have faith in their own ability stand a better chance of being impressive as they will be better placed  to draw confidently on past experiences and tell their stories thoughtfully and persuasively in answer to the interviewers questions.

I would like to make some suggestions if you are looking for a job ( or your loved one or friend is)

• Think about what you love doing at work ( even if you hate your current job there  must have been something that gave you satisfaction)  and why that is. What do you get out of it? How does it make you feel?
• Remember the good feedback you have had in the past. What were the common themes ? What did it say about you? What did it say about your level of skill?
• Why do you want this job? What caught your interest? How well do you match the lists of essential and desirable skills and what stories can you tell to illustrate that ?
• If you will have some learning needs to meet all of the requirements for the job how will YOU take responsibility for taking responsibility for that? Work out a plan.

Now is not the time to be shy or coy about your abilities. Interviewers are not  ( usually) mindreaders! You need to talk your way into a great job .

There are of course no guarantees – you may just not be the right person. But at least you will know you did the best  you could and take what you learned with you to the next interview.

If you would like more information on coaching for interviews just get in touch

jackie@consultcameron.com

Now I can’t make up my mind if it is as cut and dried as that . Nor can I decide whether the person giving the feedback needs to say so. 

On the other hand some time ago another client applied for an internal promotion. It was the organisation’s policy to open the application process up externally. She had already been “acting” in post for a while and – by all accounts – was doing a grand job . She understood the rules but  felt that having to apply for a job she had already proved she could do was just a bit  – well – insulting I guess. She did get the job and the feedback she got was that – unless one of the other candidates was truly outstanding – that would always have been the case. And that made me angry. Because to me that  meant that my client had jumped through hoops to make sure some boxes could be ticked and the other applicants had been treated disrespectfully as they were really there to make up the numbers.

I hold up my hand – I am taking a biased view on this issue as I care about all of the people  I mentioned. So please help me out here and share your own stories.

Before I started working with her I made one thing clear. Interviewers often have an “ideal person” in mind for the vacancy. If your CV has got you  to the interview you  must have met the qualifications  and job specification requirements. Decisions about you – who you are and what you have to offer as a person and potential member of a team – will be made when they meet you. In the short time that you will be together it is crucial then that you present yourself in a way that shows you at your best!

OK  – that might appear obvious but you would be surprised how many people go into and interview thinking that they will be just asked about work and and the task. Good interviewers will ask questions which will give them a whole lot more than that.

So let me help with some tips for preparation. Think about

1. what you are really good at in your current role – especially if these skills are crucial in the new job – and provide evidence eg feedback from your manager or clients
2. what you particularly enjoy doing at work.
3. whether you like to take on quirky projects or  prefer the routine.
4. the changes and development in your current job. How did they come about ( promotion or did you seek them out?) and what were the benefits  – for you and your employer.
5. how you are in a team. If you have worked in many different teams what have you noticed about your role?  How do you contribute?
6. what you do outside of work which might benefit your employer eg any volunteering work, teaching/tutoring.
7. how you are working to deadlines or in a crisis. 

These are just some suggestions to get you thinking.

You will probably be asked to tell stories. Questions might go something like  ” We work to tight deadlines. Tell us about a time where your contribution made the difference to meeting a deadline or not” or  “Depending on what our clients want we create teams to meet their needs. Tell us about a time when you took on a role in a team that worked really well or was particularly challenging”.

There is nothing more disappointing for an interviewer than when a candidate cannot tell their own story. 

I offer coaching for interview ( face to face locally and by phone) which includes this sort of preparation and if you want more details just get in touch. You might be happy talking it through with an objective family member or good friend. Whatever you do though - focus on your positives – and emphasise them. You may be asked about what you think is your greatest weakness ( though personally I think this is a bad question…) so be prepared to tell the interviewer about something that you are working hard on improving not that you have just given up on. Another favourite is ” where do you think you will be in  5 years time?”. I know that this will depend on many things but it might be a good idea to do some dreaming and forward planning?

And some practical things 

• get details of the format of the interview if they are not included in the invitation letter
• think about what you are going to wear and polish your shoes, tidy your hair and make sure your nails are clean and tidy!
• practice your handshake  – and your smile

And finally – if you are not offered the job – ask for feedback. If there is a glaringly obvious reason ie you insulted the interviewer you will know why but small things can make a difference and it is good to know to bear it in mind next time.

I understand he got caught out. Indeed the radio report played a snippet of the conversation when he was  and it was painful to listen to.

The point of this post is not to jump on the should he/shouldn’t he bandwagon. I do want to prompt some thoughts though.

I coach people in preparation for interview. That often includes working with them in preparing their CV/resume. I see the CV as the first part - a series of facts with enough by way of elaboration to inform the recruiter and to hook them to wanting more. Hopefully this leads to an invitation to interview where I would expect my client to be able to talk some more about what they said  and to be able to answer the interviewer in a way that will give them all the information they need to make a judgement about their suitability.

My strong advice in this whole process is not to include anything that you cannot either back up or explain – which includes anything that might come across as vague or messy as well as downright fabrications. Because a good interviewer will spot a flaw and will dig around  to get the whole picture.

Sometimes interviewers ask about situations of which the interviewee has no direct experience. Only the interviewer will know how important that is in the balance of essential and desirable skills. The interviewee needs to answer all questions as best they can. I am all for drawing on a couple of experiences ( still real ones ) woven together to get the answer.

And  for goodness sake – if you have an amazing skill/ talent – even if you don’t get asked about it, make sure you find a way to tell the interviewer!

So that’s my tuppence worth in this whole sorry saga. It seems like the guy was chosen despite this mess – maybe being able  to talk your way out of a hole is what Sir Alan Sugar values highly.