Be prepared

•  Absolutely no spelling mistakes
• It must be easy to read and visually appealing

The information must be accurate, genuine and to the point – use bullet points wherever possible to keep your CV concise.

Personal details:

• Name
• Address
• Contact telephone numbers
• Cell phone number and e-mail address
• Nationality
• Gender
• Languages spoken
• Date of birth (optional) and/or ID number

Your future employer will be able to gauge this from your educational dates, ID number as well as work history dates, so why put him under pressure and annoy him – just put in your date of birth.

Tertiary and school – don’t get too detailed about school, especially if you have an extensive work history. Memberships and professional affiliations – only if they are relevant. You should include all dates of qualifications.

• Start with current and work backwards
• Name of employer and nature of their business
• Accurate dates
• Job responsibilities – in bullet points
• Achievements – be specific
• Reasons for leaving – in one line

DO NOT LEAVE TIME GAPS – If you have travelled, then say so with accurate dates.

Here is the opportunity to show something of your personality. Only mention achievements that are recent and relevant. That you swam the Midmar Mile in 1986 is a no-no, but that you won the Employee of the Year award in your present position – yes. Include school and tertiary highlights if they are relevant, e.g. head girl, captain of the first rugby team, member of the debating team, junior lecturer while studying, job-relative awards.

Simply state that these are available on request. Make sure your referees are happy to be contacted. These references should be current.

• What you should know about the company before the interview
• Who owns the company? Private or public?
• Who are their main competitors?
• How are they viewed in the market place?
• Look at their website
• What services or products has it to offer?
• What is the current growth of the company and what potential is there for the future?
• Make sure you know the exact location, the time of your interview, who you are seeing, what their position is within the company and how you pronounce their name

Time spent on research prior to your interview will pay off on the day.

• Can you do the job? Do you meet all the criteria in the job description?
• Will you do the job? Have you the right attitude and motivation? Is the job realising your career goals?
• Will you fit into the team? Will it be the right culture match?

You should be asking yourself these very same questions.

• Do introduce yourself clearly. Do give a firm handshake
• Do be punctual
• Do dress professionally
• Do listen to the question carefully before answering
• Do be prepared to answer basic questions (see section on “Most frequently asked questions”)
• Do have good posture, body language, and good eye contact (see section on Body Language Do’s and Don’ts)
• Do have a positive attitude. Show confidence, maintain poise and SMILE
• Do be assertive
• Do market yourself. Do show your worth. Do show how your experience would benefit the company

• Do not bad-mouth previous employers
• Do not arrive unprepared for the interview
• Do not make excuses for failings
• Do not give vague responses to questions
• Do not show too much concern about rapid advancement, yet do show a clearly defined career path
• Do not express strong prejudices or any personal intolerance
• Do not show any reservation about the company or position. You can always refuse a second interview after consideration
• Do not over-emphasise money. Salary discussion is secondary. Your goal is to sell yourself
• Do not leave your cell phone on during the interview
• Do not chew gum

• Always close the interview on a positive note, even if you did not think that it went that well. The interviewer may have thought otherwise
• Confirm your strengths and the reason why you will be an asset to the company
• If you really want the job, ASK FOR IT
• If the job is offered to you on the spot and you want it, accept it
• If the job is offered to you and you need to think about it, say so, stating a definite time when you will get back to the employer
• Show willingness and availability for a second interview
• Ask at the end of the interview when the employer will be making the hiring decision
• Thank the interviewer for the interview and end with a firm handshake
• Don’t be too hard on yourself. Things don’t always work out the way you hope
• Laugh – it is the best medicine

• Walk slowly and deliberately when entering the room. Shoulders back. Walk tall
• Give a firm handshake while maintaining constant eye contact. A firm handshake shows confidence in yourself and your abilities
• Never appear to be staring, look away from time to time. Never look down
• Listen
• Show enthusiasm, be alert. Your attitude should never be viewed as indifferent
• Give non-verbal feedback by smiling and nodding
• Control your movements. Do not hurry
• Do not fidget. Be aware of what you are doing with your hands. Avoid expansive hand gestures
• Don’t forget to breathe
• Do not be aggressive or act in a superior, conceited or overbearing way
• Do speak clearly with good diction and grammar
• Do no talk too much
• Do not lose concentration or attention

A) This is the most commonly asked question, so rehearse so that it sounds important. Describe your qualifications, work history and your acquired skills, emphasising the skills required for the position on offer.

A) You will get this question – so be prepared. Strengths to consider – ability to learn quickly, determined to succeed. Positive attitude, ability to relate to other people in achieving a common goal. Be prepared to give examples.

A) This is a standard question. Be prepared. Don’t say: “none.” You can use a professional weakness such as lack of experience (not ability) or turn a weakness into a positive and how you are trying to work at it. Example: “I am reluctant to let go and tend to do everything myself, feeling like nobody can do it as well as me, but I am learning to delegate more readily with excellent results.” Do not use a personal weakness like “I’m basically untidy and need somebody to keep me in check, but I am getting better at it.”

A) Choose a recent achievement and relevant to the job. What skills were used and how it benefited the company. An example, “I wrote and implemented a marketing strategy which increased our market share by 20%. I was awarded a substantial monetary award in recognition of this.”

A) This is straightforward question. Describe your likes, linking it to the skills required. Don’t go into too much detail. After all – you are leaving.

A) Be careful, very careful. Be somewhat vague, as you do not want to expose your weaknesses, thus causing problems. Choose an aspect of your present company such as its size, slow decision-making etc. Your answer must reflect that you are someone who takes problems and frustrations in your stride as part of the job.

A) This could be a trap. To avoid it, choose a difficult work situation that was not caused by you, how you define the problem, the option, why you selected that particular option and the outcome. End on a positive note.

A) This should be answered in 2 different ways: “I like to make decisions based on sufficient information and have alternatives” OR “when I have to make decisions quickly, I rely on gut feel and experience.” Your answer must not reflect weakness.

A) This requires a straightforward answer. You are looking for a challenge, more responsibility, you need to enhance your experience and you need a change of environment. NEVER give negative reasons for leaving and NEVER state salary as the main motivator.