Top 14 Find a Job

How to find a job. Information about the best places online to find a job. There are so many job boards in cyberspace, sometimes it is difficult to tell which ones are worth your time. Here is a list of some of the top job boards and search sites for Technology Careers, to help you find a job online. There are useful tips and tricks for each site.



Find a Job with Monster.com
Probably one of the more popular job search sites, Monster often has thousands of technology jobs listed.


Using DICE.com to Find a Job
DICE is one of the larger job boards, and lists mostly technical positions. There is a focus here on all types of technical openings - regular, full time, part time and contract work are all listed here. My DICE tips and tricks gives more information about this popular job search website.

Find a Job with CraigsList
Craigslist is one of my favorite sites to search for a job (for myself!) and, as a recruiter, to post jobs for technical candidates to apply to. Check out these Craigslist tips and tricks to make the best use of Craigslist for your job search.
Using HotJobs to Find a Job
One of the larger job boards out there, HotJobs has thousands of jobs to search through. Many of the larger employers have access to HotJobs, and it should be a part of any thorough job search. View these HotJobs Tips and Tricks to get the best use of HotJobs.

Find a Job with CareerBuilder
Career Builder is a large, popular job search website. It is not as heavily populated with technology listings as some of the other boards, but is definitely worth checking into as part of your job search.
How to Use LinkedIn.com to Find a Job
Part social networking for grown ups, part job search and lots of great contacts make LinkedIn one of my favorite tools for searching for jobs - and as a recruiter, I use it often to search for candidates!

Find a Job - Entry Level and Intern Job Sites
My complete listing of entry level and intern job site reviews. Each site listed links to tips and strategies for finding an intern position or entry level position for a new grad.
Using IEEE.org to Find a Job
IEEE is one of the premiere industry associations. They have extensive job posting and networking opportunities for members. The IEEE job searching resources gives more information on how to utilize IEEE in your job search.


Find a Job with Women in Technology International - WITI
An great industry association, WITI is Women in Technology International. Focused on enabling women to be successful in technical careers, they have an extensive list of online job openings, in addition to being a great place to network. Check out the WITI Tips and Tricks for more information.

Find a Job Using Job Serve Websites
The Job Serve group of sites includes many technology focused niche sites. Hundreds of relevant jobs are posted on each site. Check out these jobserve tips to maximize your job search online.


How to find a job. Information about the best places online to find a job. There are so many job boards in cyberspace, sometimes it is difficult to tell which ones are worth your time. Here is a list of some of the top job boards and search sites for Technology Careers, to help you find a job online. There are useful tips and tricks for each site.

Using Indeed.com to Find a Job
Indeed.com is a search engine for job postings. The site visits job boards and corporate websites and returns listings based on the keywords you select, which can make the process of searching much more efficient.

Engineering Central

A job search site that specializes in Engineering jobs, EngCen.com has a great number of entry level and intern positions listed for companies around the U.S.
Find a Job with Guru.com

Guru.com is a project based site, popular with consultants. A great place to find side jobs, build your profile or sub out portions of more complex jobs. Check out the Guru.com tips for more information.

In a tight job market, building and maintaining an online presence is critical to networking and job hunting. Done right, it can be an important tool for present and future networking and useful for potential employers trying to get a sense of who you are, your talents and your experience. Done wrong, it can easily take you out of the running for most positions.

Here are five mistakes online job hunters make:

1. Forgetting manners.

If you use Twitter or you write a blog, you should assume that hiring managers and recruiters will read your updates and your posts. A December 2009 study by Microsoft Corp. MSFT +0.38% found that 79% of hiring managers and job recruiters review online information about job applicants before making a hiring decision. Of those, 70% said that they have rejected candidates based on information that they found online. Top reasons listed? Concerns about lifestyle, inappropriate comments, and unsuitable photos and videos.

"Everything is indexed and able to be searched," says Miriam Salpeter, an Atlanta-based job search and social media coach. "Even Facebook, which many people consider a more private network, can easily become a trap for job seekers who post things they would not want a prospective boss to see."

Don't be lulled into thinking your privacy settings are foolproof. "All it takes is one person sharing information you might not want shared, forwarding a post, or otherwise breaching a trust for the illusion of privacy in a closed network to be eliminated," says Ms. Salpeter, who recommends not posting anything illegal (even if it's a joke), criticism of a boss, coworker or client, information about an interviewer, or anything sexual or discriminatory. "Assume your future boss is reading everything you share online," she says.

2. Overkill.

Blanketing social media networks with half-done profiles accomplishes nothing except to annoy the exact people you want to impress: prospective employees trying to find out more about on you.

One online profile done well is far more effective than several unpolished and incomplete ones, says Sree Sreenivasan, dean of students at Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. He made the decision early on to limit himself to three social-networking sites: Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. "There is just not enough time," he says. "Pick two or three, then cultivate a presence there."

Many people make the mistake of joining LinkedIn and other social media sites and then just letting their profiles sit publicly unfinished, says Krista Canfield, a LinkedIn spokesperson. "Just signing up for an account simply isn't enough," she says. "At a bare minimum, make sure you're connected to at least 35 people and make sure your profile is 100 percent complete. Members with complete profiles are 40 times more likely to receive opportunities through LinkedIn."

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LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter are the three most popular social networking sites for human resources managers to use for recruiting, according to a survey released last month by JobVite, a maker of recruiting software.

3. Not getting the word out.

When accounting firm Dixon Hughes recently had an opening for a business development executive, Emily Bennington, the company's director of marketing and development, posted a link to the opportunity on her Facebook page. "I immediately got private emails from a host of people in my network, none of whom I knew were in the market for a new job," she says. " I understand that there are privacy concerns when it comes to job hunting, but if no one knows you're looking, that's a problem, too."

Changing this can be as simple as updating your status on LinkedIn and other social networking sites to let people know that you are open to new positions. If you're currently employed and don't want your boss to find out that you're looking, you'll need to be more subtle. One way to do this is to give prospective employers a sense of how you might fit in, says Dan Schawbel, author of "Me 2.0" and founder of Millennial Branding. "I recommend a positioning, or personal brand statement, that depicts who you are, what you do, and what audience you serve, so that people get a feeling for how you can benefit their company."

4. Quantity over quality.

Choose connections wisely; only add people you actually know or with whom you've done business. Whether it's on LinkedIn, Facebook or any other networking site, "it's much more of a quality game than a quantity game," says Ms. Canfield. A recruiter may choose to contact one of your connections to ask about you; make sure that person is someone you know and trust.

And there's really no excuse for sending an automated, generic introduction, says Ms. Canfield. "Taking the extra five to 10 seconds to write a line or two about how you know the other person and why'd you'd like to connect to them can make the difference between them accepting or declining your connection request," she says. "It also doesn't hurt to mention that you're more than willing to help them or introduce them to other people in your network."

5. Online exclusivity.

Early last year, Washington's Tacoma Public Utilities posted a water meter reader position on its website. The response? More than 1,600 people applied for the $17.76 an hour position.

With the larger number of people currently unemployed (and under-employed), many employers are being inundated with huge numbers of applications for any positions they post. In order to limit the applicant pool, some have stopped posting positions on their websites and job boards, says Tim Schoonover, chairman of career consulting firm OI Partners.

Scouring the Web for a position and doing nothing else is rarely the best way to go. "When job-seekers choose to search for jobs exclusively online– rather than also include in-person networking–they may be missing out on 'hidden' opportunities," says Mr. Schoonover. "Higher-level jobs are not posted as often as lower-level jobs online. In-person networking may be needed to uncover these higher-level positions, which may be filled by executive recruiters."
Experience.com

Experience.com is one of the largest new grad and internship databases available. They have a comprehensive jobs database for those with anywhere from 0-3 years of experience. They also offer links to tips on resume writing and networking.

Online Job

How to Find Article Writing Jobs?

Article writing jobs are a good way of earning extra money by getting clients to write for. For a person who is initially starting of on this, there is a question of where to get the article writing jobs.



1. Online Job Boards
Similar to online message boards, there are online job boards where job postings are listed and discussed. You can find such job boards online with a standard internet search focusing on freelance web content writing.

2. Online Job Websites
Besides online job boards, there are also online job websites. You may be able to find article writing jobs in popular websites like CareerBuilder.com. The best will be to look for those that focus on freelance writing projects. These can also be found by doing a standard internet search.

3. Online Classified Advertisements
Online classified advertisements, the most popular of which is Craiglist.org, are another way to find freelance article writing jobs online. The only concern here is the possibility of running into scams. Having said this, you will soon find be able to figure out the warning signs for such scams.

4. Online Bidding Websites
Those who need to get projects done can post their projects, like article writing jobs, on online bidding websites. Then, bidders who are freelance writers can bid for these jobs,outlining how much they will do the project for. These sites can also be found using a standard internet search. When choosing what to bid for, look for those that protect you from scammers. This could involve having buyers escrow the funds so that as long as you get the project completed, you get paid.

5. SEO Companies
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) companies specialize in Internet marketing and article marketing plays an important role in this. The webmasters hire article writers to improve the search engine rankings and views of their websites. These SEO companies may advertise using the above methods or they may also have a job opportunities section on their sites.

If you are really serious about making money through article writing, it is best for you to create your own website. This does not have to be a fancy,elaborate site. Include a list or link to your online sample articles, your rates and a summary of the topics that you have expertise in.

Of course, an easy way of getting article writing jobs, is to inform your current clients of your willingness to take on some more projects with them. Repeat clients are also great to have as you already understand their expectations plus you will know their payment reliability.

Are you looking for easy online jobs that can be done easily ? If you are looking for easy online jobs, you don’t need to pay any kind of registration charges or joining fee because in this article, I am going to tell you 5 types of easy online jobs.

5 Easy Online Jobs For Internet Jobs Seekers

Okay let’s come to the point “How to get easy online jobs without paying any kind of joining fee“. If you don’t have any kind of technical skill and you want to make money by doing any kind of easy job then here I have written about five simple and easy jobs.

1. Free Ad Posting Jobs- Ad posting jobs are very easy and you don’t need to achieve any kind of technical skill. In this job, you have to promote contractors’ product or website on different place on the web such as- social networking sites, internet forums, blog commenting etc. You can find many ad posting jobs on freelancing sites. If you don’t know how to join freelancing sites to get this job then see the instruction about ad posting jobs.

2. Email Sending Jobs ( Email Marketing )- Email marketing job is another easy job which can be done easily. If you want to get this job then read instructions for email sending jobs.

3. Data Entry Jobs-Data entry jobs or online typing jobs is one of the easiest jobs on the web. If you want to get online data entry jobs then check here available data entry jobs.

4. Article Writing - Article writing job is also an easy online but here are some requirements such as- writing skill , perfect grammar etc. If you are interested in this job then here I have written about this topic. Just check it out.

5. Affiliate Marketing- Many people think affiliate marketing is an easy job but I think this is very easy and simple online job because here you don’t need to have any kind technical skill, just promote affiliate programs on the web ( social networking sites, internet forums, sites etc) and make money. Read more on how to make money online with affiliate marketing.

How To Make Money Online With Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing is another great source to make money online without doing any online freelancing job such as data entry, email response handling etc. Affiliate marketing is a great way to earn huge money if you have large friend circle on social networking sites because this the way where you can earn money quickly and easily without investing your money as joining fee or registration charges. If you are new to the online business and don’t want to create your own website or blog to make money online, you can even earn with affiliate marketing where you have to promote affiliate products or any action such as free sign up, affiliate links etc on the internet via social networking sites and different online communities.

How To Make Money Online With Affiliate Marketing


So if you think what are the main benefits of affiliate marketing then I can show you a lot of benefits of affiliate marketing. There are many affiliate networks on the internet where you can get hundreds of affiliate products to promote for free and they can pay you up to 50 % commission. You can also promote any product that is CPL ( Cost Per Lead ). With CPL affiliate program you will be paid only for completing any lead, For example if you refer someone to sign up on any website through your affiliate link you will be paid a fixed amount even signing up on the site is free. You can join as many affiliate products as you want. Usually affiliate networks provides three types of affiliate programs and these are- CPL or CPA( cost per lead or Cost per action ), CPC (cost per click), CPS ( cost per sale ).

CPL or CPA affiliate programs- Cost per lead or action that types of affiliate programs where you will be paid for referring someone to complete any lead or action such as free sign up on any site, free download any software, play free games online etc.

CPC affiliate programs- Cost per click affiliate programs are that types of affiliate programs where you will be paid to refer someone for visiting your affiliate site. When they click on your affiliate link and visit their site you will be paid.

CPS affiliate programs- Cost per sale affiliate programs are that types of affiliate programs where you will be paid to make any sale through your affiliate links. For example if you are promoting any cheap laptops online and someone buys it through your affiliate links you will be paid. Cost per sale affiliate programs can generate huge revenue.

There are three main ways to promote affiliate products : 1. Promoting affiliate programs via social networks and online forums 2. Promoting affiliate programs via your own website or blog 3. promoting via advertising network (PPC ad network)

1. Promoting affiliate programs via social networking sites & forums - promoting affiliate programs via social networking site and online forums are easy and anyone can do it without creating or opening your website or blog. Once you have signed up in any affiliate network you can promote their affiliate programs in popular social networking sites and online forums to generate more sales and leads. You can promote your affiliate products through facebook, twitter, myspace, friendster, orkut, linkedin, hi5 etc.

2. Promoting affiliate programs via website or blog- If you are running a website or blog then this way is the best way to promote your affiliate programs. Just put the links of affiliate programs on your website or blog and generate huge revenue. With this way, you don’t need to promote each affiliate products separately because you can promote all of your affiliate products in one place. So if you promote with this way you only have to increase traffic to your site to generate more sales after putting all affiliate products on your blog or website.

3. Promoting affiliate programs via advertising networks- Promoting affiliate programs via ad network is expensive but more profitable than other ways. You can invest your money to promote high paying affiliate programs on PPC advertising network such as- Google adword, facebook advertising, adhitz cheap advertising network, clicksor etc

How to join affiliate marketing If you want to join affiliate marketing to make money online without investing your money then read these blog posts to get the full information about it.

Tips for Success

How to Attend an Interview : Tips for Success in Job interviews.




Even people who are so good in studies are sometimes not able to crack interviews, while some others who are average in studies do it all the time. You must be wondering "if he can, then why can't I?". Answer is simple, his approach to the interview was better than your preparations. Many of the firms need not all of their employees toppers in studies, they put a cut off mark for the test/interview, just to ensure that those people will be good enough to work for them. And what you need in an interview is basically to impress the interviewer than others do and make them feel that you are the right one for the job. For this there are some simple tips and tricks which you can follow easily and will help you to a greater extend in cracking interviews. I am sure that at the end of this article you will be more prepared to attend your next interview. Let's discuss the steps we should follow in an interview. You can also contribute.
Home Works before the interview

First thing you must do is to Create a fine resume. A resume must be up to date containing all relevant details and must not contain any false information. Your name, email id, Degree, College name, contact information etc should be available in the first look itself. Don’t over crowd your resume and leave some white spaces. Try to limit the number of pages in a resume to two. Don’t use fonts that are not easy to read, and limit maximum number of fonts used also to two. Include your skills and extra curricular activities along with academic excellence. And make sure that you know every details in your resume. (eg: Career objective). You can get help from friends to make a fine resume. A model is given below.

The second thing you must do is to Research the company, surf online and make a detailed study about the company’s financial stability, Current Global status, their motto, products and services offered and about their new project etc. This will definitely help you if you have to face the question, ‘ What do you know about the company?’.

And after that, Collect some commonly asked questions and prepare answers for them, like ‘why should we hire you?’ or ‘tell me about your self’ ( the first question in most of the interviews), ‘What is your strength/weakness?’. Many helpful sites are there for preparations. Sites like ‘www.freshersworld.com’ has many people’s experiences shared and also a large collection of test papers of different firms.

Be prepared for the question 'Which is your favorite subject?' and prepare your favorite subject well. And Prepare with all your subject questions, mainly the subjects related to the fields in which company works, for the tech interview.

Do your home work well and you are half done.Then know the location and time of the interview well and be there at least 15 minutes before.
For the Interview

Wear Formal dresses, clean and pressed. Full sleeve light coloured shirt (preferably blue or white) with black pants will do.

A Tie in dark conservative colour will be good, but is not necessary , and if you are wearing one, be careful to avoid ‘pink’ tie.

Wear a belt and polished black shoes.

And never use perfumes with irritating smells. A nice watch (didn’t mean costly)rounds out the outfit, but make sure that it’s not a digital watch and it doesn’t beep. Remember to switch off your mobile phone as well.
During the intterview

Keep your resume, certificates and supporting documents in a file in an orderly manner so that there won’t be any confusion for you to show the interviewer any document demanded.

Before entering the interview room, ask permission, and don’t close the door hard after entering.

Greet the interviewer, and if there are more than one interviewers in the panel, greet them all.

Don’t offer a handshake until the interviewer demands it, be professional and give a firm handshake when offered. It indicates your confidence level.

Sit properly, straight and leaning a little forward and be relaxed.

Beware that the table belongs to the interviewer don’t place any of your belongings there. And let your hands rest on your lap. Don’t cross your arms or fingers or place your hands on the table. Similar is the case with legs too. Don’t cross your legs or jiggle or move them continuously.

And maintain a direct eye contact with the interviewer, most of the time. This is a sign of confidence and keeping the eyes lower will indicate low self esteem. But don’t overdo this eye contact, it may make the interviewer uncomfortable.

Speak confidently and avoid weird expressions. Never start the conversation with “Well”. And avoid “fillers” like “you know”, “ummm”.Boys have a tendency of crossing their fingers and playing with them when they get tensed, while girls start playing with their shawls. Avoid both this habits. Remember communication skill have great importance.You need to keep the flow always. But being fluent never means you should be faster than all others. Speak at a pace which is comfortable for you and maintain the flow through out the conversation. Take time to think and answer at a moderate pace. They won't count your pace much if you are able to converse all your ideas well.

And while answering the question, answer only for the question asked. Don’t bring new details which may lead to another question that may screw you, especially in tech interviews. Remember the interview is a two way process. And try to be the one who controls it, especially in ‘HR interview’. Try to lead the conversation to your stronger areas and be polite as well. Never offense the interviewer or interrupt him while he is talking. Always hear the question understand it, and answer. If you couldn’t get the question you can ask for clarifications. Remember you are not in a hurry.

Take responsibility of your decisions, actions and mistakes. Never tell any negative comments about your teachers or previous employers or anyone else. And on completion of the interview thank the interviewer and if offered a handshake give a firm one, with a smile and leave the room once again with out closing the door hard behind.

Hope these small tips must help you in your interviews. You can post feed backs , other suggestions and new tips in the comment section. Wish you all very success in life. Thanks for reading.

Preparing To Attend An Interview

So months back, there was a discussion here on why people don't get employedand I was part of the contributors then. I wish I could see the thread once again. There is something that touched me and that is the fact that most people that attends Job Interviews don't know the right way to go about it.



The conclusion then is that most people are UNEMPLOYABLE!

Well, that is a problem but there must be a solution to that. Do you know the rules of Job Interviews? Read the article below and you will see something you are expected to do and not to do wink

Dos and Don'ts of Job Interviews

Are you in the process of trying to get a new job? If you have already applied for a few jobs, there is a good chance that you may end up having an interview scheduled soon, if you don’t already have one arranged. As you likely already know, a job interview is often the deciding factor in whether or not you get hired. That is why it is important that your interviews go off without a hitch. To ensure that they do, you may want to familiarize yourself with the most common job interview dos and don’ts, some of which are outlined below.

One thing that you will want to do is prepare for your interview. There are too many individuals who mistakenly believe that all interviews are the same. This is actually something that you do not want to do. Yes, many interviews are similar in nature, but they are not all the same. In all honesty, it depends on the job that you are being interviewed for and the employer in question. Instead of assuming that your job interview will be just like the last one, you are advised to expect something different, to help keep you on your toes. wink

Another thing that you will want to do is practice for your interview. As it was previously mentioned, many job interviews are similar in nature, despite being a little bit different. They are often similar based on some of the basic questions that are asked. For instance, some of those questions may be centered on your professional goals, your need to succeed, and so on. No matter how prepared you are for these questions, they can be difficult to answer in the moment. That is why you do want to prepare for your interview by doing a few practice runs, preferably with a friend or a relative.

As stated above, during the interview process, you will be asked a number of questions. These questions are what enables an employer to gain insight into you, your life, and your work habits. When responding to questions that you are asked or even when just making conversation, it is advised that you keep everything professional in nature. What you do not want to do is divulge too much information about your personal life. For instance, employers do not need to know how old you are or if you have any children. Also, do not badmouth any of your previous employers or bosses, as this will tend to make you look bad yourself.

When going for a job interview, it is important that you are properly dressed. What you do not want to do is wear jeans, sweatpants, or clothing that is too revealing. To increase your chances of getting a job, you want to look professional for your job interview. This not only includes your clothing, but your appearance as well. If you need to put on makeup or get a hair cut, go ahead and do so. When looking to hire a new employee, many employers want someone who can represent the company in a positive matter. That is why it is important that you do place at least a little bit of focus on your appearance.

Since the interview process is what is often the deciding factor in whether or not you are hired, you will want to make sure that your interview is one that is memorable, and in a good way. To do that, you will want to keep the above mentioned job interview do’s and don’ts in mind.

This is another useful Interview tips for all wink

Have you recently landed a job interview, from one of the job listings that you applied to? If you have, when is your interview scheduled? If your interview is scheduled to take place in a few days or even in a few hours, are you prepared for it? What you may not know is that most job applicants aren’t. To make sure that you are prepared for your interview, you will want to continue reading on.

When it comes to hiring an applicant, there are many interviewers who do place a large focus on personal appearance. This focus on personal appearance doesn’t just focus on beauty, but hygiene as well. Employers want to hire workers who will give their business a good public perception. That is why it is important that you give that good perception, especially in an interview. When attending a job interview, you will want to make sure that you are professionally dressed, either in a pant suit or a dress. Make sure that your hair is well kept as well. In fact, you may want to think about buying a new outfit or getting your hair done before your interview is scheduled to take place.

Before your interview, you may also want to make a trip to the store to purchase some needed supplies, if you don’t already own them. These supplies may include a notebook, writing utensils, and a thank you note. As for the notebook and a writing utensil, you may want to take notes during your interview. If you applied to more than one job listing, you may have multiple interviews scheduled. Taking notes during your interviews will help you keep all of them straight. Also, taking notes during a job interview makes you look as if you are more interested in the job. It is also shows a side of you that says “I am professional and always prepared.”

As for the thank you note, which was mentioned above, you will want to send a thank you note to your interviewer. A thank you note may also help to create a good, positive impression of yourself. With thank you notes, many have intentions of sending them, but not everyone ends up doing so. Having a standard thank you note already filled out and ready to go is ideal. In fact, you may also want to drop it off at the post off right after your interview has been completed. Of course, make sure that you don’t drop it off beforehand. Should the mail be delivered early or your interview needs to be rescheduled, you may be embarrassed with the early delivery of a thank you note, for an interview that never even occurred yet.

As you likely already know, job interviews are where hiring employers are able to learn as much as they can about you. This is often done by asking a series of questions. The questions that you are asked during a job interview will tend to vary, but most are likely focused around your goals and your work ethics. For instance, you may be asked to describe you strengths and your weaknesses, your goals in life, your desire to move up the corporate ladder and such. Even if these questions are expected to be asked, it can be nerve-wracking when they are actually asked. That is why you may want to do a number of practice interviews. These practice interviews work best with another person, like a family member or a friend, but you can also do them by yourself, like in front of a mirror. Practicing your responses before a job interview is one of the best ways to make sure that your answers come out exactly the way that you wanted them to.

The above mentioned preparation tips are just a few of the many that you may find useful, when it comes to preparing for a job interview. If you are hoping to schedule multiple interviews, you may want to invest in resource guides that focus on successfully mastering the interview process, as that interview process is often the deciding factor in whether or not you get hired.

You can add these as well to your reminders. I wish us all the best.

Success at Interviews


Questions to have thought about prior to interview stage

What do you know about the position?

What department/ group is it in?
Who will you be working for?
What does the position entail/ what duties are involved?
What skills are needed?
What are the main objectives of this role?
Who will be your customers? What do they need?

Why are you interested?

Can you utilise your skills?
Do they offer the career progression you desire?
Do they offer a team environment?
Can you get fully involved/ take on responsibility?

Why do you think you could do the job?

Do you have the correct typing speed?
Do you have the correct computer packages?
Do you have previous experience?
Have you got the right attitude/ are you enthusiastic enough?

What qualities can you bring to the role?

Good examples of characteristics:- Well organised, team player, works well to deadlines, can perform under pressure, enjoy a challenge, highly motivated, patient, flexible attitude, confident, enthusiastic, hardworking, good communicator!
Good examples of skills: Advanced on PowerPoint/ Word/ Excel etc. A strong background in maintaining databases. Have supported large teams of up to 30 people. Has experience of undertaking project work.
Try to think of three qualities that relate to the role/ company and ALWAYS think of examples of where/ when you have used these skills – i.e. In my current role, it is essential that I produce the weekly report by Friday afternoon, therefore, I am used to working to strict deadlines.

What do you know about the company?

How long has it been established?
How many employees does it have?
Is the company expanding?
Who are the company’s competitors?
What does the company do/ what is its principal business activity?
What is the company’s mission statement?



Good questions to ask at the interview

What type of person would best fit the role?
Why has the vacancy arisen?
Is the company expanding?
Is there room for promotion/ progression?
What type of person would fit into your organisation/ department?
Who else would I be working for/ with?
How many people are in the department?
What will my typical day entail?
What responsibilities would I have?
Is there the opportunity to use my initiative?


Popular questions asked at interview

Tell me about yourself.
Ask the interviewer what they would like you to cover. Educational achievements?
Software experience?

What are your strengths?
Again, think of your three main skills and ALWAYS give examples of where/ when you
have used them.

What are your weaknesses?
Study the job specification and company profile and decide on a weakness that is not essential to the role/ company. Good examples:
The job spec states that there will be an occasional amount of audio typing. Your response: Having read the job specification, I understand that I will undertake an amount of audio typing. I haven’t used audio on a regular basis but I am a quick learner and more than happy to develop this skill.
You will be working for a team of twenty people. Your response: I’ve not actually worked for a team as large as this but I am confident that I have the right organisational skills to make a success of this role.
The company is a management consultancy. Your response: I haven’t actually worked for a management consultancy before but I am confident that I can make a success of this role as I have good experience within customer-focussed roles and strong communication skills at all levels.

You are therefore letting the client know that you have read and understood the requirements of the company/ role, have related your experience to these requirements, have the confidence and ability to be successful and are more than willing to ‘make a go of it’! The client will forget there was ever a weakness in the first place!

What do you know about the job?
Relay to the client that you understand what will be involved in a typical day to include
software used, who you will be supporting, what probable deadlines you will have to
meet, along with the characteristics you will need (calm under pressure etc.).


Why are you interested in this position?
Good examples:
Will be able to fully utilise my software experience.
Working for a larger organisation/ team.
Taking on more responsibility.
A busier, more involved role.
Chances to use ones own initiative.

Why are you leaving your current position?
Because you want to secure the above opportunities.

How do you feel about working overtime?
State that you’re committed to completing the task in hand and therefore understand that
this cannot always be done within standard office hours. Give examples of where you
have willingly undertaken overtime in the past.

If I were to approach your boss/ colleague, what would s/he say about you?
Good examples:
Easy to get along with.
Willing to muck in.
Reliable.
Cheerful to be around.
Gets the job done!

What would you be most remembered for in your last job?
Use any of the above examples or relay a significant achievement during your time with
the company.
I secured a contract worth £x, which enabled a new support team to be established.

What special achievements have you had in your current role?
Have you set up new systems, developed a more efficient filing system, trained a new
employee or successfully completed training courses? Try and relate your answers to the
role that you are applying for.

What special achievements did you obtain in school/outside work? How have these helped you in a working environment?
Were you a successful member of an organisation (Queens Scout/ Army Cadet)? What
sporting achievements have you had? Charity/ volunteer involvement? Evening classes?

Why should we employ you?
Another way of asking for your strengths/ qualities.

Give me ten words that best describe your personality?
You should know these by now!

Where do you see yourself in five year’s time? What are your aims for the future?
As before, more responsibility . . . . . . . . . . etc.

What do you know about the company?
Again, you should research this before the interview.


Why do you want to join this company?
Are they progressive, forward-thinking, expanding?

If you turned the clock back, what would you do differently in your career?
Try and be positive about what you have achieved so far. Have a purpose/ reason for why
you have done things.

What made you choose those particular GCSE/ A Level/ Degree subjects?

Why did you decide not to go into further education?
Were you ready to tackle the working environment? Keen to step onto the career ladder?
Able to secure an opportunity that lead to in-house study?

What is the hardest thing that someone has asked you to do?
Have you worked alone on a big project? Organised a big event from scratch? Stood in
for a more senior member of staff? Trained a new employee? Met with clients alone?

What is the biggest decision you have made?
To return to university? To relocate for a new job? To move to a new company?

What challenges you? What motivates you?
Responsibility? Opportunity to use own initiative? Busy, hectic environment? Own
projects? Working to deadlines? Achieving targets?

What type of people do you work best with?

What book/ newspaper are you reading at the moment and why?

What do you have to have in the office to operate effectively? What couldn’t you operate without in the office? What do you expect from your employers? What do you expect to achieve within this role? What training would you expect?


Situational Questions

What would you do if ……….?

How would you react if ……….?

Give an example of where you have experienced a stressful situation in the workplace.
How did you handle that stress/ what steps did you take to resolve the situation? How
could you minimise this risk for the future? What did you learn from this experience?

Give an example of when you have had to perform within strict deadlines? How did you
perform? What did you learn from this experience?

You are in the office on your own. There is nobody to contact and the computer system crashes. Clients are urgently waiting for a proposal. What do you do?



NOTE: You must think about the type of situations they may ask you about. It would normally be something relevant to the position:-
Dealing with managerial staff.
Dealing with subordinates.
Handling customer queries or complaints.
A situation where you need to utilise your communication skills and common sense.




Dressing for interview

Please take into consideration the following points when dressing for interview:-

Wear a dark business suit - black, grey or navy
Skirt suits are preferable
An ironed, business shirt is preferable to a Lycra top!
Do not have bare legs - wear tights or stockings
Wear clean, polished, dark coloured corporate looking shoes
Keep jewellery to a minimum - less is more!
Keep make up on the conservative side
Chewing gum is a definite no-no!
Make sure that your mobile phone is switched off during your interview


Remember, the average interview lasts between 30 minutes to 1 hour – not very long in the realm of life! Why miss out on that new job that will offer you better prospects/ more money/ more responsibility due to nerves! As long as you’ve prepared for your interview, you should concentrate on ‘selling’ yourself! Ask yourself, ‘Why should they recruit me?’ If you don’t know, then you haven’t prepared yourself properly! Go get that job!

Always arrive ten minutes early for an interview.
Always allow yourself enough time for the interview - if you are rushed and stressed, your best attributes will not be on show!
Call your consultant as soon as the interview has finished - she will want feedback to give to the client.


Reasons why candidates are most rejected for jobs:

They did not show enthusiasm
They did not understand the job fully
They did not know enough about the company
They did not give examples of when they had worked under pressure or how they prioritised their time
They were not consistent enough in their answers (this usually happens when two interviews have taken place and the candidate has attended two separate interviews)
The candidate came across very well at first interview but not as well on their second meeting (a common misconception when the candidate feels that the job is theirs after the first interview)
The candidate was too nervous
Presentation was not adequate