How to make your ‘dream job’ work for you
Q: I am going for an interview in a company next week. A friend of mine went for an interview there about a year ago and a question that really threw her was “identify your dream job – and why?” She reckons she made a complete mess of it. How can I get my head […]
Stressful situations at work, how I learned from the tough days
Q: I was surprised when one of the interviewers asked me how I handled stressful situations at work. I tried to tell her that I didn’t really feel stress on the job, but she didn’t buy it. I mumbled something about a time when our main suppliers had a major supply line issue, but the […]
How to show you’ve learned from the bad day in your career
Q: In the interview, they asked me to outline a scenario where I had a problem in my workplace. I tried to fudge it but they were very keen to get a hard-and-fast example. I told them about an error which halted production for a few hours. But I didn’t really elaborate, and I don’t […]
Seven errors you need to avoid in a job interview
Showing lack of interest. Going through the motions is a no-no. You simply must display enthusiasm for the role, no matter how good you are at your job, or how mundane you think it is. If you can’t muster enthusiasm for the interview, they will likely conclude you won’t bring a great deal of life […]
How you can get into your stride at interviews
Q: After perhaps ten seconds of niceties at the start of the interview, the lead interviewer asked me why they should hire me. She said that I had as much time as I needed for the answer. This really threw me. I mumbled a few things about my strengths and experience, but I know I […]
How to get ahead in the race for ‘the big job’
Q: The big job – and I mean ‘the big job’ – has come up in my company. About six people are now chomping at the bit. I’m one of those chompers. It will be advertised externally too, and some good candidates will come around sniffing. How can I gain an edge? I’d love […]
Why you shouldn’t aim for perfection in job interviews
Q: I have already done two mock interviews for an upcoming job. In both cases, I got friends of mine who work in the same general field – business management – to put me through my paces. While both were adamant that I did well, I know I forgot to give some good information on […]
How to keep the interview panel looking in the right places
Q: I am going for a job interview next week and I’m pretty sure I fit the bill. However, I fear my lack of technology experience will come against me. I’m not that bad on technology but I have never used it much in the workplace. I’m told the technology required in this instance can […]
Assessing your interview performance so that you do even better next time
Q: I have suffered a few setbacks on the job interview front of late. To be honest, I thought I had done a particularly good interview last time out, but I still didn’t get the job. They gave me the usual guff about there being a better candidate, you did well etc., but at this […]
Make them want you with a sparkling presentation
Q: I have been asked to give a ten-minute presentation as the start of the second interview for the job. I have never done anything like this before. It’s an online interview, just to complicate matters. Any tips? (FG, email.) A: The beauty of a presentation as part of a job interview is that it […]