The Job Hunt: Top Tips

Finding your ideal job is a daunting task for any graduate. Here are a few pointers to help you get started.

Differentiating Your CV – How do you ensure it gets noticed?

• Interrogate the job spec and tailor your CV for the role you are applying for - make it easy to identify your relevant skills
• Include a personal profile, focusing on your key attributes and overall career objective
• Don’t be afraid to sell yourself – include all work experience to date
• Include any leadership roles or specific achievements from college or extra-curricular activities
• Clear and Consistent layout – check for any errors in spelling and grammar
• Check & Double Check the dates – fill in any gaps
• Professional email address and voicemail – remember that employers will be contacting you!

The Job Hunt – Looking for a job is a full-time job!

• You need to be – Organised, Positive, Focused and prepared to Follow Through
• Use your personal network – friends, relatives, former colleagues etc.
• Create your LinkedIn profile with a professional photo
• Keep up to date with industry news – IDA, LinkedIn Groups, newspapers etc.
• Sign up to the Recruitment Websites
• Follow up on applications

The Interview – Fail to Prepare, Prepare to Fail!

THE GOLDEN RULES:

1. Research the company – Company Website, Google It, Use your Contacts
2. Review the job description in detail – Why are you the person for the job?
3. Know your CV – Be prepared for any question on the content
4. Prepare specific examples for sample interview questions

EXAMPLE INTERVIEW QUESTIONS:

• What do you know about our company?
• What influenced you to choose your college course?
• Would you describe yourself as goal-driven?
• What is your greatest achievement to date?
• What do you consider to be your greatest strengths & weaknesses?
• How would you evaluate your ability to deal with conflict?
• Give me an example of a time when you worked well as part of a team?
• By providing examples, convince me that you can adapt to a wide variety of people, situations and environments.
• Tell me about a time when you had to go above and beyond the call of duty to get a job done.
• Describe some projects or ideas that were successful primarily because of your efforts.
• What 3 things would you change about yourself?
• Why do you want to work for us? Why should we hire you?

STAR METHOD

It is very easy to give a long rambling answer to a competency-based question if you are not well prepared. The ‘STAR’ method can be a very useful way of structuring your preparation for a competency-based interview to keep your answers concise.

Provide an overview of the Situation; describe the Tasks involved; talk about the Actions involved; what Results directly followed because of your action.

Best of luck with your job search!

For a confidential discussion on our current opportunities, get in touch with Glen:

​Glen Scheiner
Talent Consultant
Project Lead (NIBRT)
01 2234387