How Can You Ensure You Are Called for a Job Interview? 

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Whether you have years of experience under your belt or you’re a recent university graduate, looking for a new job can be a gruelling and stressful procedure. If you’re also short of cash, it can sometimes be difficult to dress the part. If you need to buy formal clothes to make a good first impression at the interview, help is at hand.

But how can you be sure that you reach the interview stage?

Preparing Your Resume/CV

As far as your resume is concerned, HR departments talk about the ’30-second rule’. This states that the personnel department spend an average of 30-60 seconds browsing through each of the CVs that they receive.

For this reason, you shouldn’t try to cram as much information as possible into a short space. It should be clear, concise and ideally no more than 2 pages of A4-sized paper. To ensure clarity, it should be divided into separate sections which underline your areas of expertise and what unique qualities you can offer your prospective employer.

Don’t be tempted to exaggerate or lie about your skills. Not only is there a strong possibility that you will be found out (for example, through your references) but this also constitutes fraud and can be a sackable offence for some companies.

The covering letter

If invited to send a CV for a job position, this should usually be accompanied by a covering letter. This letter should be no longer than one single A4 document.

Some job candidates rehash the information which is included in their resume. This is completely unnecessary. Apart from an introductory paragraph giving details of the position you’re interested in, you should concentrate on explaining why you consider yourself uniquely suited to the post and how your qualities can be an asset to their company in particular.

In order to do this well and to avoid writing in clichés, it is vital that you do some research on the firm beforehand and the industry/sector they work in. In this way, your covering letter will be unique for this specific post and prove that you have taken the time and trouble to prepare for this job. This can translate into a potential employee who will be similarly hard-working and well-prepared. This favourable first impression boosts your chances of being invited to an interview.

Preparing for the job interview

Depending on the sector, on average only 1 in 5 applicants reach the interview stage. After spending all that time preparing a meticulous CV and covering letter, it would be a shame to fall at the last hurdle.

Preparation is key to doing well at the interview stage. Research the company so you know something about its recent successes and expansions. You should also prepare at least 5-6 questions to ask once the interview is over. This can be about the challenges facing the industry in general or specific questions about the firm in particular.

Follow this advice and see how successful you will be!

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