Jobseekers FAQ

Do you only recruit for permanent positions?

• We are able to provide permanent, contract, full time, part time and temporary staff.

Will my relationship with CVO Sales & Marketing Recruitment be confidential?

• We operate by habit a highly confidential manner. We will never discuss your details with a client without your prior consent.

Can you find me a job abroad?

• We are currently recruiting for positions all over Europe.

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CV Guide

What is a CV?

• A Curriculum Vitae or Résumé is a documentary record of your education, qualifications and employment history. It is also a lot more.
• When applying for any kind of job you are trying to sell your skills to the employer. The employer will decide whether to interview you depending on the contents of your CV and accompanying. The CV is therefore not just a documentary record of your career to date but also a chance to sell yourself. Spending a little time getting your CV right is therefore well worth the effort involved.

Would you write my CV for me?

• Our consultants are happy to offer advice and assistance in the preparation of your CV.

How do I write a CV?

• First think about what makes you good as an employee and what the employer wants. Take a few minutes to plan what you want to write before typing it up. Start by jotting down an outline of the CV by hand. Don't sit straight down in front of your typewriter or word processor until you understand clearly what skills you intend to 'sell' with the CV.

How should it look?

• Clean and sharp - black ink on white (A4) paper is best.
• Clearly mark each section with a section heading.
• Ask a friend to check the grammar and spelling before you send the CV.
• Avoid fancy fonts and decorations - it is the content that is really important.
• A picture is optional - make sure it is a quality photo.

Does length matter?

• Yes. Keep it brief - but be sensible. 2 to 3 sides are usually best.

What writing style should I use?

• Write in the first person.
• Stick to the point. An employer wants to identify your key skills and experiences by glancing at your CV. If it is hard work to get this information you will be passed over.

What else?

• Give maximum coverage to your most recent experience or your relevant skills.
• Don't leave gaps! Employers are suspicious of unexplained time gaps in a CV. If you took a year off to go travelling or were forced not to work because of other commitments then say so.
• When you think you have finished, turn the tables on yourself. Pretend the CV belongs to someone else and you are the employer reviewing it. Be critical!

The importance of the cover letter

• The covering letter is truly of crucial importance. It's how you present yourself in letterform, and it is just as important as the CV itself.
• If your letter is good, the potential employer or his agent will read it. If it's brilliant, you're probably at the halfway stage to an interview.
• First, the obvious bit. Always make sure you address the letter to the right person. It's so obvious; it's easy to forget. So don't.
• Next, make the letter job-specific. If you demonstrate that you've thought about the demands of the job, you'll look keen. Conversely, a general cover letter will appear unfocussed, uninterested and uninteresting!
• Give them a reason to see you. Highlight your most appropriate skills and achievements, and how they might benefit the company. This is your first chance to stand out from the competition and showing an appreciation of the company's strategies will do you no harm.
• And don't be tempted to run through your entire CV - that will be read if you generate enough interest with the letter. Here, less is definitely more.
• Finally, double check your CV. Read up about the company and ensure that both your covering letter and CV are spelled and punctuated correctly. These are serious business documents and could make the difference.
• To manage and develop your career effectively it is essential to ensure that you are offered the most suitable job opportunities that match your career and lifestyle goals. Unless you work in a highly specialized area there will usually be many others competing for a first interview and then the offer for the job itself.
• This CV and interview guide sets out some practical steps you can take to increase your chances of success substantially.

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Interview Guide

OK, so your concise, professional and polished CV has got you through the door. You have an interview. Now the real work starts. And it should start well before the interview takes place. Many employers are looking for professional employees who have:

• A positive attitude toward work
• Proficiency in a field of study
• Good communication skills (written & oral)
• Interpersonal skills
• Confidence
• Critical thinking and problem-solving skills
• Flexibility
• Self-motivation
• The ability to work well within a team
• Professionalism in the way that they work and present themselves

Research

Few things are as disappointing to an interviewer or hiring manager as a candidate whose answer is 'Nothing.' to the question 'What do you know about our company?' Most companies want their employees to be proactive and innovative, not to mention interested in the company and the job. Knowing very little about the company you are interviewing with will immediately be a negative point against you and may be enough to rule you out of the rest of the process completely.

So... Do your research! In the Internet Age doing basic research on companies has never been easier.

How to Research Companies:

• Annual Reports.
• People you know who work there (part of your network, alumni).
• Customers and vendors.
• Library: print, online, CD resources, online library databases, such as ABI.
• Use the Internet.

If you are going through a recruitment agency ask them about the company, the job and the interview process. If they don't know, ask them to find out. After all it is in their interests to ensure that you present yourself in the best light possible.

Preparation

• FAQ's- frequently asked questions
  Prepare answers to some of the FAQ's (frequently asked questions-outlined below). This will ensure that your answers to some of this questions you will probably be asked during the interview will appear well thought out, relevant and indicate that you can think on your feet and have initiative.
• Confidence Building
  The night before the interview, spend some time with a friend or family member, telling them why you would be the best for the position. Use superlatives galore! The purpose is to put you in the right frame of mind for the interview, so that you truly believe you are the best possible candidate for the job. Why is this so vitally important? See the next item.
  
  Before you can possibly convince me as the interviewer that you are right for the job, you have to believe it yourself. It's amazing how many candidates seem tentative and reluctant to express confidence in their abilities. Remember, you are all alone once the interview starts. No one will sell you if you don't sell yourself. How can I believe in you if you don't believe in you? I am not here to sell you on our company until after you sell me. Once you have sold me on you, I will sell you on the position and the company, but not until then. So don't expect the interviewer to tell you why you are right for the job. That is your job.
  

Does it really matter if you're just a few minutes late to the interview?

• Surveys reveal that if you're even a few minutes late, you're usually eliminated.
• Always strive to get to an interview early, thus protecting yourself from unexpected delays. Getting to an interview a bit early also allows you time to collect your thoughts and observe people (and corporate culture) while waiting.

What steps can you take to ensure you get to the interview on time?

• Make sure you can find the company.
• If it's an unfamiliar location, ask for directions, get maps, do a dry run. The Web is a great source for maps.
• Allow time to get lost, get tied up in traffic, and find a parking place.
• On the other hand, don't arrive more than 15 minutes early. If you get to the location early, kill some time until 15 minutes before.

How should you dress for an interview?

• Risky for both:
• Visible body piercing/tattoos
• Body odor; too much perfume/cologne
• Risky for men:
• Mismatching suit
• Long hair/ponytail
• Facial hair
• Risky for women:
• Pantsuits
• Hair in eyes; wear hair up or back
• Too much make-up

How should you greet and shake hands with your interviewer?

• Greet your interviewer enthusiastically.
• Stand up and extend your hand for the handshake.
• Medium-to-firm handshake
• Warm smile
• "Good morning, I'm glad/pleased to meet you"

How can you make the most of the period of small talk to establish rapport?

• Try to find common interests.
• Look around interviewer's office for clues - awards achieved, souvenirs from abroad, company values (often framed and hanging on the wall)

Should you bring a copy of your resume to the interview?

Yes!

Offer a copy of your resume or at least have one handy if interviewer has trouble locating his or her copy. (And bring extra copies in case you have more than one interviewer - make sure you also bring them in the relevant language.)

How important is eye contact with the interviewer?

Extremely important!

• Don't look up at walls and ceiling for answers.
• Don't cast eyes downward.
• If you have difficulty maintaining one to one eye contact for the duration of the meeting, you could try looking at the interviewers nose.

What other nonverbal cues are important in a job interview?

Facial Expressions

• Smile!

Posture

• Sit up straight.
• Sit on the edge of your seat in order to appear enthusiastic

Gestures

• Do not wave your hands around whilst you are talking. If you find this difficult then keep your hands clasped and in your lap.
• Do not fidget, continuously put your hand through your hair, or lean on your hand/s.
• This will create the impression that you are nervous.
• Do not rest your chin on your hand/s or you will look unenthusiastic, or bored with the meeting.

What kinds of bad habits and inappropriate body language create problems in job interviews?

• Hum's
• Speaking too softly
• Fading out at end of response
• Touching face, mouth, scratching head
• Sweating
• Smoking
• Chewing gum
• Twiddling thumbs
• Tapping a pencil or fork
• Humming
• Whistling
• Stretching parts of the body
• Staring
• Cleaning finger nails
• Using slang or profanity
• Calling the interviewer by his or her first name (unless asked)
• Touching things on the interviewer's desk
• Fidgeting
• Twirling in chair

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Handling Frequently Asked Interview Questions

Tell Me About Yourself

• Don't give the story of your life.
• Give a very brief rundown including education, previous job titles targeted very specifically toward how your experience and/or education will be useful in the position for which you're applying.

What are Your Strengths?

• Talk about strengths that are very specific to the job you're interviewing for.

What are Your Weaknesses?

Give a negative that's really a positive:

• "I am sometimes impatient, which drives me to work hard to ensure that I achieve the goals that I have been set."
• "If I start on a project, I sometimes forget to go to lunch."
• "Since I'm such a perfectionist, I sometimes find it hard to delegate because I'm concerned others won't do the job as well as I can."

Caution: The perfectionist response is overused.

Give a negative that is really inconsequential and has little to do with how well you would perform the job:

• "I am not a good speller, so I keep a dictionary handy."

More choices for responding to weakness question:

• Simply reassure the interviewer that you know of no weaknesses that would stand in the way of your performing this job.
• Reveal a trait that once was a weakness, but explain how you overcame it and learned from it.

Where do you want to be in 5 (or 10 or 15) years?
What do you want to do with your life?

Strike a delicate balance when responding to this kind of question: Honesty/ambition/ Your desire to be working at this company.

• Avoid responses like starting your own business, running for Prime Minister.
• Not totally inappropriate to mention the personal (marriage, family), but focus on professional goals.

Response could be

• "I'm here to let you know that I am the best person for the job. If in the future you feel I would be a candidate for a higher level position, I know I wouldn't be passed up."
• "I hope to stay at the company and expect that in five years, I'll make a significant advance in the organization."
• "I would like to become the very best ______ your company has."

Have you ever had a conflict with a boss?

• Employer may want to see whether you will speak very negatively about a former boss.
• Don't fall into the trap.
• And if you truly have NOT had a conflict, tell how you would handle it if you did.

Why should we hire you?

• The unspoken part of the question is: . . . above all other candidates?
• Tell what sets you apart -- your Unique Selling Points, among other things. Be specific about how your qualities match the employer's needs.

Would your rather work with information or with people?

• Ideally, both, but tailor response to job and describe strengths in each area.
• Don't make yourself sound weak in either area.

What qualities do you feel a successful manager should have?

The question has a twofold purpose:

• How you will get along with management.
• How you see yourself as a manager.

How has your education prepared you for your career?

• Describe your educational preparation as very specific to the job. Provide concrete examples, when possible.

How much training do you think you'll need to become a productive employee?

• Key word is productive.
• You can be productive immediately. Make sure you express confidence in your ability to make an impact immediately.

Why are your university exam results not better?

Don't make excuses. Response should enhance your value as employee.

• You were very involved with sports, extracurricular that may have hurt your results, but made you more well-rounded.
• You held a job while in school, which hurt your grades but gave you great experience.
• You made some mistakes early on, but you've worked hard to improve and have learned from the experience.

YES or NO Questions:

• Are you a team player?
• Are you a goal-oriented person?
• Do you handle conflict well?
• Do you handle pressure well?

Never respond with just "yes" or "no." Always elaborate and be prepared to give specific examples.

Questions that require knowledge of the company:

• What do you think it takes to be successful in this career?
• Do you enjoy doing independent research?
• Do you have any plans for further education?
• Why do you want to work in the _____ industry?
• What do you know about our company?
• Why are you interested in our company?

If you've researched the company...you'll have no trouble with this kind of question.

"Thought" questions:

• What goals do you have in your career?
• What motivates you?
• What changes would you make at your college?
• What were your favourite classes? Why?
• Who were your favourite professors? Why?

These questions require:

• Thoughtful responses
• Responses that are not self-serving
• Responses that are specific to the job, if possible

Money questions:

• Is money important to you?
• How much money do you need to make to be happy?
• What kind of salary are you looking for?

Answering money questions:

• Strike a balance. Money's important, but so are other things, such as job satisfaction and the total compensation package.
• Don't talk about needs such as mortgage repayments or how much it is costing to send your children to school. They are not the employer's problem, and you should be paid based on what you're worth, not what you need.
• Delay salary talk as long as possible and try not to give specifics until after an offer is made.
• If you do talk specifics, be sure you know what you're talking about. Know your competitive market value.

Questions that target your decision-making skills:

• Why did you choose this career?
• How do you plan to achieve your goals?

Be sure your responses demonstrate sound decision-making processes

Do you have any actual work experience in this field?

• Discuss the key skills you have gained from your work experiences -- and how these skills will help the employer.
• This question also gives a good opportunity to talk about your existing skills/strengths, if you have minimal work experience.

How should you respond if you are asked about technical expertise that you lack?

• "With my experience and background, I feel certain I'll have no problems getting up to speed."

Why is it important to ASK questions in an interview?

• Failure to ask questions is a major interview flaw.
• Your success in obtaining a job offer depends significantly on the quality of your questions and how you ask them.

Toward the end of most job interviews, the interviewer will give you the opportunity to ask questions. You must ask a least one question; to do otherwise often signals the interviewer that you don't really have any interest in the job or the company. On the other hand, do not ask questions where the answer is obvious or readily available -- or when the topic has already been thoroughly discussed in the interview. And never ask about salary and benefit issues until those subjects are raised by the employer.

So what follows are just some examples of the types of questions you might ask at a job interview:

• Can you describe a typical day for someone in this position?
• What is the top priority of the person who accepts this job?
• What are the day-to-day expectations and responsibilities of this job?
• How will my leadership responsibilities and performance be measured? And by whom? How often?
• Can you describe the company's management style?
• Can you discuss your take on the company's corporate culture?
• What are the company's values?
• How would you characterize the management philosophy of this organization? Of your department?
• What is the organization's policy on transfers to other divisions or other offices?
• Are lateral or rotational job moves available?
• Does the organization support ongoing training and education for employees to stay current in their fields?
• What do you think is the greatest opportunity facing the organization in the near future? The biggest threat?
• Why did you come to work here? What keeps you here?
• How is this department perceived within the organisation?
• Is there a formal process for advancement within the organisation?
• What are the traits and skills of people who are the most successful within the organisation?

What kinds of questions should you NOT ask in interviews?

• Me first: What you can do for me instead do what I can do for you.
• Questions that reveal insecurities, such as questions phrased in terms of job security.
• Questions that reveal weaknesses, such as will I have to meet a lot of deadlines?
• Questions asked in a confrontational tone.
• Questions demonstrating you failed to listen to earlier information.

Why is it important to make sure the interviewer knows you want the job?

• It's tantamount to closing the sale.
• Make sure you ask about the next step in the process -- or even ask for the job -- before the end of the interview.

Summary

• Do your homework. Research the company you will be interviewing.
• Practice your answers to frequently asked interview questions.
• Get to the location of the interview 10 to 15 minutes early (no earlier or later).
• Dress professionally.
• Great the interviewer with a smile and a firm handshake.
• Watch your body language.
• Provide clear, accurate and honest answers to all questions asked of you
• And finally ask questions at the end to show you are really and truly interested in getting the job in hand!

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