Chapter 11
Casting Your Net Wider
In This Chapter
Finding a new job
Writing a winning résumé and cover letter
Surviving job interviews
You may be feeling as though you’ve achieved all you can in your current job and see no future career development if you stay with your present employer. But more exciting job prospects await you. Believe me!
This chapter shows you how to expand your list of valuable contacts and support systems by networking. Yes, I know that word has horrible 1980s connotations of shoulder-padded careerists trampling all over others while striving to get to the top, but these days you can find much more efficient ways to improve your job situation.
The first stage in your new job hunt is to write up or revamp your résumé, keeping it simple and concise. This can be harder than you think, and so I give you tips on how you can achieve the art of simplicity and show off your skills at the same time. Writing a killer cover letter is also discussed in this chapter, as are the all-important interview survival tips and tricks, including how to make sure your potential employer embraces and encourages work/life balance strategies for workers.
Changing Jobs and Employers
If you’re unhappy in your current role or feel that no future career path is open to you with your current employer, you need to ask this question: Will moving to a new job clear up your current unhappiness and give you more work/life balance?’
Recruitment agencies are recording more applicants for jobs are using electronic applications than in the past, a convenience some say has led to people being more encouraged to jump ship rather than resolve their concerns with the current job. These people may also be less likely to think through the consequences of changing jobs and whether the new role is better than the one they want to leave.
Listening and looking before leaping
Before applying for that newer, shinier, better-sounding job, take the time to write down what aspects about your current position you don’t like. Apart from the salary, the clashes with your boss or being worn out by a heavy workload, are you doing your bit to communicate? Is your employer aware of the existence of work/life balance policy and its importance in the process of keeping good workers? If so, is your employer just ‘talking the talk’ and not putting work/life balance policy into practice? After listing what you don’t like about your current job, write down a list of the factors that may entice you to leave. Don’t forget to include the work/life balance initiatives help you feel more motivated, valued and able to have a life beyond your job. Keep these influencing factors at the top of your list.
Work/life balance — and having the opportunity to implement the employer’s policy as a flexible working arrangement that suits you — has a huge impact on whether you’re going to enjoy or end up hating a job. Your motivation, loyalty and energy levels are directly affected if you don’t feel valued enough by the employer to ask and receive an adaptable working arrangement. If that’s your situation, chances are that your future career is not going to be with that employer.
Networking your way to success
The word networking is a rather 1980s term that can make people feel used and manipulated. You don’t want to get a call out of the blue from someone who wants to ‘have a coffee with you to learn more about the opportunities in your field’. You may also feel reserved about the idea of getting out there and selling your skills in the job marketplace.
However much you dislike networking, studies show that only one-third of all new jobs are posted in the classified advertisements in the newspapers or on the Internet. Two-thirds of positions are filled by word of mouth. In reality, networking isn’t about job seeking as much as establishing a working relationship with people who share the same interests as you in the professional arena. When you decide to look out for a role beyond your current employer, your contacts can help you.
Networking can be done anytime, anywhere — sitting next to someone at a training day, on a bus ride home or in a social setting. You never know when and with whom you may strike up an important conversation. Out of work hours can be the ideal time to add a few queries about work/life balance and how your new acquaintance manages to find enough free time for other activities.
Spreading the word
Without realising, you may have many important connections among the people in your life — either through your work, location, a related industry, your family or community. A simple but effective way to start networking — and keep your eyes open for a new job opportunity — is to tell everyone you know (and trust) what you’re seeking. The news spreads and your friends let you know when they come across a job that you may want to investigate further.
Brimming with business cards
Keep your resume up to date and always have business cards with your contact information handy. Follow up by sending a brief email telling your contacts how much you enjoyed meeting with them or running into them and attach your résumé to the email. This practice is polite and helps make you more likely to linger in their memory banks than the 300 other business cards that live in their top drawer.
Asking questions and actually listening to the answers
Chit-chat can be stressful and exhausting. Asking your contacts questions about their backgrounds or how they ended up with a particular company can give you some valuable information about the organisation. As well, it helps you establish an interesting relationship with a contact (and listening to their answer gives you a few moments to collect your thoughts). Ask contacts how they manage to achieve balanced work and lifestyles while working for their particular companies. This way of asking about work/life balance is personalised because it involves the actual situation of the person with whom you’re networking.
Volunteering to help others
Whenever possible, take on volunteer jobs that allow you to gain visibility and develop relationships by showing off your skills. If you’re handy with finances, be the treasurer of your child’s sports club or a not-for-profit organisation you care about. If you’re an organised person, help with office duties for a busy but underfunded community group. Working as a volunteer can make you noticed by others without your having to actively network.
I’m always surprised at how small our world can be — a CEO of a private hospital I used to negotiate business with was the man running the next stall to mine at a local community fete. We chatted and I found in future work situations that our relationship was much friendlier. The same can be true if you take on paid, temporary roles. For instance, a former colleague of mine, who avoided networking like the plague, accepted a secondment to another government department for six months. During that time, she met many different representatives from community groups — one of whom offered her a job as their group’s finance officer. For more information on volunteering, refer to Chapter 10.
Hanging in there
Networking can be hard work. The best networking produces contacts that can benefit you in the longer term, so don’t become discouraged when you’re not immediately swamped with party invitations and job offers. The right job may take time to emerge. What you can do is make sure that you’re one of the first people that a company executive, recruiter or an interesting speaker at a seminar remembers when they’re looking to fill a job in their organisation. In the meantime, concentrate on new ways and places to network.
Pinpointing your passions
Many people panic about the thought of having to telephone or make conversation with strangers at conferences and other industry events. You can overcome this fear by focusing on an aspect of the other person’s field of work that genuinely interests you. Starting and maintaining a conversation with someone is always easier when you’re passionate about the subject matter. Discussing something you’re passionate about with someone you know shares your passion is your reason for approaching that person.
My friend Sam agrees: ‘I’m pretty shy, but when I’m at a work function and see someone working in a position or area I’m interested in, I’m always prepared to go over and introduce myself. Mostly I find that they’re flattered that you recognise them or want to speak with them.’
Partying productively
Office parties and other social events during the holiday seasons are not just an excuse for free food and silly ties. Parties can also be excellent opportunities for networking and for observing how some employer work/life balance initiatives come into play during this social time. Make your networking at end-of-year work parties much more informal because people are there to have fun.
If you’re at the party as a valued customer or as somebody’s guest, don’t expect too much. Just keep your conversation light and chatty. Asking someone ‘Would it be okay if I made an appointment to meet up with you in January?’ is fine — you’re showing your interest without being too demanding when they want to party.
Other party networking tips include
Dressing appropriately. You’re networking with the aim of advancing your career, not killing it. I’m no fashionista but my advice is always to dress your age, not your let-my-hair-down age. Therefore, don’t wear low-cut strappy dresses or surfer dude shorts that are two generations cooler than you are. You want to present yourself as approachable and professional. As a general rule, wear something dressier than your usual work apparel for an evening dinner, or neat and casual clothes for a barbecue or lunch.
Concentrating on the ‘care factor’. Keep your eyes and ears open to how the staff members are being looked after during the festivities. If you’re at an event with lots of entertainment and alcohol and it’s likely to be a late night, see what the employer is offering the employees. Are they being given cab charge dockets to get home safely? Are there designated drivers who’ve earlier volunteered to take responsibility? Is the event held at a time that’s suitable for all staff members (including those with young families) to attend? Even end-of-year gifts, such as hampers or staff awards, can give you a few clues on whether the company cares about its staff beyond 5 pm.
Limit your drinking. Don’t have any more than two drinks over the course of an evening. Alcohol may loosen you up, but not in a professional sense. If you get tipsy, you run the risk of people thinking that you’re a party animal instead of a productive employee. Remember too that at office parties your bosses are also there watching the action.
Moving it. Don’t spend the entire party propping up the bar — this is not your high school’s disco. Also, try not to just hang around people you already know. Key contacts aren’t likely to break into your tight little crowd and if you don’t mingle, you risk excluding other people who may have some expected opportunities that you can’t discover unless you take the time to introduce yourself and start up a conversation. If you’re currently unemployed, don’t let embarrassment about not having a job keep you from attending end-of-year celebrations and networking. If people ask what you do, simply tell them you’re making new career choices in the new year.
Retaining referees
Contacting referees and letting them know when you’re applying for a new job, especially if you’re short-listed for an interview, is polite. Some referees who aren’t given this courtesy can be annoyed and sound irritated when they suddenly receive a call from your potential employer without notice. This call gives you an opportunity to brief your referee about the job you’re being interviewed for and to bump the referee’s memory of who you are and what you achieved when working with them.
Whatever you do, don’t just type up a list of referees and hope all still work at the same place — and hold fond memories of you. Your referee may not have heard of you for a couple of years so you need to bring them up to date with your work situation. At the same time, this call to your reference checks that you have a current telephone number or email address for the referee to pass on to your potential employer.
Many recruiters don’t like calling a mobile phone number because they can’t verify who the person at the other end is. Provide the general company switchboard numbers so that the recruiter can double-check the referee’s name and title before being put through.
Results-Driven Résumés
Curriculum vitae (CV) and résumés today mean the same thing — an outline of your educational and professional history that you provide during a job application. Writing a résumé can be intimidating if you haven’t done one for a while, but don’t feel too exhausted just yet.
Writing the right résumé
HR professionals and recruitment officers don’t want to sift through 25 pages detailing your primary school achievements or squint at size 8 hot-pink wingdings. A two-page résumé is fine if you’ve been in the workforce for only a few years. Three to five pages is the ideal number for anyone with an established employment history.
Layout
Keep the layout of your résumé simple — really simple. I find that Times New Roman (12 pt) or Arial (11 pt) are the easiest types to read — especially for an employer who has a mountain of reports or résumés to sort through. Using bold for headings is all you need to make details stand out — any more embroidery and your résumé looks too busy.
Fancy fonts can also be very distracting and detract from the content of your résumé. Avoid using table formats because they can appear overcrowded and difficult to read. Instead, use tabs to separate job titles from dates and duties.
Contact details
Add your full name, address, phone number, mobile and email details at the top of the first page of your résumé. Also, put your name, mobile phone and email address as a header or footer on each page of the résumé in case the pages become separated. Never use a shared email address or one that may be hilarious in online chat rooms but not so professional for job hunting.
A friend of mine eventually changed her private email address from BigButt to GeoSci + surname when she was applying for a job in geo-sciences. Starting with your name or an abbreviated version is the simplest method. To get with the times, don’t bother putting your marital status or birth date on your résumé. Neither is relevant to your skills and qualifications for the position you’re applying for and may even cause a recruiter to reject your application because of prejudices they may hold.
Strengths
List your key strengths as dot points to make your résumé simpler for recruiters to scan through. Keep your points brief but thorough. Putting ‘outstanding communicator’ or ‘strong team member’ is pointless because these descriptions are too vague. Instead, write something like, ‘Excellent written and verbal communication skills attained through tertiary study and in leadership roles in sales department’ or ‘Productive member of the team responsible for winning the Victorian Government’s tender to construct our city’s new police headquarters’. In other words, offer the recruiter information they can envision and understand as an example of your strengths.
Employment history
List your career history, from most recent position to earliest position.
The structure to follow for each role is
Job title, employer, dates: What you did, for whom and when.
Description of employer: Only include a description when you’ve worked for an overseas company that’s not generally known in Australia. Global firms, such as Coca-Cola, Procter & Gamble and Microsoft need no such descriptions. Alternatively, if you’re working (or have worked) for an Australian company whose name doesn’t identify the industry, then use a description.
Responsibilities: People make the mistake of believing that the more responsibilities listed, the better. Include only the key positions where you were responsible for achievements. Don’t list every single task you preformed. I have seen résumés where people listed: ‘Attended monthly sales meetings’. Which skill is involved in that task? Instead, write, for example, ‘Chairing the monthly sales meeting’ because that is a responsibility.
Achievements: Achievements show your initiative, creativity and ability to work hard for results and give a clear indication of what additional benefits there might be in employing you over someone else. For the purposes of your résumé, achievements are defined as those tasks that you did at work (or in the wider community) that you were not required to do. Examples include staff awards, community recognition or specific projects and suggestions that you developed, which resulted in an increase in business or savings.
Listing achievements on your résumé gives you a chance to indicate your interest and participation in work/life balance initiatives. For example, if you chaired a steering committee that was given the responsibility to research and implement a job-share policy in your former job, put that on your list. Achieving a set goal or plan that you’re paid to do is not an achievement. An achievement must exceed the target or finish higher than the target anticipated, or make an unexpected impact on the business (with percentages and figures included) to back up your claim. For example, ‘Connected the department’s three separate accounting systems and saved $250,000 in systems IT expenditure.’
Education and training: Start with your highest qualification first. education and training section can cover university, TAFE training, industry courses, in-house courses, and any other professional training. Here too you can include any courses that involve recognising the importance of flexibility at work, such as ‘Managing change’, ‘HR principles for managers and supervisors’, ‘Motivating staff’, and so on. Unless you left school within the past five years, you can leave your secondary school history off your résumé.
Professional memberships: Include only those memberships relevant to your career, and include any positions you hold (or have held), sub committees you belong to or any significant events (for example ‘Awarded 2007 Annual Work/Life Balance Society scholarship’).
Hobbies and interests: This section is not compulsory and you’re best to err on the side of caution if one of your favourite pastimes is nude stage diving or auditioning for reality television shows. Better to leave this section out if you’re applying for a position in a conservative industry or charity.
Referees: As a general rule, referees are included at the end of your résumé. Referees’ names, position titles and company details should be included with contact details or you can add ‘Contact phone numbers available on request’. Getting a phone call to find out your referees’ details gives you an indication of whether you’re short-listed for the job and you can then contact your referees to discuss their description of you and your work. For more information on putting together a résumé, see Australian Résumés For Dummies by Amanda McCarthy.
Cracking the cover letter
In your haste to get your job application posted off to win you that dream job, you quickly type out a covering note and staple it to the front of your résumé. You may find that your recruiter doesn’t even bother to turn the page over and look at your details. Check your letter for spelling and typos, that it addresses the job specifically and gets the name and title of the recruiter correct. No employer likes getting a formulaic letter that’s obviously sent to a hundred others because that says you couldn’t be bothered tailoring your application to that employer’s needs.
As a former English teacher and veteran of more than my share of recruitment drives, I can vouch for the strength of a great cover letter. During one recruitment project I received 60 letters from applicants for an administrative position and only read through 15 of the attached résumés. Despite our newspaper advertisement specifying my name and job title, several letters were addressed to ‘Dear Sir or Madam’ and ‘To Whom it May Concern’. No points were awarded to those not smart enough to read the advertisement correctly.
Of the 15 applications short-listed, only five cover letters specifically discussed how the applicants met the selection criteria, despite the advertisement clearly stating that applicants had to address each point specifically in the application. Luckily for me, out of the five applicants, we found Tracey, who has since moved up in the ranks in a very short span of years with that organisation.
Make your covering letter a cracker by
Feeling passionate. Writing a stilted, clichéd cover letter is likely to have your résumé put on the reject pile. Tell the potential employer why this job opportunity makes you feel enthusiastic, what you can bring to the role and how working for the organisation can motivate you. What recruiter doesn’t want to hear the organisation described as an exciting employer of choice?
Getting a fresh set of eyes. Ask an experienced colleague or trusted friend to review your letters for any typos, gaps and possible improvements. You’ll be amazed what someone else can find wrong in your résumé that you can’t see because you wrote it.
Referring to the job for which you’re applying. Explain why you’re the best person for the job. For example, write ‘I see this position as an ideal opportunity to extend my developing skills in project management and in technical writing.’
Slipping in a suggestion. For example, show you may even be able to improve the employer’s workplace. A powerful way to intrigue a potential employer is to show that you know enough about the organisation and the position to see room for improvement. For example, ‘As the leading supplier of belly-button fluff collectors, I can see additional ways you can expand your business through sponsoring relevant Internet sites, such as . . .’.
Taking your time. Making sure you discuss every aspect of the job that’s advertised and why you’re the best person for the job takes a lot of effort. Taking the time to research the organisation, the role applied for and presenting your best writing in a resume can take a few hours and lots of revisions. The cover letter is your chance to tell the employer more about yourself than just what’s listed in your résumé, and show your communication skills at the same time.
Honesty wins in the end
‘Awww, everyone lies on their résumé’ is a phrase you probably hear now and then. I don’t accept telling lies on resumes because your performance on the job soon shows whether an employee has the skills claimed. If not, that employee is soon found out.
Another mistake is to hide your non-working life. Include a statement or two in your résumé that mentions your partner, children and hobbies. Most employers are interested in getting to know you better — your interests, studies, motivating factors and the life you have away from work makes you a well-rounded person. If you leave an employer with the impression that you’re single, childless and live for nothing other than to work, you could be in for a world of trouble.
To make sure you don’t fall into the trap of exaggerating your achievements, ask your partner, a friend or someone who has worked with you to play devil’s advocate. Give them free rein to challenge your cover-letter details as to why you’re the best person for the job. Ask them to question you further about your achievements and whether you can discuss them in more detail.
The referees you include in your application must be able to support your claims. You may get away with asking your best mate in the call centre to be your boss, but you always run the risk of the recruiter contacting someone else they know who works there. Instead, email your referees your covering letter and résumé and give a few dot points on what key qualities and skills you plan to emphasise in your interview. Conclude your note to the referee with, ‘Here are the details I intend to give during the interview. I’m hoping that you’re able to support these.’
Only promote skills, accomplishments and successes that you can prove. Being honest and admitting that you don’t have the knowledge or skills in a particular area may, in fact, be a sign of integrity. Immediately follow up this admission by describing a desirable attribute. For example, you can say: ‘No, I’m not familiar with that accounting package, but I was responsible for familiarising myself with MYOB and training 30 other staff members in the small-business package with only a month to develop the in-house training manual.’
Take your mind back to the time you stole a cigarette from your uncle, lit it behind the school toilets and denied doing so to your mum. Remember: You will be found out.
Bypassing the boss for good referees
Finding good referees can be a daunting task. You may be unhappy in your current position, have been frustrated in trying to set up a more flexible working arrangement or do not have a positive working relationship with your boss. Alternatively, you may have quit a bit hastily, been fired or want to keep your job search hidden from your immediate boss and work mates.
Whatever the reason, if you have a good résumé with a solid track record, you can find suitable referees to help you. In a perfect world, you line up your referees before you even start job hunting or before you quit your current job, but the world isn’t ideal so you have to work out the best timing for you.
As well as always letting referees know when they’re likely to receive a phone call from a potential employer, you need to check when referees are going to be out of town or away on holidays. If they’ll be away, don’t include them, or add a note saying that that referee is on leave and can only be contacted on a mobile phone number (with the referee’s permission of course). Having a potential employer ring someone who is not available makes you appear disorganised. Furthermore, the employer could become annoyed at your wasting their time and put you to the bottom of the heap.
Don’t forget to inform your referees about the role you’re asking them to comment on but don’t ever coach your referees in what you’d like them to say. Tell the referees what you’re doing now, where you’ve been since last contact and what your plans are now. Give them details about the job you’re applying for and how your work history with them is relevant to this new job.
Tips to find great referees for your résumé include
Asking a colleague to be a referee: By colleague I don’t mean Darryl from IT, who’s hilarious company at lunch time, but someone who knows your work and how you contribute to your team.
When Natalie had problems with her manager and started to scan the employment Web sites, she spoke to Jane, a manager who was on the same organisational change strategy committee as Natalie during a recent restructure. ‘Jane had seen my research and written reports, and experienced how I interacted with others in our team. She could also comment on my ability to contribute ideas in meetings and work with minimal supervision to get things done.’
Asking your previous boss to be your referee: The value of having a former employer as a referee can’t be underestimated. New employers prefer former employers as referees because they can ask questions about your work of someone on a similar standing to themselves.
When Hamish resigned from his ministerial liaison role after feeling burned out and not getting the support he needed from his manager, he didn’t feel comfortable asking her to be his referee. He instead used the former manager as a referee and found a job in a larger, more publicly focused agency. As Hamish’s situation shows, trying to keep in touch with former managers and supervisors is important. That way when you’re job searching, you can keep them updated on your situation and ask whether they’ll agree to be a referee for you.
Seeking out important customers: You can be creative with your referees by reaching further into your network to valued customers with whom you worked in the past. These supporters can provide different viewpoints from those of employers and can also be a way of publicising your achievements to your new employer. If you introduced a customer who now spends more than $1 million a year at your former company, or when you managed to solve a long-standing problem to a customer’s satisfaction, then that customer is going to be a great referee for you.
Interview Winners
Your covering letter and résumé has resulted in an invitation for you to attend an interview. Regardless of whether this interview is your first for years, or whether you attend interviews regularly, you’re going to feel nervous about attending. Being prepared always pays.
Doing your homework
Most interviewers and potential managers ask you what you know about the organisation you’re applying to join. Many applicants fail interviews because they haven’t bothered to find out anything about the organisation. To get ahead of the game, try
Analysing annual reports: When the latest annual report is not available via the company’s Web site, try your state library. State libraries keep copies of government department annual reports as well as high-profile, publicly listed company reports. If you still can’t get hold of one, ring the employer directly and ask for a copy. The employer is going to be impressed at your level of preparation and the report itself can be a wonderful source of information about staffing, finances, special projects and key performance targets.
Asking the recruiter: When an employment agency does the recruitment, ask the recruiter for an opinion on whether the employer offers flexible working arrangements and whether the employer is amenable to discussing an alternative working arrangement. The recruiter is the liaison point between you and the employer and can tell you if your work/life balance issues are likely to be viewed as a positive (‘Yes, the company supports flexible working policies and needs an experienced person to help them put more into place.’) or a negative (‘No, the advertisement is specifically for a full-time arrangement with some overtime as required.’).
Searching the World Wide Web: Your search engine is also likely to bring up links that refer to news bulletins, articles or other Web sites associated with the organisation. Throwing in a line at the interview, such as ‘Yes, I read the article in The Age the other day about how your new product has . . .’ won’t do you any harm.
Seeking other opinions: When you know someone who works for the organisation — even in a completely different department — ask about the organisation as an employer. What support does the company really give to work/life balance policies? Has your friend used any flexible working options available or seen colleagues use them? What have been the benefits? What are the workplace issues to look out for in the organisation?
Visiting the Web site: The organisation’s Web site has all the material it wants the public to know. Here you can find specialist documents, including introductory information, press releases, reports and publications and careers sections.
Giving yourself a dry run
Practising your interview technique with a friend or family member is a very useful way to get your answers more concise and considered. Your pretend interviewer can let you know when you’re rushing through your answers too quickly or whether the content of your answers is too vague or difficult to follow. Ask your rehearsal companion to rehearse with you over and over again until you finally feel your answers flowing and your confidence increasing.
Providing examples
Interviewers often like to use a questioning technique known as behavioural interviewing. Such questions ask you to provide an example from your work or personal experience that states your case in the belief that your past performance is a good indicator of how you’re going to perform in the new job. These types of questions usually start with questions such as, ‘Can you tell me about a time when you . . .?’, or ‘Give me an example of . . .’ and/or ‘Can you describe how you would go about starting . . .?’.
Naming names
If you have your wits about you before the recruiter hangs up, ask for a list of the names and titles of each person who will be conducting the interview with you. If such details escape you in the thrill of the news that you actually have an interview, call the recruitment consultant or ask to be put through to the organisation’s HR department. Knowing these details and referring to interviewers by name can go a long way to easing nerves and impressing the interviewers. You can personalise your answers by saying, ‘Well, Dennis, I believe that the best way to begin is by . . .’ and close the interview by saying, ‘Thanks for your time, Mary.’
Feeling good
On the morning of the interview, go for a walk or spend some time doing exercises that you particularly enjoy. The natural high arising from a good workout boosts your circulation and improves your ability to breathe deeply and relax. When travelling to the interview, hold a straight posture as you walk into the building and smile. After all, what do you have to lose?
If you smile, the receptionist will smile back at you and may even strike up a conversation (I’ve managed to get a few good snippets of information this way). When you’re in the actual interview, you’ll feel surprisingly good about yourself. If your stomach is still lurching uncomfortably, remind yourself that being nervous is perfectly natural and okay. Better to be nervous and focused than too confident and arrogant.
Looking good
Take extra care with your appearance. If you don’t want your colleagues to know that you’re going for an interview, try to dress up more on the days before the interview to avoid the dreaded comment, ‘Looking good, baby — are you going to an interview?’ that often is meant to be flattering but can be embarrassing to fend off. Make sure your clothes are clean, ironed and don’t have any loose threads or stains visible. Even if you’re applying for a position at a funky firm, try to avoid selecting anything that screams out ‘I’m groovy too’, such as loud ties, brightly patterned dresses or too much jewellery and make-up.
Also, pay attention to your hands and nails, making sure they’re clean and don’t have chipped polish (best to avoid polish altogether) and make sure your hair doesn’t need constant pushing back out of your eyes. I’m on the nitpicky bandwagon now: other distractions to avoid include wearing aftershave or perfume that’s overpowering, wearing over-sized jewellery or having a loose hairstyle that forces you to flick back your head to get the fringe out of your eyes. There you are — all my pet hates covered!
Passing the interview test
Knowing the dos and don’ts of how to behave in an interview can help you survive the interview process as the winner rather than a loser. Try these handy tips:
Do your homework. Have a couple of questions ready in case you’re invited to interview the interviewers. Tailor these questions to show an interest in the organisation and include a question about who you’ll be reporting to and how your new team is structured. This is also the best time to raise the issue of work/life balance — find out what policies the organisation has in place and what arrangements staff members are currently making.
Don’t interrupt any of the interviewers. Listen carefully and rephrase their question back to them if you feel as though you misunderstood (this strategy also buys you a few seconds of thinking time).
Don’t say anything negative about your current employer or past employers. Instead, focus on what those experiences taught you.
Hold something. If you’re particularly nervous in interviews, it helps to have something in your hands. When I’m nervous in an interview, or feel afraid I may forget to discuss my most significant achievements, I take in my own copy of my resume (in a folder) to use if I need a reminder. This is not seen as having a ‘brain fade’, but is a distinct way of showing your employer that you’re keen to include all of your achievements. To be quite honest, holding the folder gives my shaking hands something to grip so that they remain still.
Keep your answers to the point and fairly brief. The interviewer will ask you when more information is needed from you. And refrain from using just ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ responses.
Maintain eye contact. When more than one person is conducting the interview, speak to all of them, even if you have to tell yourself, ‘Look at Denise, smile, answer her question and meet Dennis’s eye as though inviting his next question’. Not making eye contact appears as though you lack confidence in your abilities or are not being truthful.
Never raise the issue of salary at the first interview. This delicate topic is raised by the employer at the stage when the job is being offered. At that stage you have the opportunity to negotiate and you don’t have to accept the salary package on the spot. Any salary package needs to be carefully studied and thought through, so politely ask if you may take it away and study its details.
Asking for a flexible working arrangement
The question that comes straight after the much-desired statement, ‘We’d like to offer you the job’ is the one many people don’t feel equipped to handle. That question is, ‘So what are your expectations for this role?’
This is the time to tell yourself, carpe diem — seize the day. This is the time to put your work/life expectations on the table and work out clearly and conclusively that you’re interested in the best working conditions that can produce the best productivity and promote the ideal personal and family standards.
A recent survey conducted by Relationships Australia shows that 88 per cent of Australian workers in relationships or with families believe that their personal life is in turmoil because of the stress of trying to manage work/life balance. The flexible working arrangements highest on their wish lists are flexible working hours, opportunities to switch to part-time work and having a supportive employer. These requests shouldn’t come as any surprise to a canny employer.
The University of South Australia has compiled a list of working conditions to help employers and new employees negotiate, including
Access to local child care or child-care provision on site
Application of work/life balance policies, including family-friendly provisions
Availability of professional training and development opportunities
Availability of study support (financial assistance and/or additional leave)
Establishment of flexible working options, such as part-time work, compressed hours, negotiable starting and finishing times, purchase of additional annual leave (refer to Chapter 8 for more information on this option)
Freedom to work from home when required
Provision of a laptop, mobile phone and Internet access from home
Recognition of prior service, being able to carry over your accrued long-service leave to your new employer
Setting your salary level
The other question that comes straight after the much-desired ‘We’d like to offer you the job’ statement is a question that’s just as difficult. You need to be quietly assertive and tactful when you’re asked, ‘So what are your salary expectations for this role?’
At this stage of the game, the employer has selected you. You’re wanted for the role and you want to negotiate. A little. Don’t get over confident and make threats you don’t want to carry out. Don’t say, ‘I’m out of here if I don’t get $200,000 and a BMW full of chocolate’. No-one is irreplaceable.
When you’re selected for a job, don’t be afraid to ask for what you believe is a fair salary. If you have done your research to find out what the going market rate is, you’re in a strong bargaining position.
Research your industry for current market rates well before you go to a job interview. A Web site recommended by HR professionals is the annual Hays Salary Survey (www.hays.com.au/salary), which gives you and your employer some well-researched, impartial evidence of current market levels for your position.
In addition, take the opportunity to think beyond the dollar signs and discuss what other options are available to you. Here are some options to start your list:
Administrative support for the role
Business class travel and club membership
Car parking (very important in the inner-city areas)
Expenses for conferences
Having the employer pay for your moving expenses
Office size and location
Performance bonuses (not just size but guaranteed minimum amount)
Salary and conditions review (a minimum guaranteed salary increase)
Superannuation and salary-sacrifice arrangements
How you state your case is up to you. Try to anticipate the employer’s reaction to what you say. Rehearse your requests beforehand, remain calm when you’re speaking and be prepared to hear ‘No’ to some things, but hopefully not all. If you don’t ask, you won’t get!
This may sound difficult, but when you come second, you have every right to ask why. Not in a complaining or hostile tone, but so that you get feedback on how you can improve your next job application, as well as discovering what the interviewer considers are your strengths. If you’re nervous about telephoning, phone the receptionist and ask for the interviewer’s email. Write a brief email, asking for some honest feedback, for example, ‘Can you tell me in which areas I need to improve?’ or ‘Does my interview performance let me down?’ or ‘Did I lack enthusiasm for the role or downplay my skills?’