It’s the little things, not just the CV & interview – you are being scrutinised!

It’s the little things, not just the CV & interview – you are being scrutinised!

When going through a job application process, it’s easy to think that as long as you send your bespoke CV, with bespoke covering letter, for the positions that you believe you are amply experienced and qualified, that’s all that matters!

You would think so, but from the moment you get the first positive overture from the recruiter or Hiring Manager, your behaviour will be closely scrutinised.  Below are some things to be mindful of:

  • Speedy response – either by email or telephone.  IT IS BEYOND VITAL that when job searching you make yourself easily accessible and do not delay your response back to a recruiter/company.  Some recruiter’s can be working to a strict interview schedule, so unless you respond in haste, you may be shunted off the list.
  • Addressing the recruiter’s queries by email – please use a greeting, it can be “hi”, “hello” “Good morning” etc. preferably not “hey” unless you know them from a previous life.  Don’t just state their name “Amanda”…it sounds cold, blunt and off-putting and almost disrespectful.
  • Acknowledge any written correspondence that is sent – further supporting information to the position, or a confirmation of an interview time.  It’s courtesy.  And saves the sender fretting about whether you have received the information.
  • Always triple check any attachments you send, firstly make sure you attach one if you refer to one in the body of the email!  Secondly, make sure they’re the correct ones!  Sending wrong attachments etc. will send alarm bells ringing about your potential attention to detail.
  • Spell check, for whatever reason, always spell check, nothing more irritating than emails, correspondence riddled with errors.
  • After the interview, do follow up withing 5 days, with a polite thank you note, acknowledging the interview, expressing that you’re looking forward to feedback etc.
  • Be sure to have all your referees lined up, so that when requested you have their contact details ready to handover to your prospective employer.  Be sure to have checked with the referees that they are prepared to provide you with a glowing reference!
  • Be as accommodating as you can, within reason, with regard to telephone interviews etc. within working hours.  Give the recruiter your entire availability, before work, lunch hour,  after your finishing time.  If you really want the job, you have to demonstrate some degree of flexibility.  If that means getting up an hour or 2 earlier, to get into work, to find a quiet spot to take a call, then so be it!
  • Make sure your phone is charged up and that you are in a quiet place to take the call – not public transport please!  Treat a telephone appointment as you would a face to face – it’s even harder to convey your suitability for the role over the phone, so pull out all the stops!
  • Face-to-face interview, report to reception no more than 10 minutes in advance of the agreed interview time.  There is nothing worse than the recruiter feeling under pressure, knowing that you’ve been hanging around for 40/50 minutes.
  • The above does not mean, racing up to the desk at the last minute, as you struggled to find the place.  Find the venue, and if you are very early, go and find somewhere to have a coffee.  If the venue is in the middle of nowhere and you don’t have the luxury of a car, then just ask the reception attendant not to inform the recruiter that you are there until 10 minutes before the agreed time!

Happy job hunting

The next blog will be about basic interview etiquette and how you convince to get that job!