And the Oscar goes to…Four Tips for an Award-Winning Interview

Never is personal branding more important than when you’re going for a job interview, particularly if it’s a job you really want. However, most of us enter an interview feeling nervous and powerless and with that mindset, it is hard to feel comfortable and ultimately succeed. What you need to do is take control.

Here are four tips you should take on board in order to perform at your best in your interview.

1. The first 15 seconds are the most important

People make up their minds about you in a matter of seconds. Whether you like it or not, a first impression is based on snap visual impressions; the way you look when you enter the room, the first 15 words you say, your clothes, hairstyle, eye contact and smile are all critical visual messages that need to convey the right message for you, the job and the company.

2. Lean in, literally

We have mentioned to you before about the importance of body language.

New research by Harvard Business School shows that some poses actually affect our performance because they change our body chemistry.

Poses such as standing tall, leaning in toward another person, or expansive hand gestures convey high power, gravitas and confidence. Crossing your arms across your chest or crossing your legs conveys low power. So, ensure you think about your ‘power poses’ before you get to the hot seat.

3. Own your value with a memorable ‘brand sentence’

Be prepared to identify your Unique Selling Point (USP); what is different and special about you in comparison with others and why it matters.

You should also be able to tell interesting stories about your professional adventures that bring your USP to life.  Employees want you to have a proven track record of why your USP will contribute to the success of their company.

4. Turn the tables on the interviewer

A powerful tactic is to turn the tables on the interviewer so the interview is a two-way conversation. As soon as you can, ask the interviewer questions. Ask them about key initiatives and projects, and the company culture.

Listen more than you talk. It’s a very powerful tactic, because if you work a series of questions into the conversation, you immediately level the playing field and you will come across as a serious, professional candidate for the role in question.

A Plan for Success for a Telecom Professional

As a telecom professional, you have many skills and expertise that you can offer to a company. So, how do you showcase this before meeting your potential employer?  The answer lies in your resume and cover letter.

Your cover letter sells the benefits of hiring you. Your resume sells the features you come with. Your first professional impression is down to these two documents; make sure they’re in both in tip-top shape.

Great cover letters showcase your personality and passion and describe what makes you a uniquely qualified candidate. Use these tips and tools to create a cover letter that increases the chances your resume will be read.

• Don’t send correspondence “To Whom It May Concern”. Find out who will review your cover letter and resume and send it to them directly

• Tailor your cover letter to the company and the job you’re after. Generic doesn’t work and won’t catch a recruiter’s eye

• Figure out how the position you’re applying to can solve a problem. Then match your letter to those requirements.
  • As an example: The company might need specific expertise or experience or they may need to improve their customer satisfaction metrics. How can you help?

• List the specific job requirements and your matching qualifications in side-by-side columns so that the HR person can quickly see that you have what this job takes

• Sell yourself as the solution:

Describe the benefits of hiring you

Explain how you’re qualified to solve the problem

Include your years of experience relative to the position and your most recent job in the field

Be confident, factual, and positive

• Talk about what you can do, not what you have done. A recruiter can see your resume for more detail on your experience, education, and accomplishments

• Keep it short and simple. Use bullet points whenever possible. And never go over one page in length

• Ask for an interview

• Sign the letter and make sure to proofread

• DON’T CALL or send duplicate resumes. This won’t gain you any points. It may actually give recruiters a reason to disqualify you

Your resume is your best sales tool and gives you an opportunity to solve an employer’s problems. Done well, it can make you an indispensable solution to the company’s needs. Follow these resume do’s and don’ts to ensure you look like high quality telecom candidate.

DOs

• Keep it simple and easy to read

• Bullet points: use them whenever possible

• Grammar and spelling: make sure they are perfect. Employers have a rule: “If there’s a typo, throw it out.”

• If you have less than five years’ work experience, limit your resume to one page

• Specific skills. This is not a market for generalists; note the specific skill set you will bring to the business

• Key words; this includes technical terms and expertise (hardware and software in which you are proficient), job titles, certifications, names of products and services, industry buzzwords and jargon, types of degrees, company names. In the following examples, keywords are underlined:

Supported maintenance and repair of switches, special circuits and pair gain equipment

Deployed Cisco routers, LAN/WAN and network management products

Coordinated installation dates facility assignments

Prepared Premises Installer daily log sheets

• Education and experience. If you are applying for your first job, list education at the top. Otherwise, experience precedes education

• Employment history; your most recent employment goes first. List the name of the company with a short description, the city and state, the position/title held, and the dates (month and year)

• List promotion and dates for each position

• Make sure you’re a fit. Think about the company’s business culture. For example, a non-union company won’t be impressed if you flaunt your union credentials. It scares them. And the opposite can also be true

• Profession organisations and awards. Include professional organisation/association memberships and any positions you held. List your professional accomplishments – awards, certifications, honours etc.

• Your email and voicemail. Use a professional sounding email address and voice mail and be sure to check them often

DON’Ts

• Don’t include a photo or personal information – height, weight, age, for example

• Do not use an objective/summary unless you have many years of experience

• Never hand-write any information on your resume

• Don’t send your resume to more than one person at a firm/division and never send a gift/toy

• Don’t use coloured paper – it doesn’t scan or fax well

• Don’t include references on your resume

If you follow our steps to success, you are guaranteed to present yourself as a high quality candidate and an experienced telecom professional that any organisation would want in their team.

Video Interviewing is the Future of Recruitment Industry

Video interviewing is fast becoming the popular HR technology trends in the past few years.

It is instrumental in cost cutting, tackling standardize compliance issues, and increasing productivity.

To some extent compared to in-person interviews, candidate’s body language, appearance, and demeanour can also be evaluated through this interview process.

Although, the video interview has not eliminated the conventional in-person interview; it is quickly transforming into a popular technology trend.

It is found that 63% of surveyed hiring executives accepted that they were now mostly conducting video interviews, which has increased 14% from the previous year. Based on this growth, it is expected that the number of companies conducting video interviews could reach up to 70% next year.

Question Your Way into a Job

During job interviews, both the employer and the candidate will have questions to ask. From the employer’s point of view, maybe this is so they hope that with one question, they can identify a superstar or maybe they are not thinking about the question at all but more about the answer the candidate gives back.

If you are a recruiter, you may even think the question portion of the interview is a waste of time but when it is the candidate’s turn to ask the questions, it may speak volumes in how actively invested they are to you and your company so you do not want to jeopardise the opportunity to see that.

Here are four questions a great job candidate would ask:

“What do you expect me to accomplish in the first 60 to 90 days?”

Great candidates want to hit the ground running. They don’t want to spend weeks or months getting to know the organization. They want to make a difference right away. Finding out the expectations and the company’s objectives will help them evaluate whether the job in question is a good fit for them.

“What are the common traits of your top performers?”

Great candidates want to be long-term employees that make a difference to the company. Wanting to find out the characteristics of the top performers, shows that the candidate would be committed to the company if they were hired.

“What are the one or two things that really drive results for the company?”

Employees are investments, and every employee should generate a positive return on his or her salary. Impressive candidates want to know what truly makes a difference for your company because they know that helping the company succeed means they will also succeed, on multiple levels.

“How do you plan to deal with…?”

Whether it is technological changes, competitors or ever shifting economic trends, there is rarely a business that is completely protected. So while a candidate may see your company as a stepping-stone, asking this question shows that they still hope for growth and advancement in the company even if they do eventually leave.