Overview - Ten-Minute Guide

Your aim is to convince the interviewer that:

You would be able to do the job
You can bring benefits to the company
You are the best candidate on both counts

Preparation:

You need to do a mini self-assessment of your profile, for example your work experience so far, the qualifications you have gained, and where you want your career to go. Consider your strengths and weaknesses, so that you have an idea of what to say in the interview. Some points to consider are:

Leadership
Self-confidence
Commitment and determination
Enthusiasm and Stamina
Competitiveness
Good judgement and decision making
Responsibility
Initiative and creativity
Organisation

Ask yourself:

Which areas could I improve
What are the tasks and situations that I have had the most problems with
In which instances did my colleagues react negatively towards me

Questions:

Why do you want this job? Talk about the positive aspects of the job, not that it's the only one you have had an interview for.

What qualities do you think will be required for this job? Talk about points that were in the job description but also other qualities such as: communications, interpersonal skills etc

What can you contribute? Your chance to shine. Tell them about your achievements in previous positions or at University etc

Why do you want to work for this company? Talk about why you like the company, mission statement, ethics, international etc

What do you know about this company? Give a run down of their products/services, sales figures, accomplishments etc

What interest you about our product/service? This can link to the previous question

How would you describe yourself? Pick your best attributes

What has been your greatest success? How did you achieve it? Pick an achievement related to the companies/jobs needs

What has been your biggest failure? Pick something that you were able to correct or that wasn't that important

How could you improve yourself? Pick on positive aspects of your personality or a strength/weakness scenario where you are improving

How do you handle criticism? Say that you take on board criticism and that it is part of your development so that you can improve certain areas.

Do you work well with others? Give examples of a good working relationship

Are you self motivated? Give an example of where you have been pro-active

Can you act on your own initiative? This can link into the previous question

What motivates you? Opportunities to learn new skills

Do you work well under pressure? Answer positively

What are your career goals?


COVERING LETTER

The covering letter is your chance to expand on the CV, your time to show the prospective employer what skills you have gained, how and where you gained them. Also showing how these skills will be of benefit within the sector that you are applying to. However, when writing a covering letter many people have the tendency to waffle. You need to be clear and concise and match your skills to the job requirements. This is your chance to shine and show the employer exactly what you are capable of. It is very unlikely that you have done the exact same job before as what you will go into, and even if you have each company has there own way of doing things. It is therefore important to show the skills that you have ascertained and they show proof of how you have adapted such attributes to various aspects of work.

5 Points:
Should be one side of A4
Do not just repeat information from your CV, but tie the two together, for example: as you will see from my CV, I have extensive experience in...
Be positive
Handwritten or typed covering letters are acceptable
Never photocopy a covering letter for another employer/job.

First paragraph

This is a general introduction to who you are, what you are doing, and what you want. For example: you are a student, studying for a degree in your chosen subject, and you are looking for a work placement. You should also write what postion you are applying for and a brief description of why you are applying for work within that chosen company.

Bulk of the letter

These couple of paragraphs should highlight experiences and skills you have gained that are relevant to the employment you are seeking. Topics of interest could include, previous employment, voluntary activities, and University coursework/presentations. For example, during a University presentation you may use the following skills: teamwork, communication, negotiation, time management, research using various research tools such as the internet, media, library resources; plus the presentation may have involved using computer programmes such as power point.

Final paragraph

This is a closing paragraph to thank them for their time and that you shall look forward to hearing from them shortly.Yours sincerely/faithfully and then your name.