Job Hunting, CVs, and Interview Skills

Abbreviated notes, Links to the original articles are included at the top of each section.

5 Questions 'Great job candidates' Ask

• 1. What do you expect me to accomplish in the first 60 to 90 days?

  2. What are the common attributes of your top performers?

  3. What are a few things that really drive results for the company?

  4. What do employees do in their spare time?

  5. How do you plan to deal with...?

How to Write a CV (Economist)

• 1. If you are a recent graduate, a 2-3 page CV is fine.

  2. Read through the role advertized and highlight the most important aspects, then mirror these in your CV and cover letter, highlighting how your skills, achievements, qualifications and experiences can meet these requirements.

  3. CV Elements:

     1. Contact Details: Always make these the first thing an employer sees.

     2. Objective: For a specific role, a tailored objective section is pivotal. Ensure you mirror what the firm is seeking, as well as highlight the job title.

     3. Personal Summary: Assess and highlight the keywords from the job description. Be careful not to plagiarise the employer’s content, but assure them you have what they are seeking.

     4. Qualifications: Highlight each qualification, with the university and year attained. After this, add a section entitled "Major Achievements.

     5. Career History: Recruiters at the early stages are looking for reasons not to interview you, so include anything that shows experience that will be helpful in the role you are applying for.

     6. IT Knowledge: Include a brief account of the main software packages you know how to use. If a specific program is not listed it will be assumed you do not have any experience using it.

     7. Interests: Show that you are a well-rounded person. Briefly list 4-8 of your interests, and be prepared to talk about them in later stages of the interview when the company starts to talk about its culture.

     8. Education: After your second or third position this section becomes less important and, later in your career, should drop off altogether.

  4. Online Influence:

• • 1. Be proactive in your industry and start writing a regular blog or podcast relating to a professional topic you find interesting.

    2. Use Twitter as a professional tool too, providing knowledgeable content that dovetails with your blogs or podcasts.

    3. Make sure your Facebook settings are on private, and any naked, drunk or embarrassing pictures are gone forever from the cyber world. [Josh's Note: Good luck with that one. Better not to get naked, drunk, or have embarrassing pictures taken of you in the first place.]