You could ask your family or friends to walk you through a number of questions; however, if they are not experienced interviewers, it is unlikely they are going to ask you challenging questions to hone your skills. You could, however, take part in our Virtual Job Interview which will let you know whether your answers are on the right track!

The wonderful World Wide Web comes to the rescue.  If you visit YouTube, and type in ‘virtual Job Interview’ you will be presented with a wealth of videos that can be tailored to your industry sector or to questions that are likely to be asked at your forth coming meeting.  Not only do they offer a chance to conduct some private role play, but they also provide helpful tips and hints on the best way to approach a subject matter.

Don’t forget to take time to research the company you intend to meet as well!

1. Use confident and positive language. Use positive words such as initiated, introduced, improved, developed, established, negotiated, created, pioneered, delivered, increased, reduced, saved etc. This helps to ensure you’re substantiating your skills and abilities with hard evidence.
2. Focus on your achievements and not responsibilities. Listing things you have done – such as increasing sales, products you may have launched, awards you have won – try not to repeat your job description. Quote facts and figures whenever possible.
3. Encourage the potential employer to read on. Put your most salient points on the first page of your CV; include your greatest achievements and where possible give examples of how your skills have benefitted the businesses you have worked for.
4. Focus on the quality not quantity of your achievements. Make sure that your achievements stand out! A good CV would have between 5 and 10 achievements on it that covers your main successes in your career to maintain the reader’s attention.
5. Rise above the competition. Ensure you include other skills that might set your CV apart from other candidates, such as languages or IT skills.
6. Keep to the point. Be ruthless; keep your CV to a maximum of a few pages. Only very senior or diversely skilled individuals have more to say.
7. Check and check again. Check thoroughly for spelling and grammatical errors – spotting mistakes and eliminating the CV from the selection process is a recognised technique for weeding out the weaker candidates. Don’t rely on your computers spellchecker, get someone else to proof read it – you may have spelt a word correctly but used it in the wrong context.
8. Use relevant and industry recognised keywords. Recruiters use keywords to find the most relevant jobseekers. These keywords will include specific technical skills such as SAGE or qualifications like ACCA, specific job titles like ‘Sales advisor’. Also, when responding to a job advertisement, make sure your CV mirrors the language used in the advert.
9. Capture their attention. Prioritise the content of your CV, detail the most relevant information first. Start with a hard-hitting personal profile that avoids clichés such as ‘hard-working, team player with excellent communication skills’. Make sure that your career history is punchy and to the point with qualified and quantified successes.
10. Graduates should expand Tell your reader more about your degree other than just the modules you have taken. Show successes you have had in your project work and dissertations and other extracurricular activities you have undertaken. More work experienced job hunters should just put their degree details on page two with the University they attended, the degree that they took and the grade achieved.

The wrong way.

1. Expand the truth. Most employers are not fooled by creative embellishments and if you do manage to get a job based on a creative CV you could be fired for gross misconduct if found out. Falsifying a CV is a criminal offence.
2. Listing everything. An employer doesn’t want to know all the one-day training courses you have attended. Keep information relevant and to the point.
3. Include a photo. No matter how attractive you maybe, it will not improve your chances. This tends to be popular in other European countries but it isn’t favoured by the majority of UK businesses.
4. Get creative. Do not use elaborate fonts and colours to make your CV stand out. The more gimmicky you make your CV using different shapes and pictures; the more off-putting it will be to an employer. It will also make it more difficult to upload to the various job portals
5. Divulge sensitive information. Never include your NI or passport number or any other sensitive personal information on your CV.
6. Tailor your CV. Your CV should be strong enough to be used for different positions that you are applying for. Your covering letter that should be tailored carefully for each job opportunity, make sure it answers all of the employer’s questions about your suitability for the role.
7. Talk about me, me, me. Avoid starting each sentence in the first person. Instead use phrasing such as ‘Selected to manage the companies online marketing spend of £150,000 which resulted in the company achieving a top 10 page ranking across all search engines within 6 months’.
8. Talk in cliches. Phrases such as ‘I am a highly motivated individual who works well on my own or in a team, with exceptional communication skills and the ability to work under pressure to produce results under tight deadlines’ are dull and the employer has heard them all before. Make yourself stand out with carefully worded phrasing that is factual and captures the employer’s attention.
9. Duplicate applications. Some recruiters have systems that handle multiple applications from the same person; however, for those that don’t it is not advisable to submit more than one application, make a note of the jobs you are applying for, locations, job titles, dates etc.
10. Make the recruiter jump through hoops. If you are able to perform in the job, explain how in your CV. Don’t expect the employer to read between the lines to work out whether you will be worth the advertised £40k salary

The reality is that during the down turn, the vast majority of good employees have simply battened down the hatches and stayed in their current roles, believing in the old adage ‘better the devil you know’. Simultaneously, employers have maximised their profitability by reducing costs where possible, however, there is a limit to how much they can trim the costs and eventually a decision has to be made to re-invest.

The recruitment market is, and always will be, cyclical. It’s a question of supply and demand like any other commodity, the employers are now needing new talent and slowly but surely the talent will follow.

I am very conscious that my comments maybe read as being rather flippant; especially to anyone who has been job seeking for sometime and who is struggling to find an opportunity. I regularly spend time with friends of friends to discuss their job search processes and offer advice where possible. Remarkably, there are many similarities and frustrations in their shared experiences and I felt it would be a beneficial to explore the most common issues and offer advice to any job seekers who are not a friend of a friend.

One of the biggest issues appears to be related to the lack of feedback when approaching new job opportunities via the web or through journals. I can empathise with these feeling, you may feel demoralised to send application after application and not get any feedback. However, the web is very impersonal and I can assure you that you are not the only one who is not getting feedback, sadly it has become an accepted practice, and one that I feel is not for the better. My advice is to adopt a mentality of a sales person, it is partially a numbers game, however, you need to ensure your responses are not generic. Take your time to read the job advert, be honest with yourself; are you suitable for the role? Do you have the transferrable skills? If so, you need to structure your response to highlight those skills and where possible, use the wording they have used in the advert. If they are looking for some one dynamic, tell them you are!

Another common problem is that job seekers fall into the habit of doing the same thing day in day out; all they do is trawl the job boards, get occasion responses and sadly fall into a routine that diminishes their self belief. You must look at the process of getting a job as ‘your job’, be creative, plan your working week, two days per week, assess the job boards, go to the business section of your local library, ask for a list of companies in the area you would want to work for that fits your criteria. Approach them by letter, or even better, print off your CV and do a walk around, asking to see the manager to hand deliver your CV. One last piece of advice is to look for looking business networking events, the likes of the BNI, call and request whether you can attend and network, it’s a great way of getting in front of people.

Good luck with your continued job search.

Our experience in the recruitment industry has taught us a great deal about people and organisations. We believe that our people are our greatest asset, in an environment where businesses are continually challenged to find ways of achieving competitive advantage; it is YOU who can make the difference between success and failure.

We believe an employee needs support, the tools to do the job, a good working environment and above all a management team that leads by example, NOT by number crunching and lectures!

If you are seeking a fresh and exiting career where you are valued and rewarded for your efforts, then we need to speak to you.

We are seeking experienced recruitment consultants who wish to progress their career, or experienced and driven sales people who have specialised in their field of expertise and established a successful career path.

You will be an excellent communicator, hungry for financial reward and the desire to beat the rest. You must have a proven track record.

You will have good administration skills, strong IT skills, be organised and able to manage your diary and time proficiently.

Excellent package, benefits and bonus structure.

The results were released by Clydesdale and Yorkshire Banks, and the study also found that many of the new positions would be in skilled or managerial posts.

Scott McKerracher, Clydesdale Bank’s regional director for Scotland, said the results were “encouraging”. He added: “These results suggest that a growing number of businesses are starting to look to the future with more confidence.

“It continues to be a challenging time for businesses and many will have had to make tough decisions to protect their business, however, few will have lost sight of the fact that their staff are their most important asset. By investing in their workforce when the time is right, businesses are helping to pave the way for growth and future success.

“The research appears to indicate that recruitment and training are beginning to re-emerge as key priorities for UK businesses as they look to the future and plan if, and how, they will take advantage of any emerging opportunities.”

The sales, media and marketing sectors look set to lead the recruitment drive, with 66% of such businesses looking to take on more staff (66%).

The research was carried out in June, when 1033 adults in Scotland and England were questioned.

Report supplied by www.stv.tv”