This is how it starts

Losing a job is not easy. Of course it is not true for the first day, week, month, or two. Oh, it feels more like a blessing. You can spend in bad as much time in the morning as you want to, watch all your favorite TV soaps (or start to watch one), eat, walk, bath, talk with friends when you want to and as many as you want to, and simply do nothing for the whole day. It seems like you deserve a rest, after so many sleepless nights, stress and constant fight for survival at work. There is no greater pleasure then feeling of calm happiness and peace when you open your eyes in the shinny lights of the warm sun, still in the charm of a wonderful dream. At the beginning this sudden freedom gives you wings of new opportunities, forgotten dreams, and hobbies. There are so many things in this life that you can do, want to do but never had a time for that. I remember how it was for me at the beginning… I had to buy a diary in order to put into schedule all things that were in my mind and I wanted to do. All my forgotten passions came to live – I wanted to dance, play piano, ride a horse, read books, and watch TV. I thought that would be not enough time for me to do all of that…
Unfortunately those feelings didn’t stay for long. At the first evening night when all members of my family was gathered and started to talk about their day accomplishments, success, problems, people they met at work…. Strong feeling that something missing in my life came along. I could clearly see difference between me and the rest of the world. Not much to share… (unless of course about this very tasty dish I cooked and how I managed to do that). First thoughts of misery came into my mind. It got worse. Due to this crisis I could not find a job. Potential employers seem to hide somewhere away from the eyes of people. And then again, most of my things in the “to do list” required money… now I could see problem and constant worries filled in my heart. Obsessed with the necessity of getting job and money I was knocking into doors of potential employers. Probably because of my eagerness that was written in the eyes, or just because of great competition, they all refused me. Which made me worried more….
Worries are not gone… But it got better, since I decided to take advantage of my new life. I was looking at my life from the perspective of stranger that would want the same life as I have for him/her self. And new opportunities started to arise. I came down and now I continue to do things I want to do, just looking with the hope to the future.

The best places to look for job if you are not EU

It is very difficult to find job if you are Irish, but if you are not EU and need work permit of any kind it is even harder. Although there is one advantage that you can use – knowledge of your native language. Start looking for a job in:

Customer support for your market
Companies that both present in Ireland and your home countries
Companies that supply or buy goods from/to your country
International business associations
Any big multinational that may plan to open a branch in your country

Work permit for non EU

With today economic situation in the world and in Ireland exactly it is getting almost impossible to receive work permit/spousal work permit/ green card, etc.

Back in 2000-2007 Ireland was one of the most welcoming countries for non EU to look for job. Since demand on worker was much higher than actual amount of people living in Ireland. It was wonderful back that time. People keep on saying that Ireland took almost everyone who was asking for job.

Now it is so different. Since economy in decline, and number of working places is decreasing dramatically. Irish government want to ensure that Irish citizen (or EU) would get a job first. It is understandable – country want to protect its people. So starting from 1 June of 2008 it is almost impossible to get work permit if you are not EU due to new set of rules and procedures.

Although those who arrived before that date, still have a chance. If you have managed to find job that is 35 hours per week in good company, work permit will be issued in the course of two weeks maximum. In case you have found job that is only part time, procedures may take longer, since they need to double check all information.

Check list before going to work outside EU

If you decided to work outside the Eu check following information before going:

What are the visa/work authorisation requirements?
What employment protection measures are in force (unfair dismissals, maternity leave, etc.)
What health care facilities are available to me?
Am I required to have any vaccinations before I can travel?
What accommodation/tenancy rights are in force?
What is the tax situation? Does Ireland have a tax agreement with the country?
What is the social security position?

Going to work outside the Eu maybe a great risk and a great benefit all together. Some of the countries would have poor tax system or almost no social security. The best advice would be to find a job in the country you want to go before actually going there. It is very handy. Since your employer will propose you benefits, accommodations, etc. Keep in mind that you always can return back but if you don’t give it a chance, you would never know how it is.

Ability test as part of interview process

While passing interview to one of the multinational or financial companies you may find yourself at the stage of interview that would be conduct in the form of ability test. This test is designed to test your initial ability to comprehend information and basic of logical thinking. Usually it consists from two- three parts.

Part number one is verbal test. You are given information in the short texts which follows by set of true/falls/not given questions. Sometimes it is very tricky, because questions that are by logic needs to be true or falls simply not given in the text. To answer correctly it requires careful reading. Although when I was passing this test it was 30 min for 60 questions, which is 15 texts to read. The best advice would be – try to read as much as possible and fill in answers even if you haven’t finish reading.

Part two is numerical test. Don’t be scared since only basic understanding of graphs and tables problems would be required. Again time would be too short, so don’t try to solve all problems. Those which require a lot of calculations or thinking can be solved at the end.

Third part is logical test. It will test your ability to logically see consequence and dependency between figures shown. I didn’t had this part of the exam, but it is always better to be prepared to everything.

The best web site that I found in order to prepare to the ability test is:

http://www.getsmartfirst.com/Numerical_Reasoning_Test.html

Remember for different positions they have different minimum pass score. Although taking this test without preparation may be difficult. Most of the questions and problems in proportional tests and real ones are alike. Knowing how to solve problems will give you required speed so you can perform better.

Example of cover letter

There is a two types of cover letters as two types of approaching company. Sometime it is highly important to personalize as much as possible your cover letter and Cv to the exact job you are interested in and feel you have great potential with it. The other choice is to write standard cover letter and Cv in order to approach as many jobs offers as possible and let the numbers play its game.

Example:

Dear Elaine, (state name of the person you are writing to. It is always nice to show that you done some research, know what you are doing and interested in company and job)

I am writing this letter to apply for Customer Services Administrative assistant role (it is very important to show that you know what you want. Even if there is no exact position opening in the company and you just want to send your CV for future considerations name specific departments you are interested in). I would like to continue my customer support career in order to create value for the company. (Why you want this job or work in this company? You may want to show your consistency in work experience and key skills)

I have unique combination of administrative and customer support work experience, and have strong knowledge of problem solving, excellent communication manner, and dealing with regular administrative tasks (event/project organization, paper work, computer skills, and etc.) (Here you want to talk about your key strength. Use strong adjectives while talking about your qualifications. Talk more about skills which exactly correspond to the job description. Use bond front to underline your experience)

Please see my CV. I would be happy if you contact me for interview. (Use smooth and nice closing of the cover letter. In case you are sending cold mail you may want to state exact day when you would like to follow up – that would give you a chance to talk with them one more time).

Best regards,

Anastasia

8 Tips for Crafting Eye-Catching Cover Letters

Your cover letter presents your intentions, qualifications and availability to a prospective employer in a succinct and appealing format. As your first chance to make a great impression, a personalized letter indicates you are serious about your job search. Your resume can give the nitty-gritty of dates, places of employment and education, but your cover letter must entice the reader to consider you amidst hundreds, or even thousands, of candidates for any one job opening.

1. Do You Really Need a Cover Letter?
You bet! Just as you would never show up unannounced at a prospective employer's door, your resume should never just appear solo on a decision maker's desk. Your cover letter is your first opportunity to introduce yourself, present your qualifications and show the search committee you are a potential candidate for the that job.

2. Personalize It to the Company.
Anyone can reproduce a "canned" cover letter and hope for the best. Instead, take a few minutes to personalize your letter to show a company you are serious about working there. State the reason for your interest in the company. Show that you have done your homework by mentioning company specifics such as a department, a new project or a recent acquisition. Address the cover letter to a specific individual whenever possible.

3. Why are You Sending Your Resume and Cover Letter?
Cover letters should be clear and to the point. Include the specific job title, two to three reasons why your experience makes a good fit and a brief outline of your career highlights.

4. Highlight Your Strengths.
You may be a great person and never call in sick, but prospective employers really want to know why they should consider you for this position. Brag a little! Give a few facts, list relevant skills and state accomplishments on recent jobs that will be impressive.
Examples:
Increased overseas sales by 93 percent.
Negotiated new financial leases or loans.
Implemented new training programs that reduced staff turnover by 15 percent.


5. What Makes You Different?
Emphasize your skills, talents and experiences to show how you would be a valuable addition to the team. If you have relevant volunteer or professional experience, mention it briefly in your cover letter. For example, if you are an accountant who serves as volunteer treasurer for a nonprofit community health organization, include that information. Or if you are an international sales rep who has lived in Europe and Asia and speaks several languages, add that to your letter.

6. No Negative Information.
Never include personality conflicts with previous employers, pending litigation suits or sarcastic remarks in your cover letter. If you are bad-mouthing your present place of employment, interviewers may fear a repeat performance if they hire you.

7. Take Action Steps.
Take a proactive approach in your cover letter. State the fact that you are available for a personal interview; give your home, work, email and/or cell phone numbers where you can be reached; note that you will follow up by phone (whenever possible) to provide any additional information required.

8. Be Direct!
A professionally written cover letter and resume can open the door to your next position on the corporate ladder or to a new career in a different field. A clean, error-free presentation, combined with strong phrasing and solid facts, will encourage the reader to review the attached resume and call you in for an interview.

Ten Cover Letter Don'ts

Your cover letter is the first thing employers see when they open your materials. Avoid these 10 mistakes, and make your first impression a lasting one.

Don't Overuse "I"
Your cover letter is not your autobiography. The focus should be on how you meet an employer's needs, not on your life story. Avoid the perception of being self-centered by minimizing your use of the word "I," especially at the beginning of your sentences.

Don't Use a Weak Opening.
Job seekers frequently struggle with how to begin a cover letter. What results is often a feeble introduction lacking punch and failing to grab the reader's interest. Consider this example:
Weak: Please consider me for your sales representative opening.
Better: Your need for a top-performing sales representative is an excellent match to my three-year history as a #1-ranked, multimillion-dollar producer.
Weak. I have good communicating skills
Better I have excellent communicating skills and strong knowledge of problem solving.

Don't Omit Your Top Selling Points.
A cover letter is a sales letter that sells you as a candidate. Just like the resume, it should be compelling and give the main reasons why you should be called for an interview. Winning cover letter strategies include emphasizing your top accomplishments or creating subheadings culled from the job posting. For example:

Your ad specifies:Communication Skills
And I offer:Five years of public speaking experience and an extensive background in executive-level report writing.
Your ad specifies:Strong Computer Background
And I offer:Proficiency in all MS Office applications with additional expertise in Web site development and design.

Don't Make It Too Long or Too Short.
If your cover letter is only one or two short paragraphs, it probably doesn't contain enough key information to sell you effectively. If it exceeds one page, you may be putting readers to sleep. Keep it concise but compelling, and be respectful of readers' time.

Don't Repeat Your Resume Word-for-Word.
Your cover letter shouldn't just regurgitate what's on your resume. Reword your cover letter statements to avoid dulling your resume's impact. Consider using the letter to tell a brief story, such as "My Toughest Sale" or "My Biggest Technical Challenge."

Don't Be Vague.
If you're replying to an advertised opening, reference the specific job title in your cover letter. The person reading your letter may be reviewing hundreds of letters for dozens of different jobs. Make sure all the content in your letter supports how you will meet the employer's specific needs.

Don't Forget to Customize.
If you're applying to a number of similar positions, chances are you're tweaking one letter and using it for multiple openings. That's fine, as long as you are customizing each one. Don't forget to update the company, job, and contact information -- if Mr. Jones is addressed as Mrs. Smith, he won't be impressed.

Don't End on a Passive Note.
Put your future in your own hands with a promise to follow up. Instead of asking readers to call you, try a statement like this: I will follow up with you in a few days to answer any preliminary questions you may have. In the meantime, you may reach me at (555) 555-5555.

Don't Be Rude.
Your cover letter should thank the reader for his time and consideration.

Four tips for thank you cover letter

Thank you: Start your letter from thanking for interview, their time, or possibility to be considered for this job.

Express Your Interest: Convey your interest in and enthusiasm for the company and the position for which you interviewed. Try to be specific about why you are interested and how you are a good fit for the team.

Address Unresolved Points: If during the interview you had feeling that some of the issues were not resolved or interviewer was questioning a lot about one subject. Letter is a good time to address those questions that you feel you did not fully answer. This letter is your last chance to make a positive impression on the interviewer.

Reiterate Your Expertise: If the company communicated its specific needs, issues or challenges, use your thank-you letter to demonstrate how you can meet those needs. Or you may simply talk through one more time about your key skills and key successes at previous job that relate to the new position.

Six Rules to Follow When Asking for Feedback

1. Be sure to relay your disappointment in not getting the offer and say that you would be interested in interviewing if anything opens up. Emphasize that this company is still your top choice.

2. Politely ask if there is any feedback that would help you improve your chances in your next interview. Was there anything in particular that could have helped your chances of winning the job offer?

3. Listen carefully to any advice and take notes. Do not argue or defend yourself. You are asking for feedback, not a chance for a rebuttal.

4. Keep your discussion short. Ask one or two follow-up questions, and then end the conversation.

5. Thank your interviewer for the feedback and the chance to improve your skills. Reiterate that if another opening comes up, you would be interested in interviewing.

6. Take the advice given and think about changing some of your techniques to improve your next interview.

If you can't get feedback, try rating your own performance. If you feel you could improve your skills or style, prepare and practice so you can go into your next interview with renewed confidence. Remember, you can learn and improve from every interview experience, whether or not you receive feedback.

Follow up the interview

Imagine you just finished your interview and now going home with the relaxed feeling of accomplishment. The interview went good and you absolutely sure that you are the best available person for that job. Unfortunately, they don’t call you back not today not even within a week, moreover, when you try to call them, the person either busy or not available. That happens quite often… There is no pill to prevent it, although we can follow up interview in order to establish relationships that would last.

Following up on interview one of the important stages of the interview process. Since it allows you not only find out feedback about how you performed at interview but also show to the potential employer one more time that you are the best person to be hired.

10 Interview rules

In the current job market, you'd better have your act together, or you won't stand a chance against the competition. Check yourself on these 10 basic points before you go on that all-important interview.

Look Sharp.
Before the interview, select your outfit. Depending on the industry and position, get out your best duds and check them over for spots and wrinkles. Even if the company has a casual environment, you don't want to look like you slept in your clothes. Above all, dress for confidence. If you feel good, others will respond to you accordingly.

Be on Time. Never arrive late to an interview. Allow extra time to arrive early in the vicinity, allowing for factors like getting lost. Enter the building 10 to 15 minutes before the interview.

Do Your Research.
Researching the company before the interview and learning as much as possible about its services, products, customers and competition will give you an edge in understanding and addressing the company's needs. The more you know about the company and what it stands for, the better chance you have of selling yourself. You also should find out about the company's culture to gain insight into your potential happiness on the job.

Be Prepared.
Bring along a folder containing extra copies of your resume, a copy of your references and paper to take notes. You should also have questions prepared to ask at the end of the interview.

Show Enthusiasm.
A firm handshake and plenty of eye contact demonstrate confidence. Speak distinctly in a confident voice, even though you may feel shaky

Listen.
One of the most neglected interviewing skills is listening. Make sure you are not only listening, but also reading between the lines. Sometimes what is not said is just as important as what is said.

Answer the Question Asked.
Candidates often don't think about whether or not they actually are answering the questions asked by their interviewers. Make sure you understand what is being asked, and get further clarification if you are unsure.

Give Specific Examples.
One specific example of your background is worth 50 vague stories. Prepare your stories before the interview. Give examples that highlight your successes and uniqueness. Your past behavior can indicate your future performance.

Ask Questions.
Many interviewees don't ask questions and miss the opportunity to find out valuable information. Your questions indicate your interest in the company or job.

Follow Up.
Whether it's through email or regular mail, the follow-up is one more chance to remind the interviewer of all the valuable traits you bring to the job and company. You don't want to miss this last chance to market yourself.

It is important to appear confident and cool for the interview. One way to do that is to be prepared to the best of your ability. There is no way to predict what an interview holds, but by following these important rules you will feel less anxious and will be ready to positively present yourself. Good luck

Countries to consider

So what are the countries that want you now? Different statistics shows different results. I believe it is highly depends on your qualifications. To make search easy you can type in monster different countries and just count number of recently added jobs on your specialization. You will see where is demand higher, and then you can choose do you want to live in country where is more work, or country with sea, or with winter, etc.

You can start your search from Poland, Czech Republic, Australia (it’s getting harder there), all Asia, and Russia. There are three places basically: Asia, developing countries, countries recently added to EU.

Some people say that America starting to get better in respect to the jobs, and Canada is always welcoming.

Looking for the better life

One of the ways to get a good new job is relocate to the place where the jobs are. For a long time Ireland had almost open boarders due to increased amount of new jobs and small amount of people to work; but now situation change and a lot of big multinationals transfer departments or the whole companies to the places where they can save money. For example Dell went to Poland, Ebbay transfer its customer support units to the its regions (Italian to Italy, and on). If job goes to the other place, why don’t you go to the place where job is?

Pros of going abroad:

1) You can meet a lot of new and interesting people
2) See a lot of new interesting places, travel
3) Get to know different culture, explore the world
4) In most of the developing countries English speaking people will be treated almost like Kings
5) Possibility of fast career development
6) Less money to spend every month due to the less expensive products.
7) Possibility of saving more money

Corns going abroad:

1) Necessity of relocation, moving belongings
2) Being far away from the family, friends
3) Possibility of receiving generally less salary
4) Some of the social infrastructure/benefits are not as developed as in Ireland
5) Driving from the other side of the road

I probably can think about 10 more pros and corns for relocation. It is really up to your desire to make a change in life. Be prepared that it will be a lot of things that you like or don’t like at the beginning. Personally I think that: “why not give it a try”. You never know what is waiting for you across the corner, but you will never know if you don’t go and check.

Part time jobs without employer

I would like to talk about so called product networks like Avon, ROCK team, and other. Those networks allow to work from home and you can regulate your day involvement. To enter most of these networks you have to buy starting minimum package and just try to sell it to as many people as possible.

Requirements are not difficult, but you have to be ready to work, talk to people, and sell. It will require extra effort from you, but look at the benefits you may get. If you are sitting at home doing nothing, that will give you a chance to start bringing money home.

There are also so called home to home sales teams like D7 marketing or other. To become a part of their team you actually have to pass sales training and interview process. This job requires full day involvement and consists of actually selling to people through door to door knocking. Advantage is that you may establish your own agency if you are successful at the early stages of selling. Establishing your own agency would mean constant salary with minimum involvement and being THE BOSS which is worth of hassle. I got impression that these agencies hire almost everybody who knocks to their door :)

What to do next?

It is useful to take your time to think about your future. I suppose around 60% of people are doing their job because it is paid good, not very difficult, loans needs to be paid off, or mother thinks it is good work to do... When I first entered my first job I was still in the university and it didn’t really matter what to do as long it was job and it was paid.

Choosing profession in early adulthood it is very easy to make a mistake. I was about to become engineer of nuclear power station when I first entered university. Although I quickly understood that this is not what I want, so I changed profession and university.

There are two disadvantages when you are doing what you not really like to do:

1) You are competing with people who absolutely adore that job, and of course at the end of the day they will be much better then you are and will be promoted faster.
2) I know it will sounds familiar, but : life is too short to spend it on things you don’t really like.

Fact that you have been made redundant means that you are not that young and have experience working and living. Take your time to think about things you really enjoy doing. If you found something you like to do, don’t rush. Try to make step forward and continue doing it for at least 4 weeks and see if you really like doing it. Mean while there are a lot of part time jobs and social benefits to support your living.

Time schedule

Why plan your time when you are not employed? The fact that you don’t have to go at work doesn’t mean that you have nothing to do. Looking for a job is every day 1-5 hours job, taking care of health, meeting with friends, home work, having time for hobbies, or new education. Those are the things that requires time, my time.

It is very dangerous to get tempted by laziness. Nobody is actually checking what I am doing and everybody is too busy to notice. Also I started to notice that since I am not employed I tend to do things much slower than I usually do. Fulfilling of a certain task is not that important for me anymore, since I have so much time, why not to rest now and think about the tomorrow tomorrow?

I have bought dairy to help myself organize time. I write in it things that require my attention, trying not forget every sphere of my life. It is helping more or less but I always have to add extra effort to actually do something. My husband sometimes likes to call me during the day and say 10000 tasks that I need to do right now... It is not usually working with me. Since I also have my schedule. Yes, I do things slower, yes, I don’t do some of the things at time... But I am a busy person at what ever I do (even if it is simply watching TV).

Even though it is so nice to be lazy at least for a while, it is important to make efforts. Just start doing things, stop thinking or hesitating. Because you have a certain goal to achieve (get job, new education, start your business). It is worth of trying! It is hard to choose road but much harder to make a first step. I notice that as soon as I start moving (in any direction I choose for now) I will come at the end of the day to the result I was looking for. It is much nicer to go and try so when the night comes you don’t have to face feeling of emptiness and not fulfilment after lazy and busy with nothing day.

General tips on CV

Writing appropriate Cv it is one of the most important task in getting new job. For me (I believe like for most of the people) it is much easier to say 10000 words about my experience, talking through every detail, explaining benefits of hiring me, than to write a CV, where in 100 words you need to state in clear form why you is the best one to be hired. When I was composing my CV three people, who had a huge experience in composing CV and hiring people were helping me. I would love to share some of the tips I learned from them:

1) Try to keep short. My Cv is on 2 pages, but most important information (relevant work experience, key characteristics) I keep on one page mainly because not many people will go readying my CV till the end (too much effort). So try to put most important information about yourself and your past experience (the best if it is relevant to the job)at the first page.

2) Keep it relevant to the job you are looking for. It is very easy to find required skills and experience for the job by simply checking required skills and experience in job adverts. For example job says working with clients, you say – I have strong communicating skills. Job says ability to work under pressure – and you go very hard working and flexible person. Look at 2-3 job ads you are interested in and simply adjust your Cv to suits their looking for requirements.

3) Use adjectives while talking about yourself. You don’t want to lie about your past experience, but sometimes it is important to add some colour to your CV. Instead of saying – have a knowledge of working with PC you can say – have a strong knowledge working with PC, excellent communicational skills, (you don’t want to exaggerate saying the best, amazing...) but can go on with useful, effective, qualified, highly.... and on

4) Talk about achievements. I found it is very useful to stay in Cv not only responsibilities but also achievements. Here you want to talk using past tense, some of the major achievements, every one that you think may relate to you.

5) Keep it in nice way. It is highly important and I strongly recommend you to check front, spelling, spaces, and paragraph in your CV. You are creating piece of paper that will represent you, make sure it look nice and clean.

I will talk more about different ways how to write CV later on.

Avoid at interview

There are some things you want to avoid while going through interview:

- answers that are too short (they want to hear that you are fantastic person, the best candidate... don’t be shy, talk about beloved you)

- answers that goes like: hmmmm, hm, let me see, hm... (just be prepared)

- being negative (the best way to be positive, even when you don’t feel like is to smile)

- providing more details or information than is required (sometimes it is better to shut up instead of saying something not appropriate)

-becoming frustrated or uneasy when asked stressful questions (come down, nobody is going to beat you. if you are not getting this job, there is next one for you)

- making derogatory or negative statements about former employer or positions (if you talk bad about your last company, you may talk bad about this company... so you would want to be positive. If your previous company didn’t pay you all your money, you may want to say - you had contradictions in the money issue)

- discussing salary information or benefits (you want to show that you respect company's policies, even if you no longer work there)

- misrepresenting your skills, experience or educational background (don’t talk about what you don’t have, they can check it)

Getting interviewed

Going to interview does not mean receiving a job. I remember myself going through experience of rejecting when deal was almost in my hands. Competitions is very high at the moment and having two identical candidates for the same position company may choose the one who was in blue shirt, just because lady, who was interviewing, likes blue. It does not mean that you have to prepare less for the interview or try to wear always only blue shirt. The more options you have to choose from the better it is for you.

If you have only one potential employer in mind and doing all possible to get that job, you still may be lucky at the end of the day (since you put a lot of effort there), but more usually you have great risk to be rejected. Maybe because your almost desperate strong desire to get exactly this job can look a little bit suspicious. Or simply someone else will have more experience in this sphere then you do. The best advice in this case will be just keep on sending you CV everywhere, even if you have scheduled two interviews for this week. Numbers will play its game. What is more important - you will feel more confident knowing that even if you will be rejected for this job, you are about to go to other interview where you might have a bit more luck.

Going through the interview

1) The better you are prepared to the exact company interview process the better it is. It does not take long time to answer possible interview questions with as many life examples of your past work experience as possible. Take your time answering main questions listed above, so that you know what to answer and don’t panic while interview.

2) Have a lsmall talk before starting interview. Ask few general questions, or state a comment, like: The weather is nice/bad today. You have a nice office (it is better don’t say anything if you don’t like the office), or it was easy to find you, good location. Avoid too personal questions or talking about too personal information, like boyfriend, when was the last time they did exercise, or you look lovely. It may scare a little bit people you are talking first time with. You want to look professional. This small conversation is the way of establishing relationships. And it is very important since during interview people will feel more relaxed, friendly, and interested to listen to you.

3) Make sure that you are clear about your own interests and goals. It is important to talk through interview about your strength and ideas to support your interest in this particular job and its particular job tasks.

4) Know your Cv and be prepared to cite specific examples that verify the information listed. In case you have adapted your CV to specific job descriptions, be sure that you talk about the same CV during interview.

5) Talking about your past experience mention details, such as: your last company name, name of the certificates, particular examples, etc.

6) I bet there is no need of talking about the way of dressing. Remember that first impression is the strongest one. In 5first min/seconds people get impression about you and then it is almost impossible to change it.

Interview questions

There are a lot of typical interview questions you may find in the internet, but they all separate in groups:

1) Questions about your potential employer (It is easy to get company information by simply typing name of the company in google and then “About us”. You do not need to know smallest details of the company’s history, just some basic stuff – what is their main business, their values, resent news. Remember you don’t want to know more about company than person who interviews you, but you are expected to know some common things.)

2) Questions about your past experience (Here you want to be more specific in giving examples from your past work life. There are many types of questions about you, but mainly they ask – what is your biggest failure/mistake , and what is your biggest success/and how you achieved it. Be careful talking about your mistakes. It is understandable that everybody has his/her failures, what really matters is what you learned from it and how you managed situation/resolved problem created by mistake. Try to think about your working experience when you converted negative into positive. E.g. I lost tender. I learned = I should listen to the client more. I did = continued to keep in touch with client and we won a part of the deal after all.)


3) Questions about job (Usually they sounds like “why we should hire you? Why you think your skills suits the job?... Here you would want to study job description and answer questions based on that. For example job says – every day task is customer support. And then you say – I love working with people, helping them to solve problems. You also may want to think about example to support your answer, like I used to work with that client and she came back because of good relationships we had. Think about your specific strengths that are correspond to the job description. Or if company you are passing interview is big, they may want to ask specific examples from your past work/life experience where you showed similar characteristics as they set for themselves as company’s mission or values. E.g. describe using innovative way to solve problem? How you motivate yourself?)


4) Strange questions (Those questions are designed to see how you react under stress. It does not matter how strange your answer is, as long as it is sounds logical and you can state your point clearly. Examples of those questions are: Why hatch cover is square shape?)

5) Questions to the company (It’s important not only answer the questions but also ask questions. This way you show that you interested in company and job generally. Don’t ask how much you are going to pay me? Maybe more appropriate would be: would I be paid? (I am joking). Seriously the questions would be: what is the structure of the department? What is the biggest challenge of my department?...and etc.



Here are list of link where you can find more quistions to prepare to the interview:

http://www.bradleycvs.co.uk/interview/list-of-interview-questions.htm

http://www.job-interview.net/

http://jobsearch.about.com/od/interviewquestionsanswers/a/interviewquest.htm

http://www.cvtips.com/job_interview_questions_and_answers.html