A string of zingy one-liners may have powered ‘Jedi Jim’ towards Alan Sugar’s boardroom, but local job hunters should drop clichés to get ahead, according to Northern Ireland employers.
That’s the advice from Belfast-based Recruitment Specialists Brightwater in a new publication drawing on more than 10 years’ expertise and knowledge of local employers’ preferences and gripes.
The practical booklet, also offers tips on how to prepare impactful CVs and handle intimidating interviews.
Joanne Bloomer from Brightwater Recruitment Specialists said the best interview candidates are those who can talk confidently and about their experiences and competency for the role.
“The fact is most employers are looking for people who have confidence and ability, but many are frustrated when good potential employees sell them themselves short. Badly written CVs, lack of preparation and over use of business clichés frequently top their list of complaints,” she said.
“Employers know that communication is vital and want to see people who can talk concisely about relevant experiences and situations. The guide is designed to boost jobseekers by showing how to prepare correctly at each stage of the job search.”
The publication also covers competency-based interviews which are becoming increasingly common and help employers gauge future performance based on candidates’ past achievements and experiences.
Joanne said: “Competency Based Interviews ask questions that allow candidates to relate answers to real life experiences rather than a text book answers. People can reveal more relevant information that is relevant to the job opportunity and helps the interviewer make more effective decisions.
“The best candidates usually explain how they’ve performed in similar situations, detail what they’ve learned, outline what they may do differently and offer a range of examples to demonstrate abilities. If you prepare carefully in advance, your answers will put you in a terrific position to sell yourself from the interview.”
According to Brightwater, frequently asked questions from Competency-Based Interviews include:
-Describe the most challenging aspect of your current role and how you’ve adapted your performance
-Give an example of a sensitive situation where you had to use excellent communications skills
-What tools do you use to motivate yourself on a day-to-day basis?
-How would your colleagues/peers describe you? What would they say your strengths and weaknesses are?
-Describe a situation where there was a conflict within a work context and where you used your own initiative to resolve it?