Dream job down to preparation
Your palms are sweating and butterflies the sizes of giant eagles are raging inside your stomach as you wait to be called in for the all-important job interview.
The next 15 minutes has the potential to determine your career path for the next few years. Even though the opportunity to exhibit your proficiencies is limited, it will essentially make or break your hopes.
In fact, industry experts now believe your CV alone won't land you your dream job.
Instead, personality and the way in which you handle yourself in an interview situation are considered more likely to play a significant role.
James Lynch, author of U Can 2: Guide To Successful Interview Skills, says interviews are crucial in helping employers highlight conscientious workers.
"We live in an individualistic age where we tend to focus on ourselves and have high expectations of what we're entitled to," he said.
"But the truth is the world doesn't owe any of us a job. We need to win the right and prove ourselves in the interview."
According to Mr Lynch, job hunters should focus on visual, vocal and verbal communication to maximise their chances.
He says considering 93 per cent of first impressions are based on non-verbal communication, candidates should portray their passion and positivity in their body language.
Mr Lynch also argues that, despite the current skills shortage, applicants should bear in mind that they only have a one-in-five chance of realistically landing the job.
"For every position vacant, about five candidates will usually be interviewed [so] the way to improve your odds is to focus less on yourself and more on your interviewers," he said.
"It's easy for them to say 'no' to you because they're spoilt for choice. So it's up to you to convince them to say 'yes'."
Jason Snell, general manager of Australia's first specific shortlising employment company, final5, says the benefits of rigorous preparation must never be underestimated.
He believes candidates should enter an interview with at least three real examples of when they excelled in the workplace, and be ready for every question the interviewer can lob.
"You want to make sure you're prepared for anything," he said.
"Preparation is really the key, whether it's a face-to-face or telephone interview. The best way to be noticed is to make sure you have a good background understanding of the [job] advertisement.
"If you apply for a role and we've put a website into the ad, we'll ask you if you've had a look at it because we need people who are organised and who take the initiative to do that."
The Daily Telegraph, Sunday 27 October 2007
