Making the right_impression

Making the right_impression

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  Making the Right Impression Gettingthe job you want Rehman Siddiq 15th March 2012
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  Agenda • A FewWords of Advice … • What Employers are Looking for? • CVs – Some General Principles • The Key Questions? • Dress and Deportment • Typical Interview Sequence • Basic Interview Tips • Case Interviews • Q&A
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  A Few Wordsof Advice … • These are guidelines and a few general principles; • These are not mean to be a pattern of the ‘right way’ but good practices that can be drawn up for you own, individual situation • Be yourself – but not too much • Use a style that is appropriate to both yourself and your employer • Practice, practice and then practice some more • Take every job application seriously – in today’s job market you cannot afford not to • Go for as many interviews as possible • Be polite, conservative and professional • Internships matter – make sure you make the most of it and make a good impression
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  Deciding What Jobis Best for You • Research the job and the organization; its current commitment to Pakistan and future plans • Attend all presentations made by organizations • Talk to people currently working in the organization • Look at the environment of the organization and your expectations before applying
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  What Employers areLooking for … • Arriving at understanding by breaking down situations, logical thinking – e.g. a term paper done for an IBA course • Identifying needs, being resourceful, seeing variant points of view, lateral thinking – e.g. running a club, drama activities Planning • Deciding on priorities, working on a timetable, meeting deadlines – e.g. project reports, event management Teamwork • Co-operating with others to achieve an agreed objective Independence / Confidence • Establishing rapport with strangers, making effective contacts, coping with unfamiliar situation, taking decisions and initiative Adaptability • Breadth of interests, ability to move rapidly between topics Commercial Awareness • Interested in how and why businesses operate and become successful, understanding clients’ requirements Analytic Skills Problem Solving / Creativity
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  What Employers areLooking for … • Innovating, motivate others to join you, directing (planning, delegating, overseeing etc.) • Producing grammatical, correctly spelled, logical, structured, persuasive, effectively laid out text • Setting high standards, aiming to improve, aiming for difficult goal Persuasiveness / Negotiation • Convincing others, achieving your own objective, getting others to agree with you Other Hard Skills • E.g. Languages, computer skills, numeracy Leadership Communication – Writing Ambition
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  CVs – SomeGeneral Principles • Your CV should stand out – remember, this is a marketing document • This is your opportunity to make a lasting first impression • All employers have a job-specific ‘shopping list’ – a CV should present how you fit this list • Aim for clarity, simplicity, consistency • A CV should be two A4 slides MAXIMUM and should not have information older than your GCSEs • Use good quality paper and a clear layout – print the CV to make sure it’s legible • Avoid generic statements – e.g. the objective statement • Rule of thumb: - put what you have done into the CV • Be prepared to speak about what you have put in your CV in detail • Do not submit hand-written documents unless specifically asked for • Have different versions depending on the job applied for • Have 2 referees on your CV
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  The Key Questions? •Tell me something about yourself (aka What can you do for me?) • What do you know about us? (aka Why are you here?) • Do you have the skills I'm looking for? (aka What can you do for me?) • Where have you worked before? Is your experience relevant to my needs? (aka What can you do for me?) • Do you have the right education and credentials? • What kind of person are you? (aka Will you fit into the culture of my organization?) • Can I easily get in touch with you? DOES YOUR CV ANSWER THESE – IF NOT, REWORK!
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  Dress and Deportment • Lookneat and clean, it gives an air of efficiency • A good haircut can do wonders for one’s image • Dress conservatively; project a sober image: • Men • Dark suit, white shirt, tie; try not to wear very busy colors; socks should be a dark color as well • Keep hair short, do not wear any earrings and keep beards neat and non-frivolous • Women • Avoid loud colors and prints, soft pastel shades or black / brown is best; ideally wear heals • Avoid sleeveless or western outfits, they can be misconstrued • Be confident in your body language; speak clearly and smile while looking the interviewer in the eye; correct posture is essential • Never underestimate the importance of a firm handshake • Do not slouch and do not fidget, e.g. play with jewelry or your hair; unnecessary body movements tend to distract the interviewers • Keep your hands by your side; keep a relaxed stance • Avoid humor as you do not know how it will be interpreted • DO NOT “NAME DROP”
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  Typical Interview Sequence •Tell us about yourself • Strengths and weaknesses • Technical information check – your technical abilities • Company info and position info – what we have to offer • Job expectations • Interview end • This is your chance to ask the interviewer a questions; have a couple prepared NOTE THAT THE INTERVIEWER IS LIKELY TO MAKE HIS DECISION IN THE FIRST TEN MINUTES OF THE INTERVIEW.
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  Basic Interview Tips • BEON TIME!!! • Be enthusiastic and sell yourself; an interview is a sales pitch but avoid arrogance • • You must demonstrate solid skills, a strong work ethic and a personality that is compatible with the corporate culture during the interview Research your role • You are expected to know something about the company you are applying to (e.g. org structure) • Read the newspaper – this is a favorite topic of discussion • Practice makes perfect • Expect the unexpected; be prepared • • However, be prepared with answers for the key questions and rehearse these thoroughly (e.g. tell me something about yourself) • • Unusual questions to throw candidates are a favorite with interviewers; they want to see if you handle pressure and think off the beaten track Bring extra copies of your CV Share something personal and delve deep • Learn to tell a story, give meaningful examples and be prepared for follow-up questions • Learn to lead the conversation, instead of being led • Finish with a bang – it’s not enough to look good on paper • E.g. ask intelligent questions of the interviewer, always thank the interviewers for their time
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  Case Interviews –The Technical Interview • Purpose: To demonstrate your ability to structure thinking, respond to complex problems, and reach sound conclusions with limited facts in a short time • Case interviews are broad, two-way discussions, rather than oneway tests • Do not panic - there is no perfect answer • Practice at case study discussions is recommended, especially if you are inexperienced at interactive problem-solving discussions • Check the web for online practice questions; work with your friends and mentors
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  Case Interview -Techniques and tricks • Listen to the problem • Begin by setting a structure • Think of four to five sub-questions that you need to answer before you can address the overall issue. • Stay organized • Communicate your train of thought clearly • Summarize what you have learned and what the implications appear to be • Ask for additional information when you need it • Watch for cues from the interviewer • Be comfortable with numbers • Bring a pad and a pen with you • Don’t fixate on "cracking the case." • Use business judgment and common sense.
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  Some examples ofCase Interviews • Estimation questions: • • How many divorces take place nationally in any given year? • What is the market for digital cameras likely to be in 15 years? • • How many cars are there in the U.S.? How many airplanes are in air right now? Actual or theoretical client questions: • • FedEx is going to offer a new service where customers can drop a package directly into a driver's vehicle. What issues need to be thought about? • An airline finds that, while its revenues are at an all time high, the company is still operating at a loss. What is going on? • You are contacted by ABC Pizza to help them develop a plan for entering the home delivery market in a community where XYZ Pizza has the dominant position. As lead consultant to ABC, what would you do? • A defense contractor needs to cut costs in order to win a contract to build jets for the British Royal Air Force. What would you recommend? • • An offline business wants to go online, what is your advice? With the emergence of a discount store chain as its largest customer, a packaged foods manufacturer wants to develop a plan to deal with the changing marketplace. How would you do this? Brain Teaser Questions: • What will be different if, in the future, consumers have to pay for every drop of drinkable water piped to their residence or business? • Why are manhole covers round? • How to know if the light inside refrigerator is on or not?
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  HAVE FUN!! Relax andtake a deep breath - You will survive.