Preparing Your Interview Technique to Win That Dream Job

Preparing Your Interview Technique is the Key to Winning that Job you Really Want

Job hunters generally know that to be successful it's not only about the job description. They need to be well-prepared for an interview.

If your ambition is to be a top flight PA or Executive Assistant it's as much about how you look and your people skills as whether you have the right qualifications, references and track record.

If you're searching for that dream position using a secretarial recruitment agency or PA recruitment agency in London you will be up against some stiff competition and you'll have to satisfy them that you're someone they feel happy to place even before you get to the interview stage.

So in addition to an immaculate and correctly spelt CV you'll need to know yourself, your expectations and limits and to be honest with the agency and yourself. One thing that every employer likes to see is longevity in a job so getting it wrong now not only upsets your current situation, will sit on your CV for the whole of your working career. Job hoppers are too great a risk for most and some demand a solid CV for a temp booking too!.

You will already have learned the basics in a secretarial role to polish your computer and shorthand/audio skills but it will help to give them some idea of the kinds of organisations you enjoy working for, whether they are in the public sector, charity sector or private industry. Whether you prefer a large or small company and if there any industries or departmental sectors you are interested in.

You'll know you need to be smartly turned out and not present yourself in an outfit from the wilder extremes of fashion, no rainbow-coloured hair or extreme piercings, unless of course you're going for a position in the fashion industry or the music business and even then it would perhaps be better to be a little conservative until you've got the job and had time to check out the environment!.

You may also have had some advice or taken courses in interview techniques such as smiling, making eye contact, being decisive and positive without being over the top.

But if your agency's found you an interview with a company you'd really like to work for it will help if you prepare a bit further. Maybe visit the company during the lunch hour so you can get an idea of the prevailing dress code - it could tell you a lot about the organisation's style, whether it's old fashioned and traditional or whether it encourages innovation and individuality. Look up the company's website so you're really familiar with what it does.

You could also prepare some questions for that inevitable end-of-interview catch all "so tell us why you want to work for us?" question, which actually means "what makes you so special that you can add something if we employ you?" or "what do you actually know about what we do?". And go armed with questions - the interview is as much for you to find out if it is right for you. Don't be afraid to take a list and get it out if asked if you have any questions. Nerves can sometimes get the better of you and it is much more impressive to show your organisational skills with a list you check off.

But what about the interviewer? Are you facing an interview panel or a single interviewer? They are almost certain to have had some advice and guidance from HR about legal issues like equal opportunities, and there may be an HR person on the interview panel to ensure fair play.

Sometimes, though, they have an almost-unfillable wish list or haven't really thought about the questions they need to ask to get the information they really need or to help you show yourself at your best.

So perhaps get together with a friend and role-play as interviewer and interviewee and then swap roles so you can get some perspective from both sides. Do the same in front of a mirror in the privacy of your own home. Most have an interest in sending the best candidates since their professional reputation and their business depend on it and many do offer coaching to candidates who have signed up with them.

There's often stiff competition between secretarial recruitment and PA recruitment agencies in London so if this is something your agency doesn't already offer you may even impress them by showing initiative by suggesting it and giving them another way of standing out from their competition!

After the interview, successful or not, you can improve your interview technique by asking the company for some feedback and you can also help your agency by offering in-depth feedback on the meeting so that they can better understand both you and the company that is their client.

Many already do this and also ask clients for honest and comprehensive feedback so that they can improve their accuracy of matching and perhaps change future interviews. This can sometimes give you a second interview where a client is unsure - giving positive feedback and say if you were nervous and you may be forgiven for some dodgy answers!

Tessa Meadows Smith- Founding Partner & Financial Director of RMS Recruitment. RMS Recruitment is the best Graduate Recruitment Agencies London and recruitment services agency for employers and jobseekers for permanent, contract, temporary and graduate jobs. For more information visit http://www.rmsrecruitment.com/

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com