Why am I doing this?

In my years of working, I have noticed there are cases where job applicants do not get the job they want, not because of lack of qualification or aptitude but because of reasons such as being unprepared, careless or projecting wrong image or attitude in the job application process.

I have gone though bad and good times, written and attended countless numbers of application letters and interviews. As an interviewer, I also had the opportunities to ask the very same questions posed to me as an interviewee. As I looked back, I realised how I could have improved my chances of getting the job, had I paid attention to basic principles. In good time, some of these principles are overlooked when employers do not have much choice in a tight labour market. However, the tides of times have since changed and in the current shrinking job market, paying attention to these very same principles can make the difference to job application success.

I am sharing what I have learned and hopefully these would benefit first time job seekers or those who are seeking alternative employment. For anyone who need further help or advice, feel free to drop me a mail at zephure99@hotmail.com. Alternatively, if you would like to have your say, equally feel free to comment. However, do note that whatever that is written here by me is solely my personal view only for the purpose of sharing, exchanging ideas and discussion.

Happy reading and good luck!

Changing Job Market

The landscape of the job market has changed dramatically over the last few decades. And I believe one of the main drivers for this is the rapid progress made in IT and the advent of the internet age. PC literacy has become almost a pre-requisite in of most jobs. Never before has information has become so freely available. Emails have replaced internal memos. Meeting can be conducted online. The list goes on and on and indirectly this changes the nature of each job.

However, even with this changes certain things in the job place still remain the same, at least in substance if not form. For example, you still need to submit your job applications and attend interviews. But, instead of sending hard copy letters, now application can be done via email or on-line registration. Interviews with prospective candidates can be done instead of face-to-face but via video conferencing.

The principles on improving your chance of getting the job largely remains unchanged for the simple reason that behind all these advancements in technology, human judgement still makes the final call on who should get the jobs.

The Job Application Process

The job application process typical starts when the applicant writes to the company in the form of a cover letter and resume. If the prospective employer feels that the applicant is suitable, they will contact the applicant and invite the for an interview and sometimes an aptitude and/or personality test.

The First Contact

One of the most common way of applying for job is by responding to an advertisement by submitting the application letter and resume. This is normally the first point of formal contact you have with your prospective employer. It is thus important that you create a favourable impression of yourself. Like a double-edged sword, it can either work to your advantage or disadvantage. So great care must be taken in preparation of these 2 documents.

DOs

• Make sure they are free of spelling error and grammatically correct. Do run through your documents using the spell and grammar checker.
  
• Be concise and straight-to-the-point
• Use simple sentence structure and easy-to-understand words.
• As rule-of-thumb, the application or cover letter should just be 1 page and the resume no longer than 3 pages.
• Use quality, plain white, A-4 letter paper, type-written and printed on quality printer.
• Use standard font type and size (e.g. Font type Arial or Times Roman with font size no smaller than 10 points)

What you do not want to do is to give your prospective employer the impression that you are careless, long-winded and incomprehensible. Also a neatly presented document that is easy to read and understand is to your advantage.

DON'Ts

• Use coloured paper, unless you are applying for a job in the creative industry.
• If you can help it, do not fold your application letter and resume.
  

First impression does matter! The effort you put in to come up with good cover letter and resume reflects a lot about you. If you have the benefit getting help from a head hunter or job search company, they would advise you on how to improve on presentation. But not everyone has this privilege. Still you should be able to find samples of good cover letter and resumes in the library or just by searching the internet.

The Cover Letter

The cover letter should indicate why you are applying for the position and a brief description of your personal background and current job and how you can be an asset to the company. The content of your cover letter should be structured in such as way to persuade the prospective employer to find out more about you in your resume. It is important that it should be concise and straight to the point, if you know that your application is just one of the many hundreds that that is applying for the same job. It should be no longer than 1 page. If you are not able to contain all in one page, chances are, you have included too much detail which should be covered in the resume.

Something I overheard a long time ago on a good cover letter. It should be likened to a lady's skirt -- long enough to cover the subject but also short enough to arouse interest.

The Resume

Not all job application require a cover letter. One good example is when you were recommended for the job by job search company or friend. The person who recommended you would have already provided your background to the prospective employer and probably put in a good word or two for you.

Besides the cover letter, the next important document is the resume. When drafting your resume, you should not have a one-fit-all resume for the reason that not all jobs are alike. You should however keep a standard template and modifying each template to suit the job you are applying.

As rule-of-thumb, the standard template is one with your static personal data and educational background while you should vary your emphasis on your experiences depending on the job you are applying for. These general rules should apply.

DOs

• Sequence your work experience in chronological order showing current job first.
• Put additional emphasis on work experiences that is relevant to the job you are applying for.
• Highlight your achievement with concrete examples.
  
• Put it down in easy to read and point form format.
  
• Provide a referee who can vouch for you. Please let your referee know if you are using his/her name.
• Include a recently taken good quality photograph.
  

DONT's

• Leave gaps in your resume. Interviewers and HR specialists are trained to pick up gaps. If you do have gaps, be prepared to explain.
  

Preparing For Interview

The success of every interview depends on how much preparation you have made. Preparation can be in these forms :

Find out about the company. Try to find out as much as possible either through friends, newspapers or internet

Find out the person(s) who will interview you. This will give you some idea what kind of questions they are likely to ask. Also if you have a friend in that company you can find out through him/her more about the interviewer(s).

Rehearsing how you respond to questions. Draft out the list of likely questions that will be asked and prepare the answers for them. If you have not been for interviews for ages, it may help if you do some practice in front of mirror and if possible with a friend.

Keep abreast of current affairs. Some interviewers expect you to be more than academically or technically competent. They expect you to keep abreast of current events.

The Actual Day Of Interview

Here are some pointers for the day of interview.

Proper dressing. Do dress appropriately for the interview. For guys, if you are applying for an executive job to be on safe side do wear a tie. Do take your meal before you dress up just in case you mess up your attire while having your meal.

Things to bring. Original documents and an extra photocopied set of them. Would be good if you bring your own pencil, pen and correction liquid. The last thing you want is to scramble to look for a pen if you do not bring one or the one provided runs out of ink or is smudgy. Yes, do bring mouth wash if you think you may have stale breathe.

Attitude and Appearance. Be prepared mentally and physically as this will shows in your attitude and appearance. Have enough sleep the night before. Looking tired and haggard is not the image you would like to portray to your prospective employer.

Be punctual. Be there at least 15 minutes before interview time. This is to give ample time if you need to go for toilet break, calm your thoughts or if you need to fill in application forms.

Turn off your cell phone. The last thing you want is distraction to yourself and the interviewers. So if possible, turn off your cell phone one you reach the office of interview.

Know Your Interviewers

Interview formats can differ from company to company. Some are one-on-one, while some require you to meet a panel of interviewers ranging from 2 to 5.

Interviewing techniques can vary. Some interviewer use the cordial approach and would encourage you to articulate your thoughts and ideas while some prefers concise answers. There are also some interviewers who try to agitate you by asking unreasonable questions to see how you would respond. There could be a reason for this as the job you apply for may require you to handle difficult customers and/or colleagues.

One interesting observation I noticed is that different interviewers react to differently to the same response you give. Good examples are responses to questions like "What activities you engage in your free time?" and "Where did you go for your further studies?". If you share the same interest or background with the interviewer(s), it would make the interview process easier for you. So, if possible find out more about the background of the interviewer.

It is therefore to your advantage to know who your interviewers are and to prepare to answer accordingly to the questions they are likely to ask. While not everyone has the benefit to know this beforehand and not able to control questions thrown to you, you should at least control on how you present yourself whether verbally or through body actions. The simple rule-of-thumb is to remain compose and answer objectively and tactfully. It is very important to sit straight, not fidget and maintain direct contact with the person talking to you. Of course to do so, you need to prepare yourself well for the interview.

Aptitude and Personality Test

Some company require the applicant to go through personality and aptitude test.

Personality Test. For the personality test, they may require you to answer to a series of questions which at the end they will chart your profile. Your profile will be used to see if it matches that for the job. While most companies will not admit that this would be used in their selection criteria, the fact is they do to certain extent otherwise they would not waste resources and time on this. Take an example, if there is an opening for a marketing job that requires someone that is outspoken, aggressive and is a quick decision maker. If your test result shows the opposite, there is likelihood that you would not get the job unless you can convince the interviewers otherwise.

Aptitude Test. For the aptitude test, the test could be IQ or question relating to the job.

Behavioural Test. Other test include asking you to sit with the rest of applicants and you would be given a topic for discussion with the interviewer taking a back seat and observing the contributions made by each job applicant.

Tougher Interview Questions

Interview questions can be simple or difficult. It therefore pays to understand what the interviewer is expecting when questions are asked. These are some of the seemingly easy interview questions. However, how you respond to them may not make it as easy as it seems.

About your previous company and job

• Why did you leave your previous company? While finding good reasons for leaving the company would also like to find out more about what their competitor is doing. Strike a balance of how much to tell. By revealing too much on your current company's matters may give the impression that you would do the same should you apply for another job once you are offered this job. As rule-of-thumb, so long as you are still under the payroll of that company, you should not divulge information that are deemed confidential.
  
• What are the difficult situations you encountered and how you overcome them? This is to assess how you manage conflicts and resolve problems. Remember that you are recruited not to create but solve problems.
  

About yourself

• What are your key strengths and weaknesses? Everyone has weaknesses so do not claim that do not have any. However, do demonstrate how you use your weaknesses as a means to overcome and be a better worker.
• How do you see yourself in 5 years times? This is to assess if you have given thought to what you have planned for yourself in the future and also for the company to see if they could meet your aspirations.
• What is your expected salary? This is to assess if you are realistic about your market value and also whether they can afford to pay you. Normally, in the resume you should put as negotiable. But if pressed for a number, put between 10-20% for lateral move and more than 20% for vertical moves. Once again, as mentioned before this depends on the industry and the demand and supply for the job that is applied.
  
• Do you work better in a team or alone? This is to assess if you suit the position you are applying for. In most position solo performance and team work is essential, you should be able to work in both capacity depending on the situation.
  

About their company and job

• What do you know about the company and job? This is to assess how much interest have in the company and the job you are applying for. This goes back to doing your homework before the interview.
  

Any questions?

Towards the end of the interview, you may be asked if you have any question. Be prepared to ask questions. Not asking any question could be an indication of lack of interest, even though it may be the case. If you really have no question to ask, at least repeat and get a confirmation on what has been mentioned to you. Or if you could, summarize on what you have understood.

Work Nature. In the first interview, questions should be focussed on this area, e.g. on nature of work, traveling required, working hours, etc.

Salary. Salary may a key factor to help decide to accept a job. Unless you are asked about your salary expectation this should be discussed at the appropriate interview stage. If there are going to be least 2 interviews, save this question for the last interview. In any case for entry level positions chances are you would not have much bargaining power on this unless in a very tight labour market. Asking and negotiating for salary in the first interview does not reflect well on the applicant.

Current Affair. If you have been keeping up with current affairs and you know certain events have impacted the company, you may want to ask this. This is to show your keen interest in the affairs affecting the company.

Ending Of Interview

At the end of interview, remember to thank the interviewers for their time.

A very important lesson I learnt was never to burn bridges. For some reasons, some interviews may not turn out as what you would like to expect. In any event, always leave on a cordial note as you would not know when you may meet the interviewer again.

I had an unfortunate incident many years ago. Like many new job applicants, I sent out my applications letters and attended interviews. In one of the shortlisted interviews, I was offered the job but chose to turn it down as I was eyeing for a different job but in the same industry. I admit that being young and brash then, I was not tactful when I turned down the job and the interviewer got quite p***ed off.

Few days later, I was called up for the final interview of the job I was eyeing and was faced with a panel of interviewers. In the panel was the interviewer from the company I just turned down the job offer. He also happened to be a director in this company. Needless to say when he saw me, he gave me the "you-again!" look and gave me a hard time during the interview. An example, was when I was asked why I applied for the job. When I told him since I am new to that industry I hope to learn and...... He cut me off before I could finish my sentence and asked if that means that I would leave the company once I finished learning? That was the most unpleasant interview I have ever experienced. This does not mean that if it was not for him, I would have gotten the job. It just meant that I believe I would have had a better chance had I handled the earlier rejection properly.

The point I am trying to drive here is that the working community here is small and there is always a chance that you may meet again people whom you have offended earlier but needed to impress later.

Why you were not selected?

It is understandable that you would feel disappointed if you are not selected for a job when you thought you did pretty well in the interviews. Remember that interviewers are also human, and whether you like it or not, the reasons for not selecting you can be objective and also subjective. In any case, the prospective employer is not obliged to reveal to you these reasons which makes it harder for you to know where you have failed.

Here are some of the objective reasons:

Over qualified. The company do not require your higher qualification. In bad times, displaying your MBA, MSc and PhD may be to your disadvantage especially for entry level jobs. You may think that reducing your salary expectation to that for lower qualification could help. But it still gives some prospective employer that you may leave for a better paying job that suits your higher qualification commands once better opportunities come along. Use your discretion on when to use these credentials. If not sure, check out the past hiring practices of the company you are interested in.

Asking too much salary. For lateral moves, a 10%-20% increment is reasonable while for vertical moves you can ask for more than 20%. But then again this is subjective as it depends on the industry you are applying in and also the demand and supply for your kind of job. The point I am trying to put across here is not to expect to have same levels of salary jumps for lateral and vertical moves.

Cost Cutting. Sometimes company do come up with quick cost cutting measures. And it is most unfortunate if this happens halfway through the recruitment process.

Being politically incorrect. Interviewers do not expect you to be 100% truthful but at least to give politically correct responses. How you respond to questions would be a good indication on how you would behave should the company decide to take you. One good example, is when you are asked why you leave your ex-company. The last thing you should do is to excessively criticise your ex-bosses and ex-company. No matter how true this may be, this only projects the image of a whiner in you.

Inappropriate image. Your appearance at the interview was not appropriate. For example, not showing up with a tie when it is a company policy. Also needless to say sloppy outlook like crumpled and/or soiled clothing, inappropriate dressing, poor makeup, unkempt hair, etc, would not help either. If for some reason you have to lug big luggage with you, quietly ask the receptionist if you could leave it at the reception counter before you meet the interviewers.

Carelessness. Some companies require you to fill up job application forms when you attend the interview. Before filling up the form, look through the whole application form and understand what it requires of you. It would not reflect very well on you if you have wrongly filled in the form because you did not read it carefully or you have filled in the form with cancellation marks all over it.

Tardiness. Coming in late and making the interviewer(s) wait is one of the biggest mistake an interviewee can make. If for some unexpected reasons you should be late, please call in the company to inform them as early as possible. A rule of thumb, be present 15 minutes before the interview time so to give you time to compose yourself and also time to read and fill in forms if required. If you are nervous about the interview, it is give yourself some time to relax and compose yourself before meeting the interviewer.

Body Language. Your body language contradicts what you are saying. For example, slouching and not giving direct eye contact is hardly a show of interest in the job though you may verbally say otherwise.

Lack of Confidence. You did not prepare well for the interview and your lack of confidence shows when you fidget, stutter, show poor eye contact and reason illogically, something which do not occur to you in your normal daily speech.

Overconfidence. You showed too much of your confidence to the extent that the interviewer feels you are overselling yourself just to get the job. A typical example, is to give direct politically correct "Yes" or "No" answers questions without any qualifying explanation or any attempt to pause and reflect.

Here are the subjective and bizarre reasons.

Chemistry. For some unknown reasons, the interviewer feels uncomfortable with you. You may have reminded him/her of some unpleasant encounters.

Knowledge and Qualification. You are more knowledgeable and qualified than your prospective boss, especially if the position is to be his/her deputy. He/she may feel uncomfortable about this.

Looks and Personality. Good looks can be a double edged sword - while it does help to have good looks, it can also be a distraction.

Work Attitude. You are either too hardworking or too slacking in your work attitude and the last thing your prospective boss wants is someone in the team to be different from the rest.

Competitor Information. The "recruiting" company may be your current company's competitor firm. This is a means for the company to find out what their competitor is doing.

“Unsuitable candidate”. By rejecting external job applicants, some managers want to show to their management they could not find suitable candidate externally to strengthen their cause to recruit or promote someone from within.

So in summary, if you do not get the job, it does not mean you are not suitably qualified. But on the other hand, it may also mean you do do some serious reflection on yourself. As mentioned earlier, the recruiting company is not obliged to explain why they did not choose you. So the best you can do is to reflect upon the failed interview and try to improve and work on what is within your control.