Ultimate Job Search: Invaluable Advice on Networking, CVs, Cover Letters, Interviews, Psychometric Tests and Follow-Up Strategies

239 Pages·2009·1.02 MB·English

by  Lynn Williams

Ultimate
Job Search
Invaluable advice on networking, CVs,
cover letters, interviews, psychometric
tests and follow-up strategies
2nd edition
Lynn Williams
Publisher’s note
Every possible effort has been made to ensure that the information contained in this book
is accurate at the time of going to press, and the publishers and author cannot accept
responsibility for any errors or omissions, however caused. No responsibility for loss or
damage occasioned to any person acting, or refraining from action, as a result of the
material in this publication can be accepted by the editor, the publisher or the author.
First published in Great Britain and the United States as The Ultimate Job Search Book in
2006 by Kogan Page Limited.
Second edition published in 2008 as Ultimate Job Search
Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of research or private study, or criticism or
review, as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, this publication
may only be reproduced, stored or transmitted, in any form or by any means, with the
prior permission in w riting of the publishers, or in the case of reprographic reproduction
in accordance with the terms and licences issued by the CLA. Enquiries concerning repro-
duction outside these terms should be sent to the publishers at the undermentioned
address:
120 Pentonville Road
London N1 9JN
United Kingdom
www.koganpage.com
© Lynn Williams, 2006, 2008
The right of Lynn Williams to be identifi ed as the author of this work has been asserted
by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
ISBN 978 0 7494 5388 6
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A CIP record for this book is available from the British Library.
Typeset by Saxon Graphics Ltd, Derby
Printed and bound in India by Replika Press Pvt Ltd
Contents
Acknowledgements ix
Introduction 1
1 First things fi rst 3
1 Find out what skills, qualities and abilities the job
requires 4; 2 Match those skills, qualities and abilities
with your own 6; 3 Prepare examples of how, when
and where you have demonstrated them in the past 7;
4 Present those skills, qualities and abilities clearly and
confi dently both in writing and verbally 7; 5 Demonstrate
in your presentation, appearance and behaviour the
personal qualities required 8
2 Making a start 9
Key tasks 10; Skills, abilities and knowledge 10; Qualifi cations
and training 11; Results and achievements 11; Match the skills
you’ve got to the skills they want 12; Using an advertisement
to improve your CV 13; Reading the advertisement 13;
Putting it in your CV 14
3 The skills they want from everybody 18
Teamwork 18; Communicating with others 18; Problem
solving 19; Analysing 19; Organizing and planning 19;
Flexibility and adaptability 20; Drive and determination 20
4 Your CV 21
Attract attention 21; Create a good impression 22;
Present your relevant skills 22; Keep your CV relevant 32
vi Contents
5 CV problems 36
Problem: there are gaps in my career history 36;
Problem: my career history isn’t straightforward 37;
Problem: my relevant experience is in a voluntary role 37;
Problem: I’ve had lots of very different jobs 37;
Problem: my CV is more than two pages long 39;
Problem: I’m doing more than one job 39; Problem: I’ve
only ever had one job 40; Problem: a lot of my jobs have
been the same 41; Problem: I’ve been unemployed for
over a year 41; Problem: my current job isn’t very
impressive or relevant, or it’s a bit of a step backwards 42;
Problem: I haven’t got much experience for the job
I want 43; Problem: I’m over-qualifi ed 43; Problem: I’m
under-qualifi ed 44; Problem: I’m over 50 44; Problem: I’m
under 25 45
6 CVs with special considerations 46
CVs for school, college and university leavers 46; CVs
after a career break 50; CVs for career changers 52;
Your online CV 55; CVs and scanners 57
7 CVs for specifi c jobs 61
The clerical CV 61; The sales and marketing CV 64;
CVs for technical jobs 67; The management CV 69;
CVs for creative jobs 72; CVs for practical jobs 74;
CVs for customer relations jobs 76
8 Application forms 81
Application forms section by section 82
9 Covering letters 87
Appearance 87; Layout 87; Readability 89; Content 89;
What goes into the letter? 89; E-mail 94
10 Telephone calls 99
General points 99; Information calls 100; Speculative
calls 101; Follow-up calls 103; Telephone interviews 105;
When they call you 105
11 The job search 107
Job search stages 107; Job market research 108; Ways of
job hunting 112; Using your skills effectively 115
Contents vii
12 Job search strategies 118
Answering advertisements for vacancies 118; CV and
follow-up call 119; Personal letter 120; Recruitment
agencies 121; Networking 122; Job fairs 123; Personal
appearances 124; Foot in the door 125; Unconventional
approaches 126
13 Interviews: making a great impression 130
Why have an interview? 130; What happens at an
interview 131; Preparing for the interview 132; Making a
good impression 137; Sounding the part 137; Looking the
part 139; Acting the part 140; Overcoming nerves 142
14 Answering interview questions 144
The three rules 144; What sort of questions will they
ask? 145; Questions they ask everybody 145; Dealing with
negative questions 150; Questions about salary 152;
Dealing with closed questions 153; Dealing with the
person-specifi c questions 154; Inappropriate and illegal
questions 158; Your questions to the interviewer 159
15 Questions for specifi c jobs 161
Questions for practical jobs 162; Questions for creative
jobs 166; Questions for clerical jobs 171; Questions for sales
and marketing jobs 175; Questions for technical jobs 181;
Questions for management jobs 187; Questions for
customer relations jobs 194
16 Questions for school and college leavers 200
17 Interviews and more 207
Different types of interview 207; Interview extras 211
18 Offers and rejections 219
Write a letter 219; If the organization doesn’t make you
an offer 221; Keep applying 224; If the organization makes
you an offer 224; Negotiating the offer 224

Index 226

Acknowledgements
I would like to thank, for their help and advice, Tina Buchanan, Mark Colton,
Maggie Fellows, David Giles, Robert Johnson, Debbie MacEke, Paul Turner
and Natalie Wilshaw.

Introduction
Changing jobs rates as one of life’s most stressful experiences. However, few
of us are still doing the same job we went into after school or college, so it’s
an event most of us have to cope with at one time or another. How can you
make the most of each job move, ensuring you get the job you want, rather
than one that will just about do?
Work fi lls a good one-third of our lives; it’s what most of us do all day,
every day until retirement. Who wants to spend a third of their day unful-
fi lled and unhappy in a job they don’t like? Yet most of us resist change of
any kind, especially dramatic career shifts, even though dissatisfaction at
work affects all aspects of our lives, spilling over into our personal lives so our
spouses and children feel the effects, too. Being unhappy at the offi ce can
also affect our physical health.
This book can help you get the job you want. It can’t give you the techni-
cal skills or training you need – that’s up to you, there are enough colleges
and vocational courses out there. What it does give you is the job-search
skills and techniques that take the stress out of job hunting and make sure
your job applications meet with a positive response.
It doesn’t matter how strong the economy is, job hunting is a demanding
task. This is true even when there is low unemployment and skill shortages.
Even during boom times, the average job search takes around three months.
Knowing what you’re doing during the ins and outs of the recruitment
process means you can spend that three months feeling optimistic, positive
and confi dent.
You only look for a job a few times in your life. Compared with the amount
of time you spend actually doing it, investing time and energy in an effective
job search repays the effort many times over. Studies show that people who
understand and do well at the job search process enjoy substantially more
job satisfaction and higher earnings over the course of their careers. Attention