INTERVIEWS THAT WILL GET YOU THAT PERFECT JOB

Ever wondered why you just can't land that coveted job? Consultant Rowan Manahan says you are probably making fundamental mistakes, which can be rectified with a little common sense. John Meagher on the perfect interview.

The man with the grey suit and lank hair sitting opposite you is Claudia Schiffer.

His questions about your work experience are really sweet-nothings over the dinner table.

This isn't a job interview, it's a first date with an international supermodel.

Rowan Manahan's advice to interviewees is unlikely to endear him to school or college career guidance teachers. Orthodox he is not.

“Applying for that job is a matter of perception. You have to demystify the interview.”

That's where Claudia (insert your dream date here) comes in.

“Imagine if you were on a first date: you would spend hours getting ready; you'd wear your finest clothes; you'd be groomed perfectly, and you would make a huge effort to impress. But when some people go for a job interview they look dishevelled. They turn up late. They haven't prepared properly. And then they wonder why they keep getting PFO letters.”

Rowan Manahan's job is helping others find jobs. His company, Fortify Services, coaches people in, among other things, interview skills. He is trained in martial arts and after the grilling he puts his clients through, they might well have preferred to take him on in the ring.

“We get some clients here who are terribly cocky. They are convinced that their skills will land them whatever job they want. And they think that they will learn simple things to brush up their interview skills.”

The Dublin consultant bursts egos every day. He sometimes video-tapes his clients to allow them to see what the interviewer sees. It isn't pleasant. He says people do the strangest things when being interviewed. They fiddle with their noses, they constantly shift about in their seat. They don't look or sound relaxed.

"It is fair to say that most people turn up for interview inadequately prepared. They have gone over a few things in their mind which they prattle off. They don't stop to think that a busy employer has given them 45 minutes of their time. Forty five minutes! Can you imagine how much preparation an actor would put in if he or she was going to be awarded a speaking part that lasted three quarters of an hour?"

"Candidates should ask themselves all the questions they are likely to be asked. They should answer out loud to get used to hearing their own voice talking about an unusual situation. I mean, talking about our strong points isn't something most of us do a lot."

One of the things that frustrates him most is the cavalier fashion many people have towards the jobs market.

“School and college leavers are turning up their nose at jobs in the £15,000 bracket. They assume their talents are worth more than that, but in many cases, these people have nobody to blame but themselves when they don't get called to interview or when they don't land jobs.”

“Jobseekers should bear in mind that employers don't so much select people for the job - they use a process of elimination. Suppose an employer gets a hundred applications. He will glance through the cover letter and CV and into the bin go the letters that start `Dear Sir/Madam' - the applicant is too lazy to find out who to address the letter to. Into the bin goes the photocopied CV that hasn't been tailored to the job. Into the bin go CV's with irrelevant information.”

“Some multinationals even use computer scanning and Object Character Recognition to sift through applications. These computer packages search for key words in letters and CVs to ascertain the suitability for the job. So in some cases, your letter might not even be seen by a human being.”

He says the employer continues the process of elimination at interview stage: ruling out people who turn up late; are sloppily dressed; are poorly briefed.

“If people got the simple things right they would make their chances of finding that job so much easier. I get great satisfaction from coaching someone to accentuate their skills.”

But there is one path candidates should never stray from ... the truth.

* For further information on Fortify Services check out its website: www.fortifyservices.com

Original article here.

TOP TIPS

CVs - Pare it Back to the Bare Facts

"Your CV should be as tightly written as a brilliant 30-second TV ad, because 30 seconds is all it will get to sell you."

"If you were spending thousands of pounds to buy 30 seconds of prime-time TV airtime to sell yourself; think how carefully you would choose every word."

"You know how irritating it is to receive endless junk mail? Employers feel exactly the same way about badly-written, unsolicited CVs."

"No-one cares about your life history. No-one! Get it down on one or two pages. Put the information that is most pertinent, recent and persuasive to that employer first and work your way down from there."

"A targeted, professional and above all, relevant CV / cover letter speaks volumes on your behalf. This is the hurdle where most of the runners fall. Very few people seem to realise that. A top-end CV that truly and truthfully represents you doesn't come cheap, but it's peanuts compared with the long-term return."

"Delia Smith's recipe for gravy says you should 'reduce by half' to maximises the flavour. Who am I to argue with Delia?"

Looking the Part

"You have five seconds to make it or blow it. Five. Think how many potential mates you have rejected on the basis of first impression. Before they even opened their mouths! Do you seriously believe that interviewers are capable of switching that way of thinking off?"

"There's no excuse for shoddy dressing. Beg, steal or borrow what you need."

"Don't know what to wear? Loiter outside the company at five o'clock and see what the norm is. Then go 5-10% better in your clothing for the interview."

"It's all about accessories. The suit you wear won't be noticed (unless it's rubbish). What they notice is the tie. The scarf. The shoes. Your briefcase, the pen you use."

"Don't take advice from your mother and for God's sake, DON'T take advice from salespeople. Spend a few quid and get professional objective advice. Our style consultant depends for her living on making people look their absolute best. Someone like that has no agenda other than making an appreciable difference to your image."