1. You lack focus – Most job seekers ignore the interviewer. You won’t get hired if you ignore the interviewers’ requirements. Focus on the interviewer and understand their key requirements. The job description will help you with this task. Don’t just read the job description, dissect it. You can’t sell your skills/experience if you don’t know what’s important. Understanding the job requirements will help you deliver relevant information to the interviewer.

2. You don’t sell yourself - Most job seekers fail to sell themselves at interview. Many interview answers are bland and lack any real impact. Facts, achievements and quantifiable results will bring your answers to life. It is essential to identify this information in advance of interview. During the interview, don’t wait for the interviewer to ask for examples. When you talk the talk, walk the walk. Load every answer with examples, achievements and quantifiable results. This will help you create impactful interview answers.

3. You fail to show interest in the company/role – Most job seekers fail to demonstrate genuine interest in the company/role. Failure to do this will result in rejection. Don’t be afraid to communicate your interest to the interviewer. Don’t listen to that urban myth, the one that says you’ll come across desperate. Don’t trip up on common interview questions that evaluate your interest – “what do you know about our company?”, “what attracts your to our company (or role)?” and “do you have any questions?”.

4. You lack energy – Many job seekers hide their personality during interview. Interview performance can be rigid and lacking any real energy. This makes it difficult for an interviewer to gauge the real you. It’s important to remember, people hire people. Your personality is as important as your experience/qualifications. Engage with the interviewer and build rapport during interview.

Easy on the eye – The visual appearance of a CV is extremely important. A cluttered CV won’t make a good first impression. Use uniform font style throughout your CV. Use font size 11 or 12 (font size 9 or 10 is cheating). Ensure you leave ample white space throughout your CV. Insert clear headers to signpost the reader and use bullet points to enable easier navigation of the content.

Immediate impact — Create a strong value statement. Avoid generic words and statements. Focus on relevant points and concrete achievements. Your value statement should be no longer than five snappy one line bullet points.

Less is more — No CV should creep beyond two pages. Many people struggle to achieve this objective. Stop focusing on yourself and start focusing on the person reading the document. Ask yourself the question “Is this RELEVANT information for the reader?” This question will help you cut back excess content.

One page wonder — Your CV will be binned if the first page fails to make an impact. Most recruiters spend as little as 20 seconds reviewing a CV. You need to position as much relevant information on the first page of your CV. Help the reader make that decision to call you to interview.

Stardust — Most job seekers find it difficult to sell themselves effectively. Job seekers struggle to recall key successes or achievements. This information is critical. Your achievements are the stardust that brings your CV content to life. Invest time and effort here – brainstorm, hunt out old performance reviews or talk to an ex-manager.

Social CV — Add your Linkedin profile URL to your CV. A Linkedin profile has the potential to offer richer content than a CV.

Other points you’d like to make — The “Additional Information” section will be positioned towards the end of your CV. This section allows you to include other points that may interest the reader. These points don’t warrant first page status but can still add value.

Sometimes job seeking can be tough. Actually, it can be tough a lot of the time if we’re being truthful! But whilst you’re understandably anxious to get back into the world of work, make sure you take time to appreciate the festive break this year and enjoy the unique benefits you’ll experience without the pressure of the workplace.

Some things to ponder in the run up to Christmas:

• Christmas ‘allows’ you to take a break: Job seeking is a stressful time and often we feel we can’t rest or slow down for fear of missing an opportunity. All bets are off at Christmas time – no recruiter is going to be calling you and no new jobs will be published, so make sure to fully enjoy the break so you can begin 2012 recharged. Give in to the festive period – it’s a carte blanche to kick back!

• Christmas re-focuses us all: Being unemployed can be an overwhelming experience so what better way to unwind and rediscover what’s really important than by enjoying some time with family and friends? Allow yourself the luxury of enjoying the time you have this year. How many previous Christmases have you spent harried and frantic in December, to flop exhausted on the couch for the few days’ rest before getting back on the corporate treadmill? This year is a gift, enjoy it!

• Read for pure pleasure: Take a break from reading what you ‘should’ read (i.e., a business book, the business section or a business biography) give yourself a true holiday to recharge the mind and get the synapses sparkling again. Fiction is best for some lovely escapism!

• Know that the rest of the country is thinking of their career over Christmas too: Any break allows us to reflect and time away from work forces people to assess how they feel about their current situation, so January is a key time for people to move roles and more opportunities will open up. You’ve had time to consider your options and think about what’s the right next move for you, so you’ll be one step ahead come the New Year.

• Keep networking over the Christmas break: Your parents’ neighbour? Who knows what boards he sits on or who he plays golf with; drop round with some mince pies and have a chat. Friends home for Christmas? Find out about their career and industry (even if they’re based overseas, they may have useful contacts). Without boring people, take advantage of seeing the people you don’t meet up with during the year.

• Reflect on your achievements: It’s been a difficult year, so congratulate yourself on your efforts!

• Understand that by this time next year things will be different: Whether they’re better or different next year, make sure you purposefully enjoy this festive period and all it brings.

I hope you have a restful and enjoyable break this year, leaving you refreshed and energised for your next challenge. Merry Christmas and all the best for 2012!

Daniella Morrison is an experienced digital marketer who drives business results for clients through online channels. She provides a bespoke consultancy service to help small businesses engage purposefully with their online audiences and reach business goals. Reach Daniella at info@digital-communication-solutions.com or check out her blog.

It is a truth universal acknowledged that December is the time of year when all job searching slows down, is it not? That HR personnel and recruiters are too busy enjoying mince pies and mulled wine is the accepted wisdom, however if you’re a seasoned or experienced jobseeker (or just one who knows their industry well), you’ll know that there’s no such thing as ‘downtime’ when you’re on the lookout for your next challenge!

So, whilst other candidates take December off, bemoaning the fact that ‘nothing happens’ during the month, here’s some tips to create opportunities and position yourself ahead of the crowd:

1. Schedule your January. Don’t wait for the New Year to arrange meetings – be first out of the gates and review your contacts, reach out and arrange a meet up in early January before things get too hectic. Catch people when they’re relaxed after the break, less harried and their to-do lists have yet to fill up.
2. Send Christmas cards! Think of everyone who has helped you in your job search to date (i.e., recruiters, contacts, HR specialists) and keep yourself front of mind by including a note thanking them for their work.
3. Review your efforts. What have you learned during your job search? What have you accomplished? What was successful? What needs improvement? What haven’t you done? What do you know has worked for others? Put a plan together to turbo-charge your efforts in January.
4. Learn. If the phone isn’t ringing for you, use the time to learn more about your industry, research companies you’d like to work for, take any online training you can and stay abreast of industry and economic news so you can reference this at your next interview.
5. Keep job searching. Nothing truly stops in December (as with August, when companies will still hire) though the pace may differ. If you’re a strong candidate, they’ll want to meet you. This may mean an informal chat in December, or an interview scheduled for January. Take advantage of the fact that there will be fewer candidates actively engaged and get yourself noticed by those that count.

December may seem like a ‘quiet’ time in your job search but those thinking strategically will use it to their advantage – and that’s you, isn’t it!

Daniella Morrison is an experienced digital marketer who drives business results for clients through online channels. She provides bespoke consultancy services to help small businesses engage purposefully with their online audiences and reach business goals. Reach Daniella at info@digital-communication-solutions.com or check out her blog.

Self-confidence is a key ingredient for success. This means self-confidence is a key ingredient for job search success. Levels of self-confidence can have a direct impact on your job search performance. BUT there’s good news. You can learn to be more self-confident. Levels of confidence grow in response to the level of performance required of it, just like a muscle. Quite simply, use it or lose it. Below are some useful tips and exercises.

Revisit achievements – Most people struggle to recall personal achievements. Conduct a personal brainstorm and create a “top 100 successes list”. Review this list, acknowledge your achievements and give yourself credit for this success.

Just “DO” it – “Nothing builds self-esteem and self-confidence like accomplishment” Thomas Carlyle. Thinking about things can make you feel worse. Take action!! Tackle the big tasks on your to-do list. Ignoring big tasks can sap your energy and make the task seem even bigger. The sense of accomplishment will help boost self-confidence.

Face the fear – “The way to develop self-confidence is to do the thing you fear” William Jennings Bryan. The sky won’t fall down if you get it wrong or fail.

Learn and grow – Personal development can have a positive impact on self-confidence. Develop and practice the skills you need to deliver success in your life.

Healthy body and mind – Go the gym or take a brisk walk. You’ll feel great. Write down 10 things that keep your mind feeling nourished. Make the time to engage in these activities.

Positive people – Surround yourself with people who support and encourage you. Limit contact with people who undermine you. Learn from other confident people. Find out what they do to generate and convey confidence.

Many job seekers fail to get the full benefit of Linkedin during job search. They think their work is complete once they’ve created an impactful Linkedin profile. WRONG!! There’s no point having an impactful Linkedin profile is no one views it.

It is important to take positive actions to drive traffic to your Linkedin profile.

Customise your Linkedin profile URL – www.linkedin.com/in/paulmullan

Get active on Linkedin – Connect, use status updates/mail to talk to your network, showcase your expertise by answering questions and join relevant groups. I will expand on these points during my next video.

Drive traffic to your profile from outside Linkedin – Help people find your Linkedin profile by promoting your Linkedin profile URL. My short video highlights some simple ways to do this. REMEMBER – Increased visibility can help the hidden opportunities find you!!!!!

Interview Tips (part 3). Final video outling key interview preparation tips!!

Interview Preparation (part 2)

Learn simple interview preparation tips that deliver impressive results. This video covers 2 key components for effective interview preparation – “identifying how you meet the job requirements” and “understanding your CV”.

I hope you find the video useful!! Feel free to post any comments below!!