Interview Advice

Preparation

Research the company
Understand the job specification thoroughly, including salary details
Make sure you know where the company is located and who is going to interview you
DO NOT be late – leave yourself enough time to locate the correct office
Decide on an appropriate dress code
Make sure you are 100% familiar with your CV –it is always a good idea to take a copy with you unless otherwise told
Take a pen and paper to make notes
Prepare a list of questions relating to company, job itself, career prospects,training, how long company has been established, whether company has any competitors – the more original the better

What to Expect

The first few minutes of the interview is vital; - smile, eye contact and strong handshake is always the best introduction
Posture – don’t slouch
Don’t forget this is a time to sell yourself – be positive, informative and confident
Be prepared for a formal interview with maybe more than one person – maintain eye contact with all interviewers and remember to look interested, acknowledging all of them
Be prepared – they may ask you what you know about their company and the position for which you are applying for – the better prepared you are – the more impressive
You should be ready to discuss your work history and remember to relate your experience to the position you are applying for
Give full answers – not just yes and no, giving as much relevant information as possible – but don’t waffle
Be prepared to give scenario type examples e.g. most stressful situation and how you dealt with it – remember these are opportunities to sell yourself
Emphasise your key skills and qualities – you may even be asked about weakness but remember to turn that weakness into a positive e.g. a perfectionist may be slower but will always be accurate
A popular question is “Where do you see yourself in X years’ time?” Try not to be overly ambitious when answering this question – any secret desires to be a zookeeper should be kept hidden at this stage!
Always leave on a good note – thank them for their time and let them know how interested and suited you are for the position
and remember - ENTHUSIASM CAN BE THE DECIDING FACTOR!

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12-Jul-17
Writing a Job Spec: If you have ever had to compile a job spec and starred at a blank screen then this article could be for you. To be fair even if you have put together hundreds of job specs it never hurts to re-visit the subject to double check you are presenting all the relevant information to secure the talent you are looking for. We have listed our guide on the top areas to focus on and hope it proves of use!1. Job Title & Summary - reflect the job!It might seem obvious, but first and foremost, make sure to include a job title and summary that reflects on the responsibilities required. Whilst the job title should be very concise, a summary provides an opportunity to provide a “high level” brief on the role including an overview of responsibilities. It’s important to remember that the summary should be no novel, however, it is an ideal time to provide a succinct overview of the opportunity and can also include any additional information you deem essential. Such details that are often top of the list for clients are such thing at key skills required, levels of experience necessary, industry’s standards needed as well as an overview of the company’s values and culture. It is worth remembering that differing companies and industries often have entirely different cultures so make sure you choose a writing style that matches your business i.e. a start-up might have a much more informal approach than an established accountancy firm so make sure you use language that reflects your business.2. Type of Opportunity - clearly outline & include the exact locationTemporary, Contract, Temp-to-Perm, Part-Time, Full-Time? It’s key to outline early on what type of opportunity you are advertising. Candidates really appreciate clear and concise details on what exactly to role entails – including whether it suits their requirements in terms of hours etc. By confirming this early on it saves the possibility of people applying on the back of the job spec and not reviewing early on that it is ...
04-Jul-17
Looking for a Career?: Are you an experienced Recruitment Resourcer seeking your next challenge or someone seeking a long term career in the recruitment industry - if so this fabulous opportunity has just become available! We are very proud to be shortly promoting our current Resourcer into the position of Junior Consultant so are now looking for an exceptional candidate to step into this persons role. The Perms division is a busy, successful and thriving area of our business so will require a candidate with exceptional drive and commitment and team working ethos to join our smashing team.The successful individual must exude a calm and professional attitude and MUST have the ability to multi task and prioritise every changing priorities - this is a highly pressurised working environment that thrives on results without compromising exceptional levels of client and candidate care and service. Prospects for further development into a fully- fledged Consultant role are definitely available here and ready for the taking!As well as your basic salary and working with a great bunch of people there is also the opportunity to earn an uncapped bonus each month - the greater your success the more you will earn - so everything to play for and more.Role DutiesSupporting a team of 3 busy ConsultantsMeeting and greeting candidates and setting up onto registration formsTaking of and checking of all right to work documentation and then processing onto internal CRMAnswering of the telephone and forwarding messages onto the teamBooking of registrations for yourself and the teamMonitoring, coordinating and vetting of Cv’s via web apps and direct e mailsAscertaining a candidates suitability for a role- this will also involve the selling in of new opportunitiesPreparing CV’s for client submissionPosting jobs onto job boards and creating regular external board posters and mailersRegular Boolean sourcing in order to match suitable candidates for rolesRegular communication with both candidates and ...
19-May-17
Work Experience at UEA: Cali joined our team for two weeks work experience - brave soul! We asked how it went - it went a little like this;My name is Cali and I came to Uxbridge Employment Agency for my year 10 work experience. It was an enjoyable time and I learnt a lot about the world of recruitment. For me it was two weeks of paperwork, learning and laughing with the team. Here is my story for my first ever working experience.To confirm my work placement I had to call in to meet the person that would be supervising me. As I am a very shy person just talking to people over the phone is a scary thing to do. Luckily I managed to keep calm and composed. During the meeting and my first two days of work experience the only answers anyone would get would be a “yes” or “no”. I would be very quiet and would only speak when someone spoke to me. But everyone was super nice and really welcoming and managed to get me to join in with conversations more.My first few days I was getting to know how to do certain types of paperwork, for example I learnt how to make registration packs for both permanent and temporary candidates. I learnt how to use a CRM system and was taught how to: put candidates onto it, find certain candidates to see if certain details had been uploaded onto it and even take inactive candidates off of it. I created drop packs for both the Windsor and Uxbridge side of the agency. I also created bags for the Windsor team to take and give out.I started my second week by sitting in on a few candidate registration interviews, to see how different consultants conducted their interviews. I wrote up a draft of a CV to help me in the future. For a day I went upstairs to see how the finance side of the business worked, I even learnt how to send money to clients, candidates and the revenue. I was taught how to search for CV’s on the website Total jobs. I was then given a description for an accountancy job, for which I found three peoples CV’s that were ideal for the role. On my last day I ...
31-Mar-17
Hear what our Lead Talent Scouts have to say about the current market and how to make sure you are the best option: With the ever changing market, we often ask candidates what are they are looking for, why they are looking and what is crucial for them in their next role. A few years ago the answers would have most likely resulted in what salary was on offer. As a Talent Scout we contact and screen a vast amount of potential candidates across a variety of sectors. Below, we have put together the top three motivators for job seekers and how you can apply them.ProgressionMany candidates often like an outline of how they can move and within a company to see if they can picture themselves there long term. With candidates having multiple options when applying for positions they want to ensure your company is the best one. You can apply this by letting us know more about your organisational structure, training and development opportunities and also any success stories of existing employees.Job SecurityCandidates want to know what a company has to offer, especially with interest from companies that are easily commutable, higher salary and possibly a more established brand. They want to know how well the company is doing and how it is situated in the market place to see how they can fit into this.Incentives (financial and non-financial)Alongside job security, candidates like to hear what other things your company has to offer from bonuses, pension schemes, health care packages to even the little things such as leaving early on Fridays and on-site parking (a little TLC can be a huge deal breaker).A candidate driven market means they have plenty of options and with access to job boards at their finger tips, the power is in their hands. We spend the majority of our time sourcing local talent and separating the active candidates (flexible to interview, interested) from the passive candidates (takes 2-3 days to get back, lack of enthusiasm) This means we save the hassle of sivving through hundreds of unsuitable applicants to find the few that are truly interested.We aim to find you ...