Wednesday Digest: Easter All-Sorts

In the last IIS article before a two-week break, we include a bumper crop of links for you to feast your job-hungry eyes on...

There's no theme to the final pre-Easter article on IIS: before a two-week break, we think it's important that you get your hands on all the articles that we've trawled the internet for over the past couple of weeks, but haven't yet included in an IIS digest.

To start with, there are some interesting thoughts on using MBTI (for more information on just what this means, click here) in your job search.
Next, think about who could be googling you...

There's advice on building your career, here and here.
And ideas on how to create a 'master resume' here.
When it comes to the interview itself, think about making the best impression possible and listening emotionally to your interviewers.
And have a look at what can be learned about an interview from a completely different arena...
Here are some useful tips on how not to approach your next job interview.
And from the great Career Rocketeer, here are three excellent articles on the job search.

Finally, here a couple of free webinars, on body language in the interview room, on Tuesday the 26th of April and building your network for career success, on Friday the 29th.

Have relaxing and enjoyable Easter break, everyone, and I look forward to carrying on helping out with the job search when I return in a couple of weeks.

Monday Digest: 3, 4, 5...

Let's start the week with a few more lists...

This time, though, they're not 'top 10s' -- check out the following 3, 4, 5 lists covering your work history, ways of leaving your old job gracefully, and what to do while you wait to hear back after an interview.

• 3 ways to avoid burning bridges in your old job
• 4 jobs everyone should have on their CV
• 5 things to do after an interview, while you wait...

Feet-Up Friday

'This interview is not going how I imagined it would.'

Some light relief for a Friday!

The Interview
And, from the same series, here's another example of an unexpected job interview.

More job-hunting tips in tomorrow's digest.

The 5 'P's

In the latest in a series of original blog posts, we look at the specifics of what you need to put across at interview. Things always look more manageable when we break them down into smaller chunks -- the question is, how do we do this with a job application?

Approaching a job interview is a daunting prospect. What are they going to expect from you?

There are a thousand and one things you can do to prepare yourself for the interview, but the good -- or bad -- news is that there’s not a lot you can do about the interviewers’ expectations of you...

So, more importantly, what do you want from them?

Think about what you need: a precise idea of what you want from a job, so that you can go into an interview confident that this is the job you really want.

Broken down into manageable chunks, your application needs to consist of your responses to 5 important factors:


Performance           ~ what exactly can you do? What skills do you want to be able to
                                  showcase in a job?

People                     ~ whom do you want to be working with? Whether it’s the clients or
                                  customers you want to serve, the colleagues you’d like to work
                                  alongside, or your ideal boss, the ‘who’ of your intended job is
                                  very important.

Place                       ~ where do you want to be working?
&
Pace                        ~ what speed do you want to be working at? (These ‘P’s go together --
                                  they focus on the environment or atmosphere of your ideal workplace.)

Proposition             ~ the most important factor: what is your pitch to the company? What
                                  are your unique selling points? What do you have that other people
                                  lack, and that this company needs?

If the situation at the job you’re applying for doesn’t match any one of these factors, you need to do some serious thinking: is this the right job for you?

If not, however impressive your CV or resume is, and however much experience you have, you may just be wasting their time -- and, more importantly, wasting yours!

Monday Digest: Difficult Interview Questions

Preparing for the difficult, demanding, and downright weird...

To start the week, we deal with those tricky -- though perfectly viable -- questions that may come up in your interview. You'll want to have an answer prepared for these:

Why are you leaving your job? 

What sort of salary are you looking for?

And what about those questions you really don't want to be asked?

Bizarre interview questions...

Come back later in the week for more digests and a more in-depth look at a particular aspect of the application process.

Saturday Digest: Exploring Your Options

In this week's Saturday digest, we take a look at the possible scenarios, post-interview...

There are three basic outcomes to an interview:

1. you don't get the job,
2. you're offered the job and accept,
3. you're offered the job but you turn it down.

For the last digest of the week, here are 3 articles that deal with those specific situations:

1. Job Interview Autopsy
2. Questions About Job Culture
3. Why Turn Down a Job Offer?

Finally, look out for an article appearing with CareerRocketeer this weekend -- this is why I haven't been posting here more frequently than the usual digests! Normal service will be resumed next week.

Feet-Up Friday

Several interviews in one...

This week's FUF takes a single interview and includes many different answers, with Family-Fortunes-style sound effects. Some of the 'positive' answers aren't actually that helpful, but it's quite fun to watch:

Bizarre interview

Happy Friday, and check back tomorrow for the last digest of the week.

Feet-Up Friday

Three different ways to answer a fairly standard question...

These are from a series called 'The GOOD, the BAD, and the UGLY', focusing on job interviews. (There are plenty more -- why not spend a Friday half-hour taking a look? If you can bear listening to the saccharine/contrived/ridiculous voiceovers that get played at the end of each one, that is...)

The GOOD answer.
The BAD answer.
The UGLY answer.

(Apologies for the spelling of some of the subtitles -- not their strong point!)

Feet-Up Friday

Take a break from work, and let us show you how not to tackle an interview...

After last week's Monty Python sketch, the second Feet-Up Friday is another video about less-than-perfect interviews, although this time it's those being interviewed who behave inappropriately...take a look for yourself:

How Not to Handle Interview Questions

Feet-Up Friday

A more light-hearted look at the interviewing world...

Instead of the usual IIS digest, celebrate the fact it's Friday with a not-so-serious look at the world of careers and job interviews. This week, it's the tried-and-trusted Monty Python gang, from long before John Cleese had sold his soul to the AA advertising devil:

What not to expect from a job interview!

There'll be another digest tomorrow, and look out for a 'teaser' from the e-book, coming soon.

Wednesday Digest: Interview Tips

The latest installment of the IIS digest...

Thinking of changing career?
All about the job questions you want answering
Branding yourself (no red-hot pokers in sight)

As always, do get in touch with your own recommendations.

Monday Digest: Career Resources

Not just marketing a new product...

As well as launching a product that's guaranteed to bring you interview success, we want to make this blog a source for useful careers information. So regular posts will link to useful sites, authors, or articles -- like these:

Your Five Best Bets for a Career Change Resume
How Not to Sabotage a Job Interview
How to Handle Being Interviewed by the CEO

Do you have any recommendations? Feel free to comment below with sites or articles you've found useful.