Thing 21: Job applications and interviews

Over the years I've written so many job applications that I know what I'm doing - mm, OK, I'll believe myself!!

A couple of times recently I've been in the unfortunate position of either being made redundant or nearing the end of a fixed term contract which may or may not be continued. At these times, a list of what I've done has been invaluable.

I've got an old spreadsheet which has details of ALL the jobs I've done since I started work, including the part-time shop work while I was at school. (This may seem a tad over the top, but I learnt a lot about customer service skills and basic till use from that experience - so I dare anyone to mock it!) The only thing I haven't done with this spreadsheet is to include a brief description of my role and duties, this is still all in my head. So this may be a good time to create that database or Evernote folder with details which Maria suggests. I've also got a list of all the training I've done and conferences I've attended. My qualifications so far are mainly in my head, but I can easily check my certificates. Perhaps this is NOT the best way to record them! I have got a brief resume on LinkedIn, so I can turn to that if I get stuck too. :-)

The concrete details are the easy bit. The difficult bit is remembering my strengths. Every job application I do, I get my partner to read through. He is excellent at this and questions such as "why haven't in included that?" or "what about this" are getting less and less as I pick up skills. I read a job application, description and person spec thoroughly before starting any application, ticking off the essentials and desirables as I go, writing notes in the margins where something relates to my experience. I have at times used the exact wording in their descriptions to really plug the fact that I know what the job entails and I've got the skills to do it.

Application forms can sometimes be problematic, particularly if they have fixed word lengths on an online form and state that a covering letter will not be accepted. As you can probably tell from my posts, I can talk for England, but can I reduce the number of words by cutting out the rubbish - no I cannot!! My Masters thesis took ages to go through and cut out what was surplus to requirements!!

My downfall has always been interviews. About 18 months ago, I was applying for jobs left right and centre and I think my interview rate was about 85% or higher, but could I get a job - nope! I like Palely Loitering's comment from her friend “It’s not you, it’s them”. You can also tell if it's not been a good interview. I can't put my finger on what it is, there's just something which says it was not good. We also need to remember that going to an interview is not just about them finding out about you, but also you finding out about them. It's a two-way process and if your potential employer can't grasp that, then they are doing the process all wrong. Presentations are all very well, but I like the chance to chat to possible colleagues in a staff room or informal meeting. You can pick up a lot from faces, comments, etc in those situations.

I would be interested if there's anyone reading this about the length of a CV... In the UK here two sides of A4 is the maximum and then you bulk it out with a covering letter. I've recently been given a CV template for jobs in New Zealand and 2 sides just won't fill it. It goes on for pages and pages! Are there any Kiwis here who can help me??

My final word goes back to the detail and keeping a record. There are so many tools online to help us keep out details up to date for that moment in time, we really have no excuse. You may be ecstatically happy in your job, but they could come back to you tomorrow and say sorry we're closing down and you'll be made redundant. We all hope it won't happen to us, but sorry, it can, believe me, it can, so I recommend you keep that CV and database ready for that possible moment in time. Our job includes organising information in a way that it can be easily retrieved, so we should be excellent at organising our own information...