My Recommended Online Resources for Interview Preparation

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This week I’m continuing my interview blog post theme, and I’m going to supply you with some resources for interview preparation that I have found particularly useful. Whether you’ve got an interview coming up or you’re hoping to get one, spend your free time wisely and get clued up with interviews.

It seems that the graduate market really is as competitive as people say, and if you’re lucky enough to be shortlisted for an interview then there is really no room for error. An interview is like getting one of Willy Wonka’s golden tickets. The fierce competition for the entry-level publishing job makes the interview preparation crucial to being hired – hence my series of interview preparation blog posts. Below I have listed a few of the well-known websites that give interview advice, but of course there are LOADS and these are just a few of my favourites.

1)     The Student Room

I found a super long but useful blog post on the student room forums. It details 50 questions that you are interviewer may ask you and some advice about how to answer.

Check out: The Student Room 

2)     The Guardian Careers

I’m always writing about the Guardian Careers in one way or another and this is because they are really useful. They have an entire section on interviews, not to mention all of the other recruitment related topics.

Check out: The Guardian Careers 

3)     The Telegraph Website

The Telegraph website has a careers advice section with a useful article regarding the 10 most frequently asked interview questions. It as well gives advice about how you should be answering the questions.

Check out: The Telegraph 

4)     Prospects

I couldn’t leave out the UK’s official graduate website. It has plenty of tips regarding job interviews including what impressions to make, interview questions and problems. You could definitely spend a few hours on this website and find out a lot.

Check out: The Prospects Website 

These are four of my favourites. However, a simple Google search will pick up an array of useful websites to prepare you for an interview. If you’re in a similar position to me of applying for jobs and hoping for an interview, then the best way to occupy your time is to research all facets of the recruitment process.

Some of you who are following me on Twitter may be aware that I’ve started up a second blog called ‘The Beauty Bag’. I decided to create it as I have all this spare time and a love for beauty and writing. Do check it out and let me know what you think.

If you would like to contribute to this blog then email me. 

Working Skills: A Guide to the Six Thinking Hats

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As I have said before, I’m now expanding my blog posts to cover a variety of topics covering careers and the recruitment process. This week, I’ve written a blog post that is particularly aimed at people who are already in full-time work, and who may want to develop their skills in decision-making. However, even if you’re still a student then please read on anyway as you may find this intriguing.

Edward de Bono created this concept of the six thinking hats. Each coloured hat is designed to help you in approaching and making the right decision. Thus, if you can approach decisions in the ways that the six different hats do, you will then be able to make the best decision possible. This technique can be utilised on your own or with a group of colleagues.

Here is how it works. Each hat represents a different way of thinking:-

-White: This hat makes decisions by analysing the data and figures that are available.

-Red: A red hat is someone who makes a decision using his or her gut reaction and intuition.

-Black: The black hat thinkers make sure that they analyse all of the negative aspects of the decision.

-Yellow: The yellow hat is opposite to the black hat. Instead of thinking negatively, the yellow hat looks at the positive aspects of the decision.

-Green: Green decisions highlight creativity and the ability to solve problems in a creative way.

-Blue: Blue hats control the process of making decisions. For example, when ideas are running dry, they may divert to green hat thinking in order to make a decision.

Working out decisions using the six hats technique will provide a well thought out approach in order to determine the best decision. This skill will be most useful in a working environment, for instance, when managing your team or aiding your team as a team member.

Are there any topics you would like me to address in future posts? Tweet me.

Top 5 Tips for Managing Your Online Presence

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It occurred to me that many of my readers would have their own individual online presence/image – hence this blog post on how to manage it. Unsurprisingly, prospective employers will check up on your online image/presence, and this will undoubtedly have an effect on your application. With much emphasis on digital media, having your own online presence will certainly boost your application. However, if you don’t manage your online image effectively, then expect the consequences.

1) LinkedIn

Consider LinkedIn your online CV. If you haven’t set up an account yet then set one up. If your still a student or recent graduate, make sure you include all the work experience you have, as well as any relevant involvement in extracurricular activities. Try to complete your online profile as much as possible – LinkedIn has a wizard to help you do this. To boost your profile, try to get a few recommendations from other people.

2) Other social media

Don’t forget about the other sources of social media. This obviously includes little social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. Some recruiters are known for checking out your Facebook profile AND the friends you have on there - so be wary of the impressions that you are sending out. To avoid a faux pas, increase your privacy settings to make it harder for people to access your complete profile.

In addition, be cautious with what you’re tweeting on Twitter, if you wouldn’t like a potential employer to read it, then chances are it’s not worth tweeting. Like with Facebook though, there are privacy settings to avoid this issue.

3) Email

I’ve spoke about email signatures before, and I reiterate that they are important when sending out professional emails. Currently, my email signature incorporates a standard closure of ‘many thanks’ including my twitter handle and blog URL.

In addition, some email accounts set up email profiles e.g. Windows Live Mail. This profile is connected to your MSN Live Messenger (if you’ve ever used it), and features your most recent profile picture amongst other things. If you suspect you may have a Windows Live profile, then it is something to check up on as search engines will definitely pick it up.

4) Search Engines

It is healthy to check your name in search engines from time to time. This will ensure that your online presence is professional with no blunders.

5) Personal Websites

If you haven’t already, it may be a nice idea to set up your own blog and to use it as an online portfolio of work. For example, if you’re a creative writer then you can upload your work, and thus create an online portfolio. Everyone likes to browse at other people’s work, and even better if a potential employer spots you.

I hope some of you have the above useful. It is certainly important to maintain and improve your online image. If you have any questions about this post, please feel free to send me an email – I’d love to hear from you.

Competency-based Interviews: STAR Q&A's

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Although it is rare, sometimes you will have to attend an interview as part of the application process for an internship. Previously, I have written two other blog posts on interviews, which are ‘preparing for intern interviews’ and ‘surviving intern interviews’. Both these blog posts provide basic advice that offers a starting point for completing a successful interview.

As you already know, the publishing industry is a tough one to get into, especially if you have zero contacts. This is why I have created blog posts that not only apply to students seeking internships, but also graduates that may need advice when looking for full time work. In particular, the interview will be the main part of your job application, and will make or break whether you are the person to secure the internship/job. This is why over the next month or two, I shall be creating a lot more blog posts, which tackle the fundamental part of the recruitment process.

As some of you may have found out from my Twitter page, I’ve currently been brainstorming new ideas for upcoming blog posts. These future blog posts inevitably mean that I’m going beyond my current knowledge of recruitment advice, and turning my attention to the stuff that I don’t know much about. In order to achieve this, I’ve been taking my own time to research various career based topics, which include expanding my interview based blog posts and specifically, competency-based interviews Q&A’s.

STAR is a method that most if not all employers are familiar with, and it is a popular way to structure your interview answers. STAR allows you to answer behaviour-based interview questions in a structured and coherent manner.

STAR interview questions, typically are questions that seek out a candidates level of competency and behaviour. For example, a sample question would be ‘Describe a time in which you have had to work as a team?’ These types of questions give the interviewer a feel for how you have acted in the past, which provides a good indication to how you will act in the future. To make sure that you don’t slip up on STAR questions, give your interviewer a STAR answer.

The STAR acronym consists of:

Situation – Describe the situation that you were confronted with, including the context, and any other relevant information that is useful to your story.

Task – Describe the task that you needed to accomplish. Make this concise and informative. If the question is about teamwork, then explain the task that you had to undertake within that team.

Action – This is the most significant aspect of the STAR structure. Now that you have set up the context of the situation, make sure that you are now describing your performance, personal attributes and highlight the skills that you have gained. This should include the standard details of what you did, how you did it and why you did it.

Result – Describe how the situation ended, what you have accomplished, and relate it back to any skills that you have learnt.

This universally recognised way to communicate will be valued by your interviewer, even if they haven’t directly been trained in STAR technique. As a result, your answers and the information given to your interviewer will be competently delivered in a concise manner. Please be aware that there are plenty of websites offering an array of sample STAR questions and answers. Do your research and impress your interviewer.

Twitter - a useful tool for your placement search?

Usually, every couple of Saturday’s of each month, I’ll post a new exciting intern opportunity for students and graduates. However, this week, I’ve come to a little bit of a blank. After numerous attempts at researching on websites for publishing opportunities, i.e. ‘Prospects’ and ‘Rate My Placement’ - I’ve received nothing and simply told that there are ‘No Results Found’. In my despair I even ‘Googled’ the phrase ‘publishing opportunities’, and once again I came to a blank.

Are you finding yourself in a similar situation, when it comes to searching for intern opportunities?

Researching for placements and internships can be very time consuming. However, after reading an article on the Guardian Careers website today, called ‘Job Hunting on Twitter’, it inspired me to write this blog post, along. So instead of the normal ‘intern opportunity’ post, this is what you’re getting instead. Information about how you can search for intern placements on the social networking site Twitter.

I’m still relatively new to Twitter (@steff_lever) so, everyday I’m finding out new things and in essence, I’m trying to become a ‘pro Tweeter’. During this time, I’ve come across quite a lot of profiles - mostly aimed at career s and recruitment. Of course, inevitably I follow these little profiles of ‘intern gold’, and thus I get regular intern opportunities displayed on my Twitter feed every day.

Don’t worry though; you don’t need to join Twitter if it’s not your ‘thing’. Instead, I’ll just paste below a few Twitter profiles, which are useful and worth checking out for opportunities. Remember, you can browse all of these without signing up.

Twitter profiles that are great for intern opportunities/careers help: @4Talent @voxpopPRcareers @Prospects. @GuardianCareers @bbc3tv @futurerising @SYP_UK @internaware @gradvine @Careercake.com and so on.

Of course, there will be many more so get researching.