Category Archives: Job Interviews

Optimise your Linkedin Profile in 2018

January 24, 2018

It is time to optimise your Linkedin and make 2018 the year you land your ultimate job. Here are our top tips for optimising a LinkedIn profile before you start your job search.

Profile Picture

If you only do one update on your LinkedIn profile in 2018, make it your profile photo. According to Linkedin, profiles that include a photo are 21 more times likely to be viewed than those without one.

A good profile picture represents you as a worker and someone who your future employer would want to hire.

It isn’t a selfie or a photo that has been taken so far away that you cannot see your face. It only has you in the photo (keep group shots and ones of your kids for Facebook) and it isn’t one from last Saturday night when you were out on the town. Keep it professional.

HINT – The new Iphone camera has a “portrait” function in the camera and takes really great photographs. Perfect for LinkedIn.

Create your Headline

Your headline should be keyword rich (yep – Linkedin works like Google). It should be a brief summary of what you do and how you do it. In just a few words. Sell yourself and your skills here! This doesn’t have to be your actual job title – just a summary of what you do.

HINT – Look at the summaries of people in your ultimate dream job and company. See what they are calling themselves and morph your own headline from the best you see.

LinkedIn Summary

Your Linkedin Summary will be the first and often only thing that is read on your LinkedIn profile. Make it POP! This is your 30 second elevator pitch to showcase your experience, achievements, skills and anything else that makes you stand out. Don’t forget to add some keywords!!

HINT – It is only the first two lines of a summary that are seen (you need to click to read more than the two lines). So you really have to sell yourself in those first two lines and get people to click and read your entire summary.

Background Image

Want to stand out? Make a good first impression with any potential hiring managers or recruiters checking you out on Linkedin.

Include a nice graphic as your background image.

HINT – Unsplash is free stock image library. Plenty of high quality (non cheesy) stock photos to choose from that you can use to spice up your profile.

Location

Make sure you include your location in your summary at the top of your profile. Profiles with a location get up to 19 times more views according to LinkedIn.

Current Position

This should be the title of your current job. It sits under your Headline and should follow on from your Headline and further explain your expertise, e.g. Team Assistant in Investment Banking.

If you are actively looking for a job and currently unemployed, you could change in your position title to reflect this e.g. “Looking for Next Opportunity || Executive Assistant”. By doing this, you are opening up to your network that you are actively looking for work.

HINT – If you are in between jobs, you can put an end date on your last role and leave a section blank. Alternatively, you can put in new dates and fill in a description of what you have done during that time since your last role. E.g. Maternity Leave, Sabbatical, Traveling or even say “Actively looking for a new opportunity”, etc. You need to be honest, as any possible Hiring Manager will check your work history via reference checks. However, it is up to you if you want to leave it blank or comment about your current situation.

Connect to Company Pages

When you add your experience, make sure you correctly connect to the company page where you previously/currently work. Including a logo and connecting to the company increases your credibility. It also breaks your profile up so it is easier to digest when someone is skimming over your profile quickly.

Experience

Summarise your experience in easy to read, bite sized pieces of information. Short sentences or bullet points will work best. Touch on your soft and hard skills as well as your achievements.

Add Skills & Education

These are important details to a potential hiring manager or recruiter. Make sure they are included and completed in your profile.

Ask for Recommendations

Put yourself out there and ask previous managers or colleagues, clients or customers to recommend you. You can do this through LinkedIn and getting a few recommendations is a super powerful way to showcase social proof that you are as good as your summary says you are. A good recommendation will set you apart from others.

HINT – Personalise your request you submit via Linkedin to the person you are asking. Don’t use the standard template as it impersonal.

Connect with your Network

Linkedin is not the same as Facebook. You don’t have to be “friends” with people to connect with them. It is ok and in fact it is best practice to connect with people you have had any form of professional interaction with. The more connections you have, the broader your visibility by other Linkedin users. Which increases your chances of being found by a recruiter, head hunter or hiring manager.

Be Active

Get onto LinkedIn every morning. Share an interesting article. Comment on a post from colleague or someone within your network. The more you engage, the more visibility you have and the more front of mind you are to people within your network.

HINT – Linkedin is most active in the morning between 9am and 12pm. So you should be using it during this time too. Download the Linkedin App and kill some time on your mobile on your way to work on the bus or train.

Once you have your LinkedIn profile optimised. It is time to start sending that CV out to recruiters and applying for jobs (make sure you check out what jobs we are currently advertising). Good luck with landing your ultimate job in 2018!

Job Interviews

What Not to Do in an Interview

September 27, 2017

It’s important that you know what not to do in an interview. We conduct interviews every day. All day. We know a thing or two.
So we asked the team to share some of their best job interview advice (pet peeves).

Our top No/Nos:

*Bring a water bottle or coffee cup

*Taking notes when you should be listening

*Not making eye contact

*Rush your answers or use one word

*Ask for a higher salary

*Monosyllabic answers

*Not asking questions

*Don’t fill in forms correctly (forgetting the detail)

*Asking what’s in it for yourself

*Chewing gum

These might all seem like small things, but they can cost you the job you want. Make sure you check out our biggest interview blunders to ensure you are not making costly mistakes and are prepared for your next job interview.

Job Interviews

Six Biggest Job Interview Blunders

September 26, 2017

Much of your job interview performance comes down to common sense and professionalism. However, every now and then we hear of some really big job interview blunders. Some of them are so obvious but seemingly all too common in today’s job market, while a few are just plain outrageous. Either way, we wanted to share a few with you and hope that you can avoid these mistakes at all costs.

1. The Mobile Phone Attachment Disorder
We get it. We love our phones too. Most of us are glued to our phones one way or another all day. It’s part of our job and probably part of yours too. But a job interview is one of those rare times that the phone has to be put away. And by put away, we mean, left in your bag, in the car or tucked in your back pocket with the vibrator turned off!! Most people understand they can’t answer their phones, but really, if you are checking your phone when it lights up, or getting distracted from the conversation when it starts buzzing on the table or in your pocket, you are at risk of blowing your interview.

2. The ‘My Last Boss was an Ass’ Rant
Yep. This happens. All. The. Time. And you know what? We understand. Lots of people leave their job because they didn’t get along with their boss for one reason or another. HOWEVER, your next potential employer or your recruiter, shouldn’t get the inside goss on this. It’s not professional. Especially in Sydney, where the market is incredibly small and everyone knows someone who knows someone. Whether the issue was any fault of yours is not relevant, it can reflect badly on you and begs the questions: What would you say about your potential new boss if you didn’t get along, and is this a red flag for how you are as an employee?

3. Getting Too Personal
It’s never a good idea to get too personal with your interviewer. Obviously getting comfortable is one thing, but divulging personal (non-work related) information, is too much too soon. Don’t sound off the crazy bells. Keep the conversation on track with professional, informative information that is work related.

4. Don’t Do Any Research
Otherwise known as ‘winging it’ – this won’t work. You need to research the company you are interviewing for. We are not proposing a 10 hour research project and if you are working with a recruiter, the recruiter should be able to give you a lot of this information. However, you do need to go online and have a snoop around. Do some social media stalking. Get familiar with the company in any way you can: who are they, what do they do, where have they been, where are they heading and who you are meeting with. In 2017, there is no excuse not to be doing this online research as a very minimum.

5. Rock up as Captain Relaxed
This is a job interview. For your career. Being cool, calm and collected is great, but don’t get complacent and assume the job is yours. Whether you are meeting a recruiter, HR, the line manager or the CEO, you need to treat your interview with professionalism and respect. This means, toss the take away coffee in the bin beforehand, wear appropriate attire for the job and keep your posture in mind. Slouching over or getting too relaxed in your chair is not a good look.

6. Don’t Respect Everyone
This is a motto for life but you’d be surprised how often people get this one wrong. Don’t dismiss someone because they are not who you are being interviewed by. Many of our clients will ask the receptionist, or anyone else you interact with prior or post your interview what they thought of you and how you treated them. It’s a big deal and if you are dismissive or don’t show all members of the company the respect they deserve, it could come back to bite you. So as in life, make sure you respect everyone in the process and remember that first impressions count.

A job interview is an opportunity. Grab it with both hands, and see what comes of it. Just make sure you are professional and use your common sense. The rest should fall into place.