Interview. Heather Salter

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Interview - Heather Salter

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a job, whilst others may be at the start of a career. There is nothing wrong with either, but just know which is right for you. If this is part of a career plan then make sure that the jobs you apply for fit in with your longer term plans and help you to get to your eventual goal. Don’t get side-tracked. If it’s “just a job” then go back to asking yourself what’s really important to you. We spend a long time at work so you want to get the best fit that will make you happy.

       Make up your own ‘decision matrix’. Write a list of what’s important to you down the left hand side of a piece of paper, with everything that you are looking for, including salary and benefits that you want. Then across the top you can put columns for each of the jobs that you are applying for. Do your homework and see how many ticks you can put in the box. This is known as a ‘decision matrix’. Later on if you have to make a decision between one or more job offers this may prove very useful. In putting this together you now have a start point.

       Whether you just want a job or you’re thinking about a career, taking time out to really think through what you want helps focus you in your search.

       1.2 Choose the right sector

      Having looked at your values and beliefs in the last section you may have come to the conclusion that certain sectors of the job market place are ruled out for you, or you have some big question marks hanging over areas you don’t know about. Which companies do you really admire? What is it that you really like?

      Let’s take a look at some of the areas you may want to consider and then you can do some more research if you want to know more.

       Large businesses. If we take the UK as an example, large business accounts for about 0.2% of businesses in the UK and yet employs somewhere around 52% of all employees according to a survey by HMRC in 2006. Larger businesses may be multinational and give opportunities to move abroad. If you have language capabilities or a desire to work in another country this may be a good opportunity.

      one minute wonder Finding the right type of business for you to work in is critical to your long term success. Make a list of companies you admire and then try to work out what it is that you really like about them.

       Small and medium-sized businesses (SME). In the UK, statistics showed in 2009 that 0.6% of businesses employed between 50-249 people and that 99.3% employed up to 5 people. So the SME business in the UK is very large. What about the country you are in? With access to the Internet you should be able to find out more of your country’s statistics.

       Charities/not for profit organizations. There are a large number of well-known charities that work all over the world, as well as the local charities which run totally on volunteers. The numbers of jobs will be fewer as the reliance has to be on volunteers, but these are businesses like any other. The key difference is that you may want to work in an area that you can help to make a difference to others’ lives and this may fit with your personal values.

       The public sector. Local government and jobs that are government funded may appeal to some more than others. You may see this as a more secure post, or want to make a contribution to your own neighbourhood or the country you live in.

       Each of us has a different vision of the perfect job. Make a list of the type of businesses you want to work in.

       1.3 Research the organization

      If you are considering applying for a specific job that you have seen, now’s the time to really do some research. When you are considering joining a new company you are probably committing to at least a year working with them.

      It’s worth investing some time in getting to know more about the company so that you can start to decide whether it’s the sort of place you want to spend your working hours in – work is a huge part of our lives after all.

      Going for an interview can feel like going on a blind date. Would you really want to turn up on a date without knowing anything at all about the other person? If you do there’s probably a 50/50 chance of success, it would be likely flipping a coin – heads you win, tails you lose. So shall we make the odds a bit better than that so that you don’t waste your time?

      What would you want to know about the company? Well that will vary from person to person but here are some of the areas that you might want to check out.

      one minute wonder Find out as much as you can about the company beforehand and be ready to impress the interviewer with your knowledge of their business. Make a list of some great questions to ask them.

       Are they financially sound? You can get hold of a copy of their Annual Report or research their last accounts through Companies House (in the UK – it may be different in other countries). Would you want to join a company that was in severe financial difficulties? It may be a big risk, so it’s worth knowing.

       Does the company publish their values? Most companies these days have a website where you can find out quite a lot about them. Some even publish the company’s core values and mission statement which will tell you a lot about what their intentions for the business are. Have a look at your own checklist in Secret 1.1 and see if they match.

       Has there been anything in the press recently? The Internet is a great resource and you can browse to find out where there are any mentions of the company. On some company websites they have a section with press releases. Read them and find out more.

       Do you know anyone who works there? If you can find someone who works there – someone you either know personally or through your network of friends and contacts – that will give you a better picture of what it’s like to work for the company. Finding out about the company’s culture will help you decide whether it’s the right sort of place for you.

       If you are working in a financially secure business now, would you want to leap into another one without checking them out first?

       1.4 Avoid rose-tinted glasses

      When we start to look for another job we often only see what we want to see or hear what we want to hear. We blind ourselves to the downsides or negative aspects of the job and only focus on the positives. We only look at the areas where we have got the skills and ignore the others. Not a wise move!

      Maybe we see the salary and benefits posted with the advert and are really attracted by the hope of an increase in our income. Maybe it’s

      case study One of my small business clients had advertised for an assistant. This would be the very first person she had recruited to help her with the business. She received a beautifully crafted CV which seemed to have everything she was looking for. So she went ahead and interviewed the person and everything went well and she was on the point of offering her the job. Then the prospect started to unravel. It turned out that the person had very little experience on the computer and when asked to undertake a very brief test on typing a document and inputting to a spreadsheet she couldn’t actually do it! When asked why she had applied in the first place the woman said that she wanted part-time hours and this

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