Job Hunting

Slide 1: Job hunting DataFin Recruitment has put together a detailed guide on how to create an excellent CV and prepare yourself for interviews... Polishing your CV and preparing for interviews Creating your CV Submitting your CV Applying for a job through DataFin Typical questions asked in an interview Typical questions you could prepare to ask Research the company Where to look for company information What to do in an interview What not to do in an interview Salary negotiations Creating your CV Keep in mind that CV's are typically reviewed in 2 minutes. Your CV is a marketing tool, the purpose of which is to generate enough interest in you to have an employer contact you or the recruitment agency to set up an interview. Determine your career objective. Your CV will come across more focused if the content is structured around your career objective. Use short sentences or bullet points rather than lengthy paragraphs so that the reader can quickly scan through your resume and absorb the information provided. Begin each bulleted sentence with an action word or verb like “Prepared”, “developed” or “Presented”. Look at the advertised position that interests you and use the key words listed in the ad in your CV. Determine your strengths that support your application with refence to the job and candidate requirements and put them at the top of the list where they are more likely to be read. Sell yourself clearly and concisely through your CV. Use buzzwords or jargon where appropriate to show that you have competence in your field. Put the focus of your career history on duties that support your career objective. Do not add negative or irrelevant personal information. If you were self-employed, give yourself an appropriate title and be prepared to provide strong references of people or companies you did work for. Producing valid referees can enhance volunteer positions or unpaid work done for friends. Make sure that you provide details of all activities since leaving school, without leaving any periods unaccounted for. Mention in your CV the job title of the person you reported to.

Slide 2: Do not limit the length of your CV, but rather structure your CV to help the reader to scan through your CV efficiently and effectively. Collect professional references, and you may want to get alternate contact information in case your referees should change the jobs themselves. If possible, collect letters of recommendation as well. Information such as religion, affiliations - other than those of a professional nature - or any other personal information, unless it relates specifically to the job you are seeking, should be excluded. Use a font size of 10 points or bigger and use 100% page size. Never type all of your CV in uppercase text as it makes it very difficult to read. Use professional language and make sure that your grammar and spelling is correct. Some job seekers have a copy of their CV on a web site, which would be handy if you have an unexpected request for your CV. Don't forget a covering letter! It is important to have a covering letter, which explains clearly what you're interested in e.g. location, setting, industry, and type of work. Briefly outline your skills background and experience. If the position you apply for is in a different location from where you currently are, mention:- o whether you are willing to relocate; o whether you'll relocate at your own cost; o whether you'll be able to travel at your own cost for interviews; and o whether you have the necessary working visa. DataFin's CV Template ( Word2000 / RTF ) contains all the information fields DataFin require, ready to be completed by you. Information in the pink/red tables won't be sent to the potential employer. E-mail your completed CV to jobs@datafin.com. Submitting your CV Take time to do some soul searching. What do you want to get out of your career? What types of things fulfill you? What skills do you have? How do they fit into what companies are looking for? What skills would you want or need to pick up to get into your next job? If you have trouble with which way to go, and are not sure that IT is the right career for you, a career coach could help. They have tools that combine your skills, your personality, and your goals to help you determine what path to take. You can email Roland Cox on info@aspiral.co.za (no CVs please) for career coaching in Cape Town. It is important to have a covering letter that explains clearly what you're interested in e.g. location, setting, industry, and type of work. Briefly outline your skills background and experience. Don't leave out positions which may seem like a long shot. That's how you grow - by taking risks. Avoid getting sedentary at home - take a course or two to broaden your skills. Are there any positions available where you only need one or two skills to add to your current skills base? Then this is a perfect time to go on a course and get the job! Also consider contracting. There are many agencies that can place you in shorter or longer-term assignments and you could find the perfect company while doing so. Remember to look in your local newspaper!

Slide 3: Applying for a Job through DataFin To apply for any of DataFin's available jobs please e-mail a word copy of your CV to one of the suitable addresses on your contact us page. If there isn't a position available at the moment that would be suitable for you, then you can still send us your CV for future positions. Subject line of your email: Quote in the subject line of your e-mail the following information: reference number job title; and your name Covering email: It is important that you provide us with a brief outline of your experience and skills in the message in order to emphasise your suitability for the specific job you are applying for. Also remember to include: your contact details; alternate contact details; and your location and salary requirements. Ensure that all the information that is on your covering letter is also in your CV, especially your contact details. Please note that any personal information you supply will be treated as strictly confidential. Preparing for the interview Diarise the location and time of the interview, the interviewer's full name and designation. Research the company and visit their website. Prepare questions that you may want to ask. Refresh your memory about your previous employment and your work history. Think carefully about your achievements and how to describe them. Practice your interviewing skills with a friend, relative, or co-worker a day or two before the interview to sharpen your communication skills. Typical Questions Asked in an Interview What kind of job are you looking for? What are your strengths and weaknesses? What do you know about the company? What are your qualifications? Why are you leaving your present employer? What would your current company have to offer you to stay? Describe your most recent job performance evaluation. Where do you see yourself in 5 years time? Describe your ideal position. Describe a situation where you where under pressure and how you responded to it.

Slide 4: What do you think your referees would say about you? What motivates you? What do you do in your spare time? What really irritates you? Describe a situation where you felt really happy? Describe a situation at work where you had to really apply your integrity? What is your ideal working environment? Typical questions you could prepare to ask A detailed description of the position. Why the position has become available. What is the culture of the company? Anticipated induction and training programmes. Company growth plans. Research the company Before going to an interview, you need to know as much as possible about the company. You'll need to know: Where the company's offices are. What their products or services are. The growth rate of the company. What the potential is for future growth. How secure is the company? Does the company have a good business model? The Culture - Environments vary from company to company. Know what kind of environment you are looking for. A start-up will have a very different feel from a large, established, corporate company. There are generally longer hours in a start-up and a lot more pressure as well as a 'fly by the seat of your pants' feel to it. In a larger corporation there are more procedures and red tape to follow but the ‘feel' is more secure. If you are sent to a company through a recruitment agency, never phone the company directly. Call your recruitment consultant with any questions that you might have. Where to look for company information The company's website: You will feel more confident going into the interview if you have thoroughly researched the company's website, how they work, and who the management is. Most companies have an 'about us' section on their website where they list management personnel as provide links to press releases. This is a good way to get to know the company's history. Questions to ask yourself are: How are they funded? Who owns them? If a company is privately held, find out how profitable they are. If stock options are important to you, ask about their intentions of going public.

Slide 5: How many rounds of funding have they received if they are VC funded? How do they earn their revenue? Is the business model a good one? This is one of the harder questions to ask. The best way is to look at what the company does and how they do it. If you can, look at a company's business plan even if you need to sign a confidentiality agreement. What differentiates this company from its competition? Remember to use your networking contacts (without violating a confidentiality agreement) as well to find out information about the company's business. They may give you questions to ask that you hadn't thought of yourself. Annual reports - The Annual Report is a good way to see the overall financial status of a company. These reports give the company's plans and background as well as more detailed information on their financial health. Financial review - This is a review done by the CFO based on the financial data. Look at the 5 to 10-year summary. Financial statement - These are the figures that reflect how the company did the previous year. You can use this information to compare to the information in the Financial Review section. Balance sheet - The balance sheet tells you where the company stands in terms of its assets and liabilities. Items you want to look at are a company's liquiduity, its debt, and the current and total liabilities and assets. Income statement - This lets you know how much the company earned. Important things to look at are the Dividends and Net Earnings Per Share. Public records - There are many ways to research the public records of a company. Go to the public or University library. They will be able to help you look for documents and trade journals. What to do in an interview Go into the interview with the aim of getting an offer - you can always think it over and turn it down later. Feel confident about yourself and be prepared for your interview, this will help you to answer questions in a concise and relevant way, and will enable you to demonstrate your knowledge of the company and a real interest in the position. Double-check the address and time. Dress in an appropriate manner. A neat, professional, tidy outfit that you feel comfortable wearing is always apropriate for a job interview. It is usually wise to err on the conservative side, however if you're applying for a position in a fashion or design company, you could show some visual flair. Don't be afraid to show a touch of originality, but don't dress out of character. Bring a pen and paper and your portfolio or examples of work done (if applicable) to the interview. Your recruitment consultant would have provided the interviewer with your CV. Arrive early for the interview, giving yourself plenty of time to find parking and get into the building without rushing. Be professional and polite with everyone. When you arrive, state clearly who you are and who you are there to see. Smile - it will help you relax and make others receptive to what you have to say.

Slide 6: Greet the interviewers as Mr and Mrs or Ms (listen out for the title) and their surname. Only call them by their first names if they introduce themselves to you by their first names only. Present a firm handshake to the interviewer, but without breaking any fingers. Wait until you are offered a seat before sitting or wait until the interviewer has sat down. Sit upright in your chair, and look enthusiastic and interested throughout. Be a good listener as well as a good talker. Remember to smile. Look the interviewer in the eye while talking. Eye contact will make you appear confident and will help your interviewer feel comfortable with you. Avoid the temptation to be too informal, even if your interviewer has a relaxed and friendly style. Be positive and polite about any delays during the interview. Follow the interviewer's leads but try to obtain a full description of the position and duties expected, so that you can relay your appropriate background and skills. Convey your good points to the interviewer in a factual, sincere manner. Keep in mind that only you can sell yourself by making the interviewer aware of the potential benefits that you can offer the organisation. Answer questions truthfully and clearly. If the interviewer asks an open-ended question, try to narrow down the focus by asking a more specific question in return so that you can answer his question more appropriately. Don't be too discouraged if no definite offer is made or if no specific salary is discussed. The interviewer will probably want to consult with colleagues first or interview other candidates before making a decision. If you get the impression that the interview is not going well and that you have already been rejected, don't let your discouragement show. When the job interview is concluded, thank the interviewer for the time, stand up and extend your hand. What not to do in an interview Don't arrive late or too early. Don't arrive flustered and unkempt. Don't be poorly prepared for the interview. Don't chew gum, fidget with your chair, pick at your cuticles, hum, tap your foot, avoid eye contact or enter the interview smelling of cigarettes or alcohol. Don't sit down until you are offered a chair. Don't be overly friendly or too familiar with the interviewee. Don't talk too much about personal circumstances. Don't swear or use other inappropriate language. Don't make derogatory remarks about your present or past employers. Don't answer questions with a simple yes or no. Explain your answers fully. Don't answer a question without thinking about it. It is okay to sit and consider a question. Don't rattle on for hours.

Slide 7: Don't lie. Answer as truthfully and fully as possible. Don't inquire about salary, holidays, bonuses, office size, social nights, or retirement in the initial interview. These questions should be kept for later. An interview is not the appropriate place to haggle over money. Don't indulge in small talk at the end of the interview unless the interviewer initiates it. At the end of the interview thank the interviewer for their time and firmly shake their hand remember to use the person's name when saying goodbye and look them in the eyes. Don't be discouraged if you're not offered the job at the end of the interview, this seldom happens and you will usually be called in for a number of follow up interviews Salary negotiations Try and avoid discussing salary in the first interview, first let the interviewer get a taste of who you are and what you are about. The main thing is to first get a foot in the door before you even start negotiating. If the interviewer insists on bringing it up, be honest and truthful about your current package as pay slips are often required for proof of current earnings. When asked what you require, you might want to mention that you would like between a 10-20% increase on your current package depending on the nature of the job. Try and talk in ‘cost to company' amounts so that the interviewer is able to compare apples with apples. Cost to Company refers to your basic salary plus all your benefits, which includes the company's contributions to pension, medical aid and group life cover. Be realistic about what you ask for. While greed is an unattractive trait, don't sell yourself short either. If you are going through an agency it is definitely preferable to get the agency to negotiate on your behalf. Benjine Gerber, Author, Systems developer benjine@itemporium.co.za www.self-educate.com