Business Communication

Preparing your CV
It is important to give your CV some thought and spend some time on getting it right. A well presented CV which clearly details your skills and experience can make all the difference in getting the job you really want.
Structure
Your CV should include the following sections.
• Personal Details
• Employment History
• Education and Qualifications
• Key Skills/Strengths
• Referees
Format
• Make sure your CV is well laid out so that it is immediately easy to read and understand.
• Use a standard font size, which is easy to read.
• Keep it simple.
Content
• Focus on information which is relevant to your own career goals.
• Use concise, unambiguous sentences; avoid exaggerations and a flowery writing style.
• Do not make false claims; honesty is always the best policy.
• Bullet points are useful to highlight relevant skills and experience and help break up continuous text.
• Stress your past accomplishments and the skills you used to get the results you achieved.
• Put your highest level of education first.
• Put your most recent job first and work backward chronologically in time.
• Ensure all dates are accurate and include months as well as years.
• If you are making a career change, stress what skills are transferable to support your new career objectives.
• Explain any long career gaps (i.e. travelling, maternity leave etc.) these will only need to be explained to our clients.
• Keep to the same tense.
• Customize your CV for specific vacancies by focusing on previous experience or skills that are relevant to the role.
Most importantly, always thoroughly proof-read your CV or ask someone to do it for you.
General hints and guidelines
It is important before a job interview to think about all the reasons why you are attending it and what you have to offer the organization. Be ready to discuss both short and long term career goals in general terms.

Reasons for leaving
Prepare to discuss the reasons you left your previous jobs. If it was for a better opportunity, explain why it was better. If you left involuntarily, present the reason in the most positive light you can. Make sure your responses are honest and be positive.
Research the job
Before attending any job interview, it is a good idea to research the organization and familiarize yourself with the following:
• Size of organization, number of employees.
• History, how long have they been operating – do they have any affiliated organizations or belong to an umbrella group?
• General information about their services/products/aims etc.
• Major competitors or other organizations operating in the same field.
• Job description – understand the skills required for the position.
• Relationship between the open position and other members of staff - have a sense for the department.
• Have some well thought-out questions that would help further your understanding of the organization e.g. How will the organization be affected by the new legislation on xyz... or How do you see the organisation developing over the next year/three years?
• Feedback to your consultant how you thought the interview went and tell us whether you would be interested in the job if it were to be offered to you.
What is the employer looking for?
Employers use interviews to confirm that an applicant has the required knowledge, skills and willingness to contribute and fit into the organization’s culture. They also want to see if your career goals are in line with opportunities available with their organization. They are looking for the potential in prospective employees to become valued, trusted, productive team members of their organisation.
You must try to consider how you can display your skills and experience in a good and honest light and provide employers with the evidence that you are the right person for the job. Here are some brief points to consider:
• Are you a self-starter, able to work without constant supervision?
• Can you be depended upon in critical situations and follow work through to completion?
• Are you enthusiastic and easy to work with?
• Can you work under pressure?
• Recruiters need to know what drives you to want the job and why you want to work for the organisation in particular.
• Can you manage your time effectively?
• How do you structure your day's work?
• How did you handle sudden unplanned work or crisis?
• Can you handle constructive criticism in a productive manner?
• Are you objective in evaluating yourself and others?
• Can you work well with a variety of people?
• What would you do to help a team of people work together better?
Recruiters look for an objective analysis of your abilities. For strengths, recruiters want to know why you think it is strength and where it has been demonstrated. For weaknesses they want to know what steps you could take to improve.
Points to consider throughout the interview
• Be prepared with answers to the traditional job interview questions. Rehearse your answers with a friend who will give you honest feedback about the content of your answer and body language.
• Aim for clarity, brevity and above all, honesty. Give honest answers with a positive tone.
• Concentrate on the employer's needs, not yours.
• Emphasize how you can help the organisation achieve its goals.
• Describe your past responsibilities and accomplishments.
• Explain why you approached projects in a certain ways.
• Explain how the skills you bring will benefit the organisation.
• Don't downplay your accomplishments or attribute them to luck.
• Be specific in your answers. Avoid rambling or getting off on a tangent.
• Ask for clarification if you are unsure of the question.
• Take responsibility for communicating your strengths. Don't rely on the interviewer to pull it out of you.
• Explain your past successes, the more you can clearly describe the experience, the people involved, the challenge and the solutions, the more you'll stand out in the interviewer's mind.
Hints
You will need to be sure to connect with each person. Make eye contact with the person asking the questions and glance at the other team members while answering to be sure that you are connecting with each individual.
Be sensitive to the dynamics in the team. If they seem to want to control the interview, relax and flow with it, on the other hand be sure to offer information and ask questions.
Take responsibility for ensuring that the group understands what you have to offer. Don't be overly aggressive and take over, yet do interact and show your enthusiasm.
Each person's opinion can be weighted equally; in some cases, just one team member's opposition can disqualify a candidate. Sometimes it is unclear what role or position each person holds so be respectful of everyone you meet.
and what they would hope you achieve in the first six months.
Other things to remember:
• Find out what happens next in the interview process and express your interest. (If it is genuine!)
• Let you consultant know your feedback. It is important to know what you thought of the organisation, role and people you met and how you felt you performed. Please also let us know if you are interested in taking the job if it were offered.
Sources
recruitment@tfpl.com