Sloppy CVs - Zero tolerance!

We all have something where we have zero tolerance.  For me, it’s poor spelling   Poor punctuation gets me down too but it’s a while since I read Eats, Shoots and Leaves so I’m not going to go on about that.

It’s spelling, particularly with relation to CVs.  Ultimately, it’s unacceptable to have any spelling mistakes on a CV.  Ever. Interestingly it’s often the more senior candidates who will email over a CV riddled with typos.

Consider this from the employer’s perspective.  They’re assessing five different CVs.  Candidates all qualified for the role.  If there are typos in the mix, that’s instantly going to make them judge you, and not in a positive way either.

The biggest problem is when a candidate says they are going to ‘just quickly update’ their CV.  I’ll guarantee that I’ll get something sub standard.  I appreciate that we’re all busy BUT your CV is hugely important and any sloppiness will count against you.  It’s always the obvious typos too, I frequently get asked if I’ve got any rolls.  No kidding.  Other specials include a BDM who was consistently ‘tanked as top biller’, an AM who had a career break to ‘renovate her horse’, a Creative who was responsible for ‘ruining a number of client advertising campaigns’ and an AD who spelled Curriculum Vitae wrongly (In large bold capitals!).  Fortunately I do check CVs before I send them onto clients….

So anyway, this isn’t a big preachy missive.  Just a note to say check, check and check again.  Get a fresh pair of eyes to look things over.  If you’re using a covering letter, don’t forget to check that too.  Anything that we do at speed generally suffers in terms of quality so be aware of it.  Use spell checker too.  Most clients prefer not to see US spellings so try and stick to the UK standard.

If updating a CV quickly.  Do please check dates…..often I’ll receive CVs that say 1999-Present, 2005 – Present etc.  And the role responsibilities will all be in the present tense.   Even for the jobs they were doing 10 years ago!

In summary, if you’re updating your CV.  It’s worth doing it properly.  Please ensure that the dates, the tenses, the spelling and the punctuation are all spot on.  A sloppy CV implies that you’re generally careless with poor attention to detail. Not really the first impression that you want to make to a potential employer!

Resigning with no job to go to...

I have a candidate who has handed their notice in with no job to go to.

It got me thinking…

Fundamentally, it’s not a good idea in the current climate to leave a role with no job to go to.  Yes, there are jobs out there, but the lead time to finding a job is significantly longer than in the past.  It’s a risky decision!  Obviously it depends on the individual and the circumstances but in general, I would advise against it. With a lot of choice, employers focus on CVs where candidates have stayed in their roles for over 18 months and where there has been seamless transition into the next role, thus progressing their career.  Interviewers will always ask about gaps on CVs and if you have left a role with no job to go to, that’s going to raise questions.   It may be perceived as a negative, the interviewer may think that you showed poor judgement for putting yourself in that situation so you need to be concise in your reasoning.  Keep it upbeat, keep it positive.  If you have left a role because of issues with your boss (as another candidate has recently), keep it objective and don’t provide detail.  Even if the boss was an absolute monster who made your life miserable, keep it to yourself as an interviewer, may perceive this to mean you are a bit wet/ a moaner/ a troublemaker/ thin skinned etc.

If at all possible, stick it out.  Sometimes, these things are taken out of your control and in those circumstances, then clearly, it’s not your choice to leave.  Equally, if a job is literally making you sick then it’s not worth it and something has to change.  However, most candidates who have handed in their notice with no job to go to, 3 months later after not working, do say that they wish they’d toughed it out for a little bit longer and that they hadn’t realised it was going to be quite so difficult to find a new role.  It’s not just that there are less roles, it’s much more competitive too – there are lots of good candidates out there.     Something that I observe reasonably often is that candidates who are not working, perform less well at interview.  This is tied up with confidence and self esteem and generally, the longer out of work, the harder they’re trying in interviews and if the interview doesn’t go your way, then the knock-back feels much greater. It’s a slippery slope.  Equally clients comment that a candidate was ‘a bit desperate’ and whilst sympathetic, they’re more likely to go for the confident and self deprecating candidate who has the luxury of being paid whilst searching for a new role.

Ultimately if you’re not happy in your employment, you need to work hard to find a new job.  It’s best if you can do this whilst being paid.  If you’re considering jacking it in do take a step back and visualise just how hard it will be not earning a salary and make sure you have calculated how long you can survive jobless for.  There are lots of folk out there in this position, not out of their own choice and who would struggle to understand this decision.  

Candidates, don't go AWOL...

Honestly, this isn’t a rant. Really it’s not.  OK, it sort of is.

Here’s the thing.

We’re all human.  Recruiters understand that, clients understand that.  Life’s tough. It’s often hard to make time for interviews, particularly if you have a demanding job, have taken off lots of time recently, had too many ‘appointments’, have a suspicious boss etc.  Then, when you’ve got an offer, you can’t decide, haven’t had time to really think about it, may want to see how other interviews go,  another pitch has come up, what to do?

Your relationship with your Recruitment Consultant should be a strong one, you should trust them.  It is absolutely essential that you’re up front and honest with them.

I’ve got two recent case studies to share with you:

CASE STUDY ONE -  interview AWOL

It’s not quite the dog ate my homework but….

Arrange candidate interview with a leading agency

Candidate calls the day before to postpone

Recruiter explains so client absolutely fine, understands

Recruiter reschedules interview

Candidate calls the day before to postpone

Client fine, understands

Recruiter reschedules interview

Candidate doesn’t turn up for interview

Client not fine.  Is hacked off.  Has rescheduled three times, it’s rude. 

Week later, candidate decides they really do want the move but client is no longer willing to see them.

Agency life is particularly busy, hectic, chaotic.  Pitches are ongoing, there’s day to day client management to do, project implementation.  Trying to get out for an interview is hard work.  The ‘rant’ isn’t actually about scheduling and rescheduling interviews, it happens, we expect it.  However, not turning up and not notifying anyone is not OK, nor are made up excuses (I’d rather explain that you had a key pitch for a client – which shows your commitment rather than the car broke down for the 4^th time…*).  In this day and age of technology, no-one will understand that you couldn’t nip out for 5 minutes ‘to the toilet’ and make a quick call.   Everything is fine if you communicate, the recruiter can smooth things over and explain etc.  But no contact at all?  Makes you look unprofessional in a way that any recruiter will find difficult to cover.  If you think it’s going to be difficult to get out of the office, advise in advance so if something does go pear shaped, it’s not a huge surprise.  We tend to recommend interviewing at the start or end of the day and most clients are happy to accommodate that.  If you’re really struggling, it’s best to tell us – we’ve even got clients who will interview at weekends (they’re the really understanding ones).  At no time is silence ever a good option.

CASE STUDY TWO – Post offer AWOL

Candidate interviews with client

Client and candidate love each other

After a second interview, they still love each other

Brilliant!

Client makes offer

Candidate initially pleased

Candidate avoids calls from recruiter for the following 5 days

Client (and recruiter) increasingly concerned

Concern turns to irritation (I’m playing this down…)

On day 6, candidate rings recruiter.  Talks initially about the weather (really!)

Candidate turns the offer down

In this case they may see it as not a big loss but it is a small industry and word does get around.  It would have been a different story if they had decided to go for it as they were in danger of pushing the client to change their mind.

Ultimately, communication is absolutely key in this process. The recruiter has to keep talking with both the candidate and the client.  It’s their job.  The client needs to be kept in the loop as to how the candidate feels about the opportunity and the offer and the candidate in turn, needs to (honestly) tell the recruiter how keen they are on the role.  Recruiters expect good candidates to have multiple opportunities on the go simultaneously, we expect counter offers, we expect and appreciate that candidates need time to think and review an offer and to take time on what is a very important decision.  However, going off radar, not returning calls and sending one line texts is unhelpful.  Bear in mind that we have a client to keep happy and if you’re not that keen on the role, we need to manage the client’s expectations and most of all, keep that door open for you until you decide.

Many candidates do feel that recruiters are only concerned with the £££.  Clearly that’s a consideration but particularly in our sector, we’re fortunate that there are several professional recruiters who do put the needs of the candidate first, ensure that the opportunities that they present are relevant and manage the recruitment process well.  Most recruiters will give proper and balanced advice to candidates so don’t be scared of sharing your thoughts with them.  If you don’t want to accept an offer, that’s fine, we can live with that and so can the client.  However, it’s not fair to leave things in limbo.  If you need more time to make a decision, tell us, we can again manage the client expectations.  If the client gets a bit shirty that you’re taking too long, they’ll be a lot shirtier if you don’t return calls. The longer you leave it, the more the client thinks that they may have made a mistake in making an offer.  So really it’s best to just be honest with the recruiter and decide on a plan of what to communicate with the client.  Then we’re all happy.  You’ve got time to make the right decision and the recruiter can be left to manage the client.

So.  Rant over.  These two case studies are both good candidates (on paper) who ultimately haven’t got great communication skills.  I hope they’ll be very happy in their new roles.  Really!  I work with candidates over time. I’m not in it for the quick buck but for the long haul.  Having been in the industry for several years, I continue to maintain relationships with candidates over the years and work on a ‘if I don’t place you this time around, come back to me in a couple of years, let’s stay in touch’.  This industry is too small to fall out with people or have people thinking badly of you, communication is the key!

*  Note that you should never, ever use an excuse of death/funerals/hospital visits unless it’s true.  I have had candidates in the past with 7 grandparents, several dogs etc, just not good Karma.  Also, really, food poisoning isn’t that believable and if you are going down that route, don’t embellish with details of the (fake culprit) Indian/Chinese takeway – a dead giveaway!

Photographs on CVs….

 This has the potential to be the shortest blog yet.  I’ve been mulling it over for years and I’ve yet to come across a situation where I think it adds any value to put your photograph on your CV.

It’s standard human behaviour for people to judge each other from what they look like and employers are no exception to this.  It doesn’t help that many people who add a picture to their CV, add one which they think they look particularly adventurous/glamorous/interesting which only adds to further judgement or rash and inappropriate interpretations of your character.

In reviewing a CV, clients typically want to know where you work, how long you have worked there, what your skills are, what accounts or clients you have worked on.  That’s what is important in terms of whether you can do the job and whether you deserve a first interview.  It’s more important to spend your time toning up the CV in terms of describing what you do and what you’re looking for,  rather than spending time on selecting the photo which you think best represents you and your character.

This topic can also extend to the use of ‘interesting’ templates, non standard fonts etc, In particular, for a creative, a prospective employer is interested in your creative portfolio, not how fancy schmancy you can make your CV.

Also I’ve seen some very special CVs in my time with adornments ranging from outlandish fonts to hidous clip art.  In summary, my advice is to keep it simple, the purpose of a CV is to inform the employer what your skills are and whether you are a suitable candidate for the role.  I understand the argument about making it stand out but adding any element of subjective judgement to this equation can go either way and in my experience, it’s best to let your skills and experience do the talking.

NB:

Don’t get me started on interests and hobbies…. It’s not really worthy of it’s own blog post but seriously think about the skills and interests which will help your application.  Grade 1 violin is an achievement at the age of 8 but a red herring when you hit 35.  This area is full of subjectivity and prejudice, my best advice is to keep it brief and neutral…

Handing in your notice…

Should be a simple enough thing to do really but it may not always feel like this.  You’ve landed the job of your dreams but before you can really start to count the days, you need to have a conversation with your current boss to tell him/her that you are leaving.

In most organisations you’ll have a contract stating your contractual notice period, for the majority of people this is a month or four weeks.  From this you can calculate your leaving date, deducting any holidays you are due but haven’t taken.

In preparation for chatting to your boss, always take along a brief written letter of resignation which should simply state that you are leaving the business and your planned leaving date.  There is no need to write anything flowery or emotional, just a simple statement.  This is not the time to list all your frustrations with your current employer – after all, you’re off to pastures new.

Usually, it’s best to hand your notice in first thing in the morning – just to get it out of the way.  If you are worried about it, there is no point in stewing about it all day.

In the ideal situation your boss will be happy for you and be grateful for the contribution you have made to the business.  Most bosses are only human and will understand that it’s natural for you to want to progress in your career and to develop your skills.  It’s pretty unusual these days to be in one job for life.

Occasionally, your boss may not be quite so understanding….you may be leaving to go to a client or even a competitor.  It’s useful to check over your contract to ensure that you don’t have any restrictions here.  If you do, I’d recommend taking some legal advice to understand the extent of the restriction – it may not stop you if your role, location or client mix are different.  Whilst non compete clauses are rarely upheld for individuals at a junior or mid manager level, they are more restrictive for seniors.

If your boss does have a problem with you leaving to go to a client or competitor, they may suggest that you go on gardening leave.  Effectively this is where you leave immediately but are still employed during your notice period (so you will be paid including all your benefits – e.g. keep your car and phone etc). The idea is to place a gap between your old and new roles to lessen the chance of you poaching, client accounts or other staff.  Theoretically, you should not start your new job until the gardening period is finished.  You can, if you want, spend your time physically gardening but there are probably better things for you to do with the time!

If you have a longer notice period, you may want to try and negotiate this down – particularly if your new employer is keen to get you on board.  For most employers, any flexibility will depend on how easy it is going to be for them to replace you and to ensure there is minimal impact to clients and delivery of campaigns that you are managing.  Offer to make every effort to ensure a smooth hand over as a quid pro quo if they reduce the period.

Top tips:

Don’t hand in your notice until you have a offer letter in writing from the new employer.

Do get a written reference from your current employer.  On company letterhead and signed.  Will be useful in the future.

Be professional.  Always try to leave on good terms.  It’s a small world and you never know when you might bump into people again.

Enjoy your leaving drinks!

The Art of the Interview

Interview performances can be extremely variable.  Often, those who on paper look like they’re the right man (or woman) for the job, turn out to be not quite right.  Equally, someone who isn’t as strong on paper, can surprise everyone by being spot on with the culture of a place.

So clearly, a lot relies on interviewing well.  How can you get it right?

There are some key factors to consider and remember.

1. Do you really want the job?

Seems like a no-brainer.  Surely you wouldn’t spend the time and be sat in front of the client if you didn’t want the job.  Surprisingly, I talk to a lot of candidates who let slip that they’re going ‘for practice’.  Bad idea.  If your heart isn’t set on that job, it will come across and someone else, who does really want the job, will be much more positive.   Having said that, I don’t believe every opportunity will be your dream job (I’d be a world famous travel writer) but in your chosen career, you need to believe that this interview is for a job that is right for you.

2. It’s a performance

Consider that the client has 3 candidates to interview, all look good on paper, all work for good agencies/companies.  How do they decide who they want in the role?  If the position you are interviewing for is a client facing one, then it’s going to be very important how you come across and how you present and articulate yourself.  You need to work on your own personal sales pitch.  I’m not saying you should put on an act but you do need to go all out to impress and generally that means tailoring your pitch to that particular role and thinking about what the interviewer wants to hear.  Use your perception – it’s usually quite easy to read into what the client is looking for (you’ll know based on the role, the company and what they themselves are like).  I often say you’ve got to wear a different hat for each interview – not literally!

3. First impressions count

Always check out what the dress code should be.  For a law firm it’s important to be suited and booted but for an advertising agency, jeans may be the norm.  Generally, you can’t go wrong being smart and it’s better to be too smart than too scruffy.   I had a client who when I checked recently what the dress code was replied ‘something to accentuate the colour of their eyes’.  The candidate got the job. On their first day, the client requested that the candidate arrive ‘Dressed to kill’! I’m sure there is a statistic that says most interviewers make their mind up in the first 10 minutes of the interview and this largely is based on first impressions.  This is where you can help yourself by checking are you smiling, do you have poise and confidence, but not arrogance.  Try to find some way to break the ice in the first minutes of the interview.  ‘What fantastic offices’.  Another good tip is to always be particularly nice to the receptionist or person who shows you in.  Even try to have a quick conversation with them.  This will calm you down as you’ll get rid of the nerves in advance of meeting the main interviewer but also you’d be surprised how many bosses take notice of their receptionist/PA and their opinion of you.  Clearly you have the rest of the interview to impress the interviewer with your skills but don’t underestimate how important first impressions are.  Reading Corporate literature in reception may give you something to drop into the conversation later so use your time in reception wisely.

4. Body Language & controlling the nerves

It’s all about confidence and managing to balance this with not coming across as arrogant or sleazy.  It sounds a bit obvious but I always tell candidates the best thing to do is to get a good nights sleep prior to an interview and don’t over do the coffee.  One client remarked that he’d thought a candidate was high on something as their pupils were dilated and they were talking a lot.  It turned out the candidate had not slept the night before and had drunk 3 large Americanos prior to the interview.  They didn’t get the job.  Also, caffeine can make people twitchy and that again will come across.  Interviewing isn’t rocket science, you’ve just got to come across as calm, collected and in control.  Exactly how you’ll be in the work situation.  Whilst most clients will understand nerves at the start of an interview, generally they’ll try to put you at ease and by the time you’re onto the second question you should be fine.  Body language is all important.  Look the client in the eye, LISTEN to their questions properly with consideration, THINK before you speak.  Sit on the edge of your seat, not so that you fall off but so that the client sees you are alert and taking the situation seriously.  No slouching or sitting back in the chair.  If you’re like that in an interview, it implies that you would be like that in a work situation or in front of a client.  Not good!  If you’re someone who suffers badly from nerves, ask a recruiter for help or even your friends.  Practising in front of a mirror often helps too – just talk through your pre prepared answers to standard questions and gain confidence in what you are saying – it’s amazing how quickly you can improve your answers when saying them outside to yourself.

5. Chemistry & fit

This is where I generally tell candidates that ultimately you need to be yourself (with a bit of gloss!).  You are who you are and you can’t change your personality.  You need to fit into the team in the company you are interviewing with and the interviewer will have to make a decision about whether you can or not.  8 times out of 10 if there is a ‘no’ post interview, it tends to be ‘the fit wasn’t right’.  You might have felt that too (be honest with yourself!).  Also, when the client has a choice of 5 candidates who can all do the job, there has to be something that gives someone the edge, and that is often ‘fit’.  The problem with fit is that it is not generally defineable which can make the feedback process a bit frustrating.    I generally ask my clients at second interview to have a ‘meet the team’ session as this can really make or break the decision process.  You need to have buy in from the team otherwise you won’t settle.  Everyone wants work colleagues they can get along with and who will add value to the team, this is important!

6. Dither afterwards

I do get candidates who mid interview knew it wasn’t for them.  Ok, that may be the case.  However good the fit is on paper, there can be the occasional role that doesn’t turn out to be what you thought it would be.  However, it’s important to keep on trying.  You don’t know that the client might not have another role that would be more suitable or they may think laterally once they’ve talked through your skills, decided they like you and then adapt the role to suit your skill-set.  If you give up mid-way, your lack of enthusiasm will show and the interviewer will become frustrated that they’ve given up time to someone who clearly doesn’t want to be there.

You shouldn’t be in an interview if you know in advance that the role isn’t right for you.  Do your best to qualify the role before you interview – appreciate this won’t  always work.

7. Tell the truth

I’ve got too many stories to tell on this subject…. Stick to the truth is my absolute advice.  In the North, it’s a small world in marketing, both agency side and in house.  If you go over-egging your experience, you’ll be found out.  People know people, increasingly so.  To be honest, let’s just say that you do get the job, you’ll soon be found out if you’ve overplayed your skills.  I do often come across people who jump ship every 12 months.  Clients are very suspicious that these are the people who oversell themselves at interview, spend the first 6 months still bigging themselves up and the last 6 months trying to find something else as they’ve been exposed.  Another specific area where people blatantly lie is on salary.  Whilst a client will pay you what you are worth, they’ll soon see from your P45 that you weren’t earning what you said you were.  It’s true that honesty is the best policy, generally!

8. Play to the ego.  Without being smarmy

Last week I had a candidate who was perfect for a role but was rejected because the client thought that the candidate was too aloof.   That’s a new one, I thought.  The client said that the candidate was distant and whilst they liked him, they just thought he thought he was too ‘cool’ for them.  This is a leading digital agency and a bit of a cock up on behalf of the candidate.  I fed back honestly and I think he felt he’d missed an opportunity.  Fundamentally clients want you to want to work for them – and no-one else.  They want you to demonstrate that getting this job means everything to you.   ‘Are you interviewing elsewhere?’.  Well clearly you should say if you are, but you should also add that ‘this is the one I really want’ and why.  In this economic climate no-one would expect you to be only interviewing at one company.  BUT, they do want you to be enthusiastic and excited about their opportunity. If you’re not, someone else will be.  So on the other side of this, don’t go to the other extreme.  No-one likes Mr Sleaze who is obviously brown nosing.  You’ve got to get the balance right.  Play it by ear. We’re back to the different hats for different interviews…

9. You don’t need to read 100 top interview questions, but you do need to be prepared.

I remember years ago, I did actually borrow the aforementioned book from an ex colleague. This was when I was an Account Executive and interviewing for jobs.  It was actually quite useful but if you do read it (or one of the other zillion similarly titled tomes) then you need to adapt the answers.  If you’re not so good at thinking on your feet then it can be useful but it’s mostly common sense.  Preparation is absolutely key to interviews.  Think around the role, the company, the market, competitors etc.  Try to second guess what they could ask you.  Google the interviewers, find them on Linked In, find all the recent relevant PR.  This gives you ammunition to use if they ask you something off the wall.  Every little helps.

10. Some Golden rules:

1. Never Ever say anything negative about your current role or boss.  This is a sure fire way for you to come across as a troublemaker or potential problem.  Managers want an easy life in terms of managing teams.  Even if you have the boss out of hell and that’s your reason for moving on, don’t say it!
2. When interviewers ask what are your weaknesses, they don’t really want to hear that you hate being managed or that you hate having to be in the office for the dot of nine.  Don’t shoot yourself in the foot!  Come up with some classic weaknesses that could conceivably be strengths…..e.g:  I get frustrated sometimes if others don’t have the same sense of urgency to complete a project.  And you counter this by saying that you have to take a step back in these situations and ensure that you’re working at the pace of the team (or something similar!). 
3. Similarly, when talking about strengths…..get the balance right.  I’m a genius, I saved the world etc etc.  Make the strengths specific to the role you’re going for.  If it’s managing a team, relate the strengths to keeping the team purposeful and motivated etc.  If you’re saying ‘I’ too much then it’s generally best corrected.
4. Have some ready made answers that you can adapt – there are no excuses for being caught out.  Whilst some clients go for classic competency based questions: ‘Tell us about a time where you demonstrated your skills in time management’, there are others who go for off the wall ones: ‘if we were in the pub, what would your friends say about you’.  Clearly you can’t prepare for everything but do come up with several that you can work around.  In the advertising industry, you’d be a fool not to have a ready prepared answer for questions about your favourite brands, advertising campaigns, packaging etc.  I’m not implying you should revise and be faultless but you can practice general question themes and work around them
5. Don’t say too much.  Rambling is a real turn off.
6. Don’t assume that it’s in the bag.  Arrogance is detectable at 100 yards.  Nobody likes it.
7. 2^nd interviews – just as much to play for.  Preparation is absolutely essential.  Typically you’ll have a brief or a presentation to do.  Give it your absolute all. Don’t try and get it done in your lunch-hour.  Research it religiously!  If you’re putting a couple of hours into going to an interview, surely it’s worth putting a proper amount of time into preparing now that you’ve cut the field down.
8. Take a notepad with your pre-prepared questions for them written down.  Throughout the interview, surreptitiously tick them off.  That way, when you get to the ‘Do you have any questions for us?’ (where everyone stutters ‘um, no I don’t think so’, you can point to your list and say, I think we’ve covered them all off actually’.  Again, this is just about good preparation taking away the stress of the moment.
9. At the end.  Thank them.  ‘Do you have any reservations?’ can be an extra way for you to demonstrate that whilst you are there, you’d like the chance to counter any reservations
10. It might sound obvious but…no cigarettes prior to the interview (I’ve had several candidates rejected due to the smell of fags on their breath at an interview.  Fundamentally that’s how you’d be in front of clients and it’s not acceptable).  You might think you’re covering it up with gum but it’s on your breath and your clothes.
11. Turn your phone off…..
12. If you’re trying to postpone an interview, once is acceptable, but twice, you’re pushing it.  The client will lose patience and will continue to interview other people.  Yes, these things are sometimes unavoidable but do your best to stick to pre-arranged times.
13. Get there early – at least 15 minutes.  Being late, whilst sometimes can be justified, just makes you look unreliable and gets you off to a bad start.
14. If you’re a creative.  Don’t bore a client with your portfolio.  Less is more. Show your best. Understand when they’ve had enough!
15. Ask for feedback.  You can turn a bad interview into a positive by correcting where you went wrong.  Better to know now rather than after ‘any reservations’.

If you’re continually getting turned down after interview and feedback is negative. It’s worth looking for some coaching.  It is all about finding the right balance and tailoring your personal pitch to the situation and the client and the role.  I remember years ago, the consensus was don’t have an (alcoholic) drink in an interview but these days, many second interviews are done over a glass of wine.  You’ve got to get the measure of the interview and the interviewer and then tailor your behaviour accordingly.

Ultimately, it’s about finding the right job for you too so whilst all these pointers are towards selling yourself to the client, it is a two way process and you need to make sure it’s right for you too.  Be absolutely honest with yourself and your reasons for looking for a new job and what is it about this one that is right for you.   If you’ve been in your current role for a while, moving to somewhere new can be stressful and daunting.  Don’t forget the reasons you were looking for a new role in the first place and that the pressure of moving roles is temporary – if it’s the right role for you, it’ll be worth it. There is somewhere for everyone and if it’s not this one then give it more time to find the perfect job for you!

Welcome!

I've been planning to create a PMP blogspot for some time now and finally I've got around to it. Hurrah!  Fundamentally, I'd imagine that most candidates would rather I was spending my time hunting down their perfect marketing jobs rather than blogging but I'd like this to be a useful blog rather than 'a day in the life of a recruitment consultant'.  I find myself giving candidates advice on so many different aspects of the job search process that I thought when I think about or give people advice, it might help if I wrote it down and then people can refer back to it when it suits them.  Oh, and they can also tell all their friends about it.  I'll be including topics like how to improve your CV, top interview tactics, working with recruiters (they're not all as good as me!) and what hobbies are acceptable on a CV (you'd be surprised with what people come up with...).  Hopefully you'll find it a fun and informative way to help you find your way to your Perfect Marketing role.  I'll be tweeting whenever there is a new post so do make sure you're following us on Twitter.  If you've got any ideas for subject topics, do let me know!   Hope you enjoy them!  Fiona