Becky Postlethwaite – Managing Director, Direct Recruitment

Due to the lockdown, video technology is now the only option for employers to conduct job interviews. We are now seeing evidence of pre-recorded interviews, where candidates are  given a set of interview questions and asked to record themselves answering these questions.

While it sounds simple enough, pre-recorded interviews can actually be pretty tricky to master, particularly if you have only been given a set amount of time to give and upload your answers.

So here are some tips to help you master a pre-recorded interview:

Be yourself and act as if is just a normal interview

• Make sure you thoroughly research the company you are interviewing for and try and demonstrate this knowledge within your answers.
• Dress to impress, but appropriately.
• Smile and imagine that you are talking to a person.

Rehearse and give the performance of your life

• Carefully plan and compose your answers and then do a practice run. Record yourself and play it back, look at the areas to improve and keep practicing until you get them right.
• You don’t need to read your answers word for word, you need to be able to add personality around what you are saying. So, use key bullets points that help you to communicate the main points but also allow for a free flow of dialogue too.
• Take your time.
• Clear and concise communication skills are an important part of any job and this is your chance to showcase your skills. Be confident, articulate, don’t rush and don’t forget to smile.

Background

• Choose your background carefully, what you have in the background of your own home says a lot about you. Avoid any controversial posters!
• It’s also important to get the lighting right and make sure that you don’t have the sun flooding through a window behind you.
• Avoid any bad habits, like playing with your hair, looking away from the camera or too many ‘ums’.
• Stick post it notes round your screen to remind you of key points but also to remind you of your behaviour points.

The likelihood is that you will have been communicating both personally and professionally via online platforms in the last few weeks. But remember you are talking to a prospective employer so be professional, be personable and above all relax.

Good luck!

It’s fair to say these are unprecedented times. We have no idea what’s ahead of us or how long this is going to go on for. As our kids prepare to leave school for the foreseeable future, have exams cancelled, as we start to work from home and avoid all but essential contact and travel, it’s clear that a positive attitude and whatever community support we can offer or receive will have to see us through. And so far, we have been heartened by the strong sense of community spirit and good neighbourly attitudes we have seen.
 
Equally in the professional world, there is a lot of concern and change. If you’ve recently started looking for a new role, this will all seem pretty frustrating so we would like to help in any way we can.
 
It’s a good time to brush up your CV and overhaul your LinkedIn profile. It is also worth thinking about thinking about your interview skills and how you may be able to improve these. If you need any help with this, please do drop us a line to CV@direct-recruitment.co.uk – it’s the least we can do in and we want to do what we can.
 

This will come to an end at some point. In the meantime we are trying to stay positive, focused and well, and hope you are too.

If there is anything we can help with do reach out – even if just for a chat and catch up.

Take care 

This feels like old news, to be talking about the importance of a good handshake in your job search, but yet it seems that so many people I meet on a daily basis still don’t shake hands with any confidence.

Every job hunter knows that smart dress, eye contact and polished shoes are a good way to make that all-important first impression. So why is it that people are neglecting to remember that a good handshake is just as critical, if not more so, for portraying the qualities that people look for in a future employee. 

Many studies over the years have continuously shown that there is a substantial relation between the features that characterise a firm handshake (strength, vigour, duration, eye contact and completeness of grip) and a good first impression.

So what does your handshake say about you? A strong firm handshake suggests confidence, reliability and gravitas and therefore, not surprisingly, a weak handshake will often give the impression of someone shy, quiet and lacking self-assurance.

If this isn’t you, or isn’t the impression you want to give, make sure your handshake is a confident one.  Here are my five top tips for perfecting your job-winning handshake.

1. Be positive, sincere and genuine – make sure you look the person in the eye and smile when you shake their hand. A sincere smile will convey warmth and trust.
2. Be confident – don’t wait for someone to put their hand out to yours, be confident enough to reach out first and make the introduction.
3. Stand up to shake hands. Don’t diminish your presence by staying seated for the handshake, stand up and greet someone at eye level.
4. Firm grasp – everyone hates the dreaded “dead fish” where someone leaves a limp hand in yours. Hold their hand in a firm, but not crushing, grip. Don’t hold on for too long, studies show that the optimum handshake should last for about 3 seconds.
5. Shake hands when saying goodbye and say a few words like “great meeting you”, “thank you for your time”, this will round up the meeting nicely and again demonstrate your confidence right the way through the interview.

So, having a good handshake will not only demonstrate the qualities that people look for in an employee, but it will also encourage loyalty and will make people want to shake your hand again, and for that, they’ll need to have you around.

Safeguarding your employer brand throughout the recruitment process and clearly communicating your organisation’s values to both existing and potential employees is key to shaping the overall perception of your company in the marketplace. This can have a huge impact on your ability to attract and retain the very best talent.

The experience of a candidate before, during and after the recruitment process can play a significant part in how your business is perceived externally.

The best talent is always highly sought after, whether the employment market is flat or buoyant, so it is vital that your organisation provides a positive experience for candidates who are applying for roles and throughout the entire recruitment process. This is the best way you can ensure that you secure the right people for your organisation.

Job advertisements

Where you place your job ad and how it is presented plays a critical role in attracting the right talent. There is nothing worse than a vague job spec that is littered with typos. Indeed the description of the role is the biggest influencer on a candidate’s decision as to whether to apply.

Most organisations use jobs boards and LinkedIn, but experienced recruitment consultancies are still regarded as the most useful source of vacancies by professionals seeking new roles. It is important to choose your recruiter wisely – and preferably choose one that has genuine expertise in your sector, so they will be able to handpick the outstanding candidates and really test their knowledge in a preliminary interview.

Responding to applicants

It can be tempting to get your vacancy advertised on LinkedIn as soon as that resignation letter hits your desk. But it is a waste of everyone’s time to advertise your position and encourage applicants if you don’t have the capacity to respond to applications. It doesn’t look good if you don’t get back to them at all.

Indeed responding quickly to job applications is incredibly important, because candidates will look upon tardy responses as an indication of a lack of interest or just general disorganisation. Worse still, you could miss out on the best candidates if other companies are moving more quickly.

Equally not letting unsuccessful candidates know that you’ll not be taking things further is both impolite and detrimental to your reputation. And it’s much better to send an automated rejection letter for unsuccessful applicants than no response at all.

The hiring process

We’ve all heard the horror stories of candidates being kept waiting for ages without explanation, interviewers being distracted by their phone or even leaving an interview for a length of time without any explanation or apology. What a company must realise is that a potential employee is interviewing them too – it’s not a one-way street.

There’s nothing worse than taking the time to go to an interview and finding that the interviewer is unprepared. Furthermore a lengthy process can be off-putting and a lack of feedback when a candidate has made the effort to come in for an interview (or several) and then hears nothing at all does not put your company in a good light.

Do give feedback, do be prepared for the interview and do keep the process short, snappy and thorough. That way, you’ll secure top-flight candidates and retain them. The interview process is often a very good indication of how a company views its staff.

And finally, it is essential to note that the majority of job seekers discuss their experiences during a hiring process – be it with their friends, colleagues and acquaintances or online. This clearly shows how employers’ interactions with candidates – from communication, organisation and speed of the recruitment process to their experiences when being interviewed – can impact their brand, in both a positive or negative way. Word of mouth is one of the most powerful communication channels. You would be foolish to ignore this.