Direct Recruitment Ltd

5 steps to conquering interview presentations

5 steps to conquering interview presentations

It’s becoming increasingly common for our candidates to be asked to present as part of the interview process. Presenting during interview might be a foreign concept to you, but don’t be thrown off by it or let your nerves get the better of you. This is actually the perfect opportunity for you to showcase more of your personality, experience and skills.

It’s very unlikely that you’ll be asked to present during the interview without prior warning. You will usually be told exactly how long you’ll be expected to talk for and on what topic. If you’re not properly briefed on this then it’s not unreasonable to ask; nor is it unreasonable to ask whether a projector/screen will be available, as this will have a bearing on how you approach the presentation.

Think about what those present in the room are going to be looking for. Usually they’re assessing three main things:

• Creativity and knowledge:the content of your presentation, your aptitude for problem solving and how you have used your experience to answer the brief

• Communication skills:your ability to engage with an audience, build rapport and trust

• Time management:your capacity to manage and adapt the pace of the presentation based on frequency of questions/interruptions – so that it finishes on time

Here’s some best practice advice on making a lasting impression – for the right reasons. Read more

/by
Direct Recruitment Ltd

A new and effective way to approach your next job interview

I saw an interesting quote attributed to the Carnegie Foundation doing the rounds on LinkedIn recently that got me thinking. It read: “85% of your financial success is due to your personality and ability to communicate, negotiate and lead. Shockingly, only 15% is due to technical knowledge”. This statistic is a favourite of salesmen, but I also think it’s a great way to approach job interviews.

Doing your homework in advance of the interview is of course mandatory if you’re looking to impress, however what’s just as important, but greatly underappreciated, is your ability to develop the interview into more of a mutual exchange of ideas and passion points.

Unless you’re applying to be a neurosurgeon the reality is that there’s probably a handful of other people who are, on paper, just as qualified for the role as you are. What’s going to separate you from the crowd is being able to establish a connection with the interviewer.

This isn’t to say CVs are obsolete, although an increasing number of companies are doing away with them, but that they are merely an opportunity to get your foot in the door so that you can convey your full suitability and enthusiasm for the role at the next stage: interview. Read more

/by
Direct Recruitment Ltd

Why unconscious bias is holding your organisation back

Most of us now understand that a diverse workforce leads to more innovation, better financial performance and improved staff retention, however there are still not enough women in senior positions. Only 7 per cent of FTSE 100 companies have a female CEO, while just 26.1% of boardroom executives (this drops to 19.6% for FTSE 250 firms) are female – ranking the UK sixth in Europe.[1][2]

Why is this and how can it be resolved?

The most commonly cited reason for there being such a disproportionate amount of men in the upper echelons of organisations is of course the difficulty with being both a mum and a successful professional. While the UK’s parental leave policies are far more developed than other advanced western economies, it’s true that they still leave much to be desired – which is why just the week a cross-party committee declared that the government was not doing enough to tackle income disparity.[3] Many organisations struggle to accommodate flexible working, whereby an employee might work half the week from home; however there has been some improvement in this area in recent years. Read more

/by
Direct Recruitment Ltd

The 3 keys to boosting your performance, productivity and happiness

he national working environment in Japan has become so unpleasant that death by overwork now has its own word, ‘karoshi’. The hours in Japan have become so long and the situation so severe that the government has even had to step in, recommending that bosses let their staff go home at 3pm on the last Friday of each month. The initiative should not only lead to happier, more productive employees, but is also anticipated to deliver a boost to the economy in the form of consumer spending (£860m each Friday to be exact). Ref

Employee satisfaction and overall productivity are inextricably linked; the happier employees are, the better their performance will be. It doesn’t matter how large your salary or how big your bonus if you wake each morning with a sense of dread at the thought of having to drag yourself into the office. Can you really put a price on your health and wellbeing? Read more

/by
Direct Recruitment Ltd

Why January just might be the most exciting month of the year

One in five of us made a pledge to ourselves this time last year to find a new job in the next twelve months. Perhaps you were one of them but you never got round to it, or maybe it’s only during the past year that you’ve felt the urge to try something new. Well, with 2017 upon us now is the perfect time to start making plans.

Brexit is uncertain terrain and there’s little telling quite how it will affect UK jobs over the next couple of years however in this current moment the jobs market is, in the words of Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC) Director of Policy Tom Hadley, “thriving”. Read more

/by