Leading European Investment bank is looking to recruit an four structured credit product controllers to join a rapidly expanding team. This is an excellent...
F.A.Q
CV Writing Tips and Advice Your CV is a sales document and is an opportunity for you to be able to sell yourself to a potential employer. Your CV will need to be tailored to the job in which you are applying for and it will provide evidence that you are good candidate for the position which is currently on offer. Building your CV We have prepared a CV for you and you are able to download and enter your details into this template. You don't have to use this template, it is just a guide. Structuring your CV A CV is normally issued with a covering letter that highlights your specific details and abilities; it will also state your previous experience that you have to offer to your potential new employer. To present yourself successfully you will need to think about what the employer is looking for in you. You will arrange your most significant skills and expertise and make sure that this is presented as early as possible in your CV; you are doing this to demonstrate how you meet the most important requirements of the position available. Your CV needs to be presented in a way that will catch the eye of the employer, so we advise that you follow a simple, yet effective structure of presenting key points: Your Full Name and Your Contact Details At the top of the CV have your full name, address, telephone numbers and an email address. A Personal Statement It is always a good idea to put a personal statement on your CV. This statement should include where you would like your career to be heading, this will impress your potential employer and may possibly put you one step ahead of other candidates that may be going for the same job. Education/Professional Qualifications List your academic success which should include the dates, the institution, location, principal subjects and lastly your examination results. List these on your CV with the highest qualifications first and remember to also include memberships of professional bodies. Expertise/Skills Summary Provide in bullet points the skills that you have and those you have been trained in. This will allow your potential employer to see if you have the skills that they need for you to do the job. Work Experiences Provide in chronological order a list of present and past jobs. In each position that you have held, put a brief statement of what the company does, your job title, dates from and to and a description of your duties. Other Responsible Positions It is always worth detailing any appointments that you have held in professional organisations, these don’t need to be related to your employment background. Leisure Interests List a few of your leisure activities as this will give the employer an idea of the kind of person you are. Do not list too many as your potential employer may think that you leisure activities are of more importance to you than your job. Referees There is no need to state referees on your CV at this stage. It would be better to state “Referees available on request” Essential Points to Remember: • Reasons for leaving your jobs. Adding this you your CV is not advisable as it can easily be misinterpreted by others reading it, it is always best to leave this off your CV and let it be discussed in your interview. INTERVIEW TECHNIQUES We have prepared these techniques for you as a general guide to help you get the interview process right first time. Even though some of the points are very obvious, it would not hurt to spend some time thinking about all the aspects of interviewing, as first time impressions are always best, as you will rarely get a second chance. PREPARATION You only have up to one hour to perform in your interview, so it is therefore in your best interests that you have planned what it is you are going to say, and how you are going to say it, as well as having answers to back up the questions they you may possibly get asked. • Researching the company for whom you will be interviewing with. This will give you a better idea as to what it is you are letting yourself in for. This is crucial for you to do as it will put you in favour as you are the one that has put the effort in to research the company. If you don’t do this, then don’t expect to get a second interview as we can guarantee that another candidate would have done this, so therefore expect the job to go to someone else. 1. Go over your CV and recall your greatest work achievements? • Personal appearance. Make sure that this is a positive look, and you need to get this right first time round. A person within the first 30 seconds would have formed a judgement of you and if you are going to be the right person for their job. THE IMPORTANCE OF BODY LANGUAGE The communication made by people using body language tells us about the relationship we will have with that certain person. Often this is more important than actually getting your message across. Many people will get this wrong without even realising what they have done, and that is sending out negative signals. How we do this says something about the relationship we have with this person, or think we may have. • Have a firm handshake The main point of this is to ensure that you remain relaxed at all times and come across confident. The best way to avoid the above is to make sure that you have thoroughly prepared for your interview. REASONS FOR HIRING By looking at the interview from the other side of the desk, it is much easier to understand what the interviewer will be looking for in you, so the best thing for you to do is tailor your answers to what is going to be needed. • Ability and Suitability COMMON COMPETENCIES Competencies will vary from job to job. There are many competencies that you will be questioned on no matter what job it is that you are interviewing for. You will need to have • Drive You will also need to be able to demonstrate your achievement profile such as the money that you have saved your company as well as the time you have saved them. As well as an achievement profile you will also need to demonstrate a business profile, such as: • Efficiency There are going to be many different ways in which the interviewer can determine whether or not you have certain competencies, however by matching the above competencies to relevant examples from your past in the preparation for your interview, you should be able to cover most of the above. THE CRUCIAL QUESTIONS Below is a list of relevant questions that you may possibly get asked, some you will be asked and some you will not. But there is nothing wrong with over preparing yourself for that dream job. • Why do you want to work here? The interview will normally finish with the interviewer asking you if you have any questions. If you have researched the company and the position you have applied for you will be in a greater position to really probe the interviewer about the company and the role. By doing this will give you a better understanding if this is going to be the right move for you to take. Show enthusiasm for the role and believe that this job is going to be yours, good luck. Negotiating the job offer At AY Consultants staff we all specialised in our own sectors. Therefore, we know exactly what the most appreciate job offer this is for you. We are committed to ensuring that both you and the employee reach a mutually satisfactory outcome. Following a job interview, if you are successful and are offered the job by us on behalf of a prospective employer, you will need to ensure familiarity with what the job entails, what it is that is expected of you and what benefit package is on offer, for example salary, holiday allowance and bonus. If the job offer is satisfactory, and is what you are looking for in your new job opportunity, then you accept the offer. However if you are unsatisfied with the job offer that has been presented to you, then you will need to consider whether the job is right for you and discuss this in detail with your consultant at AY Consultants. At the beginning of this process it is always good to be clear about what your expectations are and what you would be willing to except shall you be offered the position. And please remember, always speak to your consultant and never deal with the prospective company. Negotiating and securing a positive out come As with any negotiation, you need to remain professional, open and honest. Always keep an open mind, but remain focussed on what your goals are that you wish to achieve. You always need to remain realistic in negotiations, as it is not always often that you get what you want. Resolving negotiation Negotiations, when dealt with by an AY Consultant, can be resolved as easily as they were entered in to. All communication has to have remained straight forward, very honest and professional. If you are no willing to accept a job offer and were unsuccessful in your negotiations, then please graciously decline the offer and remain professional. If you are successful in negotiating or not, but you still would like to accept the job offer, this must also be done with the same interest, drive and passion for the job opportunity and the company as you did in first instance. At AY Consultants, our consultants have been helping job seekers manage their careers since 2009. In this time AY Consultants have become synonymous with excellent levels of service to both candidate and client, with an in depth knowledge of our markets and a track record in helping people find their dream job in Finance, Banking, Oil & Gas and IT.
• Salary: Adding your salary to your CV is also not advisable and this again is something that can be discussed in your interview. Salary levels are dependent on many variables and can quite easily be misconstrued.
• Presentation: Lastly, your CV needs to be presented in a clear and easy way to read, so make sure that a suitable font is used. Make sure that certain parts of your CV are in bold such as your educational achievements and skills, as you don’t want these to be in the same font as the rest of your CV as these need to stand out. Always proof read your CV and make sure that there are no mistakes, once this is done, imagine you are the employer looking at this CV, and does this CV give you the information that you require to give someone an interview?
• Prepare yourself. The majority of interviews will follow a structure that is designed to bring out your best qualities. These questions should be answered by giving specific examples of your background that highlight the relevant competencies. It is therefore very important to have readymade examples, so when you get asked a certain question, you are ready to answer it straight away.
2. How did you use them?
3. What did you learn from your experience?
4. What is it you would do differently if you were in the same situation again?
• Do not fidget, for example with pens, hair and ties
• Do not keep nodding, it shows impatience on your behalf, and is also very annoying to the other person.
• Do not slouch in your chair
• Willingness
• Manageability and Teamwork
• Problem solving
• Pride
• Motivation
• Dedication
• Communication skills
• Analytical Skills
• Team player • Listening Skills
• Energy
• Enthusiasm
• Reliability
• Honesty
• Integrity
• Economy
• Procedures
• Profit
• What kind of experience do you have for this job?
• What is it that you dislike about your old job
• Have you done the best work that you are capable of?
• What are you biggest accomplishments?
• Where do you see yourself in the next five years?
• Can you work under pressure?
• What are your biggest strengths?
• What most interests you about this job?
• Why should I hire you?
• Describe a problem that you have ever had to deal with?
• What have you done that shows initiative?
• What qualities do you think it needs to be successful in this field?
• Do you work better on your own or in a team?
• Give me an example of an event that really challenged you? And how do you overcome this?
• Have you benefited from your disappointments?
• What is your greatest weakness