You hopefully know by now the importance of sending a thank-you letter to your recruiter following your interview, aside from being courteous and polite, a nice thank-you letter will stand you in good stead when looking for employment.

Your thank-you letter should;

• provide contact information for future correspondence
• reinforce your interest in the job.
• compliment the company.
• expand on your suitability for the job.
• thank the interviewer for his/her time

A thank-you letter provides the ideal opportunity to furnish the employer with pertinent information, that was not asked during the interview, that you feel will enhance your application. Something like “my experience as sales manager in Company X saw a growth of 75% in sales, a success I wish to bring to Company B” works well to help solidify your job chances.

 In job-hunting, as in many things in life, it is the little things that make a big difference, thank-you letters certainly fall into this category so be sure to use them when you are on the hunt for a job.

5 Tips On How To Conduct Yourself During A Job Interview. 

In todays competitive business environment gaining a job interview can be a difficult task, it is essential therefore that, if granted an interview, you should grasp the opportunity and conduct yourself in a professional manner throughout the process.

1)Take a considered approach to answering questions rather than rushing in with a hurried response.
By this I do not meaning pausing at every question asked, as this will interrupt the natural flow of conversation, however do take a measured approach to answering any tricky questions.

2) Be assertive but never aggressive.
Showing any traits of aggression during a job interview will end any chances you had in being hired.

3) Be confident, but don’t be cocky.
There is a fine line between confidence and cockiness in job interviews, the one difference being confidence is liked and cockiness loathed.

4) Don’t provide scripted answers.
H.R Managers are usually aware of when a candidate is providing a scripted answer rather than their own response, research by all means just don’t provide answers in a monotone manner.

5) Leave in a friendly manner.
No matter how good/bad you think you may have done, when the interview ends maintain eye-contact, provide a firm handshake, a friendly smile and thank the interviewer for his/her time.       

Combine this information along with an earlier post 5 steps to interview success and look forward with confidence to your interview.

10 Common Spelling Errors Found On Resumes

Considering the importance the role of a resume takes in attempting to gain an interview there is nothing as infuriating for recruiters than when they receive resumes and cover letters that contain spelling errors.

Spelling mistakes display a lack of preparation, poor attention to detail and can dissuade employers from even wanting to interview you. This list of 10 of the most common spelling errors will hopefully assist you in creating a compelling cover-letter and an error-free resume.

Correct Spelling        Incorrect Spelling

Indispensable            My sales skills have been “indespensable” …

 
Correspondence        I include my business card for future “corresspondance”…

 
Accommodate            I will be happy to “accommadate” any queries…

 
Management              I seek a ”managment” role to continue my career growth… 

 
Separate                     My references are attached as a “seperate” document…

 
February                     Commenced employment in “Febuary”…

 
Occasion                     There was an “ocassion” when…

 
Necessary                    Should more information be “necessery”… 

 
Correspondence         For future “corraspondence”… 

The time you take checking and ensuring that your resume is free of spelling mistakes may prove to be time well spent indeed, so double-check everything before you send your application forward.

Four Questions You Need To Ask Yourself Before Accepting A Counter-Offer.
The temptation of accepting a high counter-offer can make the most adamant of job hunters change their minds and stay with their existing companies, though ,certainly a lucrative option, accepting a counter-offer can come at a price mind you. Before accepting any counter-offer analyze the 4 questions below and make an informed decision thereafter.

1. Is it my annual salary increase arriving early?
Take into consideration the fact that this could be what was earmarked for you in your Annual Review, you should be satisfied from your discussions with HR that this is not the fact.

2. Why did it take such drastic action as my threatened resignation for my abilities to recognized?
Your salary may be increased but yet it took the possibility of you leaving the company for them to recognize your talent,

3. Have I tarnished my promotion possibilities?
Employers prefer to evade promoting disloyal employees, who (in their mind) may accept tempting offers elsewhere, so think long and hard about accepting the counter-offer if promotion is on your mind.

4. Will the core reasons that I looked elsewhere still exist if I accept the counter-offer?
If you were looking for a company nearer home to avoid traffic, then accepting a counter-offer will not address this issue for you. Ensure you do no not accept a counter-offer based on salary increases alone, they should be based on the resolution of whatever issue made you see work elsewhere at the outset.

While a counter-offer may appear attractive at the outset, spend time resolving the answers to the above questions before accepting it.

Salary Negotiation Tips For An Annual Review

Most employees have yearly salary review meetings, these meetings provide the ideal opportunity for you to gain an increase in salary, just knowing how to do it is the important part. Don’t treat the meeting like an informal chat with a colleague, you should prepare for an annual review meeting with the same professionalism as you would with your first interview. Your preparation should begin by absorbing the 4 points of advice below to help you be best prepared for your review.

Explain why you are worth the increase you seek.
-provide a dossier of information for the HR Manager this pack allows him/her to “visualize” your achievements, if sales are up 25% since you joined the sales team show him/her the figures, likewise if costs have been curtailed thanks to your input then the HR Manager needs to know this.

Describe why you feel you are being underpaid.
-provide examples from salary surveys (bring them with you) and explain that with your experience you feel you are worth more.

Have a Plan B ready.
-if your request is met with a “I’m really sorry but we have a pay freeze at present” response then look towards other perks until the freeze is lifted. These perks could include, a reduction in your hours, extra vacation days etc. You should also ask to have your review meeting again once the freeze on pay is lifted, otherwise you could be waiting another 12 months for your next salary review.

Outline your future plans.
-this is a great way to help with your salary review, explain what your future plans are regarding your role in the company (for example- ways to gain more sales,how to win more customers etc.), this display of forward-planning will be looked upon favorably by the HR Manager.

Be prepared for questions on your performance over the last 12 months and no matter how frustrated you get, remember how important it is to maintain a friendly demeanor throughout your meeting. Not everyone gets a salary increase at these meetings, but you would be doing yourself a disservice if you didn’t prepare yourself to the best of your ability and approached these meetings in a confident manner.

Preparing For Difficult Job Interview Questions

Most of you will be familiar with the phrase that “it is not the questions that are difficult, it is the answers” and this 100% correct when it comes to giving a job interview. Job applicants should have a firm grip as to what are perceived to be common difficult questions with examples such as:

• What are your strengths and weaknesses?
• Why is there a gap on your resume, could you not find employment?
• Why should I hire you,what sets you apart from other applicants?
• Where do you see yourself being in 5 years time?
• Why are you leaving your current job?

Job applicants need to not only be prepared and have answers to the questions already mentioned above, but can do themselves a huge favor by preempting what the interviewer might ask on the day of the interview. You can do this by scrutinizing your resume and try to pick up questions you would ask if interviewing yourself, be sure to be thorough. Once you have preempted the questions that you think you could be asked then write them down, add them to the questions above and use this as your blueprint for interview preparation.

A final note of advice to those of you who may have included “Opera”, “Theater” or other areas of fine arts to your “Interests and Hobbies” section of your resume, have a “favorite” in mind because as interviews wind down it is not uncommon for the interviewer to end things in an affable manner and ask questions such as “I see you are a fan of opera, what is your favorite?”. If you get stuck answering that, he/she may think that it is more than hobbies that you are bluffing on. Until next time happy job-hunting folks.