YOUR CAREER UNLOCKED
Natalia Dobias
October 23, 2014
Imagine if…
Draw your ideal job:
• What role?
• What would you do?
• Environment
• Experience, opportunities
• Culture
• People
7.5 applications per student (2013-2014)
463,000 job applications submitted (2013-2014)
Final Year BSc Management, WBS
3 month Summer Internship @ Verizon
14 month Placement @ Microsoft
50+ submitted applications
15+ online tests
10+ personal interviews
7 Telephone Interviews
5 Assessment Centres
Hello!
Application Process
Getting to the induction week
Application
• Online
• CV
• Cover Letter
Online Tests
• Numerical
• Verbal
• Logical
• Personality
Telephone
Interview
Assessment
Centre
Application
• Online
• CV
• Cover Letter
Online Tests
• Numerical
• Verbal
• Logical
• Personality
Telephone Interview
Assessment Centre
Online Forms
Clear the Formatting!
Using Copy/Paste?
CV & Cover Letter
Eye Tracking
Keeping an eye on recruiter behavior, The Ladder
“Recruiters spend only
6 seconds on their initial
“fit/no fit” decision.”
1 Name
2 Education
3 Current Title/Company
4 Current Position
Start and End Dates
5 Previous Title/Company
6 Previous Position
Start and End Dates
CV your selling tool, not a register of events
1 or 2 pages
Structured format – timeline
No sentences Bullet point list
Font (Arial Narrow, Helvetica)
Action Words (past/present tense)
Did in the past: Developed, created, presented, collaborated
Doing now: Improving, solving, handling, managing
Unexplained gaps?
Learn it by heart
Cover Letter
One page
Tailored to each employer
Do not repeat your CV
Match critical information with what the company looks for
Explain your motivation
Demonstrate that you have done your research
Be explicit, honest and never make things up!
They will find out eventually.
Cover Letter - Structure
YOU• Who are you?
US• Why did you chose us?
YOU
• What are your ambitions?
• What relevant experiences do you have?
• What can you bring to the table?
WE
• Why does our collaboration make sense?
• What you can gain and give in return?
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 4
Application
• Online
• CV
• Cover Letter
Online Tests
• Numerical
• Verbal
• Logical
• Personality
Telephone Interview
Assessment Centre
TIMING!
Personality Questionnaires
Testing your reactions and finding the match of your values with the company
No timing
No right/wrong answer, but
Don’t get someone to do
it for you
you may be retested at a
later stage!
Application
• Online
• CV
• Cover Letter
Online Tests
• Numerical
• Verbal
• Logical
• Personality
Telephone Interview
Assessment Centre
Focus on:
History
Core Values
Size and Reach
Mission/Vision
Financials (turnover, net profit)
Department you are applying for
Current news, issues and trends
Extend your research
Business Intelligence = movers & shakers of the industry
What excites you about the company/role?
On the phoneBe ready and punctual
• because they always are!
First 10 second impression
• the interview starts from the very moment you say “Hi”
Don’t have too long answers
• but provide just enough information
Be articulate
• no slang!
Know the name of the interviewer!
• because they know yours
Still on the phone?
Struggling with the answer?
• Ask them to repeat the question
• Take your time to think
Have prepared questions to ask at the end
• but not about the benefits or salary!
Smile
• they can’t see you, but they can hear you!
Application
• Online
• CV
• Cover Letter
Online Tests
• Numerical
• Verbal
• Logical
• Personality
Telephone Interview
Assessment Centre
“Play to Your Strengths”
• Be vocal but not overpowering
• Ignore the assessors
• Find the activity you do well
• Be supportive of your team
1 day full of:
Group exercises
Tests & Case studies
Presentations
Individual Interviews
How to make YOU stand out?
Passion
Skills &
Competencies
Strengths
Interests/
Volunteering
Extra-curricular
activities
Working
Experience
Education
The Fit
MATCH?
Values
Mission
Vision
Culture
Plans
What are employers really looking for?
Transferable skills
Agility
Adaptability
Flexibility
Fresh ideas
Time
Challenger’s mindset
Comfort zone? What is it?
Strengths – I enjoy doing
• Hard Worker
• Punctual
• Determined
• Able to Prioritise
• Energetic
• Quick Learner
• Organiser
• Analytical
Competencies – I can do
• Teamwork & Leadership
• Problem-solving
• Time-management
• Decision-making
• Learning from Failure
• Negotiating
• Working under Pressure
• Emotional Intelligence
Am I strong or competent?
Describe a situation:
... where you have worked as part of a team.
... when you had to deal with a conflict within your team.
... when you identified a new approach to a problem.
... when you had to persuade someone to accept your idea.
... when you demonstrated emotional intelligence.
Competency Questions
And a tricky one:
What are your weaknesses?
Prepare real-life stories for each competency
Keep your examples specific, recent and relevant
How to answer them?
We
Our Team
Our Group
Our Task
Our Idea
I did
I contributed
I managed
I took the initiative
I suggested
It is all about
YOU
I ≠ We
Situation What was the situation? When?
Task What was the objective?
Action What action did you take?
ResultWhat happened as a result
of your action?
STAR Technique
Tell me about a time when you were in a conflict with a colleague and you took the lead to resolve it.
Situation“Last semester, I was working with a group on a project
for a class.”
Task
“We needed to decide on a topic and determine the data that
needed to be analysed. A number of people in the group became
argumentative and we could not come to a consensus as to what
direction to take.”
Action“I decided to take the lead and suggested that our group sit down
and outline all the options so as to determine exactly where we
actually disagreed.”
Result
“Once we had the outline, we were able to discuss the issue more
productively and make a decision. Having been proactive, I took the
lead which contributed to productive collaboration. The project resulted
in a successful outcome with a highly positive feedback. Moreover,
I have learnt the importance of not being afraid to speak up. ”
Questions you
might be faced with:
Tell me about yourself.
What do you know about the company?
What is your biggest achievement to date?
Why do you want to work for the company?
Why have you applied for this role?
Why have you decided to study in the UK?
ARE YOU ANSWERING
THE RIGHT QUESTION?
Useful resources RateMyPlacement.co.uk
Milkround.com
Targetjobs.co.uk
Wikijob.co.uk
Graduate-jobs.com
Insidecareers.co.uk
Goinglobal.com
shldirect.com/practice_tests.html
assessmentday.co.uk/situational-judgement-test/
Btw, Use Annual Reports
Make your Facebook private
Google Yourself
Informal online meetings with employers eg. Skype Roulette
CareerPlus (via my.wbs)
myAdvantage Warwick Skills Portfolio
CV check
Mock interviews
Company events
Wbs alumni network
Questions to ask
Why is this role I am going to fill important to you?
What would you expect me to achieve in the first month and in three months’ time?
What do you like about working here?
Be interested but…
Don’t ask questions you can find answers to yourself.
My key three Microsoft takeaways
| Be authentic#1
| Don’t be afraid to ask for help
#2
| Challenge things#3
2PH
• Preparation is key• Find a mentor
2PH adopted from moores.sk
Perfect
Professional
Human
‘Success is where opportunity and preparation meet.’
- Bobby Unser
www.nataliadobias.com | 2014