₦airaland Forum

Zirah:
Well written and concise.

Ozavize88:
Please sir can u send me a template of administrative officer cover letter to this email I will be waiting sir

PaperLace:
Bless you OP. Anxiety ruins things, breathe in and out_then take a moment to process your answer.

Till today, I can't believe I forgot what's treasury bill . Then one of the interviewer went through my CV, "you like Maths,right?" That was the beginning of another problem.

Whether you are an entry level candidate or an experienced professional, there are 3 main challenges you will face when you walk into any interview venue. If you are not adequately prepared for these challenges, they could ruin your interview. I am not just going to mention the challenges here, I will also show you how to overcome them.

The challenges are:

1. Not knowing what question to expect

Not knowing what to expect is the first on my list of interview challenges. The reason is, it is the most prevalent among the three. Sometimes, the tension this can cause alone is enough to make you forget the things you know already. I remember a scenario one of my course mates shared with me about an interview he attended with an FCA (A Fellow of The Institute of Chartered Accountant). This FCA was doing fine until they asked him a very simple question, “In cost accounting, what does A-B-C stand for?” If you’re an accounting graduate you should be familiar with Activity Based Costing (ABC). At that moment, he got stuck and couldn’t recollect what A-B-C stands for. That’s somebody who is an authority in Accounting.

It’s normal and can happen to anyone, but there are some things you can do to avoid such scenarios.

a. Try to go through your notes (if you still have them) or text books, a few days before the interview. If you are applying for an accounting position for instance, you should read up the definition of accounting and the basic concepts, the roles of an accountant, etc. There’s no need for you to memorize or cram, just scan through. Even if you’re a guru, it’s recommended that you do this.

b. Google the internet for common interview questions and try to answer them in your own way. Recite your answers severally so that it sticks to your memory.

c. Learn everything you can about the company you’re interviewing with. Know the name of the company, its mission, vision, products, year of establishment, etc. You’ll find most of these information on the company’s website.

d. Master your CV. You should be able to explain all the information on your CV. I believe that’s self explanatory.

2. Not knowing how to answer the question

This is not too far from number one. Sometimes, it’s not not-knowing the answers to the questions that get you penalized. It is how you answer the questions.

The solution to this is that you should not be too much in a hurry to answer a question. Take a few seconds to think and come-up with the best way to answer each question. You can start by telling a short story highlighting how your skills helped you accomplish a particular task, that’s if it’s directly related to the question. Also, don’t go on talking and talking. Know where to stop, lest you become annoying.

3. Overcoming anxiety

If you have an interview to attend and you feel nervous, one thing I want you to remember is that you are not alone. Most interview candidates feel exactly the same as yourself.

Practicing for an interview and preparing adequately for it will help you overcome anxiety. Also, focus on your appearance: dress well, put on neat, well-ironed clothes and well polished shoes, have a clean shave and a haircut if you’re a man. If you’re a lady, make your hair and avoid heavy makeup. Apply a very light perfume and wear a smile. They’ll help boost your confidence.

I wish you success in your next interview.

Opera240:
Pls send to @gmail.com

Mlegend:
@ymail.com...pls send to me too..tanks

Remix10:
...pls send to this too.thanks

whemmytopsy:
kindly send to this mail.

MyMouth:
Pls send to @yahoo.com
Thanks!

frizu:
@gmail.com

zionwinn:
Ok

gagzee:
thankyou

As an applicant, since it is most likely that you do not know the employer and have never met him before, your CV gives you an opportunity to show him that you are qualified for the job and have the skills and experience to get it done. Beside your Name, contact and address, every other information you include on your CV should point to this direction.

Unfortunately, only a few applicants know this. They believe the more information they include on their CVs, they more their chances of getting shortlisted, which is not the case. Here, I’ll try to highlight some of the common mistakes job seekers make on their CVs. I’ll also share some insights on how to avoid them. Stay tuned!

1. Including irrelevant personal information.

Research has shown that the average time a hiring manager spends in reviewing a CV is 6 seconds. So it’s absolutely unnecessary to include certain personal information that will overshadow the important ones. Information like your gender, religion, relationship status are a waste of space. Here in Nigeria, you won’t be penalized much if you include them, but in developed countries like Canada, USA and UK. It’s an “UNPARDONABE SIN” to include them on your CV or Resume (American). Its discriminatory, according to them.

2. Concealing important information.

As it’s important to remove unnecessary information from your CV, it’s also imperative to highlight important ones. Look at how your CV is designed and place those important information like Accomplishments where the hiring manager can see them easily. Using bullet points or making them bold will be a great idea.

3. Being Vague.

There are certain words or phrases you use on your CV that could leave the hiring manager confused or not give him an idea of the exact situation. For instance, “Acquired several customers for the company.” The hiring manager will be more interested in the number of customers you acquired and the timeframe within which you acquired them. Therefore, replacing the above with “Acquired over 100 customers for the company within 6 months.” Will make more sense. Use figures wherever possible to convey your message.

4. Too much employment gap.

If there’s a break in your career, look for a way to explain it on your CV. If you don’t, the recruiter may draw up his own conclusion, which most likely, will not be in your best advantage.

5. Telling lies or being economical with the truth.

Including un-existing qualifications or adding work experiences that you did not really pass through is one of the worst CV mistakes any job seeker can make. As a CV writer with several years of experience, I have had situations whereby a client will ask me to just cook-up work experiences for them. My response is always the same - “I can’t do it.” On several occasions, I have had to refund them because of this. There’s competition out there, so your CV needs to be great. But that does not mean that you have to lie to accomplish that. Experienced recruiters know a lie when they see one and will not waste time in sending your CV to the dustbin, because that’s where it belongs.

6. Too long CV.

It’s not a game of length, but that of value. It’s not how long your CV is that really matters to a hiring manager, but what you’re bringing to the table. If all the accomplishments, experience and experience is captured in a page, please leave your CV as it is, 1 page. You don’t have to include unnecessary information just because you want your CV to be 2 or 3 pages. You can imagine a young graduate who just finished serving submitting a 3-page CV. That’s an instant turn-off.

7. Unnecessary elaborate design.

Over designing your CV is tantamount to shooting yourself on the foot. Except your applying for a graphic designer role, you have absolutely no reason to design your CV. Most hiring managers don’t download applicants CVs. They just view on their system screen, so they don’t get to see all your design work – wasted effort. Another negative side to the designs is that they’ll change your CV format, making it look scattered. Some vital information embedded in your designs will even disappear. That’s another minus for you. To avoid these, keep your CV simple. You’ll find some very good templates online.

8. Meaningless introduction.

If you are including an introduction on your CV, ensure that it is a clear and concise qualifications summary. Any introduction outside this is a minus for any CV.

9. Including references.

References or Referees on your CV is a waste of precious space. What most employers do is, they’ll ask you to inform your referees to send them a confidential letter attesting to your character and qualification for the role. That is common with academic jobs. For those that are not academic, this is usually done at the last phase of the recruitment process, sometimes after you must have been given the offer. It’s part of the vetting process. So, there's absolutely no need to include that section on your CV. What most of us do these days is write, "References available on request." Personally, I think it's better than including the names and contacts of your referees.

Another good reason you shouldn't include referees on your CV is that you don't know the hands your CV will fall into. Having been in the CV writing business, I have seen CVs with past presidents, serving senators and rep members, directors of agencies and permanent secretaries as references. Their home or office addresses, phone numbers and emails are on these CVs. And some of these big men you're using as referees value their privacy so much that they will get mad at you when they get to find-out the extent to which you have exposed them. It could compromise their safety.

10. Poor spelling and grammar.

Nothing annoys a hiring manager more than bad grammar and wrong spellings. Outsourcing your CV to a reputable CV writer for professional help is the best option, but if you must do it yourself, then sacrifice the time to review it severally for grammar and spelling errors. You can also give your CV to your friends and close relatives for a honest review.

Ephyartz:
pls send to @gmail.com

bedfordng:
well, every one is to their opinion. you can't just assume one is dubious because he waits for you to answer the call . that has been my style of communication . if you call some one then you should be the one to say hello, not me. many people does this And its one of my rules of engagement . as for the cut, seems network issue, not me. I receive calls from nairaland users so why won't I do same for yours . I guess at the end of the day I called back and you basically told me you were not feeling fine and postponed it. you font just come online and assume some one being dubious because he waits for you to answer the call first, who do you think was suppose to answer the call , me or you that was calling?

DrKeds:
I'm sorry I'm just seeing this... please kindly send to me as well s

Now you’ve gotten the offer, retaining it is a different ball-game entirely. I have seen people who didn’t get their appointments confirmed after the six months probation period. I have also met those who got relieved of their jobs within a few weeks or days of receiving their appointment letters. The reason is obvious – They could not do the job.

Most recruitment processes involve submitting of applications, screening of applicants, writing of aptitude tests and oral interviews. Hence, it’s almost impossible for an employer to select the ideal candidate for the advertised position. Landing a job is all about presentation. If you have the skills, qualifications and experience to do a job but unable to present your CV as such, you don’t get shortlisted. If you can do the job but fail to convince the employer of your abilities at the interview, a less qualified candidate with better persuasive skills will take the job instead of you.

So, it’s very possible for you to land an offer for a position you know nothing about. If you happen to find yourself in such a situation, these few tips could be your saving grace:

1. Do your research.

Every job comes with a set of responsibilities. So, yours shouldn’t be any different. The first thing you should do is to find-out the duties you’re expected to perform on that position. For example, if you are employed as an Accountant, you are expected to record the company’s financial transactions, maintain the day books (also known as prime books or books of original entry), maintain the ledgers, prepare trading, profit and loss account and balance sheet, amongst others.

From the job description, note the ones you can do effectively, the ones you can fairly discharge and the ones you know nothing about. Then, start with the ones you know nothing about. Go to the internet and search for resources that’ll help you get them done. Don’t use just any resource you see, but the ones you can master in a few hours. In case you do not know, some resources are more reader friendly than others. They also have different objectives. With some, you can learn a skill in 4 weeks. With a different resource, you can learn the same skill in one day. Yes, you heard me right. What took Mr. A one full month to learn, you can learn it in one day, it all depends on the resources at your disposal.

Let me use myself as an example: Most people close to me know me to be an Excel guru. Some of them have been learning for months now and are still not better than me. What they do not know is that it took me less than 24 hours to master Excel. How did it happen? I was given a task that involves a lot of Excel to execute. I called a friend to help, but he was too busy at that time. So I had no choice than to do it myself. I went to the internet to search for resources. Luckily for me, I found some very reader friendly Excel video tutorials on Youtube. Each of the videos cover a topic, so I downloaded all the videos and started learning. The videos come with links to workbooks that you can use in practicing, so I leveraged on that too. That very day, in addition to solving my initial Excel problem, I used the knowledge I learnt to create several other Excel templates. I believe anyone can do same.

When you’re done with the ones you had no idea about, it’s time to move on to the areas where you have a fair knowledge. Do the same there.

2. Get help.

Sincerely speaking, it’s a very difficult thing to do. You don’t want your colleagues, especially your subordinates to know that you’re not competent. But here you don’t have a better option. Or would you prefer not to ask for help and mess up the task – putting your job on the line? If you ask me, there’s no shame in it. After all, nobody knows it all.

You don’t have to limit yourself to your work colleagues. You can put a call across to a course mate who you know can do the job, and ask for help. If it’s not urgent, you can go to forums like Nairaland and ask for help. People are always willing to help, provided you’re genuine and don’t sound arrogant.

3. Speak your mind.

Before assigning a task to you, your superior may ask if you can do it. If he does, lucky for you. Just be sincere to yourself and to him by telling him that you don’t know how to do it, but will seek help in getting it done. Even if he doesn’t, there’s still a way you can make him understand that the task is outside your core competencies. By so doing, you’re already on the safe side.

If you end-up doing a not-so-good job, chances are, you won’t receive the full weight of the hammer.

I hope it helps.

mokoshalb:
the software from the sellers cost about $300, but the one provided in the link has been cracked and free to use.