Things not to do at interview........

Swindale Parks' Top Tips to help you secure your next Sales or Marketing & Creative job...........

If you are smartly presented, adhere to basic social etiquette and contribute sensibly to a progressive meeting then you are well on your way to your new sales or marketing job. However there are some blunders to avoid:

Don’t be late, but if you can’t avoid it make the call – and don’t say it’s because you overslept!
Don’t drop your guard - your interviewer may be relaxed but you need to keep your wits about you - so, answer questions concisely, without waffling, and maintain a professional body posture at all times.
Don’t think you can wing it; preparation is a must – if you know very little about your prospective future employer then this just makes you look ignorant (and quite frankly you don’t deserve to receive a job offer).
Don’t be negative, especially about former employers or bosses, this is always frowned upon.
Don’t lie – by all means emphasise the positive and minimize the negative, but most important of all be honest.
Don’t dress down – if you look the part then you’ll feel the part, and if you feel the part you’ll perform well in the interview. The shinier your shoes the more confident you’ll feel – trust me. How many times have you heard the adage “first impressions count”.
Don’t try and dominate the meeting - but play your part – afterall, interviewing is a two way process. Ask the interviewer questions that will enable ‘you’ to decide whether you want to work for him or her.
Don’t provide a reference from a disgruntled former employer or colleague – choose someone who has lots of positive things to say about you.
Don’t forget to close! Sales person or not why walk away from the meeting not understanding how you have performed? Ask the interviewer the direct question, “am I the kind of person you are looking for?” You have the perfect opportunity, as they are sat right in front of you- don’t leave it to chance!

Great First Impression.........

Swindale Parks' Top Tips to help you secure your next Sales or Marketing & Creative job...........
The interview is in full swing and having made a great first impression how do you maintain your momentum? Perhaps surprisingly we feel it’s not just about impressing your interviewer with your insightful answers to those tricky questions being posed, you can contribute to a successful outcome for both parties by taking a proactive role in the meeting. How? Firstly you may need to change how you view the interview process, think of it as a two way street. It is as much a chance for you to ask questions about your interviewer, the role and the company as it is for them to quiz you – more of an exchange of information than an interrogation.

Having made this change in thinking just how are you going to achieve what you want out of the meeting? Preparation is the key, arriving at the interview with a list of suitable questions is always a good start, by suitable we mean the kind of questions that will increase your understanding of the role etc and not “How long do I get for lunch?” or “What are the working hours?” Also try to integrate your questions into the discussion rather than treating them as a script, simply reading them out can effect the flow of the conversation and whilst help you gather important information may quickly erode any rapport that has been developed between you and the interviewer. Remember your objective as well as promoting your own features and benefits is to find out everything you need to know that will allow you to make a considered decision about whether you progress your application further. Your questions will not only do this but they also demonstrate your interest in the opportunity and say something positive about how you conduct yourself in a business situation.

For more advice or assistance with your job search contact a specialist sales or marketing consultant via email or on 0121 585 6079

Swindale Parks Recruitment website MkII

The eagle eyed amongst you may have noticed that over the last couple of weeks Swindale Parks Recruitment have been making some changes to our website. Inspired by the feedback we gathered earlier in the year, mark II of our 3rd generation site is now up and running. Some of the changes made are so subtle that you may not have noticed, but all have been implemented with one thing in mind to ensure we offer sales, marketing & creative candidates and all of our clients a first class recruitment experience. Have we succeeded? We hope so, if you don’t agree please let us know we’re all for a bit of constructive criticism!

A big thank you must also go to all at Clever Cherry who have masterminded the changes, implemented them seamlessly and of course their patience!