Making informed choices and being well-prepared for an interview without orientation is impossible. Decide what type of function you would like to obtain and think about the career steps you would like to make, the goals you want to achieve and the kind of company you would like to work for.
A good CV is imperative in finding a suitable job! Ensure your CV is up-to-date and adapted to the vacancy you are responding to, formulate concisely and clearly and emphasize relevant work experience and education. Please take a look at our example cv template.
Now that your CV looks good, you need to consider why it looks the way it does. Not about the layout, but the content: Why have you made certain choices? Why did you persevere with things you didn’t like or why did you give up? What have you learnt, and how has this experience influenced your other decisions? Ask critical questions: Who? What? Why? Etc.
Take your time and work through your CV and ask yourself the same questions repeatedly until you get to the essence. You can discuss these questions with others, but you know yourself better than anyone else. This is an excellent way to discover what you think is essential and enjoyable.Once you have a clear overview of all these answers, you will feel more confident, and it also simplifies the process of finding a new, suitable job. On the other hand, if you haven’t figured yourself out yet, our consultants’ personal approach will probably help you find the right place to work. But it would be much more powerful to indicate what you want and why you want it: it’s all about reasoning.
If you work through the points above thoroughly, then you are no longer just answering questions during an interview, but you will be able to explain convincingly what you are looking for as a person and how you can fulfil your role applied for.
After successfully introducing you, the candidate, to the relevant employer, you will be invited for an initial interview. In most cases, this will mean a chat with two people. Make sure you are on time and find out about the company’s background: the different products, the most prominent brands, the countries in which the company operates, approximately how many people work for the company in the Netherlands, Europe, globally, etc.
Also make sure you are aware of current affairs. Read the paper daily for at least a week before attending the interview and look at the latest news on the company’s website.
Make sure you can explain your strengths. You need to be able to make a case for your strong skills by using the contents of your CV. This should be easy after the application tips above!When giving examples, you should stick to the STAR structure. Define the Situation, indicate your Task(s), the Action(s) you took, and what the Result was. A clear, understandable structure leads to a good interview.
The final interview tip: asking a few questions about the company or the role you are applying for is beneficial. This shows that you are very interested in the company and the job. Be critical and polite, but not too modest!
Your first impression is significant and will be created within the first minute. A few factors play an essential role in this first impression. You make your first impression with your face and handshake: maintain eye contact when shaking hands and show a friendly smile. Use your smile (which includes your eyes) a few more times throughout the interview. Your posture creates 55% of your first impression: your appearance and your demeanour. You must be clean and well-dressed. Adapt your outfit to the company, but do not choose an outfit that makes you uncomfortable. Your voice influences 38% of your first impression. Make sure you enter the interview relaxed, speak calmly and take small pauses. Finally, the remaining 7% comprises your choice of words and sentence structure.
We encourage you to put these suggestions into practice and see how they can positively impact your progress. May these application tips be a valuable resource as you continue on your journey towards success.
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