Jobseeking and Interview Tips

The Realistic Academic Job Hunter

Today’s extremely competitive academic job environment can cause a great deal of heartache for the would-be academic. Here I want to add a few words of advice about how to maintain a methodical and pragmatic approach to looking for a job, particularly when the field is so challenging and the…>

Succeeding At Internal Interviews

Succeeding in an internal interview can seem like a breeze. You know the people. You understand the organisation, and you have a successful track record that should speak for itself – right? This can lead to a false sense of security, a lack of proper preparation and underperformance on the…>

Job Interview Questions – Top 10

Deciding on job interview questions to ask the interviewer can be one of the most stressful parts of the interview process. Often candidates hurry through this part, relieved to have the job interview over as quickly as possible. Others ‘go through the motions’ by asking unoriginal questions to fill the time.

Interview questions tool

Looking for interview practice questions and advice on how to prepare for an interview? Our Interview Questions Tool offers common, competency-based, and role-specific interview questions for every career stage. Learn how to prepare for an interview, build confidence, practise answers, and improve your interview performance. Explore realistic scenarios to strengthen…>

Top Ten Tips for Writing Cover Letters

Your covering letter is a key part of your job application. It is an important document to a prospective employer. Surprisingly, jobseekers often pay scant attention to it. Many candidates fail even to write one and only submit their CV or application form. Craft a strong covering letter and your…>

Match Your Skills to the Person Specification

Completing job application forms can be a long and boring process, especially if you are applying for several jobs at once. However, it is vital that you use the application form and covering letter to show that you are the ideal person for the job. One way to do this…>

Employability: What Are Employers Looking For?

What is employability? There’s a lot of talk about employability in the recruitment community as competition for jobs in all sectors intensifies. But what does it mean? The UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES)[1] gives the simplest and most accessible definition of employability in terms of skills: ‘the skills…>

10 things NOT to do on your CV

Your CV is a marketing tool that needs to stand out. This document will be the first impression the recruiter or employer has of you. Large corporations, as well as smaller organisations, are using an applicant tracking system (ATS) to screen candidates’ CVs. To get through to the next stage…>

How To Choose Your Referees

Your referees are very important in the job-seeking process. Most people focus on presenting their qualifications, skills and experience and spend little time deciding who should be their referees. But choosing a good referee can make all the difference.