Everyone knows that there are a number of interview killer questions that can stop an interviewee dead in their tracks. These can be both general, and ones that relate specifically to the academic environment. Here are a few pointers to get you started.
Jobseeking and Interview Tips
Top Tips For Answering Competency Questions
Competency questions are those which focus on particular behaviours or skills you will need to demonstrate in the role. These are usually clearly identified in the person specification and job advert.
Why Did You Leave Your Last Job?
There are few interview questions that strike fear into the heart of an interviewee as much as the dreaded “why did you leave your last job”? Whether you were fired because of incompetence or had a boss that made Cruella de Vil look like a sweetheart, the only job that…>
10 Top Tips for Interview Presentations
If you have succeeded in getting to final interview for a professional job in Higher Education, the chances are that you will be asked to deliver a short presentation to the panel. You will usually be given a specific topic to prepare: typically this might be to address a current…>
5 Tips for Selling Yourself When Applying for Jobs
‘Unique Selling Point’ (or USP) is a marketing idea developed to help people in business improve their sales. As a job seeker, you also have something to sell: YOURSELF! By developing your USPs learn how to sell yourself when applying for a job and stand out from the crowd. These…>
Understanding a Job Advert: What is an Informal Contact?
Many job adverts, although not all, list the name of an informal contact. This is the name and email address or phone number of a member of the academic staff who can be very useful to you as a jobseeker and can help you put together a winning application. But…>
How To Succeed In Competency Interviews
What are competency-based interviews? Competency-based interviews use questions which aim to find out how you have used specific skills in your previous experience and how you approach problems, tasks and challenges. Also called behavioural or situational questions, they are often used in first interviews. These interviews are based on the…>
Top Tips for a Telephone Interview
Conducting a Telephone interview is becoming more and more common amongst recruiters, but that’s only half the story when it comes to job hunting. Find out why, when you’re looking for work, the phone can be your best friend or your worst enemy. Before Even in the days of online…>
Being Headhunted: 5 Ways to Cope with Being Approached by Other Employers
This article offers some advice on how to cope with such a situation when you are headhunted and how to make the best of the opportunities on offer. Headhunting, or employers recruiting third parties to offer jobs to employees of other companies, is common in the commercial sector but it…>
Academic Jobs: How to Complete an Application Form
It sounds a little odd that highly qualified applicants might need advice on filling in application forms, but according to feedback from employers including academics and human resources staff, applicants often overlook even the most obvious points when applying for a job, and therefore can do with all the help…>