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    The Job Interview Toolkit
    The Job Interview Toolkit
    The Job Interview Toolkit
    Ebook121 pages1 hour

    The Job Interview Toolkit

    By Julie Cooper

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    About this ebook

    The Job Interview Toolkit is practical, easy to follow guide to preparing for interviews, ideal for job seekers of all ages, especially the young and those returning to work after a break.

    It contains a selection of activities, organised in the five-step TAPAS programme, designed to get you fit to perform like a star on the day. Its easy to read format make it accessible to job seekers of all ages. Advisers will find ideas for working with their clients too.

    There are plenty of books about job interviews already on the market but this one is a bit different. For example it is:

    Easy to read – short sections, illustrations and diagrams, examples and danger stories

    Practical – with things to do, questions to answer, photos to comment on, things to practise with a friend. Most of us learn best by doing, so you will find a five-step programme of exercises to get you fit and ready for the interview (the really important facts are there too).

    A simple framework that is easy to learn:T-A-P-A-S. Think – Analyse – Prepare – Adjust – Shine!

    Think like an Employer – Understand what the interviewer is feeling, so that you can give them what they are looking for

    Analyse the Job – Make sure you understand the company and know what the job involves so you can show you are right for the job

    Prepare the Evidence – Gather evidence of your ability to do the job and then create convincing STAR stories to help the interviewers visualise you in the role

    Adjust your Image and Adjust your Mindset - Look the part as you walk through the door and believe in yourself so that you act the part.

    Shine like a Star – Make an impact, notice how people are responding and manage your performance at the beginning, middle and end of the interview.

    This book will make sure you know what to do, perform at your best and sell yourself brilliantly!

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherCareertrain
    Release dateAug 23, 2013
    ISBN9780955968068
    The Job Interview Toolkit
    Author

    Julie Cooper

    Hello. I'm a trainer, coach and author specialising in one to one skills. I understand that busy people want accessible, practical information. They rarely have time or inclination to read complicated tomes, which is why my books are packed with instantly usable techniques and tips. I also coach other professionals to help them turn their ideas into a book. As well as looking after Careertrain I have Spring Development,which offers training and development to organisations and individuals that want to flourish and get the best out of their working lives. I recently moved to Banbury in Oxfordshire, UK after many years in The Fens, working in and around Cambridgeshire. Outside of work, I enjoy looking after my newly inherited amazingly beautiful garden, exploring The Cotswolds, and seeking out live music, arts and crafts.

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      Book preview

      The Job Interview Toolkit - Julie Cooper

      The Job Interview Toolkit

      Exercises to get you fit for your interview

      Ann Reynolds and Julie Cooper

      Copyright Ann Reynolds and Julie Cooper 2012

      Illustrations by Becky Gilbey

      ISBN 978-0-9559680-6-8

      Published by Careertrain Publishing at Smashwords.

      This book is available in a print edition at most online retailers.

      All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or stored in an information retrieval system (other than for purposes of review) without the express permission of the publishers in writing.

      Note: The material contained in this book is set out in good faith for general guidance only and no liability can be accepted for loss or expense incurred as a result of relying in particular circumstances on statements made in this book.

      License Notes

      This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of the authors.

      Table of Contents

      Foreword

      Introducing TAPAS - the five step system

      Step 1Think Like An Employer

      Look through their eyes, step into their shoes. How does it feel? What do they need?

      STEP 2 Analyse The Job

      Break it into five or six key needs

      STEP 3 Prepare The Evidence - STAR Stories

      Show how you meet the employer’s key needs and see how to explain it clearly with examples

      STEP 4 Adjust To Fit

      Get your image right and adjust your mindset

      STEP 5 Shine Like A Star

      Put on a star performance on the day and win their hearts and minds

      What If...? FAQs and other worries

      Handling surprises, weaknesses, questions to ask them

      Review & Plan Practice Interview Questions

      Have a go, review, action plan and checklists

      Endnotes Read More About It

      Books, DVDs, websites and personal advice

      About Careertrain - Find out about our other books

      Who are Ann and Julie?

      We are career coaches, advisers and trainers who first worked together in the Cambridgeshire Adult Guidance Service. Later we each established our own consultancies, providing advice and training to people in many different situations – redundancy, unemployment or in their workplace. We came together again in 2007 to offer training and qualifications in Advice and Guidance, which led to writing two books: The One to One Toolkit and The Groupwork Toolkit, both for advisers.

      Julie came from a training background and Ann started as a careers adviser offering one-to-one support. We have both designed and run Job Interview training days as well as coaching people who have been invited to interview and are worried about their performance. Our format has helped people at many different career levels. We can include customer service advisers, warehouse staff, social workers, accountants and senior managers among them. What they learn with us has boosted their confidence and shown them how to prepare. They report that their performance was far better than before and often that they get the job.

      Our format is based on a simple system we now call TAPAS. We want to share this with you, so that in your interview you will be the best you can be, let the real you shine out, impress the interviewers and get that job.

      Thanks

      Of the many people who have helped us along the way, we may not have been writing this book without the help of two in particular. Sue Claydon has been a leader in the Cambridgeshire adult guidance through many changes and not only gave both of us a job but encouraged us to develop our skills and new ways of working. Belinda Coaten, trainer, career coach and image consultant, joined forces with Ann over many years to work with people facing redundancy, introducing her to STAR Stories and the importance of image, as well as excellence in training skills. Thank you to both.

      Finally, we would like to dedicate this book to our own young people who are working hard establishing their careers: Katy, Bryony, Thomas and Vanessa. Good luck and may you continue to navigate your career paths creatively and successfully, getting as much fun from them as we have from ours.

      Foreword

      Congratulations,

      You have been invited for interview!

      You must have written a good application form or sent a well worded letter or email with a clear, concise CV. Maybe you have avoided doing too much work so far – perhaps an agency or a colleague has put you forward for a job they think you will do well. Whichever it is, the employer likes the sound of you and they want to meet you in person. So, you now have to face the next challenge.

      Does anyone like job interviews? Most people hate them! Our natural response is to bury our heads in the sand – every time we remember the dreaded date is getting closer, we find something else to do, to take our minds off it. Then afterwards, it is all...

      •I didn’t expect that question

      •I wish I’d told them about...

      •I just rambled on, I think they were bored

      •They completely threw me

      •I didn’t do myself justice

      •I felt so nervous

      •I dried up, I couldn’t think of anything to say

      •If only I’d thought about...

      •If only I’d prepared

      If you have picked up this book, it is because you are looking for a better way. That way is – preparation. This Toolkit has been designed to help you prepare your interview performance. It aims to give you the best possible chance of getting the job you really want.

      Do we really need another book about job interviews?

      An online search will reveal thousands of books and videos giving advice and hints about interviews. Many of these are excellent (there is a list of some of our favourites at the end) and with so many already out there, how is this one different?

      The Job Interview Toolkit is not…

      •an in-depth explanation of every different type of interview

      •a list of interview questions and perfect answers

      •a long list of do’s and don’ts

      •something to read from cover to cover

      So what is it? We call it a Toolkit because it is just that, a set of tools to help you prepare for your next job interview. The tools are practical things to do, which have been used by people at Do Better in Job Interview courses and in one-to-one coaching. Some of the tools are paper and pencil exercises. If you write down your ideas, they are more likely to stick in your mind for when you will need them – at the interview!

      The Job Interview Toolkit is based on two simple facts:

      1. The employer needs something - someone to do a job for them

      2. The employer can choose - the person they believe will do the job better than anyone else.

      Where do you fit in? You want the job. Since the employer can choose, you will have to make sure they choose you. How? You cannot make them, so you will have to persuade them.

      As any good salesperson will tell you, before you can persuade someone, you first have to understand them and their needs.

      The Job Interview Toolkit offers you TAPAS, a five-step system to help you UP your game

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