Candidate’s Guide

You do not know how to prepare yourself for the job interview? Maybe you wonder what Assessment Centre is?

Below are the answers to questions frequently asked in relation to recruitment process.

How does a standard job interview look like?

In practice, there is no such thing as a standard job interview. Every job interview differs from the other. Much depends on the consultant, who runs the recruitment project, but also on a specific nature of a job and time of recruitment. Today, the first stage of recruitment is often realised in the form of a telephone interview, Assessment Centre session, analytical and language test combined with a job interview, and also conversation via Skype (if a Candidate and an Employer reside in different countries). There is a number of ways to know the Candidate, his or her experience, competencies and expectations. The interview is also a great opportunity for a Candidate to ask a few questions at the end.

How should I prepare for the job interview?

If you were invited to participate in a job interview, it means you belong to a group of the lucky people in whom your prospective employee is interested. You may wonder how to impress your future employer? Well… first of all, prepare yourself for the interview! Apparently, the first 7–11 seconds are crucial, but we believe that the remaining part of the job interview matters as well! Here are some tips we have for you:
  • Check what the company you are applying to deals with and which services it provides. Try to learn as much as possible, and the knowledge is bound to pay off.
  • During the interview, try to prove why you are suitable for the job.
  • Show us that you are aware of your strengths and that you know areas you need to work on to be able to develop on the job.

How long am I going to wait for the reply?

Every application is extremely valuable for us. However, we are not in a position to promise that we will contact each Candidate. If you have experience, education and qualifications suitable for a post you are applying to, we are certainly going to contact you. Nevertheless, we cannot accurately specify when, so we kindly ask for your patience.

Do social media help in finding a job?

Nowadays, social media play an important role not only in our private lives, but they also have a substantial bearing on our professional careers. Among social networking platforms there are those, whose main objective is to enhance recruitment. Each day, the majority of head-hunters uses them in their work to search for the best candidates. Therefore, it is advisable to create account on:

  • Linkedin
  • GoldenLine

You may easily upload a brief version of your CV, adding education, professional experience, qualifications and foreign language proficiency.

You cannot forget about the social networking platforms we use for private purposes (Facebook, Instagram etc.), which are accessible to recruiters. It is worth securing your privacy or uploading only publishable data. You never know when your follower is a head-hunter. 🙂

How to write a good CV?

 

Certainly, there is no ultimate ‘formula’ for a successful CV. However, there are some principles you can follow, which are bound to make your CV appealing to a recruiter. Below are the vital ones:

  • Personal data – make sure that the CV contains your current telephone number and e-mail address. It is advisable that your e-mail address would not make a recruiter burst into laughter J
  • Photo – a good portrait photograph would be best. It definitely cannot be a holiday or party selfie!
  • Education – use the principle of chronology (current ones on top). In addition, provide dates of beginning and completing stages of your education, faculties etc.
  • Professional experience – recruiter is most interested in your recent positions. Try to describe briefly your responsibilities and their scope. Do not forget to indicate accurate dates (e.g. July 2015-June2016). This will save a consultant some time.
  • Foreign languages – you need to define the level of your language skills, and Common European Framework is a best way to do it. Today, in the majority of recruitment projects conducted by us, there is a specific language proficiency required, so it is a pivotal aspect of your CV.
  • Skills and qualifications – if you have any additional skills, which your prospective employer would find interesting, you need to mention them in your CV. They should be relevant to your new job, though. It does not make sense to enumerate qualities such as diligence, hard work and motivation, as they will not make you stand out from among other candidates.
  • Visual aspect – most of all, a CV should be clear, have A4 format and legible font. More and more frequently, we receive more creative resumes, created in Power Point, in the form of a dedicated website. According to TEST’s experts, such form will be suitable for positions related to arts, mass media and advertising. When you apply for a more regular job, e.g. as an office worker in the accounting department, keep the standard CV form.
  • File format – best file format for a CV is PDF. By sending us your CV as a PDF file, you may be sure that once a recruiter opens it, it will look exactly the same as you intended.
  • Before sending your CV do a spellcheck – remember, a CV is your business card 🙂

How to properly define my salary expectations?

During every job interview, a recruiter or employer asks candidates about their salary expectations. Although the prospective employee is sure that such question will come up, he or she becomes stressed out and is not sure how to answer it. Note that this is an element of business negotiations and hence everyone should be prepared for it. Even before commencing a recruitment process, every employer specifies their budget for a given position. It is advisable that every job interview participant did the same by answering the following questions:
  • What is my minimum expected salary?
  • How much a person performing this job earns?
  • May I count on additional benefits from the employer?

An average salary of people performing similar positions may be checked for example in the largest Polish Salary Survey: www.RaportPlacowy.pl, which is updated every six months and contains data delivered by over 500 companies from all over Poland.

Once you specified your financial expectations, remember not to justify it. Trying to explain your financial expectations is one of the worst things you can do during a job interview. It shows that you are not utterly convinced about how much you are worth. In addition, it is an opportunity for the recruiter to negotiate the “price”.

What Assesment Centre is?

Assessment Centre (AC) is an increasingly popular method used during recruitment process. It is used when recruiting for managerial and specialist positions, and also in the case of internship. The majority of large companies decide to use this method in order to know their candidates better and minimise the risk of making a mistake when selecting candidates. AC is a tool which ensures comprehensive assessment of candidate’s competencies crucial for a given position, e.g.:

  • Leadership
  • Problem solving
  • Comunnicativeness
  • Teamwork

Based on the prepared competencies, assessors create sets of tasks to be solved by the candidates during the sessions. Most frequently, they use:

  • Simulations/ Roleplay
  • Group tasks
  • Presentation
  • Case study
  • In-Basket tasks

How to prepare yourself for Assessment Centre?

Come to the AC session with a positive attitude, be well-rested and full of energy. During the session, the Candidate should be natural and approach each task in this way. Before the session, you are advised to learn some information about the company you are applying to, wear suitable attire and approach the entire process open-mindedly. In the end, Assessment Centre is not only a method of recruitment but also a perfect way to know yourself and your skills better.