Skye Recruitment celebrates record interviews week!

Skye Recruitment celebrated a record week of candidate interviews this week!

Across all sectors business has increased dramatically following on from the downturn last year. Our main areas of Civil Construction, Mining, Civil Consultancy, and Oil & Gas have all reported a marked increase in recruitment activity.

This week our numbers of candidates on interview with client companies across all sectors jumped up by 87% compared against the previous average for the year.

The team at Skye attended a celebratory lunch today, before heading back to the office to arrange more interviews before the day was out!

Top 10 - What not to say in an interview

Interviews can be a stressful time, and sometimes the pressure of being in an interview situation can lead us to come out with things that don't represent us the way that we intended!

Many studies have shown that negative information more strongly affects our evaluations of a person than comparable positive information. Don't let the odd blooper undo all of your good work in an interview. Below is a list of the 10 most common interview pitfalls, and how to avoid them.

What not to say...

• What salary are you offering? Where possible avoid discussions about salary in an interview. Bringing up the $$ question can make you look less serious about the role itself and too focused on the cash rewards. You will also put yourself into a poor negotiating position, where you may have to talk money without having first established if the company wants you on board.
• How much holiday do you give? Along with questions about sick pay, Christmas bonuses, and other perks, this sort of question can again cause the interviewer to question your commitment to the role - as well as wondering if you are the type of employee who will look at what they can take from the company and not what they can give.
• Am I able to work differently from how your team currently does? While there may be genuine reasons that you need to discuss alternative working arrangements with a prospective employer, be wary of requesting special treatment/ big changes before you have had a chance to see for yourselves how things work at that company. If you show too much resistance to working in a different environment then you may look as if you are unwilling to try something new or embrace change. You may also give the impression that you will be a demanding or high-maintenance employee!
• I notice that you pay less than your competitors, but that's not a problem as I know you are a small and growing company. Researching the company before interview is good. Comparing that company less favourably to their competitors is not! Try not to put the interviewer on the defensive - they won't leave with a warm fuzzy feeling about you.
• No, I don't have any questions. It is a rare interviewer that won't give you the opportunity to ask questions - so come prepared with a list! Saying that you have nothing to ask makes you look uninterested, unprepared, and unable to think on your feet.
• Weaknesses? No, none really... Come on! This is a common question, so prepare for it. Even the perennial favourite (?) "Actually sometimes I care TOO much" is better than announcing that you are flawless.
• What are your policies on smoking breaks/ drinking at lunch? You stood there with a cigarette/ drink in hand on company time is probably not the image you want to leave the interviewer with.
• In 5 years time? I see myself in your chair. This may have been great in the 1980's, but so were dungarees and spiral perms. It is better to talk through your realistic hopes and dreams for career progression, rather than trying to impress the interviewer with your bravado and naked ambition. And if you don't know - say so! But explain why you don't know.
• My last company/ manager did everything wrong. Be very careful not to criticise your previous/ current company or boss in an interview. The interviewer may appear very sympathetic, and may even dig for this sort of inside info (especially if you work for a a competitor), but afterwards they may wonder what things you will say about them and their company if things don't go as you want with them. Keep to the facts, and balance quantifiable negatives (e.g., "There are no management positions currently") with positives ('I have spoken to my manager about this, and while they understand my situation, there is nothing they can offer me at the moment.")
• I don't know. This is okay if you follow it up with a reason for this - e.g., "I don't know why I didn't get the other job, but I have requested further clarification from the company about this, and am expecting feedback later this week. If I haven't been successful then I always prefer to know why so that I can learn from the experience." Don't overuse "I don't know". An interviewer will soon lose interest in someone who is hard to talk to.

Good luck - and happy interviewing!

Top 5 - Why job-seekers use recruitment agencies

Searching for a new job can be a daunting and frustrating experience. Very often job-seekers are not sure which companies to approach, and have to rely on advertisements placed by companies in order to know who is hiring.

The job application process doesn't get any easier once you have spotted a company you want to approach. Often ads only give generic contact details, with no name that you can follow up or acknowledgement that your application has been received or viewed by the right person.

This is where a recruitment agency can help!

Top 5 reasons job-seekers use agencies:

• Job-hunting takes time - and lots of it! Researching which companies to approach, looking through papers and websites for vacancies, and crafting letters of introduction. A recruitment agency will spend time establishing your needs, and then be able to approach ALL relevant companies and vacancies on your behalf very quickly and efficiently.
• Recruitment agencies provide advice - they help with CV writing, interviewing techniques, relocation, and a host of other areas.
• Agencies have inside info! They have relationships with all the companies in your industry sector, and can not only advise about who is hiring / who has projects in your sector, but also what a particular company or manager wants, likes, and (sometimes more importantly) hates!
• Agencies also have inside info on salary. They know what salaries that company has paid before, and how much is available for your role. They can act as a mediator for you when negotiating salaries and make sure you get the best rate possible.
• Their services are free for you!
  

Of course you need to find the RIGHT agency, and the right recruiter to suit you. Keep an eye out for agencies that specialise in your industry sector, and speak to any potential recruiters thoroughly to make sure that you have that rapport and that you're comfortable with that person representing you. A good recruiter will always be happy to answer any questions you may have about their own experience and also about the general market in your industry.

Good luck, and happy job-hunting!