Hiring a new recruit is always a risk, no matter how sure you are about your decision. After all, there’s only so much you can realistically gauge about a person during the interview process and sadly, in the long run, you may well find that the candidate isn’t delivering or simply doesn’t click with the team.
Continue reading Eight red flags to look out for when interviewing
Congratulations! You’ve been asked back for a second interview. Your first interview obviously went well, as a result, the company are seriously considering you for the job, and you are one step closer to securing it. However, you may be feeling unsure as to how this interview will differ from the first one, and how best to prepare.
In this blog, I’d like to provide some clarity on this, by outlining the differences between the first and second interview, the purpose of the second interview, and what you can do to seal the deal.
During your first interview, you will probably have met with someone from HR, as well as your would-be boss. At the second interview stage, you will most likely be meeting someone more senior within the business, the person who will ultimately have the final say on the hiring decision.
Prior to your interview, confirm with your recruiter who will be conducting the second interview. This will allow you to research this person beforehand online, be it on LinkedIn or via the company website. In doing this, you may discover that you have shared interests or backgrounds; you will feel more at ease in the interview room, and overall, increase the likelihood of building up a rapport with your interviewer.
Don’t assume the format of your second interview will be the same as the first. You may be prepared for a one-on-one interview, only to be faced with a panel of stakeholders on the day. Check with your recruiter how many people are interviewing you and how the interview will be formatted.
If you find out that you will be interviewed by a panel, then prepare accordingly. If the prospect of selling yourself to a group of stakeholders fills you with dread, then brush up on some tips for communicating confidence and presenting to a number of people. Practice in front of a group of friends or family beforehand so the real thing doesn’t feel as daunting.
On the day of the interview, remember to interact with everyone in the room and not just those who are asking you the most questions. When answering these questions, make eye contact with everyone in the room. Remember everyone’s name and address them as such. I know impressing a panel of interviewers can seem daunting, but if you can tackle this skill now, it will serve you well as you progress further in your career, not to mention heighten your chances of securing the opportunity in front of you.
The main differences between your first and second interviews lie in the objectives of the interviewer. Think objectively about what the interviewer is trying to find out here, and how you can provide them with what they are looking for. I’ve detailed below the key information the interviewer is most likely looking to attain during the second interview.
1. Your level of interest in the role and organisation
One thing the interviewer is looking to determine from your second interview is whether you are still as interested in this opportunity having met with the company and learnt a bit more about the role. Your level of enthusiasm is directly correlated with how well you would perform if offered the role, and how long you stay with the business, so if you are still keen, make sure this comes across.
Be ready to say what you enjoyed learning about the organisation upon meeting with them in your first interview. Also, use this opportunity to voice any questions that have cropped up in your mind since you last met with the company.
2. Do you have the skills required?
During your first interview, the interviewer will ask questions about your career highlights, key skills and attributes, in order to check that they align with the key requirements for this vacancy. During this second interview, the hiring manager will be looking for more detailed evidence of these competencies, whether it’s through assessments or competency based questions like “describe a time when you showcased your x skills” or “how would you approach x situation”.
Prepare for competency based interview questions by revisiting the core requirements of the role, plus some examples of times you have showcased these skills. Now think about how you plan to implement these skills if successful in this role. You should also double check with your recruiter to see if you are required to bring physical examples of your work or prepare any presentations.
3. Are you the right “fit”?
A large part of the second interview is to establish whether you’re a good fit for the company in terms of culture and personality. Therefore, you may be given a tour of the office at this stage to be introduced to potential colleagues. You could also be asked questions surrounding your hobbies and interests, how your friends would describe you, and what type of culture you prefer to work in.
As you answer these questions, it is important that you remain authentic and honest, after all, the second interview is your chance to critically assess how good a “fit” this organisation is for you too. With this in mind, perhaps prepare some of your own questions for the end of the interview, which could help provide insight into what life at this organisation is like and how much you would enjoy working there. These questions may include “how would you describe the team?” or “what’s your favourite aspect of working at this organisation?”
4. Addressing and resolving any reservations or doubts
The interviewer may be looking to use the second interview to overcome some of their reservations from the first interview. So how can you determine what these reservations may be?
Try and recall any recurring questions that they asked multiple times but phrased in different ways. This may be reflective of a concern that they were trying to clear up. Was there anything that you struggled to answer? You can also ask the recruiter for feedback surrounding this.
What about any skills gaps or areas of the job which you aren’t fully equipped to do? Consider whether you could teach yourself this skill in advance, or commit to learning it in the near future, even if it’s in your own time. You should also outline that you are a fast learner and keen to develop yourself, and give examples of times when you have quickly upskilled yourself in the past.
Once you have an inkling of what the interviewer’s doubts may be, you can prepare to counter them in the second interview.
5. Your availability and salary
Lastly, the second interview can often be the stage during which the interviewer is looking to know your notice period and salary expectations. Have this information ready. If you are unsure of how to negotiate your salary, check out our salary guides and advice surrounding this topic.
At the end of your second interview, the interviewer should confirm the next steps but if not, you can politely ask. Remember to thank them for their time, and send a follow-up email to either the interviewer or the recruiter to pass on (depending on who you have been in direct contact with during this process) to reiterate that you enjoyed meeting with them and are still interested in the position. I go into more detail on best practices following an interview in a previous blog, which you can read here.
In understanding the purpose of the second interview, you can improve your preparation strategy, provide the hiring manager with the information they need to know about you, and ultimately, tell them exactly why they should hire you above everyone else.
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The next 12 months in emerging technology promise to be exciting. Why? Because the technology that has previously been conceptual or specific to certain sectors is about to proliferate and become mainstream. So, what jobs will arise from this, and where might they exist?
Until recently, VR was a technology typically associated with gaming. Yet we are now beginning to see the application of VR in other commercial and social pursuits.
Construction companies are now hiring VR Developers to give their clients a walk through a building before it has been built, the elderly are using headsets as a relaxation tool and Higher Education institutes are considering the application of VR to create virtual classrooms. With this boom in the use of VR in day to day life, comes an increase in the amount or Virtual Reality Developer jobs.
AI is about to become the new UI. With the rise of virtual assistants in the home such as Alexa, Siri and Google Assistant, we will begin to engage with technology in a whole new way. Will this be the beginning of the end of screens? Probably not immediately. However, it will make technology a lot more accessible to a new demographic and offer up a different way to engage existing users.
With the smart home becoming a reality and smart cities firmly on government agendas, there will be a significant opportunity to create new applications for this emerging and exponentially growing market.
Not only will we need to create the applications, we also need to develop the hardware that will provide the data for the IoT. These will range from smart cars to smart street lamps to smart bins and smart fridges and a whole world beyond.
With the explosion of the IoT and sensors becoming part of everyday life, we will be creating data at an even faster rate. However, data without insight is of no value, so you can expect to see greater demand and maturity in the world of Data Science and Advanced Analytics.
Whilst there is currently a high demand for these skills, this will exponentially grow as technology such as AI assistants will not understand every spoken word of every user, this data needs to be tagged and processed in order to facilitate effective machine learning, bringing about the need for more data analysts.
Data is everywhere and with this comes the risk of a breach. For example, wearable health tech provides huge opportunities in preventative healthcare. However, can you imagine the consequence of a data breach with someone’s personal medical information?
More personal sensitive data being captured, along with new legislation in the form of the General Data Protection Regulation, means that organisations are investing heavily to secure this data for the fear of reputational and financial consequences.
I am on the fence with this one. 2016 saw the breakthrough year in AR gaming with the launch and success of Pokémon Go. However, Google glasses didn’t capture the public’s imagination and I suspect that VR might overtake AR as the preferred platform, but I may be wrong!
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If you’re an IT contractor, you’re essentially running your own business. And, your CV is your most important piece of marketing collateral. It is a key tool to help you market, promote and showcase your unique skills and experience to recruiters and hiring managers.
The amount of time and effort you spend crafting a focused and clear CV will have a huge bearing on whether your career as an IT contractor will be a success in the long-term. So, here are a few tips to help you:
1. Your tailored CV
If you are applying for a specific role or project, you will be required to tailor your CV. Think about it – as an IT contractor, you will be hired to assist with a specific project or solve a certain problem; therefore your CV needs to be specific to the requirements laid out in the job description. It needs to assure the reader that you have the skills and experience to take on this project, hit the ground running and deliver from the outset.
So, when applying for a specific role – put yourself in the shoes of the hiring manager or recruiter when updating your CV. What specific skills are really important from their point of view? What are they looking for? What do they need to know about you? This type of thinking can help when crafting your personal statement, which will form the first impression a recruiter or hiring manager will have of you. Therefore, make sure that it succinctly summarises you and your career journey in an engaging way that really speaks to the reader.
Highlight your specific areas of skills and expertise in relation to the role and ensure these messages are consistently present throughout the rest of the CV. For more advice on how you can tailor your CV to a specific role, please read this blog.
2. Your generic CV
However, more often than not, as an IT contractor, you will likely be directly approached by your recruiter regarding specific roles, rather than applying directly. I therefore, can’t stress enough how vitally important it is that you have a strong generic version of your CV to hand at all times.
This version needs to highlight all the skills which relate to the types of jobs you are willing to consider, whilst reiterating clearly where your skills and expertise lie. In doing this, you will broaden your chances of being approached directly for a variety of suitable roles.
Regardless of whether you are tailoring your CV for a specific role, or you’re updating your generic version, below are a number of overriding principles you should follow when writing or updating your CV:
Firstly, and most importantly, in today’s competitive IT contracting market, it’s so important for you to know exactly what you can offer the market, where your specific expertise lies and how, essentially, you can bring something different to the table. Once you have a clear understanding of what it is you want to represent, ensure this message is clear in each part of your CV.
You might have been contracting for 20 years, but you don’t need to list every single job you’ve ever had on your CV. The bias should always be on your most recent roles and projects. As you will well know, things move fast in IT, and technology (and skills) can go out of date so quickly that even what you did five years ago, might be irrelevant now.
I therefore recommend you simply include the basic details of roles you had during the early stages of your career (e.g. dates, role and company is sufficient). After all, you can include more information on your LinkedIn profile or personal website. Remember, your CV also needs to be structured in chronological order – starting with your most recent role.
You know your work history. You know exactly what you did at each job and on each project, but you can’t assume that the recruiter reading your CV can deduce all those great skills you’ve developed from a couple of lines on your CV. So, if you are looking for software development roles, for example, the recruiter will want to know specifically about the programming languages, tools and frameworks you have experience with, whilst this level of detail might not be relevant for project managers, for example.
Get into the habit of updating your CV regularly. It’s best to do your updating towards the end of your current project so you’re perfectly positioned with an up-to-date CV to start applying for the next one. This will also ensure all the details are fresh in your mind and you don’t miss any vital information. If you are on a longer term contract, then update your CV every three to six months.
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Many of our clients around the world regularly employ temporary or contract staff, whether that’s on an ongoing basis or for special projects and workloads. This flexible and on-demand portion of a workforce helps organisations more effectively budget for projects, overcome workload spikes and, crucially, keep permanent employees focused on their core duties.
These are just some of the many factors behind the increasing utilisation of temporary and contract workers – and they’re not just for the big end of town.
So, if you’ve never employed a temporary or contract worker before, here’s a few tips from us.
Start by determining which specific skills, capabilities and experience you require and how long you expect to need someone.
While the length of the assignment is flexible and you can quickly release a temporary or contractor – or conversely, ask them to stay longer – an indication of the length of the assignment will help all parties plan effectively.
A recruiting expert will of course allow you to access suitable candidates who meet your specific needs. Our temporary and contract candidates are tried and tested and fully referenced. When required we also undertake any necessary pre-employment medicals and checks.
You must also consider legislative matters when hiring temporary or contracting staff. This is another situation in which engaging with a recruiting expert can really help; you’ll pay only for the hours worked, with all on costs taken care of. We also take on all legislative matters, including superannuation, payroll tax and workers compensation liabilities.
It may sound obvious, but make sure you allocate an appropriate workspace, provide the necessary logins, resources, contacts and equipment, and give a short induction so they can get to work and add value as quickly as possible.
It’s also important to make clear your expectations regarding the quantity and quality of work required. This ensures both you and your temporary or contractor understand exactly what must be delivered and are on the same page.
Finally, while most temporary assignments have a finish date, this can be extended if required. In some cases, an employer may also offer their temporary or contractor a permanent role. Flexibility is, of course, the key.
In short, there’s plenty to be gained from hiring one of the many skilled temp workers out there. Just be sure to plan accordingly using the above tips in order to make the most of this ever growing trend.
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Change is good. It’s also terrifying. From school, college and right up to your working life, starting somewhere new can be daunting, however friendly your new colleagues are and however great the opportunity. When it comes to starting a new job, I have seen the most (seemingly) confident people get thrown off by that new job anxiety, and I’m not surprised.
If you are starting a new job you are to a certain extent, taking a leap of faith. You have made a commitment to take on new tasks, work with different colleagues, all within a completely unfamiliar environment. This decision is based solely on the research you have done and the information you have been given in the interview room. There’s a lot you still don’t know about what’s to come and what to expect.
Nevertheless, letting this new job anxiety spiral out of control can have a negative impact on your “breaking in” period. It will affect your focus and will, therefore, damage your ability to concentrate properly during your inductions, introductions, as well as take in new information.
With this in mind, before you start your new job, it’s important that you anticipate what you will likely be most worried about and how you plan to overcome these fears. This will help you to stay calm and positive ahead of your first day. So which “what if” scenarios are most likely to creep up on you, and how can you approach them in a positive, practical way?
Whether it’s a long drive or a busy train line, you might be dreading that commute. It’s unfamiliar and longer than your last one – what if it wears you out? My advice here is to be positive because it will get easier once the journey is more familiar and you are in a routine. In the meantime, do what you can to make every journey as relaxing as possible.
First and foremost, be organised. Plan your commute, and maybe do a practice run during rush hour before your first day, just so you know what to expect. Leave early to ensure you don’t get stressed and flustered over any unexpected delays. Think about how you can pass the time, and even be productive; whether it’s speaking to someone you have been meaning to catch up with over the phone for a while, reading a book, or listening to a podcast. If you are organised about your journey, it will become one less thing to worry about, and you may even look forward to it.
The short answer is, use it. It is important for your own productivity that you take some time to recharge, refuel and relax.
If you haven’t brought lunch into work, ask for recommendations from your colleagues on where to get food. One of them may invite you to join them, but don’t be offended if they don’t. Some people like to have their break to themselves and it’s nothing personal. If you do go out for lunch then stretch your legs, get some fresh air and give yourself plenty of time to get back. Don’t worry about taking a lunch break despite being new. This is your time to give your brain a break from taking in all that information, whilst recharging your batteries.
Some bosses won’t give you much to do during the first few weeks, and whilst this is probably because they are trying to ease you in gently, it can result in you feeling like a spare part. As a new starter, you will naturally want to feel useful and of value right off the bat, proving that you were a worthy hire and are keen to get stuck in. However, it’s important to be patient and remember that a steady workflow will come in time.
Use this period to do the things that you won’t necessarily get time to do once you get into the role, from researching more about the business; such as reading product literature and the company website, to the more administrative tasks; such as setting up your email signature, desktop folders and google alerts.
It may also be worth your while to try and identify any small tasks and administrative jobs you could do to help out your colleagues. Just be sure to check with your boss that they are happy for you to do these. In being patient whilst showing a willingness to help out, you will strike the perfect balance between being proactive, but also not trying to run before you can walk.
During those early days, you will be bombarded with brand new information to learn; from the products and services of the business to the processes and programmes used during day-to-day office life. It may take a while to fully understand how everything works, so, if there’s something you can’t wrap your head around then just stay calm, take notes and don’t be afraid to ask questions, even if it’s something that has been explained before. Your colleagues will remember what it’s like to be new and should be patient with you.
It is also worth remembering that often when somebody theoretically explains something to you, it’s difficult to grasp how it works in practice. It may take doing a task where you have to apply this knowledge before you can fully comprehend how it works.
With this in mind, ask for a chance to apply what you have been taught in practice to see how much you understand. In asking questions and for a chance to demonstrate your understanding, you show proactivity, self-awareness and diligence. As long as you are doing this, you give yourself the best chance of grasping new concepts, but there’s no need to panic if you don’t get it straight away.
Following on from your training and induction period, you will gradually start to be given tasks to complete. Remember that nobody is expecting perfection straight away. Take your time with each task to make sure you get it right and get your boss to check over your first few pieces of work and give you feedback.
If you do make an error, don’t panic and try to conceal it. Be honest and transparent, and learn from the mistake for next time. Again, now is the time where you can afford to make mistakes, you’re new so people will be patient and understanding. In short, instead of worrying about making mistakes, think about how you plan to handle them if and when they occur.
One of the most intimidating things about starting a new job is the prospect of not fitting in with your colleagues. When you join, yes, people will have their own inside jokes, anecdotes and dynamics, but try not to feel left out. This isn’t intentional. These colleagues have simply worked together a while and this rapport has built naturally. All you can do is be friendly, make an effort with everyone and give it time.
Do your best to remember names and job titles, and if this is something you usually struggle with, sketch out the seating plan of the office with the names and job titles of the people who sit in each place. Make an effort to talk to people, and take advantage of any opportunities to socialise, even if it’s just making tea at the same time as one of your colleagues to give you the chance to strike up a conversation.
It often takes a while to feel fully part of a team, so don’t worry too much about this. All you can do is stay positive, not take anything personally and maintain a friendly and sociable demeanour.
You may have caught wind of the fact your predecessor was really good at their job. Your colleagues may be openly nostalgic about their former colleague, talking about how great they were or how much they miss them. Again, try not to take this too personally and remember that the fact that they set a high standard for this role, speaks volumes about how good you must be in order to have been offered it. You were hired on your potential. Your boss and colleagues know that it will be a while before you get up to scratch with someone who has months, maybe years of experience on you.
Whilst you should try and ascertain what they did well and how they did it, remember you will have attributes which they didn’t possess. Therefore don’t try too hard to replicate your predecessor, instead focus on which unique, differentiating qualities you can bring to the role.
In summary, letting your worries get the better of you before and during those first few weeks on the job can have a negative impact on how well you settle in. It allows for the above ‘what if’s’ and worries to take hold and affect your concentration, confidence and overall performance.
However, if you take my above advice as reassurance that you are probably being too hard on yourself, and that you simply need to stay positive, communicative and organised, I am sure you can have a successful “breaking in” period which leads on to a healthy, happy career within the role.
Reaching a leadership position at such a young age is a great accolade and one which you should be immensely proud of. You are now in a more influential position than many of your peers and are continuing to rise up the ranks within your company. Nevertheless, there will be times when you feel completely out of your depth, and that’s natural. Believe me, we’ve all been there.
You may find yourself wondering if you are well placed to weigh in on major discussions, given that you have fewer years’ experience than your counterparts. You might be afraid to ask for help or guidance, as you think this will just prove to those around you that are too young for this role. You may also question whether people will listen to you or take you seriously because of your age.
If this sounds like you, then I urge you to understand that it can, in fact, be beneficial to experience self-doubt as a young leader. After all, if this self-doubt is honed into self-awareness, the ability to acknowledge your flaws, and motivation to overcome these flaws, you will find yourself constantly growing and becoming a better leader. The trick is to tackle these doubts head on, with a problem-solving and proactive attitude. So how can you do this?
Before you do anything else, know and believe in your unique value. You must have some pretty strong skills and attributes to be appointed to a leadership position at such a young age. What were these skills, and how can you be sure to bring these to your new leadership role every day?
As a young leader, there are things you can offer which your older, more experienced counterparts cannot. For example, a recent study conducted by Harvard Business Review found that the lack of experience found in younger leaders often equates to a lack of cynicism. Therefore, younger leaders are more likely to maintain an optimistic outlook and welcome change and innovation. When you take this into consideration, the main cause of your self-doubt is actually one of the attributes which make you invaluable as a leader.
In addition, you can offer up a fresh, outside point of view. Firstly, this is because, as a young leader, you are less bound by the same long-standing unquestioned norms and inherited practices as your counterparts. Secondly, it wasn’t that long ago since you were interacting with the more junior people within your organisation. These people are typically the employees with more customer facing roles and are therefore able to offer a more customer-centric, insightful perspective. Considering your recent exposure to these people, you can channel this perspective, overcome the disconnect between junior and senior staff, and contribute some valuable insights.
Whilst you should appreciate which skills and perspectives you can add as a young leader, stay conscious of the fact that one of the great things about young leaders, is that they are typically more committed to constant improvement. As such, follow the below steps.
There may be certain gaps in your knowledge, which are getting in the way of you being fully confident in your leadership abilities. Be honest with yourself and make a plan to bridge these gaps. Don’t be scared to look to whomever you report into for support, be it in the form of some refresher training or going on a course.
It is also important that you be patient with yourself. You were put in this position on the premise of your current leadership skills but also on your potential. Therefore nobody expects you to know everything straight away. What they do expect, is for you to continuously work towards bridging these gaps, ensuring that you are constantly improving. This is something all good leaders will do, regardless of their age and experience. As my colleague Dirk outlines in one of his articles, nobody is too senior to learn something new.
In short, take control of the self-doubt surrounding your knowledge gaps, by finding practical ways to bridge them and by being patient with yourself, accepting the fact that this will take time.
Another good way to tackle your self-doubts is to find an established leader who was once in your shoes and can provide you with some guidance and reassurance for when you are doubting yourself.
Is there anyone you particularly look up to, whether it is a globally renowned business leader or somebody within your organisation? How could you learn from these people? For example, some organisations will offer mentoring programmes, whereby you can frequently have one to ones with your mentor and discuss any situations which you are struggling to navigate. Many well-known leaders will also publish LinkedIn Influencer blogs and books, sharing the struggles that they experienced during their early days as a leader, and how they overcame them.
Seek counsel from somebody who was once where you are, realise that they had the same or similar anxieties. Take advantage of the fact that they are now here to help you with your self-doubts.
Just because you are following the above steps in order to continuously grow, that doesn’t mean you should lead with any less self-belief than those around you. Yes, you are young, but that doesn’t mean the decisions you make are wrong by default. As I mentioned before, you clearly already have some strong leadership skills at your disposal, or else you wouldn’t have been appointed to your position. You can also offer a unique perspective and attitude which your counterparts may not possess.
Use this knowledge as reassurance in trusting your gut and believing in what you are saying or doing when leading others. At times, you may be wrong, you may make mistakes and people may disagree with you. Learning from these experiences is what shapes the more fully fledged leaders whom you look up to.
In sum, the key to tackling those self-doubts as a young leader is to understand that you were placed in your position based on your unique skills, insights and perspectives, but also your potential to develop whilst in the role. With this in mind, be patient, committed to self-improvement, and confident when leading others knowing that mistakes and disagreements are what will mould you into a stronger, better-established leader.
