Although recruitment agencies represent you, their clients are the prospective employers who pay fees to the agencies to find qualified workers. Recruitment agencies stake their reputations on the candidates that they provide to companies, meaning that top firms are selective about whom they choose to represent.

An interview with a recruitment agency is your opportunity to prove that you are a top candidate in your field. Keeping some simple tips in mind will help you have the best interview possible.

Review your CV

Even if your CV is up to date, read over it prior to your interview. Look for errors in spelling, grammar and formatting that could make you seem less professional to recruiters.

Dress Appropriately

The appointment with a recruiting agency is just like a job interview, so choose the same style of clothing you would for meeting with an employer. Steer clear of jeans, tank tops, flip-flops and other apparel and accessories that are inappropriate for business attire.

Interview Practice

Enlist the help of a friend or family member to prepare for your interview. Role-playing a mock interview allows you to formulate answers for common questions and feel more relaxed when meeting with recruiters. Better still, take advantage of Gateway’s unqiue interview offering.

Prepare yourself for Criticism

Some recruiters will evaluate your CV during your interview. Go into the meeting expecting some constructive feeback. Be receptive to suggestions and avoid becoming defensive or making excuses, even if you disagree with some of their opinions.

Gateway Career Management can help you to succeed with recruitment agencies. Contact us for more details.

There are ways to increase your chances of an interview, even if you lack actual experience with the industry you are applying to. Things like education and certifications can help a would-be employer see you in a more favorable light.

Highlight Your Training and Skills

Use the education portion of your CV to highlight the training you have undertaken to qualify for the position.  You may qualify for the position if you hold the right training and certifications, even if you lack prior experience.

Review your current CV and look at the experience you do have. Think of ways you can point out the relevance of that past experience on your CV. For instance if you are seeking a management position but have only front-line customer service experience you could point out that you worked closely with the management team to develop and streamline their processes.

Also look for skills outside of work that also apply to the position you’re applying for. For example, organizing sports team outings and fund-raising shows event organization skills.

For help identifying those elusive skills and then highlighting them in the right way on your CV, contact Gateway for help today.

Seeking a change in your employment situation can be a smart move, especially if the industry you are in is experiencing a period of decline. But changing industries is not always as easy as it sounds. In fact, seeking a job in an industry other than the one where you have been employed is much like landing your first job. Employers are looking for workers with experience in their industry, but you cannot get that experience unless you first get a job in the industry.

Focus on Your Skills

Create a skills section on your resume and use that section to list any certifications you hold, and any systems you have worked on, either in school or on the job. This can give the hiring manager a comfort level and prove that you have the experience needed to the do the job, even if you are coming from an entirely different industry.

Get the Attention of the Hiring Manager

Use your cover letter to further highlight your relevant training and experience. You can, for instance, highlight the fact that you have achieved a Microsoft Certified System Engineer (MCSE) certification when you are seeking a computer industry job. Even though you lack experience, that MCSE certification proves that you have a certain knowledge level concerning software and computer programs.

By using these strategies to highlight the experience you do have, you can make it through the screening process and get your resume in front of the decision makers in the company.

For help tailoring your CV to a new industry, contact an experienced Gateway Career Consultant.

Do You Need Help with Interview Skills?

Interviews are a key part of the selection process, but most people don’t attend many interviews so their interview skills can let them down.

Our Gateway Career consultants are experienced at helping people like you to perform better in phone interviews and face-to-face interviews.

The Phone Interview

Phone interviews can be set at an appointed time, or the interested employer may call without advance notice. Always be prepared and keep your CV handy. Phone interviews are used by employers as a screening method for potential employees. An in-person interview follows a successful phone interview.

The Face to Face Interview

Five tips for face to face interviews:

1. Dress conservatively. The dress code at the business may be casual attire, but you are not an employee yet. Being overdressed is preferable to wearing sloppy or revealing clothing.
2. Research the company and understand their product and their business philosophy.
3. Be prepared to describe your strengths and weaknesses and what you are doing to turn the weaknesses into strengths.
4. Be prepared to describe your skills in problem solving.
5. In closing, restate your interest in the position.

The Gateway Guide to Interviews provides more information on interviews.

Interview Coaching

Interview coaching can help you to perform better at interview – especially if you haven’t had an interview for a few years.

Next time you have an interview make sure you perform better! Find out how we can help contact Gateway on 0845 45 900 35.

Big interview coming up?

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Need some interview help?

Gateway Career Management offer a personal interview assessment and coaching service.

Find out more by watching the video.