Career Advice

  The CV is your opportunity to gain a competitive edge over other applicants:

• It should contain industry buzz words that highlight expertise in your profession.
• Emphasise accomplishments, specifics and career highlights over responsibilities.
• A career objective should include preferred industry, organisation and role.

Plan ahead of every interview to deliver that competitive edge:

• All interviewers measure body language, pace and tone of voice for feedback. You need to come across as confident, composed and enthusiastic.
• A genuine smile, eye contact and handshake will set a positive tone for the meeting.
• You need to listen attentively, to pause and question for clarification when unsure.

For competency interviews you should explain the situation, the action and the result – answer in a story like format. Check out the following example:

‘My client was due to award a 3 year contract valued at €100k per annum within the next few days. My meeting with the Procurement Manager indicated concerns with logistics and our customer service. (Situation). My Manager and I met with the Procurement Manager to allay any remaining concerns. Next we brought her out for lunch with two long term customers. (Action). The end result is we secured that contract against stiff competition and managed to negotiate further contracts valued at €150k over the next twelve months’. (Result).

The following are the most common type of questions asked:

• "Give an example of when you had to overcome strong resistance from a customer."
• "Tell me how you developed your largest account."
• "Describe a recent situation where you negotiated terms with a tough customer."
• "Tell me about successful formal presentation you made recently."
• "What do you enjoy and what do you dislike about Marketing?"
• "How much time do you spend directly with a customer on an average day?"

‘Mark completely revitalised my CV and turned what I thought was a good one into an outstanding one. The results are really incredible. His interview coaching is second to none and I would STRONGLY advise ANYONE looking for work or preparing for an interview to contact him immediately. His many inciteful tips are of huge benefit and while they will certainly impress a prospective employer, they will also give you a confidence boost to succeed’.

'I applied for a Sales Manager position and succeeded in getting a pre screening interview. It was made clear to me prior to interview that the role was highly sought after and as things stood I lacked the requisite academic qualifications and experience to advance. I was not deterred and sought the services of ProStaff. It was said to me afterwards that the transformation in my performance was remarkable. I left the First Interview as the favourite candidate and in Stage Two I was able to raise the bar to a level, more qualified candidates could not meet. I am now in my dream role thanks in large part to Mark.' 

At ProStaff, we offer CV Writing & Interview Skills services for experienced candidates. To discuss your specific case, please email info@prostaff.ie