Interviews and negotiations

Top questions to ask

 What to take
• Cv x2 • Laptop
• Cover letter • Questions
• Testimonial, diplomas • Research
• Journal • Diary
• Passport, driving licence • Phone
• Pen • Water
• Advert • Mints
• Briefcase? • Business card
• Calculator • Usb key
• Good clothes • Examples of work
• Hygiene • Chocolate
• Invite and emails • Social security bank
details
• Maps directions
• Money change
 To find out about the company

• Our advice is to ask lots of open-ended

questions which would encourage the
employer to talk.
• Questions like:
– 'What is the vision for the company?'
– 'How would you describe the culture in the
business?'
 To find out about the company

• You can also find out a lot about the

company by directing questions to the
interviewer in their capacity as an
employee. For example: 'What attracted
you (the interviewer) to join the company?'
or 'How long have you been here and
what has made you stay so long?'
 To find out about the company

• Ask for more information on the company. If you

have secured financial statements, then ask for
more information about them.
• Engage the interviewer in a discussion about
them. It is important to do this even if the
position is a non-financial one. It shows that you
have keen business sense.
• Also, it shows that you're aware that the meeting
involves two parties. Similarly, ask questions on
the company's vision, mission statement, and
strategy for the coming years.
 Promotion
• In organisations with flatter structures, be
careful when asking about promotion.
• A better way to tackle this would be
– 'how can you see the role developing?'
– 'what circumstances have led you to be
recruiting?'
– 'how long do people stay in the role?'
 To find out about the role

• Find out if there are consistencies

between your ambitions and the direction
of the job by asking, for example, what
development opportunities there are in the
role.
 To find out about the company
1. I have read the job description, can you
expand on the job I will be doing?
2. What type of training is provided?
3. How do you see me in the role?
4. Do you have performance targets?
5. How will I know that I am doing well?
6. What are team members achieving?
 To impress your potential
employers
Ask questions that are focused on embodying your
enthusiasm, as well as your willingness and
ability:

1. What is the team working on at the moment?

2. Can I meet the team?
3. Can I look around?
4. What are your strategies for growth?
5. How soon do you want an employee in place?
 To impress your potential
employers
6. If there was one major achievement that you would like
to see happen within the role from the outset, what
would it be?
7. Can you describe what made the last person
successful in this role?
8. What are the immediate improvements or priorities that
need to be applied to this role?
9. What changes would you like to see in the way the job
is performed?
10. To ensure I would be able to hit the ground running
would you be able to supply any procedures, literature
or other supporting information in preparation for my
first day in the role?
 To find out how well you've
performed
• ask for feedback at the end of the interview.
– what sort of chance do I have, and so on.
• This shows that you're open-minded and mature enough
to handle any criticism and advice.
• It also shows that you're mature enough to learn.
Interviews have changed. It's now a transaction. Asking
for feedback tells the interviewer that you see yourself as
an equal party in a transaction.
• You must always close the sales process, so ask
• 'how do you see me fitting in?'
• 'what is the next step [in the recruitment process]?'
 Questions you're likely to face
• "Why do you want to work for us?"
Explain why you see the company as an attractive
employer. Financial package should never be given as a
reason, but think about things like the company culture,
training program, company structure, the ability to cross-
train into different technologies, or the company's ethic.
Obviously these need to be relevant and well-
researched.
• "Where do you see yourself in five years' time?"
Think about where you really want to be within a
company: in a lead role with a team under you; or a lead
consultant; or a director of the company. Be ambitious
but realistic and have direction in your answers.
 Questions you're likely to face
• "What are your strengths and weaknesses?"
Talk specifically about the positive things you've achieved
to illustrate your strengths rather than generalising and
make them relevant to the role you are going for. Try to
show your weaknesses in a positive light and give
examples of where you have addressed and overcome
your weaknesses.
• "Why did you apply for this job?"
The candidate should be careful not to mention a desire for
promotion or money. They should really focus on the actual
content of the job, referring to the possibility of learning,
new challenges, or the prospect of putting their previous
experience to work in a new role. They should always
provide examples with their answer, rather than just simply
stating 'I'm ready for the next step.'
 Questions you're likely to face
• "Why should we hire you?"
Many companies will ask the candidate to sell
themselves using their strengths. Prepare a list
of your strengths beforehand and think about
how they relate to the job. I would advise people
not to be modest and to only speak about their
weaknesses if they are asked directly. Of course
you should avoid being arrogant as much as
possible, but arrogance comes across in body
language more than anything else.
 Questions you're likely to face
• "What are your major achievements in terms of your
career, education and life to date?"
Achievement means different things to different people.
For example, one person's idea of achievement might
simply be the fact that they have completed their studies,
particularly if, say, they experienced a tough time going
through school. Another person's idea of achievement
might be having secured a place on a good graduate
scheme. It's not so much the actual achievement that's
important in a candidate's answer, but the way they
present it. This question always provides a good
indication of a person's level of self-awareness.
 Questions you're likely to face
• "What motivates or drives you?"
For some people this could be learning or work/life balance,
money or professional acceleration. The answer really tells the
interviewer about what makes someone tick. Not everyone
wants to be a board director, and an interviewer isn't
necessarily going to see it as a weakness if you don't. It's
important to be honest.
• "Tell me about your depth of knowledge in your subject
area?"
Most job interviews are going involve questions about your
professional knowledge. We are always interested in how a
candidate keeps up to date in their field - what magazines and
journals they read, what sort of models they are using in their
work, what their network is like, whether they go to conferences
- all of these things tell us about how a candidate keeps up their
professional knowledge.
 What recruiters expect you to
know
• Over 60% of European employers expect job
applicants to have done some research into their
company before a job interview.
• This is according to a survey from administrative
personnel agency OfficeTeam, who surveyed
780 employers across six European countries,
including the UK, on their interview practices and
expectations.
 What recruiters expect you to
know
• British employers were generally more
concerned than their continental counterparts
that interviewees do their homework on the
company. According to Office Team:
– 78% of British employers surveyed said they
considered it important for candidates to know about
the company and its services or products
– 54% appreciated knowledge of the company's
competitors
– 44% wanted candidates to have had a look at the
company's annual report. Interestingly, all three of
these figures are higher than the results for European
companies as a whole
 What recruiters expect you to
know
Accounting agency Accountemps asked 150 employers
what they thought was the most common mistake made
by candidates in job interviews. Almost half - 44% - said
that it was having "little or no knowledge" of the
company.
1. What products and services does it sell?

2. Who are its primary competitors?

3. What current industry issues or events are of interest to

the firm?

4. What are the company's mission, vision and values?

 Your personal pitch
1. You, not I
The only place where 'I' comes before 'you' should be in
the alphabet. In your cover letters and interviews it's
your 'you attitude' that counts. In other words, the needs
of your potential employer should come first. It's not
about what you need, but what you can offer them.
Compare
1. "I have just been made redundant, and am looking for
something in media sales"
2. "I believe that my five years' experience in media sales
would allow me to bring the level of expertise you seek
to help expand your business".
• What the interviewer is thinking: "What can this
person do for me?"
 Your personal pitch
2. Results over responsibilities
Too many CVs look like long shopping lists. The would-
be employer is actually more interested in what you've
achieved than what you've done.
Compare
1. "As customer service executive, I liaised with
customers, responded to queries, logged complaints,
and was involved in customer service meetings"
2. "As customer service executive I reduced query
response time from four to two days, contributing to a
15% improvement in customer satisfaction ratings".
What the interviewer is thinking: "Does this person
make a difference to their company?"
 Your personal pitch
3. Highlights over history
Resist the urge to present every little detail of your career history
to date. Give them the big picture of your career first, let them
focus you down to the detail. Interviewers know what they want
to find out.
'Can you tell me about yourself?'
1. 'I left school at 16, and then went to work at the check-out in
Safeways, which was OK, although a bit dull, so then I went
back to college and took my HND in marketing, although at the
time I would have liked to do media studies, but it was
oversubscribed, and then I..."
2. "I'm a marketing graduate, and have over 15 years' experience
in FMCG marketing across both national and more recently
European client bases."

What the interviewer is thinking: "Let's test this person to see

what they pull out as important."
 Your personal pitch
4. Expertise as well as experience
Experience is what you've done and achieved; expertise
is your skills and abilities. For many jobs, the skills you
can offer a new employer will count for as much, if not
more, than the experience you have.
Compare
1. "I have 12 years' experience as PA /executive assistant
at MD/CEO level"
2. "I am a highly organised, self-motivated senior level PA,
qualified in Pitman, type at 90wpm, and am fully
proficient in Microsoft Office, Access and Project."

What the interviewer is thinking: "Besides their

technical knowledge, what is this person good at?"
 Your personal pitch
5. Sell, don't just tell
This tip is all about angle. Great sales people sell on the
strength of a product's USPs. In the interview what makes you
stand out from the crowd. Any time they ask you a question, tell
them the answer, but incorporate into it what it means for them
as a potential employer. A good way to do this is to try to make
them picture you in the job.
Compare
1. "I have considerable experience of running a large team of
telesales people"
2. "From my experience of running a large telesales team, I can
imagine you're currently facing problem x, so what I would do in
this position would be y".

What the interviewer is thinking: "So what makes you so

special?"
Ever tried the 'elevator pitch'?
The pitch is made up of three main parts:
• Who you are
• What you do
• How you do it

The whole pitch combined should be a sound bite of

salesmanship, showing why you're so special, and
leaving them begging for more.

It's not as easy as it seems. You have to condense your

key skills, experience and achievements into a few short
phrases. Then all you have to do is find yourself alone in
the lift with an unsuspecting employer.
Playing the recruitment game
• Recruiters sift negatively
They look for reasons not to see you.

What to do:
Pick out the key skills they require from the
job ad, and give evidence of using these
skills in your CV. Use a functional CV if
your history is not in line with their
requirements.
 Should you have a Linkedin
account?
1. Make sure your profile is 100% complete and has a professional-looking photo (doesn't mean you have
to pay for it) and have a headline on your profile.

Think of your headline as your first impression when you meet someone.  

2. Your summary is also very important. In our research, we have found that it is best to:

* Explain what you do most and do best.

* Explain what type of business or work you want to do.
* Give reasons about why you'd be great to work with.
* Then give some specifics of what you can do.

If you are looking for work, keep your summary fresh on a fortnightly basis. This helps the search engines
find you.

3. Before you put your work experience on the site, you need to think: "Does this support my future
aspirations?"  

Always keep this in mind when you start writing down your skills!

4. It is important to ask for recommendations. It is best to have a slightly different number of

recommendations than people you have recommended. Otherwise, it looks like a recommendation swap.  
Playing the recruitment game
• Your CV is a sales document, not a
legal document
You don't have to put everything you've
done since birth in it.
What to do:
Pick out only the most relevant skills and
achievements and describe what you did
in your previous jobs, together with the
results.
 Playing the recruitment game
• Applying on spec is about quality, not quantity
Sending 100 letters to 100 nameless people, in 100
different companies, is not really applying on
speculation.
What to do:
Aim your CV at a prospective line manager, and not an
unnamed person in the HR department (unless you
want a job in HR). To find the right name, contact the
receptionist and ask who heads the department, or
look at the trade press. Make your approach stand out
by doing some research beforehand and including this
in your cover letter.
 Dress for success
• Image is everything
Just seven percent of the impression you
make at interview will be based on what
you say. The rest - a staggering 93% - is
down to how you behave, how you listen
and how you look.
 Dress for success
Ladies first...
• Make your fashion fit the job
Would you expect the new office junior to sport
six earrings in one ear? Or the new managing
director to turn up in trainers? A good rule of
thumb is the more conventional the industry, the
more conventional the clothes. Put paid to
padded shoulders - they'll think your skills - as
well as your style - are out of date.
 Dress for success
• Don't flash too much flesh
Skip the skimpy skirts and stockings, don't
let your cleavage catch cold, and never go
bare-legged - they'll think you couldn't be
bothered. This is one occasion when less
is not more. The more flesh you show, the
less you'll impress.
 Dress for success
• Be careful with colour
The amount of colour you wear will
depend on the industry. The more creative
the industry, the more colourful the
clothes. Colour draws attention to the face,
and can make you look more alert. For
maximum impact, create some contrast in
your outfit. For example, wear a bright
one-colour shirt under a dark two-piece
suit.
 Dress for success
• Beware black
It can be too severe and too sombre for
most industries. And black and white
together can give you that waitress look.
Opt instead for charcoal, dark brown or
olive-coloured suits.
 Dress for success
Good grooming for girls
Attention to detail is vital. Above all, avoid any distractions in
your grooming.
• Scuffed shoes
• Laddered tights
• Newly chewed nails
• Ill-fitting clothes
• Last Friday's lunch still stuck to your lapel
• Today's lunch still lodged between your teeth
• Facial hair - the unspoken (and hopefully unseen) taboo
• Overpowering perfume - stick with eau de toilette
• Junk jewellery - will that stain on your wrist ever wash off?
• Makeup - not too much or too little - the natural look is best
 Dress for success
Here comes the groomed
Attention to detail is vital.
• Chewed nails
• Scuffed shoes
• Un-ironed shirts
• Dandruff on shoulders
• Peek-a-boo nose hairs
• The anorak over the suit
• Yesterday's lunch on your lapel
• Today's lunch lodged between your teeth
• The single brow - beware of those whose eyebrows meet
• The stayed-up-too late kind of stubble - a case of men shaving
badly
• please bin the plastic bag that masquerades as a briefcase.
 Dress for success
And for the boys...
• Make your fashion fit the job
Would you expect the new office junior to sport
six earrings in one ear? Or the new managing
director to turn up in trainers? And can there
ever be a good time to turn up at the company in
combats? A good rule of thumb is the more
conventional the industry, the more conventional
the clothes. For example, the pinstripe is
practically uniform in banking. If in doubt, get the
suit out.
 Dress for success
• Be careful with colour
The amount of colour you wear should depend
on the industry. The more creative the industry,
the more colourful the gear. Create some
contrast in your outfit.
• For example, wearing a dark suit with a lighter,
coloured shirt and a woven silk tie to reflect the
light works well. Colour draws attention to the
face, and can make you look more alert.
• For maximum impact, create some contrast in
your outfit. Wear a bright one-colour shirt under
a dark two-piece suit, for example.
 Dress for success
• Be wary of black
It can be too severe and too sombre for
most industries. And black and white
together can give you that waiter look. Opt
instead for navy, charcoal, or dark brown
suits.
 Dress for success
• Be off with that beard!
Facial hair, especially beards, is not
associated with management status.
Beards also make you look older. Hair on
the top of your head is good - as long as
it's not greasy (which is the top turn-off for
women).
 Cardinal candidate sins
...Forget your place
• I've had many candidates acting in
interview as if they were doing the
employer a huge favour by attending,
which only serves to ruin any chance of
securing a position. However highly skilled
and sought after a candidate may be, it is
ultimately their job to sell themselves to an
employer.
 Cardinal candidate sins
...Forget to mute that mobile
• I've had a report from an interviewer about
a candidate who had interrupted the
interview to answer his mobile phone, at
which point he slouched back in his chair,
put his feet on the table and began tapping
away at his laptop.
 Cardinal candidate sins
...Shoot yourself in the foot
• I know of one candidate who said "I hate
being managed by women" while being
interviewed by a female manager!
 Cardinal candidate sins
..Force your research about the company
on the interviewer
• The interviewer might be impressed to
know that you have taken the trouble but
you may come across as smart. Include
what you have discovered in conversation
rather than by producing reams of paper
and charts!
 Cardinal candidate sins
...Criticise former employees or
colleagues
• It is important to keep the exchange of
information as positive as possible. You
don't want a recruiter to see any negative
baggage that you could potentially bring
with you. Also, a recruiter wouldn't want to
think you would repeat criticism about
them or their organisation!
 Cardinal candidate sins
..Talk about personal or domestic
matters unless specifically asked to
• Firstly, how relevant is this information in
convincing a recruiter that you can do the
job? Secondly, by going off the beaten
track you are in danger of boring the
recruiter, showing lack of focus and
displaying poor listening skills.
 Cardinal candidate sins
...Read from your CV or refer to notes
• You should be confident enough to
discuss and expand upon your skills and
achievements fluently without referring to
supporting information. You may,
however, need to refer to prepared
questions that you want to ask at the end
of the interview.
 Cardinal candidate sins
..Argue
• It would be very unwise to take on the
interviewer head to head, even if you felt it
was warranted. Make yourself as attractive
as possible without challenging the
interviewer in any way.
 Sins of commission
• Arriving late
• Cancelling at short notice
• Failing to prepare properly
• Failing to listen properly
• Failing to answer or ducking questions
• Quarrelling with the interviewer
• Being too emotional or too arrogant
 Let's talk money
When?
• If you introduce the subject of salary too early on
in the interview procedure, it may appear that
money is all that motivates you. Wait until the
second or third interview. That way you will know
for sure that they have a genuine interest in you
and you can negotiate from a position of
strength.
 Let's talk money
Who?
• Let the employer bring it up. It gives the wrong
impression if you walk in and say, "Hi, I'm worth
X".

• If the interview's gone well and you are about to

shake hands and walk out the door, but the
interviewer hasn't mentioned salary yet, only
then should you bring it up. It's no good
negotiating over the phone, when you can't read
each other's body language.
 Let's talk money
How?
• Know your market worth. Have a good
idea of the compensation and benefits that
people of your age and experience in your
sector generally receive.
Iain McNeil, consultant, Odgers Ray &
Berndtson
 Let's talk money
• Have a salary range in mind. You should have a bottom
line - a minimum acceptable - and a top range when you
start negotiation. Don't start with your final offer but at
the same time don't start with a ludicrous amount with a
view to negotiating down. Remember you're dealing with
a potential employer and he or she won't want to feel
you're playing games. You can also bargain with
benefits. Extra benefits such as cars, company pension,
health insurance, relocation allowance, bonuses and
travel cards can really add up. So before starting the
negotiation process, make sure you understand fully all
that is on offer, and what it is worth.
Robyn Howard, consultant, Robert Walters
 Let's talk money
• Ask for an early review. Structure a risk-sharing
deal. They're not going to want to pay you a
fortune until they get to know you. Equally, when
you've proven yourself, you will want the earliest
possible review, so factor that into your deal.
Ask for a review in six months rather than the
usual year so that your success can be
rewarded earlier.
Iain McNeil, consultant, Odgers Ray &
Berndtson
 Let's talk money
• Determine how much they need you. Knowing that you
are the only person who can do the job or that your
refusal of the role might damage the business puts you
in a very strong bargaining position. So try to ascertain
the situation behind the role before you start negotiation.
If the company is simply replacing someone who's left,
then it's highly unlikely they will shift much on salary. But
if it's a newly created position, your bargaining tool is
much stronger because they don't know exactly who
they want and how much value that person can add to
the business.
James Hobson, consultant, Diamond Resourcing
 Let's talk money
• Take your time. Remember you don't have to
give an answer there and then - ask for a few
hours or the night to think about it.
Robyn Howard, consultant, Robert Walters
• Get it in writing. You must be absolutely clear
what your deal is. Never take it on a nod and a
wink. Make sure everything is explained quite
clearly to you both verbally and in writing so that,
if things go pear-shaped for the company, you
know where you stand.
Iain McNeil, consultant, Odgers Ray &
Berndtson
 The key financials
• The key credentials
Publicly listed companies are obliged to
produce annual statements for their
shareholders. The reams of hard financial
data you'll find in these reports can be
incredibly intimidating at first glance, but
there are a few calculable figures that can
help give you a good idea of how well the
company's doing:
 The key financials
• Earnings per share (EPS) - EPS is
calculated by dividing a company's
earnings (roughly speaking, its profits after
tax) by its total number of ordinary shares.
It represents the money generated for
shareholders by the company. A company
with continually growing EPS looks good
for the future. You'll find the data you need
for the calculation in the report's profit and
loss accounts.
 The key financials
• Price/earnings ratio (P/E) - Current share
price divided by EPS. P/E is best
understood as a measure of the market's
expectations of growth in the company -
the higher the figure, the higher the
expectations.
 The key financials
• Dividends - Companies pay shareholders
dividends from their earnings - the amount
they pay per share is up to them. The
dividend cover - the EPS divided by the
dividend paid per share - tells you what
proportion of its earnings a company is
keeping for itself and how much is being
used to line the pockets of shareholders.
 The key financials
• Gearing ratio - A company's debt divided
by its equity, normally expressed as a
percentage. A large gearing ratio means a
heavy reliance on debt - not necessarily
problematic as long as the profits keep
tumbling in. But it's a bad sign in a
company that's historically volatile.
 The key financials
• Market capitalisation - A way of
measuring a company's value. It is the
total value of the company's outstanding
shares, which is obtained by multiplying its
total shares by their current market value.
 The truth is relative
When studying a company's financial
details, be sure to place them in the
appropriate industry context. Nokia has
announced a total of 1,250 job cuts this
year, for example. Not a good bet for
jobseekers, you might think, but compare
this figure to that of rival Motorola, which
has axed 39,000 jobs this year, and the
Finnish firm starts to look a whole lot
healthier.
Cold calling is just a question
of being prepared
It is not just about picking up the phone and asking for a job. The more
prepared you are, the more confident you'll be.
What to do:

• Know who you're going to ring. If possible, it's best to have written to
them beforehand with your CV, saying you will follow up at a given
time

• Set yourself not one, but up to three aims for the phone call. Why?
It's the law of probability. The person you're calling is not likely to
refuse all of your requests. Good objectives for a cold call are a
meeting, a lead and some help or advice

• Never ever ask for a job - it will make the person you are calling
defensive, less likely to open up to you and you may miss an
opportunity by being too specific. The very best approach to cold
calling is to look upon it as asking for help and advice.
 Cold callers speak
• Persistence pays
• Lessons learnt
Persistence pays - nine times out of 10 a cold
call could leave you nowhere, but you have to
keep going and not take it personally when you
have the door slammed in your face. The reality
is that jobs come that way - I have used cold
calling successfully a number of times in my
career, and it gives you the advantage of cutting
out the competition you would face if the job
were advertised.
 Cold callers speak
• Do your prep
• Lessons learnt
I think that research and preparation
are key. I found out a lot about the
company so I wasn't stumbling on the
phone. Also, if you know what you are
looking for in a specific industry, go
and find it - I would still be waiting if I
hadn't.
 Cold callers speak
• Tap into your network
• Lessons learnt
What I did well, I think, was to follow up
my first call; not only did I show that I
was quite chatty and comfortable on
the phone, I was able to have a few
conversations with the people who
were going to interview me. The other
interviewee short-listed only rang once.
 Cold callers speak
Tips for cold callers

• Do your homework before you call

Know the company well enough to be able to have an informal chat
- and to know what you could bring to the party. That way, you'll
never be at a loss for words on the phone.

• Follow up
Don't be scared to call back if you get an indifferent response, or the
wrong person, first time round. Email is a good way of maintaining
contact and visibility - without being a nuisance.
• Pick up that phone!
Remember that cold calling shows you in a proactive light, whatever
the outcome of this particular call. It's a great way to put yourself
ahead of the competition who just wait for the job ad.
 How to cold-call
Prepping the call
• Know who you're going to ring: you might get away
with 'Dear Sir' in a letter, but you have to ask for
someone, not 'sir' on the phone
• Send a formal email or letter to the appropriate
person, saying that, with their permission, you will call in
the next few days to discuss further. You now have a
reason to call up and a way of getting past the
gatekeepers. And, by giving them some information first,
you make it harder for them to tell you to go away.
Writing beforehand will also save you time in having to
explain and warm them up on the call
 How to cold-call
• Set yourself not one, but up to three, aims for the phone call.
Why? It's the law of probabilities. The person you're calling is not
likely to refuse all of your requests. Good aims for a cold call are 1)
a meeting 2) a lead 3) some help or advice
• Prep for the questions they might ask you. For example: "Tell me
about yourself."; "What are you looking for?"; "How did you get my
name?"; and "Why this company?"
• Always go to the person with direct responsibility for your area
- usually the relevant line manager. Avoid HR at all costs! HR will
match CVs only against the jobs they have. A tip for more senior
positions: target the individual two rungs up the ladder so that you
are not perceived as a threat by someone at your level
 How to cold-call
• Making the call
• To get the right person's name, trawl through
your trade press to see if there are any
interviews with people from the company you
want to target. Or look at the recruitment section
to see who's moving where. Alternatively, try a
bit of subterfuge. Ring up and ask for 'the head'
of the relevant department and, if probed, say
that it is a personal matter, or that you have
been asked to find out by your boss. Also, using
the person's first name can make switchboard
think that you know him or her
 How to cold-call
• If you can't get through to the right
person, get their name and job title, and
write to them instead, mentioning that you
rang. Avoid speaking to anyone else or
leaving voicemails
 How to cold-call
• If you do get through, don't just launch into a verbal
CV. Instead, state who you are, the reason for your call
(to seek advice) and why you are calling this person
(because they are a leader in your field; you noticed the
company was expanding in this area etc)
• The best opener is one that focuses on them, and not
you. A phrase like "I notice that you are setting up a new
IT division and was wondering if my experience at IBM
might be of interest to you." is a powerful start. Or, if you
have a good referral, "I spoke to an ex-colleague of
yours, and she suggested I call you to see if you had any
opportunities in... is now a good time?". Be yourself, get
your key message across in five to 10 seconds, then
shut up and listen.
 How to cold-call
• Show you have good knowledge of the company,
especially the division the person you're calling works in
- whether it is that their department is growing or they've
just launched a new product. This will make you sound
more credible and make them more inclined to listen to
you
• To get a conversation going, structure questions so
that they can't be answered by a simple yes or no, and
talk about something you know they have on their
professional plate - what their firm or department is
currently going through, for example
 How to cold-call
• Best way to handle your nerves? Slow down!
Remember that nearly everyone gets nervous. So if your
voice tends to tremble - and it will - practise beforehand
with a friend until you become more comfortable. Also,
when nervous, take your time, think and listen
• End the call by securing a next step: a meeting or the
name of someone else you should talk to
• The best sign-off? Clarify what has gone on, so that
you don't get off the phone in any doubt. For example,
"So if I understand you correctly, you do have vacancies
in...". Likewise, say what you are going to do next: "I'll
email my CV now, and give you a call in the next few
days if that's OK." Always try to keep in control of the
process.
 How to cold-call
• Don't...
• Don't... Ever ask for a job - it will make the
person you are calling defensive, and less likely
to open up to you. The very best approach to
cold calling is to look on it as asking for advice
• Don't... Leave a message on voice mail or
with someone else - that's the coward's kind of
cold call. You would be better off putting it in
writing
• Don't... Cold call from your mobile - it can
seem less serious or professional with all the
background noise
 How to cold-call
• Don't... End the call without a next step - getting a
meeting is not the only good result of a cold call - others
include getting the name of someone else who could be
of help, or an agreement for you to call back in a week's
or month's time, or even just more information about the
company's plans
• Don't... Refer to an obscure contact
• Don't... Lose it - people can become defensive, may
criticise you or even slam the phone down. You need to
be 100% positive and polite at all times, no matter how
the other person responds
• Don't... Forget to thank them for their time
 dossier
• Find a job advert (real)
• Write the motivation letter – the 60 second
pitch with examples
• Adapt your cv for the job advert
• Research on the chosen company
– Company - financials
– Customers
– competitors