By Polina Montano, Co-Founder of JOB TODAY
With the new year coming up, lots of us will be looking for a fresh start and for many, that means a new job.
Casual jobs are becoming more and more popular with our latest research showing 25 per cent of women in UK are working in retail and hospitality jobs. So, with lots of competition for young Brits, where do we start?
I am an atypical tech cofounder – before starting the app JOB TODAY, I was working in a rather traditional industry of retail, and I always thought of myself as a bit of a technophobe. I started and successfully grew multiple retail businesses, including fashion retail and petrol station retail – some might call that being a serial entrepreneur! My dream of making it possible to find staff in 24 hours took root from my first-hand experience of dealing with a very common challenge for any business owner – hiring staff on short notice. I was determined to make it happen regardless of my non-tech background! So, let’s focus on creating opportunities – if I can find a job, you can too! With a few of my simple interview tips, I can guarantee you will beat the competition and get the job of your dreams in 2019.
Practice makes perfect
Preparation for an interview is key. Do your research and make sure you know all about the company. Ask a friend to give you a mock interview or stand in front of the mirror and practice on your own! The more interview experience you get, the better you’ll perform, so download the JOB TODAY app and get the ball rolling!
Interview tips
Now you are in your interview, it’s important to make a great impression! Here are my top interview tips:
- Eat before your interview – You may feel too nervous to eat but you don’t want to be answering questions with a rumbling stomach!
- Put that phone on silent! – Let nothing come between you and your interview – put your phone on silent.
- “What can you tell me about yourself”? – Employers love this question. This is your chance to shine! Start by discussing where you’re studying or where you’ve graduated from. Don’t worry if you haven’t studied – let the interviewer know you’re extremely motivated to learn. It’s also great to draw on your personal experience. Tell the interviewer how you assembled your new flat pack bed by yourself using your problem-solving skills or how you helped a friend cater a dinner party using your organisation skills. Each and every piece of experience you have will help you ace your job interview!
What questions should I ask?
Confidence is key when attending your interview and asking the right questions can set you up for the perfect job. Here are some of my favourite questions that will make you stand out from the rest!
- “Can you tell me about the team I’ll be working with?” It’s great to show you are a team player and to take an interest in the people you could potentially be working with.
- “What have you personally enjoyed most about working here?” There often seems to be an impersonal wall between interviewer and interviewee so asking this can act as an icebreaker to knock down those barriers and forge a deeper human connection with your prospective colleague. Furthermore, asking this question gives you an insight into highlights of the job which you might not have been aware of.
If you are looking for a job right now, we can help. JOB TODAY perfectly meets the demands of job seekers in being mobile first, and we’ve even got a built-in chat feature on the app so you can speak to employers directly, and secure jobs quicker.
