1. Robert Walters Specialist Professional Recruitment
CPA Student Recruitment and Networking Event
Presented by: Leanne Nettleship and Grace Conlon
Date: 8th April 2010

2. Contents Cover letter Format of your CV
What is a covering letter
What you should include
Format of your CV
Hints and tips for writing a perfect CV
CV sections
Before sending out your CV
Interview preparation and techniques
Importance of interview preparation
How to prepare for your interview
During the interview
Types of interview questions
Differentiating yourself from the competition
Networking
Importance of networking / What is networking / Rules of good networking / Building your network / Growing industries
Goals and objectives of networking / Getting organised
Follow up

3. What is a cover letter? Opportunity to convey some basic information:
What position you're applying for
Who you are
Why you want the job
What you have to offer
Must convey the above objectives in a single page and tempt the employer with some key points from your CV
Review company website for job descriptions or search similar employees on linkedIn. Find out as much as you can about the company and highlight this in your cover letter
If applying via , you can write your cover letter in the body of an or as an attachment; if you're applying by post, include it as a printed letter
When employers take on a new member of staff they're looking for two things: 
Someone who can do the job
Someone who wants to do the job – your covering letter can help to convey your enthusiasm

4. Role you are applying for
Why you are applying
Why they
should read
on and
interview you
Show you are familiar
with their business

5. Set the scene
Relevant to
them and their
current business
situation
What you are
interested in
Offer additional
3rd party referees
able to talk about
your capabilities

6. Hints and tips for writing a perfect CV
Your CV is a tool with one purpose: to win an interview
Avoid coloured paper or type, fancy fonts, photographs or clever delivery approaches
Keep the look simple and make your points clear
Be truthful and don't be afraid to sell your skills
Use the past tense and choose strong action verbs (document inc in pack)
Avoid speaking about yourself in the third person
Avoid jargon and acronyms that other people might not understand .eg. CRO, TB, SOX
Tailor your resume for each specific application
Include the company profile of the organisations you have worked for
Make your CV results oriented: give proof to back up your capability statements

7. CV sections Personal Information Qualifications Include your name
Full address
Telephone numbers (day/evening/mobile)
address
Qualifications
List both academic and non-academic qualifications in chronological order, giving grades
Include 1st time passes, top 10, leaving cert points 450+, detail surrounding your degree thesis if it holds relevance

8. CV sections Employment History
Beginning with your most recent job, include:
Company name
Your job title
Duration of employment
Reasons for leaving
Ensure you give a brief outline of the company you worked with which will help give more relevance to the experience you’ve gained
Under each position, briefly outline your responsibilities but place the focus on what you have achieved in the role - this is where you can differentiate yourself
Do not omit any period of employment or unemployment for whatever reason, as this may prove awkward at interview

9. CV sections Personal Interests
Listing your interests is important, but do not generalise. For example, instead of simply saying 'football', you could expand and say that you have played for a local club for the last four years and are now Treasury Officer for the club
References
Include a line stating that references are available upon request
Ensure you have at least two referees that have been made aware and have confirmed they are happy to provide written and perhaps more importantly verbal references
Ensure the referees you use are from your most current work history

10. Before sending out your CV
Check and Double Check
Before submitting your CV/resume, make sure you check it thoroughly, not just for spelling and grammar mistakes, but also to make sure that it is a clear representation of you
Check that the content is relevant to the reader or business you are targeting, so that it will encourage them to contact you in order to find out more
Ask a friend to check it, too - someone who works in the industry in which you are applying would be particularly beneficial

11. Any questions?

12. Importance of interview preparation
Celtic Tiger days of 3% unemployment are gone – currently at 12%
Employers market once again – wish list
Interview preparation is often where people fall down
First impressions last forever, you only get one chance
The more time you put in to prepare, the easier the interview will be
Whilst your CV opens the door, the interview keeps it open or closes it quickly

13. How to prepare for your interview
Research
Who are you meeting? Check LinkedIn to read their profiles
Where are you meeting? Transport
Company Background – Google
Year established?
Size of business and their locations?
What do they primarily do?
Read last Annual Accounts to familiarise yourself
Press releases on company website
CV knowledge – know your CV inside out
Job description – know what’s entailed inside out and be able to give examples on each aspect
Practice psychometric testing / technical testing online beforehand
Prepare two questions to ask at the end of the interview
Thank them for their time
Express level of interest

14. How to prepare for your interview
Presentation
Suit
Directions and transportation routes – punctual
Strong handshake
Water
Folder – CV and references

15. During the interview Listen with enthusiasm Answer with enthusiasm
Have examples to highlight competencies – demonstrate your ability
Have questions ready
Department structure
Training – are there any training/development opportunities associated with the role?
3-5 year business plan
I read about your plans to ….. (up to date press release knowledge)
Body language throughout Interview
Handshake/closure

16. Types of interview questions
Competency based – demonstrate with examples of what you have done
Give me an example of when you:
Worked as part of a team
Demonstrated leadership qualities
Worked under pressure
Demonstrated your multitasking abilities
Working with clients or people outside the organisation
Demonstrated effective communication skills
Worked on a project from start to finish and you’re level of involvement/seniority
Dealt with conflict/resolved issues
For each competency based question… remember STAR to help formulate your answer:
Situation
Task
Action
Result

17. Competency based interviews
Adaptability
Tell me about a time when you changed your priorities to meet others’ expectations
Client focus
Give an example of how you provided service to a client/stakeholder beyond their expectations. How did you identify the need? How did you respond?
Communication
Give an example of a difficult or sensitive situation that required extensive communication?
Organisational awareness
Describe the culture of your organisation and give an example of how you work within this culture to achieve a goal
Problem solving and judgment
Tell me about a time when you had to identify the underlying causes to a problem
Results orientation
Tell me about a time when you set and achieved a goal
Teamwork
Tell me about a time when you worked successfully as a member of a team

18. Competency based interviews
Developing others
Tell me about a time when you coached someone to help them improve their skills or job performance. What did you do?
Innovation
Describe something you have done that was new and different for your organisation, that improved performance and/or productivity
Impact and influence
Describe a time when you went through a series of steps to influence an individual or a group on an important issue
Leadership
Tell me about a time when you had to lead a group to achieve an objective
Relationship building
Describe a situation in which you developed an effective win/win relationship with a stakeholder or client. How did you go about building the relationship?
Self management
Describe the level of stress in your job and what you do to manage it
Describe a time when you were in a high pressure situation

19. Other types of interview questions
Behavioural – scenario questions to establish behaviour patterns
Role plays
Case study
Establishing analytical / problem solving / operational / time management / supervisory experience
Technical – demonstrate level of technical ability throughout work experience
Accounting and IT
Check what systems / procedures they use and prepare examples

20. Differentiating yourself from the competition
Why do you want this job?
What do you know about the company?
Talk me through your CV?
Why are you looking to leave your current position?
What are your strengths?
What are your weaknesses?
How would your colleagues describe you at work? Outside of work?
How would your boss describe you at work? Outside of work?

21. Getting the interview = suitable for the job!!
Summary
Know your CV
Know the role and the company
Know how your experience matches the role and give examples
Always have 1-2 questions to ask – if answered – explain they were already answered
Confident hand shake – hold cold glass of water in reception
Be prepared for everything – HR related / finance related questions
Always remain professional – smile and be genuinely interested
Never discuss negative experiences with previous employers
Bring references with you and leave copies at the interview
Practice psychometric testing and technical knowledge testing online
Always set yourself apart wherever possible
Each interview is an opportunity to impress employers - suitable jobs in the future
If you are keen on the job and you get a good feeling then let the employer know
Be confident – remember, you have a skill set that an organisation needs

22. Any questions?

23. Importance of networking
Most people spend 95% of their time focussing on the 20% of jobs that are advertised
How employers hire
Internal promotion / lateral move ↓
Internal staff contacts / referrals
Networking / word of mouth
Professional organisations
Recruitment companies
Advertisements / websites

24. What is networking?
Networking is a great way to expand the world you live in
Formal networking events / continuing education classes / social gatherings
Prime opportunities to meet new people
Further relations with those you’d like to know better
Don’t just “hang out” with familiar people
Set your intentions and have a workable plan

25. Rules of good networking
Be open
Be prepared
Treat everyone as equals
Commit
Be courteous
Circulate
Remember these tips:
When the conversation lulls, move on:
“Excuse me, there’s someone I need to meet”
Tell them it was nice to meet them and move on
If you run into someone you have already met and you can’t remember their name, simply say “hello again, remind me of your name” and remind them of your name

26. Networking without cringing
TMAY (Tell Me About Yourself)
You already have a network – make a list
s, letters – must follow up
Keep records
Two way street – what is in it for them?

27. Building your network Chamber of Commerce Fellow CPA students
Ex work colleagues
Community groups
Lecturers, college groups
Sports memberships
Friends, friends of friends, neighbours
Ex clients
Ex suppliers
Everyone is in your network

28. Where to look - industries that are growing
Insurance
Reinsurance
Pharmaceutical
FMCG
Life science
Technology
Online gaming
Green economy, environmental
R&D
Shared service centres with languages

29. Goals and objectives of networking
People approach networking differently depending on what suits them best
Simple Goal
Simply introduce yourself to anyone who is standing alone and swap business cards – relaxed approach
Move on and circulate to someone else on their own
Targeted Goal
List of delegates beforehand
Identify who you want to introduce yourself to and why
Engage them by being curious about them
Swap business cards – helps you to remember names of who you talked to and where they were from

30. Getting organised Make a plan Keep a log book Contact Action Result
Paul Jones , ex colleague
Invited him to link in on 30 March 2010
Follow up on April 7th if no response
Brian Kelly, CFO of ABC
Wrote telling him how much I enjoyed his presentation at conference with pitch at end of mail
Call in 2 weeks if heard nothing

31. Follow up
Most people drop the ball here - this is the most important aspect of networking
Follow up via or post out a follow up note within a day or two of the event taking place OR
Get connected on LinkedIn and other relevant networking sites
Personalise your ‘offer to connect’ message to them – remind them where you met etc
See who else they know
Ask them to connect you to other people you’re keen to link with
Join Groups on LinkedIn – be selective

32. Any questions?