Interview For International Jobs: Complete Guide For Entry Level Candidates

March 15, 2021 resa Leave a comment

Congratulations, you have been invited to an interview, I know you might be thinking, ‘why the congratulations, i don’t have the job yet’, well that is because not many people made it to this stage, being called to an interview means that you were able to convince the employer on paper (Resume and Cover letter) that you are capable of handling the open graduate position well and seem to be what they are looking for. The company wants to get to know you more and determine if you are a great fit for the position, this is why they invited you for an interview. For most international graduate jobs, there are usually four stages/types of interviews before they select the final successful candidates, these are:

Phone Interview

Video Interview

Face-to-Face Interview

Assessment Centres Interview

Find out what types of interviews you might be having from the company if possible because different companies use different methods. At any stage of the interview, these general tips and tricks will definitely make you a winner!

1. Do your research.

Go to the company’s website, usually the ‘about us’ page of the website (this page can be called other names like ‘who we are, ‘what we do’ etc.) contain a lot of information about the company and what they do. Some companies also have a news page on their website, it is important to read that too. Get to know the company’s competitors and some information about them. Check their social media pages as well, read about the current news and business of the company and their competitors on well-known and trusted websites. Another way to find out about the company and what it means to work there is to speak with former graduate employees of the company, this can be at job fairs and some companies have a page on their website where former graduate employees share their experiences, tips and tricks. All these research should focus mainly on the aspect of the company related to the position you are applying for, for example, if you are seeking a position in finance, find out more about the financial aspect of the company, you should also research other aspect of the company for general information but your main interest should be in the aspect related to the position you are applying for.

2. Look inwards.

Think about your volunteer works, internships, student jobs, hobbies, graduate jobs etc. Think about the skills you gained from your experiences, try to match it to the skills the company want the successful candidates to possess as stated in the job description. Most or all of the candidates invited for the interview already possess the basic requirements needed by the company as stated in the job description, you have to stand out to increase your chances of being selected for the job, for example, if the company is looking for people with great leadership skill, you can give example from when you were the head of the student representatives, maybe other candidates have leadership experience too, to stand out you can also talk about any positive impact you made in the lives of the student and the school or how you mentored students and motivated them or how you help solve a challenge your university faced, this will not only present you as someone with great leadership potential but also one who is proactive and have problem-solving skills. Also, think about the company, what attracted you to them in the first place, make a list of these and relate it to the position you are applying for, for example, if you are interested in a position in research, from your findings about the company, think about what the company have achieved in research, its victories, challenges and where your skills come into play in helping the company reach their goals.

3. Practice.

Now you have found out a lot of information about the company, you have matched your skills to the needs of the company and the position. The next stage is to practice, they say ‘practice makes perfect’, that’s right. You can practice with a friend, in front of a mirror, you can record yourself answering questions, if your university has a career centre, you can do a mock interview with your career counselor, find out what works best for you and use it. From the job description and skills expected from the candidates by the company, try to predict question that might be asked during the interview and practice your answers, for example, if the company wants graduates who are great team players, you can expect questions like ‘tell me a time when you worked with someone different from you, how did you handle it?’ or ‘tell me about a team project you were part of, what was your contribution and how did it go?’

4. Be confident.

It is natural to be nervous or anxious but not controlling it can ruin your chances, employers like candidates who are confident, I said confident not cocky, be humble yet professional. During the interview. Be yourself, or rather be your professional self, do not try to be fake, they will notice, relax but do not be casual. Let your personality shine through, you are a star!

Final Advice

Dress professionally in a way that is appropriate for the position you are interviewing for. Be neat and presentable. Avoid very loud colours in clothing, accessories and too much makeup (for the ladies).
Rest well a night before the interview, your brain needs it to perform well the next day.
Be early to the interview, do not be late.
Bring copies of your resume, cover letter and any other documents which you would like to show the interviewer to increase your chances of being selected for the job, for example, a positive note written about you by your supervisor during internship on how good you work.
Go through your resume and cover letter one more time before the interview and prepare to answer questions about your resume or cover letter.
If a question is not clear, you can politely ask the interviewer(s) to repeat or rephrase the question.
Do not speak bad about a past employer or colleague.
Stay away from any form of distractions during the interview, for example, switch your phone off before video interview, face-to-face interviews and assessment centres, charge your phone before phone interview to avoid low battery.
Act professional as long as you are within the vicinity of the company, they might be watching your moves and use it to assess you.
When asked a question, you can pause shortly to gather your answers before answering. But do not pause for too long.
Create intelligent questions to ask the interviewer about the company and the position, this shows you are really interested in the job and position, if your questions have already been answered by the interviewer before or during the interview, make it known to them when you are asked if you have any questions, for example, you can say ‘I wanted to ask about XXX but you already made it clear to me before the interview when you said ABC’. Avoid asking questions about salary and vacations.

Photo credit: LinkedIn Sales Navigator(Unsplash)

guide - career

Cover Letters: How To Write Them Like A Pro

March 15, 2021 resa Leave a comment

Writing a cover letter can be a daunting task for new graduates seeking entry level positions, most graduates think ”I don’t have any job experience yet, I graduated less than a year ago” or ”I will be graduating in a few months’ time, where do I start from?” . Cover letters are a great tool to sell yourself to your potential employer or recruiter, BUT it can make or mar your graduate job application. As a new graduate or an about-to-graduate, you probably do not have any job experience related to the graduate position you are applying for, but DO NOT WORRY, the employer knows, except it was explicitly stated in the job description that you need to have prior related work experience, then you do not need to worry (Note: Before starting your job application, make sure you have properly read the job description and make sure you meet the requirements before you apply).

Before you start writing your cover letter, look up the company, check their website, find out what their mission and vision is, go to the ‘about us’ page of the website, if there is a news page on the website check out what they have been up to recently that relates to the position you are applying for, these will help you understand the company, what they want and where you fit in, thereby helping you craft a cover letter that will land you an interview. Also, some companies have a section where former graduate/entry level employee give tips and advice to applicants, this is also very good place to check.

Tip: Always provide a cover letter as part of your job application except it was stated that you should not provide one.

Here are the parts of the cover letter:

1. First Paragraph: Opening.

In this paragraph, you should indicate your interest in the position and where you saw the position advertised, for example, ”I am interested in the XXX (the position) which I saw advertised on your website”, you can also include why you are applying for the graduate position.

2. Second Paragraph: Why You?

Think about your student internships, voluntary works, educational qualifications, student jobs etc, how do they prepare you for this graduate position, match the skills gained from these activities above to skills needed by the company (as stated in the job description and/or as written on their website about what they expect of their employees), for example, if the job description states that they want someone with problem solving skills, you can write in the letter that you have problem solving skills followed by an example of when you took initiative and solved a problem maybe at school, during a voluntary project, at your place of internship etc. In this paragraph, you should try to convince them why they should invite you for an interview or should I say why you are the perfect candidate for the graduate position, why should they consider you, what makes you valuable to them, what makes you special, what makes you an asset to the company. Let the tone of your letter be professional and confident but not boastful.

3. Third Paragragh: Why Them?

In this paragraph, you should talk about why you want to work for the company and why you chose that particular graduate position. On why you want to work for the company, write about things that makes the company unique, different from similar companies, avoid general reasons like ”your company is amazing”, check out the company’s website, you will find some facts and news that makes the company stand out. Giving this unique reasons will show your potential employer that you have done some research on their company, it shows you are very serious and interested in the company, this puts you ahead. Let the company know you believe in their mission and vision, you can give an example from their current projects and how you have done something similar or related in the past, for example, if the company is interested in green energy, you can give example from a green energy project you took part as a voluntary worker, internships etc. as a student. Always make sure you align your skills, qualification and experiences with the values of the company and graduate position.

4. Last Paragraph: Closing.

In the closing paragraph, reassure them that you are capable of handling the position, if given the chance. If the position requires you to travel a lot or relocate, tell them you are wiling to do so. State that you are looking forward to hearing from them and willing to provide any further information they need. If the letter was addressed to a named contact, end with ‘Yours sincerely’, If it is addressed to no one in particular, like ‘To Whom It May Concern’ or ‘Dear Hiring Manager’, end with ‘Yours faithfully’.

Note: In the second paragraph, you can start with ‘why them’, not necessary you have to start with ‘why you’, in this case, the third paragraph will be ‘why you’. Start with what you feel more comfortable with.

Final Advice

The cover letter usually accompany the CV which already contains your contact information, you can also provide your contact information on the cover letter, it should be located at the top before the body of the letter.
Keep cover letter to one page. Make it professional and concise.
Use keywords: Looking at the job description, there are some skills and experience the company lists that the want the desired candidate to have, For example: excellent communication skills, team worker, problem solving skills etc. include some of these keywords in the cover letter followed by example of how you gained them and/or use them.
Let the main focus of your cover letter be about how you will be an asset to the company, this is what they are looking for, an asset.
If you are sending your cover letter via email or the company’s application tool, name your file in a correct manner, for example, use ‘youthexpat coverletter’ instead of ‘sexybecky cover letter’. Just use filename that presents you as a serious and professional person. Also if sending via email, use a good email subject and write a brief message, stating the position you are applying for, a reference number if available and your full name, indicate that you attached the cover letter and any other required documents to the email.
Salutation: If the company provides a name of the person you should send the cover letter to, use the name of the person in the salutation, get the titles [Mr., Ms., Dr. etc.] right. for example, ‘Dear Mr. Jon Mac’. But if there is no one to address it to (sometimes the company does not want you to address it to anyone in particular), you can use ‘Dear Hiring Manager’ or ‘To Whom It May Concern’.
Do not repeat your CV, but you can explain some parts of the CV that might not immediately seem clear to the recruiter or that need more explanation, if need be.
Do not write a generalized cover letter for all the companies and positions you are applying to. Let each cover letter be unique and be specific for a given position.
Make sure your cover letter is free from error, read through a couple of times, you can get trusted friends and family to check it for you too or even your career counselor.
When proofreading your cover letter, check for your use of ”I”, for example, ”i am”, ”I have” etc. Avoid using it too much, rephrase sentences with the word to reduce the number of usage.
Companies have rules on how the cover letter should look like or how to send the cover letter and other application documents on their website or job poster, if that is the case, follow their instructions.