Is it possible to get a job in 7 days? Day 3 to 5 – “Project Easy Money”

Last time, in the challenge to get a job in a week, we heard that Jim had put together his CV overnight and that I was hoping he had made a horrendous mistake in his CV in his rush to get it done. Only so that I wouldn’t lose the bet you understand.

It was already day 3. That meant, according the schedule scribbled down in the pub a few days before, he should have been attending interviews today. This gave me hope. I had no doubt, that following his show of lack of will power over the weekend, he would be putting in some hard fought time watching the Lord of the Rings trilogy. “You have new mail”…….it was from Jim.

“I thought I owed it to you to have an update;

With my first two interviews in years falling on the same day I knew that today was going to be tough! Yes that’s right, two interviews. The first interview, at 10, was with a small aid agency and the second, at 3, with a better known, larger cancer charity.

As you know, my ability to either lie or step up my game to anything approaching professionalism is arguable. Consequently, any interview that isn't a general chit chat about love, life and the world is bound to scupper me. Roll on 10 a.m., and thankfully they ask a lot of common sense questions (who knew I had common sense?) about what I'd do in this or that given situation. The two people I interviewed with were only a little older than me and so it was pretty easy to get on with them. One hour later, and having confirmed that the job was in zone 1 and paid a decent wage, I left feeling pretty good.

Owing to my confidence with interview 1, and having been able to refine my interview technique, I was able to trot out pretty much the same stuff but in a more condensed manner in interview 2. Fortunately there were 3 people interviewing me so I could say a lot of things and make out like I was still answering the same question. Another good interview – but option 1 seemed to be the one for me.”

He claimed that he would crack on with some more applications, but I wasn’t so sure. I had seen this cocky tone before. This was only confirmed when he called later on to apologies for the likelihood of him taking our money. He did however admit that I was still in the running, though he claims he was Red Rum and I was a three legged arthritic pony. Still – I was sure that was just him being cocky.

Apparently not!

End of Day 4 and the first job offer was in. From the very first interview! Perhaps he was lying? Perhaps I was stuck in a horrible dream. He showed me the offer letter. I put on a brave face; “You still have to get hold of the contract, review it and get it signed and back to them. The system and process will mean you won’t be able to work on Monday”. Jim replied, “Not if turn up at the office, request they print it off and sign it there and then. If you want things to happen, you need to go and get it done”. I think I hated him. He was just sitting there grinning. It was inevitable. I could see in his eyes that he was going to wrap this one up. Not even taking up the required time. I was going to have to pay him - He didn't even need 5 days to get the job.

He sat back, had a drink of chocolate milk and said. “I wonder if I can get a pay rise”.

Do video CVs really work?

So i've been reading a lot about video CVs being the next big thing. I'm not sure this is true. Or certainly, i don't think it will be true for the English audiences for a very long time to come.

Maybe it's down to the Great British personality but being natural and comfortable talking to camera is a strange and difficult experience for most. Start talking about your strengths and all the good interview speak normally saved for 1-2-1 sessions with the interviewer and things will probably get harder. Talking to an interviewer in the flesh is more natural and candidates will be able to get themselves across better.

So, will a video CV help you get an interview? No - not least because most recruiters are not ready to receive and view video CVs. A classic example of it not working is here.

Will the Great British public be producing their own video CVs? You tell me.
Do you have a video CV?
What has the reaction been?
Has it helped you get an interview / job offer?

Part 2 - Top 10 Job Hunting Mistakes to Avoid

Last time, in our series on the Top 10 Job Hunting Mistakes to Avoid we discussed the importance of understanding the personality of the interviewer and making sure you respond during the interview using the appropriate language, familiarity and personality.

The second Job hunting mistake we should all avoid making is No.2. Not Keeping track of your accomplishments. I bet most of you will have had to work late trying to write your annual performance review. Scratching your head trying to think of what you did in Q2 last year is always difficult. Similar, if you've just been approached about a very interesting career opportunity and need to quickly turn your CV around you can save yourself valuable time simply by having a reminder of what you've worked on over the last year.

There is no 'right' way to do this. The key is coming up with a system that requires very little effort on your part to record your accomplishments in a safe place.

My preference was to use Outlook and create a 'Performance Review' folder where I'd keep emails reminding me of all my achievements including stakeholder sign-off emails, positive feedback about work I'd lead, and significant documents could all be found quickly in one place.

Having an organised filing system can help job your memory too. One tip is to have a folder for each year in your Documents folder and group all your work for each project in a new folder.

Every time you start a new role, whether it be with the same company or a new one, you should try and make a note to update your CV. This may be asking a lot as we all lead busy lives, and the last thing most people want to do after researching, applying and interviewing for their new job is to re-visit their CV again! At the very least, do yourself a favour and keep your folders, files and emails organised and grouped so you can quickly refresh your memory about all those accomplishments as you need to.

What's next in the Top 10 series?

1. Not understanding the character of your interviewer
2. Not keeping track of your accomplishments
3. Leaving on a bad note
4. Not networking
5. Only using the Internet for research
6. Writing a generic cover letter
7. Not targeting your CVto the position
8. Not paying attention/ being empathetic in an interview
9. Not being prepared
10. Not coming across well on the telephone interview

No.3. Leaving on a bad note; why you should never be tempted to have the last word!

Oliver