Some companies have a very weird interview process and I have been very fortunate to experience quite a few different ways of interviewing.

A lot of companies have the ususal 2 stage / 3 stage interview process which can be quite grueling and worrying.    In my current job I had a normal 1st interview, but then had to do a presentation on my field and go into detail in regards to methods I would use etc.

The best thing to do in this situation is to remember that they wouldn’t have asked you back if they didn’t like you in the first place, so you have pretty much got the job already, but at the same time don’t be complacent because you don’t want to fall at the last hurdle.

Needless to say there are a big amount of recruitment consultants around the country who will hound you and meither you but just as quickly drop you as a candidate.

I have dealt with a lot of recruitment consultants and one thing I have learnt very quickly is that the only ones worth your time are the ones that want to meet you first before anything, I have only ever had one which came to me, and I have to say he was very polite, organised and really listened to me and what I wanted, rather than the best post he can put me in for his clients.

Everyones first day on the job is a nerve shaking one, meeting new people, worrying about getting things wrong and generally worrying about anything and everything.

There is nothing to worry about because they wouldn’t have employed you if they were unsure etc, yes you need to keep on your toes and make sure you do things properly but at the end of the day everybody knows its your first day, so stop worrying!

Try to avoid asking daft questions just because your trying to make conversation, as people will genuinely start thinking you have no idea and second thoughts may drift around.

There are many ways you can find a job, most people go to the job centre but most jobs are now on the internet as it is a much cheaper way of advertising them and you can take them off very quickly if they are filled.

I use monster because you can put your CV up there and define your CV by certain keywords e.g. sales, accounts, engineer so potential employers or recruitment consultants will find your CV if they are looking for potential candidates with your skills etc.

Every job I have had so far has been through monster because I find it very easy and all I have to do is put my CV up and the calls come rolling in,  the last time I did it I put my CV on the site at 22:15 on a sunday evening, 08:10 on that very monday morning I got a phone call from a recruitment consultant with a job spec for me which matched exactly what I had been doing for the last 2 years and the job was 10 mins away from me.      Now I work in a niche sector so the jobs were few and far between!

Once you have got your CV noticed, you are normally invited for an interview, however some companies prefer to do a telephone interview first before they meet you face to face.

one thing you should never do is panic or get nervous, obviously everyone gets a little nervous but the key is to be calm and collected, as you will be asked questions and people are looking for not only your response, but in the manner you respond too, body language can speak very loudly so try not to slouch or fidget etc.     What I do is sit up straight (don’t overdo this though, make it look natural) and if there is a table in front of you try holding one hand in the other both on the table, you will give the impression that you are open and ready to give accurate and concise answers to the questions asked, one thing which is particularly important is your articulation, pronounce your Ts softly, don’t go extreme and decide to put on a posh accent becuase that would just be daft.

Getting a job can be quite hard, but you could make it very easy for yourself if you make your CV stand out from anybody elses.      If you imagine how many CVs an employer gets once they put a job in the paper, most of them will go straight in the bin so you need to try and make sure yours is the one that catches their attention.

There is not really a right or wrong way of writing CVs, but some ways are better than others, make sure you have a structure and lay things out uin a clear and concise manner.