Being Interviewed Can Be Scary - BUT...

Being interviewed for anything can be scary; being interviewed for a new job (particularly if you’ve been in the same job and off the market for years) can be particularly scary – BUT...

...being interviewed can be a lot less scary if you bear in mind that you got the interview on the strength of your CV, your Application Form, and your covering letter, and that although your prospective employers might have received fifty or even hundreds of sets of paperwork they chose yours, and were interested enough in it to want to see and talk to you. You can gain a certain amount of confidence from that!

In the meantime, if you’re not getting interviews, or not doing very well with the interviews you do get, remember that constructing a good CV and performing well at interviews takes practice, and the more you practice, the more confident and skilled you are going to become – which makes recruitment agencies a very useful resource:

• Recruitment agencies interview you – which is great because not only do you get to practice being interviewed, you can also ask for feedback and get constructive help with working on your interviewing technique.


• Recruitment agencies evaluate your skills – which is great because an evaluation can reinforce your belief in yourself and your abilities, or highlight areas that need improvement.


• Recruitment agencies go through your CV with you – which is great because they see an awful lot of CVs, and will certainly be willing to suggest how you can improve yours because it’s in their own interests to do so. They are, after all, going to try to sell you on the strength of it.


• Recruitment agencies discuss what you’re looking for – which is great because it can help you to clarify exactly what it is you do want.

There are a lot of businesses that give courses on writing CV’s or improving interviewing techniques – but they cost money, and you don’t need (and maybe can’t afford) to spend that money. Recruitment agencies are good at what they do – they wouldn't stay in business if they weren't - and they’re free to you. They’ll get you a job if they can – and they’ll also get you the best salary they can because they earn a percentage of the annual salary of every single person they place.

There are a lot of recruitment agencies around. If you live in a big city you can find one on nearly every street corner. Make plans to register with some of them. They might not be able to come up with an ‘instant job’ – but they can certainly give you some instant interview practice and give you some very practical advice and help on presenting your paperwork and yourself for success.

Emily - http://www.therapypartnership.com