Career Coach CV/Resume Writer by Rob Ridout

“You didn’t get the job”. Possibly the worst five words anybody can hear in 2009. And do you want to hear why? Not really. Nobody really wants to know why they didn’t get the job. The truth is that most regrets are often for very simple reasons which often originate as an initial concern at the CV screening stage by the hirer or recruiter. Trying to identify these recurring regret reasons either from a post-interview or pre-interview (where your CV is not shortlisted) is often a career-altering experience.  Recruiters and HR practitioners are actually trained to spot the negative before the positive when reading your CV – what a shock! Especially in 2009 as candidates have become desperate now to get work and will go to great lengths to lie in their CV’s and at interviews. This seems a bit of a poor way of representing recruiters and HR Practitioners but actually, it is very realistic, especially because most people hide their poor work experiences very carefully and then lie in ...

Corporate Culture 101   by Rob Ridout Being scrutinised under the microscope whilst going through an interview process is never fun for anybody. But going through an interview process is not a one-sided affair but rather a two-way street. Whilst under scrutiny, one of the facets that many interviewees forget, is to conduct their own interviewing exercise to ensure that the role is right for them as much as it is for the prospective employee. Indeed, many times I think that the interviewing party actually forgets that there are two parties involved in the interviewing process.   One of the key elements that a candidate must screen prospective new employers for, is corporate culture. Microsoft thinks it’s important as they are focusing 50% of their hiring decision on corporate culture. Understanding and developing a more assertive approach to determining your interviewer's corporate culture throughout the interview process is by far the most important el...