Polly Amora is a Philippines based business woman, entrepreneur and blogger. She is the owner of Magniviq Marketing in Manila, Philippines and she runs her personal blog Polly Defies Gravity. Polly draws on her experiences in the business world to share her secrets to achieving success at your next job interview.

You’ve been waiting for days and you finally received that phone call asking you to come in for an interview. Just thinking about it is enough to make you feel stressed and nervous, right? You’ve impressed them with your CV and now is the time to prove to them in person that you are right for the job.

Here are some tips to help you pass ace your job interview.

PREPARATION

• Do your research. It is important that you familiarize yourself with the industry, the company and the position that you are applying for. The employer does not only want to know you are equipped with the right skills for the job but that you are passionate about the company and have an appreciation for the corporate culture.

• Beforehand, find out where the company is located, if it has multiple branches, how to get there and how long it will take to get to the interview. The last thing you want to have happen is to take off for the interview only to discover it’s on the other side of the earth.

• Think about job interview questions ahead of time so you won’t have a hard time formulating answers right on the spot. Be sure to rehearse your answers so you come across natural and confident.

• Rehearse with mock interviews. Ask someone you are comfortable with to “role play” as the interviewer or try talking to yourself in front of a mirror. This will help you gain confidence in your spoken English and get comfortable with the interview process.

Here are some commonly asked questions:

• What are your strengths?
• What are your weaknesses?
• What makes you unique from other applicants?
• What is something that is happening in the industry at the moment that takes your interest? How do you think this will affect our business in the future?
• What transferrable skills did you develop in your previous employment that you will bring to this new role?
• Why did you resign from your last employer?
• Imagine you work for our firm – Who would be your ideal client and why? How would our business meet their needs?
• Why should we hire you?
• What has been your greatest accomplishment to date?

INTERVIEW DAY

Dress for Success: Present yourself and your qualifications confidently! If possible, avoid anything that is too loud, shows too much skin or figure (like short dresses or tight pants), too casual or anything that will be distracting. Professional business attire is strongly encouraged and highly recommended. Be sure to check your grooming such as your hair, clean fingernails, polished shoes, wrinkle-free clothing and if you wear makeup keep it minimal.

Be Punctual: Try to arrive 10 to 15 minutes ahead of your interview. This will give you enough time to relax and do a last-minute check of your appearance.

Be polite to everyone you meet from security guards to the secretary, show everybody that you are nice and friendly. Remember to say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’. Interviewers often ask other employees whom you have come into contact with what their impression of you was. This is often used as an indicator as to whether you are an appropriate match for the firm’s work place setting and whether you can represent the firm in a positive light outside of work.

THIS IS IT! IMPRESS THEM!

Greet the interviewer with a firm handshake;  and introduce yourself with a genuine smile.

Maintain a good posture. Sit up straight, lean a little bit forward and make frequent eye contact rather than looking at your resume while coming up with an answer – eye contact conveys confidence and interest in what the interviewer is saying. Do not forget to smile.

Follow the S.T.A.R. strategy – Situation, Task, Action, and Result — it will help you give a coherently structured response to questions. This technique is a useful tool as it ensures you do not forget to include any important details and that the interviewer can easily gain the insight from your answer that they are looking for.

Let them know what you have to offer. Talk about your experiences and accomplishments (without bragging) and how your skills can help benefit you and the company. Confidence is the key  but be wary of over-confidence being misinterpreted as arrogance.

Count 5 seconds before answering each question, it helps you process the question and you won’t appear as though rushed (or nervous). This rule will help you avoid sentence fillers such as ‘um’, as you will have already given yourself the time to formulate your answer.

Use a calm yet professional tone of voice, be sure to speak slowly and use emphasis when appropriate. No need to rush!

Do not speak poorly of your previous employers/colleagues. This can give a potential employer the impression that you may be someone who is difficult to work with or who does not work well with colleagues. If you feel it is appropriate to mention a less positive aspect of your previous employment, make sure you phrase it as a challenge that you overcame – framing the experience as an example of positive personal growth.

It’s your turn to ask. Remember this is not a one-sided interrogations but a rather two-way conversation. Throw relevant questions such as ‘What are the prospects for growth and advancement?’ If you are finding it difficult to think of a question to ask your interviewer, then simply ask them about their job. Find out why they like working for the company and how they foresee they role within the company developing as the industry evolves.

 When the interview comes to an end, do not forget to thank the interviewer and offer a handshake. Small gestures can make big impressions. It is always good practice to email HR after your interview thanking them for their time in organising the interview, regardless of whether or not you ultimately get offered the position.

Your employer is looking for the ‘best’ person for job. So show them that no other candidate is going to fit in with their team as seamlessly as you will.

Good luck!

photo credit: pasukaru76 via photopin cc

Noor Unnahar, founder of Noor’s Place and Noor’s Blog Designs, is a young entrepreneur based in Karachi, Pakistan. Alongside pursuing further education in the fields of business administration and finance, Noor has ambitions of making positive social change through her journalism.

I thought being an entrepreneur was mainly the work of white collar professionals until I got into it myself and realized entrepreneurship wasn’t something for a specific group. It was all about being you and pursuing your business goals. Sounds amazing, doesn’t it?

My journey as an entrepreneur began when I started blogging and generating income from adverts. Afterwards, I became a graphic and blog designer, which gave my little business a boost. It was amazing, I was merely a teenager but I was transforming into an entrepreneur. A young entrepreneur!

However, the real struggle started soon after, I had to manage and maintain it. I had to manage life, studies, blogging, designing ALL at once. It was overwhelming! Blogging and designing wasn’t a full time job but my studies were. I would drag myself from my books to my laptop every day.

On one hand, I was happy with being an entrepreneur but I was also putting myself under pressure to find a balance, which at first wasn’t working out well.

Through the support of friends, along with the online clients and blog readers, I gained useful feedback through their appreciation for my work and this made running my business easier. Being an entrepreneur, it’s my experience to share your problems with others. It won’t only relieve yourself but you can also get a handful of tips from experienced people. At 16, I didn’t really know many business strategies that others might use.

I also learnt from my experience not to compare myself to others in a negative way. Rather than seeing the differences in our creativity as discredit to my work, I have learnt to appreciate creative differences and draw inspiration from others.

I believe young entrepreneurs can often feel that they need a guide when entering the world of business. What I feel is important for other young entrepreneurs to remember is that it is okay to learn about business as you go. You do not have to have all of the answers straight away.

It has been two years since I started my blog ‘Noor’s Place’ and it has taught me some lessons I would never have learnt otherwise.

1. Learn from others. Don’t be shy to ask for help when you’re stuck for inspiration or need some good advice.
2. Network with other entrepreneurs. Ask them how did they start? What was their experience? They may be able to share something useful from their journey into business.
3. Invest in good marketing. When you’ve launched your product, give it a boost with supportive marketing, such as purchasing advertisement spaces on related websites or blogs. Alternatively, use social media promotions as seen on Twitter or Facebook.

If you’re a young entrepreneur, don’t be afraid to speak up and embrace your creativity. Work with dedication and make your own opportunities.

Find Noor:

The measures taken to achieve this are through introducing criminal sanctions for “reckless conduct that leads to bank failure” [gov.uk]. Furthermore, the legislative changes will give greater governmental control with regards to increasing the accountability of banks, as well as their ability to absorb loss whilst protecting SME’s and taxpayers, through a ring fencing policy.

These changes aim at ensuring banks avoid the risk favouring, short-term gain focused strategies adopted in the past, which have created significant vulnerability.

The European People’s Party (EPP) has stated this new legislation to be

“the most comprehensive and most far-reaching banking regulation in the history of the EU.”

The implications of these changes for businesses are that if they are banking with a ring-fenced bank they will face the likelihood that their bank may not be able to provide a one-stop shop service. Whilst this may be a move away from convenience in one sense, it does ensure greater financial security for financial institutions, which ultimately contributes toward a strengthening economy that benefits young professionals entering the business world.

Photo credit: LendingMemo.com

Feature image credit: khalid Albaih via photopin cc

Infrograph credit: Milly Bygrave via www.millybygrave.com

The Attorney General Dominic Grieve has issued advisory notes, which are publicly available online, to discourage twitter users from expressing remarks and opinions concerning criminal cases which could pervert the course of justice through compromising the integrity of court proceedings. This need to educate people about the legal drawbacks of tweeting about such cases is imperative in protecting people from publishing posts that equate to contempt of court.

All published comments must comply with the Contempt of Court Act 1981, which encompasses a breadth of behaviour types which intentionally or accidentally undermine or could be reasonably understood to pose a high probability of undermining a defendants right to a fair trial.

Interestingly, the Contempt of Court Act pre-dates the emergence of the Internet thus the role of social media in committing contempt may become problematic if this legislation fails to sufficiently regulate this rising form of publication.

In an attempt to deter potential controversial publications, the General Attorney has expressed caution to users of online social media that the penalties for committing contempt of court may indeed increase in severity alongside the statement that the claim of ignorance in mitigation will be rejected. Similarly, social media users must be aware that re-tweeting is equally as defamatory as writing the original post.

“Re-tweeting is equally as defamatory as writing the original post”

A key example of this issue is illustrated in the case of Chad Evans (which generated in excess of 6,000 tweets), whereby nine people revealed the identity of the victim, through online social media, which breached the victims legal right to lifelong anonymity. The nine persons who used social media to comment on the case not only identified the victim but were also the source of the abuse directed at the victim, which is a further aspect of online social media all users need to be aware of.

Under the Communications Act 2003, section 127;

127 Improper use of public electronic communications network

(1) A person is guilty of an offence if he—

(a)sends by means of a public electronic communications network a message or other matter that is grossly offensive or of an indecent, obscene or menacing character; or

            (b)causes any such message or matter to be so sent.

(2) A person is guilty of an offence if, for the purpose of causing annoyance, inconvenience or needless anxiety to another, he—

(a) sends by means of a public electronic communications network, a message that he knows to be false

(b) causes such a message to be sent; or

(c) persistently makes use of a public electronic communications         network.

This act outlines the details of what constitutes as an improper use of public electronic communications networks, as should be adhered to by all those who publish content online.

Equivalent in relevance is the Public Order Act 1986, section 4A, which extends the responsibility of online users to act in ways that are not deemed abusive.

4 Fear or provocation of violence.

(1) A person is guilty of an offence if he—

(a) uses towards another person threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour, or

(b) distributes or displays to another person any writing, sign or other visible representation which is threatening, abusive or insulting,

with intent to cause that person to believe that immediate unlawful    violence will be used against him or another by any person, or to provoke the immediate use of unlawful violence by that person or another, or whereby that person is likely to believe that such violence will be used or it is likely that such violence will be provoked.

These legislative acts are not orchestrated with the objective of restricting a person’s right to the freedom of speech but it provides a framework from which discussion can flourish in lawful manner.

At the end of the day – would you want your trial influenced by online speculation?

Image credit: ©Shutterstock.com

Come July 2016 all courts in the UK are expected to be in full digital operation with the introduction of digital screens to display evidential footage. This effort in creating a contemporary justice system has been coupled with a programme in which police officers will wear body cameras to capture footage of crime scenes, thus providing an independent, objective witness to the events within cases.

This initiative is working towards improving the efficiency of the criminal judiciary system by quickening the pace of court cases with the use of irrefutable video evidence. We are expected to see a subsequent reduction in paperwork and increased accuracy in determining facts from witness statements through the supporting evidence of a verifiable digital record of events.

Despite the benefit of providing the UK justice system with the tools to determine, without bias, case events there is an unsurprising concern over the publics right to privacy.

Emma Carr, the Deputy Director of Big Brother Watch – a civil liberties campaign group, has expressed concerns regarding the potential for this scheme to undermine trust between the public and the police. She has further suggested in interviews that the police have misdirected their attention by focusing on utilising cameras when in fact tackling the root cause of society’s anti-social behaviour would be more effective.

Big Brother Watch has conducted a ‘Time for Transparency’ campaign, publishing a paper called ‘Enhancing surveillance transparency: A UK policy framework’ in which a UK poll conducted in October 2013 found 66% of respondents wanted the government to publish more information regarding how their surveillance powers are used. The paper expresses the belief that “transparency data should allow the public to understand which bodies are using what legal powers, for what purpose and to what extent they lead to successful prosecutions”.

The Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 is summarised in one line by The Guardian as “an act making provisions for covert surveillance and access to communications records by public bodies”. The proposed programme of introducing front-line police officer body cameras is in accordance with RIPA, however the Big Brother Watch group has previously claimed that RIPA does not offer appropriate protection against the misuse of surveillance privileges.

The modernisation of courtrooms is not only necessary but also essential in remaining current. The use of police cameras is not a surprising step to be taken in order to uphold justice within the courtroom. With police camera schemes in the past making the greatest impact on cases of domestic abuse and rules regarding non-evidential footage being deleted after a predetermined period of time has passed – this could be the beginning of a more effective justice system in the UK.

Considering that the legal aid reform has consequentially resulted in a rise in self-representation in the courtroom – victims to crime may be relieved to have police video footage facilitating the prosecution of the offender.

Image source: mediaforlaw.co.uk

A growing economy could point to positive signs for young professionals looking to enter or already within their chosen industry.

2. There is rising regulation of UK bankers; the British Bankers’ Association (BBA) warns this could harm the competitiveness of UK financial institutions.

A legislative push towards financial institutions following lower risk strategies and increasing the ethics of their codes of practice could increase trust in financial institutions, which is crucial to building a stronger economy.

3. Christofer Toumazou invents a USB device that decodes patient’s DNA identifying predispositions for hereditary diseases, winning a European inventor award.

How will this technology impact medical technology and the health service industry? Could this technology prove disruptive for pharmaceutical industries whose products are used as palliative care?

4. The UK government launches an auction for licenses to conduct fracking across almost half of the country.

Could the potential energy benefits create a positive impact on UK businesses? Could the fracking plans of energy companies be an opportunity for young professionals in the energy sector to enter the market at a time of new developments and ‘exciting’ change ?

photo credit: Pensiero via photopin cc

I don’t mean that you have to be a “yes man” or woman or submit to sexual favours, simply that by saying yes you will open doors to experiences that you would otherwise remain oblivious too.

If you think that every time you say no you are closing a door, not having an experience or learning about something you will understand.

Sometimes you do have to say no and that is fine. “Do you agree with the current strategy we are following?” May well require a “no” with a good thought out rational reason as to why not. You will be expected to have an opinion if you are to show your future potential however I am referring to the request to visit a client out of hours or stay and work with a new member of staff or any other request that you might ordinarily consider saying no to.

Every task you do, every conversation you listen to as well as take part in is a learning opportunity. I can guarantee that the person who says yes with a willing heart will learn more, gain more experience and progress through the business faster.

So when you are asked to do something that requires some extra endeavour try saying yes. You will be surprised were it may lead too.

- The Management Tour Guide

The Management Tour Guide is an experienced manager with an MBA who has helped to build an international consumer goods brand.  MTG has been hired over the phone, asked to leave in person, been head hunted and passed over on many occasions.  MTG has worked on start ups, wind downs and lost causes as well as successful businesses.  It all counts when it comes to gaining experience.