It’s time. You enter the office and the executive recruiter is waiting for you patiently at the desk. You shake hands, get introduced, and everything seems to promise a good job interview start. You confidently answer questions related to your work experience, your career ambitions and salary expectations. Then, suddenly, your mind goes blank when hearing the next question: ‘How many light bulbs are in this building?’

First thing you should do: breath in, breath out. Instead of trying to be fast in finding a number, think of the purpose behind this odd question being asked. Got it yet? That’s right, it’s a test. (more...)

It is common nowadays that candidates show up at job interviews with their homework done: the answers to the most common questions have already been prepared, they have thought of good examples to give from their experience, they have a whole speech prepared on how well developed their leadership skills are. Executive recruiters are aware of this move and try to find ways to pull the interviewee out of the comfort zone and test his/her reaction. (more...)

Your CV has done the job: it got you the interview for that position you definitely want. A wise move now is to prepare in detail for the imminent discussion with the recruiter. So start with the basics: the common questions asked in an interview. Thinking that they are simple questions with simple answers is wrong. Behind every query you will get there is a hidden purpose. Deciphering it is the key to success. (more...)

Out of all the rules to consider when creating your CV, one is clear: you need to start with your name and contact details. But what about extra personal data, such as nationality, age, religion, photo?

While countries like Germany, China or Romania may ask for these details, UK legislation makes it clear that such cues for discrimination are forbidden. If the picture is not considered taboo, or it is even required, be careful – your appearance might influence the response rate you get from recruiters.

A common question is if you should use a photo on your CV. (more...)

Developing a CV can be a nail-biting experience. There are so many different aspects to a great CV – content, wording, style, format, design – but most importantly, strategy. That might not be what you expected me to say.

Most job seekers do not consider the audience and instead compose the CV to please themselves. This is a mistake. A CV should always be written for the reader – the hiring manager, the recruiter, etc. When we work with our clients, of course we want them to be happy with their new CV, but moreover, we want to impress the person beyond the client – the gatekeeper and decision-maker – so that our client lands the interview. (more...)