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Searching for a job? What you should bear in mind :)
Some of you may be applying for your first job and others of you may be looking for a change. This process can be very stressful, especially if it is for the first time or the 100th time – they are equally as daunting. However, let’s get a few basics out of the way before you dive into how to ace the interview. You must always aim to get that interview!
Know who you are – your likes and dislikes – strengths and weaknesses
No matter where you are, you need to know who you are… and then what it is you want in terms of a job and an employer. Don’t under estimate the importance of self -awareness in searching for a job and in your interview. Employers want to know who they are employing.
Often the job and the employer do not match your expectations perfectly and then you need to look carefully at whether you would be able to compromise your ideal fit with the one offered. When you are at this stage – you need to visit 80000hours.org as they have a very good tool to guide you through such decision making.
Know your skills and the level that you can comfortably use them
The question of the best fit for any job will revolve around you as a person and your skills that can match the expectations of the job description. These two should help you decide which job you should apply for. It will also make the interview process more enjoyable and less stressful.
Be honest and self-confident
Remember to be honest in aligning your skills to the ones required, if you don’t then you will find yourself in a pickle in the interview or at the time of practical assessment. No one wants to employ a person who over rates their skills. On the other hand, confidence in your ability – whatever the level - is also very important. Often the actuarial student is a perfectionist and they are measuring themselves up against the class medallist! You don’t need to be the class medallist to be effective in the workplace.
Get to know the employers in your industry
If you are in your final year of university right now, it is important that you trade off all the Career Expos that your university has to offer. This will help you get a feel for what companies are looking for in a graduate. The Career Services department has a very close relationship with all industries and they are at the pulse of knowing what is needed in each sector. Sectors in turn have come to know what graduate attributes can be expected from each university. This is where you need to align your skills with your desire to work at the company of your choice.
Make the time – explore your options with discretion
One student referred to the beginning of the second semester job seeking phase as being in a washing machine. You feel as if you are being put in the mix with everyone else and when you have been spun around at a rapid rate – and hung out to dry - you may be discarded as not quite what they are looking for. In a way this is a useful analogy in two respects. The first time around in searching for a job is a long and tiring process for most of us. For the lucky few it can be over before it even started. It is best to prepare yourself for a lengthy process. The second reason it is useful is because you need to have stamina for the process and a certain amount of detachment. Using the analogy of a machine helps you not to get too emotionally invested in each application. That can drain you physically and you may miss another opportunity because you were too tired, or you missed it having focused too intently on the one you became attached to. Keep your options open for as long as possible.
Most employers work at their own pace and they have procedures to follow and staff to consult. If it is dragging on too long – that’s the time to give them a call. (there is advice on that in the site provided - thebalancecareer.com)
Make the time – without compromising your studies
Remember that the job seeking process is not part of the official curriculum or your working day (if you are employed) and you will need to set aside time to prepare your documentation, organise your interview date and catch up on any work missed. This may happen a few times as the average final year student will go to three or four interviews – some even more – before they are offered a job. Another complication is that you may get numerous offers and you may not know how to choose the right one and how to decline the others!! Don’t worry here too 80000 hours can assist you with that decision process.
CV and Cover letter work together
If you are already in the interview stage, I think it would still be useful to check out whether your CV and your covering letter complement one another and are appropriately matched to the skills that the company is looking for. If you are in the early stages of preparing your CV and cover letter, please go directly to the site and check if you have covered the points they have mentioned.
The site may be overwhelming for you at first because it has so much to offer.
Think first of your most pressing need
- is it writing up your Resume or CV,
- or the cover letter,
- what keywords to use in both?
- Or is it the interview itself
- and your anxiety in the setting?
Search the site for information on your specific questions and it will give you just about everything you need. For example: What to wear? How do you follow up on an interview? etc.
Please bear in mind that it is an American site, however our business model in SA matches very closely to this. We use the term Resume and CV interchangeably in South Africa and in the Stats they use Resume.
For example, you would use the opportunity in the interview to ask questions about diversity, inclusion and equal opportunity, but these are also covered in the section on questions you could ask the interviewer. Also take note of questions that are inappropriate for interviewers to ask!
For most of us, finding the right career path is as daunting as choosing a life partner! It is a very important decision to make and it is probably more daunting at the start of your working career because you have never had to weigh up your options as carefully and with so much finality before. Bearing in mind of course that this may be the first of a number of career decisions that you will make in your life, perhaps you should consider a decision framework that you can rely on to guide you in the process?
On the advice of a successful young actuary who is continuously searching for the right place to put their efforts in making a difference in the world, I was led to a useful site called 80,000 Hours. The 80,000 hours refers to the length of time - on average - you will be working in your life, so why not make sure it's the best place for you to be they ask? The site's advice is universally applicable, underpinned by the latest research in decision making and evidenced by many individuals who have turned their lives around and made an impact on the lives of others at the same time. As an aspiring actuary you will recognise these features as adding credibility to the site.
A major purpose of 80,000 Hours is to help you through the process of finding the right career. How to make tough career decisions is in essence a 9 step interactive guide on how to make choices that are as objective as possible based on criteria that you have set as critical in your ultimate choice. It is stated in step 7 of the 8 step process, that you should write out your priorities explicitly and assess your options by referring to these priorities directly as you work through each option. This will ensure that you would have thought through each aspect of every opportunity. As a final check "For each factor, ask yourself why you might be wrong- this is one of the most useful tips to avoid bias.'' https://80000hours.org/career-decision/article/.
After making your choice the sagest advice they offer is that you "prepare to adapt". There is unlikely to be a perfect fit out there, but one will fit better than the others. Do yourself a favour, visit 80,000 Hours and make the most of the resources on offer. They are free and well researched. This not for profit organisation was founded and is run by people who are serious about helping you to find a way to be happy and effective in your chosen career .
Part 1: We reviewed over 60 studies about what makes for a dream job. Here’s what we found.
The link above is a reality check on whether you should follow your passion or whether you need more than that to have fulfilment in your career. What are your thoughts on the best job for you? Are you motivated solely by the money or do you genuinely want to have a job that is engaging for you and at the same time could be meaningful for others?
How to answer the 7 most annoying job interview questions (and spot 2 that are illegal to ask)
Here are seven examples of the most annoying — and commonly asked — interview questions, along with tips on how to answer them with ease and intelligence
You can never be too prepared for a job interview. Doing the all the right things before the big day can still leave room for surprises, especially if your interviewers have a few tricky questions up their sleeves.
While some hiring managers prefer to call them “advanced” interview questions, job candidates view them as “annoying” or “frustrating,” often because they are poorly worded, have no right or wrong answer or just seem irrelevant. Whatever the reason, chances are that you’ll get caught in one.
Here are seven examples of the most annoying — and commonly asked — interview questions, along with tips on how to answer them with ease and intelligence.