You hear people talk about emotional intelligence, or EI. What does it really mean? And how is it relevant to job success? In any social or professional relationship, what’s important is an ability to understand what others feel about you, what you feel about them, and why. That, at heart, is what EI is about. EI became a buzz-term when Dr. Daniel Goleman started writing about it at the time that neuroscience was really taking off thanks to the ability to map brain processes and emotional states. Goleman divides EI into five components: Self-awareness (awareness of emotions, knowledge of stren ..read more

Graduate employers are increasingly turning to video interviews as an important part of the selection process. To the employer the benefits are clear: it is an efficient way to process higher volumes of applications and it is easier to standardize the experience. However, for the interviewee, they can be uncomfortable and nerve-racking.  With careful preparation and practice this need not be the case.  Many of the same rules apply as for face to face interviews, but it is important to be aware of some of the nuances of a video interview. Types of Video Interview: The video interview can take o ..read more

Talking about themselves doesn’t come naturally to people. They often struggle with selling themselves because of the tension between sounding cocky and being over-shy. But remember: you can very rarely oversell yourself. Salesmanship trumps modesty every time, just as ambition trumps ability. What are the key “personal” questions? When I did graduate recruitment at Freshfields, the people who got the job tended to be the ones who Were comfortable talking about themselves Were hungry, and Understood the interviewer’s job They were the ones who could answer the questions such as Tell us about ..read more

Career tests will help you to understand more about your abilities, personality, interests and more. Using career tests can be an effective means of making a career choice and increasing career satisfaction. This can be helpful at different times of your life, especially when making choices of what to study for A level, university choice and later to help clarify career direction. They can also clarify more about who you are. There are a wide number of career tests available, and deciding which to choose can be confusing. Each can play a role in helping you to understand more about yourself ..read more

The “Why?” questions are the ones that test motivation, curiosity and initiative. They are: why are you interested in the sector you’re applying for and why have you chosen a particular employer? Most candidates rely on a mixture of Google searches, milk-round or job fair chats, and hearsay, to answer those questions. That isn’t enough. What employers are looking for is people who have really bothered to find out what they do as businesses as well as what makes them unique. The key to gaining the right insights, the ones that will really make you stand out at interview, is to talk to as many ..read more

Listening is a key interview skill. The interviewer is a human being, and you will stack the cards in your favour if you can build a personal connection with her, or him. The key to this is practicing your listening skills. Here are some key pointers: Treat the interviewer as a conversation partner, not an interrogator. People derive a strong sense of validation and value from being understood. Listen for understanding: hear not only the words, but also what else you can pick up. What is the person thinking or feeling? What’s the real meaning behind what they are telling, or asking you? To ge ..read more

Most interviewers form a strong impression of their interviewee in the first few seconds.  Research differs on how long exactly you have to make a positive impression. What you can count on however, is that smalltalk will often be used as a friendly lighthearted precursor to the main “serious” portion of the discussion. If you prepare yourself with a line of smalltalk, said with a smile and a firm handshake, you have already got off to a good start. Here are some of Interview Advantage’s top tips for approaching smalltalk:   1.    LISTEN to what the other person is saying and try to identify ..read more

Here are the full notes of the talk given by Antonin Besse at the Magdalen College School and Headington School careers fair on 3rd March 2016. Here’s what we’re going to cover   The big takeaways The qualities employers look for What you can do to to get noticed and put yourself ahead of the game Preparing personal statements and CVs Acing the interview     Big takeaways   I’ll outline the big principles which you can apply to every application, be it for university, for internships or that first graduate job. We don’t have time to go into too much detail and if you really take those big p ..read more

Click here to watch our newest video tutorial on Commercial Awareness Demystified. The team at Interview Advantage are keen to get you thinking the right way about commercial awareness which is vital for future interviews and internships. It’s more a state of mind than an accumulation of facts and figures – we’ll show you how. We recommend that you have a read of our article on The Mysterious Essence of Commercial Awareness before or after this video.   Look out for more videos, and contact us for your initial no-obligation, no-fee conversation if you feel that you need more personal guidance ..read more

Interview Advantage does not offer a secret formula, but one-to-one, experience-driven preparation and trusted advice. We are graduate recruitment support experts – our Directors combine over 50 years experience working for top tier and magic circle firms. We equip you with the skills to show yourself to your best possible advantage through tailored sessions covering the full range of career preparation services.   Watch our video and look out for more in the future.   The post Watch our video appeared first on Interview Advantage ..read more