Professional & Enterprise

Development
CT024-3-1

Recruitment Strategy
Advertisement, Job Interview
Level 1

Prepared by: RHR First Prepared on: September 10, 2006 Last Modified on:
Quality checked by: MOH
Copyright 2004 Asia Pacific Institute of Information Technology

Structure of the Lesson

Planning for a Job advertisement

Interview

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Introduction

Learning Outcomes

Describe
how
to
recruitment process

Interview process

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Introduction

timetable

Key Terms You Must Be Able to

Use
If you have mastered this topic, you should
be able to use the following terms correctly in
your assignments and exams:
Job Advertisement

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Introduction

Step 5: Job Advertisement

How to design and write an effective job advertisement?
1. The job is your product
2. The readers are your potential customers (appropriate
job-seekers)
3. The aim is to attract relevant interest (establishing
relevance in the minds of ideal candidates)
4. Design should concentrate on clarity and conveying
professional image
5. Branding should be present but not overbearing

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Introduction

Job advertisement
Things to avoid
1. Over designed graphics
2. Extravagantly presented words (distracting)
3. Fonts too small or too big
4. Capital letters & Fancy Fonts
5. Lots of words in italics
6. Too much technical details about the job or the company
7. Boring and uninspiring descriptions of roles
8. High emphasis on the job and not enough on person

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Introduction

Job advertisement
Checklist
Job title
Employer or recruitment agency
Job base location
To whom the position reports
Outline of job role and purpose
Outline ideal candidate profile
Indicate qualifications and experiences (essential and desirable)
Salary or salary guide
Full Time or Part time , Contract or Permanent

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Introduction

Job advertisement
Checklist Cont
Other package detail
Explanation of the recruitment process
Application instructions
Contact details

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Introduction

Job advertisement
Look at other job adverts to get ideas for how
to lay them out
Look at jobsites on the internet
There are lots of poor ones out there!
Think about which get your attention and why

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Introduction

Job advertisement - sample

Innovate Corp.

Job title: Web developer - E-commerce

- .NET

Salary: RM45K depending on experience

and skills

Job description:

You will join an experienced team

and build e-business solutions for key
customers such as Toys 'R' Us, Reuters and
Unilever. You will be challenged to develop
systems that handle a large number of
users, complex transactions and extensive
integration, while hitting high standards of
usability, reliability and manageability.
Innovate Corp is a Microsoft Partner and
our solutions are built using their very latest
technologies. Development work is on
the .NET platform in C#.

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Person requirements:
Ideally you will have some experience of .NET and
ASP.NET. You might also have some object oriented
knowledge and a familiarity with software design
patterns. More important than any of this is a keen
desire to be a great software developer.
We have a technical career development path leading
to MCSD.NET certification.
Degree requirements:
While good A levels and a good degree are important,
a demonstrable passion for technology is essential.
Location: Klang Valley
Number of vacancies: 2

Vacancy type: Permanent

Job status: Full-time

Closing date: 30 October
How to apply: Email debbie.mills@innovate.com
Please send your CV and an informal letter.

Introduction

Step 6: Interviewing Process

A face-to-face meeting of two people to
accomplish a known purpose by discussion (in
this case to hire the right person for a certain
position)
Asking the rights questions in the interview is
good for getting the right kind of information.
It is important to plan for the right questions

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Introduction

Interviewing Process Cont

Four kinds of questions :
Rapport-building questions (help put candidate at ease)
Open-ended questions (invite candidate to respond
with a good deal of information)
Probing questions (asked when more specific/focused
information is needed)
Non-question questions (make candidates more
comfortable responding by asking with language that
does not end in a question mark eg May I suggest you try the
new library?)

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Introduction

Interviewing Process Cont

More points on the interview process :
Interviewers who are poorly trained are unlikely to be
effective in their selection of graduates. Imagine the
embarrassment of the interviewer and the cost to the
organisation, associated with a candidate who clearly
shouldnt have made it through the first interview but has.
Lack of training doesn't pay.
Candidates are quite sophisticated in their interview
techniques, are well aware when interviewers lack skills. A
waste if the candidate leaves the interview with a low
perception of the interviewer and organisation.

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Introduction

Interviewing Process Cont

More points on the interview process
The interview is meant to be a two-way process.
Interviewers need to be prepared to answer
questions about the organisation
You and your interviewers have to be very clear
about what you hope to get from the interview,
how the candidates are to be assessed
Keep interviewer-response form will to assist with
the decision making.
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Introduction

Interviewing Process Cont

Reserve list
It is sensible to include some contingencies.
You can expect to have a dropout rate from
the list of your applicants/interviewees, so it is
wise to keep some of other candidates in the
background .

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Introduction

Interviewing Process Cont

Conducting the interview
Avoid questions that can be answered with a "yes" or "no" or that
prompt obvious responses, such as "Are you self motivated?"
Ask questions that force the candidate to go into detail (open ended
question/probing question/non-question questions)
Pay attention to the candidate's non-verbal cues
Does she seem alert and interested or does she slouch and yawn?
Are his clothes wrinkled and stained, or clean and neat? A person
who can't make an effort for the interview certainly won't make one
on the job if hired.
Leave time at the end for the applicant to ask. This is the time when
applicants can really show they have done their homework and
researched your company

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Introduction

Interviewing Process Cont

Conducting the interview
End the interview by letting the candidate know what
to expect next
How much longer will you be interviewing? When
can they expect to hear from you?
After the interview, take 5 or 10 minutes to write down
the applicant's outstanding qualities and evaluate his
or her personality and skills against your job
description and specifications.
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Introduction

Interviewing Process Cont

Interview stages
Identify the criteria to be assessed
include a scoring system to assist with the choosing
process
E.g.
Communication skills
10 --- 9 --- 8 --- 7 --- 6 --- 5 --- 4 --- 3 --- 2 --- 1
Can
communicate
very well

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average
communicator

Introduction

Quiet and
reserved

Interviewing Process Cont

A good interviewer is trained to question every word you say. They are used
to polished, text book answers. They want to know about the real you.
1. Make a list of the key characteristics and experience required for the
role.
2. Think back over your career for specific examples of when you have
demonstrated these.
3. Be able to describe each example BRIEFLY.
4. Make sure your examples are specific, not woolly.

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Introduction

Job Interview Questions

The Top 10 Job Interview Questions

1.Why do you want to work for us?

2.Give us an example of a situation where you
didn't meet your goals or objectives.
3.Give us an example of a situation where you
faced conflict or difficult communication problems.
4.Where do you see yourself in 3 / 5/ 10 years?

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Introduction

Job Interview Questions

5. What would your current manager say
are your strengths?
6. What would your current manager say
are your weaknesses?
7. Why should we give you this job?
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Introduction

Job Interview Questions

8. Give us an example of working within an
unreasonable deadline or faced with a huge
challenge
9. Do you prefer working in a team or on your
own?
10. What is the first thing you would change, if
you were to start work here?
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Introduction

Tough Question Strategy

2 CHOICES:

Panic and give one of those "regret-it-later"

answers.
Employ the "tough question strategy" and give your
best answer
So what is the strategy? How do you answer tough
interview questions?

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Introduction

Tough Interview Questions

Arent you overqualified for this position?
Answer
Even though overqualified can be shorthand for
old or expensive, it is important to stay positive.
Express your enthusiasm for the job and pride in
your qualifications. Explain what makes you
interested in this position

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Introduction

ILLEGAL QUESTIONS
What classifies as an illegal question varies vastly
between countries
As a general rule (UK and North America), questions
concerning marital status, sexual preferences, ethnic
origin, health status or family plans are not allowed
If the answer to a question could be used to
discriminate against you on grounds other than your
ability to perform in the role, then it should not be
asked
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Introduction

ILLEGAL Job Question

For example:
If asked whether you are married, you could
be opening a can of worms by answering "yes"
or "no". Whether you're married or single, it is
not a concern. So you could answer:
With all due respect, it is important to me to
keep my work and personal life separate. My
marital status shouldnt be relevant to my
career here at company XYZ."
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Introduction

WEAKNESSES- CRACK A JOKE

"I'm easily bored, a bit sloppy and you
wouldn't like to meet me on a morning
before I've had a coffee - I'm an ogre!"

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Introduction

Practical Session: Interview

Strengths And Weaknesses - Step 1

What would your manager miss about

you? And what won't they miss?
Tell me about a time when a project /
objective went badly.
What do you find most difficult / dislike
the most about work?

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Introduction

Practical Session: Interview

Strengths And Weaknesses
Step 2: Prepare before the interview
Think about your strengths.
As for weaknesses, it's often better to
think of them as "development areas",
rather than "faults".

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Introduction

Tutorial: Interview Strengths And

Weaknesses
Step 3: Learn how to answer it
Think of 3 of your "weaknesses".
What's the "positive side-effect" of that trait?
Are there any "negatives" that you need to
address? How do you perform despite this
weakness? How can you describe it so it
sounds like a benefit to the employer?
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Introduction

Tutorial: Strengths And

Weaknesses
1. Write down in your notebook 3 strengths and
3 weaknesses
2. Keep a copy for yourself and hand in one
copy to your lecturer
3. How do you plan to address the 3
weaknesses?

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ASKING GOOD INTERVIEW

QUESTIONS
err... nope... I think we've covered
everything.
To make a great final impression!!

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Introduction

ASKING GOOD INTERVIEW

QUESTIONS

Make your questions relevant, genuine

and intelligent.
Do not ask about something that doesn't
interest you; it will show in your body
language
What are the 3 things you want to know
about the job, the team, the company?
What does your interviewer like most about
working there? What would they change?
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Question and Answer Session

Q&A
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Next Session
Topic and Structure of next session
Career Element
CV and Cover Letter

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Introduction