Info-pack for Cover Letter Redaction and Mock-Interview

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Interview simulation aims to prepare Turing College learners for real interviews with companies:

After having completed the Soft Skills Module and the Personal Presentation module, Turing College learners undergo a simulate job interview with our HR partner. This kind of interview closely mimics the real thing.  After the interview, each learner receives personalised feedback on how to improve their interview performance, as well as tips  on how to get the most out of the interview process. .

Following is a list of tips and tricks from which learners can get insights to be more prepared for the simulated job interview. So, keep in mind that:

Redacting a cover letter

• Within a job application, a cover letter is the first piece of communication to the HR department of the company. You have to custom-make it in a way that it meets the following criteria:

1. A catchy opening that leads the reader to want to know more → Examples

2. A concise elaboration on the exact match between your profile and the job description. In other terms, structure the cover letter with a paragraph that combines both a heavy highlight of what you can bring to the table (from the job description and the skill requirements) and a soft highlight of what the company can bring to you (from the company’s culture and ways in which the position helps you grow). Following such a structure, you would be selling the outcomes you could yield, and simultaneously showing that you’ve done your research about the company and that you know where you’re headed. “What’s the advantage” you might ask → Now they know that “you’re not distributing your CV like candy on Halloween and they’re not just one of the many companies you’re sending your CV to”. Why is this important you might ask? → 6 reasons why research is key

   Doing well with interviewers isn’t just about knowing how to showcase your skills, education, and experience. While this information is essential, it’s just as important to know as much as possible about the company that you’re interviewing with.

   Gathering information about the company before an interview provides some major benefits, especially if you’re facing a lot of competition for a position. Keep the following information in mind while preparing for your next interview. https://post.edu/blog/have-an-interview-6-reasons-why-research-is-key/

3. Some extra key focuses: simple language and concise phrases, positive statements only (no negation), including the name of any person from the company with whom you have already had contact, review and spell-check the letter, make it one page at most

4. Mentioning your readiness for a job interview → You’re not here to try, you’re here to get it!

Job interview

• Usually, the first ever interview with a company is mostly for the HR representative to get a clear image of the candidate’s personality and their professional identity.

•  Willingness to learn is on the top shelf of qualities that HR representatives look for in most, if not all, of their job applicants. In other terms, take it as if the growth mindset skill is the indispensable tool that you should carry with you in your interview toolbox.

• Be ready to clearly elaborate on:

1. Your interests → what you like → think: does it go in parallel to the position I’m applying for?

2. Your skills → what you’re good at → think: does it cover the skills required for the job?

3. Your values → what you want to belong to → think: is the company a good environment for me?

4. Your professional identity → what you want to achieve → think: let’s say I get the job, what’s next?

• The inevitable questions during a job interview and how to be ready for each:

1. <<< Tell me about yourself >>>

→ a) Answering time: 90 seconds at most

→ b) To have a good structure of the answer, think “Who was I in my relative past? Who am I now? Who do I want to be in the future?” and customize your answer depending on the nature of the job you’re applying for

→ c) Don’t hesitate to add adjectives that you relate to and that show your enthusiasm for what you do. Example: a great answer → “I am a nerdy/dedicated/geeky/fun/experienced/beginner XYZ that enjoyed working for a long while in the field of ABC” as opposed to an okay answer → “I am a XYZ that worked three full years in XXX company”

→ c) Avoid mentioning your former positions and details from your CV, the company already has it, and by the time of the interview, the HR department has definitely overviewed it

→ d) This question comes first, it positions the attitudes of both the interviewer and the interviewee, and it sets the mood for the rest of the interview. So prepare that answer and practice it beforehand!

1. <<< What are your strengths? >>>

→ a) Be honest.

→ b) Answer the question by thinking “What are my strengths?” and not by thinking “What strengths does the interviewer want to hear about?”

→ c) An excellent candidate is not a person that has matured their soft skills, an excellent candidate is a person that is capable of demonstrating their soft skills. How to?

To give your answer in a clear and organized manner, following is a speech structure that you can adopt:

Make your statement → Give your reasons → Provide examples → Link it to personal experience

Example: “One of my points of strength is time management. I’ve always been an organized to-do list fanatic that enjoys planning the day beforehand. But when the tasks at hand became too many, I had to acquire a strategy for task prioritization and adopt it on a weekly basis. For example, when I first started learning at Turing College, it was a bit of a challenge to juggle both my job and my data science course, so I learned the Eisenhower matrix and I’ve been relying on it to structure my weekly work since then.”

Important note for all answers: Providing examples and reflecting in the answer on your personal experience satisfies the interviewer for two reasons. The first reason is that you’d be demonstrating your point of strength and not only stating it. The second reason is that the interviewer wouldn’t need to follow-up with you asking for such examples.

How to express your abilities and strengths without showing your weaknesses

There’s a whole lot of talking about yourself that goes on in an interview. One of the most stressful parts might be when a recruiter or prospective boss asks you to tell them about your strengths and weaknesses.

You’re bound to hear, “What would you say is one of your weaknesses?” or “What’s your greatest strength?” or both in virtually every hiring process you’ll ever go through. While that might be frustrating—really, every time?!—it also means that you can anticipate the questions and craft thoughtful answers that will impress the interviewer.

In other words, with just a little bit of preparation, you can master the art of selling your strengths without sounding conceited and talking about your weaknesses without undermining your candidacy. The actual strengths and weaknesses you bring up probably matter less than how you talk about them. 

Don’t pick a “weakness” like “I’m such a hard worker” or “I’m too much of a perfectionist.” Going down that route will backfire, because it comes off as disingenuous, oblivious, or immature—and none of those are qualities that’ll get you the job.

Full article with examples and a full explanation is here: Your Guide to Talking About Strengths and Weaknesses in an Interview

1. <<< What are your weaknesses? >>>

→ a) Be honest, just not too honest!

→ b) Don’t shoot a bullet on your own foot. Answer the question by thinking “What is a weakness that I have and that doesn’t jeopardize the role I’m applying for?” → Example: let’s say you’re applying for an international customer support position, “mediocre English skills” shouldn’t be one of the weaknesses you mention. In other terms, don’t open for the interviewer a gate to rethink “Why is this candidate even applying for the job?”

→ c) Avoid answers such as “I’m too much of a perfectionist” or “I’m a crazy workaholic”. This type of answers will most probably backfire because there’s a high risk you would be perceived as an overconfident person or as if you’re trying to dodge the question.

→ d) No matter what your weakness is, shine the light on the fact that you’re aware of it and that you’re looking forward to working on it and improving it by constant learning.

1. <<< What are your salary expectations? >>>

→ a) Be prepared, especially if the job offer mentions a suggested salary range.

→ b) Research the salary range for the position in other companies in the same country

→ c) You can ask about the salary policy/system in the company.

→ d) Give your answer depending on the salary range in the country, the mentioned salary range by the company, your needs and your experience. You can add to your desired salary up to 30%. If you’re not confident enough about your readiness to do so, you can still add 10% ~ 20% to your desired salary.

• Prepare your questions!

• After the interview, reflect on your performance.

• No matter how the interview goes, always send a thank you message for the interviewer no longer than 24 hours after the interview.

In case you’d be having a live interview → https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KukmClH1KoA