Potential employers make up their mind about you between six seconds and three minutes of you sitting down in front of them.

You did read that right. Six seconds.

Everyone’s attention spans are getting shorter and when it comes to impressing the person to whom you’re asking for a job, money, benefits and other assorted perks you have less time than you think, so what should you do?

1. Make a good first impression. It may sound obvious these days, but a firm handshake, solid eye contact, a positive demeanour and an air of enthusiasm will make the interviewer believe you’re happy to be there!

2. Don’t waffle. Answer questions directly and efficiently. Don’t be glib or seemingly obtuse, but if you’re asked about yourself and you launch into an autobiographical diatribe about where you were born and the names of your nursery school teachers, you’re likely to lose your audience pretty quickly.

3. Listen carefully to what’s being asked. If you walk into the interview room with your own agenda and you’re prepared to evade questions you don’t like the sound of, you’ll get found out. The people interviewing you have, believe it or not, done this before and there’s not much that gets past them. Respond to what’s being asked and don’t try and give the interviewer a steer in the direction you’d like them to go. It doesn’t work.

4. Demonstrate your expertise. We certainly don’t mean show off. Again, there’s not much you can say that will stun your interviewer, it’s more like how you say it. At some point you’re going to be asked for examples to back up your claims and it’s worth researching STAR. It’s a universally-recognised technique for communicating meaningful and complete answers to questions that ask for specific examples. The acronym stands for Situation, Task, Action, Result. Provide a situation, describe the task and then the action you took, and then communicate the results. It may seem straightforward, but it’s effective, and that’s what they’re looking for.

5. Show, don’t tell. The information you impart to your potential employer really ought to be about the job you are interviewing for. If the job requires you to lead a team, let them know how you’ve done it in the past and explain your accomplishments. If the job requires driving around the country meeting clients, we suggest leaving out the time you got caught doing 120mph outside a school…

6. Think of your interview like the Home page of a website. That may sound odd, but the Home page of any site is designed to tease the reader in so that they NEED to know what else there is. If you give over every scrap of information at the outset, you’re liable to a) bore the interviewer and b)bore the interviewer. Give them enough so that they know you are capable of doing the job and then when you get the job, prove it.

7. No-one’s perfect. We promise you, you are not perfect. In fact we’re not sure perfect people exist. We have all learned valuable lessons from past experiences and you need to feel comfortable sharing those experiences and using the lessons you learned to be better at your job than you were then. NEVER, EVER respond to the question ‘what are your weaknesses’ with ‘I don’t have any’. Rather, pre-choose a weakness relevant to the role you’re interviewing for and let the interviewer know how you have improved.

At Asset Resourcing, we have two aims. To find great candidates for great jobs and to find great employees for great companies in IT & New Media, Admin & Clerical, Accountancy & Finance and Sales & Marketing.

Complementary to these end goals is the route you take to get there and as always, we are here for any advice you need about how to secure your dream job.

The Candidate Clinic section of the website is full (and constantly being added to) of great articles that will help you succeed, including writing your CV, thinking about changing careers, maternity and paternity rights and tax matters. If there’s anything you’d like to know about that isn’t yet included, let us know. The only way we know what you want from us is if you tell us!

In the meantime, please get in touch if there’s anything – regardless of how small of insignificant you think it is – we can help you with.

Have a great month and we’ll see you in March.

Ben Sweeting & Michelle Scott – Directors, Asset Resourcing

So, how was your Christmas and New Year? Incident-free and full of food, drink and a determination that 2013 is going to be your best year ever?  Yes, us too.

January is a notoriously miserable month. The credit card needs to cool down, it’s cold, wet and grey outside and we all trundle back into work to be faced with hundreds of emails, a backlog of work that will seemingly take months to clear and there are people coughing, spluttering and moaning all over the place. We repeat, it’s generally miserable.

However, at Asset Resourcing, we have vowed to banish the blues and put a positive spin on your future! 2013 is going to be a massive year for you. You’re going to get your dream job, your business is going to grow with the addition of outstanding, committed and talented staff and you’ll look back in a few months and wonder to yourself why you were so miserable!

In an article published on the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) industry website, they suggest that the recession of the last few years coupled with a lack of demand have supressed business’s demand for talent and the confidence in people to look for new jobs, the thought process being that ‘I’ve got a job, don’t rock the boat while the market is in such a precarious state.’

This lack of confidence will lift into 2013 and we will start to hear more and more about the shortfalls in both talent and skills due to a number of factors – an aging workforce, immigration restrictions and a general lack of relevant skillsets in those without jobs. This means the UK will rapidly develop a two-speed labour market where private firms will start a full-throated recruitment drive to secure the best talent as we come out of recession which will hopefully limit the impact of public sector cutbacks and redundancies on the economy and on the jobs market overall.

A huge area for growth is in mew media, digital media, mobile and web app development and mobile gaming, coincidentally areas where Asset Resourcing have strengthened our efforts and to this end, we have brought on board Georgina Moore as a Specialist New Media Contract Consultant to work alongside Justin and Annie and she’d like to say hello.

Asset Resourcing: Hello Georgina and welcome on board.

Georgina Moore: Hello, and thanks!

AR:  How have your first three days been with us?

GM: They have been great! I am doing lots of training and I am getting to grips with the systems and procedures and most importantly, I am learning about the ethos of the company and their – our – core values and beliefs but I have to say that I am really looking forward to getting my teeth into the job!

AR: What do you think an average day will look like for you?

GM: I suppose right now it’s hard to say but my role will entail generating new business clients on the contract side, alongside preparing and placing candidates into their dream jobs. What a thrill that will be!

AR: How does AR stand out from the competition do you think?

GM: Firstly their commitment to giving me the best training and resources to be the best I can be, but more importantly, the company doesn’t just place candidates into positions, but rather assists and guides them through the processes as well, which I think is a great sign of a company going the extra mile for its clients. Plus, I really like the people I’m working with!

AR: Where do you see the future of recruitment going over the next few years?

GM: I believe recruitment is on the up. There is a massive need for it in the market, and especially the field I am involved in, which is growing every day! With technology constantly evolving and becoming part of our everyday lives, there is a fast increasing need for new media developers, which is why we have recently expanded into the area!

AR: What traits do you consider to be useful in the recruitment industry?

GM: First, understanding the client’s needs and the brief given which then can support you in finding the perfect candidate for that position. Second, and just as important, is listening to and actually hearing what’s being asked so we can respond effectively and efficiently.

AR: Now for the fun stuff – what’s your favourite music, food and films?

GM: I am a massive lover of music with a pretty eclectic taste – from Drum ‘n’ Bass to Garage, Indie and Dubstep. I love Indian and Italian food and I am a sucker for a good horror flick!

AR: Lastly, because we really need you to get back to work, can we have three ‘out of the office’ facts please…

GM: Well, firstly, and given that I’ve been in this job for precisely three days, this may sound a bit odd, but I LOVE going on holiday and I’d do it ten times a year if I could! I am a newly awesome snowboarder and I wear heels every day of my life because I’m so short!

So, there we have it. That’s Georgina and we are delighted she’s with us!

As always, if there’s anything you need from us in terms of information, advice or a list of our available roles in IT & New Media, Admin & Clerical, Finance & Accountancy or Sales & Marketing, have a scroll through the website or contact us. It’s what we’re here for.

Have a great month and we’ll see you in February.

Ben Sweeting & Michelle Scott – Directors, Asset Resourcing