Job hunting has become a time consuming and frustrating process. You need to make the best use of your time and resources.

Most job seekers start with the ads in the newspaper, sending in their CV to those that look the most promising. The fun begins when you get the call from a recruitment agency, you need to come in for an interview.

The first thing you must establish, is what the purpose of the interview is!

The current industry practice is for you to first interview with a recruitment consultant, who may or may not know what they are doing.

In the first instance youre lucky. You get to be interviewed by a pro whos been around the block a few times, maybe even worked in the same career field as you, and understands the position youre applying for as well as all the jargon associated with the vacancy.

In the second instance youre wasting your time maybe! Be careful that you are not being used to meet a target. Yes thats right, in todays pressurised, sales focussed environment, some companies set targets on the number of candidates that need to be interviewed for the database. Make sure that you are not wasting your time, insist that you will only come in if there is position that is currently vacant, unless you are wanting to play the field a little. In that case by all means see every consultant who will book an appointment. You must then be prepared to contact them regularly for feedback on suitable jobs.

What you have to understand is, the consultants youre dealing with are exactly that, consultants, sales people, the modern day equivalent of a slave trader a people pimp.

They have one object and one object only to make the sale. They are not in this for the love of finding you a job, they want the fee. The only way they are going to get that big fat juicy fee is if they can find the right candidate with all the right credentials.

Your job is therefore is to SELL yourself! Thats right, youve got to go in there and sell your heart out, because there is a line of people out the door who are salivating at the chance to grab that job. Unless you are up there in the top .0001 percent of applicants you are going to have to work hard to make an impression.

To do this you must arrive on time, dress as if its your first day on the job, be happy! Dont arrive late even if you are having a bad hair day, dont chew gum during in the interview, dont fart, burp, pick your nose or attempt to chat up the consultant. In short, you are going to have to impress the hell out of the consultant, enough so that they get on the phone the minute you leave and tell the company that theyve found the perfect candidate.

If you really are dealing with a pro, then they will have a list of clients who they know well enough that they can pick up the phone and sell you to the company even though the company doesnt know that they need you! Yes, thats right, if you can make a good enough impression on the consultant, they will move heaven and earth (maybe even the odd HR Manager) in order to get you a position.

Also be sure to have a copy of all your qualifications, ID, CV and any other documents that are relevant to the position with you. There is nothing worse than having to fax documents through later in the day.

Speed is of the essence. There are normally at least two, three or more recruitment firms working the same vacancies. If you dont give your consultant everything they need to put you forward to the client fast, then it could mean your chances of securing an interview are toast.

Remember, the consultant is there to help you get the job and help the company get the right candidate. Make sure that you have plenty of questions about the position lined up, it shows that youre serious. Try not to hide anything, references are checked very carefully, so your secrets wont be so secret for long. You will also be asked to sign a consent form, allowing the consultant to check your credit, criminal and qualifications history. This form usually accompanies another form allowing reference checks to be performed on you.

In short, be prepared, dont lie, treat the consultant with respect and have fun.

But the fun doesnt end just because the interviews over. You must make sure that you keep in contact with your consultant. You need to keep your name top of mind with each consultant you deal with.

After interviewing 40 hopefuls, all candidates start to blur into one and its only the very professional consultants who will take the time to record you and your resume accurately after the interview. Its even less likely that a consultant will come back to you after the interview if you didnt make the initial cut. Youll be lucky to get a quick call to deliver the bad news and then its off to the next one.

Make sure that you follow up and keep following up until you secure a position. Make the task of getting a position your full-time job, take it seriously and remember the squeaky wheel gets the oil.

Susan Mulder
http://www.hunterrecruitment.co.za/