Free advice for jobseekers from a company owner
By Qatarsquash •
Hi everyone
I have recently advertised for a few positions that i need filling at my company and I wanted to share my experience with you jobseekers to help you in your search. As an interviewer I see so many mistakes that are so easy to remedy and give you all a better chance of securing the position you want.
Application email:
- Don't copy and paste from other applications. All applications should be unique to that company. Copy and paste is very obvious and shows that you don't care
- Don't CC in other companies in your email. Take the extra few minutes to send unique emails to each company. Ccing multiple companies again suggests you are lazy and don't care
- Do some research - if you have an email address then you have a website. Go to the website find out about the company and mention it in your application. It takes 2 minutes and shows you are hard working and have initiative. Maybe the company has a mission statement, maybe (like us) they are a gym. A short sentence saying how much the company's work in xxxx inspires you goes a long way
- Do more research - you may be able to find out the name of the owner or interviewer. You can call them, say that you have sent an application and how interested you are etc. It shows you will go the extra mile
before the interview:
- Use your initiative - don't ask questions like "what is your phone number", "where are you located" etc. It's all on the website. Show the fact that you have done your homework.
- Do more research - find out everything you can. Use google, linked in, facebook. You can even do it in the car on the way to the interview. Knowledge is power. The more work you do now the more impressed your future employer will be
The interview
- Turn up on time. If you are late then suggest a good reason "i slept too long" isn't a good reason. Perhaps "I am sorry i was late, I had another meeting across town which went on longer than expected and I don't use my phone in meetings to couldn't call to advise you"
- Have answers ready for some standard questions "Tell me about yourself", "Why should I want to employ you", good responses to questions about your old work.
- Have questions ready. You've done your reserach so ask a technical question about the company.
- Sell yourself - this is your chance. Take it. Sell everything that's great about you.
- Be enthusiastic
After the interview
- Send a follow up email or make a call. Thank the interviewer for the opportunity and suggest another meeting
Off: why did 2 ppl report this post ?
discrimination is very widespread in this part of the world.yet again, to each his own,its there court and rules are rules.
Applicants have to be chosen by qualifications not by gender, age, or nationality. People who are refused because of any of the three mentioned characteristics can sue the company in court (in Europe). Qatar really is a "developing" country.
Asking for the age is considered discrimination. It is illegal in Europe.
Asking for the nationality is considered 'discrimination'. It is illegal in Europe. Poor Qatar!
good advice thanks
good job keep it up
Thank you for your input. While the points mentioned in your posting will no doubt assist people in their job search and also during interviews, there are several other factors that employers look for here in the ME in an applicant. An important factor is the nationality. While it may not be stated in an ad, it does exist. In some countries, like in the case with India, this has been stretched further and there even exists a provincial pull. Not only that, another nation here openly advertises at Qatar Living that applicants must be only from their country. You can see regularly this in black and white if you visit QLs "Jobs" site. Where do qualifications and experience and excellent cover-letters stand and superb interviews stand then? They have zero value. Next in line is Religion. If a job advertiser does not find any applicant from his country, he gives support to an applicant from his religion. It is all understood but not expressed. Also, your view "if you have an email than you have a website" is flawed. Not all emails have a website. Some emails do give an indication of the company's name but not all of them do. Furthermore, It is also not always possible to know a company's exact location from their website or even from a Google map. I firmly believe that it is always better to call the receptionist and find out the best way to get to their company. I would also suggest that any applicant who has been called for an interview, surveys the location of the office a day earlier to be sure so that he does not go about wasting time while coming for the interview. Regarding, a follow-up email, it hardly gets a reply. A reply comes only if one gets short-listed or gets the job. A follow-up telephone call gets the standard reply from the receptionist, "if you are short-listed or selected, we will let you know." Lastly, it is important to mention that there do exist employers who are above board, are broad-minded and hire people with potentiality to give the desired output overriding all barriers of nationality or religion, race or culture, language or color. Such employers can be counted on the fingers.
Hi how can we apply for a job at your company
Hi how can we apply for a job at your company
Job well done.
Thanks for sharing. These are the very basics that jobseeker should be familiar with. If not, they shouldn't be considered qualified.
Good advice
thanks