Relaunch Your Career

Question: If I chase up my application, will I seem pushy?

Blog posting: One of the questions that unsettles interview candidates most is ‘Tell me about yourself’. I have no idea why this makes people so uncomfortable: the way I look at it, this is an absolute gift of a question.

Question: I have been chasing a relatively senior role with a major blue-chip company since November. I’ve had three interviews – two in person and one by phone – and still have not seen the hiring director. Now the recruiter has called to say they want me to complete a psychometric profile. I feel as though I’m being made to jump through hoops. How can I bring this to a conclusion in my favour?

Question: I’ve just completed a mock interview and the biggest piece of feedback was something I already knew. I can’t answer a question without loading it with so much detail that the interviewer loses interest. I even write in that level of detail when I’m doing interview prep – pages and pages of it. I know my subject and I don’t suffer with nerves. How can I train myself to be more succinct?

Question: I’ve been for several interviews but I haven’t been successful yet. I always ask for feedback, but most interviewers either never respond or give feedback that’s very vague and not much use. How can I get really useful, constructive feedback?

Question: I dread interviews because I ramble. I can never get my point over clearly, and quite often end up not answering the interviewer’s questions. What can I do to manage my nerves and get across my skills and experience?