Application and Interview Tips

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Thanks to everyone who applied for the Junior PM / AM role with Brightlabs. We thought we would put this little list of feedback together as it may help some of you to make small updates to your applications which might mean all the difference in future selections!

Over the years we have looked through thousands of resumes and conducted so many interviews that we have lost count. Below we have listed a few things that catch our eye in any application - while it may not guarantee success in every case, it should put you in good stead.

Care: Always include a cover letter and refer specifically to the position and how you feel you would suit it. One thing we love seeing in cover letters is any apparent research you have done on the company and specifically how what you have found out interests you, applies to you etc.. It shows you care about the position and company.

Enthusiasm: The cover letter, unlike the resume, is great place to show your enthusiasm for the role as your personality can shine through here. The successful applicant for this role had a great cover letter and it had a friendly conversational tone that gave us a really good feel for the type of person they were and the enthusiasm they had for the position.

It’s about skill and attitude: In most roles, employers will set out fairly specific skills required for a successful applicant. They often mention something about attitude in passing. As such many potential employees heavily focus on experience and skill sets and forget to highlight attitude. In our experience we don’t think we have ever hired anyone who was massively qualified but didn’t have a good attitude (and often jobs went to less qualified individuals with better attitudes). Attitude can be shown in a number of ways from inclusion of a cover letter (as mentioned above), a polite follow up call to see if your application has been received and if the employer needs any more information, outlining in your resume ‘personal reflections’ – things you thought were of personal significance during previous roles and noting outside-of-work interests.

Think about it from our point of view: Employers usually interview many applicants for popular positions. They are often tired as interviews are done in addition to their usual workload (especially in a small business) and they have to look through a number of resumes. Bring a one page summary/highlight sheet with you to an interview and offer it before you get started. It shows initiative, allows you to highlight your good points and will help refresh the employers mind.

Sell it: Whether you like it or not, any interview is like a sales process. You have something to offer and the employer is there to decide if he wants to buy what you are selling. As in any sale, people generally don’t like an over the top "salesy" approach. The best sales people develop connection / engagement with the target audience. Think what the employers really want - a skilled, personable candidate who has a good attitude and something to give the company. No employer could ask for more. Think carefully about the job you’re are applying for and the crucial elements you think the employer is after and highlight those.

Best of luck!