first interview

first interview today. a quick summary...

location: tanjong pagar

position: marketing & sales executive

interview result: offer

status: unconfirmed

after action review: "if it's too good to be true, it usually is."

learning points:

1) know the company well: do thy research.

2) check the resume you sent to that company: if you are like me and mass-produce your cover letters / resumes with some cut-and-paste, not much to look out for. be prepared to answer questions about your letter /resume.

3) have some definitive areas which you know you are interested in. even in marketing, there are many different components of it. be specific - branding? A&P? services marketing? retail?

4) the job outlines as advertised in the media is never detailed nor specific. asking intelligent questions like the following may help:

• where is the company going?
• how is it going to get there?
• what time frame is it looking at?
• what business model is it adopting?
• what sets the company apart in terms of its product / service offerings to its customers?
• how does my role contribute to the objectives set out by the company?

of course, this list is not exhaustive. remember, as much as the company is looking out for prospective employees from the pool of candidates, you are also looking out for prospective employers from the pool of candidate companies.

not only are you marketing yourself, companies are also marketing themselves, attempting to attract the best.

5) estimate your market value: my current approach is to look at the minimum salary offered to employed persons with calibre similar to yours; data from kelly services should suffice. then, assign a monetary value to areas in which you are different from other candidates (i.e. your points of differentiation) and add these values to the minimum salary, thereby arriving at a final figure.

there's no textbook answer to this. perhaps an easier way is to determine if you are closer to the minimum / maximum salary figures, the mid-point, or anywhere else. somewhere along the continuum is where you stand; having a rough gauge creates a mental cut-off point for job offers not meeting your expectations (this works on the assumption that you are evaluating jobs on a salary basis).

if the company is open to negotiations, you may attempt to negotiate your salary towards your desired level. during the negotiations, highlight the reasons why you deserve a higher salary: the points of differentiation should be helpful here.

6) bring a pen!

frankly, i'm writing these points as i experienced them during my interview today. whether it's true or not, i've no idea...

but these shouldn't be taken "as is!" don't get me for misrepresentation.

which reminds me, i was recalling what i learnt in business law during the interview... about contracts, offer and acceptance...

well... accept? i was asked this question. apparently, the interviewer wanted to get an answer out of me.

what did i reply?

"i have the answer in my mind."

so what's that answer? no prizes for guessing it right.