225+
5 reviews
MikeMike
16:04 13 Mar 23
Highly recommended! Josh and Sarah have been fantastic at Astute. They've found and placed me in 2 jobs now between them, both really responsive and excellent at keeping you up to speed with things. Very knowledgable about the roles and happy to talk to companies with any queries you have.
C R.C R.
10:45 27 Jan 23
Great agency one of the best ones I've worked with! Liz has been a great help and support in helping me towards a new direction in my career life. She is very attentive and keeps me in the loop at all times! She makes the extra effort to work with my preferred requirements for work and even if it isn't completely attainable she meets me in the middle and does as much as she can to help! Also Liz is very funny might I add 😂 and I'm happy that I can now put a face to the name after all these years! Thank you again Liz for all your help and support! 😊
ChristineChristine
10:32 20 Dec 22
Josh and the Astute team was very swift to help me to find roles that matched my profile. They are really reliable and will help through every step of the recruitment process going out of their way to assist and follow up when needed. Could not find a better recruitment agency!
Helen PinegarHelen Pinegar
16:19 18 Dec 22
Fantastic recruitment agency.. Josh was extremely enthusiastic, encouraging and clearly knowledgeable about what was needed from both the employee and the employers point of view. Extremely supportive especially in regards to interview preparation and endeavoured to procure feedback promptly. Wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Astute in the future to both candidates and recruiting businesses particularly for the right fit for the role!!!
Lisa LeighLisa Leigh
11:56 30 Nov 22
I have worked as a candidate for Astute and they have been excellent. Super friendly service and professional agents keen to fit the right person to the right job. It has been a pleasure dealing with them and I would happily work for them again in the future. Highly recommend this agency.
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6 'astute' Interview questions and answers to help you get a job in a pandemic
6 ‘astute’ Interview questions and answers to help you get a job in a pandemic

 

With interview requests and new jobs taken by our team at Astute Recruitment, it’s great to share some pointers for candidates about to enter the job market to give them an edge on interview.

 

Imagine, you’ve been selected for a job interview! Well done! It’s always great news, but especially so in such challenging times.  But preparing for a job interview might be trickier than usual, too.

 

It would be a little weird if you and your interviewer didn’t acknowledge the global pandemic going on.

 

You’ll probably be doing your interview remotely, online, at least the first interview, and it’s also likely that you’ll be starting work remotely.

 

The people and business you’re interviewing with won’t be operating as normal, plus you’ll have to navigate different ways to work together.

 

Apart from the obvious,  (ensuring you’re wearing smart clothes, and your Zoom background looks tidy & professional), preparing for an interview means being ready to answer some different questions. So, what can you expect to be asked?

 

1. How are you feeling?

It’s normal to start off an interview with an icebreaker, but in the pandemic, small talk can take on a deeper meaning.

 

For an interviewer, it’s a way to gauge the tone of the interview. Some candidates’ replies might reveal they are struggling, whereas others will take the question much more lightly. In either case, there is no shame in acknowledging how the Covid-19 crisis is affecting you. The worst thing would be if a candidate came across as too disconnected from the situation, which could be a hint as to empathy skills or lack of.

 

The pandemic is impacting people emotionally, and for an employer to ask this question, shows they care. If you are asked this question, you should show you understand the situation and are adapting to it. You shouldn’t just use the same answers that you had prepared pre-pandemic, as if you were still in a typical office setting.

 

2. How are you handling your work-life balance?

If you can keep a healthy work-life balance, it shows a potential employer that you’re able to manage your time independently, and be organised.

 

Working from home is set to continue for a lot of us for the foreseeable, meaning employers are looking for these qualities,

 

Companies and hiring managers need to know that even if you don’t have a team around you sitting in an office, you ARE going to be able to work by yourself, can be trusted to wfh independently and autonomously.

 

This doesn’t have to mean that you’re calendar-blocking each hour of your day. But this question is a prime opportunity to highlight how you can, and have been able to work productively.

 

In an online interview, it’s an opportunity to also build a bond as you can reflect back a question to your interviewer, e.g.”I’ve found it’s key for me to factor in a 20 minute slot to excerise /walk the dog/ play with kids. I find this improves my feelings of wellbeing and makes me more focused and productive working for the rest of the day. What works for you?”.

 

3. Have you learnt any new skills since March last year?

 

This isn’t a trick question. Recruiters

wouldn’t be put off if a candidate said they had struggled with motivation or finding time to learn at the beginning of lockdown.

Instead, they’d welcome and expect some  honesty about what they’ve learnt about themselves during the pandemic.

 

You don’t have to pretend you’ve been on some kind of productivity marathon if you haven’t. Of course employers will want to know if you’ve added any professional skills to your CV, but talking about hobbies you’ve picked up or personal lessons you’ve learnt helps to give interviewers a glimpse of your personality and a real glimpse of you.

 

For instance, what you learnt about yourself could be how you discovered a new skill or the ability to step back from something. It doesn’t need to be professional, it can be something more personal.

 

But, how do you answer if you can’t think of anything you’ve learnt in the past few months?

 

Something as simple as trying out a new recipe counts. Most of us have discovered some new culinary skills 🤣.

 

4. What’s your ‘work-from-home set-up like?’

Potential employers have every right to ask about a candidate’s home working environment. Especially making sure that potential employees have a computer with internet access, that they have access to a telephone or a landline, and asking about the reliability of their wifi signal

 

Employers need to know that you have the equipment you need to do the job you are being interviewed for. However, they are aware that few of us have the perfect WFH set-up. Don’t be afraid to mention any challenges you’ve faced working from home, and how you’ve found solutions to work around them.

 

This is a good question for employers to ask candidates to see how creative they can be, and how they’re dealing with and have adapted to the current situation.

 

5. “We’re all on Microsoft Teams/ Slack/ Google Hangouts. Have you used it before?”

 

Of course, if your interview is on a platform you haven’t used before, you’ll want to test it out beforehand to make sure you know how to use it.

 

It’s also worth getting to know the main digital communication tools that are popular with businesses. Google Hangouts, Microsoft Teams, Slack and Zoom are all free to download and experiment with.

 

Some great advice to all candidates, is to be organised and prepared with the tech that they could be using if they are offered a job.

 

Lots of companies used digital communication tools before the pandemic. They’re just using them even more now. If candidates are unfamiliar with them they should definitely look them up & try them out before interviewing for a new job.

 

For employees who have started looking for a job after several years, this is a really useful tip.

 

6. Do you have any questions for us?

Pre-pandemic and lockdown, candidates would go into the office, meet a couple of members of the team. They’d get all of the contextual information before being offered the job and deciding whether to accept it.

 

Now, with largely online interviews, applicants don’t have all of the sensory, physical experiences through Candidates who have managed to get an interview aren’t getting the complete view of companies they’re applying for.

 

To counteract this, ask a lot of questions during your interview to get a clear idea of how the company works, the office culture and how you’ll work with different teams and individuals.

 

For starters, ask questions about training, daily tasks and communication methods. It’s equally important to ask about potential colleagues and hierarchy. This may mean clarifying who you would report to or who you can ask for help when you need it. Alternatively, it might mean taking a more informal approach to interviewing altogether.

 

A great suggestion for candidates is to ask, “If possible, could I have a virtual lunch with the team that I could be working with, just so I can get to know them—maybe not so much in a professional sense, but in a more casual, informal way?“

 

You could ask to have one-on-one meetings with potential future team members as part of the interview process. This shows you take the future culture of your potential colleagues seriously.

 

Companies should be understanding about these requests.

 

It’s really key that candidates meet more people, especially now. Particularly so if companies add a few more steps to the recruitment process. This can give applicants the confidence to be happy if they go on to secure a job offer.

 

Remember, it’s not just the candidate who has to adapt to the recruiter, but the recruiter who has to understand it’s a different situation for applicants too!

 

If you have questions around this topic or would like more information about this or something else, feel free to contact our MD, Mary Maguire, by email on [email protected]

 

An article by Mary Maguire, Managing Director
Astute Recruitment Ltd

Suite One, Ground Floor West, Cardinal Square, 10 Nottingham Road, Derby, DE1 3QT

T: 01332 346100

LI:  https://uk.linkedin.com/pub/mary-maguire/18/73/553 

LI: www.linkedin.com/company/astute-recruitment/

Roger & Joanna sharing top tips at NTU's Employability Workshop
Roger & Joanna sharing top tips at NTU’s Employability Workshop
Deborah Labatte Giving Tips To IoD Student Members
Deborah Labatte Giving Tips To IoD Student Members

deborah-labatte-giving-tips-to-iod-student-membersphotos-from-the-iods-and-ntus-employability-workshop-jpg-3-2-17

Simon & Dean Sharing Their Wisdom on Interview Tips With IoD Student Members at NTU
Simon & Dean Sharing Their Wisdom on Interview Tips With IoD Student Members at NTU

 

Graham & Mary Sharing Tips On Assessment Centres & Psychometric Testing
Graham & Mary Sharing Tips On Assessment Centres & Psychometric Testing

It was a great evening working working with NTU’s Employability Team to provide support to the IoD’s Student Members. Splitting into 4 teams each led by a business owner and member of NTU, we each advised groups of IoD Student Members on tips and how to prepare for interviews, assessment centres, psychometric tests and more. The evening was a great success with really positive feedback from the students who attended. Thanks to the team at Nottingham Trent University, Deborah, Simon, Roger, Mary and of course the IoD Students!

 

 

 

cima-astute-this-one

Astute’s Mary Maguire is delighted to work with CIMA on their next employability workshop. She will be advising their members, students and non-members as to interview guidance, tips and practical things they can do to improve their success on interview. The event will be at the Village Club Hotel, Brailsford Way, Nottingham, NG9 6DL. Full details and bookings can be made by clicking here to access the booking page. CIMA have lined up three guest speakers including Mary to speak on a range of topics from how to build a personal brand to interview tips for career success.

AGENDA: –    CIMA East Midlands & East Anglia Conference

TOPIC: –          Is it time to create more of an impact?

WHERE: –      Village Club Hotel, Brailsford Way Nottingham NG9 6DL

WHEN: –         16.00 – 20.00 Tuesday 24 January 2017

ITINERARY: –

16.00              Delegate registration – refreshments served

16.30               Welcome: CIMA Chairman (CIMA East Midlands Area Chairman and Member of Council)

 

16.35              How to build a personal brand for career and business success.

                         Simon Gray – founder of Career Codex

 

17.05              Personal presence for finance professionals

                         Sylvia Baldock – Regional Director – The Athena Network

 

18.15              Break – buffet and opportunity for networking

 

18.45              Interview tips for career success

Mary Maguire – Co-owner of Astute Recruitment Ltd

 

19.15                How to speak in public with confidence.

                          Simon Gray – founder of Career Codex

 

19.45              Thanks: CIMA Chairman

 

20.00             Event close

 

Attendees will receive a link to the speaker’s slides along with a feedback survey via email after the event.