Once you have registered, we can provide you with:

• One point of contact from your initial interview right through to finding you a suitable position. Your Consultant will get to know you and your requirements, and therefore act in your best interests.
• Advice on interview techniques, including role play with your Consultant.
• Answers to any queries that you may have about prospective employers.
• Advice on career and salary/pay rates.
• Assistance with CV presentation to make the most of your skills and experience.
• A wide range of job opportunities through the Berkshire and West London area.
• The service to act on your behalf either as an employment agency, when you are looking for permanent employment, or as an employment business, if you are looking for temporary work.
• Experienced Consultants passionate about their profession who take time to get to know you, increasing their success in finding you the job you want.

We want your time with us to be both enjoyable and rewarding. Our benefits package is exceptional and includes:

• up to 4 weeks holiday pay per annum
• high rates of pay
• temporary of the month
• convenient weekly or monthly BACS payments
• expert advice and support in finding suitable work
• IT skills training and development
• regular, informative newsletters
• helpful, friendly Consultants
• competitions
• recommendation rewards

S4 operates a comprehensive diversity policy and will consider candidates on their suitability and skills match for a role, whatever the background of the individual, irrespective of ethnicity, age, sex, religion, sexual orientation, marital status, disability or dependents’ consideration.

Preparation

Research the Organisation
Preparation is the key to success. The interviewer is likely to look at your preparation for the interview as an indicator of how you will do your job, so make sure you research the company well, understand what they do and be able to show a good knowledge of the role you are applying for.

Become familiar with the company history, their purpose and goals. Good sources of information can be; Websites, local libraries (newspaper articles, other information), company brochures, Chamber of Commerce, personnel department, sales and marketing department, or ask friends if they know anyone who works there. You could visit a store, distributor or end user to gain more information. All organisations want to be loved and you have to demonstrate your interest, the benefit will be you can uncover any potential problems early and raise/discuss them with the employer at interview.

This adds a tremendous amount of credibility to you as a potential employee, it should also give you a very good fix on the company and their competition. Make sure the employer is aware of the hard work you have done by taking the information into the interview with you.

Travel & Timing 
Plan your journey beforehand to ensure you arrive a few minutes early. Allow for possible travel delays. Just in case of a major hold up, make sure you have your contact’s telephone number or S4 Consultant’s telephone number so that you can call if you suspect you will be late.

Presentation
Look professional – it is best to dress conservatively, with the main emphasis on the obvious – clean and ironed shirt, polished shoes. You never get a second chance to make a good first impression!

Open the meeting with a firm handshake, good eye contact and a confident approach. Take in a briefcase or presentation folder containing a pad and pen so you can write down points that you would like to clarify or raise later in the interview. You are showing interest.

Take Evidence 
You need to put together a brag file; evidence of your previous success and therefore likely future behaviour. This could include sales league tables, incentive plans, review/appraisal reports, referral letters or certificates. If you have achieved then take along the evidence.

Speaking/Listening Mix
Ideally you need to mix speaking and listening fifty-fifty during the interview, people who ignore the rule generally do not make a positive impression. Listening is an active not passive interaction. Effective listeners:

• Concentrate on the speaker, following not only words but also body language which, through the use of eyes or gestures, often underlines meaning and gives life to the message.
• Respond quickly to points made by the speaker, if only in the shape of encouraging noises.
• Ask questions frequently to clarify meaning and to give the speaker an opportunity to rephrase or underline a point.
• Comment on the points made by the speaker, without interrupting the flow, in order to test your understanding and demonstrate that the speaker and you are still on the same wavelength. These comments may summarise something the speaker said, giving them the opportunity to reconsider or clarify the point made.
• Make notes on the key points – even if the notes are not referred to later they will help to concentrate the mind.
• Are continuously evaluating the messages being delivered to check that they are understood and relevant to the purpose of the meeting.
• Are alert at all times to what the speaker is saying.
• Do not slump in their chairs – they lean forward, show interest and maintain eye-contact through their oral responses and positive body language;
• Are prepared to let the speaker go on with the minimum of interruption.

Be Resourceful
Give examples of your achievements, talk about any promotions you have been given, your length of service with previous employers and employee awards you have received. If you are being interviewed for a sales or account management role maybe talk about the new business you have won or the successful development of existing accounts. You need to be seen as a resourceful person rather than someone just looking for a job. You could pre-prepare a two minute summary on yourself (summary of CV) – that really sells your skills, experience and expertise and refer to the relevant part of the summary to answer questions. Give examples of your achievements, perhaps, new business wins or account development successes.

Interview Approach
Prepare for the interview; think through all the things you want to talk about. Plan which questions you want to ask and how you will react to questions you are asked. Remember the interviewer wants to see someone who will contribute to their company success. Be clear about your strengths and how they will help you complete the role. If you are unclear about this before the interview, clarify it with your S4 Consultant. During the interview you could ask the interviewer what they consider to be the three most important aspects of the role; you can then discuss how your skills match these requirements. You want the interviewer to understand the contribution you can make to their department/company. Be positive and thank the interviewer for their time, it is often a good idea to write them a professional follow-up letter re-iterating your interest in the role. If you are unsure what to write, speak with your S4 Consultant who will be happy to help.

Previous Employers
Do not talk about your previous Employers in a negative way: the interviewer will only worry that you may do the same to them. Think about positive things to say and make sure you are prepared to answer your reasons for leaving each role in a constructive way.

Clarify the Role
The interview process is a two-way street, the employer is trying to find out about you and you want find out about the organisation and the role. You will hopefully have defined the type of position you are ideally looking for, the things you want out of a new position and the things you don’t. It is imperative that you prepare some questions before the interview, write them on your pad and take them in with you.

Questions You May Want to Ask:

• Why is the position available?
• What background would you ideally like candidates to have?
• How many offices does the company have?
• How would you describe a typical day?
• How many people are there in the department?
• Could I have a look around the department?
• What training do you offer?
• Who are your main competitors?
• Does your company have any future plans for expansion?
• Do you have any reservations about considering me for this position?

Questions You May be Asked:

General

• What are your strengths?
• What are your weaknesses?
• Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
• What ambitions do you have?
• Give me an example of an achievement you have made; personal and professional
• Why do you want to work for our company?
• What do you know about the job?
• Why do you want this job?
• Why do you think you can do this job?
• What makes you different from other applicants?
• Why did you leave your previous companies?
• Why are you looking for a new job?
• Talk me through your previous work experience?
• How much sickness have you had in the last year?
• Give me an example of where you have worked as part of a team
• Give me an example of where you have worked on your own initiative
• What is your ideal job role?
• What do you like and dislike doing at work?

Customer Services

• What does customer services mean to you?
• What do you think makes a good customer services person?
• Why do you like customer services?
• What makes you different from any other customer services person?
• Give me an example of where you have received bad customer services and how did that make you feel?
• Give me an example of where you’ve received good customer services and how did that make you feel

Sales

• Give me an example of where you have had to work to targets
• What targets have you had to work to?
• What makes a convincing sales person?
• Why do you think you are good at sales?
• What motivates you?
• Give me an example of a success story you have had
• Why should we pick you over any other candidate?
• Where do you see yourself in 5 years time?

REMEMBER

ALWAYS give POSITIVE answers,
avoid being NEGATIVE

Closing the Interview
There are some key elements to bear in mind when the interview is coming to an end.

Guidelines:

• What timescale is the company working to?
• Find out answers to any questions
• Are there any reservations, concerning your experience?
• Clearly state your interest in the role
• Indicate why you think the role would be of interest and why you feel you are ideally suited.
• If you want the job say so!
• If you are not keen – do not tell them – that is our job!