NETWORK ENGINEERING

Executive Relations Centre

Menlyn Office Park
Gobie Street, Newlands
Pretoria
Tel: +27 12 348 4940

BENEFITS OF PARTNERING WITH NETWORK ENGINEERING:

o We value our candidates just as high as our clients therefore our processes, approach
and business module are aligned so as to complement this belief and ensure candidate-
centricity.
o We take the time to fully understand our candidate’s needs and requirements as we do
with our clients – thereby ensuring a successful and sustainable match.
o We have a very large database consisting of companies across a wide variety of
industries which will ensures our candidates have entry into lucrative positions through
our service.
o We are proactive and aggressive in taking our candidates to the market.
o Dedicated consultant to assist in securing those top positions for you.
o Coaching and guidance from experienced recruiters.
o Access to a well-established network with key corporate companies.
o We offer you access to our other sister brands.

THE PROFESSIONAL SERVICE YOU CAN EXPECT FROM US

o After your interview, we hope that you feel confident that your allocated consultant has a
thorough understanding of your skills and requirements, which will enable us to place you
in the right position.
o We are always here as a willing ear or consultative resource to assist you with any
queries you may have.

THE PROFESSIONAL COURTESY WE ASK OF YOU

o Please contact us with any changes in your current employment (contact numbers,
promotions, salary increases, etc).

o Feel free to visit our website www.networkrecruitment.co.za and apply for any positions
that you might be interested in.

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NETWORK ENGINEERING
Executive Relations Centre
Menlyn Office Park
Gobie Street, Newlands
Pretoria
Tel: +27 12 348 4940

GENERAL INTERVIEW TIPS

Going on an interview is probably, for some, one of the most
stressful things that they will encounter in their lives. Some people
strive in their interviews and during their life time will go on a lot of
6 Greatest mistakes made in job interviews:
interviews; other people are so nervous they stutter, forget their
- Doing no homework on an organization before going
words and answer things totally
there.
different from the way they
- Letting your resume / CV be used as agenda for the
rehearsed it in their minds.
interviews.
- Talking primarily about yourself and what benefit the
I bet we can all remember our
job will be for you.
very first interview and when
- When answering a question talking longer than 2
looking back some of us might
cringe and whish we had done minutes at a time.
some things differently during - Approaching them as if you were a job beggar.
that first interview. - Not sending a thank you note right after the interview.

The meaning of this document

is to give you the interviewee
some general tips when going
on an interview, these tips will inform you on how to prepare for
your interview.

1. The first thing that is very important is to do the necessary research on the company. This means to know exactly
what the company does, what their products are, what type of services they provide and who their clients are etc.
This will show the interviewer that you are serious about the interview and really interested in the company and that
you do not see it as just another opportunity. Also know who you will be meeting with.

2. Another thing that goes hand in hand with doing research on the company is preparing relevant questions that you
can ask the interviewer about the position, the role and even the company. Prepare and ask questions that will give
you certainty about the opportunity. This is important because once the interview is over and you have asked all the
questions you will know whether this is the opportunity for you or not.

3. When preparing for the interview think of all your past achievements and highlights. Think of a way you can link
your achievements (for example where you have made the company money, saved them money or implemented
systems) to the opportunity, this will show them what you can do for the company.

4. Be on time for your interview (at least 15 – 20 minutes early). It is not wise to show your possible new employer
that you do not know the meaning of punctuality.

5. Dress neatly and professionally unless it has been specified by your consultant that the interview will be casual.
Remember, first impressions count.

6. Greet the interviewer/s with a firm

handshake and look them in the eye so that
Research done amongst decision they know you mean business.
makers in the top companies in
America indicates that the one factor 7. Another important accessory is confidence.
that employers considered as If you are confident about yourself, your
influencing their choice to appoint skills and if you answer the questions with
someone was the extent to which the confidence then you can not go wrong in
candidate understood & had the interview, but be careful not to come
information about the prospective across as arrogant.
employer’s company.
8. Answer questions honestly and completely.
There is no need to dwell on negatives. If
you can, avoid mentioning them. There is no
need to lie about something because if they
find out it will just be an uncomfortable situation that could have been avoided. Sell yourself on your true capabilities
and qualifications without exaggerating your abilities.

9. Keep a 50 – 50 balance between talking and listening, meaning that you should not talk too much and do not only
reply with a simple yes or no. Do not be afraid of silence. Take a few seconds to gather your thoughts before
launching into an answer. A few seconds of silence followed by a well thought out answer reflects very well on you.

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NETWORK ENGINEERING
Executive Relations Centre
Menlyn Office Park
Gobie Street, Newlands
Pretoria
Tel: +27 12 348 4940
10. After the interview thank them for inviting and giving you the opportunity to meet with them. Again greet them with
a firm handshake and maintain the eye contact.

There are a lot of other tips and guidelines on how to win an interview, these listed here are the basic things on how you
can prepare yourself for that very important interview. One of the most important things to remember is that you must
enjoy the interview and you are allowed to feel important and special because a company took interest in you and
requested to meet with you and find out what you can do for their company.

10 QUESTIONS YOU THE INTERVIEWEE CAN ASK IN AN INTERVIEW

Finally you as the interviewee gets the chance to turn the tables and ask the interviewer some questions. Although it will
not be stressful for them at all, it will allow you to relax and find out everything that you need to know about the
opportunity.

The list below consists of possible questions that you can ask the interviewer/s. Seeing that every interview is different,
these questions can differ and might not be applicable to every interview:

1. What would my duties and responsibilities be?

2. Is there any room for growth and advancement within
the company?
3. Does the company encourage further studies?
4. What is the general culture of the company?
5. How will my performance be assessed?
6. You can ask the interviewer why he/she likes to work at
the company.
7. Who will I report to and will people report to me?
8. How can I improve on the way things were done by the
previous person that held this position?
9. Could you explain your organizational structure?
10. When can I expect feedback/ how soon will you decide
on the appointment?

Preparing and asking some questions in the interview shows the

interviewer/s that you are serious and interested in the position
and the company. This list of questions are only examples that
you can use therefore think about the questions that you would
like to ask the interviewer. By asking questions it will help you
decide whether this is the opportunity for you or not.

10 QUESTIONS FREQUENTLY ASKED IN AN

INTERVIEW
When going on an interview do you feel stressed and unprepared?
Sitting there in the reception area or boardroom calmly waiting in
anticipation for the not so stressed or nervous interviewer/s.

Each interview is unique in its own way and different questions are
asked therefore think about your answers to questions you’re likely to
be asked. Want that feeling of control and confidence to fill the room?
To help you get that feeling we’re listing some of the most popular
questions asked in interviews:

1. “Tell me about yourself.”

This is an opportunity for you to briefly discus your CV with the

interviewer. Mention what you have accomplished so far and what your
highlights in your career were, in other words brag a bit about yourself.

2. “What are your goals?”

This is a very popular question because well-thought-out goals show maturity and a commitment to your
profession or business. Your goals should be both long and short term, ambitious but realistic.

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NETWORK ENGINEERING
Executive Relations Centre
Menlyn Office Park
Gobie Street, Newlands
Pretoria
Tel: +27 12 348 4940

3. “Where do you see yourself in five years?”

When attempting to answer this particular question there is one very important thing to remember and that is to
steer clear of titles. The reason for this is because when you reply for example “In the next five years I see myself
as the Financial Director”, it can create a problem because the Financial Director might be the one conducting the
interview and then basically what you are saying is that you would really like his/her job. People react differently
and he/she might take offense therefore steer clear of titles and rather explain how you would like to be in a stable
company like yours in a position where there is growth potential and where you will be able to utilize your skills.

4. “What are your strengths?”

Again, answer the question in terms of the

position to be filled. State your strengths and
support your claim with illustrations of past
accomplishments. If one of your strengths is
that you are deadline driven, then explain to
them why you say so, for example, you are
deadline driven because you had specific
deadlines at the end of each month and you
always met them one week before the
deadline.

5. “What are your weaknesses?”

When mentioning weaknesses give an example

on how you are taking the necessary steps on
improving your weaknesses. This shows that
you are aware of your weaknesses and you are
working on improving them.

6. “Why do you want to leave your job?”

Be sure you have a good answer to this question before going on an interview. Your reason for leaving might be
because of corporate changes, lack of opportunity or recognition, insufficient authority, or unsatisfactory earnings.
Be very careful not to make negative statements about your former employers or colleagues. Explain the situation
as factually and briefly as possible.

7. “What salary are you asking for?”

We would advise that salary discussions should be started by the interviewer, and not the candidate. Should the
interviewer ask what salary you are looking for, ensure that you are prepared for what you would want to answer.
Discussing salary is not the first topic to address in your first interview. Rather avoid discussing compensation until
the interviewer brings it up first. Ensure that you gather as much information from your recruitment consultant
about the possible salary brackets that the client has in mind for this specific position.

Firstly, understanding your current salary breakdown is imperative before going on interviews. If the topic of
compensation comes up in the interview, answer the question in three parts. Firstly explain your current package,
structure and benefits to the interviewer, followed by something like “What I’m really looking for is the right career
opportunity” and then lastly give a figure that you and your recruitment consultant discussed. It is advisable to also
explain to the interviewer, the reason for the said amount – travelling, more responsibility, etc.

8. “Why are you interested in this position”?

This gives you the opportunity to tell the interviewer what you like about their company and what opportunities
there are for you. For this reason it is essential to do research on the company.

9. “Why should we choose you for the position”?

This question allows you to mention and to make the interviewer aware of what skills you
can bring to the company, what differentiates you from all the other candidates. Here you
can briefly mention your achievements at previous companies. Stress the areas on your
background that relate to the challenges inherent in the new position.

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NETWORK ENGINEERING
Executive Relations Centre
Menlyn Office Park
Gobie Street, Newlands
Pretoria
Tel: +27 12 348 4940

10. “Explaining your work history”?

“Can you explain why there is an 8 month gap between Company A and Company B?” “Can you explain why you
had 3 different employers in 5 years?” Have a sound explanation for your work history. Whether you have a gap
in your employment or have held several jobs in short period of time, emphasise that you were looking for a
company to settle into where you could make a long-term commitment / contribution, stress that you are not just
looking for a higher paycheck.

These questions are just an indication of what might be answered and it is not to say that these questions will be asked.
It is in your best interest to prepare for your interview.

HOW TO HANDLE SALARY

Salary a.k.a compensation, MONEY etc. is a word loved by everyone across the world but on the other side it is also one
of the major deal breakers when trying to enhance and improve your career.

Salary can be a tricky topic to cover in an interview and it can leave you in a sticky situation
when you have not prepared for this question or topic. When you are considering making a
career move, salary is always one of the important factors. We all want an increase when making
a career change but it is very important for companies to know that you are more or less willing
to move for the same amount and not for an increase of R 100 000. This will all depend on other
factors as well as the location. Companies like to hear that you are there for the opportunity and
not for the money alone.

If the opportunity arises, use it to discuss you salary. It is important to understand your current
package, to know what it is made up of and to know what is most important to you – i.e. cost to company (and what that
all includes) or nett amount (the money in your pocket after tax). Your consultant will always prepare you beforehand on
how to handle the issue of salary when it comes up in the interview.

Here are a few guidelines on how to handle the sticky topic of salary:
Remember, the first person
1. In the first interview make sure that you do not start the conversation to mention a number in a
about salary before the interviewer does. negotiation usually loses.

2. If the interviewer asks you what your salary expectations are, answer
the question in a three part way. Firstly, give a clear breakdown of your
current salary package and benefits, even the fringe benefits that is not
noted on your payslip.

3. Thereafter, explain that you are there for the opportunity and that you do not want to be excluded from the
process.

4. Lastly, use this opportunity to explain what your expectations are, thus ensuring that there is no
misunderstanding or miscommunication about your salary expectations. Please ensure that you’ve had a
discussion with your recruitment consultant, to understand what figure to mention and also explaining how
you got to that figure i.e. traveling, more responsibilities, different role, etc.

5. Always leave enough room to negotiate, thus ensuring that you GET the job firstly and thereafter ensuring that
you get the MONEY that you would want.

The secrets of successful salary negotiations

As mentioned before, do not start the discussion regarding your salary expectations before the interviewer does.

When to discuss salary:

Not until all of the following conditions have been fulfilled –

- Not until they’ve gotten to know you, at your best, so they can see how you stand above the other applicants.
- Not until you’ve gotten to know them, as completely as you can, so you can tell when they’re being firm, or when
they’re flexible.
- Not until you’ve found out exactly what the job entails.
- Not until they’ve had a chance to find out how well you match the job-requirements.
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NETWORK ENGINEERING
Executive Relations Centre
Menlyn Office Park
Gobie Street, Newlands
Pretoria
Tel: +27 12 348 4940
- Not until you’re in the final interview at that place for that job.
- Not until you’ve decided, “I’d really like to work here.”
- Not until they’ve said, “We want you.”
- Not until they’ve said, “We’ve got to have you.”

-- should you get into salary discussion with this employer.

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If the employer raises the salary question earlier, in some form like “What kind of salary are you looking for?”, you should
have three responses at your fingertips.

1. If the employer seems like a kindly man or woman, your best and most tactful reply might be: “Until you’ve
decided you definitely want me, and I’ve decided I definitely could help you with your tasks here, I feel any
discussion of salary is premature.” That will work, in most cases.
2. There are instances however, where that doesn’t work. You may be face-to-face with an employer who will not
so easily be put off, and demands within the first two minutes that you’re in the interview room to know what
salary you are looking for. At this point, you use your second response: “I’ll gladly come to that, but could you
first help me to understand what this job involves?”
3. That is a good response, in most cases. But what if it doesn’t work? The employer with a raising voice says,
“Come, come, don’t play games with me. I want to know what salary you’re looking for.” You have response
#3 prepared for this very eventuality. It’s an answer in terms of a range. For example, “I’m looking for a
salary in the range of R 35 000 – R 45 000 a year.”

If the employer still won’t let it go until later, then consider what this means. Clearly, you are being interviewed by an
employer who has no range in mind. Their beginning figure is their ending figure. No negotiation is possible.
When this happens, it happens because many employers are making salary their major criterion for deciding who to hire,
and who not to hire, out of – say – nineteen possible candidates.

1. One job-hunter said that his interviews always began with the salary question, and no matter what he
answered, that ended the interview. Turned out, this job-hunter was doing all the interviewing over the phone.
That was the problem. Once he went face-to-face, salary was no longer the first topic discussed in the
interview.

It’s an old game, played with new determination by many employers these days, called “among two equally qualified
candidates the one who is willing to work for the lower salary wins.”

If you run into this situation and you want that job badly enough, you will have no choice but to capitulate. Ask what
salary they have in mind, and make your decision. (Of course you should always say, “I need a little time to think about
this.”)

Purpose of salary negotiations is to uncover the most that an employer is willing to pay to get you.
Every employer has a salary range in mind, you have every right to try to discover what the highest point of that salary
range is. Employer will always start lower and negotiate from there.

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NETWORK ENGINEERING
Executive Relations Centre
Menlyn Office Park
Gobie Street, Newlands
Pretoria
Tel: +27 12 348 4940
During salary discussions try not to be the first one to mention a salary figure. Whoever mentions a figure first in salary
negotiation generally loses. You should respond by asking, “What do you have in mind?”

Before you go to the interview do some homework on how much you will need if offered this job. It is also vital to do
some research on typical salaries for your skills. Try to get hold of salary surveys or talk to people in the industry. What
are similar positions being advertised for?

Discussing salary can put one in a difficult predicament - therefore your consultant will prepare you and make sure that
you are educated and ready to answer any questions if the salary topic arises.

HOW TO DEAL WITH COUNTER OFFERS

Picture this scenario, you go on an interview, it really went well and you know that this is the opportunity that you have
been looking for. It is a great company to work for, close to home – no more getting stuck in traffic, great growth
opportunities within the company and there will be a little bit of an improvement on your compensation package and you
cannot wait to start. You finally inform your manager about your new opportunity. The next day your manager calls you
into his office and makes you an offer that you cannot refuse. You are torn between two great opportunities, what do you
do now?

This is a very hard decision to make because some people are only in it for the money and other people really want to
make a change because of factors other than money. When you have to make an important decision like this, take time
to go and think about why suddenly your manager is offering you a counter offer.
Possible reasons can be:

1. They know that you are on the market, so they might be trying to buy time to
train someone to replace you.
2. People within the department might get worried and feel that their jobs are in
danger.
3. It is less expensive to give you an increase than employing someone new and
training them.
4. They might not want to let you go because you might know the ins and outs of
the company and now confidential information will be available to the
competitors.
5. The lower the staff turnover of the company the better.
6. Too many resignations in a company does not look good on a manager’s record.

If you are still considering accepting the counteroffer, keep the following in mind:

1. Why have they waited all this time to recognize your potential and acknowledge what you do for the company?
2. You had a valid reason in the first place for wanting to make a career change, if you accept the counter offer you
will just be suppressing the real reason.
3. If you stay, your loyalty will always be in question and you will have
to regain the trust of your manager.
4. If the company is in trouble, in the future the manager will
remember who was loyal and who was not. You might be the first to
leave.
5. Often, when you accept a counter offer, your manager will already
be looking for your replacement.
6. If you accept the counter offer you might burn your bridges with
companies that you might be doing business with in the future.
7. Statistically, 80% of all employees who accept a company’s counter
offer end up leaving that company within 6 to 9 months anyway.

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NETWORK ENGINEERING
Executive Relations Centre
Menlyn Office Park
Gobie Street, Newlands
Pretoria
Tel: +27 12 348 4940
Remember, the final decision lies with you; you have to do what is best for you and your career. This is not a decision
that can be made light heartedly. Do yourself a favor and take time to think it through. Weigh all the pros and cons and
based on that make your final decision.

HOW TO RESIGN FROM YOUR JOB

So you have found your new dream opportunity and cannot wait to start but there is one thing that you have been
dreading - resigning from your current job. This is not an easy or
pleasant thing to do. It can be very hard to scrape together enough
courage and go to your employer and tell him/her that it is time for
you to move on. It gets exceptionally hard when you really like your
job and you are on a good foot with you co-workers and managers.
Another scenario is that you might not get along with your managers
or co-workers or something happened that jeopardized your
professional relationship and you do not know how to pursue the issue
of resigning.

Consider these facts before and when you decide to resign from your
position. The decision solely lies by you so think things through before
you make a decision to prevent making the wrong decision:

1. First of all you have to be 100% sure that this is what you
want to do and that this is the right opportunity for you.
Consider all the factors for example the location, the type of
work you will be doing, salary and growth potential within
the company.

2. After you have decided to make the change go through your

employment contract and confirm your notice period that you would have to work. It is important to know what
your notice period is in order to prevent any possible disputes during the process.

3. Plan and write a resignation letter that will allow you to effectively communicate and
deliver your message. Keep your resignation short and sweet. Leave the company on a
positive note. People are going to miss you because you contributed skills and expertise
to the company for the time period you worked there. Thank them for the opportunity
that they have given you and that you have learned a lot and gained experience during
your employment.

4. It is always nice to ask for a letter of recommendation. The reason for this is that as
time goes by people loose contact with each other and numbers get lost therefore if the
time comes and the reference can not be contacted you have a letter of
recommendation.

This part of the process is never easy and for some people it can be an emotional experience. Leave the company
gracefully, chin up and be ready for your new challenge. Do not burn your bridges; someday you might just make use of
those bridges again.

If you would like an example of a resignation letter please do not hesitate to contact us.

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