Latest / Financial Planner Life Podcast / Career Accelerator For Financial Planning - Part 3 of 4

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Career Accelerator For Financial Planning - Part 3 of 4 · Financial Planner Life Podcast

• 0:07
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, cool.
• 0:08
  SPEAKER_00: So we have had two episodes already.
• 0:11
  SPEAKER_00: Are you where you think you should be?
• 0:14
  SPEAKER_00: What was it again?
• 0:15
  SPEAKER_01: Where you want to be.
• 0:16
  SPEAKER_00: Are you where you want to be?
• 0:18
  SPEAKER_00: Sorry, I got that wrong.
• 0:19
  SPEAKER_00: It's not like I recorded it today or anything.
• 0:23
  SPEAKER_00: And then that was all about, you know, are you in the right job?
• 0:26
  SPEAKER_00: Are you going through those thoughts and those feelings about wanting to leave and how to really put those thoughts on trial, ask for evidence to progress to the next stage, which was the next episode of actually going out and the strategy of finding a new job opportunity, whether you have experience or you don't have experience.
• 0:46
  SPEAKER_00: So we covered that in that episode.
• 0:47
  SPEAKER_00: If you haven't listened to it, go back and listen to it.
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_00: You'll love it.
• 0:51
  SPEAKER_00: Now, this episode is all about the interview process.
• 0:56
  SPEAKER_00: So yeah, what you experienced during that interview process, what the client might well be looking for, but how best you prepare for that interview stage as well.
• 1:07
  SPEAKER_00: To put your best foot forward, to make sure you make the best impression.
• 1:10
  SPEAKER_00: Even if you don't get a job, even if you don't want the job, you want to make sure you are giving the best impression.
• 1:16
  SPEAKER_00: My wife recently has gone out looking for new job opportunities.
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_00: And I was trying to instill in her, look, you know, even if they didn't offer you the job, right?
• 1:25
  SPEAKER_00: Even if you didn't want the job, you want to go there and give the best impression of yourself.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_00: Because that opportunity that they don't give you should be because you don't fit, because your true authentic self isn't a match for their culture.
• 1:43
  SPEAKER_00: But the feedback is we loved you.
• 1:45
  SPEAKER_00: We thought you were great, but you weren't right for our culture.
• 1:47
  SPEAKER_00: There's definitely something else out there for you.
• 1:49
  SPEAKER_00: And also said to her, look, if you're sat there and you're thinking, This is not for me, you want a job offer.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_00: You want a job offer, right?
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_00: Because when you get that job offer, it's another offer.
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_00: You can put up another against another offer, you can put up against another offer.
• 2:04
  SPEAKER_00: And when it comes to accepting the offer and getting the best salary package you can look for, you've got some offers to leverage off the back of, haven't you, to get the best package for you in your next position.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_00: So there we go.
• 2:17
  SPEAKER_00: So, ladies, I'm gonna hand over to you, Charlie.
• 2:20
  SPEAKER_00: When it comes to interviews, right?
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_00: Let's look at the people who have experience within the financial planning profession.
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, we try and make it so it's crosses over to both, right?
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_00: So people that have experience within the profession, more sure, sort of take on the interview process.
• 2:35
  SPEAKER_00: Give us some pearls of wisdom.
• 2:37
  SPEAKER_03: So I think when it comes to interviews, we get it.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_03: They're nerve-wracking, they're scary.
• 2:43
  SPEAKER_03: You know, for me, it's sweaty palms and having a glass of water because I need to think for a moment.
• 2:49
  SPEAKER_03: They are a scary process, but you have to kind of stay, take a step back and realize this person sat in front of you is a human being and they have a life outside of work and they want to find the best fit for their team.
• 3:03
  SPEAKER_03: And it's a two-way conversation, you know, it's a fact-find for yourself as well as for them.
• 3:08
  SPEAKER_03: All they have in front of them, if you've gone through a recruiter like us, is a CV and an introduction from us.
• 3:15
  SPEAKER_03: That's it.
• 3:16
  SPEAKER_03: And then all you have is, you know, the company website, the job description, and it's about connecting the dots for you in terms of your experience, the job description, the company culture to make it be a good fit from the hiring manager's perspective.
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_03: But go back to those values, those non-negotiables, those things that really matter to you.
• 3:35
  SPEAKER_03: And it's about knowing the right questions to ask so you can figure out is this a good match for you?
• 3:41
  SPEAKER_03: Because at the end of the day, you want it to be a sustainable career move.
• 3:44
  SPEAKER_03: You don't want it to be three months down the line, you absolutely hate it.
• 3:47
  SPEAKER_03: You want it to be a longevity partnership with this company.
• 3:51
  SPEAKER_03: And I think when it comes to interviews, I when I got into recruitment, I went through a wreck-to-reck.
• 3:57
  SPEAKER_03: I know, funny, recruiters, recruiting, recruiters.
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and I got put forward for about five different companies, and I must have had 10 interviews over the space of two weeks.
• 4:07
  SPEAKER_03: And you start flexing this muscle in your brain, which is your interview muscle.
• 4:11
  SPEAKER_03: And the more you do it, the better you get, the slicker you are, the smoother your answers are.
• 4:15
  SPEAKER_03: And at the end of it, you don't get too nervous, and you can figure out what the questions that you ask are giving the answers.
• 4:22
  SPEAKER_03: I remember I would ask, I remember asking it to you, Sam.
• 4:25
  SPEAKER_03: I said, What did you learn through COVID as a business owner?
• 4:29
  SPEAKER_03: And you spoke to me, you said, Oh, you know, I've learned to lead from trust, and I've learned that the people who want to be here will be here.
• 4:36
  SPEAKER_03: And we had a really deep conversation, and I thought, wow, I feel really empowered from that.
• 4:41
  SPEAKER_03: And that's a company, you know, we will have conversations like that, make it a cup of tea in the kitchen, the small menial moments of your day.
• 4:47
  SPEAKER_03: But I remember I asked another company, what did you learn through COVID?
• 4:50
  SPEAKER_03: And they said, Oh, you know, we we test once a week and we wear masks in public spaces, and we got hand sanitizer, and I thought, okay, okay, okay, but this isn't a good culture fit for me because you're seeing it very logically, black and white, whereas I want a little bit more than that.
• 5:06
  SPEAKER_03: So it's knowing the right questions to ask, I'd say.
• 5:09
  SPEAKER_00: Fantastic.
• 5:10
  SPEAKER_00: So what I'm getting at from what you've just said is I'm amazing at interviews.
• 5:18
  SPEAKER_01: The cherry on the tongue.
• 5:20
  SPEAKER_01: That's obviously what Sam does from that.
• 5:24
  SPEAKER_00: That's what I've taken from that amazing review of my interview skills.
• 5:28
  SPEAKER_00: And we am hiring, by the way.
• 5:30
  SPEAKER_00: Um, although I have been taken out of the interview process for some reason.
• 5:34
  SPEAKER_00: Bring me back in.
• 5:35
  SPEAKER_00: I get wheeled out sometimes for the ones where it's like, we really, really want this person, Sam.
• 5:39
  SPEAKER_00: So we're even thinking about getting you into the interview process.
• 5:42
  SPEAKER_00: I'm like, cool, okay.
• 5:43
  SPEAKER_00: What we're taking from that though, Charlie, right?
• 5:45
  SPEAKER_00: Um some of the things you summed up on there, I think is interview preparation, right?
• 5:48
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 5:49
  SPEAKER_00: If you don't prepare, you know, uh, you're gonna lose.
• 5:51
  SPEAKER_00: You're gonna be able to do that.
• 5:52
  SPEAKER_03: Fail to prepare, prepare to fail.
• 5:54
  SPEAKER_00: That's the one, you know, that's exactly what I was trying to look for.
• 5:56
  SPEAKER_00: I'm not very good at remembering those sorts of things.
• 5:58
  SPEAKER_00: Anyway, that's exactly right, okay.
• 6:00
  SPEAKER_00: So preparation is absolutely key.
• 6:03
  SPEAKER_00: Now, when it comes to preparing for that interview, right, Elena, go through some of the preparation that you think somebody should um think about, um, perhaps demonstrate, practice before they go to that interview.
• 6:17
  SPEAKER_00: Pick a couple of that you think are really, really important.
• 6:20
  SPEAKER_01: Really important.
• 6:20
  SPEAKER_01: Well, first and foremost, do your research on the company.
• 6:24
  SPEAKER_01: I've had people that have not got past the first interview stage because the interviewer has said, Oh, tell us a little bit that you know about us, and they'll give like a one-sentence answer, and then it's like, yeah.
• 6:33
  SPEAKER_01: You know, do your research, take it in, be able to go into the interview and demonstrate why you want to work for them.
• 6:40
  SPEAKER_01: And, you know, that's why websites and things like that are an excellent tool.
• 6:43
  SPEAKER_01: So definitely do your research on the company, do your research on the job description and make sure that you've psychoanalysed that.
• 6:50
  SPEAKER_01: The amount of times that I speak to someone and present the job description in front of them, and they're like, oh my God, you know, I do everything that's on here.
• 6:58
  SPEAKER_01: Excellent.
• 6:58
  SPEAKER_01: Memorize that and make sure that you're bringing up those points in the interview process because the hiring manager is going to be like, tick, they do that, tick, they do that, tick, and you're almost like a tick boxing exercise for yourself.
• 7:11
  SPEAKER_01: And one thing that's I also came through a rec to rec funnily enough, so I think me and Charlie both really value the insight that recruitment consultants can have.
• 7:18
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and one tip that I learn is do your research on the hiring manager.
• 7:23
  SPEAKER_01: You know, I, with all my interview confirmations, if the hiring manager or the person that's meeting you is on LinkedIn, I will send you their LinkedIn link.
• 7:31
  SPEAKER_01: So have a look through that.
• 7:32
  SPEAKER_01: For example, if you're being interviewed by someone that's an operations director or a team leader and they've come from a power planner role, ask them questions about that.
• 7:40
  SPEAKER_01: How did you find your transition?
• 7:42
  SPEAKER_01: What's your favorite part of the role?
• 7:44
  SPEAKER_01: Because I feel like that's something that lots of candidates miss out on, but it stands out because not only does it show your you've done your research, but allows it to turn into more of a conversational piece.
• 7:54
  SPEAKER_01: And then it really allows you to show your attributes.
• 7:57
  SPEAKER_01: So definitely do your prep do some research on the company, do your research on the job description, have good questions prepared for the hiring manager, and have good questions prepared that link back to your non-negotiable.
• 8:09
  SPEAKER_01: So, you know, you might be leaving a company due to career progression, and you sit down with a hiring manager and you're like, oh my God, the culture looks amazing.
• 8:16
  SPEAKER_01: You know, I can feel myself getting really invested in that, but that's not the reason you're looking to move.
• 8:20
  SPEAKER_01: So make sure you're asking questions about the career progression, the reasons that you're looking to leave in the first place to ensure that you're not falling into the same trap because ultimately, my main thing as a recruitment consultant is I don't want to just place you into a role.
• 8:34
  SPEAKER_01: I want to place you into a role where you can have longevity, but you've got to ask those right questions to make sure it's the right career move for you.
• 8:41
  SPEAKER_00: Unless you know somebody within that business, right?
• 8:44
  SPEAKER_00: You're probably gonna go completely blind into that interview without any knowledge of what to expect.
• 8:51
  SPEAKER_00: You'll have no idea what the personality of the hiring manager is like, what they're looking for, what the last five people who went into that interview failed for, right?
• 9:01
  SPEAKER_00: And this is another reason why you definitely should connect with somebody at Recruit UK or Financial Planner Life is to lean into us because we've got that experience.
• 9:10
  SPEAKER_00: We understand if we've been working with that client for some time, and we've been working in the profession collectively for a long, long time, we've got a lot of knowledge, a lot of feedback that we can give you about that specific client, about their process, where people did well, where people didn't do so well, the types of things they're looking for, where you should focus your attention when it comes to the research, what's true, what's false.
• 9:35
  SPEAKER_00: It's really important that you lean into that recruitment consultant.
• 9:38
  SPEAKER_00: Now, I'm gonna go back to my wife, my wife's journey.
• 9:41
  SPEAKER_00: She had a couple of rector X that were shite.
• 9:44
  SPEAKER_01: Oh we come from good ones, so we're a bit biased, but yeah, there are some those.
• 9:50
  SPEAKER_00: Very good.
• 9:50
  SPEAKER_00: They were sending her to jobs, right?
• 9:52
  SPEAKER_00: They were giving her bad job descriptions, telling her what the job actually was, and it wasn't that job.
• 9:57
  SPEAKER_00: So she's going into like a what she thought was a 360 role, it's a delivery role.
• 10:00
  SPEAKER_00: She's going into a delivery role, things of, you know, it's it was terrible, right?
• 10:03
  SPEAKER_00: So, in those situations, again, if you've qualified that recruitment consultant, you've come up with some really good questions, you've really probed to see whether or not they're any good.
• 10:12
  SPEAKER_00: You alarm bells will ring when they give you generic answers.
• 10:16
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, you've got to be this, you've got, you know, you've got to be um resilient.
• 10:20
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, well, when it comes to resilience, what is it that that company are looking for in respect?
• 10:27
  SPEAKER_00: I hate the term resilience.
• 10:28
  SPEAKER_00: What is it they're looking for in resilience?
• 10:30
  SPEAKER_00: Why?
• 10:31
  SPEAKER_00: What is it that I need to demonstrate to show my resilience?
• 10:35
  SPEAKER_00: What is it that we're looking for here?
• 10:37
  SPEAKER_00: You know, um, they love really entrepreneurial people.
• 10:40
  SPEAKER_00: Fine.
• 10:41
  SPEAKER_00: Why do they like really entrepreneurial people, right?
• 10:43
  SPEAKER_00: So push back on that consultant.
• 10:45
  SPEAKER_00: Try to get a little bit more information.
• 10:47
  SPEAKER_00: And really, if that consultant is going to support you, they're gonna provide you with what that actually means to that individual that's going to be interviewing you.
• 10:58
  SPEAKER_00: Now, one of these things you've got to watch out for, I reckon, within that interview process as well.
• 11:03
  SPEAKER_00: And I can fall foul to this, right?
• 11:05
  SPEAKER_00: Because I really enjoy talking to people who have a similar interest to me.
• 11:08
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 11:09
  SPEAKER_00: Now you can use this to your advantage, but at the same time, it can go against you.
• 11:14
  SPEAKER_00: And that's called the halo effect, right?
• 11:16
  SPEAKER_00: You know, we all hear about the halo effect.
• 11:18
  SPEAKER_00: That is when like you might walk into an office, right?
• 11:20
  SPEAKER_00: You might be really into motorbikes, and the lady who is sat in front, I was being very PC there, wouldn't I?
• 11:27
  SPEAKER_00: The lady who was sat in front of you interviewing you, has got a picture of a her sat on a Harley Davison on her desk, and you're just like, oh she likes motorbikes.
• 11:38
  SPEAKER_01: Common ground.
• 11:39
  SPEAKER_00: I know exactly what that motorbike is.
• 11:41
  SPEAKER_00: I can't wait to talk about that.
• 11:43
  SPEAKER_00: She likes motorbikes, I like motorbikes.
• 11:45
  SPEAKER_00: Before you know it, an hour and a half of the interview has actually gone.
• 11:49
  SPEAKER_00: And all you've talked about is motorbikes.
• 11:51
  SPEAKER_00: You've got on really well, but you've learned bugger all about the job.
• 11:55
  SPEAKER_00: You've not shown off your skill set, you've not shown off all of your attributes as to why you would be a good person, you've not asked any good questions, and I gave you guarantee you this, right?
• 12:05
  SPEAKER_00: The interview has not really learned much either.
• 12:08
  SPEAKER_00: And you'll go back, and the consultant, recruitment consultant or a friend, whoever it is you uh debriefed to will say, Well, what did you learn?
• 12:13
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, that she really likes motorbikes and this, that, and the other.
• 12:17
  SPEAKER_00: So we got on really well.
• 12:19
  SPEAKER_00: Now, don't get me wrong, right?
• 12:20
  SPEAKER_00: Building a relationship with that individual is a good thing.
• 12:23
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, you know, you need to have having common ground, finding things where you've got similarities is really good.
• 12:28
  SPEAKER_00: But even as the person who's being interviewed, right?
• 12:31
  SPEAKER_00: The interviewee, yeah, yeah, make sure that you are also um guiding the process of that interview to make sure you don't fall foul of the halo effect, but at the same time recognize it's there.
• 12:45
  SPEAKER_00: Do we have some similarities?
• 12:47
  SPEAKER_00: Can I give some um reasons as to why I can show my worth, my value?
• 12:52
  SPEAKER_00: I love men's mental fitness.
• 12:54
  SPEAKER_00: I work, I'm a trustee now, thank God, you know, of Talk Club, the men's mental fitness charity.
• 12:59
  SPEAKER_00: If I spend an hour talking about men's mental fitness, right, we're not gonna get anywhere.
• 13:02
  SPEAKER_00: If I'm looking for a job in Tesco stacking shells, right?
• 13:05
  SPEAKER_00: Or actually, it might be bigger for it.
• 13:07
  SPEAKER_00: Anyway, right, but we've got to make sure that we we show our worth, we talk about it a bit, but we move on to why we're there and what we're all about, which is the job at hand, whether that's administration, power planning, financial advice, compliance.
• 13:20
  SPEAKER_00: You touched on as well looking at the job description.
• 13:24
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 13:24
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 13:24
  SPEAKER_00: Looking at what it is they're actually looking for.
• 13:29
  SPEAKER_00: Charlie.
• 13:29
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 13:30
  SPEAKER_00: Now, what you know, when you typically go into an interview, you've got like competency-based questions, right?
• 13:34
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 13:35
  SPEAKER_03: Take the words up my head, I've literally gonna say I've got the best bit of advice for what you're just saying.
• 13:40
  SPEAKER_00: Well, there we go, you know, because competency-based based questions often send a shiver down people's spine.
• 13:44
  SPEAKER_03: They're not as scary as you think.
• 13:46
  SPEAKER_03: There we go, they're not as scary as you think.
• 13:47
  SPEAKER_00: Tell us a little bit about a what a competency-based question actually is, perhaps how to answer them and how to best prepare.
• 13:55
  SPEAKER_03: Absolutely.
• 13:56
  SPEAKER_03: So, a competency-based question would be something like tell me about a time where you've resolved a problem.
• 14:02
  SPEAKER_03: Would you say?
• 14:03
  SPEAKER_03: Something where it's like, tell me an example so they can see sort of a lived experience where you've completed like the resilience in recruitment or communication or suitability reports or giving advice.
• 14:15
  SPEAKER_03: And I had this advice when I got into recruitment, and it was using, and I'm very sure you've heard of it, the star technique, which is situation, task, action, and result.
• 14:25
  SPEAKER_03: So you can write it down like a little acronym.
• 14:27
  SPEAKER_03: And for I would say, when you look at a job description, pick out some key attributes that you think are essential for this job, and then build a star answer around that.
• 14:36
  SPEAKER_03: So, okay, say you need to be able to do a suitability report and you've got to do the research, talk about a situation where you did this and what the task was and what you did to be able to complete that task and what the result was.
• 14:48
  SPEAKER_03: And that's how you don't go off piste and talk about motorbikes for an hour and a half.
• 14:52
  SPEAKER_03: It's how you keep to the point and you say what needs to be said for the hiring manager to go, oh, okay, yeah, no, she knows what she's doing.
• 14:58
  SPEAKER_03: They know what they're doing.
• 14:59
  SPEAKER_03: Amazing.
• 15:00
  SPEAKER_03: And I think with that, you need to have multiple star answers and being able to go over your prep, you should know these.
• 15:07
  SPEAKER_03: You should be able to bring out these really strong answers, which are cohesive and a full circle moment of, okay, we can do this.
• 15:13
  SPEAKER_03: And I always say to people, you can be smart with it as well.
• 15:16
  SPEAKER_03: So you sometimes get a you know, a competency question where it could be, tell me about you a time you overcame your greatest challenge, or tell me about your biggest win.
• 15:26
  SPEAKER_03: You could really just have one answer for that because your greatest challenge could be your biggest win.
• 15:30
  SPEAKER_03: And then that way you're streamlining your prep and you're being smart with it.
• 15:33
  SPEAKER_03: Because I'm a great believer in work smarter, not harder.
• 15:36
  SPEAKER_03: I work hard anyway, but you've got to streamline the process.
• 15:38
  SPEAKER_03: If you're interviewing at different places, you can have this wonderful sort of get a notebook, definitely get a notebook, have all your answers in there, go through the prep, build the company profile, read it on the bus or you know, outside the office before the interview.
• 15:51
  SPEAKER_03: So you are your mind is saturated in what you did when you wrote that suitability report in your last company.
• 15:57
  SPEAKER_03: You're living it.
• 15:58
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, live the like, and then when you come to the interview, because you've repeated it in the mirror or in the shower or to your partner, it will just come out fluidly and it will come out so succinctly that the hiring manager will be like, Oh, yes, let's hire them.
• 16:10
  SPEAKER_01: And this feeds in nicely into leaning into your recruitment consultant.
• 16:13
  SPEAKER_01: You know, every candidate that we work with gets a recruit UK interview guide, and that interview guide has a list of competency-based questions.
• 16:20
  SPEAKER_01: I think it's what you mentioned on there.
• 16:22
  SPEAKER_01: But whenever I have a candidate that's going in for an interview and you're trying to book an interview prep with them, whenever they're like, Oh, I'm not 100% sure, I haven't got the time, or I've prepared, I'm fine, alarm bells are ringing in my head.
• 16:33
  SPEAKER_01: Big red flag.
• 16:34
  SPEAKER_01: Because you're not invested in the process if you can't give me 15 minutes just to run through it.
• 16:38
  SPEAKER_01: And I think me and Charlie will know this from our experience.
• 16:41
  SPEAKER_01: But we have companies where we actually have like the cheat sheet, we have the marking guide that they're looking for.
• 16:48
  SPEAKER_01: Day one, I actually know what they will give you marks on, you know, and you won't get that information unless you pick up the phone.
• 16:54
  SPEAKER_01: I have a client and they always use the word vibrancy.
• 16:57
  SPEAKER_01: That's how they describe the individuals that they want to bring into the business.
• 17:01
  SPEAKER_01: And having that conversation of interview prep, I can prep them into, you know, be bubbly, you know, ask lots of questions, show your enthusiasm because I know exactly what that client is looking for.
• 17:11
  SPEAKER_01: And if you think you're too busy or haven't got the time to pick up the phone to your recruitment consultant and do some preparation, that literally could be make or break because you're just missing those key things of what that client is looking for, the role, you know, we're here, we want you to get the job, use us.
• 17:27
  SPEAKER_03: We want you to stand out, you know, we want you to go forward.
• 17:30
  SPEAKER_03: And obviously, not only from a client management and client relationship side, we want to put the highest of caliber people through.
• 17:36
  SPEAKER_03: That's by doing prep with you.
• 17:38
  SPEAKER_03: Like, I don't feel comfortable if one of my candidates goes to an interview without me doing prep because I feel like they just might not know what they're doing, and they might you need that prep because it's what we do it every day.
• 17:49
  SPEAKER_03: I've got an interview prep after this.
• 17:51
  SPEAKER_03: Like we do it every day, we talk it through, and we're the experts in it, so do utilise it, do listen to us.
• 17:58
  SPEAKER_03: And it will serve you as you go on as well.
• 18:00
  SPEAKER_03: You'll never forget what you learn in an interview prep, and it will serve you for life, for your career.
• 18:04
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, yeah, absolutely, right?
• 18:06
  SPEAKER_00: Interview role plays, interview practice.
• 18:09
  SPEAKER_00: We're not talking about the role plays that are delivered by the client as you're sitting down with them.
• 18:13
  SPEAKER_00: That's completely separate, and we'll talk about that in a minute.
• 18:16
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but in respect of actually preparing and and practicing your interview, how often do you get the chance to actually do that?
• 18:24
  SPEAKER_00: So that's where leaning into that recruitment consultant or a friend or a family member is really, really useful because you think, yeah, I know how to answer that.
• 18:33
  SPEAKER_00: You're not gonna get it perfect every single time, right?
• 18:36
  SPEAKER_00: There is no because you might prepare for something, you go into the meeting and a completely different person sits down in front of you or they ask questions in a completely different way, right?
• 18:43
  SPEAKER_00: That's happened so many times to me in the past, and it happens to lots of candidates that I deal with, right?
• 18:48
  SPEAKER_00: But the idea here is fundamentals, right?
• 18:50
  SPEAKER_00: It's like, well, what who am I?
• 18:52
  SPEAKER_00: What are my values?
• 18:54
  SPEAKER_00: What's my skill set?
• 18:55
  SPEAKER_00: What's my experience to do the job?
• 18:58
  SPEAKER_00: What are my examples of doing that, right?
• 19:00
  SPEAKER_00: When you've done that and you've got them down and you've prepared them, it doesn't matter if you spend half an hour talking about a motorbike because you can jump in at any time with that evidence to back up what it is that you do and why you're perfect for the job, right?
• 19:14
  SPEAKER_00: You can always bring it back to uh the interview being the one of a fact find on your part as the cat of the candidate by bringing thinking, well, okay, well, what do they do around suitability reports?
• 19:25
  SPEAKER_00: What technology is it they use?
• 19:26
  SPEAKER_00: Because I'm not very happy with the tech in my current company, so what tech is it that they use?
• 19:30
  SPEAKER_00: So this leads me on really, really nicely, actually, to kind of empowering you, the person who's being interviewed, to actually ask questions.
• 19:39
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 19:39
  SPEAKER_00: Right?
• 19:40
  SPEAKER_00: This is your chance.
• 19:41
  SPEAKER_00: You're not sitting there thinking, oh my god, oh my god, I'm gonna ask me some questions, I've got to give them the perfect answers.
• 19:46
  SPEAKER_00: This is an opportunity for you to dig deep on that company.
• 19:49
  SPEAKER_00: Now let's remember, okay, let's say you are experienced, you're an administrator, power planner, compliance manager, financial advisor, self-employed, whatever it might well be.
• 19:56
  SPEAKER_00: You are sought after.
• 19:58
  SPEAKER_00: Don't let the ego go too big, all right?
• 20:00
  SPEAKER_00: Don't let the ego go too big, and you sit there and think, Well, you want me, so I'm gonna sit here and I'm just gonna let you fire and pepper some questions at me, and I'll just drip freed a bit of information to you.
• 20:09
  SPEAKER_00: Use this as an opportunity to show off your questioning skills.
• 20:13
  SPEAKER_00: Use it to show off your inquisitiveness, your ability to want to learn, to understand, to value and show interest in the person and the company that sat in front of you, the gratitude that you have for them sitting down with you on that day and seeing you.
• 20:28
  SPEAKER_00: So, questions.
• 20:30
  SPEAKER_00: Girls, what questions do you think are really important for a candidate in any position to be uh asking when they sit down with somebody who's interviewing for a new job opportunity?
• 20:42
  SPEAKER_00: Are you an experienced financial planner, power planner, administrator, perhaps or a compliance manager, or even working in marketing?
• 20:49
  SPEAKER_00: Whatever you're doing within the financial planning profession, if you're looking for a career change, check out Recruit UK, where we have all the leading financial planner job opportunities at your fingertips.
• 21:00
  SPEAKER_00: If you need to speak to somebody in a bit more detail about your career aspirations and what you're looking for, reach out to one of our consultants who will happily help you today.
• 21:08
  SPEAKER_00: So that's recruituklimited.co.uk.
• 21:12
  SPEAKER_01: I think, as I said before, you know, asking hiring managers just questions that create that conversational piece.
• 21:18
  SPEAKER_01: So asking them about their experience and also not just taking everything on face value.
• 21:23
  SPEAKER_01: So, for example, if you're really after career progression, what does the career structure look like?
• 21:28
  SPEAKER_01: Excellent, X, Y, Z.
• 21:29
  SPEAKER_01: Have you got anyone in your business that can prove that?
• 21:32
  SPEAKER_01: You know, don't necessarily just take everything on face value, dive deeper into what they're talking about to get an understanding whether it's a really good fit for you.
• 21:42
  SPEAKER_03: I think there's always, you know, the very generic questions.
• 21:45
  SPEAKER_03: I'm sure you could Google it and it's like, what's the business gonna be like in five years?
• 21:49
  SPEAKER_03: What's X, Y, Z?
• 21:50
  SPEAKER_03: But again, I'll say it go back to what your values are and ask questions surrounding that.
• 21:56
  SPEAKER_03: I would ask people, what are you doing about sustainability when I got into recruitment?
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_03: If that's something that matters for you going into financial planning, what are you doing in the company about having, you know, ESG is implemented into your investment strategy?
• 22:09
  SPEAKER_03: Do you have a bigger part of that in your business than typical advice?
• 22:13
  SPEAKER_03: What are you doing to ensure that moving forward that's taken into account with your business structure?
• 22:18
  SPEAKER_03: Ask things that reveal the answers that you're looking for because they will reveal if it's not the answers you're looking for.
• 22:25
  SPEAKER_03: And then you know, okay, this isn't for me.
• 22:27
  SPEAKER_03: Because don't forget, in the same way as you're looking for that job, this person might really want you.
• 22:33
  SPEAKER_03: And they all might sell this job to you and be like, we're amazing, come work here.
• 22:36
  SPEAKER_03: But they might be hiding in the corner the fact that they don't really offer flexible working, they know you've got two kids and you've got the school run and that you won't be able to have the flexibility, but they really want you here.
• 22:45
  SPEAKER_03: So dig deep and try and read between the lines a little bit with that.
• 22:48
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and if you've got the opportunity to be able to sit down with other members of their team, that's hugely important as well.
• 22:55
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, when people come through my business, I think the individual might meet about four or five different types of people, all at different levels within the business.
• 23:04
  SPEAKER_00: And it's important that as a company that we do that because it shows what a the progression looks like by those that have gone through it, but there's different personalities that match different people.
• 23:14
  SPEAKER_00: So you might be sitting there in front of somebody that you're not feeling is gelling, but you love the sound of the company.
• 23:20
  SPEAKER_00: They could just potentially be the wrong type of person to be icing off of.
• 23:27
  SPEAKER_00: And you might sit around and say, Look, you know, am I okay to sit with somebody perhaps in the power planning team who's gone through the process?
• 23:34
  SPEAKER_00: Is there anybody in there that I could do that with?
• 23:36
  SPEAKER_00: And anybody I could possibly spend some time with because I'm happy to do that, whether it's a telephone call or whether it's an opportunity to come back in the office and see what processes you actually have.
• 23:46
  SPEAKER_00: So it kind of takes you outside of the meeting room and into an environment of activity.
• 23:52
  SPEAKER_00: You know, so as an activist learner like myself, I learn by seeing, I learn by doing.
• 23:56
  SPEAKER_00: So getting myself out there on the actual floor of the company, um, I think I'm gonna build a deeper, better connection with that company.
• 24:04
  SPEAKER_00: And also they're gonna see me from a different perspective as well.
• 24:06
  SPEAKER_00: They're gonna see me as somebody who's enthusiastic, somebody who wants to get involved with the business.
• 24:11
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and somebody that's got the courage also to ask to go in there and see things from a different perspective.
• 24:16
  SPEAKER_03: Visualises yourself in the business.
• 24:18
  SPEAKER_03: You can picture yourself walking around the office, like, oh, could I make a cup of tea there?
• 24:21
  SPEAKER_03: Do you feel at home?
• 24:22
  SPEAKER_03: Like, and also the hiring manager is like, oh, look at them in the office.
• 24:26
  SPEAKER_03: I can really see them here, look at them with the team.
• 24:28
  SPEAKER_03: And then both of you are starting to picture you in the business, and if it starts to feel comfortable, that's when it's like, okay, right, this is going really, really well.
• 24:37
  SPEAKER_00: Great.
• 24:37
  SPEAKER_00: So not every interview is face-to-face straight away, right?
• 24:41
  SPEAKER_00: No, not nowadays, no.
• 24:47
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes you a face-to-face interview is three times, sometimes there's a role play, right?
• 24:52
  SPEAKER_00: So let's just tackle this, right?
• 24:54
  SPEAKER_00: It is a first off, a telephone interview to video interview, right?
• 25:01
  SPEAKER_00: How best to prepare.
• 25:03
  SPEAKER_03: Telephone interview, I think you could put yourself in a room by yourself.
• 25:08
  SPEAKER_03: I think it helps to walk around when you're on the phone as well, because you're not, I think when you're sat down, you're quite stagnant.
• 25:14
  SPEAKER_03: But if you walk, you're keeping with your thoughts and everything's fluid and you're going, you could essentially, I think it's a bit of a double-edged sword.
• 25:21
  SPEAKER_03: You could have your prep in front of you, but don't let that distract you.
• 25:25
  SPEAKER_03: Because I think if I'm in a train of thought and then I look down and I read something which has nothing to do with what I'm saying, I'll stumble on what I'm doing.
• 25:31
  SPEAKER_03: And it might become quite obvious to the hiring manager that actually you're sat there with your notes out.
• 25:35
  SPEAKER_03: But I think a telephone interview, it's how you come across on the phone, and particularly for some of the roles that I helped recruit with, they are in a telephony-based role where they're giving advice.
• 25:44
  SPEAKER_03: So the hiring manager will call them up as the first interview because that's what the client will experience, and they need to see what you're like on the phone.
• 25:53
  SPEAKER_03: So always approach it as it's not just a telephone call, it is an interview, it is serious, and put your best foot forward in carrying the characteristics that you need in the role over the phone.
• 26:05
  SPEAKER_01: I definitely agree with what Charlie was saying then about telephone interviews.
• 26:09
  SPEAKER_01: I I don't know a client that doesn't do a telephone-based interview with as the first stage or within the interview process without it being a reflection of how they come across on the phone.
• 26:18
  SPEAKER_01: So remember that rapport-building energy.
• 26:21
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but definitely Teams meetings are completely different to a face-to-face meeting.
• 26:26
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I think one thing I say is, you know, it might be a Teams meeting, you might be doing it in your home, or I've had individuals that have done it, you know, like on the lunch break in the car, which is completely understandable, but this is still an interview.
• 26:37
  SPEAKER_01: You still want to be dressed to impress, formal, putting your best foot forward, don't allow being in a slightly different environment to shape how you would perform because you're not actually within an office.
• 26:49
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I think with Teams as well, is it's quite nerve-wracking that moment you go to press join and you're sat there and you're like, oh my god.
• 26:58
  SPEAKER_03: Once you once it's done, shut the laptop, you're fine.
• 27:01
  SPEAKER_03: And it's uh I think it's a really great way to experience that interview, meet those people, and I think it's changed, it speeds up the process as well for yourself.
• 27:09
  SPEAKER_03: I think Teams interviews are great.
• 27:11
  SPEAKER_03: I always recommend to people have a glass of water.
• 27:26
  SPEAKER_00: Young Americans by David Barry has just come on my phone.
• 27:29
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm sitting on my phone trying to like be massively professional.
• 27:33
  SPEAKER_00: So here we go, let's leave him with a battery in an interview.
• 27:48
  SPEAKER_00: My phone, right?
• 27:49
  SPEAKER_00: And it's linked, and it's linked, and it's my cat, and it starts ringing, and I'm on a podcast or something, it's ringing all the way, or it's ringing in my pocket, or my bloody watching mode buzzing, yeah.
• 27:58
  SPEAKER_03: Airplay mode.
• 28:01
  SPEAKER_00: Do you know what?
• 28:02
  SPEAKER_00: The universe literally just provided us with that example, ladies.
• 28:07
  SPEAKER_00: So there you go.
• 28:08
  SPEAKER_00: Technology, make sure it is turned off during those interview stages because there's nothing more off-putting and unprofessional than a phone going off when you're meant to be listening to somebody.
• 28:17
  SPEAKER_00: It can kill or it can actually be quite funny.
• 28:20
  SPEAKER_01: Building on that, you know, we're talking about putting your best foot forward in an interview.
• 28:24
  SPEAKER_01: I think there's got to be an understanding that not every interview is gonna be perfect, you know, especially if you've been in your role for eight years and you've not interviewed for some time, you know, it is a difficult, it is a high pressure, stressful situation.
• 28:38
  SPEAKER_01: And you also have to be kind enough to yourself that if something doesn't go the way that you want it to and the way that you planned, not to beat yourself up, take the feedback on board, take your self-criticism on board.
• 28:50
  SPEAKER_01: Did you not do enough preparation?
• 28:51
  SPEAKER_01: Did you not ask the right questions, but also view a negative, or not a negative interview, but an interview which doesn't go as well as you'd hoped as a learning curve instead of beating yourself down for it?
• 29:02
  SPEAKER_01: Because, you know, I've had interviews that haven't gone 100%.
• 29:05
  SPEAKER_01: But one thing I always say to candidates is trust the universe.
• 29:07
  SPEAKER_01: I remember before I interviewed at Recruit UK, not recruitment, something completely different.
• 29:12
  SPEAKER_01: I wanted to move to Bristol, interviewed for a job, and I didn't get it.
• 29:15
  SPEAKER_01: And I remember getting the feedback and I was like, that's a bit rubbish.
• 29:18
  SPEAKER_01: I didn't think I sort of came across like that, but it really bugged me down for a little bit, but ultimately I ended up joining here.
• 29:23
  SPEAKER_01: I'm so glad I didn't get that job.
• 29:25
  SPEAKER_01: So sometimes take the cues from the universe and just be kind to yourself if things don't go the way that you hoped.
• 29:30
  SPEAKER_03: There's something greater in store for you, definitely.
• 29:32
  SPEAKER_03: And also just take it as a practice run.
• 29:35
  SPEAKER_03: If you really messed it up that time, learn from your mistake.
• 29:38
  SPEAKER_03: What's the quote you always say?
• 29:40
  SPEAKER_03: Some you win, some no, some you some you win, some you lose.
• 29:44
  SPEAKER_03: No.
• 29:45
  SPEAKER_03: That is a quote though.
• 29:46
  SPEAKER_00: Some you win, some you lose, some you learn.
• 29:48
  SPEAKER_03: That's it.
• 29:49
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, exactly.
• 29:50
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
• 29:51
  SPEAKER_00: It's all a learning experience, and I, you know, I'm a firm believer that um the right thing will come at the right time.
• 29:56
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 29:57
  SPEAKER_00: Now, again, you know, if you just believe the right thing is going to come at the right time, that's good because it does help with your mental health in that respect.
• 30:04
  SPEAKER_00: But it's all about putting your best foot forward.
• 30:05
  SPEAKER_00: There's nothing worse than walking out the door and going, I wish I prepared for that.
• 30:10
  SPEAKER_00: I wish I put my best foot forward.
• 30:12
  SPEAKER_00: Um, only because I owe it to myself to be the best version of myself that I can possibly be during that period.
• 30:19
  SPEAKER_00: But look, sometimes it doesn't go according to plan.
• 30:22
  SPEAKER_00: And I totally agree with what you guys are saying.
• 30:24
  SPEAKER_00: Do not beat yourself up, take the learning from it and move on to the next one because the next one could be the one you were meant to have.
• 30:32
  SPEAKER_01: We've also got some great examples of this.
• 30:34
  SPEAKER_01: We were talking about this um earlier on, but I have another colleague that works within the business, um, and she had um a candidate that went in for an interview, and I was the one communicating with the client, and the client came back and he was there like he was really negative.
• 30:48
  SPEAKER_01: He spent 70% of this initial chat, you know, talking about things that had gone wrong in the last in their last um job role instead of really building on their experience.
• 30:58
  SPEAKER_01: Because on paper, you know, they were a great candidate, and we were able to feed that back to him, and you know, he was able to, in his interviews moving forward, to put that to bed and really allow himself to put his best foot forward.
• 31:09
  SPEAKER_01: So, as you said, it's all just a learning curve.
• 31:11
  SPEAKER_01: Take that on board and don't take all of that criticism too personally because ultimately, you know, we just want you to be able to land something that really fills your aspirations.
• 31:23
  SPEAKER_00: Something that can often come up within an interview, especially if it's going really well, is that emotional feeling of like, oh my god, this is brilliant.
• 31:34
  SPEAKER_00: Oh my god, this is definitely the job for me.
• 31:36
  SPEAKER_00: I I, you know, I if I feel it, therefore it's true, right?
• 31:39
  SPEAKER_00: And sometimes that can go both ways, and you're both going, oh my god, you know, the person who's interviewing is, I'm gonna offer this person right this second.
• 31:46
  SPEAKER_01: It's like a pressure cooker.
• 31:48
  SPEAKER_01: It's like a pressure cooker.
• 31:50
  SPEAKER_00: But in that situation where you are being interviewed and it's going really, really well, right?
• 31:58
  SPEAKER_00: There's nothing wrong with showing your enthusiasm, right, through um your communication, body language.
• 32:05
  SPEAKER_00: Just keep yourself nicely grounded.
• 32:07
  SPEAKER_00: If an opportunity for that person comes up where they want to then offer you the job there and then over the table, be very careful that you don't accept that offer, all right?
• 32:18
  SPEAKER_00: Because you might walk out of there, you might have another interview book for the next day, and actually that's the one.
• 32:24
  SPEAKER_00: Try to remain very calm and try to calm the monkey in you who's running up and down going, take the job, it's amazing.
• 32:33
  SPEAKER_00: Just try to remain calm.
• 32:34
  SPEAKER_00: If someone offers you the position there and then, do you know what the best thing to do is say, I am so flattered, thank you so much.
• 32:40
  SPEAKER_00: I have thoroughly enjoyed meeting you today.
• 32:43
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you for that offer.
• 32:44
  SPEAKER_00: I'll go home and I'm gonna consider this.
• 32:46
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm gonna run it by a few people.
• 32:48
  SPEAKER_00: And I think I've probably gonna let it settle.
• 32:51
  SPEAKER_00: And I more than likely know in me, I've got a few extra questions that I want to come back with you with.
• 32:55
  SPEAKER_00: When would you like to hear back from me?
• 32:58
  SPEAKER_03: Oh, good question at the end there.
• 33:00
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, we want to be very careful that you don't just jump two-footed into accepting something because you feel good, right?
• 33:08
  SPEAKER_00: Let the dust settle.
• 33:10
  SPEAKER_00: Have you got any other interviews coming up?
• 33:13
  SPEAKER_00: Have you got any feedback you're still awaiting upon?
• 33:16
  SPEAKER_00: Have you run that by the recruitment consultant, for example, if you're being represented by a recruitment consultant?
• 33:21
  SPEAKER_00: Did you were you blindsided by the salary and you didn't dig deep into the package, the pension, the benefits, all right?
• 33:30
  SPEAKER_00: The hours that you were wanting to work.
• 33:32
  SPEAKER_00: Because a friend of mine recently got literally offered, went from like a 30k salary to a 60k salary, right?
• 33:38
  SPEAKER_00: And it was like juicy.
• 33:39
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it was bam, there you go.
• 33:41
  SPEAKER_00: And he took it there and then on the on the spot because he's he's money, money-oriented and fair play to him.
• 33:46
  SPEAKER_00: However, he's got a young boy and he's away four to five days a week.
• 33:51
  SPEAKER_00: So he's not gonna see his young baby boy, right?
• 33:53
  SPEAKER_01: Think about your motivations.
• 33:54
  SPEAKER_00: You've got to think about those motivations, think about the work-life balance, and again, don't be afraid of those interview stages to push back on the company for examples of what it is that you are looking for from your intrinsic values, from a culture, are your intrinsic values, are the things that you want, those things you wrote down in episode one, right?
• 34:14
  SPEAKER_00: To determine whether or not you're in the right place.
• 34:17
  SPEAKER_00: Is this the right place?
• 34:19
  SPEAKER_00: Are they evidencing it?
• 34:20
  SPEAKER_00: Are they displaying it because you'll get a salary that you're looking for anywhere, right?
• 34:26
  SPEAKER_00: Because you're well sought after.
• 34:28
  SPEAKER_00: But the things that really make a difference in your life, are they doing it?
• 34:34
  SPEAKER_00: Are they displaying it?
• 34:35
  SPEAKER_00: Can they evidence it?
• 34:37
  SPEAKER_00: Ask for evidence.
• 34:39
  SPEAKER_00: I always say, ask for evidence.
• 34:41
  SPEAKER_00: You know, give me an example of so okay, so I'm a financial, so I'm a, I don't know, I'm a uh I'm a power planner at the moment, right?
• 34:46
  SPEAKER_00: I've been in the power planner role for two years, and I've been promised and promised and promised that they're gonna put some training in place for me to become a financial advisor, right?
• 34:53
  SPEAKER_00: I've sat down with the advice, uh, the manager again, it's not happening.
• 34:57
  SPEAKER_00: They're not paying me the salary I'm looking for, they're not even giving me the training I'm looking for, the development, all of those typical types of things.
• 35:03
  SPEAKER_00: So I've gone out there and I've looked around.
• 35:05
  SPEAKER_00: I'm sat down with somebody now.
• 35:06
  SPEAKER_00: If they just say, Yeah, we'll make you an advisor, I'm saying, Well, have you got evidence of that?
• 35:10
  SPEAKER_00: Is there a career progression plan?
• 35:12
  SPEAKER_00: How are you going to get me from power planner to advisor?
• 35:16
  SPEAKER_00: Have you had any success in that?
• 35:18
  SPEAKER_00: Any success stories?
• 35:20
  SPEAKER_00: Have you had any failures and why were there failures?
• 35:22
  SPEAKER_00: What's a timescale attached to this?
• 35:25
  SPEAKER_00: What's your expectation of me in this position that you're employing me now and what you expect me to do over the next couple of years to get to the levels that I want to get to?
• 35:36
  SPEAKER_00: Are your expectations matching my expectations?
• 35:39
  SPEAKER_00: Because out of the frying pan into the fire happens all too often when we're blindsided by someone saying, Yeah, we'll give you what you want.
• 35:47
  SPEAKER_00: Very easy way to hire somebody is to find out what their pain is and tell them I'm going to solve your pain.
• 35:54
  SPEAKER_00: Because we're all driven by pleasure and we're seeking pleasure from our job, and it's very easy to be manipulated into taking a job.
• 36:04
  SPEAKER_00: Where's the evidence?
• 36:05
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 36:05
  SPEAKER_01: So I've got a client, for example, and um they don't recruit externally for advisors, and 70% of their advisors within the business were power planners previously.
• 36:16
  SPEAKER_01: See, that's an amazing stat.
• 36:17
  SPEAKER_01: If you're a poanner and you want to be an advisor, that is an amazing statistic for you to hear.
• 36:23
  SPEAKER_01: And if a company can't give you that evidence to back up their claims, is it the right company for you?
• 36:29
  SPEAKER_01: Because ultimately, if you're leaving, if we're talking about the motivators, the interview process is where you can find a company that aligns with these motivators.
• 36:38
  SPEAKER_01: So you've got to make sure you're viewing everything deeper than service value.
• 36:41
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, love it.
• 36:42
  SPEAKER_00: Great stuff.
• 36:42
  SPEAKER_03: I also think it's worth touching upon if you're a graduate and you've got no experience going into an interview, um, it comes down to more about who you are and how you come across.
• 36:55
  SPEAKER_03: You've got no experience to back you up here.
• 36:57
  SPEAKER_03: So first impressions account for everything.
• 37:00
  SPEAKER_03: You want to shake their hand, you want to look them in the eye.
• 37:03
  SPEAKER_03: Obviously, if this is over Teams, there are still ways to engage in such a way.
• 37:07
  SPEAKER_03: Keep that eye contact over the teams cool.
• 37:10
  SPEAKER_03: You want to try and be as present as possible and as engaged as possible to show that you're there, committed, ready to show up.
• 37:16
  SPEAKER_03: You want to work there, bring in everything about your studies.
• 37:19
  SPEAKER_03: Actually, brings me on.
• 37:20
  SPEAKER_03: I've definitely got probably one of my favorite candidates.
• 37:24
  SPEAKER_03: One of the best success stories was I was talking to a graduate who really wanted to work for a you know fantastic client of mine, and it was a data admin type role.
• 37:34
  SPEAKER_03: And he was like, Okay, so I need to show them that I can work with data.
• 37:38
  SPEAKER_03: So should I just bring my laptop in and show them my dissertation?
• 37:41
  SPEAKER_03: And I was like, sure.
• 37:45
  SPEAKER_03: Like, I'm not, it's up to you.
• 37:47
  SPEAKER_03: If you want to do that and you feel comfortable, confident enough to go in there and go, Look, you want to see what I've done with data?
• 37:52
  SPEAKER_03: Here is my dissertation, which is you know, economics-based.
• 37:56
  SPEAKER_03: And he took his laptop into the interview, had a great interview, got out his laptop, and he got the job.
• 38:02
  SPEAKER_03: And he actually went from a temp contract to a perm contract, and he just flourishing there now.
• 38:07
  SPEAKER_03: And I think, you know, I always call him laptop guy.
• 38:09
  SPEAKER_03: But that's a that's a sign of going above and beyond to show not only can you fulfil this job, but you want to be there.
• 38:16
  SPEAKER_03: And it helps you stand out.
• 38:17
  SPEAKER_03: How many other people went in with their dissertation on a laptop?
• 38:20
  SPEAKER_03: I don't know.
• 38:20
  SPEAKER_03: Let me know if you know.
• 38:22
  SPEAKER_00: It leads me onto brag files, right?
• 38:24
  SPEAKER_00: So back in the day, you'd say to someone, take your brag file with you.
• 38:27
  SPEAKER_00: Take your brag.
• 38:28
  SPEAKER_00: I've not heard that.
• 38:29
  SPEAKER_00: Take your brag pack with you.
• 38:30
  SPEAKER_01: Some shown his age.
• 38:32
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, this is it.
• 38:33
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I used to recruit for a lot of sales positions.
• 38:36
  SPEAKER_00: That was when the finest planning was sales.
• 38:38
  SPEAKER_00: So you'd say to somebody, look, go along with some evidence of what you've done, right?
• 38:42
  SPEAKER_00: So if the role is power planning, go along with some reports.
• 38:45
  SPEAKER_00: Like, even just, you know, take off the person's details, personal details, GDPR, GDPR.
• 38:50
  SPEAKER_03: Probably before the days of GDPR.
• 38:53
  SPEAKER_00: Just drag a client.
• 38:55
  SPEAKER_00: Whack out, drag a client.
• 38:56
  SPEAKER_03: Bring it back to a client and show and tell.
• 38:58
  SPEAKER_00: Bring some stuff with you.
• 38:59
  SPEAKER_00: Don't be afraid to show some physical evidence, right?
• 39:03
  SPEAKER_00: Of what it is that you've actually done.
• 39:04
  SPEAKER_00: Now, if you're somebody, and I was talking about here about, say, a second careerist who's got no experience of giving advice, right?
• 39:10
  SPEAKER_00: What a second careerist who is looking to step across, say, directly into a financial planning role can do, well, one of the things they can do is build a business plan.
• 39:18
  SPEAKER_00: You know, they're looking to become an advisor, right?
• 39:21
  SPEAKER_00: A, what level of experience have you got that's transferable into the role of financial planner?
• 39:26
  SPEAKER_00: Secondly, if you were to go out and build your own business from scratch with the limited knowledge that you actually have, where would you start?
• 39:33
  SPEAKER_00: Would it be your social media?
• 39:34
  SPEAKER_00: What would your marketing look like?
• 39:36
  SPEAKER_00: What would your branding look like?
• 39:38
  SPEAKER_00: Why are you going to target that niche market?
• 39:41
  SPEAKER_00: What would you consider to be your A clients, B clients, C clients, right?
• 39:45
  SPEAKER_00: How, you know, what do you know about the process so far?
• 39:48
  SPEAKER_00: Perhaps you might target some um young families around protection business as you start to study and you start to get the qualification that allows you to give protection advice, right?
• 39:59
  SPEAKER_00: So it's all about sort of again demonstrating your worth and then aligning what the previous career that you um have been in, aligning that to the role of a financial planner, for instance, if that's the role that you're going for.
• 40:13
  SPEAKER_00: Great example, had a lovely chap on my podcast who used to work for Amazon, used to work with Amazon sellers.
• 40:19
  SPEAKER_00: So he understands the mindset of an Amazon seller.
• 40:22
  SPEAKER_00: So when he goes in and talks to Amazon sellers now, that who is target niche audience, right?
• 40:27
  SPEAKER_00: He can talk to them about how to improve their Amazon sales, how to improve their Amazon shop.
• 40:31
  SPEAKER_00: And by the way, I'm also a financial planner.
• 40:33
  SPEAKER_00: How are you managing your finances correctly, right?
• 40:36
  SPEAKER_00: So understanding, unearthing these opportunities and going in there and talking about it excites somebody that runs a business.
• 40:44
  SPEAKER_00: It excites them to think, ah, this person could fit in with us.
• 40:47
  SPEAKER_00: He's A, done some research because he's been listening to the Financial Planner Life podcast.
• 40:51
  SPEAKER_00: Um, he fully understands the role of what a financial planner is.
• 40:55
  SPEAKER_00: He's done some research around the qualifications, he's done some research around the FCA, etc.
• 41:00
  SPEAKER_00: But also, more importantly, because it's a relationship-driven role, he's come to me with examples of relationships.
• 41:06
  SPEAKER_00: He or she has come to me with examples of relationships, and where potentially new business can come from.
• 41:14
  SPEAKER_00: So they haven't come in with a cap out of saying, What are you going to do for me?
• 41:17
  SPEAKER_00: Come in to the interview with some examples of um value.
• 41:23
  unknown: Yeah.
• 41:24
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 41:24
  SPEAKER_00: And that's what we've got, regardless of what position you're in, employed, self-employed, experienced, no experience, come in with as much examples of value that's transferable to the role that you are going for, because they want to hear that.
• 41:39
  SPEAKER_00: They want to see that you've got those transferable skills specifically for the role that you're looking for.
• 41:44
  SPEAKER_00: And again, lean into your recruitment consultant because how much time is wasted sit in front of the wrong people for the wrong roles because lost in communication, or it just simply didn't happen because you just went through their website, or um someone, you know, a crappy recruiter just pinged your CV across and just left you to it, right?
• 42:03
  SPEAKER_00: There's so many times where you're gonna walk into these interviews if you're not represented in the right way with the wrong knowledge and the wrong job opportunity, even.
• 42:13
  SPEAKER_00: And it's only gonna piss everybody off who's involved, it'll annoy you, annoy the client.
• 42:19
  SPEAKER_00: So it's about establishing first off, is this the right opportunity for me in the right way?
• 42:24
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 42:25
  SPEAKER_00: So that is our sort of tips around the interview process, what to expect when you are going out now.
• 42:34
  SPEAKER_00: Now, we did touch on it a little bit, we touched on the offer, right?
• 42:37
  SPEAKER_00: Because if you're gonna go and get a job, you're gonna go and you know interview somewhere, what you're hoping for is you're gonna get an offer, an offer of employment, you're gonna get a salary package, right?
• 42:48
  SPEAKER_00: And it's all about how best to manage the offers to get the best package that you can possibly get.
• 42:56
  SPEAKER_00: It's not about being greedy, it's about future-proofing yourself to remain at that business.
• 43:04
  SPEAKER_00: That business when to align a salary not A is fair, but it's also gonna keep you in the business interested for a long period of time, and you're not just gonna look to the left in about a year's time because the salary that you're on is vastly outnumbered by the rest of the companies that have increased it due to market conditions, candidate shortage.
• 43:25
  SPEAKER_00: So we're gonna talk about what an offer is, how best to position yourself when you are offered it, how best to accept it, and then we can move into things also, I think, a little bit further down the line around notice periods, handing in your notice, handing in your notice, counter-offer, counteroffers, counteroffers, recruiter's worst nightmare.
• 43:47
  SPEAKER_00: A counter offer shouldn't ever come up anyway if it's been if you've done your due diligence in in in you know in episode one, which is your reasons why, and that you've approached the company you're working with.
• 43:56
  SPEAKER_00: Because at the end of the day, if you're gonna get a counter offer at that point, um Goodbye! It should be you know it should be too little, too late, shouldn't it, really?
• 44:06
  SPEAKER_00: It's yeah, but it happens, you know, and um some people use interviews and market research to their advantage to get a counter offer and to try to very frustrating, but it's the nature of the game, it's the nature of the game, but is that a positive thing to do?
• 44:23
  SPEAKER_03: Is it gonna be a long-term thing?
• 44:25
  SPEAKER_00: And what sort of problem does that cause then when you remain in the business?
• 44:29
  SPEAKER_00: Has the trust gone?
• 44:31
  SPEAKER_03: Why did it take you leaving for them to wave this money in front of you?
• 44:35
  SPEAKER_00: We're giving you too much information.
• 44:36
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, you'll have to tune in then.
• 44:38
  SPEAKER_00: Good after tune in to the next episode.
• 44:41
  SPEAKER_00: But thank you so much for listening, and I hope you enjoyed it.
• 44:44
  SPEAKER_03: Thanks.