How To Take A Forbes 15 Must-Have Skills List And Improve Your Interview Performance

If you're applying for any job, it should be no surprise that it's vitally important to have as many of the listed required skills as possible.

In this post, I would like to elaborate a little on that fundamental idea.  The post was inspired by this article from www.forbes.com:  

https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2020/04/24/15-must-have-skills-for-any-successful-cio-candidate/

Of course, as you would expect from Forbes, the content is useful in and of itself. But for the purpose of this article, take a closer look at the list of skills:

  1. The ability to see the big picture
  2. Soft skills
  3. The ability to communicate with finesse

Considering this is a CIO (Chief Information Officer) role, do you see anything about Technology yet? 

The list continues...

4. Strategic thinking for data use
5. The ability to connect skills to business needs
6. Experience in a commercial market
7. Adaptability
8. Emotional intelligence
9. Strategic planning...

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The New Explainer Ad From Obvious Candidate Career Coaching

 

This is the new ad created to introduce the Obvious Candidate Career Coaching services to new my clients.

The big idea is that, very often, job seekers and promotion hunters are struggling, trying different things. It can be frustrating and very slow. And worse, brilliant opportunities to progress careers can be wasted for talented people because they are not introducing themselves and their skills effectively through job applications or interview performances.

So, rather than trying to go it alone, I'm here as their guide. But better still, I'm a guide with a plan, based on over 17 years' experience helping people achieve the positive career change they want.  For some it's a direction change. For others it's about earning more money. For others still it can be about moving on from a negative experience or a horrible boss. Whatever the reason, I have a plan for them to follow.

My clients are always the hero in the story. I'm in the background. I have the know-how and the...

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The Countries With Highest And Lowest Salary Expectations

If you’re conducting research to investigate appropriate salary expectations or support your salary negotiation or trying to understand the value of your skills if you move to another country, this article from Forbes.com may be a helpful starting point.

It’s quite amazing to see the huge gulf in salary expectations and actual salaries paid for doing very similar jobs in different countries.

Take a look at the article here: Forbes Salary Expectations Article

But what can you do about it?

  • The first step is always research.

Checklists like the one above and conduct a detailed investigation into what is the correct market rate for this kind of job in your country and city.  Some of the famous salary surveys from sites like www.glassdoor.com (check Glassdoor in your country) and www.linkedin.com will be a good starting point.

  • Prepare your response.

One of the most important steps is never to accept the job at the salary first...

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University Admissions Interviews – 5 Tips For Parents

Is Your Child Facing University Interviews?

It’s that time of year when nervous school leavers are being ferried around the country for university admissions interviews by even more nervous parents.

And of course it’s double trouble: Firstly, as a parent, it is difficult to remember what this moment feels like and it may have been so long since you were interviewed that you probably don’t feel well placed to advise on what the questions may be asked, never mind what the best answers might be. Secondly, we know that taking expert advice from parents isn’t always the 17-18-year-olds’ preferred learning dynamic.

So what can you do if you know your young adult would benefit from some guidance and you don’t feel best placed to offer it?

Increasingly, parents are investing in interview coaching and performance coaching to prepare them to ace their admissions interviews. And it’s hardly surprising. There’s a lot at stake. Whether you’ve...

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Recruiters Don’t Read Your CV or Resume

Everyone is busy these days. Effective communication is more important than ever – and nowhere more so than in your CV or resume. If you’re trying to catch the attention of a Hiring Manager, Recruiter or Business Owner, applying these 3 tips could dramatically accelerate your job search success.

1)   Headline Yourself With A “Big Idea”

One thing is for sure in job search, blending in is like a kiss of death. You need to stand out. And stand out for the right and relevant reasons. Introduce yourself with a “Big Idea”, something specific, that has meaning and instant appeal to your target audience. Maybe you’re a ‘CIMA-qualified Management Accountant specialising in the Adventure Travel Sector’. Maybe you’re a ‘Multi-Award-winning Creative Director’. Whatever you are, make sure you’re introducing yourself with fact + dazzle, so you stand far-out from the crowd.

2)   Elevator...

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Do You Need A CV For A Job In The UK?

If you are moving to the UK, or your partner is moving to the UK, you are probably starting to think about your UK job search.

Professionally written CVs for jobs in the UK

Here at Obvious Candidate, the specialist professional CV writers and interview preparation coaches, we have a specific team that focuses exclusively on CVs for the UK. When you are moving country there’s so much to think about, we help our Clients by taking the pressure off the start of their UK job search.

Call us for a free of charge, no obligation consultation

At Obvious Candidate we are professionals. We take time to get to know you and to know what type of employment you are looking for. Our experienced consultants know exactly what will be required in a British-style CV to get you noticed and to help you stand out from the crowd of other applicants in this competitive job market.

To get to know you better we always start off with a free of charge, 15 mins telephone consultation. You...

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Want to increase your Salary? Take a long term view.

Who wouldn’t like to add an extra £1,000 a month to their take home pay?

Sometimes it feels like an extra £1,000 would make all the difference. But what does it really take to add £12K into your pocket?

Well for most salaried workers that would take a lot of years of 2-5% pay rises! The secret here is to take a long term view and to up-skill yourself.

Take a look up the pay ladder to someone who is earning more than you. The heartening thing is that in any industry, the people who are heading the way today were once not even in the industry. They’ve learned what it takes and progressed through the steps. And you can too.

One senior HR Director has recently said that due to the ageing workforce and the lack of up-coming technical talent she fears that the “Talented Few” will be able to dictate the their terms of employment because they are so scarce yet so essential. The fact is that that day is already here....

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The War for Talent – Salaries are Rising!

As those of us close to recruitment know, there is always a shortage of talent. Even when jobs seem to be disappearing faster than ever, Talent is still not only sought-after but also handsomely paid.

According to the Recruitment & Employement Confederation and KPMG, the starting salary index for permanent staff jumped from 53.9 in June to 56.1 in July 2010. This is the highest it’s been since April 2008.

In contrast the number of jobs available is still slipping away. This of course means that there is ever more competition and overall, employer are willing to pay more for better candidates.

It’s never been more lucrative to be brilliant!

 

That’s why we tell our Clients how important it is to genuinely shine – both from the pages of your CV to your dazzling interview performance. So often we see candidates with lacklustre CVs and less than standout interview skills. And while it’s still possible to get the job, such candidates are...

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How to select a professional CV writing service?

If you are about to start a job search process or if you’ve been looking for a while and haven't been getting invited to interviews, then a professionally written CV could be a smart investment for you.

In this post, we take a look at why you should use a professional CV writer and how you should go about selecting the right one from the hundreds out there.

Why get your CV written by a Pro?

– Probably the biggest reason is that your rival candidates have already done this! If you are going to even start this race for the job you need to be on the same start line!

– Quite simply there’s no comparison. Not many of use try to fix our own car, dry clean our own clothes, be our own lawyer. For the same reason we shouldn’t assume that CV writing is just something we can ‘turn our hand to’ when the time comes.

– They know the tricks of the trade. They will include the ‘magic words’ which...

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How to Deal with Disappointing Exam Results on Your Curriculum Vitae.

It’s a fact that stellar grades and education from top schools can often open many doors to job opportunities and career success.  What is less well known is that they are far from essential.

Case studies abound of high profile business successes who have, at best, a middling academic record. We often hear about how Bill Gates dropped out of Harvard and how Richard Branson didn’t finish school.

“You’re Hired!”

 

Ruth-Badger-150x150

More recently in the UK, we saw reality TV contestant, Ruth Badger make it to runner up on The Apprentice. Ruth now runs her own consultancy www.ruthbadger.com. In her own words Ruth said “I left school the moment I could. I hated it.” She points out the irony that she is now constructing £22million business plans with her Clients, yet back in school, couldn’t pass her GCSEs.

 

You can earn six figures without top grades

Ruth’s first job was on a Youth Training Scheme, from where she quickly...

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