When you lack the experience, it’s good to show other strengths you have, in order to generate interest in the interviewer. Showing yourself off in the proper way, as an active person that will add something valuable to the company, is the first step. Your academic information is fundamental. You need to detail the University or college you’re currently attending, your major and minor, how many subjects you have passed and what’s your average score on them. Don’t forget to include any extra-curricular subjects you’re taking. Courses, seminars and workshops should also be mentioned, with the necessary explanations about their objectives and contents.

Voluntary work and internships, everything is experience

If you’ve served as a volunteer, you should also include it in your résumé, as it will not only show your experience (even if it’s not in the work area in which you’re trying to get a job), but it will also allow your employer to get to know a bit more about your personality. Even though we don’t consider it in many ocassions, working as a volunteer is significant when it comes to filling out your CV, and companies pay special attention to this matter, since it allows them to know which are your social concerns and your values as a person.

Internships add up, even if they were short or unremunerated. Describe what was your position and which were your tasks. Besides, it’s always good to include all of those personal non-profit projects you probably have. If you’ve been part of some kind of entrepreneur attempt, no matter how small it was, explain what you did and what you achieved with it.

Languages and other knowledge that also help

In the current job market, extra knowledge such as languages or computing are essential, so don’t forget to highlight them. Don’t lie or exaggerate, just show your real level on each case. Having an excellent English level or computer knowledge is a big advantage, so if you haven’t worked before, focus on improving your knowledge on these fields. Getting some international certification of your level of a foreign language complements really well your résumé.

Where to look

Once you’re finished with your CV, you need to find your desired job. First, you need to determine in which areas and positions you’d like to work. If you’ve already decided on that, start looking! Offer your services spontaneously to companies that could be interested, upload your CV on the net or send it to job consultants or employment agencies. The more résumés you have running around, the more chances you’ll have!

Carolina’s case is similar to that of many thousands. Given the easy access to the TICs (New Technologies of Communication and Information), they have chosen this new modality of working distantly, as a hard-virtual worker.

The new changes

The technological advance in recent years, the easy access to computer tools and Internet use, have allowed a change in working systems.

People employed at their own house is not a new thing, this is previous to the employment in the new technologies context. There have always been workers employed at home.

What is new is that now almost any task can be fulfilled distantly. Monitorings, translations, writings, technical service, audits, help desk, secretariat, computer support, telesales, education, training and tasks in some other works or services.

The telework can be realized by all kinds of persons by means of autoemployments, and also it is possible to work for companies in a remote way.

What are the companies looking for?

What the companies look for in this type of teleworkers is some advantages like: reduction of the operative costs, decentralization of labour activities, to achieve more productivity, diminish risks in the movement of the personnel, improve the communication between the personnel, etc.

The list of advantages is long and the modality of work is much more comfortable. To turn into a teleworker needs among other things training in the computer tools, autodisciplines, a method of work and a correct administration of the time.

This new modality of work distantly or virtual, knocks down borders between clients, companies and distant workers. The speed and the economic thing that improves the transmission of information against the persons physical movements do that there is waited a diffusion of this new modality of work.

The list of works that can be realized from the comfort of the home and distantly is very big. This thanks to the technology that is present in all the areas, which permits the realization of all kinds of tasks from any place.

In general, freelancers work with specific jobs and goals. However, in some professions, this seemingly positive aspect can turn into one of the most important challenges to overcome.

Indiscipline

Many workers, specially those involved in areas like computer systems, software, programming and graphic design, make the mistake of not incorporating an organized work discipline. Far from not completing their tasks or working less hours than specified in the contract, the reality is that they transform into work slaves without even realizing it, and they do not obtain more economic benefits or retribution for their work because of it.

A good example is a freelance web developer. Usually, if he worked with a normal relationship of dependency, he would fulfill his work and, later on, when his shift were finished, he would go home or to the movies, do sports or recreational activities, or even study. However, without any fixed timetables, most of the developers keep on working to improve their current projects, changing them or reinventing them even moments before they deliver their work to their client.

During a job interview for an advertising company, a computer programmer expressed clear signs of exhaustion. The interviewer asked if he felt alright and the interviewee explained his situation: for several days he had been developing a tourism web page. Once he had completed the task, he thought that perhaps the navigation tools and the pictures of the ad banners would look better in black and white, more in accordance with the site’s style. He immediately starting working again, late into the night, getting only a few hours of sleep before the interview.

Times and commitments

Sooner or later, our own organism will feel the exhaustion of excessive work. Spending to much time with one project, we lose the opportunity to open new horizons and get more clients. It is not easy to organize our working time, but without a doubt, if a freelance worker manages to achieve that kind of discipline, he or she will find a great personal development, translating his or her efforts in his or her own wellbeing.

Why be a freelance?

We must take into account that, although we may work from home, these tasks require a commitment and the results will speak on our behalf, so we should never accept offers of jobs that we will not be able to fulfill nor charge exorbitant prices for our work.

When you are starting out, it is not necessary to register as self-employed to obtain and fulfill these jobs, although you should be able to rely on someone to back you up in case the employer requests an invoice. However, if the business runs smoothly, it is preferable to apply for the corresponding permits to safeguard yourself in case any legal problems come up.

Establishing prices

If you decide to work independently, it is important to know what the price value is in the sector. Browse the Internet, inquire other professionals, ask for budgets… Once you know how much your fellow workers earn, ascribe a value you think is fair for your work and time and establish your own prices.

You must determine with each job which tasks you will carry out and which you will not, always specifying additional costs that may come up with these tasks.

Advertising your services

Searching for an adequate project is a difficult task when starting out. There are several sites on the Internet that allow employers to contact freelance candidates. You can start by choosing one of these web pages and test your luck.

Due to the changing situation in many countries, jobs seem to be underrated. Living costs and salaries are usually lower in some place and companies are forced to make offers that may seem ridiculous. Although there may be a risk of losing a job, you must make your own offer based on your own rates. If the client finds your profile sufficiently attractive and believes you can carry out the job, he will probably spend a little more to obtain an excellent professional.

Another good option is to start searching for companies that may be interested in your services as a freelancer and make an offer via email. In this case, you can provide yourself with an attractive web page with your information and profile (do not include personal data like address, telephones, ID numbers or passports, etc.), experience and some work samples.

Advice for freelancers

Every freelance worker should take into consideration these pieces of advice:

• Take care of grammar and spelling in all your messages. Do not use to many capital letters or abbreviations. Your writing style says a lot about yourself.
• Your email address must be professional (preferably your name and surname). Avoid pseudonyms, aliases, vulgar or funny words that have nothing to do with your profession.
• Try to give a little more for your work. Always do a little more than what you have established in the budget. That will speak well of you and make your clients recommend you to others.
• Consider the different methods of payment. If the employer is from another country, make sure to choose a method that does not involve to many commissions.
• Demand part of the payment in advance. You can ask for approximately 30% of the total. There are people who try to take advantage of the confidence of freelancers to steal their work. Do not let others cheat on you.

For instance, a well-based knowledge about the competition is an obligation. But the quality of the product or service offered, the legal responsibilities and the company organization are also very important. One must be especially willing to undertake new challenges every single day.

Freelancers must permanently develop some indisputable qualities and capacities that are the foundations for future business or enterprises -mainly those related to expanding the own initiative as an aptitude-. One must also strengthen their undeniable competences –those which, knowing the right way to use them will be extremely useful for the personal development-. It is also fundamental to be in touch with our own capacities, all our knowledge, as well as our personal experiences in order to choose what to use in every single task assigned.

These are some points one must consider and practise if willing to be a freelancer:

Leadership: Improving the capacity of actively leading ideas and projects.
Organization: Planning and managing in an effective way the different tasks to be done. Improving and maximizing the time at one’s disposal.
Initiative: The job will be your own business; that is why learning to manage and administrate is so important.
Acting: Knowing how to handle things. Having the “risk factors” under control.
Being: Strengthening one’s personal identity.
Duty: Being self relyant. Accomplishing the tasks for oneself as well as for the clients. Being the “main character” of the business growth.
Power: It means you need to promote resolving and taking decisions.
Creation: Keeping the future in sight, imagining it, projecting it, and always being optimistic.
Anticipation: This is a crucial point, a key for your development. Being observant and anticipating the opportunities before they manifest.
Experiment: Learning to explore, to rehearse and to practise.
Learning: Keeping an attitude totally open to new knowledge, especially that referring to new technologies and quality control.
Service: Optimizing customer service. Being respectful, paying attention to people’s needs. Developing and perfecting the previous items. Improving the development of your work.

• It´s indispensable to be in time. You can even arrive early to avoid any unforeseen event.
• You should not mention your personal troubles to your possible employer, because you may look like a problematic person.
• You should have enough time for the interview, foreseeing the possibility of a long duration interview, with some psychological tests.

The importance of body language

Body language is a very important factor that can mark the difference in this situation, being profitable or detrimental to our interest.

You should consider:

• Look at the employer in the eye when you are talking to him or shaking his hand. You will look like a reliable and enterprising person, a good professional, someone honest and capable of making important decisions.
• Listen and pay attention to everybody who is talking to you.
• Once you are sitting, get into a comfortable position. It is not recommended to sit in the chair rim, it´s better to be relaxed, but not sitting back in the chair, because it seems disrespectful.
• Don´t fold your arms, because it shows a defensive posture.
• ry to keep your hands quiet, so you seem a calm and confident person.

The importance of spoken language

The way you talk to your employer, the way you greet him and answer him is also evaluated. You should use a formal language, politely appreciating his attentions.

The employer who is carrying out the interview, will ask the questions he considers necessary. We must answer concisely and securely. If possible, you´ll add some information to show your way to proceed in same situations.

You should answer naturally, using a simple language without monosyllables and arguing every answer.
The interviewer will usually ask about your life, in order to test your emotions. When this happens it´s better to avoid the answer politely.

You always should show honesty, security and firmness, using arguments to validate your opinions.

Once we make the decision to apply for a vacancy, we must define what kind of CV is the most adequate in this specific circumstance, taking into consideration all the details of this job’s profile.

It is also necessary to decide how to organize our information, chronologically (oldest to more recent), placing our most recent experience first or arranging the information by specific themes.

The Job Interview

After successfully passing this first phase, and having gained the employers attention, we must confront the next step: the job interview. This is the moment where we must make contact with the company’s representative, who will actually decide our continuation in the selection process.

It is important to get information about the company for which we are applying, do some research about its products, history, records, etc… . Also, it is very useful to learn everything we can about the job we are applying for.

In this test, it is necessary to take into account some details which, in case we do not consider them, can throw away all our hopes to get the job. These are: punctuality, being relaxed, paying attention to the development of the interview, having a wide knowledge of the employer’s company, and not act with pride or arrogance with this knowledge, or towards our private life, etc…

We must remember to show ourselves as proactive, flexible, enterprising, as we can, and show ourselves liable to take on challenges with responsibility and confidence. Perhaps the key to success in the interview is to feel confident and know how to listen.

What we must NOT do when looking for a job

It is important not to lie about ourselves, about our knowledge and abilities, because at any moment this information can be verified. On occasions, some candidates tend to show themselves to eager to please, and this can also rule out any chance of being selected.

We must be as honest as we can, since this is also noticeable and can finally be very beneficial.

Roman Abramovich, the Russian tycoon, became in 2003 the owner of Chelsea and almost immediately started his aggressive policy of hiring.

That was how the Chelsea began to recruit the most outstanding figures of the world football while the Arsenal gambled on the policy of development for its lower divisions.

These two different approaches of the same question can be applied to any other organization. As certain companies follow a strategy of developing internal talent, others opt for the hiring of workers with experience in the market.

Any of these two alternatives has its own challenges and benefits in terms of sustainability and results.

The “Chelsea model” or the external recruitment:

Without doubt, to recruit talent in the market is the fastest and most simple way to cover any position. It’s also the way to get immediate results.

Obviously, the fact that a footballer (or an executive) had an extraordinary performance in his immediate past does not guarantee results in his new position.

Every newly incorporated worker needs some time to adapt to the culture of the company. If cultural differences are deep, it is very likely that the executive ends up registering a negative performance.

Within a context of scarcity of talent, football players (or executives) with experience are only going to accept joining the new company in exchange for a juicy remunerative package.

This has a weak point: the high salaries can produce an imbalance in the pay structure.

In 2007, Arsene Wenger, the Arsenal manager said: “If someone offered me 100 million pounds to buy players, I would reject such an offer. Our team is the fruit of five years of work. It would be absurd to buy football stars and destroy what we have achieved”.

“The Arsenal model” or the development of internal talent:

The development of talents inside one company is a strategy that allows not only the formation of much more loyal employees but also better adapted to the cultural norms of the organization.

But this strategy has the disadvantage of not being applicable in all cases. Imagine a company that has no players with the required experience to fill a certain position in short term.

On the other hand, this strategy tends to be less expensive than external recruitment, but it is also true that a good development program for the talents requires a constant investment over the years.

What is the best model for the management of the talent?

The best model seems to be a balanced combination between both approaches: the hiring of stars and to develop the internal talent.

Hire workers with experience enables the strengthening of our business in the short term. These executives will be useful for the young talent´s development. In this way, the company will be able to transfer knowledge to future generations. This has been the strategy of Manchester United: a strong program of internal development (players) and the purchase of a gleaming star of the market of soccer.

•  Tell me about yourself…
•  What are your strong / weak points?
• What to you do in your free time?

Career

•  Why did you choose this profession?
•  Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
• What do you think are the key elements for professional success?
• Why are there gaps and blank spaces in your CV?
• What are your professional goals in long / medium / short term?

Work

•  Do you consider yourself a candidate capable of obtaining this job?
•  What would your ideal job be?
  
• What qualities define a good employer?
• Can you work under pressure?
•  Do you like team work?
•  Why did you leave your previous job?
•  What have you gained from your previous working experiences?

About the company you are applying for

•  What do you know about us?
•  What do you think you could contribute to our project?
•  Are you considering other job offers?
•  What do you like less about our company or our project?

Difficult questions in a Job Interview

•  Why do you think we should hire you?
•  What had been your most important working accomplishment?
•  How much do you want to earn?
•  What do you think would be a fair salary for this job?

Answers expected by the interviewee

The interviewer needs to get to know us before he can make a decision. The more relaxed we are, the more opportunities we will have to give efficient and sincere answers.

Answering with sincerity and confidence will be highly appreciated. We should not give the impression of having rehearsed previously, but rather show ourselves in the most natural state possible. Showing interest and curiosity can also be a crucial factor.

In what concerns the “difficult questions”, it is always preferable to leave negotiations open; avoid giving precise figures or centering on economic aspects. A possible answer would be: “I’m very interested in this company’s project, so I do not think money will be an obstacle”.

The DO NOT’S

•  Do not talk badly about your previous job.
•  Do not leave the interview without stating your interest.
•  Do not lower your guard at the end, because they can ask you that “last question” at that precise moment.