Interview questions

At the time of writing this post, I’m looking for work. This is at best a tedious task. It involves nothing but reading and writing to companies.

That being said, my job hunt is going “well” at present with a few interviews now on the horizon, and a few other things in the pipeline.

A friend of mine from Vancouver emailed me recently and asked how my return to the UK and Job hunt were going. He also passed on an absolute GEM. The information comes to me 3rd hand via a teacher called Julia, whose father is the Dean of the University of Calgary. He has complied a collection of questions which (or so I have been told) were designed to help teachers with prospective interviews, but I feel they could be adapted for almost any type of job, especially those in marketing and PR.

The idea of this list is that these questions are similar to those that come up frequently in Interviews. My friend suggested that I read through the questions, and try to write an answer for each one. This will allow me (or you) to think about the best answer for that (type) of question.

Have a read through, and let me know what you guys think.

(I have edited the questions for a marketing/PR style interview)

1. Tell us a little bit about yourself.
2. How do you think your background and experience matches with the position that we have advertised?
3. What is special about what you can offer the company?
4. What is an area where you are working to improve?
5. How do your university degrees influence your fit with this position?
6. Who has been the biggest influence on your career?
7. Where do you hope to be in five years?
8. What are your career goals?
9. Describe how you collaborate with colleagues?
10. What are some of the biggest challenges you have faced?
11. What are some of your biggest successes?
12. What you do for professional development?
13. Who are some key researchers in your field who have influenced you?
14. Who are your heroes?
15. What books have you read lately?
16. Describe your most challenging incident whilst working?
17. What else do you see yourself doing other than working in marketing?
18. Why do you want this job?
19. Why are you looking for a change?
20. Tell us why we should hire you?
21. What you know about our company?
22. What do you want to know about our company?
23. Do you know any of our clients?
24. What has been the most significant learning that has occurred during your career?
25. Describe a critical incident in your career?
26. What is your biggest weakness? Strength?
27. How do you keep up to date with advances in the field?
28. What books/journals/papers do you read?
29. Which websites have you used?
30. What do you like most/dislike most about marketing?
31. What are your hobbies?
32. What is the best book you’ve read recently? Best movie?
33. Why do you want to leave your present position?
34. How would your colleagues describe you?

I apologise if this has been posted elsewhere, but I certainly found it interesting and useful.

N x

Back in the H-E-N-Dred

Howdy all,

I really am terrible at keeping my blog up-to-date.

I’ve been back in the UK for a few months now, and after doing some interesting/cool freelance work for a B2B agency, I’m now back on the job hunt.

I seem to have read through hundreds (well it feels like it) of job descriptions over the last week or so, and I’ve come to a few conclusions.

1. Whilst the Social Media scene has developed and changed a lot over the last few years. It appears that a lot of “traditional” agencies still don’t understand the fundamental theory behind running succesful SM campaigns.
2. The job market is now super-competitive, but there are still a lot of opportunities available, if you know where to look.
3. Many (not all) of the positions being advertised by agencies are ridiculously ambiguous. The different job titles are irrelevant, as everyone seems to (still) be doing a little bit of everything.

More blogging to come.

N

Another brave (but not so) new world

Well…

Life changes.

I find myself back in the UK for a number of reasons that I’m certainly not going to discuss on here.

My Spanish adventure is over, but do I regret it? Not a chance. I had a great time, made some great friends, met some amazing (and in some cases very strange) people and learnt   about a culture that beforehand I knew nothing about.

I actually find myself sitting at home, wondering when I can go back to Valladolid to see people. Crazy, considering I’ve spent so long looking to come back to the UK and organise my life here.

Now the great ‘Job hunt’ begins in earnest with a few prospects already looking very promising.

The weather is still crap though.

Nick

x

Off to Barcelona

Hey there,

As you may have noticed I haven’t been writing on here much recently (around a year). But after having a spruce and tidy up of my online bits n’ bobs, I’ve decided to keep going on the whole blogging this.

A couple of weeks ago Vicky and I decided that we needed a holiday, and this weekend we’re going to Barcelona for a holiday. We’re going with Ryanair to Girona Airport, and then going to see Biffy Clyro on Saturday night.

We may or may not also bump into MissDD of 1000Heads fame who also happens to be there attending Mobile World Congress, dependent on how busy we/she is.

Photos will be up online when we get back.

Nick x

Col Col on his time here…

Talk about writing in a past tense…

Check it out here

A big update

Ok… So I haven’t updated this blog for way too long… and it is time to fill in the gaps.

Last time I posted (before today) was during the Euro2008 championships… which (and you may have spotted this) Spain won. Jumping in the city’s main fountain was also good fun.

The euphoria that spread throughout the country during the weeks after was indescribable. It makes me wonder what would happen if England won a major tournament… A win of this style does wonders for the country in terms of moral and kids interest in sport.

The rests of June was pretty uneventful with only the weather to talk of. The famous Spanish sun started to appear and weekends and spare afternoons seemed to equal a trip to the local outdoor pool (which probably explains a lack of blogging activity).

The end of June/start of July saw the end of the school terms and a reduced workload with regard to teaching, whilst this break from was welcome sometimes, the lack of work has meant cash has been a little tight. Vicky and I headed off to Madrid  to check out Spain’s capital, and I was very impressed. A trip to the Bernabau, and the worlds oldest restaurant combined with being away from Valladolid and spending time with the lady was ace. One interesting point… going to Madrid in summer to learn Spanish to me would seem pointless… as everyone we met spoke English… and most were American.

My Birthday was very uneventful with a record low ‘haul’ of two DVDs… but that being said I did have a nice day  (and a wicked curry) and would like to say thanks to all those who texted, facebooked and sent cards.

Since then… well not a lot has happened. Vicky has gone back to the UK for a week and I have booked flights home for the 15th August. That’s the update just about complete… I wish I had something more exciting to add.

Love Nicko

x

Why Dell suck, and Nokia rock

Firstly I need to apologise for my lack of blogging over the last month and a half. There is no good reason for this and I have had a lot to write about… but the weather has been nice and I generally couldn’t be bothered to sit down and write. Anyway, this week I have had an experience (or experiences that have jolted me out of my dormant blogging state.

Within the space of two day last week I managed to break my mobile phone and my laptop… not handy (especially as the GF hasn’t been around). I have had a Dell XPS M1330 for around 5 months, and the whole experience of dealing with Dell up until last week had been a pleasant one. This all changed when I rang Dell customer service to find out why my computer battery wasn’t charging (I knew beforehand that the AC adapter had broken, and that I simply needed a new adapter).

After eventually getting through I was greeted by a friendly young sounding man who obviously was not from the UK. He listened to my problem and acknowledged that I was speaking to him through Skype. He asked me to run a diagnostic on my machine and to call them back with the results of this test. He then assured me that once this was done that he would send a new Adapter to Spain the next day.
Well, I ran the diagnostics and rang them back… this is where the problems started.

I was greeted again by another gentleman from a slightly more exotic region than my own and was asked if I had run the diagnostics… I replied (truthfully) yes, and then told him the results. After listening to this the man then asked me to run the diagnostics on my computer…. WTF I JUST GAVE YOU THE RESULTS!!!!!
Then asked if I had turned my computer “off and of again”… to which I replied of course. After much broken English he agreed to send the part to me.

I was then told that because I lived in Spain that they could not send me the part because of “security reasons”… ah I see… AC adapters running amuck throughout Spanish immigration…. makes perfect sense.

They then agreed to send the part to the UK (no security problems there then), but only on the condition that I send my old adapter (which was the only thing that was, and still is, keeping my laptop alive) back to them the same day. I told them that this was not possible under any circumstance, and to their credit they agreed to let me keep my old faulty adapter.
My contact in the UK received the adapter the next day…. it appeared to be the wrong part. I was angry… very angry. After much investigation and using the magic of social media I found that the adapter that I was send would work with my laptop although it wouldn’t fit “as snugly”. The total length of my calls to Dell tops 2 hours.

Now, compare this to Nokia. Last week I sat on my N95 with my keys in my pocket and cracked the screen. Once I had found a Nokia service centre I took the phone there and explained in broken Spanish the problem. They said that it wasn’t a massive problem and that I could get the phone back the next week. One week later I went into the store paid over my money (a measly €45, which I thought was pretty cheap)… and as if by magic I was returned my N95 complete with new screen installed. I was very happy.

So my question is… seeing as Dell probably sells more computers than any other manufacturer world wide… why don’t they set up service centres??? It would be easy… take the part in, if can be fixed…. get it fixed… if it can’t replace the part. Apple run a similar system in their stores and it works… but Dell have taken the cheap option and employed a gathering of people in a shed in the Middle East to read from a script as their version of customer support. It is, quite frankly, a joke.

Eurostat madness

I was pointed toward this rather superb blog by a friend of mine last week, and felt I should give it a mention.

Euro2008 statistics is a Castrol sponsored football blog concentrating on live in game statistics and metrics accompanied by a typically dry British wit. Whilst I have never been a big fan of statistics or metrics of any kind this is different and offers a really cool insight into the beautiful game.

Look at this pretty picture as a fine example.

This clearly shows that this Croatian gent was running around a lot.

Check out the site here.

Luv

Nx

Edit… this link is now dead . Click here to go back to the start

A message from Barney… Rueben perish.

It would appear that one of my most loved and cherished bands ever is parting ways… or at least in their own words having an indefinite hiatus.

Reuben, Guy John and Jamie have rocked my socks off for the last 5 or so years, and I have been lucky to meet dine and drink with them on a few occasions… and I for one (speaking as a loyal fan only) hope they return before too long… rock will be a sadder place without them.

Check out some of their classics live shows and attempt at a Christmas number one here.

The Big Spanish Update (Part 1)

Well…. I find myself sat in my new house in a new town in a new country on a Thursday bank holiday (the 2nd or 3rd bank holiday in the last month)… its time I updated this blog with an explanation of everything that has changed and what life is like for a Brit living in Spain.

Because so much has happened I’m going to break this down into various parts… so here is part 1.

Part 1 – The Move
Moving to Spain is without doubt one of the most stressful and difficult things I have ever had to organise. I can’t really compare it to anything else I have done in my life. Everything that was my life in rural Oxfordshire had to change or be considered. My car, my Job, my house, my music collection, my friends, my family… everything. Packing wasn’t as bad as I thought, although cleaning the “house of trouser” was an interesting experience.

After much consideration and looking into how to move an entire life to Spain… I decided the easiest way to get the majority of my crap important life items was to take them with me on the plane to Madrid. This had two distinct disadvantages and one perceived advantage. The disadvantages where that I could only carry so much (two large bags worth)… and that no matter how much/little this was I had to carry it across the center of Madrid from Barajas airport to Madrd Chamarten train station (a mere 7 miles)… thank god for the Metro. The perceived advantage was that it would be considerably cheaper. Well… it wasn’t. As I checked in at Bristol Airport I was informed by a rather disgusted Easyjet check-in girl that I was 30kg (ish) over my 20kg weight limit… this meant a rather shocking £179 excess baggage fee. Thanks has to go to my dad here who helped me out immensely by paying for this. Anyway… i digest.

So we got to Madrid and after a backbreaking hour or so of dragging stuff over the capital of Spain we managed to get to the train station and onto the impressive Ave train to Valladolid. This rail system really puts Railtrack to shame… the train took 45 min was spotless… arrived on time and didn’t feel like it was moving…. intercity has a lot to answer for.

So I got here safely, and despite suffering back spasms from carrying my stuff relatively unscathed.
That will do for part 1 for now… I’ll write some more tomorrow.

Love to all

Nicko

x