The R.I.M Method – A Clued Up Article! (You heard it here first)

Some Background Info!

I have recently left my apprenticeship job after a years contract terminated, I had bagged my qualifications and picked up some great skills and valuable experience, so thus I decided to follow my instincts and search for a new adventure. I knew I had my business in the background which could support me temporarily and so decided to take it slow and make note of the job search experience. Throughout this time I realized a number of things about the reality of finding a job, your connection with the employers and even about my mental state and how that affects EVERYTHING! When we search the web for tips on how to be successful at interviews, there are a few things they fail to tell us, this is not necessarily because they didn’t want to – but maybe because they didn’t know! My tips are constructed to provide guidance for the times we are living in now, where technology and social media can work as recommendations and learning about the company and getting inside information is only clicks away. From June 2013 – July 2013 I only went on 3 interviews and managed to be offered the job for each, all in different industries – Marketing Sales, IT Engineer Support and Recruitment. The sales role was not for me and Despite the IT job being in the most beautiful building, they were holding my placement until I sat my MCITP Exams, and to be honest I just wanted to work right away, a year of IT Hardware and Networking exams had tired me out. So after some thought and time I decided that I weren’t to pursue them. All Until the 3rd Interview which was a job I didn’t even apply for! I was headhunted and this seemed like the type of business I had been searching for. So once I was told what I was applying for and who I’d be working for, the next steps I took got me on the way to nailing it. Keep Reading!

1) Research! Know Everything and Everyone!

Admittedly I have read tips on the web encouraging people to learn about the company and understand what they do and how they do it but to be honest they only mention the website as the source however times have changed and now there are so many different ways to find out information. I used the website first and got some all round information about the company, I looked at the “About Us” Page and I skimmed through their services – Bore! If I was going to stand out in this interview I needed inside information! I decided to search for the company on LinkedIn, I found current Employee’s, the company group and even the founder of the company. So here’s what to do!

• Follow the company group
• Connect with a few employees
• Endorse a few employees (This gets you friend-points instantly!)
• Search the group for inside news about the company (Any charity events, any recent workshops or seminars, any new employees, any awards)
• Repeat the same for Facebook & Twitter! Get social and try and make yourself known subtly before attending the interview

2) Inspiration! Find & Follow the wisest ones!

I hadn’t much experience in recruitment and so the role was going to be something new to me. Instead of sitting going over the Job description for hours I glanced over it and then hit the inter-web! I used YouTube and Google to find videos talking about the role of a recruitment consultant. The do’s and don’ts, the general work day and the mind-set they must have. I search for some key tips and advice and the most important – I made note of the experts! I chose successful recruitment consultants and business owners to help me gauge not only the skills I need to acquire but also what employers were expecting. So here’s what to do!

• Find videos, articles and posts about the role
• Use their (the company you are interviewing with) social media sites to find videos or articles that they have posted about their roles
• Take notes
• Anything you don’t understand, research!

3) Mindset! Fix It!

We always read that interviews are where they employer will decide to take you on board or not, that first impressions matter and that you need to sell your skills, experience and qualifications and show why you are equipped for the role. Well let me just say that is nonsense! I have experimented with the RIM Method and I can assure you employers are not thinking about your qualifications at this point, they are not focusing on whether your CV is detailed and whether you will be skillfully equipped for the job! They have already made that judgement, hence why they invited you in! The interview is to analyse the one thing that your CV will not uncover, which is the TRUTH about the type of person you really are! Likely if you follow the steps above you can already be acquainted with the company and the employers and the interview can feel more like a chat with someone you’d like to impress. At this stage you have to sell your personality, the best way to do this is be yourself, you’d much rather get hired for who you are than who you are not! So here’s what to do!

• If you are a smiley individual, rip out the old “Colgate smile”
• If you are a humorous soul don’t hesitate to bring out the fact you liked the charity [insert recreation] event the company recently got involved in , maybe even hint that you’d have ensured they won if you were on the team! (This shows you did research, that your interested and possibly a laugh to be around)
• Realize that you are already 50% successful in this interview (Qualifications, skills and experience) now you just need to confirm the first 50% and then show that you cover the second 50% in your personality. They wouldn’t have offered you in if they didn’t count you as potential, therefore calm the nerves and sell your personality!

Okay so encase you have been so mesmerized that you didn’t fully pick up what the RIM Method is, I’ll be direct;

R – Research – Find out everything about the company and befriend the employees
I – Inspiration – There are many who have done the job before you and done it well, find out how and inspire to be like them
M – Mindset – You’re 50% There! Relax and be yourself

There are many more tips and things I realized but these are the 3 main tips where you are using social media and the internet to leverage yourself, it’s a no-brainer why when you then turn up for the interview you feel pretty positive and cheerful, this reflects to the employers too. It just happen that after the interview the manager wanted me to meet the team and ensure our personalities didn’t clash, thankfully I had endorsed a member of the team for a basic skill on LinkedIn. This was just a little thing based on what I had researched from her work for the company, again this was information all available online. I knew I was going to work with her and so was already a step ahead of the game. She thanked me and as another colleague said “she loves getting endorsements” I already felt at ease within my surroundings. I used the RIM method for my 1st stage interview with the company on the 24th July and then got invited to the 2nd stage of the interview on Friday 26th July. I am now starting my Job on Monday 29th July!

What do you think? Are you going to try it? Have you used a method similar to the RIM Method? Let Me Know!