Careers
Tips
The following tips have been emailed in by our members. Feel free to email us more to career.development@iop.org.
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Communicaton
If you have long hair don't be tempted to leave it loose to hide behind when doing a presentation - there's nothing more distracting than having someone flicking their hair out of the way all the time when they're talking.
Fred, University of Manchester
A top tip worth passing on to younger (or generally nervous) members is that looking at someone's forehead can give the impression of maintaining eye contact.
Gary, Devonport
Networking
Always carry business cards wherever you go. You never know when you might get stuck in a lift with a potential employer/employee.
Nigel, Schlumberger
Interviews
This tip requires a lot of confidence to pull off but has worked for me in the past. At the end of an interview when asked the inevitable 'is there anything you'd like to ask us?' question, a reply of 'from what I have said, is there any thing you have heard which you think makes me unsuitable for the position or are there any areas you'd like me to expand on?'
Gary, Devonport
My tip would be to have at least 10 good questions to ask at the end of an interview (ones which show you have researched the company/industry thoroughly). Nothing can ruin your chances quicker than not seeming interested by not asking questions, and some of them tend to get answered during the course of the interview.
Steve, Dunnet-Shaw
I am currently on a two month placement in the US, and last week had the opportunity to see how candidates are interviewed over this side of the Atlantic. (Thankfully I was on the interview panel, rather than on the other side of the table!). The 'interview' basically lasted all day, the candidate started off with a half hour tour of the factory, then gave a 45min presentation in front of the technical staff. The rest of the day way then taken up with a series of interviews with practically all of the engineering staff. Overall the process lasted from 8am to 5:30pm. Suddenly the prospect of an hour long interview doesn't seem so bad!
John in America
I went for several summer job interviews last year, the last one was straight after my exams so needless to say I was in a state where I no longer cared much about anything as I was just happy my exams had at last finished. I walked into the interview room perhaps too relaxed and smiling (it was a sunny day!) and went through the interview answering what I could and ... I got the job! So I guess the best advice I can give is, try to be yourself and don't get too overstressed, life goes on and happiness and health are the most important things in life!
Maria, Physics student
Job Applications
If you are sending out your CV make sure you send it to a named person, not just 'to whom it may concern'. If you've spent a few minutes on the web finding out who you should be targeting it's a little more likely to be acted on.
Miranda, CityBank
Get someone else to read your application to see if it makes you sound like a real spoon or not. They are also more likely to spot spelling or grammar mistakes.
Sarah in Canada
Always print out and file any online application forms you fill in. I've found that not only can I reuse good answers (a lot of them seem to have very similar questions anyway) but if I get an interview I can remember what I said.
Brian, QinetiQ
Always research the company you are being interviewed by. I once got one mixed up with their main rival and got a rather frosty correction back from one of the interviewers. Needless to say I didn't get the job.
Taru, PricewaterhouseCoopers
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