Candidate Services
At Mackenzie Stuart our candidates are just as important as our clients.
We understand how important changing your job or advancing your career can be, which is why few recruitment consultants offer you more support, expertise or opportunity.
The key to our service is listening. Before we act on your behalf, we take time to understand your background, requirements, motivations & ambitions. We help you define your role, & outline your skills & qualifications. Then, create a personal portfolio of companies & organisations that match your requirements & take your career to the next level.
Our consultants can also provide you with specialist advice on salaries within your market sector & help to enhance your CV. What’s more, we’ll make sure you have all the information you need to prepare for the interview too. This includes full background information on the company, the job in question & the role.
And our candidate services don’t end there. We even assist with the offer process & salary negotiations, to ensure every aspect of your new appointment runs like clockwork.
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Michael proved to be a tenacious & professional partner when pitching me for a position at AMS. He kept in constant contact with both the employer & I, & saw the job through to a positive conclusion for us both, in a thorough & determined fashion. I would have no hesitation in recommending Michael whether working on behalf of a hiring company or when representing a candidate.
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I agree with others, having recently had very successful dealings with Mark I concur that he is a 1st class Head-Hunter & Executive Search Consultant, one of best I have dealt with. Not only does he have comprehensive knowledge of the insurance market & the classes within, but he gains a thorough understanding of your needs very quickly which eliminates any element of time wasting that you so often get during such a process. Furthermore he acts with discretion & professionalism which is a must in such a niche & incestuous marketplace. For these reasons amongst many others I have full confidence in recommending Mark to anyone who is considering a move in this industry. It has been a pleasure working with him.
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Over the last 3 months I have had many interactions with recruitment consultants & Dominic is one of the best I have worked with so far. His enthusiasm & pro-active approach are to be admired & he has been extremely professional in all dealings. Dominic would be an asset from a recruitment perspective to any organisation.
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Jayson was really proactive in helping me gain work opportunities. He has a good network of contacts & understands the industry. He provided valuable advice in how to put forward the best proposition to prospective clients & was supportive throughout the process.
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I am writing to thank you very much for getting me the role at Stevin Rock, without a doubt, it is the best role that I have ever had. My colleagues are great men & wonderful to work with, the company is dynamic & exciting & I like living in Ras Al Khaimah. I have been here nine months now & very much hope that nothing significant will change because I would like to stay here working with the same team for a very long time!
CV Tips
Creating a good impression to a potential employer begins with your CV. It is vital to ensure your that CV makes the best impression. Some tips to help you when you are creating your CV to be put forward.
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Make it concise
A CV is not an interview. It should serve to highlight the most important aspects of your career and skills. This should be chronological, to the point and particularly emphasise key attributes that differentiate you from other candidates.
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Make it relevant and up to date
Your CV is there to showcase the best of you and you should make sure that you include all the positive aspects of your education, career history and interests and leave out anything else.
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Make the CV fit the job
It is good to emphasise the key skills that an employer is looking for. This may mean you will have to change your CV according to the role you are applying for. Put the most relevant information first so they can quickly find it.
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Simple presentation
Designs and graphics may look nice, but the majority of employers are interested in the experience and skills you can bring to the role. Do break up your CV with bullet points, bold headings and underlining. It is good to avoid lengthy paragraphs of plain text as they are hard to read.
What an ideal CV would contain:
- Personal details:
Name
Address
Home and work telephone number
Email
If you require a work permit it would be helpful to add here whether you have a current work permit. - Education details:
List your academic qualifications in chronological order, starting with the most recent qualification first. - Professional qualifications:
Order your professional qualifications in the same order as your education details. - Skills:
It’s important to include all of your software skills and languages. Make sure you specify your skill level i.e. conversational French, fluent German. - Employment experiences:
Start with the most recent role.
Include the company name, your position and the dates of your employment.
Provide full job details that are relevant to the job your are applying for.
List your duties, responsibilities and achievements.
Show how you have contributed to the company, giving evidence of the value you have added. Include any extra involvement you have had in projects and task groups.
Show how you can handle pressure and tight deadlines, demonstrate your accuracy and initiative at work.
Be 100% honest in your CV, a good interviewer will quickly find out if there are any gaps.
It is good to include your reason for leaving as it is often a question that is asked.
Provide brief descriptions for the jobs that are not relevant.
Interview Techniques
Interviews are the critical element of the selection process and it is essential to be prepared. We will always brief you in detail about the company and the position on offer and how the interview will be conducted.
Some further tips to help you succeed include:
- Do your homework
- Don’t ever attend an interview unprepared:
- Confirm the time of your interview and make sure you know how to get there
- Be prepared with who you are going to see and contact numbers should you be delayed
- Research the company so you are well versed in their locations, market sectors, size of company and products and services
- Prepare some good questions so the interviewer can see how interested you are in the position. Good questions include asking about training and development programmes, what a successful candidate would bring to the role, plans for new products and services etc.
- Get your answers prepared for the typical questions that will be asked. Questions include what kind of job you are looking for, what are your strengths and weaknesses, why do you want to work for us, where do you see yourself in 3 or 5 years time, describe a problem you have handled well, what do you spend your time doing outside of work
On the day
- Be punctual, look smart
- Try not to be too nervous – they have invited you to interview because they want to meet you
- Smile and be confident. Maintain eye contact with your interviewer
- Look interested and listen carefully to each question you are asked
- Respond to questions, taking care to answer the question asked, clearly and concisely.
- Give enough detail but don’t keep talking once you have given an answer
- Relate your experiences to the questions asked and try to give examples wherever possible
- Give honest answers and be positive
- Make sure you ask the questions that you have prepared
- Ask the interviewer at the end of the interview, what the next stage is and thank them for their time
After the interview
- Discuss the interview with your consultant, who will ask any questions you didn’t get answered on the day and raise any queries that have come up since
- Discuss any feedback from the client with your consultant and apply to future interviews should this be required.
Psychometric & Aptitude Testing
With over 70% of the world’s employers using aptitude tests as part of their recruitment process you need to make sure that you are prepared.
Mackenzie Stuart offers a comprehensive service that will enable candidates to complete a full range of Personal Profile, Numeric & Verbal reasoning tests in preparation for upcoming interview & selection processes.
Working in partnership with 2 of the UK’s leading specialists in this field, you can feel confident that you have all the tools you need to perform at your best during your career search.