I was chatting with a recruiter this morning and they said that jobs in PR are on the up (good) but that feedback they’re getting is that interview skills are woeful (er, not so good). Interesting and it’s not the first time in the last couple of months that this has been mentioned to me. One recruiter is even thinking of making interview skills training part of the service they offer candidates.

I have a couple of theories as to why interview skills aren’t up to scratch. First up is social media. Are we hiding behind Facebook, Twitter etc and loosing the art of conversation? Second, us Brits are well known for being self depreciating but are we taking this too far?

I interview most people who apply to Speed and have some top tips for all of you job hunting at the minute:

1. Limp handshakes are a no, no – man up people
2. Be on time (might seem obvious, but you’d be surprised…)
3. Look on the website and do your homework (‘ Do you have a blog?’ ‘Er, I don’t know what clients you work for’…. grrrr)
4. Answer the question (you’re not a politician)
5. Have plenty of examples. If you tell me you’re good at newjacking, be able to show case your talents

Deciding to find a new job is a big decision, don’t shoot yourself in the foot.