FAQ for candidates

Why should I use the services of your specialised agency when looking for a job?

Our specialisation in information technology enables our applicants who want to work in this field to gain more offers from one source, and with a minimal amount of contact. Our consultants are our strongest asset, and your biggest advantage in finding the next step in your career. Due to our IT specialisation, we are able to communicate with you at a professional level, describing the most suitable positions to you in detail, after reviewing your knowledge and skills. Whether you are looking to take the first step or aiming to climb further up the IT careers ladder, with several years of experience in this market we are in a great position to help you.

I have had mostly bad experiences with personnel agencies, why should it be better with you?

There are a large number of personnel agencies, and unfortunately the poor performance of some, reflects badly on the rest. Thus we suggest that you seek recommendations from friends, colleagues and acquaintances, about agencies they have had a positive experience with. A fair agency deals honestly and responsibly, does not conceal the names of the companies you are interested in and does not send your data and CV to third parties without your prior approval. In our agency, we appreciate your confidence, thus we follow ethical principles, keep personal data protected and deal transparently.

How do I learn for which company you fill the vacancy?

If you are interested in some specific vacancy during the interview, if you meet all the requirements and are seriously interested in the position, we will tell you the name of the company, of course. You have the right to know, where your CV is going to be presented. We will gladly tell you more information about the company – we will introduce its profile, services/products, company culture, benefits and all, what you wish to know. Until

When shall I start with the job search?

Whether you are leaving school or university, it is not recommended to delay the start of your job search. If you decide to wait until the conclusion of your exams or post-exam holidays, then you may find that all the vacancies you were interested in have been filled by more active graduates. Thus, we recommend to search for work 2-3 months in advance (if you are to pass the final exam in June, then start the job search in April or May). However, the working candidates also start looking for work 2-3 months in advance before the termination of their employee contract (the notice period lasts 2 months) and human resources workers are already accustomed to the fact that the candidates can start working in 3 months.

How should I dress for the interview?

The choice of suitable clothing is a typical dilemma for every applicant. And no universal solution exists; however there is one golden rule – If you are uncertain, it is better to be dressed more formally, than to be too casually dressed. It is advisable to ask someone for advice – either a current or previous employee of the company, or the consultant in the personnel agency.
When you go for an interview in the agency, you can choose the clothing according the scope of your wardrobe (but always clean and neat). If you are interested in positions where contact with people is expected (salesperson, consultant, manager, team leader), then choose formal clothing, if it is the other way round, you can be dressed semi-formally (e.g. trousers/better jeans and shirt). It is customary, that most companies expect the candidates to come in formal representative clothes (especially where a dress code is specified, however there are some companies where employees may dress informally. Our agency will gladly help you to decide what clothing to choose for a specific company. However, it is advisable to dress rather in a formal way for an interview in the suggested companies.

Shall I enclose my photo in my CV?

It is up to you. No one can force you to place your picture in your CV because it is a carrier of sensitive information (about race, nationality). On account of this, the pictures are not placed in the CVs in the United States at all, so be aware of this when you apply for work at American companies. The photos can also unwillingly cause a so called halo effect or negative first impression, thus we rather recommend that you do not place a photo into your CV.

How long should my covering letter be?

The covering letter shall express your interest in a specific position/company. It shall catch interest, not discourage, so its content should not be very long, as it should not exhaust the readers’ enthusiasm for your application. The recommmended length is just a few sentences (5-10 sentences), and it should not exceed a third of an A4 page.

What salary shall I ask?

The talk about salary takes place at the end of the interview or in the second round of the selection procedure. Generally the prospective employer will ask you (the candidate) for your self evaluation for a specific piece of work. Thus to prevent any under or over estimation of the value of your work, it is important that you contemplate this before entering the interview. The best way is to start with the calculation of your living costs, thus you will learn your living minimum. Then it is advisable to ask your friends in similar positions about their salary ranges, or to check the average wages in your field from market statistics. The salaries are usually expressed as gross pay, thus, calculate also the net pay that you will receive after all deductions; so you could still pay all necessary expenditures from it. The salary offers can vary even in the same profession; however, we will gladly advice you as to what a suitable salary would be for a specific vacancy.

Why did they reject me after the interview?

In order to avoid some mistakes at the interview it is recommended to review your relevant failure and think about your performance. Here we mention the most common reasons of failures at the interview:
Not enough knowledge from school, insufficient experience, weak language skills, late arrival to the interview without apology, no knowledge about the company, frequent changes of jobs, critique of previous employer, lack of tact and polite behaviour, cynicism, immaturity, too high ambitions, too aggressive speech, no will to accept responsibility, only financial motivation, passivity – lack of interest shown (no questions), unclear idea about future orientation, inability to express yourself clearly, too time-demanding interests (fear that you would prefer hobbies to work).

I have learnt, that you arrange counselling for students. Where and how often?

Yes, we have been cooperating with universities for three years and offer students counselling about searching for their first job. We advise them how to write a CV correctly, what to mention in the covering letter, how to prepare for the interview, what are its parts, and we also provide consultations about planning their career. We regularly give the seminars in the lecture-rooms at Masaryk University and VUT.

How do you earn money when your services are free of charge for candidates?

We make our livelihood when we succeed in finding a suitable job for you :). We have right for the reward by the day of your commencement to work. Till that time our services are free of charge even for companies with which we have entered cooperation contracts; they pay us only for our successful service, i.e. for the successful recommendation of the right candidate.