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Some tips from recruiters and hiring managers

Through various organizations, I communicate with many employment professionals, recruiters and hiring managers who discuss their encounters with prospective employees. There are a number of common ideas that I want to share. Interviewers understand the pressures candidates face and are sympathetic. Nevertheless they have a job to do. So much depends on the so-called “soft factors” to complement the specific experience and accomplishment and it is these soft factors that can be the deal breaker.

In the past, I have written about preparation for the interview. Job seekers must understand no matter how good they consider themselves, candidates must take on a new or enhanced set of skills. As an interviewee, you must acquire those interviewing communication skills that will set you apart and create a comfort zone of confidence in the interviewer that this person is the right person for the job. The interviewer can only see what the candidate reveals. That means you have to respond to what they want to see. If you get that interview and position yourself as someone who has a record of accomplishment in the specific areas sought, and position yourself as well qualified with the human characteristics they value, you become a very viable candidate.

Since a candidate gets only one chance to make a good first impression, careful preparation must precede every interview. Preparation generally means five golden rules: Know the company with which you are interviewing; know the job requirements; know how your skills, experience and accomplishments fit the job requirements; know why you are uniquely qualified to fill the position; and know why this firm has unique qualities, values or culture that make it a particularly good fit for you.

Assuming you have all the necessary technical and experience qualification, there still remains the personal impression that is formed in the interviewers mind based on the interview. If there is doubt, chances diminish dramatically. Therefore, answers must be clear and crisp and as confident as possible. But what else should you do?

Review your resume, again. Showcase every example of flexibility and your ability to change direction. Carry that into the interview. Because of the pressures of the times, companies must be enormously flexible in responding to changes in their business, the economy, changing tastes, new technology and a host of other factors. As a result, employees must be willing and able to change direction to meet overall organization needs. It would not be an exaggeration to say that many employers are obsessed about not hiring rigid people.

Stick to one clear set of objectives when discussing opportunities with recruiters and hiring managers. Recruiters notice when candidates make radical changes in their job objectives such as switching from an individual contributor to a manager or switching target industries. Remember, if you have done your homework and prepared properly, your resume or a short phone interview has convinced someone to take a second look. Understand that what you presented got their interest, so stay with it. The fact is radical changes from one interview to another has to be explained convincingly to the screener. There is little patience for candidates that do not know what they want to do.

When responding to a posting make sure the cover letter responds to and corresponds with the specifics of that posting. Do not make the screener wonder why you are sending in your material. One approach is to actually list the key job requirements and respond 1 by 1 to each item. That builds confidence that you may actually be qualified for the position.

Make sure your time between jobs is filled with useful activities, such as consulting, part-time work or even volunteering. There is no question that there is a “stigma” attached to lengthy unemployment. But if that time has been filled with useful activities while doing the job search, especially activities that made some money, you have gone a long way in removing that stigma. Hiring managers take a dim view of candidates who take a long vacation between full-time employment.

Prepare your introductory story carefully. Hiring managers like to hear about past career choices and how those past experiences contributed to the choices candidates are now making. Have a solid explanation for why you picked a particular company or position. Never say “they made me an offer”.

I have said this before, and it bears repeating. Do not complain at the interview. Interviewers do not want to hear criticism of prior managers and stories about mistreatment by former companies. The prevailing view is people who dwell on mistreatment or attribute errant bosses to lack of success have trouble letting go. Not letting go is a fresh reminder of rigidity and inflexibility, a major turn off.

For further Information email: Judit Price or call: 978-256-0482