Perhaps you are employed but not happy in your current job, or maybe you have recently been laid off, “downsized”, terminated, or for any other reason have become unemployed. So, you decided to create your resume or freshen up your old one, send it to a few places, and wait on them to invite you in for an interview. You are aware that the job market is tight, but certainly someone of your skills and experience would be a valuable asset to the right organization, and you are sure that you could convince a prospective employer of that fact if you could just get the interview.
Has your phone started ringing yet?
If I have heard those sentiments once, I know that I have heard them a thousand times from well qualified, experienced, educated candidates. What these candidates do not realize is that the same resume that would have served you well in the pre-economic downturn (prior to October 2008) days will not do much for you in today’s job market.
What is behind this new, much more selective candidate evaluation process?
In the current economic climate, having skills, experience, and the right education is not enough. As an independent recruiter for corporations seeking people in various disciplines, I know that finding people who can do the job is the easy part. What is not so easy is finding people who can do the job and who will be a good culture fit with the people and systems already in place within the organization. It is not enough anymore to be good at what you do. There are a lot of people who have the skills and experience to do the job well. Hiring managers today certainly do want people who can excel at the job, but just as important to them is whether you are the type of person that others who are already there can work with and who can adapt to the organization’s way of doing things.
Why are hiring managers becoming so selective in the hiring process today? They are doing this because they can. It is that simple. There are a lot more great candidates seeking jobs than great jobs to be had right now, and that is not going to change anytime soon.
What managers typically see is a stack of resumes that all look pretty much look the same, with this standard format:
• Name and contact information
• Education
• Chronological work experience
• References
All of them look alike and none of them say anything about the person behind the facts listed on the page. In the marketing profession, we call this type of resume “feature heavy and benefit light.” The problem is that people (hiring managers, in this case) buy on benefits, not on features. They want to know what kind of person you are and what skills and talents you have that are transferable to them. If they have a choice between a “just the facts” resume and one that has all the facts plus a good, revealing description of the person behind the facts, they will choose the more revealing resume every time. Keep in mind that the hiring process is an expensive, time-consuming endeavor. They want to get it done as quickly as possible, but they want the right person. The more you can tell them about you in addition to the facts about your skills and where you went to school, the more likely you are to get the call to come in for an interview. If they feel that they know something about you, they see you as a less risky interview prospect than someone who gives them no information about their attributes and personality.
When I was in school many years ago, we used to get report cards every six weeks that displayed how we were doing in the academic subjects such as reading, writing, science, history, and arithmetic on the left side of the page. On the right side of the page we were evaluated on “social skills.” One of those social skills was “works and plays well with others.” That skill is just as important in today’s workplace as it was in school.
If you can show prospective employers on your resume that you not only have the skills and experience they need, but also will fit well within their culture, you are much more likely to get that interview that can lead to the job you want.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
What Hiring Managers Really Want from Jobseekers
It is no surprise to anyone who is seeking a job these days that we are in a very strong buyer’s market. That simply means that there are a lot more good, qualified people looking for jobs than the number of jobs that are a good match for their skills and experience. It has been that way since the economic downturn started in October of 2008.
Most of those who found themselves suddenly and unexpectedly out of work as the downturn in the economy began to gather steam started looking for their next job with the same tools and strategies that helped them get the job they just lost, and there is a good chance that they are still looking. The reason is that the tools and strategies for getting a job when times were good simply do not work in this new and very different economy.
Before the downturn, when we were in a strong seller’s market, jobseekers could get interviews with a resume that had the bare facts about them…contact information, job history, education, and a few references. That recipe will not get it done anymore. It is easy today to find bright, educated people. Even for jobs that require new skills and training, employers can find people who have the intelligence and basic skills to learn how to do the job.
What is not so easy to find are those candidates who will be a good culture fit within the organization, and if a candidate’s resume does not indicate that he or she will be a good fit with those who already work there, that candidate’s resume is generally given very little, if any, consideration. Organizations can be very selective in today’s market because there are so many candidates who have skills, education, and experience. Because of that large pool of people who could do the job, hiring managers want to get the candidates who have all those qualities along with the ability to blend well with those who are already there.
Before the days of electron ic grade reports, schools gave out paper report cards. On the left side of the page were the evaluations of academic performance in subjects like math, science, history, and spelling. On the right side of the page were the teacher’s opinions of each student’s social skills that included listening, following rules, and one that was described as “works and plays well with others.”
In the workplace today, those “soft” skills of listening, following rules, and working and playing well with others are every bit as important as they were in the early school years. Those skills are so important that most of the better MBA programs offered by universities today include group projects that replicate how employees have to work together to accomplish most of the important tasks within organizations. These schools realize that most groups will include members of very different skill sets and attributes. Some individuals will have a “take charge” mentality, some may be better at organization, and others may excel at creativity or dogged determination. And some will be freeloaders who hope to ride the success of the group to their own benefit.
The wise jobseeker today will put include information in his or her resume that lets the employer know what skills and attributes they can bring to the organization that will be beneficial to that organization. They will also make it very clear that they have those qualities that will help them work and play well with those who are already there.
While skills, talents, and experience are important and valuable, they are not uncommon or hard to find. What is hard to find are those qualities that will make someone the type of person that others want to be around and work with each day. Your chances of getting that interview and the job you want will be greatly improved if you can show the employer why you are someone that they would enjoy working with on a daily basis.
Most of those who found themselves suddenly and unexpectedly out of work as the downturn in the economy began to gather steam started looking for their next job with the same tools and strategies that helped them get the job they just lost, and there is a good chance that they are still looking. The reason is that the tools and strategies for getting a job when times were good simply do not work in this new and very different economy.
Before the downturn, when we were in a strong seller’s market, jobseekers could get interviews with a resume that had the bare facts about them…contact information, job history, education, and a few references. That recipe will not get it done anymore. It is easy today to find bright, educated people. Even for jobs that require new skills and training, employers can find people who have the intelligence and basic skills to learn how to do the job.
What is not so easy to find are those candidates who will be a good culture fit within the organization, and if a candidate’s resume does not indicate that he or she will be a good fit with those who already work there, that candidate’s resume is generally given very little, if any, consideration. Organizations can be very selective in today’s market because there are so many candidates who have skills, education, and experience. Because of that large pool of people who could do the job, hiring managers want to get the candidates who have all those qualities along with the ability to blend well with those who are already there.
Before the days of electron ic grade reports, schools gave out paper report cards. On the left side of the page were the evaluations of academic performance in subjects like math, science, history, and spelling. On the right side of the page were the teacher’s opinions of each student’s social skills that included listening, following rules, and one that was described as “works and plays well with others.”
In the workplace today, those “soft” skills of listening, following rules, and working and playing well with others are every bit as important as they were in the early school years. Those skills are so important that most of the better MBA programs offered by universities today include group projects that replicate how employees have to work together to accomplish most of the important tasks within organizations. These schools realize that most groups will include members of very different skill sets and attributes. Some individuals will have a “take charge” mentality, some may be better at organization, and others may excel at creativity or dogged determination. And some will be freeloaders who hope to ride the success of the group to their own benefit.
The wise jobseeker today will put include information in his or her resume that lets the employer know what skills and attributes they can bring to the organization that will be beneficial to that organization. They will also make it very clear that they have those qualities that will help them work and play well with those who are already there.
While skills, talents, and experience are important and valuable, they are not uncommon or hard to find. What is hard to find are those qualities that will make someone the type of person that others want to be around and work with each day. Your chances of getting that interview and the job you want will be greatly improved if you can show the employer why you are someone that they would enjoy working with on a daily basis.
Five Keys to Acing the Job Interview
In my early years as a recruiter I had more than a few candidates who were very well-qualified for the jobs I sent them to interview for with various companies, yet did not make the first cut in the interview process. In talking to those candidates and the managers who interviewed them, I found five consistent areas where these candidates violated one or more of them and doomed their chances of moving forward in the interview process. Since that time I have learned to coach and reinforce to the candidates I submit for interviews the importance making sure that they perform well in these key areas.
1. Show up on time and know the name of the person you are there to visit. This seems like a no-brainer, but when people are traveling to an unfamiliar area and they do not know the traffic or the best route, they often underestimate how long it will take to get to their destination. When they get there, they are often so exasperated from the trip and focused on what they have learned about the job and the company that they forget the name of the person they are there to see. I tell them to allow twice as much time as they think it will take, and to write down the name of the person they are there to see. That way they are more relaxed and ready to produce their best effort in the interview.
2. Dress like you want the job. The workplace is decidedly more casual than it was a decade ago, but there are still organizations that adhere to a more formal dress code. You may see that everyone there is dressed casually, and you can dress casually as well…after you are hired. However, while you are still in the interview process, dress to impress. You can never go wrong by being dressed professionally.
3. Listen well and let the interview finish talking before you start talking. This is the number one complaint I have heard from hiring manager over the years I have in the recruiting business. It is natural to be excited and eager to share your thoughts with the interviewer, but if you start talking before the interviewer finishes his or her thoughts or questions, two thing are likely to happen. First, you might not fully understand what they are trying to say and there is a good chance you could reply to something that was not what they were saying. Second, you will irritate the interviewer and establish yourself as someone who does not listen well, and probably doom your chances of getting the job.
4. Have a list of questions written down in a notebook that you carry into the interview. The questions should focus on these topics.
A. The job: Why is it open? What are the unique challenges to the position?
B. The company: What is its competitive advantage? What is the company culture?
C. The industry: What is the interviewer’s opinion of the company’s place in the industry? What unique challenges does the industry face?
5. Close the sale! Whether you are interviewing for a sales job or not, you are selling yourself. Companies and hiring managers want to hire people who want the job and who want to join the organization. If you wait for them to ask you to take the job, you are at a decided disadvantage. You must let them know that you want it and that you think you are the best candidate for it. I typically tell my candidates to use a close such as this one. “I appreciate the opportunity to visit with you about this opportunity. Based on what I have learned about the job and the company before our time together today and what I have learned in our conversation, I think I am an excellent match for what you are seeking in the person to fill this position. I am very interested in this job and would very much like to move forward in the process. What can I do to make that happen?” Then stop talking and let them reply. By stating that you think you are a good fit for the job and that you want it, you have answered two of their three most pressing concerns. Those concerns are whether you can do the job, whether you want the job, and whether they want to work with you in the organization. If you did a good job in the interview prior to the end, you probably answered that third concern as well.
If you keep these five key elements of a successful job interview in mind, your chances of receiving an offer go up considerably.
1. Show up on time and know the name of the person you are there to visit. This seems like a no-brainer, but when people are traveling to an unfamiliar area and they do not know the traffic or the best route, they often underestimate how long it will take to get to their destination. When they get there, they are often so exasperated from the trip and focused on what they have learned about the job and the company that they forget the name of the person they are there to see. I tell them to allow twice as much time as they think it will take, and to write down the name of the person they are there to see. That way they are more relaxed and ready to produce their best effort in the interview.
2. Dress like you want the job. The workplace is decidedly more casual than it was a decade ago, but there are still organizations that adhere to a more formal dress code. You may see that everyone there is dressed casually, and you can dress casually as well…after you are hired. However, while you are still in the interview process, dress to impress. You can never go wrong by being dressed professionally.
3. Listen well and let the interview finish talking before you start talking. This is the number one complaint I have heard from hiring manager over the years I have in the recruiting business. It is natural to be excited and eager to share your thoughts with the interviewer, but if you start talking before the interviewer finishes his or her thoughts or questions, two thing are likely to happen. First, you might not fully understand what they are trying to say and there is a good chance you could reply to something that was not what they were saying. Second, you will irritate the interviewer and establish yourself as someone who does not listen well, and probably doom your chances of getting the job.
4. Have a list of questions written down in a notebook that you carry into the interview. The questions should focus on these topics.
A. The job: Why is it open? What are the unique challenges to the position?
B. The company: What is its competitive advantage? What is the company culture?
C. The industry: What is the interviewer’s opinion of the company’s place in the industry? What unique challenges does the industry face?
5. Close the sale! Whether you are interviewing for a sales job or not, you are selling yourself. Companies and hiring managers want to hire people who want the job and who want to join the organization. If you wait for them to ask you to take the job, you are at a decided disadvantage. You must let them know that you want it and that you think you are the best candidate for it. I typically tell my candidates to use a close such as this one. “I appreciate the opportunity to visit with you about this opportunity. Based on what I have learned about the job and the company before our time together today and what I have learned in our conversation, I think I am an excellent match for what you are seeking in the person to fill this position. I am very interested in this job and would very much like to move forward in the process. What can I do to make that happen?” Then stop talking and let them reply. By stating that you think you are a good fit for the job and that you want it, you have answered two of their three most pressing concerns. Those concerns are whether you can do the job, whether you want the job, and whether they want to work with you in the organization. If you did a good job in the interview prior to the end, you probably answered that third concern as well.
If you keep these five key elements of a successful job interview in mind, your chances of receiving an offer go up considerably.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
