After 14+ years in corporate management and consulting, I am still amazed at the lack of preparation I see from job applicants.
Based on my experience, there are five important ways to inspire any hiring manager to offer you the job.
1. Identify the Needs of Others
When you are looking for a new job, you are admittedly thinking about the benefits of gainful employment: steady paycheck, affordable health care, time off for vacations and holidays, retirement plans, and valuable professional experience. All of those factors are important and all of them are about your needs. That being said, if you want to be hired, you have to focus on the organization’s needs during the interview.
You are being considered for employment to address an organizational need. It is your job in the interview to clearly identify what that need is. You must get the decision makers to talk about their needs (often in the form of objectives, opportunities, and challenges).
2. Tell Relevant Stories
Since early childhood when our parents and teachers read books to us during story time, we have been conditioned to connect with stories. Every day we share our experiences in the form of stories with our friends and family. When a friend shares a memorable experience with us, we often share that same story with other people. Top public speakers, trainers, and professors are great storytellers. They connect with the audience by reinforcing goals or lessons with relevant examples. They know that stories stick.
If you want to make a positive and lasting impression on the hiring manager, you too have to be a good storyteller. In an interview setting, you need to demonstrate behavior (through your own stories) that is consistent with the responsibilities of the position and the culture of the organization.
3. Keep It Simple
Simplicity is a very effective way to inspire people to make a decision. The same rule applies to job interviewing. Applicants must convince the hiring manager that they know how to keep things simple.
The first way to demonstrate this valuable organizational skill in an interview is to respond succinctly to the common interview question: Why don’t you tell me a little bit about yourself? If you respond with a 5 minute (or longer) answer about your professional life story, you are not inspiring the hiring manager. You are unfortunately demonstrating poor control of your thoughts and a lack of preparation for the interview.
A second way to keep it simple during the interview is to tell your success stories in an orderly but insightful manner. A third way to keep it simple during the interview is to ask the right type of questions. Do NOT ask questions that are overloaded with strong vocabulary. This will only cause confusion and create resentment toward you.
Lastly, it is also important to limit the number of questions you ask. A good rule of thumb is not to ask more questions than you are asked.
4. Show Gratitude
People love to be recognized every day for their hard work, for their patronage, and for their simple acts of kindness. When you interview for a job, you must be very mindful and appreciative of the amount of time and effort people have put into your interview. Multiple people invest their valuable time reviewing your resume, setting up an interview schedule, coordinating your visit, and speaking to you directly. Taken together, these individuals are taking the time to assess your fit into their organizational culture. Their internal culture is an important part of their lives and it is near and dear to their hearts.
If you show gratitude throughout the entire interview process, you will have a more positive experience, and your positive attitude may easily inspire someone to hire you.
5. Take Action Now
The final important way to inspire the hiring manager to offer you the job is to take some action during the interview process. The interview is your opportunity to demonstrate how you would act on the job. You need to have the mindset that you are performing the job as if you already have it. You are expected to be prepared. You are expected to execute the interview in a professional manner. You are expected to follow through after the interview.
In contrast to the interview, your resume is simply an advertisement for what you can do for an organization. It represents ideas and experiences that if applied may be of value. If you do nothing more than regurgitate the information on your resume during an interview, you have not taken any action.
Brent Peterson
Founder
Interview Angel, Inc.
http://www.interviewangel.com/
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