Characteristics of Successful Job Candidates
Here are four tips that smart job seekers always do that lets them get hired. Getting hired for a job is not easy. Some people just seem to be better at it than others. So what are some of the key characteristics that make up this elite group of successful job candidates? What are they doing that makes employers want to hire them? Number one: they show relevance.
Number 1: Showing Relevance
They clearly demonstrate to interviewers how their background and their career goals are consistent with the requirements for the job. And they do this by talking about their experiences and their interests.
And when your background and your experience matches the job description that makes it all the easier for employers to want to hire you. They make it easy for them; they connect the dots and they show employers why they are the right person for the job.
Number 2: Showing Consistency
Number two: they show consistency. And what that means is all of their recent work experience is consistent with the requirements for the job. So if they’re an accountant they’re not going to list experience on their resume from maybe when they delivered pizzas or worked in a pizza shop or were a real estate agent.
They are just going to show accounting experience and that’s how you get consistency because you don’t want to send out a resume that shows well I know accounting, I know some I.T.
Maintaining a Specific Focus
I know how to sell houses; no, you have to be specific and focused. The resume is consistent with the job description so if you read their resume and they’re applying for an accounting position it’s just going to show accounting related things. And when employers talk to them their conversation is consistent with their resume; it all just kind of comes full circle.
Harmony Between LinkedIn and Your Resume
When employers search out candidates on LinkedIn their LinkedIn profile is also consistent with the resume; they’re not showing different things. So you would actually be able to draw lines from experiences on the resume to where they did it on their LinkedIn profile.
So you have to keep everything in harmony so that employers don’t think that you’re just all over the board. Their whole career profile both offline and online is consistent; it comes around full circle and your resume is a very crucial element in that circle.
Number 3: Practice Answering Questions
Number three: smart job seekers practice how they’re going to answer questions. You can’t walk into a job interview cold; you might think you can but you are in for a rude awakening.
You have to practice how you’re going to answer common interview questions like why do you want to work here? Tell me about yourself. How does your background fit in with this department? And when you are comfortable answering those questions it makes you a lot more fluid in the interview.
Polishing Your Answers Through Experience
The more and more interviews you go on the better and better you get at polishing your answers. Going from long drawn out answers to being very matter of fact and to the point is exactly what you need to do. If you’re not getting interviews, try to get any kind of interview; it doesn’t matter but get practice, get experience, get comfortable in front of other people talking about what you do.
Appearing Polished and Fluid
When you do get the big interview you’re going to seem a lot more polished and more fluid and it’s just going to flow. That’s what smart job seekers do.
Number 4: Planning Your Next Move
Number four: they’re always planning their next move. Successful job candidates are thinking ahead; they are planning out what they will say and do based on how their interview goes. So if the employer says hey we’ll get back to you they’ll say when can I expect to hear from you? Or do you mind if I follow up with you in a few weeks?
Navigating the Candidacy Toward an Offer
It doesn’t end there; they know exactly how to drill down into employers and poke and prod them to get useful information that will aid them in navigating the candidacy towards a job offer. Having a strategic coach to guide you through this phase can really make a huge difference in developing your own strategy that’s going to help you close the gap on landing your dream job.
The Role of Personal Interview Coaching
Smart job seekers do these things. Many people come in for coaching and these same issues appear again and again. Many people face the same problems.
Being Focused and Concise
They’re not prepared to talk about telling employers about themselves. Some people are not even sure how to answer what are you looking for?
They’re not focused, they’re not clear, they’re not concise and these are the things that you need to do. You could obviously do this on your own.
The Importance of Interview Practice
Working on these four things and drilling them down and practicing them and polishing them is going to make you so much better. But one of the biggest things is you need to get in front of interviewers. You can do all the practice in the world but if it’s game time and you go out in front of an interviewer without real experience you’re probably going to go to pieces.
Becoming Comfortable and Specific
You need practice; you need to get in front of people and you need to be comfortable talking about what you do, what you’re looking for, why you’re looking for it and why you want to be working for them.
And you can’t just be in the interview scratching your head and going on and on about what you’re looking for and why you want to be there. You need to be very specific and matter of fact about what you want to do and you need to sound polished.
Expressing Yourself Clearly
You don’t want to be in the interview just not having anything to say and that’s where getting in front of people and talking about yourself and expressing yourself is going to work out all those kinks. And it’s going to make you a more polished candidate and it’s going to make you better.
Final Insights for the Job Hunt
The key insights of what it takes to really convince employers why they should hire you come down to these four things. It’s your job to go out there and convince them why they should hire you. Sometimes you need experience; that helps.
Beyond Skills and Experience
If you don’t have any experience, try to get some. But it’s not always about experience; skills and experience do not rank up there as the number one reason why people get hired. Mostly it’s desire; it’s obviously some degree of talent, some degree of know-how, but it’s also culture fit.
It’s people who want to be there; it’s people who fit in with a group of like-minded people and who have a skill set that is able to be nurtured and grow.
Conclusion
That’s what employers want. Now that you know how to be a smart job candidate, go out there and get them. Read More
