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Articles on Job hunting strategy, Interview techniques, application forms, cover letters and resume or cv.Non-verbal communication often sends a more powerful message than verbal communication.Is your CV or resume key word rich and scanner freindly? It needs to be.At the interiew don't fidget, bite your nails or sit slumped in your chair.Did you remember to smile at your last interview. Most forget.At the interview remember: it's about attitude. Not aptitude.Did you ask questions? No! Fatal mistake. The ezine article reproduced below is by kind permission of submityourarticle.comPay submityourarticle.com a visit?The Key to Interview Success – Connecting the DotsCopyright © 2009 Winning Formula StudiosYou’re looking for a great job, one that is a great match. Are you anxious about interviewing? Want to make sure the interviewer clearly sees you as THE person for the job? Wonder how you can increase your odds of winning the interview and getting the offer? You’ve got to take the extra steps to help your interviewer make the decision to hire you. You do that by connecting the dots for the employer, creating a picture of YOU in the job. Here’s how. Know What They’re Looking For All employers look for the same things. Someone who can solve the business problems, make the company money, and make them look good to their customers. What’s needed is more than just the obvious skills, knowledge and experience. Sure, performance and competency are important. But increasingly employers are looking at other key areas in making hiring decisions. Attitude and motivation; ability to learn, adapt and make intelligent decisions; fit into the corporate culture; and character and integrity. Think about how you match up in these areas, and be prepared to tell stories and give examples of how you match up. Know Who You’re Talking To There is probably one person in the mix who will ultimately make the hiring decision. But each person you interview with will have some influence over that decision. Think of each of your interviewers as ‘buyers’, each with their own unique criteria for recommending someone for the job. Focus in on what they care about most. For example, what do you suppose is foremost on the mind of the Human Resources interviewer? Think about it. HR is measured by their ability to provide well-qualified applicants to the hiring manager. And HR cares most about your short and long term fit into the organization. After all, if there are any employee issues, it is often HR on the line to solve. How about interviewing with prospective peers? What do you think they care about the most in you? Chances are they’ll be thinking about interacting with you on a daily basis, whether or not you’ll carry your own load and be open to helping out as needed, that you’ll share information openly. The bottom line is that you must identify each of your interviewers and anticipate what they care about most. Then gear your talk towards meeting their unique needs. Connect the Dots for the Interviewer Make it easy for your interviewers. It’s no cakewalk to find great people to hire, and it’s often a gamble when making a hiring decision. Lower their risk by painting a picture for the interviewer of you in the job, solving their problems. Help them ‘see’ you in the job. Help them ‘feel’ what it will be like to work with you. Help them ‘know’ you as a person. How do you do all of this? By using a connect the dots strategy in your interview. Connect an attribute or talent you have, with a specific advantage and benefit for the interviewer, and finish it off with a story that shows that attribute in action. Anyone can respond to an interview question on ‘what are you strengths’ with answers such as ‘I’m very creative’ or ‘I build strong relationships across functions’. Nice attributes, but now you must paint the picture for them by connecting the dots as to what the advantage and benefit of that trait matters, and back it up with a specific example of how you’ve used it in the past to get results. An Example To Pull It All Together Let’s give you a sales example of the importance of knowing who you’re talking to, understanding what they’re looking for, and then connecting the dots. Let’s say you’re trying to sell a high-end performance car. Into the showroom walks a 17-year-old looking for his graduation gift. You tell him about one of the car’s features, its acceleration. 0 -100 mph in five seconds. Now think, what’s the advantage and benefit for this buyer? Well, he’ll look very cool to all his friends. And possibly this could be a real ego booster. Then you might follow it up with a story about a well-known personality who owns one of these cars. You’ve got him hooked! Now, in walks a soccer mom with a toddler in tow. Again, you speak of the acceleration feature. In this case, do you think the advantage, benefit and story told to the 17-year-old will connect the dots for this buyer? NO! Instead, how about the advantage and benefit of quickly and safely being able to merge onto the freeway, thus protecting and providing safety for her family? Then follow it up with the story about a client who, just last week, was able to avoid a major collision due to the car’s ability to swerve and accelerate out of harms way. So think differently about interviewing! Solid preparation in understanding who you’re interviewing with, what they need, and then connecting the dots will paint the picture of you doing the job. And make you a ‘must hire’!
About the Author Chris Fogarty is a career counselor and coach with extensive experience in helping individuals define and achieve extraordinary career success. Chris combines her broad experience in engineering, operations and sales management with a graduate degree in career counseling to bring a real world, success oriented approach to career development. She serves as an Adjunct Faculty member for Santa Clara University’s Graduate Career Counseling program and is co-founder of Winning Formula Studios, producers of career-coaching products for professionals who want to stay aligned with their careers, achieve extraordinary success, and Dig What They Do. To learn more about how you can Dig What You Do and to sign up for weekly career tips visit http://winningformulastudios.com Source: http://www.submityourarticle.com Permalink: http://www.submityourarticle.com/a.php?a=8814 The ezine article reproduced above is by kind permission of submityourarticle.comDoes your CV or resume have key words or phrases from the job advertisment, carefully includeed in it?Did you have a number of questions ready for the interviewer?At the interview did you remember to smile? Most forget.Did you send a thank you letter after the interview?Is your body language letting you down?Did you maintain eye contact?Want to read more job hunting articles like this one?View list of job hunting ezine articles?
Whatever the job. They all start with a CV and an interview.
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