Improve the chances of getting the job you want…

February 3, 2011

Most areas for improvement, based on having personally interviewed hundreds of candidates, fall within the following areas:  1) resume writing skills, 2) interviewing skills, 3) salary expectations, and 4) the ability to create a pipeline of activity.

 1.       Have a Professional Review your Resume 

For people who recognize the need to improve their resume writing skills, there are professionals who are worth many times their weight in gold who can be of assistance. 

My suggestion is to approach either a professional resume writer, a senior recruiter who specializes in placing people specifically with your background, or both.  Each avenue provides a unique form of value to you, and in this environment there is no room for cutting corners if you expect to get the job you want.  

A professional resume writer is adept at giving you a very professional format, changing and exchanging words when necessary and will generally make your resume read much more professionally. 

Recruiters can also be an excellent source because they a) spend time reviewing resumes with backgrounds similar to yours, b) can make informed adjustments quickly, and c) can send your resume to their clients (hiring managers) to get feedback.

They will usually have a very current understanding of which of your skills need to be highlighted on your resume, and which should perhaps be removed altogether.  They have the advantage of hearing directly from hiring managers why they do or do not want to see someone based at least in part on the resume.

 2.       Learn How to Interview Like a Champion 

Unfortunately, interviewing skills are typically the last thing people want to focus on.  The opinion of the majority is:  we are what and who we are, we can’t change this and we are born either good or bad at interviewing. 

I have good news for everyone: learning to interview is closer to practicing a sport — you may not become Michael Jordan, but you can significantly improve your aptitude with a little work.  

Suggestions of where to get practice/training in this area: outplacement firms, recruiting firms and books on the topic. 

Without the appropriate time/space to dedicate to this important topic, I will simply advise people to focus on pre-interview research and preparation, building rapport during the interview (which also can be learned), and asking very direct questions at the close of the interview about  how you compare to the interviewer’s vision of the perfect candidate.

 3.       Salary Expectations:  Less may be More 

Salary expectations … what a touchy subject.  I am going to be very direct here, in an attempt to give everyone a true picture of the market (salaries) in my opinion.   

Here is the quandary we currently face:  the #1 concern I hear from candidates in their search these days is what the financial stability is of the company they will work for.  Yet one of the top causes of financial instability of companies in the last 18 months is that — you guessed it — salaries were too high! 

Putting that aside for a moment, here are the cold facts:  currently there seems to be three to five times as many candidates competing for each job as there were two years ago. 

Two years ago you might have had five people competing for each job, and of those only three were qualified, and of those only two were likely to take the job — a situation in which each candidate still has quite a bit of bargaining power in the salary department. 

In today’s economy, however, the same job might have 25 people vying for the same position, with 15 of those being qualified, 10 of whom want the job, with six of those 10 being unemployed.  If the company perceives that they have three people with identical potential for success, but one will take 15K less in salary, who do you think they’ll choose? 

Let me be clear here, I am not suggesting that people don’t strive for the best salary they can get.  But I am suggesting that both market conditions and available talent have changed the definition of “reasonable salary” for most positions. 

Many people not only refuse to take a cut in their next position, but they also want what they consider to be a reasonable increase.  This often includes the unemployed, who may not recognize that their large salaries at their previous companies may have been the sole reason for being let go.  

Bottom line:  don’t let your price tag keep you from the opportunities you want.   At least open your parameters to what you will interview for … you won’t regret the extra options on your plate. 

4.       Maximize your Chances of Getting a Job:  Keep the Pipeline Full 

Lastly, having a pipeline of activity means having several opportunities you are exploring at once.  Without this, you will have no bargaining chips whatsoever when you sit down at the table to discuss offer terms.  It is also more likely to make you act irrationally if you have no back-up plan to a single company or opportunity.  It is simply human nature to desire something that is in demand, and even more so, something that is scarce.  

But in my view, the biggest advantage of interviewing with several companies at once is the silent confidence it will give you during the interview process, which will inherently improve your interviewing skills.  You will act more naturally, speak more confidently, and ask tougher questions of the interviewer when you know that your livelihood does not rest on this one and only opportunity.