Why Job Seekers Crash & Burn
Here are five reasons job applicants crash and burn.
- Your value brand statement is not focused. This failing affects your resume and how you approach the interview process.
- You did not vet your references until it was too late the benefit from their feedback.
- You are eliminated at the outset because you did not customize your resume with keywords and phrases from the online job summary. The ATS scanner kicks you out.
- You stumble in the telephone screening call. Your answers are not focused, and time expires before the recruiter asks their essential questions.
- You think recruitment is about you. It is not. It is about the employer trying to find someone to solve a problem. You do not adjust your approach.
Curveball Questions Thwart Some Executives
You are interviewing for a great job with an exceptional compensation package. You are in the final interview on the final day of a comprehensive vetting process when you are asked:
- Who are you?
- What are you about?
- What do you stand for
- What do you want to accomplish in this job that will have a meaningful impact on this organization?
These are known as curveball questions.
They are not about strategy, operational results, or financial metrics. Rather, these questions focus on determining your level of emotional intelligence. Anyone with a decent memory can handle the so-called categorical questions, those that zero in on facts and figures. But without anticipation, reflection and rehearsal, those four CORE questions are what interview trainwrecks are made of.
Job Seeker Leverages Recruiter, Reference to Win Better Job
Here is a great example of how a job seeker leveraged the recruiter and a reference to succeed in the interview.
The reference shared some great insight into the applicant’s strengths, what he saw as weaknesses, and what he and his senior leadership colleagues liked the most about the candidate’s style and contributions.
She used that information to improve her answers to key questions the recruiter said were important to the hiring authority.
Using the feedback, she delivered compelling answers, from that typical “Tell Us about yourself” first question to the last question they asked: Why should we hire you?”
Sign up for Part 2 of Mastering the Art of the Job Interview, LIVE at 11:30 AM on Thursday. Or check out our MOCK interview coaching service at JohnGSelf.Com.
Job Seekers Neglect to Sell Themselves
A common failing in job interviews is that applicants neglect to sell themselves.
Selling oneself and the parental admonition against bragging gets jumbled up and the usual end result is that someone else gets the job.
The worst time to attempt to compellingly sell your value is during the interview itself.
We will focus on helping you become memorable by using stories to sell your value.
Learning how to strike a balance between selling and bragging is one of the subjects we will cover this Thursday in Part 2 of our Mastering the Job Interview, a LIVE education session at 11:30 AM Central time. Sign up today at JohnGSelf.Com. Click the button on the right side of the page.
Ignore the Career Advice Hype
Make it simple. How to Defeat the Resume Screening BOTS
Five Interview Tips to Ensure You Advance
Three Easy Steps to Win the Job of Your Dreams
Make it Urgent: Don’t Delay, Buy Today.
In the world of online career advice, I sometimes think the digital sales messages we use are akin to multi-level marketing hype.
Here are four truths we all need to revisit:
- Even using every industry keyword known to man you will beat the bots less than 50 percent of the time. Your odds of winning a job applying online are 150 to one.
- Succeeding in job interviews requires thorough preparation and rehearsing.
- If you do not focus on strategic networking, you will be at a disadvantage.
- It’s hard work with a lot of rejection.