Now that my daughter only has less than a year of college left, I don’t think it’s a coincidence that I seem to be thinking a lot about job interviews. I want her to be well prepared when she starts her first real job search next winter.
In our current economic climate, finding a job isn’t easy and many employers have the luxury of choosing from multiple, well qualified candidates. Last week I wrote a post, “Top 6 Ways To Blow A Job Interview” (read here) and talked about what not to do in a job interview. This week I want to flip that over and talk about what proactive steps you can take.
The following statistics are pulled from a recent survey of 500 HR managers by the Society for Human Resource Management.
What’s the best way for a candidate to apply for an open position at your company? Not surprisingly, 65% said submit a resume and cover letter via the company’s career website and another 20% said send a resume and cover letter by email. Here at LifeWay Christian Resources , our HR department is all electronic. In addition to submitting a resume through the website, all LifeWay applicants are required to complete an online application before being considered for any potential openings.
What characteristics/behaviors make a job candidate stand out MOST POSITIVELY during the interview process? Those taking the survey were allowed to select 2 answers only and their top 3 were:
- Skills directly applicable to the job (56%). This is a big one for me and usually the first thing I look at on a resume.
- A ‘good fit’ with other team members/organization (42%). Another big one for me. We generally have the whole team talk with the candidate and then we get back together and discuss how they might, or might not, fit with us.
- Professionalism/work ethic (32%). To me, this is the ante required to play the game. If you don’t have it, don’t bother trying to come to work with me and my team.
- Surprisingly the response, ‘performed very well during the interview’ was a top 2 pick for only 8%. This tells me a great interview doesn’t guarantee you the job, but a bad interview pretty much guarantees you won’t get it.
What’s the best way for a job candidate to send a ‘thank you’ note after an interview? Whether you send your thank you note via email (50%), or regular mail (28%), just make sure you send one. Personally, I would suggest sending a ‘thank you’ to everyone you talked with during the interview process. Being polite never hurts!
The top 2 statements NOT to make during an interview? 69% of those polled responded ‘this is my dream job’. Whether it is, or not, saying it will only sound fake. Another 31% said they don’t want to hear ‘I think outside the box’. Can’t disagree there. I think that phrase has run it’s course and needs to be retired!
How often should a job candidate call/email to check on the status of the job opening for which he/she interviewed? This is always a tough one. Don’t follow up and they may think you don’t want the job. Follow up too much and they could write you off as a pest. In the survey, 43% said once/week and 33% said just once. On the flip side, if you’re interviewing someone for a job, be sure to give a time frame related to your decision process. This will help the candidate to know how often/when to follow up with you.
If 2 job candidates with limited job experience were applying for the same job, what type of prior experience would tip the balance in one candidate’s favor? I think the answer to this question is very relevant for those of you just getting out of school and entering the work force. I must say that I was pleasantly surprised by their response. According to the HR managers polled, 70% said an unpaid internship directly in the candidate’s career field would do the trick. They felt this demonstrated the candidate’s willingness to work hard to gain relevant experience.
What other tips do you have? What’s worked well for you in past job hunts? As an interviewer, what do you look for?
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