Well again be prepared can increase your chances, employers know that there are good and bad qualified talents out there. Meeting the qualifications, by looking good on paper but when completing phone or in-person interviews you just didn’t meet the mark.
Here is a heads-up alert for you: be prepared because not only will the infamous “War for Talent” be returning to impact the talent pool. Employers are looking for the most talented and qualified they can find to be competitive. There are firms that regularly raid each other for talent, and bidding for top talent is commonplace. So, to those job seekers who are searching and yearning to be among the pool that employers fight for, be prepared because we want you to be the best you can be. This is why I recommend the following:
• Writing a unique cover letter for each job search-
• Preparing a Winning Resume -
• And then Behavior Interview Readiness
The State New Jersey has a new website (www.jobs4jersey.com) for job seekers and employer. On the website they provide template for CV-cover letters and tips on resume writing. However, behavior interviews are areas that present challenges.
The following are five key steps to help you succeed on your interview:
Step 1: Make sure you know your own strengths and weaknesses.
Write down three to four strengths and one or two weaknesses. Include a short, one paragraph example of an accomplishment using each strength. With the weaknesses, write a specific situation where you have turned that weakness into strength or have overcome the weakness. As you'll see in the "Universal Answer" below, these examples are critical.
Step 2: Learn the "Universal Answer."
Typically answers during the interview should be about one to two minutes long. If you talk for more than three minutes, the interviewer loses interest. Conversely, if you talk less than a minute, you may be considered superficial, incompetent, or lacking in interest.
Practice your answers by using the "Make Each Answer Count" acronym:
M: Make an opening Statement
E: Provide a few Examples
A: Amplify that statement
C: The Interviewers will make judgments based upon your Competency.
Most candidates talk in generalities but by providing specific examples are much more convincing. For instance, a human resource manager could give a specific example to describe how she/he worked on a project team to implement a new policy/procedure rather than saying she/he's strong in interactive people skills. While this might be the opening to the classic, "What are your strengths?" question, the answer will be more meaningful if you give a specific example and then describe how your strengths, like creativity and perseverance, were required to achieve results.
Step 3: Write up two significant accomplishments.
To improve your verbal pitches, prepare more detailed write-ups for your two most significant accomplishments. Each of these should be two to three paragraphs in length, but no more than half a page each (practice them). One should be an individual accomplishment and the other a team accomplishment. Make sure to include examples of your strengths in both write-ups.
Step 4: During the interview, ask the "Universal Question."
In most cases the discussions about major accomplishments should dominate the interview session. Since most interviewers don't ask about this naturally, you can get them started.
To do this, ask this question early if you feel the interview is going nowhere: "I don't have a complete understanding of your real job needs, however would you please give me an overview of what the job entails and describe some of the key challenges in the job? Then I can give you some examples of work that I've done that's comparable."
Something like this will enable you to then describe a related project you have worked on. Managers generally like candidates who are more assertive as well as those who ask good questions. Make sure you prepare a list of other insightful questions to ask, such as:
• What does the person in this job need to do to be considered successful?
• What are the first three items that would need to addressed by you or the department ?
• Why is the position open?
• How have you developed your team members?
Step 5: How to close an interview and Ask for the job.
At the end of the interview, tell the interviewer that you are interested in the job, and would like to know what the next steps are. If the next steps seem evasive or unclear, ask the interviewer if your accomplishments seem relevant to the performance requirements of the job. Understanding a potential gap here allows you, as the candidate, to fill it in with an example of a related accomplishment. Make sure you do the best job possible of presenting your strengths. Sometimes you have to ask for the job to elicit enough information to understand what points you need to get across in order to secure an offer.