Six Strategies for Getting Hired
As a job seeker, putting your best foot forward isn’t always easy.
Fear of rejection, embarrassment over past job performances, or
anxiety can set in.
Don’t let your emotions overtake you.
Here some approaches you can take to get hired:
1. Research
the company and position before the interview. Read about the
company in current articles or press releases, and visit the company’s
website for any pertinent information. Write down anything and
everything an interviewer might ask about what you know about the
company.
2. Find a way to
determine what a “good fit” means to the employer.
Find
out how you might uniquely enhance the company through the position you
are interviewing for. Example: “How would you describe the culture of
the organization?”
3. Don’t reveal too much information during the interview. You
may believe divulging information about your previous working
environment, your family, or your hobbies is important to the
interviewer, but if you reveal too much you provide him/her an
opportunity to pre-formulate assumptions and possibly draw negative
conclusions about you as a possible employee.
4. Remain clear headed during the interview.
Before the interview, clear
your mind of any assumptions, fears, and expectations you may have so
you will be emotionally neutral and can maintain an open-minded
perspective. If you start to feel expectant or apprehensive, needy or
overconfident, change your position in your chair, take a deep breath–do
anything to distract yourself and get back to neutral.
5. Don’t appear as though you are desperate for the job. The very
appearance of desperation can kill your advantage in a job interview.
6. Concentrate on what you can control during the interview.
Basically, there are only two things you have power over in the
interview- your demeanor and your responses to the interview questions.
Listen to the questions carefully, take notes if necessary, answer
questions by constantly keeping
the interviewer’s
objectives in mind. Answer questions demonstrating how you fit in with
and can advance the employer’s goals.
© Copyright Vet2Work/Naturallysilver 2011. No re-publication of this
article is permitted without express permission. This is an excerpt from
"Successful Career Moves" by C.A. Stapleton.
About the author: C.A. Stapleton, A.S., B.S., M.B.A., is an
experienced, published professional career consultant, mentor, and
résumé/ biographical writer.
