What Makes You Right for the Job?

There can be a disconnect between candidates and hiring managers – a common scenario for job hunters is finally reaching the interview portion of the job search process, only to get passed over for another candidate. This can be especially disappointing if you seemingly have all of the qualifications for the position. What do these selected candidates have that you don’t? It’s most likely better interview skills that fully convey to the hiring manager why they’d be assets to the company. During job interviews, focus on presenting the qualities hiring managers are looking for, so they know you’re right for the job:

Preparation

Even the most qualified candidates may get an automatic strike against them if they show up to the interview without knowing much about the company. Take the time to do your homework and learn as much about the company as possible so you can more accurately convince them why you’d be the best selection. Failing to prepare can signal that you don’t take the opportunity seriously.

Applicable Skills

When answering questions, always make it a point to emphasize that you have the specific skills needed to be the best choice for the job. Don’t stick to the basic requirements in the job description –  think outside the box and give more insight into other transferable skills that on paper may not seem like they’d be helpful, but that give you an edge over other candidates.

Communication

Talent isn’t always enough to make for a successful hire – managers need to feel confident that any candidate they select will also fit in well with the company culture in place. Include detailed references to your ability to work well with others using real-life examples.

Past Performance

Since hiring choices can sway to being overly subjective, make the decision easier by quantifying any interview responses with metrics. For instance, if you’re pitching yourself as the top choice for a finance position, provide specific examples (with numbers!) regarding how you saved a previous employer money.

Enthusiasm

Hiring managers want to hire candidates who truly want the job, as they are most likely to stay long-term and work hard. During the interview, let the manager know why you’re interested in the particular job and/or company. If they feel you want any job, rather than their job, they may hesitate to pick you over someone more excited.

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Strategies to Identify High-Potential Candidates

Interviews are notorious for leading to disappointment in hiring managers, as candidates’ first impressions often do not pan out and lead to the anticipated high performance.  Utilizing performance-based hiring allows hiring managers to objectively measure candidates against criteria that more effectively predicts success. Approach interviews with these strategies to identify high-potential candidates:

Determine Achieved Goals

To differentiate between the smooth talkers and the true high-potential candidates, focus on verifiable instances of past performance. Open-ended interview questions allow them to speculate about their future performance with your company, which may or may not come to fruition. Asking candidates about specific goals they’ve achieved gives them the chance to elaborate and impress you with facts that serve as evidence of their work ethic and talent – rather than simply telling you they possess those things.

Evaluate Instances of Handling Inexperience

Top performers generally become so skilled because they volunteer to take on work in which they have little experience. During job interviews, ask candidates for specific examples of times they handled tasks outside of their comfort zones. Candidates who have a track record of successfully taking chances and
completing responsibilities in areas for which they are novices are likely to be confident in their decision-making skills and have the talent to back it up.

Look for a Trend of Upward Mobility

Often, reviewing candidates’ past work history is mainly done strictly as a matter of ensuring their qualifications for the job in terms of skills and years of experience. To identify the high-potential candidates, dive deeper when touching on the subject of work history. Ask questions about job changes, such as whether there was an increase in responsibility with each change, as well as what their anticipated objectives were and whether they were met. High-potential candidates typically avoid a linear career path and will instead accumulate additional responsibilities, even within the same company and/or position.

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