4 Ways To Get The Job Offer

Posted by Heather Huhman on Jul 12, 2012 in Blog, Job Search | 0 comments

When it comes time to bring aboard new talent, hiring managers are experiencing an increasing amount of pressure to select the right candidates.

An infographic that recently appeared on Mashable showed that one bad hire costs 41 percent of companies at least $25,000 and 25 percent of companies at least $50,000. In addition to money, a bad hire hurts worker productivity, employee morale and client solutions.

To avoid the headache of hiring a bad employee, hiring managers are being extra cautious when interviewing candidates for a position, which often results in an unnecessarily long interview process.

If you’re one of the 8.2 percent of unemployed Americans, you know it’s imperative to get working quickly. So how do you speed the process along and convince the employer that you’re the right fit? Try the following tips!

Clean Up Your Online Image

A new step in every hiring manager’s candidate search is researching potential hires online. If your social media profiles aren’t overly private, they will find you and make inferences about your professional behavior based on the results. A recent Eurocom Worldwide survey found that one in five technology firms rejected a potential hires based on social media profiles alone.

Don’t lose out on a job because of past Facebook posts. Before sending in your application for a job, do a Google search for your name. If you’re not happy with your results, see if you can make the information private. (Realize it will never be wiped from the Internet entirely.) If you can’t privatize the information, supplement it with positive material and address it head-on in your communication with the hiring manager. Your transparency will display growth and a willingness to admit mistakes.

Research The Company

This definitely should seem like a given, but failing to research a company before an interview means you’ll be ill prepared to answer questions like,“Which of our values do you most agree with?” and “Why do you want to work here?” The hiring manager may have found you interesting enough to bring in for an interview, but he won’t be impressed that he knows more about you than you do about his company.

Before interviewing, always research the company’s website and social media profiles. Also, don’t be afraid to contact the hiring manager for more specifics about the position. Referencing company and job specifics will give you a leg-up on the competition.

Answer From Your Audience’s Perspective

Many job seekers make the mistake of interviewing for a position based on their needs. They’ll answer every question beginning with “I” as in, “I’m the right fit for this job,” or “I’d be a great addition to this team.” While the interview involves you, it’s ultimately about finding the right person for the company’s position.

Successful interviewees always answer questions from the perspective of their audience (i.e. the employer). What are they looking for and what do they need? Answers that begin with the company first are always a good option. For example, if asked why you’re a good fit for the job, you can begin your answer with “In this position you need someone that can do X, Y and Z to be successful. I have experience in X…”

Remember Follow-Up Protocol

The hiring manager expects you to have questions at the end of the interview. And they’d better be something other than, “How much money am I going to make?” (See other questions you should never ask here.) Use this opportunity to highlight the research you did into the company. Ask about things that are important to you like company culture or recent events they may have been in the news for, ask what goals the company has for the immediate future and how this position will contribute, and if you did your research on your interviewer ask about their career growth and how they’ve grown with the company.

Once the interview is over, following up is essential. A hiring manager took an hour of his time from a beyond busy day to meet with you, and likely many other candidates. Use this opportunity to send thanks for his time and remind him of your interview. While sending a physical thank you note is always best (remember snail mail?), email thank you notes work, too. A good rule of thumb is send the email immediately, since the physical note will be a good reminder of your interview a few days after all is said and done. And remember, if you interviewed with more than one person, you need to send individual notes to each person you interviewed with.

What tips did you use to land you the job offer? Share them in the comment section!