Essay Guideline

What are good questions to ask during an interview is a good question in itself, and one that always comes up when a conscientious person is preparing for a big job interview. The fact that a person even wonders that sets them apart from the crowd of applicants and means that he or she is a proactive individual, intent on making a good impression and proper presentation of skills and experience.

The best question to ask, according to many human resource management professionals, is “what can I do to benefit the company?” This question shows a good, positive attitude and will lead the HR manager to think of you as a go getter and team player and the type of individual the company needs.

The worst question to ask would be anything that makes you, as an applicant, appear to be selfish or self centered. A bad interview question would be a question related to vacation, pay or raises too early in the interview. It is best to first establish that there could be a good ongoing professional relationship between you as an employee and the company as an employer before getting into the details. Of course vacation, raises and starting pay are important to you, and the answers will come in good time, but it is best to show the interviewer that you will be a team player who thinks of the good of the company and the team.

When interviewing remember that the HR manager or other decision maker you are interviewing with has been through the process dozens of times, if not hundreds. The decision maker may be a little bored, and is looking for a way to liven up the conversation and get some information on your personality. In that case a good question to ask the decision maker would be anything that relieves their boredom and allows them to talk. It is an accepted fact of making friends and influencing people that people love to talk, love the sound of their own voice, and love to hear their own name. The sweetest sound anyone can ever hear is the sound of his or her own name, so be sure to call the interviewer by name. That is just basic human nature. With that in mind, pay attention to the office surroundings. Does the decision maker have a hobby, like golf or fishing? Does the decision maker have sports trophies on display or a family photograph? If so, ask anything related to what is important to the decision maker.

Disguised as small talk, this is a strategic question that will bond you with the decision maker interviewer. If you allow the interviewer to talk about something he or she cares about, they will have positive feeling about you and about the interview. Give it a try, it could be the best question that you’ve ever asked a potential employer, and may lead to a great job.

Are you guilty of sabotaging your own job search along with the
opportunity to earn more money? Heather Eagar, a former professional resume writer and creator of ResumeLines.com, provides reviews of the top resume writing services that put you in charge of your career so you can get the job you deserve. Sign-up for your free Job Search Tips E-Course.

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Employers have fears, uncertainty and DOUBT (the FUD factor) over your ability to actually do what you claim you can do in your resume and cover letter.

Combine this with the fact that EVERY candidate looks good on paper, no-one leaves their previous job because they were paid too much, the work was too interesting and all the people were fantastic, and you can see the challenge you’re facing. (I’m yet to see a resume or cover letter that says the candidate is just average…)
Specifically, here’s what they fear about YOU:

They fear:

* Your resume is too good to be true and you won’t be able to do the job.
* You won’t stick around.
* You don’t play well with others.

So with all that in mind, over the next week or so we thought we’d share some thoughts, ideas and tips that help remove some of the FUD factor surrounding YOU (and our business too).

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How to make an employer WANT to read your application

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Employers don’t really care about YOU, they only care about what you can do for THEM.

I’ve lost count of the cases I’ve seen where applicants with the best education, training or experience lose the job to someone with less education, skills and experience. The reason for this is that the applicant with the better skills or experience simply didn’t sell themselves to the employer as well as the less skilled applicant. This leads us to a really important question: how do you know if your application is selling you as well as it could be?

Well for starters, cover letters are valuable in helping sell you to an employer because they’re like mini-ads for your resume. Interest them with a brief summary, and you’ll get your resume read and not thrown into the trash.

Secondly, you need to make sure that your cover letter doesn’t say the same things as everyone else’s! The problem is that we all learned to write our job applications the same way. Following the rules you were taught is the best way to ensure that not only will you not get noticed, but you’ll stay unemployed for a long time.

Almost every application uses phrases like: “here is my resume for your position“, “I have been seeking an opportunity such as this”, “I can contribute to your company.”

It’s the same as a business saying they have good quality and after-sales service. Every business says it, and these days it’s just not a good enough reason to want to do business with them. Apply this logic to your application letter. If it only talks about YOU, how good YOU are and how many years experience YOU’VE had, then you’re missing the point!

The real purpose of your application should be to show the employer how your skills and experiences will benefit THEM. If your application doesn’t do this, you’re making it too hard for them to give you the job.

Here’s an actual before and after example from my files:

“Senior NT and UNIX Systems Administrator position utilizing web development, network support and multimedia experience.”

Notice how it says nothing of the company being applied to or what the applicant is intending to do for THEM. Off the top of my head, I suggested to the applicant that they could turn it around quite easily like this:

“To break all records for network stability in your company, thereby creating a productive and skilled workforce that can generate even MORE customers, support them better and make more money for you.”

It’s just a very quick example of turning your skills into results that an employer would be interested in. This may look relatively simple, but it can be tricky to get right. But I assure you, once you master the trick of powerfully restating your skills and experience in a way that will mean something to an employer, then you’ll never be out of work again!
The one simple mistake you may be making which immediately kills your chances

Here’s the one thing that immediately stops most people from getting the jobs they’re applying for: they keep sending the SAME application letter (that doesn’t produce results) to every job they apply for.

You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to understand that if you keep doing something that doesn’t work while expecting a different result you really must be a masochist! The problem with sending the same “loser” application to employers is that it raises doubts about your employability. This example below will show you what I mean.

Let me introduce David the Masochist… David has been applying for positions with us for over a year. He was also applying to other companies using the same cover letter. How do we know this?

1. He never used our name in his application letter, and
2. We asked him.

Also - because he keeps applying to us we can assume he hasn’t been offered a job from anyone else. This also raises serious doubts in our mind as to David’s employability. If he was any good he should have a job by now.

Can you relate to David’s situation? If so, then let me show you the simple strategy that turned David’s life around. I rang him and asked him why he kept sending the same unsuccessful application to us and everyone else when it obviously wasn’t doing the job. He was dumbfounded. It never occurred to him that his APPLICATION was a failure. He was taking it personally - he thought HE was a failure.

He had been on unemployment for a whole year simply because his application letter and resume wasn’t performing. I suggested he try a new application to see whether I was right. He invested in a new resume and cover letter from us, and the result: he had three interviews within the first week of trying the new approach.

In summary: If you are sending the same sort of application letter to each job and you’re not getting interviewed then CHANGE YOUR APPLICATION!!!

It’s not YOU that an employer rejects, it’s simply your application that’s being rejected. You know you can do the job, you wouldn’t be applying if you couldn’t do it. So don’t take this rejection personally.

We see hundreds of applications and resumes each week and I can tell you now, more than 90% of them are letting the applicant down. Most of those that make it to interview will make the same simple yet easily avoidable mistakes and miss out on a job that should be theirs.

Hi - I’m a marketing junkie who gets off on helping job seekers find their talent at my site http://www.job-secrets-revealed.com. I’m also a paraglider pilot to which people suggest I have a death wish but to me it’s more of a life wish.

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The best use of an interviewer’s time is spent prior to meeting the applicant. A quality prescreen of each candidate does two things: It saves the interviewer time by identifying undesirable candidates up front and allows the interviewer to prepare more fully and tailor the interview to each candidate. A quality prescreen should include a thorough review of all materials furnished by the applicant with a focus on consistency and truth in the details. The interviewer should attempt to gain some insight into each candidate prior to the interview.

Never write on original copies of pre-employment documentation!

Instead, use worksheets or make two copies of the documents. Use one copy to take notes on during the review and the other in case of an interview.

Never begin a pre-employment investigation before having a signed application and information release.

A powerful tactic in prescreening applicants with resumes is to first accept a candidate’s resume, then let them complete the application. Most applicants who are intent on fudging periods of employment have a very difficult time keeping their dates straight. If you have the opportunity to observe the candidate while they fill out an application, check to see if they refer to another copy of the resume or to another piece of paper. Oftentimes, applicants refer to “cheat sheets” in order to keep periods of employment consistent between resumes and employment applications.

EVALUATING THE RESUME

The simple truth regarding resumes is that they are sales tools used by applicants; advertising aimed at winning an audience with the interviewer, appropriately- “buyer beware.” An applicant will never understate job descriptions, responsibilities, accomplishments or salary. The strategy in evaluating resumes involves separating “fluff” from “super-fluff.”

“In writing biography, fact and fiction shouldn’t be mixed. And if they are, the fiction parts should be printed in red ink, the fact parts in black ink.” -Catherine Drinker Bowen

It may be helpful to consider the following:

Does the resume appear to have been written specifically for the position or does it appear to be a boilerplate document? A resume that is addressed to a specific individual and shows that the candidate has done some of his or her own homework indicates interest in the position.

A poorly written or disorganized resume may be indicative of the candidate’s work ethic. Resumes that omit dates of employment may be attempting to cover up large gaps in employment or a change in careers. Is there a pattern of consistent growth and progressive job responsibilities?

Resumes that contain too much information not related to the desired position (listing too much information about hobbies and interests) may be an attempt to draw attention away from where the essential information is lacking. Look for qualities that may indicate that the applicant is “bottom-line oriented” (all businesses are in it for the money) and concerned with growth potential within the company.

Never make a job offer based on a resume. Instead, compare it to an application and use it to develop areas for further questioning and discussion with the applicant during an interview.

REVIEWING THE EMPLOYMENT APPLICATION

Most studies indicate that more than 1 in 3 applications contain inaccuracies. Consequently, while reviewing any application you are looking for completeness, accuracy, and consistency.

First, look over the entire application and ensure that it is filled out (in ink) in its entirety, signed, dated, and legible (would a jury or hearing officer be able to read it?). Do not consider the application if it is not in order. If necessary, call the candidate back and have it completed it to your satisfaction.

Make notes on a copy of the application, highlighting the following areas (this will make it easier to quickly find important information later):

Social Security Number

Name and Address

Previous addresses that are not within the local area

Convictions, if any

Education institutions beyond high school

Supervisor’s name, phone number, dates and wage of prior employment

Reasons for leaving prior employers

Relatives and personal references that live outside of the local area

Consider the following “red flags” that will need further explanation by the candidate:

Any blanks

Unexplained gaps in time between previous employers

Other irregularities with dates

Previous supervisors with the same last name as listed relatives or other personal references

When the reason for leaving doesn’t relate to the next job (i.e. “left for better wages or benefits”) or if the next job doesn’t support the assertion

Periods where salaries or promotions increase sharply or decrease

Skills that are included when there are no obvious reasons in prior employment or education to support learning the skill

Any periods of self-employment

Instability in job history “job hopping”

Any other inconsistencies

L. Scott Harrell is the author of Truth or Consequences: Hiring for Integrity, a manual which completely and accurately describes proven pre-employment hiring strategies and interviewing skills developed from 14 years of experience as a private investigator and principal of CompassPoint Investigations.

More information regarding Hiring for Integrity and other effective hiring practices can be found via his website: http://www.HiringProfessionals.com

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