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Glassdoor, on average, every corporate job opening attracts 250 resumes, but only 4 to 6 of these people will be called for an interview, and only 1 of those will be Getting Hired for the job! An employer today looks at an applicant with an eye of an art buyer and wouldn’t want anything less than a masterpiece for their company. There’s always that extra edge that most employers seek in their prospective team members.
To put it simply, getting hired has become an art, and a resume can no longer be your saviour. Given the changing dynamics, one needs to pump up a bit more to be able to excite their prospective employers. Let’s explore a few tactics that can change the way you approach an interview. These small changes will not only enrich you as an individual, it will also help you to emerge as the winner of this rat race.
This will increase your chances of getting hired!
Before Approaching The Company
There are a few key things that need to be in place before you approach an employer.
- Get to know the company– One of the most common question that surfaces during an interview is ‘Why this company?’ and quite often a job seeker rests his/her case by giving generic or unprepared answers. Frankly, this doesn’t excite an employer much.
Through this question, an employer is judging the depth of your knowledge about their company or the startup. Two quick ways of doing this by setting google alerts, following company contacts on Twitter and reviewing questions on Quora. Either way you will be on top of your game while answering this proverbial question. This will increase your chances of getting hired! - Update social profiles– Most recruiters today check the social profiles of an individual, just to ascertain that they are befitting of the role. This is their way of prepping before the interview. It is, therefore, crucial to update ‘recruiter friendly’ platforms such as LinkedIn. This will increase your chances of getting hired!
Put a professional image, update your achievements, new learnings and job summary. The best tip over here is not to over do it. A great social profile changes the way a recruiter looks at you. This will increase your chances of getting hired!
During An Interview
- Sound passionate about the job- This is another avenue where lacklustre answers won’t do the trick. If you really need the job in question, you need to show passion to your employer, to be able to choose you from a large pool of applicants. Again, it is not something that will come to you instantly. It will come to you only when you are excited about the job. As a job applicant, you need to justify your interest by seamlessly weaving it in your conversation.
- Show Openness To Learn– Whether you are a fresh graduate or a seasoned worker, there’s always a scope to expand your horizon and learn more. An expert HR personnel will always be on a lookout for applicants that would be open to learn and evolve with the company. This is a crucial aspect while considering a role at a startup, considering that one has to wear many hats! This will increase your chances of getting hired!
- Ask Questions– Not asking enough questions indicates two things- either you know too much about the company and the role, OR you don’t know anything. In most cases, it is the latter. When you ask questions to an employer during an interview, it reflects your keenness for the job, and the role, as opposed to others who may not do so. Such candidates understand the value of a dialogue and thus can convince an employer in a better way. This will increase your chances of getting hired!
- Be Everywhere– In today’s time, job vacancy announcements are not just limited to a company’s ‘career section’ on the website. It is, in fact, everywhere from job search websites, to Twitter and other social networks. This means that one needs to be everywhere too! It is also advised to explore other industry relevant platforms and reach out to the employer. Applications coming from such sources are often valued more than others. This will increase your chances of getting hired!
- Learn To Handle Difficult Questions– Sometimes an employer may ask you difficult questions just to ascertain that you are the right candidate. For example, a startup may offer you the role of an intern as opposed to a meatier role or may want to negotiate salary structures. It is best to balance such scenarios by proving your point subtly to the employer. This way you will be increasing your chances of getting hired.
After The Interview
The process of convincing an employer does not stop at the interview. In fact, there’s always a good chance to move this forward. This is because a good employer will take its time to come to a conclusion and wouldn’t make abrupt decisions. Here’s how you can make an impact after the interview. This will take you one step closer to getting hired.
- Send a personalized e-mail– Most employers exchange business cards during the course of an interview. Use this as an opportunity to re-ignite a conversation. Highlight how this interview was a learning experience and how a spot at the job will help you learn more.
- Reach Out On Twitter-As opposed to Facebook, Twitter is a far better way to contact a user you just met. Drop in a tweet and thanks them for their time.
- Send An InMail– If you aren’t comfortable with the tactics mentioned above, you may want to use the InMail feature on LinkedIn. It is a very professional approach and thus may be appreciated the best. This way you will be increasing your chances
The post-interview follow-up is an excellent way of keeping the employer’s attention alive in your profile. It also displays great communication skills, a prerequisite for most jobs today. For an employer to choose you above others, you need to move from a conventional approach and impress them in a unique manner. The tips as mentioned above will definitely help in convincing them, thereby making you ‘the man for the job’!
This will increase your chances of getting hired!
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