By Bill Meyer
The number of candidates who disqualify themselves during an interview is amazing. In the twenty five plus years that I have been helping people to find satisfying career positions, the one concern that I have heard repeatedly voiced is, “I get the interviews, but I’m not generating offers. What am I doing wrong?”
The most important strategy for interviewees to remember is that nothing should be taken for granted or assumed. Every interview demands thorough preparation. “Winging it” simply does not work. Therefore, to enhance your chances of landing the position that you want, it is essential that you remember to avoid a few critical, yet common mistakes.
1. Arrive Prepared and Show Enthusiasm
Learn as much as you can about the company’s history, products, markets, competitors, culture, and challenges. Check out the company’s Web Page or research the organization through reference materials at the local library. Do not forget to uncover the company’s Mission Statement. This will typically be found in annual reports or marketing literature. At appropriate moments in the interview, inject a piece of information that reflects your preparation. Failure to research the company demonstrates a lack of professionalism and interest.
Enthusiasm is critical in your presentation and it is conveyed by both your verbal and non verbal communications. Maintain an open and receptive posture with your body language and don’t forget to smile.
2. Don’t Assume the Product Sells Itself
The reason that most people are not more successful in obtaining job offers is that they ineffectively sell the product.
Some individuals believe that their employment background is impressive enough to sell itself. Others assume that the interviewer is capable of intuiting what they have to offer. These individuals are forgetting a basic premise. If one is interviewing with a decision-maker, he or she is one of several candidates who possess the technical skills required to do the job. It is rarely the most qualified person that obtains the offer. It is more often the person who markets and sells themself the best.
Never was this more in evidence than with a former client of mine, Steve Briggs. Steve, (not his real name) had been referred to me by a business associate. Steve indicated that he was frustrated with his job search because he was not receiving offers of employment. Yet, he felt confident that he was technically well qualified for the positions. He claimed that in the past he had always obtained every job for which he had interviewed. Furthermore, he had been in sales for twenty years, so he felt that he knew how to sell himself.
During a mock interview with Steve, it became readily apparent why he was struggling. Steve was not taking an active approach to the selling of his product. This communicated a lack of congruency to the interviewer. Sales expertise needs to be demonstrated, not simply described on a resume. Most interviewers take the attitude, “I’m from Missouri. Show me.”
With this realization, and a minimum amount of coaching, Steve acquired the very next job for which he interviewed.
3. Follow-up Is Essential
Never assume that the sale is complete during the interview. Always send a thank you letter. Your letter provides a vehicle to not only reiterate your interest in the position but also to reinforce how your skills will contribute to the company’s success and profitability.
Strangely enough only a small percentage of job seekers send thank you letters and the majority of these are so poorly written that they are hardly worth the effort. Don’t send form letters. To maximize your effectiveness, you need to personalize each letter and always follow the famous Hallmark slogan “Care enough to send the very best.”