Top managers must understand that no matter how good they consider themselves, even the best candidates must take on new or enhanced sets of skills. As an interviewee, you must acquire those interviewing communication skills that will set you apart and create a comfort zone of confidence that you are the right person for the job. The interviewer can only see what the candidate reveals. That means you have to respond to what they want to see. If you position yourself as someone who has a record of accomplishment in the specific areas sought, as well qualified with the human characteristics they value, you become a very viable candidate.
Since a candidate gets only one chance to make a good first impression, careful preparation must precede every interview. Preparation generally means five golden rules:
1. Know the company with which you are interviewing
2. Know the job requirements
3. Know how your skills, experience and accomplishments fit the job requirements
4. Know why you are uniquely qualified to fill the position
5. Know why this firm has unique qualities, values or culture that make it a particularly good fit for you
Many C-level managers have superb track records, yet find the interview especially challenging. Part of this is definitely that there are fewer opportunities. What they sometimes miss is the fact that the past is prologue, the door opener, but not the closer.
Assuming you have all the necessary technical and experience qualifications, there still remains the personal impression that is formed in the interviewers mind based on the interview. Remember, at a senior level strategic concerns are paramount. This implies a longer term commitment by the company along with need to dive in and solve a problem at a high level. If there is doubt, chances diminish dramatically. Therefore, answers must be clear, crisp and as substantive and confident as possible.
But what else should you do?
Review your resume, again. Showcase every example of flexibility and your ability to change direction. Carry that into the interview. Because of the pressures of the times, companies must be enormously flexible in responding to changes in their business, the economy, changing tastes, new technology and a host of other factors. As a result, employees must be willing and able to change direction to meet overall organization needs. It would not be an exaggeration to say that many employers are obsessed about not hiring rigid people.
But while showing flexibility is important, stick to one clear set of objectives when discussing opportunities with recruiters and hiring managers. Recruiters notice when candidates make radical changes in their job objectives. Remember, if you have done your homework and prepared properly, your resume or a short phone interview has convinced someone to take a second look. Understand that what you presented got their interest, so stay with it. The fact is radical changes from one interview to another has to be explained convincingly to the screener. There is little patience for candidates that do not know what they want to do.
When responding to a posting, make sure the cover letter responds to and corresponds with the specifics of that posting. Do not make the screener wonder why you are sending in your material. One approach is to actually list the key job requirements and respond 1 by 1 to each item. That builds confidence that you may actually be qualified for the position.
Make sure your time between jobs is filled with useful activities, such as consulting, part-time work or even volunteering. There is no question that there is a "stigma" attached to lengthy unemployment. But if that time has been filled with useful activities while doing the job search, especially activities that made some money, you have gone a long way in removing that stigma. Hiring managers take a dim view of candidates who take a long vacation between full-time jobs.
Prepare your introductory story carefully. Hiring managers like to hear about past career choices and how those past experiences contributed to the choices candidates are now making. Have a solid explanation for why you picked a particular company or position. Never say "they made me an offer".
You've heard this before, but it bears repeating. Do not complain at the interview. Interviewers do not want to hear criticism of prior managers and stories about mistreatment by former companies. The prevailing view is people who dwell on mistreatment or attribute errant bosses to lack of success have trouble letting go. Not letting go is a fresh reminder of rigidity and inflexibility, a major turn off.
Interviewers understand the pressures that executives and senior managers face these days, and are sympathetic. It is no secret that turnover at the senior level can be quite high. Nevertheless they have a job to do. So much depends on the so-called "soft factors" to complement the specific experience and accomplishment and it is these soft factors that can be the deal breaker. Make sure that the way you present yourself is as strong as your resume.
BR,
Harikrishna Talent Circle HR Services 9274541254
No comments:
Post a Comment