Tips for Job Interview Success - The Real Source of Job Hires

In February of 2010, CareerXRoads released their 9th annual Source of Hire study. There are some interesting findings from the study that you should be aware of. These findings may give you some new ideas on how to spend your time hunting for opportunities.

Two major findings of the study are:

1. The biggest source of external hires at 26.7% was referrals.
2. Job boards contribute just 13.2% of external hires, and this number has been flat for years.

I find that too many people spend the bulk of their job searching efforts submitting resumes to postings on the major job boards. But, the study indicates that companies are trying to reduce their search expenditures in this area. Are you spending the bulk of your time on a search technique that is only responsible for filling 1.3 out of every 10 jobs?

A majority of candidates spend no time trying to increase their networking abilities. Perhaps they should given that over 1 out of 4 external hires comes from a referral.

To find out more findings visit How to Prepare for an Interview.

Tips for Job Interview Success - Make Your Success Stories Come Alive!

As we approach the summer 2010 the job market is still very tight. In periods such as this, the employers have the advantage as there are more individuals seeking employment than there are jobs available. With more candidates competing for fewer positions, it takes more interviews to get an offer than it does in a normal job market. So the challenge is to learn how to set yourself apart from the competition. It is important to remember that the most qualified person does not necessarily get the job. It is the person who best convinces the hiring manager of their capabilities to produce for the organization. Learning how to prepare for an interview is a critical skill in today's job market.

One way to set yourself apart from the competition is to create and relate success stories in an impactful manner. The key is that your story must evoke a positive response in the hiring manager. A success story told without enthusiasm, using passive words will not make an impact. Inject energy into your voice as you talk your successes using action oriented words.

Some examples:

    Passive - My responsibilities include customer interaction.
    Active - I re-energized communication between our company and the customers.

    Passive - I received the salesperson of the month award.
    Active - My superior sales performance earned me the salesperson of the month award.

    Passive - I am the accounting.
    Active - As the manager, I direct the activities of the accounting department.

These action oriented sentences will spark the interest of the interviewer. You would further explain, again using words of action, how you re-energized communication, earned the salesperson of the month award, and directed accounting department activities. This approach ties your actions to the accomplishment, further building your credentials in the eye of the hiring manager. To get you started, here is a small list of action oriented words:

    Solve(d)
    Create(d)
    Design(ed)
    Manage(d)
    Close(d)
    Author(ed)
    Organize(d)
    Increase(d)

Brainstorm some of your own action words. You will be surprised how they make your success stories come alive. The interviewer will perceive you as an employee who gets the job done. Most candidates talk in generalities about their previous job responsibilities and skills. You can set yourself apart by relating the specific results that you have achieved. If you do this effectively your job offers will come more frequently.