What Do Employers Look For In Employees?
What do employers look for in employees or what do employers really want? A great question that will lead you to interviewing success. To answer these questions lets firstly consider a great interview tip.
One of the best interview tips, is to first put you into your interviewers shoes. It is a massive advantage to be able to see things from their point of view.
The first issue facing the employer is the potential risk. It is common knowledge that most hires are considered unsuccessful by differing degrees. And this is with all the interviewing and assessment work that goes into the modern hiring approach. It is also amazing to consider the monetary value of hiring mistakes, between 10 to 28 times the annual salary; even more for C level mistakes.
Who can blame employers for using every effort to avoid recruitment mistakes.
When considering how to ace your your job interviews, another way to consider the assessment process is as a very serious buying decision. The psychology of how people make such big buying decisions is that evaluate them on two factors, logical criteria and emotional criteria. Some people give more weight to their emotional drivers other people their logical.
For recruiting this{ all boils down to the logical; or do they feel you have the attributes and experience needed to fulfill the role; and the emotional drivers explained as , do they think you will fit in with the culture. This second one I like to call likability.
Demonstrate the logical and likable attributes to the satisfaction of your interviewer and you PASS, or in the case of a final interview you have WON the job offer.
Nearly; Nearly all companies have been caught by the excellent candidate who it later turns out, had rather exaggerated their ability through the assessment process.
PROOF is the magic ingredient that will turn your job interviews into job offers.
What do employers look for in employees? Proof of attributes, achievements, abilities, and experience is what potential employers are really looking for.
Sounds good, but how do I do it?
This article is in danger of getting too long so let me put my foot on the gas. The following list of interview principals is what I consider to be your interviewing Nirvana. Do most of the following and I promise you will receive an offer from nearly every company you target with this approach.
So here goes my interview checklist for success
1. Reflect and research to gain a clear vision of what you are looking for.
2. Understand really what your potential employer requires. Clue; you will have to go much deeper .
3. Research; to gain a crystal clear understanding of your strengths and weakness, as they apply to your TARGET employer.
4. Plan how you will compensate for any gaps or weaknesses you may have.
5. Compile COMPELLING marketing materials (letters, resume or CV, brag book, testimonials, articles, OBJECTIVE Statement, 30 60 90 day plan).
6. Use the STAR method for answering those difficult interview questions heading your way.
7. Carefully plan your own intelligent questions to ask.
8. Learn positive body language (the old adage it is not what you say but how you say it definitely holds true).
9. Do not dismiss the power of NETWORKING. The other old adage It is not what you know but WHO you know is also true.
10. Use a plan or strategy to harness all of the above.
Note. Concealed in the above are 2 of the best interview tips I know, the use of a Brag Book (or, achievements portfolio) is probably the best technique I know for demonstrating PROOF.
And a 30 60 90 day plan is the secret technique that turns the assessment process completely on its head
Best Questions To Ask The Interviewer
Questions to ask the interviewer are almost as important as the ones you answer.
And should be prepared in advance with your STAR stories to serve the following purpose:
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To demonstrate you’ve done extensive research on the company and the role.
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To demonstrate that you’re clear and focused on what YOU WANT.
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And to determine IF there is a good FIT between all parties.
….Best Questions To Ask The Interviewer….
Note: You also need to confirm the interview process for hiring with each role. It’s vital you know where you are in the process and what the next step will be.
If this information has been given to you prior to your interview, by a recruiter or someone other than the interviewer, it’s right to confirm your understanding of the process.
You need to know this because at the end of each interview you should (if still interested in the role) confirm your interest and ask to progress to the next stage or ask for the job if at the final stage.
You must also follow up after interview, by phone, letter or email, or combination of.
You should take your time and prepare a list of questions you would like answered, and should take these with you to the interview.
DO NOT ask about salary and holiday at first interview, or possibly even second interview, that stuff should be covered after you have SOLD yourself thoroughly.
You should prepare questions starting at high level, market wide type questions such as how is the company affected by current economic pressures for example.
Questions about its position in the market.
Strategic level business questions.
….Best Questions To Ask The Interviewer….
Before moving into very ROLE / JOB specific type of questions.
Also don’t loose sight of the fact that your STAR story answers have been designed to demonstrate some of those 8 desirable people types or traits that all companies are looking for.
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The BOSS
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The EXPERT
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The JUGGLER
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The GOOD CITEZEN
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The STAR
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The TEAM PLAYER
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The PROBLEM SOLVER
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The SELF DEVELOPER
Note: For detailed explanation of the 8 most desirable people traits please download our free Interview Guide “Interview Sniper”.
So structure your questions around reinforcing these traits in your interviewers mind.
So to pick a less obvious example, you may want to show a softer side to your personality (a Good Citizen). And therefore may ask what the companies stand point is on mentoring, as you used to do a lot of mentoring in your last company and would very much like to do more.
Or
You may ask about charitable or social projects that the company may support, as you would like the opportunity “give something back”
This approach should give you no end of questions which will serve both purposes of helping your determine if this is the right company for you whilst also cementing YOUR valuable personality traits into the mind of your interviewer.
The next big tip concerns; at what point you ask your questions…
….Best Questions To Ask The Interviewer….
Many interviews run along the lines of the interviewer has first “go” and asks all their questions, which you answer, towards the end of the interview you get your “go” to ask your questions.
Now I’m not suggesting you trample all over conventional interview etiquette, but this can be quite a draining format for interviewers, so why not stand out from the crowd by asking questions from far earlier in the interview.
You can ask permission to ask a question, giving the interviewer the option to hold your questions back if they have to stick to a very structured questioning format.
But my advice is to let the interviewer start proceedings. Answer a few questions to build rapport, and get a feel for the interviewers style.
But once your comfortable follow some of your well answered questions with a question of your own.
If we use an example, Jane; going for a project management role, she may have just answered a question on her team leadership style with her prepared STAR story. But rather than waiting for the next question to be served at her.
Jane asks permission to ask a question. Given permission, Jane goes on to explain that her decision as covered in her previous STAR story answer to pay for additional training for key project team members, rather than take the conventional route of bringing in more expensive external consultants. Was fully her decision because in that role as project manager Jane had both responsibility and authority to make key decisions.
Jane’s question “as a new hire in the company would I be given authority to make key decisions I feel are necessary”?
This is a very important question to Jane, who does not want a role with responsibility but no authority, but is also a question that will highlight Jane’s, self confidence and leadership potential (Boss and Problem Solver personality traits) with the interviewer. And is therefore a very positive question to ask.
It’s a highly relevant question to the role and management style preferable to the company, and will help to subtly change the interview into being more of a shared business discussion around the business needs of the company with somebody who is clearly focused and capable of helping (Jane).
….Best Questions To Ask The Interviewer….
I hope the above example demonstrates the power of following up a good STAR story answer, with an immediate relevant question that both cements the benefits raised in your answer and demonstrates your focus and attention to solving the needs of the role.
This is a super powerful tactic.
Though be careful not to overdo it, by following up all your answers with further questions.
Also consider the use of a 30 60 90 day plan in your OFFER WINNING strategy – this is the Ultimate Job Interview Tip…
To learn more on how to ace the job interview and build a strategy that wins you offers download our FREE e Guide Interview Sniper
Return from Best Questions To Ask the Interviewer to interviewing answers
Review of Wow You’re Hired A 30 60 90 Day Plan
Review of Wow You’re Hired
A 30 60 90 Day Plan
The Job Interview Busting Tool
What is Wow You’re Hired?
Well before answering this I’m going to paraphrase (copy!) Jimmy Sweeney the author of Wow You’re Hired. Jimmy says before you enter the arena for your next job interview you MUST ask yourself the most important question of all:
“Why in the world should this company hire ME over all the other applicants?”
- Because I have a better resume?
- Because I dress in style and smell good?
- Because I show up on time?
- Because I answer questions so brilliantly?
- Because I make good eye contact?
- Because I shake hands firmly without sweaty palms?
- Because I got a terrific new haircut?
- Because I took a course on how to “ace” the job interview?
The plain fact is; if your interviewing for a good company and interesting role, there are likely to be any number of well qualified and perfectly capable people interviewing with you.
How do you stand out from this crowd?
Wow You’re Hired WILL make you stand out from the crowd
Wow You’re Hired is a system that builds your job offer generating 30 60 90 day plan.
For those new to the idea of using a 30 60 90 day plan I’ll briefly explain more…
If you’ve read any of my previous articles on using the latest marketing tools and techniques to empower your interviewing skills, you’ll know I a firm believer in making the very most of your abilities through savvy self marketing.
And am a massive fan of developing a killer “objective statement” or “irresistible offer” for your interviewer, weaving this irresistible offer throughout, your resume / CV, your planned and well prepared STAR story answers to tough questions, and nailing home your advantage with the use of a Brag book to provide unquestionable PROOF of your skills and achievements.
These tactics will never let you down…
And I’m not suggesting you ignore them, I’m simply stating that the use of a 30 60 90 day plan has the power to derail the whole interview process, hurtling the user of the 30 60 90 day plan to the top of any previous selection process.
This power comes from the fact that it redirects the interview dialogue from being an assessment of your suitability to a discussion of “how much” your ideas and actions will benefit the company.
This may not sound much, but this is a huge psychological shift in your interviewer’s mindset, this is the mindset that ALL your interviewing efforts are trying to create.
Let’s put this another way; as soon as your interviewer decides to review your 30 60 90 day plan, they HAVE to imagine you in the role, in order to evaluate the idea(s) you’ve put forward.
How many products have you actually imagined using?
And how many of those products do you now own?
It’s human psychology; it’s what all marketers strive for; if they can help you to imagine using their product their chances of selling you the product go through the roof!
And that’s exactly what you’re doing by using a 30 60 90 day plan. You’re taking your chance of being hired through the roof!
So What Is Wow Your Hired?
Wow you’re hired has been created by Jimmy Sweeney, an expert copywriter who turned his marketing superpowers to helping job seekers over 10 years ago, and is now chairman of Career Jimmy with a range of award winning cover letter and resume generating products (Amazing Cover Letter Creator is probably the best known).
Put simply “Wow You’re Hired” is a system to build 30 60 90 day plans for you, by answering key questions into the template, until you complete your plan. Simple!
The system includes example 30 60 90 day plans, and a great audio interview with a chap named Jake who in many ways in the inspiration behind this idea.
I’ve listened to Jimmy’s interview with Jake a few times, as it’s packed with great tips, and is a good story in itself. Jake basically losing out on a role with a former employer and boss, to a chap who came in at the last minute and used this secret tactic (30 60 90 day plan) to blow Jake’s bosses socks off, and secure the offer.
Jake’s old boss told him later what happened, and the tactic this guy had used, and Jake decided to use it himself.
Jimmy found out about the secret tactic, when Jake emailed him to ask for a refund on Jimmy’s Cover Letter product which he no longer needed as he’d just used this “secret” tactic to get his dream job.
I’ve added copy of the email below.
So should you buy Wow You’re Hired?
Well that’s your decision; but you should use a 30 60 90 day plan as this is the single best job offer winning tactic I can give you.
If you want to check out Jimmy’s Wow You’re Hired; 30 60 90 day plan generator follow this link.
This will take you to Jimmy’s job interview secret website which is the home of Wow You’re Hired, I must however apologies as the sales information refers to this super secret job interview tactic, which I’ve well and truly let out of the bag – sorry!
In summary I think the 30 60 90 day plan for turning interviews into job offers is like all great ideas, priceless, but beautifully simple. I hope it helps you gain your dream job, whether you enlist the help of Jimmy or not.
Thanks for visiting and good luck!
P.S. If you do decide to try Wow Your Hired remember you’ve got a full 60 days to try it out.
Interview Brag Book
Why Use A Job Interview
Brag Book?
Use a job interview brag book because, what your interviewer wants MORE than anything else is PROOF.
A hiring decision is a buying decision.
Buying decisions are driven by human need for logical proof and emotional fulfillment.
In recruiting this boils down to can you, or could you do the job ?
and will you fit in with other staff, clients ect… likability.
When you consider that according to Dr Bradford Smart author of the excellent corporate recruitment methodology "Topgrading", the cost of getting a hiring decision wrong is at least 10 times the first year salary and 28 times at ‘C’ level.
It’s no wonder employers are cautious about making hiring decisions.
And though there is over 200 years of research into how to assess if someone will work out in a role, the job interview process is STILL far from accurate.
So image your having a great interview, your well prepared, looking good, feeling confident, you’re answering questions well…
But am I too smooth, too slick, answering the questions too easily, does the interviewer believe me, or do they think I’m just one of those people who excell at interview, but offer no real substance…
Bring on the Job Interview Brag Book… documented, verifyable, PROOF!
Enjoy seeing the little turning in the corners of the interviewers mouth, the subtle change in the interview conversation. This is what the interviewer wants more than ANYTHING!
A good candidate who can PROVE their achievements!
So what is a job interview brag book, and how do I get one?
Consisting of a smart business like (not covered in cartoon pictures, or loud colours) ring binder, containing those transparent plastic A4 document holders, that you exchange content for and tailor to each targeted interview.
The content you include will be confirmation of achievements, PROOF documentation, that you can use during your interview.
Note: Some interviewers following a strict structured interview format, may not be allowed to deviate from the questioning sequence, and therefore not allow you to use your brag book, or only at the end of the questioning sequence. For these interviews either use it at the end if invited, or create a duplicate (don’t leave your original documents) summarised version that you can leave with them.
Content to be included in your job interview brag book:
Educational certificates
Sales or other business awards.
Client or Colleague letters of recommendation / testimonials
Relevant subject matter published material articles, or books.
Email testimonials (often easier to ask for and collect from people than letters)
Out of work achievements maybe sporting or charitable that you feel support one of your key marketing messages.
It’s also a useful interview prop to buy you time if you’ve been asked a real tough question that knocks you off balance.
To learn more on how to ace the job interview and build a strategy that wins you offers download our FREE e Guide Interview Sniper
