Job interviews make you think on your feet. Your resume provides talking points for the interview, and everything on it is fair game. You have to be 100 percent comfortable with all the information on your resume and be ready to answer any questions an interviewer can dream up. Just because you have a great downloadable resume with the right keywords and a crisp hard copy as well, you still aren’t ready.
Many job seekers make the mistake of spending money on a professional resume that fits the personality of the writer instead of themselves. It is easy for an HR manager to spot a resume that reads like a college textbook and an applicant just out of high school.
If you’ve been on a number of interviews with no job offer, it’s time to step back and examine your interview skills. As a business advisor for one of Savannah’s high schools, I spoke to two groups of students for their career day last week about how communications skills can affect a job interview. We did some mock interviews, and afterwards gave feedback on what I call the three C’s for a killer interview:
1. Confidence. Confidence starts with an authentic resume, specific examples to explain each point, and solid accomplishment statements to highlight your unique value. It shows in your handshake, eye contact, posture and facial expressions. You can appear desperate if you consider every job interview as your last chance at a job. In reality, you may have to go on many interviews to finally beat out the competition. Focus on the company, the interviewer and matching your skills and experience to the job requirements.
2. Clarity. Confidence comes through in your voice tone. Speak up! A soft, hesitant tone of voice exposes a nervous, hesitant and unsure applicant. Pronunciation is important. Research a company’s website for people’s names, locations, product names or any other unique words that could come up in the interview. Learn the correct pronunciation. You will make a big hit with a foreign company if you pronounce their new product line in perfect German or Swedish.
3. Content. Your last job may have been “great,” and best project “awesome,” but you really haven’t told the interviewer anything. Storytelling is one of the most effective techniques for presenters and speakers. They paint pictures and draw the listener in. You should have a specific incident, story or example for every bullet point on your resume. Behavioral interviewing asks for specific examples. It also helps an interviewer understand your skill levels.
Consider the three C’s for your next interview. Practice answering questions based on your resume with a friend. Ask for and be open to feedback. Keep improving your technique and stay positive.
Mary Nestor-Harper, SPHR, is a consultant, blogger, motivational speaker and freelance writer for communicationsjobs.net. Based in Savannah, GA, her work has appeared in Training magazine, Training & Development magazine, Supervision, BiS Magazine and The Savannah Morning News. When she’s not writing, she enjoys singing with the Savannah Philharmonic Chorus and helping clients reinvent their careers for today’s job market. You can read more of her blogs at communicationsjobsblog.com and view additional job postings on Nexxt.
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