Amy Kniss from Demand Media interviews Deborah Huyer from People Biz, Inc.
1. What are the toughest interview questions, and how can you answer them effectively?
There aren’t any specific tough interview questions (although that’s what you see most often in advice columns) – as the questions change based on the company, the position and the interviewer – you never know what is going to be asked, that’s the tough part. The typical ones are not tough because you know them and have prepared an answer.
In general, the toughest questions are behaviorally based – “tell me about a specific time when…” where the interviewer is looking for specific examples of times when you successfully exhibited a skill or behavior that they are looking for.
How to prepare? Look for behaviors and skills listed in the job description, and especially company values listed on their website, and prepare specific examples of when you have demonstrated these. Interviewers do not like it when you cannot answer their questions with specific examples, so make sure you prepare ahead of time.
2. What are the three biggest mistakes you see on resumes or cover letters?
Most advice columns list such things as spelling, keeping it to two pages, customizing your cover letter, do not include a career objective (most recruiters don’t care), but put a summary at the top. None of this matter unless you can get your resume through the applicant tracking system, and then the recruiter.
Most resumes go into an automated tracking system that matches resumes with key words in the job description. To get your resume through, you have to identify what those key words are and then make sure they are in your resume in some form – you can even list these key words as competencies at the end of your resume – to make sure they get picked up and your resume gets through! Nothing else will happen unless this first step occurs – the resume will go into resume database limbo with hundreds of others.
3. What are the worst mistakes a candidate can make when interviewing?
Recruiter and hiring managers are looking for reasons to hire you. If you’ve gotten to the interview stage, you probably meet their minimum requirements – so don’t give them a reason not to hire you. What do I mean? Answer the questions they ask you and do not volunteer opinions, ideas or information that they are not asking. Most employees talk themselves out of a position by offering too much information about themselves. It is yours to lose at this point – don’t talk yourself out of it.
4. What can a qualified candidate do to stand out and land the job?
Know your unique value proposition and how it relates to what they are looking for. There are hundreds of professionals out there with the same experience as you, who are loyal, committed, hardworking, strategic, blah blah blah…. you get the idea. To stand out (which you have to do) you need to understand your uniqueness and how it translates to what they are looking for and then be able to articulate it. Being “vanilla” and all things to all employers to get the job – won’t get you the job. Be yourself, know who that is – if you don’t – get help! A career coach can help you in this area and could mean the difference between getting a great job – or not.
5. What advice do you have for job seekers in an employer’s market?
Know who you are, if you don’t – how can they? At the end of the day if it comes down to two qualified candidates, one who has all of the requirements and one who makes a connection, is authentic and genuine, and knows who they are and what they want – well who would you hire?