By Susan Adams, Forbes Staff
Do not curb your enthusiasm. Win Sheffield, 59, a coach for the last
10 years with the career counseling firm The Five O’Clock Club, says a
lot of job seekers forget that one of the most crucial parts of
interviewing is convincing the hiring manager that you truly desire the
job. Interviewers don’t just look for applicants who have the requisite
skills and will fit in with a company. Now more than ever, they want
candidates who want them.
Sheffield is absolutely right, says Cynthia Bragdon, owner of Urban
Indigo, a gift store in Oakland, Calif. “I don’t know why some
candidates miss this,” she adds. “Maybe because they think it seems
desperate.” She says the most eager applicants quickly make her A list.
“If they seem aloof, I get very worried, because any job requires a full
commitment,” she explains. “And if they are aloof in an interview, they
will probably be aloof to my customers, which is a very bad thing.”
You can convey your enthusiasm in many ways, coaches say. Sheffield
suggests that you prepare an arsenal of stories illustrating your
skills, strengths and accomplishments. Rather than bragging in a general
way about your abilities, describe specific experiences that show you
putting those skills to use. You can speak animatedly about the pleasure
and pride you took in overcoming obstacles. One advantage of
storytelling over plain boasting, Sheffield says: “It’s the interviewer
who draws the conclusion.”
In addition to offering stories that illustrate your strengths, use a
direct approach and tell the interviewer how thrilled you’d be to work
for her and for her organization in particular. Describe other offers or
discussions you’ve got going, and let the interviewer know she is your
first choice
.
Most applicants understand that they should do their homework,
learning as much as they can about a company and a job, before going in
for an interview. But Bragdon says candidates who haven’t done basic
research still show up. “If they ask me what the store hours are in the
interview, that shows me they don’t give a rip about getting the job,”
she says. “Or they’re just plain stupid–and intelligence is a big, big
factor for me.”
Ahead of time, take a notebook, jot down a few points to help you
remember your best stories and note three questions to ask about the
specific job and the company. Then, when the interview starts, ask
permission to take notes. Use your notebook as a cheat sheet.
Before the interview winds up, ask where you stand compared with the
ideal candidate. Then ask how you compare with other applicants. These
questions emphasize how much you want the job and help you take action
after the interview.
Write a follow-up note that addresses any ways you were told you
might not fit the ideal mold. Robert Hellmann, 51, like Sheffield a
coach with The Five O’Clock Club, says a client of his turned a no into a
yes through diligent, enthusiastic follow-up. In the interview, the
hiring manager confessed concern about the candidate’s lack of an
analytic background.
The interviewee wrote a follow-up e-mail that
described her relevant experience and offered to analyze some sales
data. The hiring manager sent her a terse note with some data attached.
She analyzed the data and followed up with a phone call requesting
another meeting. She got the job, Hellmann says. “In the interview,” he
adds, “sometimes the most important thing you can do is get the
information you need to sell yourself.”
Read the full article, and find more tips from Forbes online.
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