When putting a resume together, seeking a job, interviewing for a position and so on it is important to stand out amongst the rest. Here are 5 things to consider that can help make you that great candidate compared to just the good one:
1.) Attention to detail –If you are going to state you have attention to detail, everything you do from the start of communicating with your potential employer must prove you have attention to detail. Otherwise you are wasting your time. For example, you send a very well-crafted cover letter stating you have an eye for detail but then they forget to attach the resume. It happens to the best of us. Though, this mistake is a huge reflection that you in fact do not have an eye for detail since you missed a very important step. Basically, you can’t say you have an eye for detail and then fail to deliver it.
2.) Proofread – A good employer hiring for a position typically will check your resume and cover letter for typos. For example, you do a sales presentation and have your assistant make the power point slides. During your dry speech, the audience chuckles from time to time. Little did you know the slides had one major misspelling of “public option” where the “l” was missing. Failure to proofread your resume and cover letter is a direct reflection that you are not thorough and you rely on spell check to do your job.
3.) Preparedness – Displaying a lack of preparedness on your part can certainly move you to to the “not selected” category. You should know as much as you can about whom you are interviewing and engage that person on a level that they will enjoy. For example, after your interview you thank Matt for meeting with you. Unfortunately though, Matt is not the interviewers name; it is Mike. Mike brushes it off thinking maybe he misheard you or maybe you had a momentary lapse. Then, at the lobby door, you again thank Matt. After the second time using the wrong name, Mike decides not to hire you. Knowing everything you can about the job, company and interviewer will move you one step closer to getting the job.
4.) Phone and e-mail correspondence – We all have private lives but we also have professional ones too. It is important to ensure you are using a professional email address, ring tone, voicemail message and so on especially when you are in search of a job. For example, a potential employer receives your email with your resume but at first glance, the employer thinks it is spam because the email address is from “hunkaburninlove@yahoo.com.” There are plenty of services out there that offer free email to where you can create your own professional email address. The last thing you want is a potential employer to overlook your email or to hang up once they hear your unprofessional voicemail.
Honesty is overrated – Answering interview questions truthfully is of course the right thing to do. Sometimes though, too truthfully can get you ex’ed from getting a job. For example, you are at an interview and asked, “If you were hired and six months later another opportunity presented itself, would you go on an interview for that opportunity?” Many people say yes to this question but in all actuality, it is best to say no. It helps reflect loyalty to the job. Another example is if you had a gap in employment of 18 months and you in an interview you were asked why. It is best not to give answers like, “I had a nervous breakdown from my previous job,” or “Um, yeah…..I just needed a break from the whole work thing. Wow!” Though you want to always be honest, it is possible to be too honest and it hurt your chances for the job.
