What prevents you from getting a face-to-face interview with the hiring manager? It could be the simplest of reasons… your profile from a Google search or a LinkedIn site that kills your chances. Only about 20% of hiring employers DON’T use Google or LinkedIn to get a preview of applicants. If your profile is poorly done, your chance of getting an interview is “dead on arrival”.
Look at it from the company’s view. Hiring the wrong candidate is very expensive. It takes 6 months to figure out they made a mistake, another 6 months to find the right one, then another 6 months to hire and train the new professional. As a result, hiring agents will research and screen potential candidates extensively.
The expense of a face-to-face interview per candiate can cost upward of $5,000 or more. With an accepted offer, the expense of moving a new employee and their family is a minimum of $50,000. All that is lost with the hiring of the wrong professional.
The hiring organization uses all the resources at their disposal to knockout most applicants and screen-in only the most viable applicants. What can you do to be one of the top 10? Design your strategy so you’re seen as a high quality, value-added candidate. Since you control the information in the public domain, you can tilt the information in a positive way. Here are some steps as to the “how”:
- Be sure you are visible and credible in the public domain (LinkedIn, Google, etc…). Don’t be invisible as it raises a red flag.
- Make sure the information is powerful and consistent with your resume
- Research the organization. Know as much about them as they know about you: History, competitors, issues, and direction
- Research the names of the key players within the company and your function. Google and LinkedIn them: Where they’ve been, what they’ve done and what they’ve achieved. Anything in common with them that will help your cause?
- Match the requirements on your resume with the requirements of the open position. What do they need?
- Identify people you know within the same industry. Any connections to the company? If so, make it obvious in your profile or resume. If you can’t see the connections neither will they.
You need two things to elevate your visibility. First, make sure your public persona is well crafted in your favor. Second, connect with someone you know in the industry to give a good word about you. Make sure you’re qualified, have a compelling resume and have great interview skills.
Even if all of these steps are in place, if you’re invisible, your efforts are dead on arrival.
Contact Bill Kaufmann with questions or comments: mygreenerfuture1@cox.net
Want a coach? wkaufmann1@cox.net