Applying for a job should be straightforward: see job ad, reply to job ad. From the employer’s point of view, it should also be a smooth process: review applications, decide if the candidates’ skills fit. However, in the past couple of weeks of reviewing applications, I’ve discovered that the process isn’t as effortless as expected.
I certainly don’t know all the secrets a job candidate needs for a successful job application, but I have some insights that will benefit those who apply to organizations that don’t have an AI system for sifting through hundreds of resumes. We’ll start with a tip that eases the workload of the potential employer who reads through each application one at a time with human eyes.
1 Indicate which job you’re applying to
This first tip should be obvious: be clear about which job you’re applying to. Don’t assume the company is only hiring for the job you’re applying for. It can be very frustrating if the person opening your email has to guess which of five possible jobs you’re applying for.
Start with the job title in your email subject line. Then, in the first sentence, refer to your source for the job posting. Did you see the job online? Did you hear about the job from a mutual friend?
2 Don’t ask them to tell you more about the job
The fastest way to give your potential employer a bad impression about you is to write, “I’m interested in (insert job post name here). Tell me more about the job.” This statement makes you appear lazy, as if you’re applying to multiple jobs at once and couldn’t be bothered to spend an extra five minutes to research the company.
For example, a technical glitch caused the full job description to be hidden from immediate display in the email job posting. It was easy to tell who didn’t read the email carefully and wasn’t resourceful in finding more information. These people all replied with a simple, “tell me more about the job.”
In another case, one person told a friend about the job posting but didn’t forward any of the details. The applicant’s first words were, “I’m interested in X job. Tell me more.” The applicants don’t realize how time consuming and exhausting it is to keep repeating details of the job to each applicant.
Show that you’ve done some research in the company. Ask a specific question about the job requirements. Make a comment about some information you found on the company website. To make an even better impression, try the next tip.
3 Advertise yourself
If the details about the job are sparse or you’re unable to find details about the job description, open your response by telling the potential employer a little bit about yourself. What skills or educational background do you have that qualify you for the job?
If you have the complete job description, start your email with a description of how your skills are a good fit for the job. Ask if the company wants a resume (if that was not made clear in the job posting), or ask if they would like a link to your work portfolio.
If you don’t have access to a detailed job description, begin with a description about yourself and why you’re interested in the role. Just don’t say you’re interested in the job, and press send without telling the potential employer at least a little bit about yourself.
Perhaps you responded to the ad because you were waiting for your popcorn to pop before you could start your movie and you needed to kill some time. Even if you are only mildly curious about the job and don’t really care about the outcome of your application, putting a little more than two minutes of effort is worth it.
Key Takeaways
It takes minimal effort to make the hiring process easier for the potential employer. Tell them where you found out about the position, which position you’re applying for, and show some sign that you did your research about the job. No company wants to feel like they’re company 984 out of 1003 that you applied to that month. Finally, tell them about yourself so they will see that you are a fit and they will ask you for an interview.
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Would you dare to lie on your resume? What would motivate you to bend the truth? Perhaps you saw an ad for an ideal job but you were missing just one little qualification. You are so close that one small lie won’t hurt. People get away with little white lies all the time. No matter what your reasoning though, you and I have likely wondered if you should lie on your resume.
If you’ve had the situation where you look at an ad you know you have the aptitude or the skills but you don’t have the official work experience, it’s tempting to lie. It’s also tempting to exaggerate.
Lying About Your Accomplishments and Qualifications
Imagine seeing a job for a marketing assistant and you almost fit all the qualifications. They need someone with tech industry experience. You helped out your cousin for two weeks on a product launch. Should you include that project as actual work experience if all you did was give some advice? Should you consider that as an advisor role?
Maybe you believe in karma and you believe that one day, someone will expose the truth about you. Lying about where you worked, your education, your job titles, and your skills could result in your losing your job after you are hired. It also shows a lack of professionalism if your employer discovers your lie.
You might be thinking, well, that’s not fair. I would have developed those skills or worked on those types of projects if I had the chance.
I understand your pain. I came second place during a job interview at which I was asked about experience dealing directly with stakeholders. They asked me this question more than once, so I assumed this experience was an important part of the job. I replied I was confident I could handle these situations because I handled similar situations with internal teams. However, that wasn’t good enough.
The tough part was that I didn’t have a chance to work on that work experience, not because I wasn’t qualified, but because in that company, it fell under another employee’s job description. If I wanted to develop those public relations skills, I would have had to take over someone else’s work tasks. I’m sure my teammate would have thought I was trying to steal his job, not work on my professional portfolio.
Lying About Your Skills and Experience
Lying about your education and job titles is not a smart decision. Potential employers can check up on these details during and after the hiring process. You can however, re-word your skills and accomplishments in a more favorable light.
For example, if you see several companies are looking for someone with proficiency at specific software, you can develop that proficiency on your own. You could sign up for a free trial of that software and then complete a few projects with it. Those projects would became part of your portfolio. This extra project would build on your skill set and show that you have initiative.
Similarly, if you lack the official education credentials, you can learn about the skill on your own by reading books or taking free courses on your own time. You won’t have the degree, but you will have the knowledge. For example, if you don’t have a degree or certificate to show your skills in IT, you could design your own project, such as building a website.
You won’t have to lie about your skills and experience. Instead, work on them on your own and add them to your career portfolio and resume.
Summary
It’s tempting but not advisable to lie on your resume. Lies are unprofessional and you could get caught in them. Instead, if you see a pattern of required skills and experience, work on them on your own time if you don’t have the opportunity to develop these as part of your job.
A comforting fact is that most companies don’t require you to have every skill and depth of experience that they list on their ad. They are describing their ideal candidate. It’s your job to convince them that you are the closest they will find to that ideal.
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Whether you are up against one or several candidates for the same job, standing out from the competition will give you the critical advantage. Zoom has replaced in-person job interviews, eliminating some traditional interview challenges, and presenting new ones. Ambitious candidates should consider these 5 tips to stay ahead of these changes and ace that interview.
1. Be Well Prepared for Zoom
A job interview on Zoom requires a different kind of preparation than an in-person interview. First, have what you need within your reach so you don’t have to stand up in the middle of your interview. Items to place within reach include a cup of water (in case your voice gets hoarse), a notepad and pen to take notes, a copy of your resume, and anything else you think you may need.
Do a test of yourself in a Zoom meeting. If possible, get your own Zoom account so you can use that meeting room as needed. Check for potential technical issues.
How is the lighting? Do you need to move yourself closer to a window or turn on a lamp? If the interview is in the morning, I do the lighting test in the morning so I’ll have the same lighting conditions. I also check the weather forecast. If it’s likely to be cloudy on my interview day, then I try to do a test on a cloudy day.
Look at how you appear on camera. If the camera is too far from you, you will look small on screen. If you are looking down at the camera, the audience will have a less flattering view of your chin folding up. Remedy this issue by placing the laptop higher up on another surface.
If the laptop camera is tilted too far back, the screen will show the top of your head and the ceiling of your room. Readjust your camera as needed to give the interviewer the best view of you.
Here’s a bonus tip: on the day of your interview, remember to look at the camera when you speak. It’s tempting to look at the people on the screen, but you will appear as if you are looking down! Looking directly at the camera will give you direct eye contact with the interviewer.
Wear the clothes you will wear to your interview. Certain colors looks different on camera. Pink, for example, appears red. Floral patterns against a virtual background will make parts of you disappear like you’ve been cut apart with scissors. Solid colors seem to work best if you’re using a virtual background.
Lastly, check your sound. Is your microphone working? Should you wear headphones to block out background noise? Doing these technical checks before your interview will make you look more prepared and professional on your interview day.
2. Share Stories to Bring Your Resume to Life
The day of your interview, they may start with that ubiquitous question: “Tell me about yourself,” or “Tell us about your experience with….” The purpose is to give them an overview about you, warm you up for the interview, and summarize some points from your resume.
If you’re up against several candidates, talking about your experiences and skills won’t make you stand out. Your interviewer will be hearing other candidates talk about their skills and eventually all these skills descriptions will blur together. If you want to stand out, don’t just talk about your resume.
Share a story.
Research the company ahead of time and find out what its mission and vision is. Understand what is important to the company, and pick anecdotes from your professional life that fit the company culture to share during the interview.
If you want to show how innovative you are, for example, don’t just talk about your skill. Share a story that demonstrates your creativity. How did your innovation result in a better project for the client?
If your skill is proficiency with a computer program, tell a story about what you did with the program. People don’t remember facts such as a listing of your experiences. People remember stories. Stories stick.
Did an interesting or funny moment occur while you were implementing the computer program? Talk about the moment as if you’re sharing a moment with a friend.
You will sound impressive talking about your achievements but showing your personal side will make you stand out. You can share how you improved the efficiency of your company by 15% with the new system that you implemented. But talk about it like it’s a scene from a novel, not a dry news story.
It’s the stories that people remember. These personalized stories are also a way for the interviewer to get to know you better as a person. You want them to see you as more than a skilled employee who lives to work.
3. Create an Emotional Impression
People don’t necessarily remember the details of what you talked about, but they will remember how you made them feel.
Ideally, you want them to associate you with happiness. I like to tell stories or jokes about my work experiences. They aren’t the type of joke with a punch line. They are more like jokes about awkward experiences that people can relate to, such as the challenges of navigating your way around a foreign city.
I treat certain moments of my interview like having coffee with friends or associates. When you use humor, people will remember how they felt. They will remember laughing and feeling at ease with you.
Tell a joke only if it fits the situation, and only if it sounds natural to you. If your jokes tend to be met with silence, jokes may not be the way to go. Also, tell jokes if you have a good feel of the situation.
Does the company culture seem to be casual and easygoing? Does the interviewer seem like someone who would appreciate your humour?
The joke should emerge naturally from the situation and not feel forced. I keep my humor professional yet casual, and if I have a hard time reading the other person, I tend to err on the side of caution and not share as much humour.
Creating an emotional impression is your goal.
At the end of one interview, the interviewer commented, “We had a lot of laughs.” She was in a good mood and my words had given her a sense of my personality. How you make someone feel is as important, if not more important, than your skillset and work experiences.
4. Ask Challenging Questions
Near the end of the interview, they may ask you if you have any questions. I usually have about five questions prepared, in case one of them gets answered during the interview.
I like to ask questions that are memorable. Choose questions that require a bit of thinking and aren’t asked often. As part of my preparation, I search for lists of commonly asked questions for interviewers and choose ones that would be interesting to share.
For instance, I’ve asked the interviewer what they like about their role at the company. It’s personal, gets them thinking, and gives you some insight about their company culture. Also, this question isn’t likely to be answered during an interview.
If your interview is conducted by a panel, you can also apply this same question to each person.
You can also ask about your prospective job. For example, inquire about what they consider to be a mark of success for the position that you are applying for. This question also gives you some insight into company culture as well as their expectations of what you will be doing.
Avoid asking questions that show you didn’t do your research about the company. For example, asking them who their typical customers are when the answer is provided on one of their webpages.
Don’t forget to ask them about next steps. I find that well-organized companies are clear about next steps and may even outline this for you before the interview. If you know the timeline or how you will be notified, you reduce your stress.
5. Take Mental Notes
Take notes during the call, either physically with your pencil and paper, or mentally. Could you have improved on your answers during the interview? Is there something you could have shared about your work experience that you didn’t?
I’ve frozen or drawn a blank when asked a question during an interview. I’ve been asked a “Tell me about a time when” question and it wasn’t until the interview was over that I remembered a great answer. You’ll have a chance to address these loose ends after the interview.
I write a thank you letter to each interviewer after the call. To do this, I refer to the notes I took during the call.
If possible, acknowledge something that each interviewer said in your email. Expand on a point that you spoke about to give more information if you feel it strengthens your candidacy. Reflecting on your answers by expanding on them in an email shows you take initiative for self improvement.
Conclusion
How do you stand out in an interview when there are multiple candidates who are just as qualified as you are? The key is to share stories because people remember stories better than facts. You also want them to feel good about speaking with you. When the interview ends, it’s your unique stories and questions that will linger in their minds.
Photo credit: Andrea Piacquadio (feature image), Anna Shvets (second image), Mohammad Danish (thrid image)
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Vanya Wryter Consulting Services 