Recruiters and hiring managers are humans too. Talking to candidate after candidate about the same job, and asking the same questions over and over can sometimes feel like Groundhog Day for them. So if you want to stand out in their day, try presenting yourself as a problem-solver. Use the tips below to subliminally let them know that you’re not only going to solve the problem of the open position, you’ll also solve problems they didn’t even know they had!
- Present yourself as a fixer. Who wouldn’t want to hire a proactive problem solver? When you learn more about their challenges and present solutions, you stand out from the crowd.
- You connect the dots. Show how your past experiences connect to the position you are applying for. If you are able to show the comparison between your past work or college experiences, you’ll highlight your critical thinking skills. Plus, your interviewer will see that your relatable experience in the past will help you get up to speed faster in this role.
- Act like you’re interviewing for your dream job. Don’t be aloof about the job. A candidate who is generally excited about a role and shows true passion is someone we all want to hire. Genuine excitement is hard to fake. Even if you are light in a few of the qualifications, enthusiasm and positivity go a long way.
- Be intellectually curious. Interviewers are always looking for someone who is innately curious and has a desire to solve problems. I can see this by the way the candidate talks about the work they do and how they like to solve problems. They are continuous learners and it excited them to gain new skills.
- Show up to the interview ready to do the job.This doesn’t mean you just have all the skills to do the role. This means you spent time researching the company, industry trends, competitors and more. You can speak to what you learned about the company and how you might change or improve something you learned about.
- Answer interview questions before they’re asked. Employers like to hire individuals with confidence and foresight. Having the interviewer lead the interview gets boring. Come well-prepared to answer questions and think of things without having to be asked.
- Send a great thank you note. The thank you note can seal the deal. Reference something you spoke about, share some insights into the industry, some links to articles you believe would interest the interviewer. Write something creative about the brand. You can stand by writing something typical.
- Be honest. Honesty is a top priority, if a candidate is not honest, this is a signal they will not be trustworthy. This will show character which makes them dependable, and capable enough to learn new skills.
