What are the qualities that will make me a desirable candidate for a job? I know I have the education and experience. What will give me the “edge”?

I recently had the opportunity to work with a client in reviewing responses to their ad for a professional and an assistant professional. I was surprised to see the responses! Many of them didn’t have the edge. Read on and find out what we were looking for....

One resume came in by fax, no cover, with handwritten notes on the resume. Another came in an envelope, hand-written address, with no cover and salary range (substantial) hand-written on the resume. These folks, and others like them, lost their opportunity for an interview on first
glance.

We looked for well-written cover letters, that were at least customized, if not original, to this application. Format, spelling, grammar, clarity, and easy-to-read were qualities we looked for before even reviewing the resumes.

Once we got to the resumes, we looked for experience, education and ambition. Simplicity was a key factor, and once again the qualities we looked for in the letter were also considered here.

Then we sorted the candidates into two categories - those with the background and experience to meet the job requirements and those with the education and ambition who could meet job requirements and were ready to embark on their careers.

Then comes the test of the “face-to-face” interview.

First test is actually the phone call to make an interview appointment. We listen for the voice - as a fair amount of interaction between employee and client will take place on the phone. Is the voice pleasant to listen to? Does this person enunciate their words clearly, speak at an “easy-to-listen-to” pace so they are understood? Is the language professional or street language? Does this person have manners - hello, thank you, good-bye (not “hey” “thanks” “bye now” or “bye-bye” or, worse, nothing at all)?

Next test is how they appear for the interview. As they walk through the door, the first few seconds say volumes. Professional dress is an absolute must. Not business casual and definitely not blue jeans or khakis. Clean, good posture, confidence - all are communicated upon first glance.

The interaction with the receptionist makes a difference as well. The person at the front desk is very important to the image and credibility of the company, so that role must be respected by all employees. This is also a clue as to how the job candidate will interact with people at the clients’ firms.

The job application is next. How will it be completed? Is it neat? Is the handwriting legible? Our future employee will take a fair amount of handwritten notes for client files. The job application is our clue as to whether or not we will be able to read those notes. Our application is also free of the boxes and lines found on most application forms. This gives us a chance to see more about the person’s handwriting, organizational skills, etc.

These three things - appearance, attitude and application - will determine whether the person receives a first chance in the interview.

Some of the things we will be looking for in interview:

Depth of information in answer to questions.
Is the answer appropriate to the question? Are we getting more than we asked for or less than we need? Listen carefully to the questions and answer the question as asked. If asked if you consider yourself creative, give a specific example of your creativity, yet keep it bottom line and clear.

Attitude toward previous employers and co-workers.
Don’t be disrespectful, or worse slanderous, even if you think your former employer deserves it! It sends out the signal that you may speak the same way of us when you leave, or worse, when you are here!

Honesty and direct answers.
When you “dance around” an answer, it leaves the impression you either don’t know the answer or are unwilling to tell the truth.

Alignment with our vision, mission and goals.
We will be looking for someone who fits the corporate culture. Learn something in advance about the company if you can. Find out what is important to us. Don’t fake it to please us. First of all, good interviewers can sense when someone isn’t telling the truth and, secondly, your long term success with the company depends on alignment of ethics and goals.

Ambition and willingness to learn.
Have you taken any extra training in computers, management, etc? Tell us how you have gone above and beyond the minimum, without attempting to sound like a “super employee.”

Teamwork and cooperation.
Be prepared with specific examples of cooperation and teamwork, making it through difficult situations, etc. “Oh sure, I like working with others” is not the answer any interviewer wants to hear.

Computer literacy.
If you tell us you’ve mastered 20 different computer programs, you may not be believable. Visit www.brainbench.com and get a certificate of competency before you go into the interview. It’s well worth your investment and shows initiative as well as competency and literacy.)

If you did all this, you would have the edge for our position - and many others as well. Some sage once said, “Excellence is not doing one thing 100 percent better, rather 100 things 1 percent better.” Gain the edge you are looking forward by doing each piece with that extra bit of attention and awareness. Good luck!