5 Questions Great Job Candidates Ask

Be honest. Raise your hand if you feel the part of the job interview where you ask the candidate, "Do you have any questions for me?" is almost always a waste of time.
Thought so.
The problem is most candidates don't actually care about your answers; they just hope to make themselves look good by asking "smart" questions. To them, what they ask is more important than how you answer.
Great candidates ask questions they want answered because they're evaluating you, your company--and whether they really want to work for you.
Here are five questions great candidates ask:

What do you expect me to accomplish in the first 60 to 90 days?
Great candidates want to hit the ground running. They don't want to spend weeks or months "getting to know the organization."
They want to make a difference--right away.

What are the common attributes of your top performers?
Great candidates also want to be great long-term employees. Every organization is different, and so are the key qualities of top performers in those organizations.
Maybe your top performers work longer hours. Maybe creativity is more important than methodology. Maybe constantly landing new customers in new markets is more important than building long-term customer relationships. Maybe it's a willingness to spend the same amount of time educating an entry-level customer as helping an enthusiast who wants high-end equipment.
Great candidates want to know, because 1) they want to know if they fit, and 2) if they do fit, they want to be a top performer.

What are a few things that really drive results for the company?
Employees are investments, and every employee should generate a positive return on his or her salary. (Otherwise why are they on the payroll?)
In every job some activities make a bigger difference than others. You need your HR folks to fill job openings... but what you really want is for HR to find the right candidates because that results in higher retention rates, lower training costs, and better overall productivity.
You need your service techs to perform effective repairs... but what you really want is for those techs to identify ways to solve problems and provide other benefits--in short, to generate additional sales.
Great candidates want to know what truly makes a difference. They know helping the company succeed means they succeed as well.

What do employees do in their spare time?
Happy employees 1) like what they do and 2) like the people they work with.
Granted this is a tough question to answer. Unless the company is really small, all any interviewer can do is speak in generalities.
What's important is that the candidate wants to make sure they have a reasonable chance of fitting in--because great job candidates usually have options.

How do you plan to deal with...?
Every business faces a major challenge: technological changes, competitors entering the market, shifting economic trends... there's rarely a Warren Buffett moat protecting a small business.
So while a candidate may see your company as a stepping-stone, they still hope for growth and advancement... and if they do eventually leave, they want it to be on their terms and not because you were forced out of business.
Say I'm interviewing for a position at your bike shop. Another shop is opening less than a mile away: How do you plan to deal with the new competitor? Or you run a poultry farm (a huge industry in my area): What will you do to deal with rising feed costs?
A great candidate doesn't just want to know what you think; they want to know what you plan to do--and how they will fit into those plans.

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TOP 7 RESUME BLUNDERS

Most people view resumes as a necessary evil and I can completely understand why. A good resume takes thought, some creativity, an ability to “sell yourself” and some basic marketing principles. Yet, the resume is so vitally important. As I have said before, the resume must evoke an emotion in the eyes of the reader and compel them to pick up the phone an give you a call. Your resumereally is a marketing piece at a very basic level.

I want to share with you what I believe are the top 7 resume blunders. Trust me, I have seen them all over the last eight years as an Executive Recruiter. In fact, I have a “running” Word document that I add to on a weekly basis anytime I come across a funny, unusual, or bizarre item on a resume. One day I will share it with the world and you will not believe what I have seen on resumes.

Anyways, back to the purpose of the blog post. If I were to take all of the blunders I have seen I could place them into 7 basic categories. I would encourage you to take time to measure your resume up against these blunders and be sure that these are not true about your resume.

TOP 7 RESUME BLUNDERS

1. Lack of Focus – If anything bugs me more it is seeing a resume that has no focus. I have seen great candidates with bad resumes and a lack of focus on their resume is what is keeping them from getting in the door for an interview.

SOLUTION: Have a solid summary statement at the beginning of the resume. Personally, I am not a big fan of “Objective Statements.” I just don’t think they are very useful. However, a nice summary statement or qualifications summary at the beginning can work well. The idea is to have a paragraph at the beginning of theresume that “sells you” into the position.


Now, you may need to tailor this to specific positions before you submit it but the idea is to have compelling statements that are clear as to what you are trying to accomplish and what you are all about.

2. Too Wordy – There are some people who want to put “everything” on their resume. Their philosophy is that if it isn’t on the resume then they will think I don’t have the experience. The problem is that your “presentation” on a resume is just as important. The reader is judging your overall presentation based on how the resume looks and if you are able to say things concisely.

SOLUTION: If you are under 5 years of experience try to stick with a one page resume. If you are a 5-15 year person then you have earned a two-page resume. If you have more than 15 years of experience then you can go to a three-page resume. However, I would normally recommend that you stay to two pages if at all possible.

Another tip that is becoming common practice is to list at the bottom of the resume “Additional Professional Experience Available Upon Request.” This can help those who have a 20+ year career and are struggling with keeping their resume short. It can also help you if you feel like your age is becoming a factor in your job search (although, it is not supossed to!).
 3. Dull job descriptions – Here is where many people make a big mistake! They sit down just list out their normal daily routine and plug that into a resume. Now it can be an important part of the resume to describe in detail what you have done. Reason being, in the age of the internet hiring managers are searching for certain keywords so you do want to be descriptive on your resume. However, look at it with fresh eyes and be sure that the whole resume is not just one long boring job description.

SOLUTION: You MUST use achievements in your resume! Make sure there is an achievements section to your resume. This can either be displayed separately at the beginning of the resume before the work history section or you can plug it under the various positions. This is critical as it will tell the hiring manager what you are capable of!

Also, be sure you are descriptive. Don’t just say you saved the company money by improving a process. Instead say, “Saved $1.4 million yearly by improving…..” Be clear when you list out an acheivement. Don’t underestimate this section of your resume.

4. Poor organization – Some people get in a rush and just hurry through the resume building process. If you want an effective resume then you have to give it some thought. You must use words that are powerful and evoke an emotion and there must be a logical flow to the overall resume. Isn’t this basic marketing 101? Why wouldn’t it be true in a resume. Now, you need not to go over the top and get “gimmicky” with your resume, but I think you know what I mean.

SOLUTION: start off each bullet point with a strong action verb. Use strong action words like created, initiated, saved, accelerated, launched, executed, strengthened, broadened, etc. These are all great verbs that can make you stand out on a resume.

5. Spelling/ Grammar mistakes - This is a big one. I have seen great candidates not make it to the interview phase because of simple typos. Quite frankly, I have even received some pointed and direct emails from readers because they found a typo in my blog post. Of course, I appreciated them letting me know and made the correction, but this is a blunder that can happen very easily if you are not careful. You can even re-read your resume a few times and miss the typo or the grammar mistake.

SOLUTION: Get someone else to look at your resume. Fresh eyes will see things that you had not noticed. Most of the time it can be the wrong use of a word that a spell checker would never catch. Most of us are connected to a teacher in some way and I would encourage you to reach out to them. I am sure that either someone in your family is a teacher or maybe even a friend might be one. Email them your resume and ask if they would read it over and let you know about any area in your resume that needs improvement.

6. Using a non-conventional format – Please get this point: doing something on a resume that no one else is doing will not make you stand out. In fact, it can damage you and make your appear like you lack a professional presence. Now, if you are in a creative profession then maybe there is some room for some creativity, but this will not be true for 90% of the audience reading this. There are some creative ways to market and do some other activities but definitely not on the resume itself.

SOLUTION: Use a standard, conventional resume format (and font). Again, there is no need to get too creative here. I have received resumes in a Microsoft Excel documentbelieve it or not. Also, remember that your resume will be viewed for the first time on the actual computer screen 99% of the time. If your resume does not look good on the computer screen itself than start over with a new format. This is why I am not a big fan of resumes that are in tables on a Word document. To me, it just does not look clean, concise or crisp.


7. Too much miscellaneous information – I have seen some of the most bizarre things on a resume. A resume is not for listing out all the hobbies and extra-curricular activities that you are a part of. I understand that beauty is in the eye of the beholder but you are taking a real chance here. It will either work out great or really bad. There really is no middle ground here in my opinion. Of course, I understand that when you are a fresh graduate that you need to fill up your resume and put as much as you can in there in order to just get started in your career and convince someone to give you a shot.

However, letting a future employer know that you call bingo for a retirement facility every Tuesday night might not help you land the interview. Listing all of your hobbies out on your resume is not a good idea in my opinion either. Again, this can go either way for you so why risk the chance. Also, know when it is time to drop something off of a resume. If you were a state champion in wrestling and you are now 35 years old it is time to let it go. Companies are looking for people who are forward thinkers.

SOLUTION: When in doubt, leave it out! Simple advice but I think I have made my point. If you have a spouse, ask them if you should include the information on your resume. They will tell you the truth! 

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6 Signs Your Job Interview Went Well

Right after a job interview, you're going to feel pretty relieved that it's all over and either confident that you did well or worried that you bombed. It's common for job seekers to go over the job interview questions that they went through and the answers they gave, and note any other small things during the interview - but how do you really know whether or not you did well? Check out these 6 points below and you'll have a better understanding of whether or not your job interview went well.

1. They give you a firm answer about when you’ll hear back.

This is not a foolproof indicator, but it’s a good one none the less. You don’t want to hear, “We’ll let you know.” You don’t want to have to ask, “When, exactly?” If they say, “I’ll have an answer for you on Monday morning,” that usually means they’ve made a decision. The decision might not be for you, but at least they’ve made a decision. This is sort of like a poker tell… if someone hasn’t made up their mind yet, they don’t really know how long it will take to do so, and thus are evasive about estimating how long it might take to make up their mind. If the interviewer gives you a vague answer, that might mean that there are plenty more interviews scheduled and your interview performance was not enough to make them cancel the others.
2. You covered topics beyond the job description.

A good interview is one where you handily answer all their questions, clearly demonstrate that you can meet all the job requirements, AND THEN start to discuss all the other things you can bring to the job. You win the job by using the interview to convince them that hiring you will bring them all sorts of additional dividends they didn’t even expect.

3. The interview went longer than scheduled.

This one is logical enough. If you’re in and out in a hurry, you might not have struck their fancy. But if you hang out for a while shooting the breeze (especially if you hit point number 4 below, that’s a good sign.

4. You discussed personal stuff.

This is maybe the best indicator. As I’ve said before, a job interview is largely about personality… even more so than skills or qualifications. If you start chatting away with the interviewer about this thing or that thing… if you’re sharing jokes and laughs, you’re probably home free. If you feel like the interviewer got to like you on a personal or professional level, that’s the best indication you can get.

5. The interviewer describes their frustration with the previous employee.

If the interviewer begins to talk about how poorly the last guy did in your position, then that’s a good indication that they’ve decided you can do a better job. If you find the interviewer comparing you favorably to previous or existing employees, then you’ve likely done a good job of selling yourself as qualified.

6. You begin plotting with the interviewer.

The best interviews I’ve ever had were the ones where we were already making plans for the things I would be doing once I started. I had not only sold myself, I had sold a game plan for the improvements I would be bringing to the position… and the interviewer had bought what I was selling. “I can’t wait for you to get started overhauling that inventory system. Do you think you might have any ideas for our shipping system as well?” That’s what you want to hear.

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