The Seven Steps for Interview Success Page 39

In Closing

Sixty minutes. That's usually all the time you have to convince an employer to hire you. The good news is that an hour is all the time your competition has as well. The difference is that you've read this book (or skipped ahead to the last page), which means you should be better prepared than most other applicants. Still, just in case you did skip ahead, I will close this book with a few final tips:

• Know yourself. Know what your skills are and be prepared to give examples to back them up. Quantify your achievements whenever possible, and do not be afraid to say you're the best candidate for the job (and why).
• Know the employer. Do your research. Understand the industry and the direction the organization is headed. Be prepared to discuss salary ranges as well.
• Turn negative into positives. Interviewers are looking for potential problems. Your job is to assure them that your issues won't become their issues.
• Don't forget to follow up. Those thank-you cards and phone calls can make a big difference.
• Remember, no matter what questions interviewer ask, the underlying question is always, "Why should I hire you?" Be prepared to give them lots of good reasons.

How to Get More Interviews

Although this book's focus is on improving your interviewing skills, you won't be able to put those skills to work unless you get the interviews to begin with. This page describes a few of the job search methods, that can help you land interviews before anyone else ever knows there's an opening.

You can be considered for a job opening long before it is advertised. In fact, most jobs are never advertised because someone like you gets there before the job needs to be. Employers prefer to hire people they already know or who are referred to them by someone they know. Many are willing to talk to you even before they have a job opening if you approach them in the right way. The result: Half of all jobs are filled before a formal job opening would even be announced.

Quick Tip

The most important job search rule of all: Don't wait until the job is open before asking for an interview.

The Two Best Ways to Find Jobs and Get Interviews.

The best time to search for a job is before anyone else knows about it. For this reason, these jobs are sometime referred to as the hidden job market or t he networked job market. The key to finding jobs in this market is to meet people who can hire you before a job is even available.

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