Here is the thing about recruiting. There are good candidates and there are bad candidates. There are also plenty of mediocre candidates. What kind of candidate do you think you are?
The economy is good right now. Hiring is high and unemployment is low. Companies are being picky, and you know what? I don’t blame them. They should have the best of the best. If you are going to have someone represent your organization, you shouldn’t settle. When organizations settle, they settle their reputation and their brand.
Resumes are a foot in the door to an organization. If you put the right key words in your resume, chances are a recruiter will find you and give you a ring. If you are lucky, you will even get an interview. The problem, however, is that if you don’t have the skills you will get weeded out quickly.
On the flip side of that coin, you may have an awful resume but have a great skill set. Do you see where I am going with this? The people with a great skill set often get overlooked and sometimes miss the best opportunities.
So therein lies the problem. Who is the good candidate? On one hand you have the person who has something to hide. It may be their short work history. It may be their skills. It may be that they are just great bullshit artists. On the other hand, you have the person who is a great fit but can’t articulate what they actually know or do.
They are both turds.
You can put a spit shine on both, but the truth is they lack something that differentiates them form the the best- of- the- best candidates . First, if you have “extended the truth” or make something appear one way that is not, then companies truly have no need for you. You may get through the door and you may even get hired, but in the end, the chances are that you won’t last.
If you can’t articulate what you know or what you do, how in the world will you be able to lead an organization? How will you be able to show confidence in an interview? How will you be the 1% that everyone seems to look for in a candidate?
You won’t.
Companies are looking for a number of things, but here are 4 you must have in order to get hired into that role that you are looking to get.
- Confidence- If you are a nervous nelly, no one will want to hire you. Be confident in your abilities to do the job and sell the heck out of yourself.
- Education- I understand not everyone can go to college. If you can and are afforded that ability, then do it. If you start, then finish. College isn’t easy, but showing that you started something and finished it goes a long way with employers. If you say you will go back to school someday, chances are you won’t. Life does get in the way.
- Verbiage- Choose what you say and how you say it very carefully. The more intelligent you speak, the more likely you will be hired.
- Proof of your skills- If you have it on your resume, you better be able to prove it. Testing will happen and you will be forced to show what you can do.
So, before you put a spit shine on your turd, change somethings about yourself. If you want the skills and you don’t have them, work hard to obtain them. Get involved with your current company. Stay a while with organizations rather than jumping around like a rabbit. If you don’t have a degree, go back to get one. If you don’t have the confidence, practice! You will get better! Think before you speak.
If you have all the skills in the world, work hard to package yourself as such. Get a professional resume writer. Really work hard to articulate what you have done and why you are the right fit for the job.
The good news is you aren’t eternally stuck in turd-land!
