Resume Writer
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- Feb 7, 2004
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Hi Everyone,
This article was written by a Human Resource Manager and I thought I would share it with you. I took out her name because this was put into a resume writer organization newsletter and was really not for public view.
Kathy
MAKING THE 10% COUNT
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Recently I had the opportunity to participate in a panel-style interview for the position of Employment Services Director for a local college. The setup of the interview was unique in the fact that all eight candidates were posed with the same question simultaneously and randomly selected to give a response in front of the competition.
Since the responsibility for this position would require the director to assist college students with career planning and development strategies, I was floored when one of the applicants began his response to "Tell me about yourself," with "I am a single father of two." Without considering his professional experience, I began to eliminate him from the process, thinking there was a strong possibility that he couldn't work overtime and may be out a lot with two small children.
The next candidate followed suit, responding to "Tell me about an accomplishment you are most proud of," with "I purchased a house." I was having a hard time assessing their professional skill sets and began to wonder by what standard these applicants were chosen out of the stack of resumes.
Finally, a candidate who understood what the interviewer was REALLY asking began to restore my faith by answering "Why are you the best person for this position" with a three point response: 1) "I am a career professional.," 2) "I have experience in training, coaching, and building relationships," and 3) "I am confident that my skill set and your organizational need are a perfect match." As she highlighted her professional experience relevant to the position, it was here the other candidates realized that they were all competing for the same position.
Throughout the remainder of the interview, I was able to answer my own question as to how the others were selected to interview. However, after the first round of questions, my decision was made to go with the candidate who portrayed herself as the consummate professional from the onset. Her first response left no illusion about her skill and ability to bring her personal passion into a professional environment--without getting personal. What an excellent attribute to possess. It certainly qualified her to assist college students who desired to become and remain gainfully employed.
Studies reveal an interview session to be divided into three segments: 62% body language, 28% tone of voice and 10% words. If a job seeker only has 10% to work with, they need to do everything possible to be sure the 10% counts. Certainly each applicant was coupled with an adequate presentation, education, and skill in their respective fields; yet most lacked a sense of competitiveness and confidence.
Spending over 14 years in the human resources field has heightened my ability to screen candidates for the best organizational fit and look for reasons to eliminate the misfits. Yet. in this process, I found it perplexing to endure an entire interview process for an Employment Services Director and walk away only remembering personal items about the candidates such as: who was a native of Atlanta, who owned a home, who had children, who was married, who put the kids through school and who worked in middle management. At the end of the interview, I knew very little about the candidates on a professional level to make me, the human resource professional, want to hire them.
The scenarios played out in the interview further prove that many job seekers with winning resumes are academically sound, yet lack the professional decorum to make an employer compete for them.
Having a great resume prepares the job seeker to enter the battleground, but so much more is required to win the battle and even more to win the war. Having a great resume and poor interviewing skills should be the exception, not the norm.
This article was written by a Human Resource Manager and I thought I would share it with you. I took out her name because this was put into a resume writer organization newsletter and was really not for public view.
Kathy
MAKING THE 10% COUNT
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Recently I had the opportunity to participate in a panel-style interview for the position of Employment Services Director for a local college. The setup of the interview was unique in the fact that all eight candidates were posed with the same question simultaneously and randomly selected to give a response in front of the competition.
Since the responsibility for this position would require the director to assist college students with career planning and development strategies, I was floored when one of the applicants began his response to "Tell me about yourself," with "I am a single father of two." Without considering his professional experience, I began to eliminate him from the process, thinking there was a strong possibility that he couldn't work overtime and may be out a lot with two small children.
The next candidate followed suit, responding to "Tell me about an accomplishment you are most proud of," with "I purchased a house." I was having a hard time assessing their professional skill sets and began to wonder by what standard these applicants were chosen out of the stack of resumes.
Finally, a candidate who understood what the interviewer was REALLY asking began to restore my faith by answering "Why are you the best person for this position" with a three point response: 1) "I am a career professional.," 2) "I have experience in training, coaching, and building relationships," and 3) "I am confident that my skill set and your organizational need are a perfect match." As she highlighted her professional experience relevant to the position, it was here the other candidates realized that they were all competing for the same position.
Throughout the remainder of the interview, I was able to answer my own question as to how the others were selected to interview. However, after the first round of questions, my decision was made to go with the candidate who portrayed herself as the consummate professional from the onset. Her first response left no illusion about her skill and ability to bring her personal passion into a professional environment--without getting personal. What an excellent attribute to possess. It certainly qualified her to assist college students who desired to become and remain gainfully employed.
Studies reveal an interview session to be divided into three segments: 62% body language, 28% tone of voice and 10% words. If a job seeker only has 10% to work with, they need to do everything possible to be sure the 10% counts. Certainly each applicant was coupled with an adequate presentation, education, and skill in their respective fields; yet most lacked a sense of competitiveness and confidence.
Spending over 14 years in the human resources field has heightened my ability to screen candidates for the best organizational fit and look for reasons to eliminate the misfits. Yet. in this process, I found it perplexing to endure an entire interview process for an Employment Services Director and walk away only remembering personal items about the candidates such as: who was a native of Atlanta, who owned a home, who had children, who was married, who put the kids through school and who worked in middle management. At the end of the interview, I knew very little about the candidates on a professional level to make me, the human resource professional, want to hire them.
The scenarios played out in the interview further prove that many job seekers with winning resumes are academically sound, yet lack the professional decorum to make an employer compete for them.
Having a great resume prepares the job seeker to enter the battleground, but so much more is required to win the battle and even more to win the war. Having a great resume and poor interviewing skills should be the exception, not the norm.
