Are you ready to get a great job? Here’s how to get a job offer:
Get In Front of Your Competition to Get the Interview
The standard approach to getting interviews is to see a job posting and apply for it online. The problem is, that approach puts you in the middle of a very big pack. As a result, even if you’d be great at the job, you might not even get an interview.
Instead, get in front of your competition by going around those online applications and contacting the hiring manager directly.
This is what Ed did. Ed had a unique certification that a job posting asked for, so he should have been guaranteed an interview. But, he applied twice for that job and never got a response. So, he got the hiring manager’s name and email and sent his resume. He got the interview and got the job. And guess what? His new boss had never even seen his two previous applications. (See more here.)
This happens all the time. And if you’re applying online but not getting interviews, it’s happening to you.
Skip this broken system and contact hiring managers directly. Not only will you get in front of your competition, you’ll uncover some of the best hidden jobs.
See more about finding hidden jobs or get my Hidden Jobs Finder that shows you exactly how to find them and what to say to hiring managers to get interviews.
Over Prepare for Every Interview
To prepare for any interview, the first thing you need to do is research the company. Find out as much as you can about the company. Start with the company website but don’t stop there. Do a Google search for news. See if they have a LinkedIn page. While you’re on LinkedIn, check out the interviewer and others who work for the company. Ask people in your network what they know about it.
All of this research will help you ask better questions in the interview and be much more effective with your own interview answers.
Also, practice answering interview questions. You need to have good answers for common interview questions like, “Tell me about yourself” or “What’s your greatest weakness?”
You also need to have good stories (structured with the STAR method) that illustrate skills, successes, or stressful events that you learned from and made you better at your job.
The more prepared you are, the more confidence you’ll have and the better you’ll perform in the interview. You’ll stand out as someone who’s confident, competent, and enthusiastic about the job.
Bring a 30-60-90-Day Plan
Use all your research to put together an action plan of what you’ll do in the first 3 months on that new job. Your plan is like a test drive for that hiring manager of what it would be like to have you in that role. They get to see how you think, how you prioritize, and how you approach challenges. It’s a vivid demonstration that sets you apart from all other candidates and gets you the offer.
I personally received 5 job offers the last time I was in a search using these plans. Since then, I’ve taught thousands of customers and clients how to use them, and they’ve seen similar results. I’ve seen them receive job offers within minutes of the interview, or offers for more senior roles (with bigger salaries) than what they interviewed for, or offers for roles they created just for that person.
Find out more about 30-60-90-Day Plans