Job interview secrets they
forgot to teach you in school
Employment Getting, George Costanza Style:
Yeah, we get it.
George is a bit of a schlub when it comes to the long game (remember when he blew his shot with Marisa Tomei?)
George did, however, have a gift for acing the job interview like a champ.
His strategy was rather simple too:
- He would only speak when spoken to
- He would keep his answers brief
- If the answer was too brief, he’d simply wait for the interviewer to ask for more info
Ask any successful salesperson and they’ll tell you that not knowing when to stop gabbing is almost a guarantee you’ll blow the sale.
Signs to watch for:
All humans have tells they cannot control.
When going in for your next job interview these are giveaways that’ll guide you:
- Eye-rolling – this happens subconsciously all the time. When you see the hiring manager do this, it’s your cue to end your sentence immediately.
- Sudden change in expression on the interviewer’s face – if you’re making a face that expresses negative feelings, the interviewer might subconsciously ape you out of empathy to make you feel more comfortable.
You see this, fix your face fast.
Also, be sure to have your palms resting on your thighs when you sense the end of the interview is close.
Sweaty hands CAN kill what good impressions you made.
Cover Letters Are Bullshit
So you do in fact want a better job, but the idea of scribbling out 500 words of BS over and over again seem like a waste of time?
Thankfully for you, most hiring managers don’t want to read your bullshit anyways.
We’re about to reveal some truth bombs in this section about what’s really going on with the job market.
Why are you still writing cover letters?
Rachel Bitte, a veteran in the recruiting industry, with over two decades of experience (she’s now CEO of JobVite) says cover letters are a waste of time.
These days, if you see a company requesting a cover letter, there’s one of two things going on (or both):
1) The HR recruiter can’t think outside the box and keeps on doing what school taught her to do or…
2) The company isn’t asking you to write about yourself to get to know you. They just want to see if you’ll do what they ask.
Another huge reason cover letters are a total waste of time:
Some companies use software that pre-screens your cover letter for keywords or for a Flesch readability score and will auto-delete your hard work long before it gets read by human eyes.
That’s why it’s strongly recommended that you write a GENERAL cover letter that is stocked with keywords describing your skill set and experience.
Doing this will not only save you a lot of time, but also get you to “stage 2” of the hiring process far more often.
Human Eyes Aren’t Much Better
Most HR “professionals” have zero clue what the position they’re seeking candidates for is actually about.
They get a general guideline from the department’s director then craft a job ad according to what a 75-year-old college professor who never worked outside of academia taught them to write.
Many a cover letter has been filed into the great cylindrical file because a 24-year-old HR “professional” decided it wasn’t flow-y enough.
On that note, having a job interview with said 24-year-old HR “professional” is quite the brain-melting exercise.
Glory To He Who Blanket-Bombs LinkedIn
You’ll never believe just how many job seeking dudes are not aware of the two simple little features LinkedIn offers that make applying without a cover letter (blanket bombing) possible.
You want to increase your odds of scoring a job interview? This is the way.
Once you get into the job section, toggle these two options:
Choose the date range that works for your situation and then go to LinkedIn Features and select “Easy Apply”.
All you’ll get are opportunities that can be applied for with one click.
Tips to remember when dropping them bombs:
- LinkedIn provides employers with a time gauge.
What that means is, employers can see how long you were on the job post before applying.
If you applied within 10 seconds, it’s pretty clear you spent no time reading through, so keep the tab open for two to three minutes.
- With each application you make, there’s a pre-checked box asking you to follow the company you’re applying to.
Be sure to uncheck it or other potential employers will be able to check your LinkedIn feed and see that you’re blanket-bombing.
Be sure to hit ALL other job sites this way.
“Fortune always favors the brave, and never helps a man who does not help himself.”
– P. T. Barnum