Influencing the Interviewer to Hire YOU!

Want to learn the 5 key strategies to make you the candidate of choice? Too many professionals are not hired because they either don't articulate their top contributions concisely or in a manner that aligns with the current offering and interviewer or they don't have a large enough vision of themselves and their brilliance to effectively shine.

This article will provide you with a 5 step methodology to develop your positioning statement, ways to find the job you most desire and how to master the interview.

One, Create your Positioning Statement. A positioning statement, like a business owner's elevator speech, simply states who you are, what your experience is and why you are different than your competitors. For example, you can say "I have 10 years of leadership experience with proven results in the telecommunications industry. Unlike other managers who lead with thumbs down authority I've achieved great success by encouraging collaboration, motivating my team members and developing a culture that is aligned with the organization's goals."

Who would not want a strong leader with proven results and industry knowledge that can make the people around them highly productive and focused on results?

Two, Know the values of your interviewer. Many job seekers pass the hiring manager's interview but fail to pass that of Human Resources or upper management. Why? One reason is because they don't change their way of interviewing to cater to the needs of the interviewee. A hiring manger cares about your technical capability to perform and your ability to sustain when the going gets tough. Human Resources is interested in seeing if you align with the values and culture of the organization and if you are capable of advancing into the next level of position. Upper management wants proven results, a clear strategy for success, what polices and procedures you are aligned with. Flex to the person across from you and you will advance rapidly in the interview process.

Three, don't shy away from questions about your lack of competencies. Don't have that MBA they are looking for? Don't shrink away in your chair, instead bring out your strengths. "Yes, I don't have an MBA, would you be interested in hearing about my 10 year of business administration experience?" What if you don't have a technical competency? Instead tell a story about how quickly you are able to learn and implement new technologies.

So move forward in your interviewing and become the candidate of choice by having a clear positioning statement, flexing your responses to the concerns of your interviewee and don't play small, go after the jobs that you think you are not qualified for. You only need to meet 70% of the requirements and be prepared to show a history of experience for those competencies you don't have.