A human resources expert has recently highlighted common errors made by job seekers during interviews, offering invaluable advice for success.
With the current economic uncertainty, a volatile job market, and unemployment still not back to pre-pandemic figures, being a candidate is challenging.
Standing out among potentially hundreds or thousands of applicants requires careful planning and execution.
Thus, nailing it on the first attempt is crucial.
The interview is one of the most critical stages of the hiring process.
Facing a panel that poses challenging questions about your qualifications and experience can be daunting.
This is the moment where being at your best is vital.
Tessa White, a career coach with over two decades in HR and founder of The Job Doctor, emphasizes the importance of being ‘crystal clear on your value proposition.’
This is her primary focus when working with clients.
White points out that the biggest mistake comes from how candidates sell themselves.
She notes that relying on past job tasks as a measure of value for the new role is a misstep.
This approach limits negotiation strength, as ‘your leverage is in your outcomes’.
White stated: “When somebody goes in to get a job and they say, ‘I’ve done this before and I’m really good at it,’ that doesn’t mean anything. That’s just white noise.”
Instead, it’s key to understand that ‘the language of business is numbers.’
White advises illustrating how you addressed challenges in prior roles and the results achieved.
Quantify these outcomes to strengthen your case.
For instance, if the interview is for a position requiring market introduction skills, demonstrate the numerical impact before and after your last company entered a new market.
White shared: “In my last job, I did this, and I was able to gain 12% penetration in this particular target market with a 98% retention rate of customers.
“All of a sudden, I want that [candidate].”
White further stated: “If I’m applying for a job and I go and say, ‘I’ve done HR for 20 years, and I know how to do business succession planning and recruiting and training’ — everybody on their resumes has that experience.
“But if I go in and I say, ‘I’m the person that you hire if you’re a company that wants to go fast and go public, and you need to build up your departments and make sure they can scale quickly’ — I’m all of a sudden the top candidate for the job, instead of just another person who has 20 years [of experience].”
She encourages presenting ‘your professional highlights reel, not your job description.’
The expert concluded: “If you’re clear on your value proposition and you can clearly articulate what the company gets if they hire you, and the problems you can solve and the skills you have to solve those problems for the company, you will be able to negotiate much higher pay.”