How To Turn Job Interviews Into Job Offers

"I can do the job, so why don't I get the job offer?"

Being confident in your professional skills and being able to transfer that confidence in your competence to recruiters and hiring managers are two very different but equally important skills.

Who gets the job offers? The people who turn job interviews into job offers with the greatest ease are the people who are able identify and discuss the recurrent problems that lurk at the heart of their work, these people are seen to "get" the job in ways that other candidates don't.

Read on to find out how to turn interviews into job offers.

Article by: SimplyHired.com

SINCE YOU ASKED: Should I use social media to help with my job search?

Listen: Look at a company's presence on Facebook, follow its Twitter feed, get a feel for what the company is saying, and what people are saying about it. If you actually "listen" to the dialogue, you will get a sense of the culture and pulse of the organization. You can learn a lot through photos, videos, stories and feedback from users. This is a great starting point for your career search that can help form impressions and make decisions.

Engage: People often underestimate social media as a relationship builder. A decade ago, you could only look at a career site, but today it's a two-way street. If you have specific questions, first search for the answers. Never ask a question that can be answered on the company's website. If you send a well-thought-out question, you can usually get to the right place and get a response. Plus, you will get the added value of commentary from other users.

Build Relationships: The whole idea is use conversation platforms to get your questions answered and build a relationship. And the earlier the better! For instance, if you are looking for an internship, consider how many of your friends who have already graduated are out in the workforce and connect with them.

"The whole idea is to leverage your connections as you build relevant relationships."


Steven Ehrlich, Global Vice President, Client Development at TMP Worldwide
Becky Parson, Senior Project Manager, University Relations at AT&T

SIFE* 2011 / Career Connections

EFFECTIVE LISTENING: Discover Why Good Listeners Get More Jobs!

An Excerpt from Effective Listening: The Key to Successful Interviewing
by: John G. Igwebuike
Associate Professor of Legal Environment of Business
Associate Dean, Undergraduate Programs
Alcorn School of Business (ASB)

Communication is two-sided: there is a sending side (speaking and writing) and receiving side (reading and listening). To have one without the other, or to emphasize one at the expense of the other, results in ineffective communication. Why is listening so vital in an interview? We must first understand that a job interview is essentially a strategic communication for the purpose of exchanging information.

Consider why listening can make or break an interview:
a. Effective listening contributes to effective speaking
b. Employers want employees who are good, courteous listeners
c. The interview is an opportunity for you to interview the company. Careful and attentive
listening gives you the essential information you need which will later assist you in your
decision-making.

Silence is golden. Don't be afraid of short pauses. When asked a question, take time to think, understand the question, and formulate your answer. Remember, the word "silent" is "listen" with the letters transposed.

Ask a question - and then listen. Towards the end, the interviewer usually will ask if you have any questions or anything you wish to add. It's best to have prepared a few questions and to listen to the answers you receive. Remember, one of the key purposes of the interview is for you to gain knowledge so that you can make the right decisions.

Effective listening can give you an edge to say that current job market is fiercely competitive is an understatement. What is a job seeker to do? Improving your listening skills may give you the necessary leg up. Start by demonstrating your interest to the interviewer. The following tips will help you remember to LISTEN:

L - Lean slightly towards the interviewer, or sit up straight to show your attentiveness through your body language.

I - Ignore distractions such as a ringing phone, knock on the door, visitors, etc. A key quality of really great conversationalists is that they have a unique way of making you feel as though you are the most important person to them.

S - Smile in a relaxed manner with confidence. What shows on the outside, grows on the inside. A smile builds rapport and relaxes you so that you can really pay attention.

T - Take a few notes. Jotting down a couple of points is fine. Beyond that, note taking becomes distracting. When you look down to write on the notepad, you break eye contact with the interviewer. Train yourself to make mental notes of important points.

E - Eyes are the windows to the soul. Maintain eye contact to the degree that you and the interviewer remain comfortable.

N - No cell phones. This seems too simple a point to even mention, but you'd be surprised a the number of recruiters who tell me of cell phones sounding off to all manner of musical notes, beats, beeps, and jingles to ruinous consequences for the interviewee.

SIFE* 2011 / Career Connections

Lighten Up

Let's face it, we live in an acroynm-happy world. We are all familiar with NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration), ASAP (As Soon As Possible), and SIFE (you'd better know what that stands for!), but did you know that Jeep came from GP (which stood for "General Purpose" vehicle), that scuba stood for "Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus," and that laser stood for "Light Amiplification by the Stimulated Emission of Radiation"?

Social media has expanded our use of acronyms to the point that we wonder how we ever communicated without them. Think you know them all? Try this quiz (answers below).

1. BTW
a. Buy the Winnebago
b. Bye the Wednesday
c. By the Way

2. DM
a. Don't Move
b. Direct Messaging
c. Doughnut Machine

3. HTH
a. Hope that Helps
b. Hi There Honey
c. Head to Heart

4. IMHO
a. Igloos Make Houses Obsolete
b. I Might Have Overeaten
c. In My Humble Opinion

5. JV
a. Junk Vehicle
b. Joint Venture
c. Just Vague

6. LMK
a. Let Me Know
b. Let's Make Knishes
c. Letters Mean Knowledge

7. PRT
a. Parson Russell Terrier
b. Please Retweet
c. Pretend Rocks Talk

8. SMO
a. Search Media Optimization
b. So Many Onions
c. Should Move Over

9. UGC
a. Unusually Ghastly Contact
b. User Generated Content
c. Ugly Green Coat

10. YMMV
a. You May Move Vertically
b. Your Mom Must Vanish
c. Your Mileage May Vary

Answers: 1-c, 2-b, 3-a, 4-c, 5-b, 6-a, 7-b, 8-a, 9-b, 10-c

SIFE* 2011 / Career Connections