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You’ve just received the phone call.  The interview is set for next week.  Awesome!  Now the only question is – How are you getting hired?

The Two Most Important Criteria for Getting Hired #thecandidate

#1 – STAND TALL SOLDIER (…with a little bend at the knee)

If your resume made the cut, the next item your potential employer will look for is a connection.  This is where a lot of us fail….especially in this time of leadership change!  In the not so distant past, if you got the interview, you most likely got the job.  Well, times are a chang’in and the competition is stiff.  It’s an employer’s market – they can cherry pick the winning candidate and the deciding factor is if you’re a good fit.

“Meet ‘em Where They’re At”…is the first piece of advice I give folks.

Be aware of your own personality and how it jives with the person interviewing you.  Think of it like this – If you were in a night club you would act different than if you were in a church, synagogue or mosk, right?  Regardless of the position, you have to connect with the energy of the environment.  “Step it up” if you’re with a type A, talkative individual.  Listen twice as much as you speak but be engaged and lively.  Got the soft spoken, calm and deliberate person asking you questions?  …Then click it down a couple notches if need be.  The goal is to connect, connect, connect!

Personalities – we all have them.

Some say we have multiple ones!  😉  I’m not trying to be funny – It’s called emotional intelligence.  When my husband was unemployed, I was working part-time.  Thankfully, I was fortunate enough to get an interview for a full-time role within my company.  I met with 2 women who were significantly different than me.  (Same sex interviews are always a little more challenging – ego’s smack into each other!) It was a difficult interviewing process and I had to go back twice!  I got the job though, because beyond the technical skills, I presented the “person” that was going to be able to fit within the corporate culture.

#2 – DRESS FOR SUCCESS

This might sound easy enough, but it’s actually a little tricky.  I can think of 2 scenarios where the “attire” didn’t quite meet the requirements for the job.  My husband and I were both searching for our next gig.  He’s a first generation European, metrosexual .  Me? I’ve been called Pippi Longstocking….but I clean up nicely.

Anyways, my husband was a 15+ year international, publishing guy who travelled the world.  He was out of work seeking to gain employment in Tennessee, USA.  He did all the right things…He exchanged Hugo Boss for Brooks Brothers, Armani for JCrew.  In the end, however, it just wasn’t going to work.  Sometimes the stretch to be what someone else wants you to be is too far, and that’s ok.

I went on an interview for a managerial position at Macy’s department stores.  I thought the interview went great.  It felt like we connected and I certainly dressed the part.  In looking back, I can think of the fine details I missed.  I wasn’t wearing the most trending nail polish shade…and maybe my hair wasn’t coiffed just quite right.  Hey!  It’s retail.  You have to look the part.

Regardless of all the advice you get from us supposed gurus in employment, know this: YOU’RE GOOD ENOUGH!

I’m a big believer (and it’s been proven) that life unfolds the way it’s supposed to.  We can’t control outcomes but we can do our best to connect and meet the business relationship where it’s at.