How long does a job applicant have to lose the job? (employee, applying)
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As someone that has hired hundreds of employees back in my corporate life, this is something I have said time after time, and so many people disagree and says the first impression is not important. An applicant can have the perfect resume, and background, but if they give a poor first impression, they are not going to
get the job.
Reasons an applicant will not get a job, and often will not get an interview.
1: A bad on size fits all resume. Remember if the one checking out your resume, you have only 6 seconds to get their attention. A one size fits all resume, does not work and each resume submitted should say I am who you are looking for. A sloppy resume, means a sloppy person will not get an interview. Today you can make up different items to cut and paste into the resume, to fit the job, and anyone that does not do so, is going to have their resume in the no-go pile. There are many sources on the Internet to get a resume format that will be attractive and catch the attention of the reader.
2: A person that does not feel confident as an applicant, it shows and you will not get the job. Dressing to impress the person you are respectful, and confident to get the job. You have 27 seconds, to give the interviewer a positive opinion of you. If you do not the rest of the interview is just a formality, and you have already been rejected in the interviewers mind.
3: When going to the interviewers office, a glad to meet you confident person with a strong handshake, is the one that will get the job.
4: Some of the questions, are designed to see if you are easily thrown off the track, or leaves you completely lost, are asked to see how you are at problem solving. Becoming flustered, will say this person is not a real problem solver.
FACTS.
1: If you are submitting a number of applications for jobs you are qualified for, and not getting interviews, your resume is not suitable to attract the readers to interview you. The things they are looking for to see if the applicant is in anyway qualified for the job, are not there. Your resume and cover letter do not stand up and shout I am your man/woman to fill this job. If they did, you would be getting interviews.
2: If you do not give the first impression, when going into the interview you are not going to get the job. It is no time to be an introvert, as this is going to keep you from getting the job. What it does is tell the interviewer that you really know you are not qualified for the job. It says that this person, is a no hire. This and other studies have set it for from this 27 seconds to half a minute.
Remember: You only have one opportunity to make a good first impression. This goes for both the resume and cover letter, and the actual interview.
Sorry Oldtrader, I've interviewed dozens of potential employees and your post makes little sense to me. Yes, a well constructed resume is a good first step, but 27 seconds to half a minute to make an impression? When I interviewed, that wouldn't be long enough to do introductions, let alone get a first impression. In our interview format, we had a panel of 4 to 6 supervisors, and we had questions written out that the interviewee answered. We would ask for follow up if the answers were not clear. We also depended on references. I've hired introverts who did a great job, so for me, that's not an automatic no.
Remember: You only have one opportunity to make a good first impression. This goes for both the resume and cover letter, and the actual interview.
And the employer needs to make a good first impression, too. Candidates judge us just as much as we judge them. We often forget that interviewing is a two-way street.
I detest your number 4 if you're just looking to"throw people off". I'm not a quick comeback sort of person. However, I do better research than most people I know and have worked with. When I make a statement you can bet I gave the facts to back it up. In addition, most of the problems I encounter require more thought than some glib answer.
I've started and run my own company for 26 years and I'm now the HOA President of a 900 home community. I have learned how to say, I'll get back to you, but that's hardly practical in a job interview.
As to your 27 seconds, the only time I would make that quick a decision would be if the applicant showed up in shorts, flip flops and stunk (literally).
I detest your number 4 if you're just looking to"throw people off". I'm not a quick comeback sort of person. However, I do better research than most people I know and have worked with. When I make a statement you can bet I gave the facts to back it up. In addition, most of the problems I encounter require more thought than some glib answer.
People who can think on their feet and take the correct action don't give glib answers to questions in interviews. Also, not every question is required to have a perfect 100% correct answer requiring research. If you walk into a grocery store and ask where is the peanut butter, you don't want the employee to spend 5 minutes researching it to come back while the customer waits to say exactly where it is placed on the self, when simply knowing what aisle it is on is acceptable. Some jobs, like in engineering, you are expected to know your profession and not write down every question and follow it up with a reply at the next meeting. That's far too slow. It is a skill that takes practice, and I see no reason to criticize those that have the skill as giving glib answers which I've never witnessed that.
1: If you are submitting a number of applications for jobs you are qualified for, and not getting interviews, your resume is not suitable to attract the readers to interview you. The things they are looking for to see if the applicant is in anyway qualified for the job, are not there. Your resume and cover letter do not stand up and shout I am your man/woman to fill this job. If they did, you would be getting interviews.
Things aren't always as simple as that. I have seen a posting by someone who worked in HR claiming that when she got 100 e-mails applying for the same job, should would take the first 20 or so resumes to look at and delete the rest. So those other 80 resumes were deleted unread.
We can't assume that every company is doing their recruitment correctly and carefully by considering everyone. You have no chance if your resume is looked at for zero seconds. This goes to explain a lot at how sloppy HR is.
HR is only reviewed by their management by the number of offers accepted. Not by the number of resumes they have carefully reviewed. So if they put out 100 offers that year, and only 50% of them are accepted then HR looks at that recruiter to want to know what is wrong, if the peer recruiters are getting their offers accepted 80-90% of the time.
Interview questions should be pertinent to the job, not random questions thrown in to generate a reaction.
Many applicants practice for interviews with people that give them answers for expected questions. It is not an accurate appraisal of the candidates ability to respond to the unexpected. A question they are not expecting they should be able to easily answer, starts giving the interviewer a look into the real applicant, and gets them out of practiced answers others helped them develop. Once the applicant is thrown off of practiced answers you are able to see the real applicant.c
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