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What Do Hiring Managers Want to Hear From a Candidate?

What Do Hiring Managers Want to Hear From a Candidate?

Congratulations—you’ve just been invited to interview for your dream job! Now you’re more determined than ever to get the role. And why shouldn’t you get it? You have the education, qualifications, and experience. You have the dedication and energy. And, most importantly, you have the desire and ability to succeed in the position. But although you’ve communicated all of this in your résumé and cover letter, what exactly does the hiring manager want to see and hear from you during the interview that will make you stand out from the pack?

Show That You Understand the Role

As Forbes points out, it’s important to let the hiring manager know that you read the job description thoroughly. Make it clear that you have a good comprehension of the position and its requirements, as well as how you meet them. Keep in mind that it’s fine to ask a few questions to clarify the job posting, because you need to understand what your responsibilities will be, who you’ll be working with, and what will be expected of you.

Show That You’re Confident in Your Abilities

It’s critical that you’re confident about what you bring to the table—and that you can prove your self-confidence is founded. It’s a good idea to show how your work benefitted other employers or clients by using detailed examples. If any of these people have endorsed you on LinkedIn, it helps strengthen your point. Similarly, if any projects you worked on were featured in any publications or productions, share the links with the hiring manager.

If at all possible, you should also quantify your impact, according to Glassdoor. Let’s say your contributions to a marketing campaign helped drive sales up by eight percent over the following quarter. State that fact, and be sure to establish a direct link between your contributions and the campaign’s success. For instance, perhaps you conceptualized a new approach of marketing the product or service to appeal more to the appropriate marketing segment. 

In addition, you should demonstrate your improvement over time. As you progress in your career, you grow your skills and knowledge. So it’s only logical that you can accomplish more as you advance. Discuss an accomplishment you achieved when you were in an entry-level position and one you achieved more recently—then talk about how your dedication to ongoing development drives you to keep accomplishing more.

Show You Can Communicate the Business’s Objectives and How You Would Contribute

You should always go into a job interview understanding what the potential employer’s business objectives are. Read the company’s mission statement on its website, and search the web for news about recent developments that involve the company and/or its industry. When you’ve discussed the organization’s goals, start explaining how you would leverage your specific skill set, experience, and network to the company’s advantage. For instance, you could highlight a challenge the employer’s currently facing and discuss what strategies you would suggest to resolve that challenge in a way that helps the company advance towards its goals.

The better you understand the role you want and its relevance to the employer’s goals, the better you’ll be able to illustrate how your combination of skills, knowledge, and experience can contribute. So if you do your homework about the company and spend some time really analyzing how your abilities can help it, you’ll be able to position yourself as a top-quality candidate.

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