Standing out in tech is kind of an oxymoron, we’ve noticed. While the market is so lean, and skillsets are in high demand – the talent gets lost in a sea of resumes and job seeker profiles.
Aside from my usual spiel for how SkillGigs prevents getting lost in the mix – as a tech professional – here’s our advice for how to stand out during an initial interview screening.
- Don’t treat a screening as anything less than formal: Although you may have an idea of who you are talking to, you may not know their level of decision-making in the hiring process. It’s easy to feel like a quick phone call or initial screening is simple to get by. You’re wrong – preparing for the first interview is more important than any other part of the interview – because it is your step into the door. This is one part of the magic behind our 3D resume – because it creates a space for your experience to be featured in an impressive and quick glance – making your conversation into the initial interview richer. Utilize this kind of presentation to speak about your skillsets, even in the initial screening.
- Engage your interviewer: Interviewing shouldn’t be awkward, by any means. I have always made a conscious effort to look at the interview as a professional conversation where you get to know the employer, as much as they get to know you. If you need to relax, an excellent method to calm your nerves is to engage the interviewer in a conversation about their role. This proves consideration for your interviewer’s time and interest in the company.
- If you haven’t already – perfect your elevator pitch: The phrase “Don’t tell me how to build the clock, tell me what time it is” applies beautifully here. When overviewing your experience and who you are – think about what is relevant and why they care. This should be no more than a few sentences and delivery is key. Interviews are the perfect place to pitch because they almost always start with “Tell me about yourself.” Then, you apply the following formula: I’ve been working in this industry for this many years + I am especially qualified within this tech skill = I am looking for a role like this, that I can master the following skills in.” Our talent loves SkillGigs’ technology because it allows them to follow this exact formula in their 3D resume and skill listing.
- Follow up on all forms of communication: Even if the communication is a basic thank you note. When the interviewer sees your name, they are reminded of you and your genuine interest in the position. Trickling 1 or 2 post-communications can also help stay on top of the next interview steps and reinforce your interest in the job. Follow-up translates into diligence and diligence is very attractive in the tech world.
- Be respectful of everyone surrounding this interview: Similar to tip 1, you never know who the decision maker is. The reality is, that everyone you interact with, from the admin to the owner, is a part of that company. Never change your attitude towards them, even if you think “That’s not the person to impress.” In 2017, culture fit is becoming almost as important as your technical qualifications.
- Know what the employer has done in the industry, most recently: Doing your homework goes a long way. Take a few minutes and read up on their role in the industry, so you can have a conversation about their latest tech advances.
- Speak to a skill that others can vouch for If you have talent that can speak for itself, then you probably have a referral that will mention them too. Make sure you develop mini elevator pitches for your top skills. Your role in tech should make this easy because it is a technical space to list strengths. Be ready to test your software and other IT knowledge. With our talent, we offer assessments, basic screening & other curation to ensure the talent can fully comprehend and communicate their skill sets.
- Site your ideas for this role: People who talk about success in interviews always forget to mention execution in the role. I think it’s important to think of this open position as if you were starting tomorrow. Our company is all about expediting the hiring process & prompting talent to take control of their careers. Shifting your attitude from a potential job to this is my job can really validate how you talk about your skills.
- Make a point of your job’s processes, record keeping & improvements: They’ll eat this stuff up. Tech people and the people that manage them LOVE placed importance on processes. Trust me – with a product like SkillGigs, there are a lot of techies who worked together to make our platform as great as it is. Had it not been for a lot of structure, prototype tracking, and modification, we wouldn’t be where we are today. Talk about how you did this in your most recent role, and they will recognize value.
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