Certain characteristics, such as enthusiasm and an ability to work well with others, are important to employers.
When a hiring manager schedules a lunch interview, he might be assessing your ability to get along with others.
Technical skills: Check. Education: Check. Qualifications: Check. Soft skills: Womp womp.
Hiring managers seek a certain “je ne sais quoi,” a certain “it” factor, when evaluating candidates. When soft skills are clearly absent, or don’t get appropriately emphasized during a job interview, it could be game over for your candidacy.
Yes, some industries and roles put more weight on this than others. But when I worked in financial services corporate recruiting, and candidates had nearly identical resumes, education and work experience, those who highlighted soft skills were hired.
They emphasized their incredible people skills, work ethic and overall positive presence. Here are four things hiring managers look for in a stellar hire:
1. Plays well with others. Lunch interviews were the norm to determine how well someone fit in with the group. Could she effectively make small talk, smile and get along with a variety of personalities on the team?
More often than not, hiring managers are assessing your interpersonal skills, and one way to effectively do this entails putting you in front of your peers. In fact, hiring managers repeatedly informed me that they can easily teach smart new hires specific technical skills, but people skills are valuable and harder to teach.
Your ability to make small talk, even if that’s not your forte, is key to acing the lunch interview and demonstrating that “plays well with others” skill set. One way to improve this skill is to go to social events that you normally wouldn’t attend. Venture outside your comfort zone, even for 30 minutes, and force yourself to have pleasant conversations with at least three people. By doing so, you’ll sharpen your conversational skills and stay abreast of current events to have topics to discuss at your fingertips. And even though it’s an election year, resist the temptation to talk about politics.
2. Gets fired up. Do you have what it takes to succeed and own your career? Run with it. Instead of dimming your inner light and enthusiasm during a job interview, let your authentic, genuine ambition shine. I once asked the new hiring manager of a group with a unique job description and technology-heavy skill set what he was looking for in a stellar candidate.
“What’s the top qualification you want me to focus on?” I asked.
He responded, “I’m looking for fire in their bellies.”
As much as job seekers think there’s a quantitative analysis or in-depth evaluation experience, it often comes down to basics, like “fire in your belly.”
Candidates are able to convey this by explaining how they envision an exciting career full of growth. This isn’t one of those fake-it-till-you-make-it conversations. And it isn’t something to be glossed over on a cover letter. The people I’ve seen with a true fire have eyes that illuminate when they talk about their career or industry.
Be careful not to overdo it. Yes, it’s important to demonstrate interest and ambition, but if you go too far, it could backfire and come across as overzealous. You can always practice a statement that’s succinct and effective while you’re conducting mock interviews with a mentor or friend.
3. Works hard. Do your homework and come to the interview with an example of your work ethic. Even if interviewers don’t dive into behavioral-based interview questions seeking a specific example from your work history, insert it into the interview anyway. Feel free to rely heavily on this tactic during informational interviews and networking conversations as well. Let people you meet get to know you – the true you, work ethic included – beyond the surface information they can easily find on your social media profiles.
During the question portion at the conclusion of your interview, ask about the corporate culture by giving an example of when you went above and beyond and how you enjoy surrounding yourself with like-minded top performers.
Think of it this way: Hiring managers don’t want to micromanage somebody, for the most part, and they certainly don’t want to hear a direct report refuse to do specific work because it’s “not their job.” Instead, they want someone who can roll up their sleeves and dive in, adjust to a potentially changing work environment, learn, grow and make an impact on the organization.
4. Is likable. Again, this is not something employees can be taught from a textbook. Hiring managers I’ve worked with always say they went with the person who was well-liked. “Everyone liked them” was the typical response.
Plus, they extended offers to the candidates they could celebrate with after the entire team crushed a big deadline. Again, it goes back to the sandbox.
Reprinted from: US News & World Report – On Careers – 1.12.16
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