The Goal Standard

Jul 9th, 2005 | By Bill | Category: Employment News



The Goal Standard

Have you been looking for a way to distinguish yourself from competitors in your search for a new job? An effective approach is to prove you are a goal-oriented employee.

It always is a good idea to sell yourself as a goal-oriented individual because employers are goal-oriented themselves. One of their goals is to find the best-qualified people who can make an immediate contribution to the company’s bottom line. They also have specific objectives for company growth, and are looking for people who will fit easily into the organization and perform capably with a minimal amount of downtime acclimating to the new work routine.

The interview is the make-or-break point in your job hunt. If you do not make an outstanding impression, you will not be offered the job. If you demonstrate your ability to set and meet goals, no matter what the time constraints, you will help distinguish yourself from the six or more other jobseekers who are being seriously considered for the same position.

Listen for Clues
How can you accomplish this objective? Listen for clues from the employer about the needs of the company. When it is your turn to respond, give examples from previous jobs that show your ability to formulate and implement plans that were directly tied to the companys goals for the future. Be factual in your statements and avoid exaggeration.

Keep in mind that you are at the interview to discuss the prospective employer’s objectives, not your own personal goals. The interviewing executive is “buying” your services to fill a need in the company, and is interested in how well you can meet the company’s objectives. If you insist on talking about your personal requirements, you most likely will lose the interviewer’s attention and bring the session to a premature end. In other words, check your ego at the door, and do more listening than talking.
Your resume should emphasize how you achieved your former employers’ goals rather than your own by presenting specific examples of how you helped former employers increase profitability, market share and/or visibility in the marketplace.

No resume alone will win you the job (that can only be done through the interview), but follow the same approach in your verbal presentation. It is always preferable to discuss your accomplishments in person rather than relying on the written word. Do not offer your resume unless it is requested, but prepare it well and have it ready.

Think About Their Future
Employers today want to hire employees who have the ability to think and plan into the future. Due to increasing worldwide competition, companies need to find new ways of distinguishing themselves. If you approach the interview by planning a strategy which complements this trend, you will be on target.
The best chance you will have to prove your abilities is at the interview. Do everything in your power to line up as many interviews as possible. Never rule out any opportunity to meet with an employer, even if it concerns an industry in which you have never worked. Most likely, your functional skills are transferable into a variety of industries.

If an employer is only willing to meet with you for a short time and does not have any specific job openings, accept without hesitation and count your lucky stars. Many job openings are created on the spot, in the interview, if the employer is impressed with your capabilities and likes you. As a rule, many hiring managers will “create” a job for any individual who seems like a stand-out candidate. Few companies will talk with you if they do not have a job possibility. However, they often will not discuss this fact because they do not want to be put in the position of having to reject you.

Leads in Lieu of Job Offers
During the interview, if you are told that there are no job openings at the company, ask the hiring executive for advice on how you should proceed with your job search. Ask for the names of contacts at other companies in your field. More often than not, you will be given people to contact because the employer will be flattered that you asked for assistance.

One discharged executive was told during the course of an interview that the company did not have any job openings. He did, however, obtain the names of contacts at four companies.

In a lapse of judgment, the jobseeker did not follow up immediately, and continued his job search for the next couple of weeks. When nothing materialized, he finally decided to get in touch with the new contacts he had been given. He arranged interviews with each of the individuals and, much to his surprise, obtained a job offer from one of the four.

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