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In recent weeks, recruiters for Consolidated Container Co. have seen job candidates arrive up to an hour early for interviews. Other candidates have alluded to financial hardships while in the hot seat, and one person even distributed bound copies of documents describing projects he completed for past employers.
These sorts of tactics aren't exactly winners.
In today's ultracompetitive job market, even getting an interview is a feat. Yet recruiters and hiring managers say many unemployed candidates blow the opportunity by appearing desperate or bitter about their situations -- often without realizing it.
'People are becoming a lot more aggressive,' says Julie Loubaton, director of recruiting and talent management for Atlanta-based Consolidated Container. 'They often wind up hurting themselves.'
At an interview, you want to stand out for the right reasons. To do so, you'll need to leave your baggage and anxiety at the door. For starters, wait until 10 minutes before your scheduled interview time to announce yourself. Arriving any sooner 'shows that you're not respectful of the time the hiring manager put aside for you,' says Ms. Loubaton, adding that a candidate who arrived an hour early made workers uncomfortable. 'Companies really don't want someone camped out in their lobby.'
Signal confidence by offering a firm handshake, adds Wendy Alfus Rothman, president of Wenroth Consulting Inc., an executive coaching firm in New York. Focus your attention on the interviewer. Avoid looking around the room, tapping your fingers, or other nervous movements.
No matter how you're feeling, keep your personal woes out of the interview process, asserts Ms. Alfus Rothman. Instead, always exude an upbeat attitude. For example, if you were laid off, instead of lamenting the situation, you might say the experience prompted you to reassess your skills, and that's what led you here. 'You want to demonstrate resilience in the face of unpredictable obstacles,' she says.
Meanwhile, show you've done your homework on the company by explaining how your background and track record relates to its current needs, adds Deborah Markus, founder of Columbus Advisors LLC, an executive-search firm in New York. This is particularly important if the firm is in a different industry than the one you worked in before. To stand out, you'll need to look up more than just basics on company leadership and core businesses. You'll also need to find out -- and understand -- how recent changes in the marketplace have affected the firm, its competitors and industry overall. Read recent company press releases, annual reports, media coverage and industry blogs, and consult with trusted members of your network. 'Companies that may have been performing well just a few months ago might be in survival mode now,' says Ms. Markus. 'You want to understand how [they're] positioned today.'
Also, be sure to show you're a strong fit for the particular position you're seeking, adds Kathy Marsico, senior vice president of human resources at PDI Inc., a Saddle River, N.J., provider of sales and marketing services for pharmaceutical companies. Offer examples of past accomplishments -- not just responsibilities you've held -- and describe how they're relevant to the opportunity. 'You must differentiate yourself like never before,' she says. 'You need to customize yourself and make yourself memorable.'
Sherry R. Brickman, a partner at executive-search firm Martin Partners LLC, says a candidate recently impressed her with this sort of preparation. 'He knew the company's product line and what markets it was already in,' she says of the man, who was interviewing for an executive post at a midsize industrial manufacturer. 'He clearly and effectively explained how he could cut costs, increase sales and expand market share based on what he'd done in his current job.' The candidate was hired.
Be careful not to go too far, though, in your quest to stand out. For example, it may be tempting to offer to work temporarily for free or to take a lesser salary than what a job pays. But experts say such bold moves often backfire on candidates. 'Employers want value,' says Lee Miller, author of 'Get More Money on Your Next Job . . . In Any Economy.' 'They don't want cheap.'
Your best bet is to wait until you're extended a job offer before talking pay. 'In a recession, employers are going to be very price sensitive,' says Mr. Miller. 'The salary you ask for may impact their decision to move forward.' Come prepared having researched the average pay range for a position in case you're pressured to name your price, he adds. You might say, for example, that money isn't a primary concern for you and that you're just looking for something fair, suggests Mr. Miller. You can try turning the tables by asking interviewers what the company has budgeted for the position.
In some cases, you may be looking just for a job to get you through so you might consider a less-than-perfect fit. But if you aren't really excited about an opportunity, keep it to yourself, warns David Gaspin, director of human resources at 5W Public Relations in New York. 'I've had times where people come in and it's clear that if they really had their preference, they'd be doing something different,' he says. 'You don't want to put that out on the table. Nobody wants to hire someone who's going to run for the door when times get better.'
After an interview, take caution with your follow-up. If you're in the running for multiple jobs at once, make sure to address thank-yous to the right people, career experts advise. Also look closely for spelling and grammatical errors. In a competitive job market, employers have the luxury of choice, and even a minor faux pas can hurt your chances.
If all has gone well, don't stalk the interviewer. Wait at least a week before checking on your candidacy, adds Jose Tamez, managing partner at Austin-Michael LP, an executive-search firm in Golden, Colo. Call recruiters only at their office, even if their business card lists a home or cell number. Leave a message if you get voicemail. These days, recruiters typically have caller ID and can tell if you've tried reaching them multiple times without leaving a voicemail. 'There's a fine line between enthusiasm and overenthusiasm,' he says.
最近几周，包装公司Consolidated Container Co.的招聘官注意到一个现象，某些应聘者提早一个小时就来到面试现场，还有一些应聘者在面试时暗示自己经济上遇到麻烦，一位应聘者甚至将过去做过的项目编印成册进行分发。
其实上述举动并不是面试成功的上策。
在如今竞争异常激烈的就业市场上，获得面试机会本身就是一个成就。但是不少招聘官和人事经理反映，很多失业的应聘者对于自己的处境所表现出的绝望或痛苦毁掉了他们的机会。而他们常常意识不到这一点。
亚特兰大Consolidated Container公司招聘和人力资源管理经理朱丽•鲁巴顿(Julie Loubaton)说：“应聘者比过去激进多了，不过他们常常事与愿违。”
如果想以正确的方式在面试中崭露头角，就要把心理负担和焦虑情绪扔在门外。如果你是职场新人，那么请等到指定时间前的十分钟，再出现在面试地点。鲁巴顿说：“早到10分钟以上，说明你不尊重人事经理为你留出的时间。”她补充道：“提前一个小时，会让面试方的员工感觉不舒服，哪家公司都不希望有人在自己的门厅里安营扎寨。”
纽约高管培训公司Wenroth Consulting总裁温迪•阿尔法斯•罗斯曼(Wendy Alfus Rothman)的建议是，用一个有力的握手来传递你的自信，将注意力放在面试官身上。避免东张西望或用手指敲桌子等表现紧张的举动。
罗斯曼强调道，无论心情如何，面试时一定要表现得蓬勃向上，把个人的不幸全部忘掉。例如，如果你被裁员，与其悲叹时局，不如告诉面试官，裁员的经历激励你重新评价自己的能力，并促使你申请这份新工作。罗斯曼说：“在不可预知的挫折面前，你要表现出越挫越勇的精神。”
纽约高管猎头公司Columbus Advisors的创始人德博拉•马库斯(Deborah Markus)补充道：“与此同时，还要解释你的背景和履历为什么符合对方当前的需求，以此说明你已针对招聘单位做了功课。”对于跨行业的应聘者来说，这一点尤其重要。为了脱颍而出，应聘者不仅要了解对方的管理模式和核心业务等基本信息，还要进行更深入的研究，弄清近期的市场变化如何影响招聘方、其竞争对手和整个行业。这就要求应聘者查阅招聘方的最新新闻稿、财务年报、媒体报导和行业博客等，并向社交圈里值得信任的人士进行咨询。马库斯说：“几个月以前经营良好的公司，现在可能已经挣扎在生死线上。你应该掌握他们目前的经营策略。”
PDI公司人力资源高级副总裁凯西•马斯科(Kathy Marsico)的建议是，一定要显示出自己是所应征职位的最佳人选，向对方提供能证明过去成就的案例，不仅要指出你过去的职责，还要说明这些职责与应聘的岗位有什么关系：“你必须用全新的方式让自己脱颍而出，一方面要根据对方的需求塑造自己，另一方面还要让自己表现得令人过目不忘。”总部位于新泽西州萨德河地区的PDI公司向制药企业提供销售和营销服务。
高管猎头公司Martin Partners合伙人莎莉•R•布利克曼(Sherry R. Brickman)表示，最近一位应聘者就用上面提到的方法给她留下深刻的印象：“他了解招聘方的产品线，以及所在的市场。”这位应聘者面试的是一家中型工业制造企业的高层管理职位。“他结合自己在目前职位的工作，明确而有效地解释出他将如何帮助对方削减成本、增加销量和扩大市场。”这位应聘者最终被录用了。
但是切记，即使你想让自己独树一帜，也不要过犹不及。比如，提出为对方免费或者低薪工作一段时间，也许听上去很诱人，但是专家们指出，这种鲁莽的举动可能适得其反。
《如何跳槽到高薪的职位》(Get More Money on Your Next Job . . . In Any Economy.)一书的作者李•米勒(Lee Miller)说，“雇主们想要获得价值，而不是便宜货。”
最保险的做法是拿到录用通知之后再谈薪水。米勒说：“经济衰退时，雇主对钱非常敏感，你的目标薪酬可能影响他们作出进一步决定的决心。” 米勒补充道，面试前，你可以搜索相关职位的平均薪酬范围，以防万一被迫回答薪酬问题。米勒还建议道，你可以说，钱不是你主要考虑的问题，你只想获得一份公平的报酬。你还可以把问题抛回去，问对方到底留了多少预算给这个职位。
有时候，你只不过想找份工作作为权宜之计，而没有追求最完美的职位。即使你对面前的机会并不那么感兴趣，也要把这种想法埋在心底。这是纽约公关公司5W公司人力资源主管大卫•加斯宾(David Gaspin)的警告。“我遇到过这种情况，一些人一进来，我从他们的表现中就能看出，他们对这份工作并不真正感兴趣。应聘者不应该把这种心理表现出来，因为谁也不想雇用一个只要经济形势好转，就立刻转身走人的员工。”
面试之后的跟进也很重要。职业专家的建议是，如果你同时面试几个职位，记得要对恰当的人表达感谢。拼写和语法错误也要严格避免。在竞争激烈的就业市场上，雇主们拥有众多选择，微小的失礼也可能毁掉你的机会。
如果一切进展顺利，也不要对面试官追得太紧�？坡蘩嘀莞吖芰酝饭続ustin-Michael公司执行合伙人约斯•塔姆斯(Jose Tamez)忠告应聘者，至少在一周后再查询面试结果。另外，即使面试官的名片上有手机号或家庭电话，你也只能打办公室电话。如果是语音信箱，就留个口信。如今，招聘官们电话大多有来电显示，他们知道谁打了很多电话却不留口信。塔姆斯说：“要把握好热情和过度热情之间的界线。”
