What are some interview tips that can take you from simple to stand-out candidate? President and CEO of the Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce Kaylin Risvold chats all things hiring with local experts Samantha Meredith from the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), Duckie Huynh representing Insperity, and Bill Lehman from Employ Source Temp Solutions.
Interview Tips for the Employer
Kaylin asked the panel “When posting a job, what are a few tips for the employer?”
Samantha said “Being very specific and making sure you that you are letting the candidate know exactly what it is that they are applying for and what your expectations are so that there is nothing that is misleading or overlooked when they are applying for that, and they’re confident in knowing that what they are applying for they are qualified for.
Are Cover Letters Still Required?
Ducky believes “You should always include one because cover letters and resumes are two entirely different things. Your resume should be what your educational background, your skillset, and really have those details about your work history and experience. Your cover letter is what sells you. It’s your marketing plan. You have to show the value you bring to the organization.”
Ducky later went on to say that a cover letter “should always be customized, everything should be customized, whether its a cover letter or resume or even a short email introduction. It should always be tailored to the position.”
Interview Prep
Kaylin asked the guests “What are some of the things that interviewees can do to prep for that first short meeting?”
“They always need to research the company. Find out what they do and what their vision is,” Samantha said.
Asking questions is a great way to demonstrate that you have researched the company. Ducky recommends asking questions directly to the interviewer like, “what do you like best about the job?” And “how do you feel like you fit into the culture?”
Bill piggybacked off of that saying you should ask questions like “what kind of people have been successful in this role? What kind of attributes and skillsets did they have?” And then when you get the answer to that go to your experience and background and tie those together so being able to say you say that this time management is very important in this role and I have excellent time management skills and I exhibited that in my previous two positions doing XY&Z.”
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