Crazy Good Interviewing: How Acting A Little Crazy Can Get You The Job

Chapter 16

Putting It All Together in a Crazy Good Way

Employers have a veritable toolkit of interview formats and techniques at their disposal to ensure they select the right candidates for available positions in their organizations, and more methods are being added all the time. Although the unique combination of your education, professional experience, and skills will get your foot in the door, it does not guarantee you a job offer.

Employers do not make hiring decisions based on merit alone; they are looking for the total package. Personality, confidence, enthusiasm, a positive attitude, and excellent interpersonal and communication skills count heavily in the selection process. In fact, a study by the Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM) proved this point when it showed that a candidate's background and qualifications were far less influential in hiring decisions than their professionalism and interview performance.

The job interview process itself continues to change with technological advances. In the not-too-distant past, job seekers enclosed their carefully worded letters of introduction and accompanying resumes, printed on high-quality Vellum stationery, in a stamped envelope and mailed them via U.S. mail in response to an ad in the local newspaper. Then, they waited nervously by the phone in the hopes of receiving a call from a secretary to schedule a face-to-face, one-on-one interview with a hiring manager at the employer's jobsite.

Today, job seekers take a ...