7 Ways to a Job Interview

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1. The most effective way to get a job interview is to connect with a “hiring manager”* directly or indirectly with a strong referral and/or recommendation from an employee, friend, or colleague of the hiring manager. The informational interview is a great way to get this kind of referral and recommendation if you do not have a personal connection to the hiring manager. A job offer is not guaranteed, but the interview is assured.
*When I use the term “hiring manager,” I am not referring to the company’s HR recruiter. I am referring to the person in an organization who has the authority to offer you a specific position (i.e., the person who will be your manager or your manager’s manager).

2. One of the next best ways to get a job interview is through an employee (in good standing) referral to the HR department, even without a strong recommendation. HR professionals assume that an employee will not bring forward a candidate for consideration less qualified than the employee doing the referring, and will often feel an obligation to give the employee’s candidate serious consideration. Companies have also found that job candidates who are recommended by valued employees tend to perform better, stay longer, and integrate faster. This is why resumes submitted by an employee get special attention as compared to resumes submitted via the Internet (on job boards, company websites, and mobile apps).

3. Interning (as a student, recent grad, or even a professional changing careers) is also a very strong way to get an offer for a full time position upon graduation, particularly if the hiring manager (or a close colleague of the hiring manager) has had a chance to observe your skills and strengths first hand.

4. Both volunteering and part-time work, even for a few hours per week on a regular basis, are very good ways to get the attention of a hiring manager or an employee who might bring you to the attention of a hiring manager (or the HR department) for an internship or full time offer and sponsorship after graduation.

5. The fifth way that you can get an internship or full time job is to impress the recruiter who visits your school during a job fair or an on-campus recruitment visit.

6. The sixth way that you can improve your chances of landing an interview and job offer requires going around HR to get to the hiring manager with your resume directly—whether or not there is a job posting. HR professionals often follow a relatively slow process, and may not fully understand the skills and strengths desired by the hiring manager. If you are an international student, you may also be negatively affected by a company’s hiring preference for U.S. residents. The hiring manager, on the other hand, is mainly concerned about finding the right candidate as quickly as possible, even if it means bending company policy and procedure. If you engage him directly, and are able to present yourself as an exceptional candidate, there is a good chance that he will arrange for you to be interviewed. As with the four ways above, this approach will bring your resume priority. It may be difficult for you to accept the idea that you should avoid the official HR application process, but you will increase your odds of success if you do.

7. The seventh and least successful path to landing a job is submitting your resume online to the HR department (with or without a cover letter). One reason is that you are “unknown” and there is a good chance that the hiring manager and HR will find enough “known” candidates using the other approaches already discussed before seriously considering online candidates. If you only take the online approach, it can result in a very long and frustrating job search and/or a job that is less satisfying than one you might have landed if you had used one of the other approaches.

For more detail on each of the 7 Ways to a Job Interview and step by step guidance on How to Master the Job Interview, please check out 3 Steps to Your Best Job Ever – Second Edition (Amazon, Kindle) or 3 Steps to Your Job in the USA – International Student Edition (Amazon, Kindle, iBooks).

Posted by:Steven Steinfeld