This afternoon I interviewed the CEO of a mid-sized (500 person) company for a newspaper article I'm writing; he told me that he got 25,000 resume submittals last year. How many folks did his company interview? Three hundred and eight. How many did they actually hire? Eighty. Getting a job there seems like a pretty long shot, right?
I say, not necessarily. Because if you're one of the eighty they hired, getting the job might have seemed like slam-dunk. What would have separated you out from the crowd? Actually meeting the specifications for the position is a pretty good start. Having an advocate (READ: headhunter, former colleague, employee referral) who will pitch for you is another.
You have to be able to interview well too. It's unfortunate (or not) but a turkey monitor can't be used to assess your value-adding potential. One quick suggestion I have is that you spend your (in person) time listening to what your would-be boss has to say instead of thinking about what you might say to impress him/her. It's an easy way to stand out. Your boss-to-be, at the very least, will come away thinking that you'd be a respectful worker, a team player, and not too much of a headache. He/she will likely come away from the interview with a "feel good" vibe without actually knowing why.
And after the interview, write a thank you e-mail or note. Follow-through matters.
Do all this and you'll stand out from the crowd. You're likely to be one of the visible ones in the pile of 25,000!
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