WHY SHOULD YOU BE PREFERRED?

As an HR Practitioner, I have been privileged to either anchor or sit on quite a number of interview panels. One of the key questions that most applicants fail to do justice to is; “why do you want to work for us (company)”. It’s a golden opportunity to sell yourself and stand-out from the crowd as the preferred choice.

The employment market is so huge and schools are churning out millions of graduates yearly into the labour market. People also have connections that you claim to have, some even have additional qualifications that you may or may not have with good presentation skills and some other attributes/skills. So the question then is “why must the employer choose you?” What extras are you bringing to the table? What value are you adding? Why must it be you?

The secret is simple: PREPARATION! Imagine a General going to war without understanding the opponents, identifying their strength and weaknesses, appreciate its own strength and weakness and identify opportunities available and how it can be harnessed, develop strategies that can bring all the factors into perspective for the purpose of winning the war. This same scenario applies to the labour market. It is WAR and all must be prepared to top. The following are some variables that should come handy:

·  Self-appraisal: most job adverts come with the job description and the applicable traits/qualities required for the job. Aligning your personal traits to what the employer is looking for, can you fit and fulfill all the requirements. What is/are my weakness (es) and how can I turn the negatives into positives, do I have the traits the employer is looking for. Identify other traits and attributes that can stand you out among other applicants

·   Research: gather as much information as possible about the employer and position advertised. Have a better understanding of what is required, goals and aspirations of the employer (vision and mission), key directors (where applicable), the line of business, the environment in which they operate and where possible the culture.

·   Practice: never overlook the minutest of details, mannerism, posture, tone, speech, appearance, etc. Identify possible questions covering a wide area including your course of study and practice your responses. I have seen a Master’s degree holder in Economics having difficulties defining economics. It could be pressure or lack of preparation but it sure limited her chances.

·        Honesty: don’t be afraid or ashamed to own up that you don’t have an idea, stand firm on what you believe in but don’t be argumentative and be quick to emphasis your willingness and ability to learn. No company will willingly accept liars and people with integrity issues except they are in the business of telling lies!

The labour market is quite competition as supply is enormous compared to the level of demand, which is limited. Your determination to go the extra mile and level of preparation will to a large extent determine your success rate. Other variables to note are:

·     Attitude: be positive, never talk badly about previous or present employer, no matter what never get angry or lose your temperance. Listen, never argue but make your point clearly, avoid ambiguity and words that can trigger negative response from the panel. Be courteous and respectful right from the gate. Keep It Short and Simple (KISS). Always strive to improve yourself and your skills, develop the right attitude and habits.

·    Punctuality: make it a point of duty to get to the venue at least 30 minutes before the scheduled interview. Gives you time to comport yourself, get a feel of the environment, observe the flow of activity or people, read body language, etc.

·        Appearance: dress the way you want to be addressed. Simple, smart and corporate.

Make yourself more employable and attractive to employers. Spend more time on preparation and self-development to become an asset that every employer would want to engage.