When you’re looking for work, what’s your end goal? To get hired, right? Many job seekers make the critical mistake of only considering their goal when they go in for an interview. In fact, they generally make this mistake long before they even make it to an interview – and that’s why they often don’t get the job they want.
The funny thing about looking for work is that a job seeker’s goal is in total misalignment with employers’ goals. Employers don’t exist to give you a job. When they’re hiring for a position, they’re not thinking, “Oh, I just hope a warm body shows up, so I can give them some work!” They’re hiring because they have a need to address. They have too much work to handle with their current resources. In essence, they’re looking for the best way to solve their resource problem.
The funny thing about looking for work is that a job seeker’s goal is in total misalignment with employers’ goals. Employers don’t exist to give you a job. When they’re hiring for a position, they’re not thinking, “Oh, I just hope a warm body shows up, so I can give them some work!” They’re hiring because they have a need to address. They have too much work to handle with their current resources. In essence, they’re looking for the best way to solve their resource problem.
And don’t make the mistake of thinking that they’re only looking at people to solve their problem, either. If an employer can eliminate his resourcing issue through automation, outsourcing, or extracting more out of his current workforce, he may do so, especially if it saves him money over the long run. After all, the very nature of business is to earn a profit.
So if you show up to an interview and think that by demonstrating you’re eager to work, that’s enough to get the job, you’re in for a surprise. It’s not. In order to successfully apply for a job, you not only have to demonstrate that you’re the best candidate to solve the employer’s resourcing problem, but that you’re also a superior option to other means of solving the employer’s issue at hand.
Next time you apply for a position, try and think about it from the employer’s point of view. Why is he hiring? And once you can get into his mindset, you’ll realize that the job interview isn’t about you at all. It’s actually about the employer and his problem.
Do you even know what his problem is? What’s more, are you the best solution? The better you can articulate his problem and your ability to solve it, the better the chance you have of getting that job you really want.
Remember, it’s not about you.
So if you show up to an interview and think that by demonstrating you’re eager to work, that’s enough to get the job, you’re in for a surprise. It’s not. In order to successfully apply for a job, you not only have to demonstrate that you’re the best candidate to solve the employer’s resourcing problem, but that you’re also a superior option to other means of solving the employer’s issue at hand.
Next time you apply for a position, try and think about it from the employer’s point of view. Why is he hiring? And once you can get into his mindset, you’ll realize that the job interview isn’t about you at all. It’s actually about the employer and his problem.
Do you even know what his problem is? What’s more, are you the best solution? The better you can articulate his problem and your ability to solve it, the better the chance you have of getting that job you really want.
Remember, it’s not about you.
