Get the Job by DOING the Job

One of the best techniques you can use to get a job is to prove you can do the job. Here’s how:

During a job interview, find out as much as you can about what needs to be done. Ask the interviewer to define the results needed from the new hire. Ask about the criteria by which this person would be reviewed on in 90 days. Rephrase your questions in several ways to make sure you elicit the objectives for the role. Keep asking, and what else… and what else?

Once you have a clear picture of what is needed, begin to portray how your skills will enable you to achieve the objectives. Since the interviewer will have a specific agenda for the time you have together, you may not be able to get all of this across, so don’t stop when the interview stops. That night, at home, put together a plan for what you would do in the first 30, 60, 90 days, and e-mail it to the interviewer and hiring manager (if you met the person who would be your boss) so they have it on their desk first thing in the morning. Put yourself in their place. Wouldn’t you be impressed? Even if you get a few things wrong in your plan, you are demonstrating that you WANT to do the job, and that you have the drive and initiative to do whatever it takes.

Employers can’t help but be impressed by this. Any follow up after an interview is good, but showing the employer that you can do the job, in writing, overnight, is one of the most powerful messages you could send. Give it a try.