Analytical Skills (Definition List of Examples for Resumes)

Analytical Skills (Definition List of Examples for Resumes) Youre exactly where you need to understand what analytical skills are, why employers value them so much andHow you can develop your analytical thinking skills.But thats not all.Youll also learn how to nail them on your resume and in a job interview.Ready?This article will show you:How to define analytical skills.Why employers value analytical skills and how they test them.What you can do to show your analytical thinking skills on your resume.Want to save time and have your resume ready in 5 minutes? Try our resume builder. Its fast and easy to use. Plus, youll get ready-made content to add with one click. See 20+ resume templates and create your resume here.Sample resume made with our builderSee more templates and create your resume here.One of our users, Nikos, had this to say:[I used] a nice template I found on Zety. My resume is now one page long, not three. With the same stuff.Create your resume nowWant to read more about all kinds of skills you can put a resume? Try:The Best Job Skill Set to Put on a ResumeLooking for other career advice? Head straight to one of our guides:How to Make a Resume for a Job: Writing Guide6 Tips on How to Tailor Your Resume to a Job DescriptionWork Experience on a Resume: Job Description Bullet Points Samples1What Are Analytical Skills?Analytical skills allow you to collect, organize, visualize, and assimilate data. They let you see patterns, draw conclusions, and find solutions that can boost a companys productivity and bottom-line performance.No surprise its very hard to find a job offer where analytical skills arent listed among the employers requirements.It would be a bit of an understatement to say that analytical skills are the same as research or problem-solving skills.Analytical skills consist of a set of abilities. That's why were talking about skills, not a single skill. They can be treated as an umbrella term for a set consisting of such skills as:List of Analytical SkillsResearchForecastingProblem-solvingData mining Data and metrics interpretingReportingOrganizationCommunicationDiagnosticsTroubleshootingCreativityTheorizingBrainstormingIn practice, your analytical skills can enable you to prepare a highly accurate sales forecast. This is more than solving a single problem.In the next section we'll have a look at some hands-on examples.Want to find out more about other essential skills in the workplace? Weve got you covered! Try our guides:Creative Thinking SkillsOrganizational SkillsTime Management SkillsCommunication SkillsCritical Thinking SkillsTechnical Skills2Examples of Analytical Skills in the WorkplaceAnalytical skills are welcome by employers from a wide variety of industries.Why?Because of their versatility.Analytical skills are transferable and come in handy in lots of professional contexts. Take a look at the list of jobs that require analytical skills:Operations Research AnalystsMarket Research AnalystsBudget AnalystsManagement Analysts and ConsultantsEconomistsComputer Network Arc hitectsCost EstimatorsChemists and Materials ScientistsSoftware DevelopersBiochemists and BiophysicistsUrban and Regional PlannersActuariesFinancial ManagersInsurance UnderwritersLawyersIn fact, the list could go on and on.Thanks to new business models and rapid technological development, there appear more and more jobs where analytical skills are more than welcome.Think of SEO, CRO, UI/UX, or product development positions in SaaS companies.Analytical SkillsExampleRightAt this point, you may feel like you can more or less define analytical skills.But what do analytical skills mean in practice?Heres an example:Say, one of your websites landing pages has been underperforming in terms of sales. Youve been tasked with identifying the problem and proposing a solution.The task requires you to use at least a couple of your analytical skills and take several steps:First, you might want to decide what data youll be looking at to make initial assumptions.How did the page perform historically in relation to other landing pages?Was there a moment in time when something changed?What does the structure of the page look like?What keywords is it centered around?What anchors are used to link to it?Once you collect the relevant data, you might want to start putting it together to look for patterns and anomalies, theorize, prepare an action plan, and communicate it to your team leader.If you have analytical skills, these are the things that might be expected of you at work.Depending on your industry, experience, and expertise you may be asked to:Develop solutions with the use of statistical analysis, simulations or predictive modeling.Devise and evaluate methods for collecting data (e.g. surveys, questionnaires, or opinion polls).Review budget proposals for completeness, accuracy, and compliance with laws and other regulations.Conduct simplification and measurement studies to devise efficient and effective ways of operating.Select hardware and software to ensure stable and effic ient support of the network.NowEven though all these tasks come from various industries, they all require strong analytical skills to succeed.There are many other examples of analytical skills:Synthesize large volumes of dataIts not just about researching any data. You need to be able to identify what data is relevant and what is just random noise.Visualize and communicate your findingsMaking sense of data is one thing, its equally important to be able to put your point across in a convincing manner.Compare available resourcesSometimes it all boils down to looking at pros and cons of available solutions and putting them in a larger context.Draw logical conclusionsAt the end of the day, it doesnt matter if youre working with a data set or gain understanding through trial-and-error. Logical thinking is the basis of your success.Find solutions to problemsEven though your analytical skills can serve other purposes than problem-solving. Most of the time this will be the most practical ap plication of them.Rationalize your choicesThe choices you make must be understandable to your co-workers.Analytical Skills TestListen:No employer will take your word for it.There are a number of ways in which your analytical skills can be tested:Pre-employment testsThese could be taken online or at the company location. Depending on the company and the position youre applying for these could consist of numeracy questions, literacy questions, tasks where you need to put events in a logical series or look for inconsistencies.Assessment CentersThe tasks might involve training sessions which teach you some skills, which youll need to be able to use in practice to solve a problem. You may be asked to work in groups with other participants on case studies.Interview questionsThe recruiter might want to learn about specific situations where you had to use your analytical skills in practice. More on this below.Even though analytical skills testing can take on many forms, you can be sure of o ne thingThey will test you. One way or another.The good news?Were talking about skills. Not talents.And skills you can learn.Heres howHow to Improve Analytical SkillsThere are a number of ways for you to improve your analytical skills:Teaching.Yes, you got it right. To teach someone effectively, you need more than just a good grasp of the subject matter. You must be able to explain it in a clear way, see it from different perspectives, understand the challenges it poses, find patterns, analogies, rules, and exceptions. Teaching others will help you hone your analytical skills and see the world through other peoples eyes.Tests.As simple as that. Practice makes perfect. There are a lot of resources available online both paid and free that can help you develop analytical and critical thinking skills. Have a go at a couple of tests to see whats expected of you. You can start with this one, or this one.Become more observant of the world around you.Ask questions, consider alternatives, do n't take things for granted. No ideas on how to begin? Here's a fun one: when watching your favorite Netflix series look for plot holes and inconsistencies, talk to your friends about them, say what you'd have done differently in the protagonists place. Its a simple and enjoyable way of improving analytical skills.Play logic games.Chess. Sudoku. Einsteins Riddle. Rubiks Cube. XCOM2. You name it! Improving your analytical thinking skills doesnt have to be boring.3Analytical SkillsResumeIf you want to impress your future employer with your analytical skills, theres no better way of demonstrating them than on a carefully crafted resume.In factYou can approach making your resume in a truly analytical manner.When making a resume in our builder, drag drop bullet points, skills, and auto-fill the boring stuff. Spell check? Check. Start building your resume here.Create my resume nowWhen youre done, Zetys resume builder will score your resume and tell you exactly how to make it better.Analy tical Skills on ResumeIf there was only one word to describe the perfect resume, it would be:Tailored.Tailored to a specific job offer.The same is true about the best skills for a resume.They need to be tailored to a specific job.NowYou already know that theres no single analytical skill, but a set of skills.To convince the employer youre the best candidate, you must show them youve got specifically what theyre looking for.You can do it in two ways.Identify the keywords and use them on your resume.Each job posting contains keywords that identify the analytical skills the employer is looking for by name. Heres an example from a job opening for a business analyst position:Develop and maintain sales reports to provide actionable insights that support data-driven decision-making for the sales and executive leadership teams.From the job description its clear the employer is looking for someone with:Data and metrics interpreting skillsReporting skillsNow, you can put these particular skil ls straight into your key skills section.Your best bet is to go through the entire job posting and identify all the analytical skills sought after by the employer.This way youll avoid overgeneralizing (e.g. putting analytical skills in your resume key skills section), and listing wrong skills (e.g. diagnostic skills) which are in fact among analytical skills, but not necessary for the role.As you see, you dont need any lists of analytical skills. What you do need, though, is to know what analytical skills to list on a resume.Pro Tip: Putting the right keywords on a resume will not just help you nail the analytical skills in your key skills section, but also guarantee you getting past the ATS scanning stage.Put analytical skills as accomplishments on your resume.Apart from listing the right analytical skills on your resume, you can actually demonstrate how proficient and effective you really are.How?By presenting your analytical skills as accomplishments on your resume. Again, lets f all back on the business analyst job description bullet. There you are:Develop and maintain sales reports to provide actionable insights that support data-driven decision-making for the sales and executive leadership teams.Heres the secret.If you happen to have any achievements that reflect your success performing a similar task, describe them using the language from the job ad, and quantify them like so:Developed and maintained sales analytics reports and dashboards that identified and effectively helped to eliminate major bottleneck generating 20% loss of revenue.This way youre not just listing a relevant analytical skill on a resume, but youre giving a real-life example of how good you are at doing it.And one more thing.To up your chances, do both: fish out the relevant analytical skills and list them among your key skills and describe your best analytical skills in terms of achievements.Heres a little bonus for you. Learn how to describe your work experience in the most effectiv e way:Work Experience on a Resume: Job Description Bullet Points SamplesAnalytical SkillsInterview QuestionsLast but not least.Get ready for the job interview.But be specific.You knowYou can prepare for an interview in general. For example by giving yourself a pep talk in front of the mirror.But thats not enough.The recruiter will want you to prove to them your resume is not a work of fiction, and your analytical skills are up to par.The good news:You already know how to identify the analytical skills the employer looks for by looking for keywords in a job posting.You know how to use these keywords to your advantage by including the relevant analytical skills in your key skills list and by describing your skills in terms of achievements.Now you need to learn how to talk about these skills using the so-called STAR method.By the way, we have a great guide on STAR method interview questions that will help you ace any interview.Heres what you can expect in an interview.The recruiter is particularly interested in your data and metrics interpreting skills as well as your reporting skills.They may ask you something along the lines of Tell me about a situation when your analytical skills made a difference.The question itself may be a bit misleading as the term analytical skills is broad.ButFrom the job offer youve learned which skills you need to focus on. And more than that, youve listed an achievement you can now elaborate on in more detail.So, how to ace such a question?Simple.Tell the recruiter more about this:Developed and maintained sales analytics reports and dashboards that identified and effectively helped to eliminate major bottleneck generating 20% loss of revenue.Just follow the STAR (SituationTaskActionResult) model:Situation: The employer wanted to develop analyses and reports to boost sales.Task: You were tasked with devising and implementing the reports and dashboards.Action: What steps you took to perform the task. What methods and technologies you us ed.Result: What was the result of your actions.And this is how you can prepare your answers to analytical skills interview questions.Let no interview question take you by surprise. Ever. Read our guides to learn how to breeze through your interview:Common Job Interview Questions Answers [Top 20 Samples for 2019]65+ Best Questions to Ask an Interviewer Land Top Jobs [Proven Tips]20 Situational Interview Questions and Answers to Nail Your InterviewKey TakeawaysHeres a summary of the most points about analytical skills:There's no single definition of analytical skills. Analytical skills consist of a set of skills that includes problem-solving, data skills, and creativity among others.There are a large number of jobs requiring analytical skills. Employers value analytical skills for their versatility and transferability.There are many analytical skills tests and interview questions to test analytical skills. The good thing is there are many ways to improve analytical skills.When looki ng for a job its crucial to identify what analytical skills the employer is after.Your resume needs to be tailored to put the right analytical skills in the spotlight.When preparing for a job interview, focus on the analytical skills you listed on your resume and learn how to talk about them using the STAR method.Do you have any questions about analytical skills? Maybe youd like to share some tips on how to develop them? Give us a shout out in the comments below! Wed love to hear from you!

The Personal Brand Marketplace of the Future. Are Your Prepared - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

The Personal Brand Marketplace of the Future. Are Your Prepared - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career I think its an understatement to say the world has changed due to social technologies. If youve think youve seen it all, you havent seen anything yet!   Two weeks ago, I gave my top ten personal branding predictions for 2010, which is actually only a month away (pretty scary if you ask me).   Those were small nuggets of thoughts and visions for the future, but there is something much bigger thats been on my mind lately.   In fact, its so big that it deserves its own post. The vision The Personal Brand Marketplace: The future of personal branding is a marketplace, where the top talent receive the most visibility and everyone else sinks to the bottom.   We will be treated like products and be rated and commented on, where positive interactions equal new opportunities and negative ones diminish your brand value publicly.   This system will exist online and become an organized and scrutinized recruitment database, as well as a modern permanent record for personal brands. Competition will drive people online and force people to build brands There are a few reasons why there will have to be a personal brand marketplace in the future.   The first one is because everyone with a pulse has to have an internet connection in order to compete now and in the future.   Right now, for instance, there are over 1.3 billion internet users, and about a quarter of a billion of them are based in the U.S.   Now, remember all the times youve seen me blog, tweet and present on the fact that everyone needs their own website (yourname.com).   Well, there are 200 million websites today and there will be a 40,000 fold increase in websites in 15 years.   What this tells you is that it will be much harder to stand out in the future, even though its quite competitive today.   What seemed to be a differentiator in the past, is a mere qualifier now (a website, blog, social profiles, etc). Hiring managers are recruiters are in trouble The big issue with job boards is that they dont attract the best talent and they become vaults for thousands of resumes that dont get put to good use.   From the hiring managers perspective, they are taking the biggest risk by selecting an unknown from a pile of resumes collected in a job board database.   More and more recruiters and hiring managers are trying to save money by investing in their people, instead of machines, to do the recruitment.   Many have successfully used Twitter, Second Life, Facebook, LinkedIn, Ning and blogs to find the right talent and by right I mean people who have the right expertise and some passion. So why are hiring managers and recruiters in trouble with our current system? There will be too many people to choose from in the future.   Right now there are 325 million people on Facebook and 55 million on LinkedIn, for example.   Its going to get much harder, as these numbers increase, to search and find the right people.   When everyone has a website and a blog and social profiles and experience and connections, how do you decipher that?   You cant, which means the new world order is coming ?? .   The personal brand marketplace will become the only way to discover the right people, at the right time, and with enough trust (rating and comment system) to actually allow for seamless recruitment. We rate products, companies and CEOs so why not regular people? Ratings are nothing new: Epinions rates electronics. Amazon rates books. Glassdoor rates CEOs and companies. Rotton Tomatoes rates movies. eBay rates buyers and sellers. Dont you think were missing something here?   There is no rating system for personal brands. With the amount of people online and the competition, there needs to be some way to clearly display who has the best reputation and who doesnt.   If you work at any serious company, then you have been through a performance review.   That review is made private, but the future will make it public because our transparent society is going to force people to open up and the truth to come out. Positive recommendations have not met negative criticism I consider myself a nice guy, but I think the world has been a little too lenient with personal brands.   You cant give someone a negative recommendation on LinkedIn and you certainly cant dislike a wall post on Facebook (unless you have a FireFox plugin!).   We all have opinions and sometimes they arent positive, but the web is a friendly place and most people dont want to get involved in burning bridges or attacking other people. Glassdoor hit a nerve with anonymous commenting a year or more ago.   That, to me, is only the beginning.   The more our lives converge and our professional and personal lives just become our personal brands, the more youll see a more public display of negative criticism and ratings. People are starting to lose some trust in endorsements and recommendations online because they are one sided and typically done as favors.   When criticism enters the mix, people tend to trust recommendations more and it become more authentic, which carries more weight. What this means for your personal brand It means that everything you do in the office or on your personal time counts now and will be visible online. Every interaction you have will build or destroy your brand and be shown to the world.   New companies will be created around reputation scores for individuals and systems will be in place to find out who the top talent is and why.   Ratings, comments, sharing and other social media tools youre familiar with will all be part of the new personal brand marketplace.   The future is now and the future is brand you. Your turn What comments or concerns do you have with the personal brand marketplace?   Are you a believer?

Whos Seen a Huge Pay Rise This Year

Whos Seen a Huge Pay Rise This Year We are half way through the year, already! So now is a great time to take a look at who is receiving the biggest wage increases of 2016, which industries are thriving and which are looking to grow over the next few months and years. Lucas Blake have assessed the situation and put together the below  infographic to help break down the information. The biggest pay rises in 2016 have seen marketing managers and bankers pick up a lovely bump in wages so far this year, new research has revealed.  2016 has seen the general business world shift to a digital platform as businesses begin improving their communications and digital outputs. Marketing spends have increased and influenced management positions associated with these fields. This is apparent when we look to wage rises of marketing managers who have on average increased their salaries by 37 per cent to £70,000 this year from £51,000 last year. Corporate baking salaries have also recorded a big rise, with an average pay increase of 37% to £82,000 from £60,000 in 2015, according to  Emolument.com.  Digital skills are the most highly sort after as demonstrated by research which suggests that Human resources managers are now expected to possess such skills. As a consequence, this amalgamation of skills has seen HR managers receive the third biggest rise in pay this year. Businesses are looking to their HR sectors to adapt their culture and management style to accommodate the millennials and generation Y. According to the statistics HR managers have seen a considerable rise of 31 per cent to £80,000 for 2016. The strength of the economy in recent years has allowed the I.T sector to grow and flourish into the industry it currently is today. This is reflected in the statistics which show increasing wages in the IT sector since the recovery of the 2008 recession. The growth is expected to continue as things currently stand, however this is highly dependent on the future EU referendum and the economic fallout from this week’s particular event. One large factor which is helping to boost wages inside the I.T sector is the increasing attempts from within the financial sector to hire the best I.T talent. This in turn is driving up wages for workers in the I.T sector. The burst of interest from within the financial industry can be attributed to technological advancements in cloud based security systems. This is therefore resulting in a number of available positions for cloud based computing engineers as well as software development positions and data architects. However, it is not simply the financial sector which is looking to further digitalise itself, creating a healthy requirement and competitive wage for the best I.T talents. According to the European Commission for Digital Economy and Society, the five most important digital changes are expected to revolve around 5G internet, cloud computing, the internet of things, data technologies and cybersecurity. All of these changes are expected to be implemented in every aspect of our lives, both at home and at work. As a consequence, the need for digital or I.T skills are growing by the day and can only expect to grow along with the economy in the future. The largest tech firm titles belong to Amazon. Amazon tops the highest paying tech firms for 2016. The news comes shortly after Amazon announce it is to created 1,500 jobs in the Manchester area through the opening of a new warehouse in Airport city. About the author: Will Ellis is a writer on behalf of Lucas Blake.   Image: Shutterstock

The Pakistan graduate job market how to get noticed! University of Manchester Careers Blog

The Pakistan graduate job market how to get noticed! University of Manchester Careers Blog Spring 2013 saw some new initiatives for Pakistani students at The University of Manchester, helping our students to better understand the Pakistan graduate job market and what it takes to get hired. If you missed their launch, this post includes a brief recap and a  summary of what was presented when a master trainer specialising in the Pakistan graduate job market Taher Hussain, came to talk to students in Manchester during March, 2013. Recap of initiatives: Whats new? The  new Directory  of Pakistan Graduate Employers  2012-13 is an excellent summary of who is hiring, how to apply, when to apply and what qualities are sought. Download now at: www.careers.manchester.ac.uk/media/services/careersandemployabilitydivision/careersservice/crcpublications/employerlists/Employers-Directory-2012-.pdf The Pakistan Graduate Network     is a  new online social network for Pakistani students, alumni and prospective employers at The University of Manchester. Hosted as a Group on LinkedIn this  network is growing fast. Similar groups for India and China have over 500 members each, so lets grow the Pakistan one too. Its free to join.  Simply upload a profile to LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com) and request membership of the group (www.linkedin.com/groups?home=gid=4835564trk=anet_ug_hm). Remember, though, that your profile is like your online CV it will only work for you if you work at it!     For tips on using LinkedIn and networking effectively online see our guides at: www.careers.manchester.ac.uk/students/findingwork/networking/ Access the Network directly at: www.linkedin.com/groups?home=gid=4835564trk=anet_ug_hm   The Pakistan graduate job market who is hiring and how to make the right impression Last, but not least, this recent workshop held in March, 2013 provided an excellent insight into graduate employer mindset in Pakistan. Packed with useful tips, strategies and insights, this session was well received by those students who got involved. Missed the session?    Here is a summary of some of the main points: The Pakistan Graduate Job Market 2013 How to make the right impression   Also available: Dont forget our Pakistan country webpages too.   These pages include a link through to Going Global which is an online database of country insights, country employer directories and jobs/internships too. Going Global has all of these for Pakistan. Access is through  Careerslink so you can be automatically logged in.   Our Pakistan country pages also provide a summary of those organisations who attended the Pakistan Graduate Fair at The University of Manchester in 2012.    www.careers.manchester.ac.uk/students/findingwork/overseas/pakistan/ All International international jobs international students Pakistan

How To Write A Resume When You Were Self Employed

How To Write A Resume When You Were Self EmployedWriting a resume when you were self-employed is a long and tiresome process. It can become one of the most arduous tasks you have to do for that resume. You have to devote a lot of time on this and find the best ways on how to make the process simpler and easier.Being a self-employed individual means you are in a busy schedule all the time. You will need to be responsible enough to write a resume when you were self-employed on your own. Even if you have a full time job, you should still keep working on it so you have more time to work on your resume.If you would prefer to have someone else write your resume, this is also a viable option. If you decide to do this, make sure that you find someone who has the same passion as you and has been in the same position as you. A person who has been through a lot will be able to give you the most honest advice.Education is also very important for your resume. Make sure you include information abo ut your education. You can include your university degree or certificate if you did not get into a university or technical school.Send them free samples or use them for reference. Do not make the mistake of wasting your precious time writing a resume when you were self-employed. Use your time wisely and do something productive instead.If you like to do research, then the best way to do it is by going online. This is one of the fastest ways of getting a list of things that you may need for your resume. However, there are people who get overwhelmed easily, so if you find yourself overwhelmed, then it is better to go offline and gothrough some of the other options available to you.I have been doing research about resumes for years and I have come across various ways to write a resume. It would be hard for me to remember them all now. However, I know that I have found the easiest and fastest way to do it.Take your time and get all of the necessary resources that you need. Research about a good method on how to write a resume when you were self-employed. It will help you prepare for your job interview and for making your resume stand out among others.

job target

job target Is Your Job Target One You LOVE or One You Are Qualified To Do? Is your job target one you love, or one you are actually qualified to do?   Its a painful process for some people. Sometimes, I get clients calling me who want to do a complete career pivot, which I love. Its fun to completely reinvent someone using their transferrable skills that can point them into a different direction. However, once in a while, I get a gushing client who is so entirely fired up about their job target that they lose their perspective. Loving your job target We all have things that light our fire and really get us excited. The fantasy of having that dream job doing all those cool things weve always wanted to do and getting paid to do it! We should all aspire to have such a position. Interestingly, many baby boomers and now Gen Xers are starting to repurpose their latter years in the workforce into what is commonly known as an encore careers. Thats when you leverage your existing skill sets into a new direction that is more purpose-driven versus monetarily-driven. Cool concept, and given the fact that most of us spend more time at the office in our job than with our families, Ive always held the belief that we might as well enjoy what we are doing during all that time out of the home. However, theres also the reality check. When LOVING a job idea clashes with qualifications But sometimes, no matter how much you are in love with a potential job target, there just isnt a business case to hire you for it because you simply dont have the chops. It might be that your background is entirely dissimilar, or your skills dont transfer. Or perhaps the position is so specialized that there are simply better-qualified people out there. So what I urge clients to do when they are faced with this scenario is to take a good, long look at their background and then go line-by-line in the description of the job target, asking themselves, What specific experience do I have that relates to this requirement? If you find that you cant make that big of a stretch, I dont want you to despair. It only means that you simply cant make that leap yet. What this tells job seekers is that there is going to have to be an interim step between where they currently are, and where they want to go. We can work with their background to parse out the most relevant aspects, but the rest of the work is yet to be done either through skill acquisition, training, internships, or more of entry-level position to gain the fundamentals in the new direction. Having a realistic approach in whether you are in LOVE with a job target and qualified, or simply in love and NOT qualified is critical to determining your next steps.

Fix It Friday! Present Yourself as Perfectly Qualified

Fix It Friday! Present Yourself as Perfectly Qualified Todays question is about how to show you are perfectly qualified for a job opportunity. Stop worrying about potential age-discrimination and focus on the value you will deliver and why the company needs you on their team.   This weeks Question I get a good number of interviews for jobs, but then they hire a young man (or sometimes a young woman). I am a woman in my 50s. So far, I havent been able to close the deal! My perception is that employers dont know what they want (new graduate or experienced professional) or in some cases that they are interviewing me out of courtesy to the people in my network who have referred me.  This kind of favor I dont need!  What I do need is better tactics for a) converting an interview into an offer and b) rebounding after the investment of time and hope Ive made in an interview that doesnt lead to an offer. Thanks to this job seeker for submitting her question. It is one I hear a lot! I agree, many employers do not know what they want or need. But let me ask you this. If I asked you to identify the perfect life partner, would you be able to provide an exact description? Hiring is warm and fuzzy. It isnt (nor should it be) a robotic skills match up, an impersonal interrogation nor a popularity contest. Years of Experience The first clue about what an employer is looking for is usually indicated in the job description. If it says 1-3 years of experience, guess what? They are looking for someone without a lot of experience. If you do have significant experience, you have two choices: 1) Prove you are willing to step down to a lower level. Which means less money and not saying this is how we used to do it at my old company. 2) Dont apply. Unless it is a dream company and you are dying to get your foot in the door. If so, go back to #1. It sounds like in the case of this job seeker, she needs to do a better job of proving she is perfectly qualified, not over-qualified nor under-qualified. How? Learn Everything You Can About the Company Speak to people who currently work there and who used to work there. This type of intelligence gathering is critical because it provides insight you wont find on their website. Sure, scour the companys website, know what their mission is and learn about projects, clients, customers and everything else. However, there is no replacement for a person to person conversation to gain the inside scoop on what is really going on inside the company. Use LinkedIn to find people you know (a lot or a little). Call them on the phone and explain why you want to talk with them. Use the information you gather to prepare STAR stories that show how you are perfectly qualified to and how you have fixed similar problems before in previous roles. Prepare Answers to Difficult Questions If you are over-qualified, you must be ready to answer why this isnt a bad thing. Chances are, the interviewer will never say, Gee, I think you are over-qualified, but they are probably thinking it! Be ready to dispel the notion you are too senior and give examples of times where youve happily and successfully taken on projects below you. Dont oversell yourself. Remember, you want to present yourself as perfectly qualified. For example, if the job description says you need to be able to answer the phone and relay messages, DO NOT say youve overseen and managed people doing this job. That makes you look over-qualified. You need to tell them how you answered phones in your last job (not 15 years ago). Act Like a Consultant View the interview as if you were going to be consulting for them. This means, you will have to ask a lot of questions! Never ASSUME anything. As a consultant, you would ask questions that would help the company realize, clarify and/or identify what they really need. Steve Levy wrote an excellent post on Interview Like a Consultant. These questions come from his post, which I recommend you go read! These are the questions you need the answers to.   What are the companys problems that you hope to resolve/solve? What are they presently doing to resolve/solve the problems? What has been previously tried and why did these methods succeed or fail? What resources â€" internal and external â€" will be available to resolve/solve the problems? Do they have a vision for the work that you will perform? What are the time constraints to resolve/solve the problems? What budget has been allocated to resolve/solve the problems and what factors would cause this budget to deviate? What risks are you and the company willing to take in resolving/solving the problems? Who are the customers and how do they measure satisfaction? Dig deep. Keep asking why so you can truly understand the interviewers true needs! Every Interview Is Worth Your Time and Investment There is no such thing as wasting time in an interview. Consider the interview as a first date. Get to know the interviewer and the company. Be likable! The person you are interviewing with knows people in other divisions and other companies. If they like you enough, but dont see you as perfectly qualified for their job, they may refer you to someone else. But, only if they like you. Or, they may keep you in mind for a future job. Be Likeable Even the most qualified candidate can get eliminated if the interviewers dont like him or her. What can you do to be sincere and likeable?! Here is a post with suggestions on how to increase your like-ability! Trial Close Sales people have heard this term before. It is a way of finding out if the buyer has any concerns about buying. You will want to adapt this in your own language/style, but test it and see what happens. This must be delivered with a sense of true curiosity, not arrogance. Can you think of any reason why you would not invite me back for the next round of interviews? or Are there any concerns you have about my qualifications or fit as a candidate for this position? If the interviewer answers your question honestly, which may or may not happen, you have the opportunity to address their concern and prove you are perfectly qualified! Referral? If the interviewer clearly states, YOU ARE NOT A FIT FOR THIS JOB or something similar (and I mean they really say those words) to indicate you are no longer a candidate for that job, then you may consider asking them if they know anyone who may need your skills and talents. You have nothing to lose. They know lots of people in your industry and may know of either another position within the company or perhaps at another company you may be a better fit for! What do you have to lose? Send me your job search question! Here are some examples of what I mean What do I do when the receptionist ignores me when I come in for an interview? How do I get Human Resources to return my calls and emails after Ive applied for a job? What is the best way to get someone to agree to meet with me? Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.Name *FirstLastEmail *Enter your questionNameSubmit