How to Create "Recall Value" during your interview

How to Create "Recall Value" during your Interview

Some candidates are worth remembering.

Some are worth forgetting.

You Choose!

This is based on my recruiting experience while I was in the corporate world. It didn't matter if the candidate was a fresher or someone with years of experience. There were people who approached the interview in a casual manner. They haven't researched the organization, haven't updated their resume, gave vague or disconnected responses to questions, and then wondered why they don't get hired.

Most folk will happily spend on the latest smartphone (or other gadget / material goods), but defer expenditure on areas which will impact their satisfaction and happiness over the long term, particularly their careers. They prefer to build their own path (not a bad idea if you can introspect and are also willing to receive feedback from others), but most times make a poor impact during the interview. They become forgettable, or remembered for the wrong reasons.

Hence I coined the term 'Recall Value' to describe the value you leave behind with the interviewer so that he 'positively' recalls you, days after the interview.

Because of the casual effort, their job search can best be described as a 'Someday' effort, rather than a planned approach. People skip or skimp on the planned approach because:

• It takes time to do - there's no quick fix unless you start your own organization.
• It takes time to see the results. - It's hard to ignore the world rushing by.
• Too much information on many career options - This makes a tough task more confusing.
• Lack of sufficient guidance - no clarity on whom to approach for this purpose.

So the seemingly quick route is chosen, till the time they realize that they don't enjoy what they do, and find they are trapped in the world of EMIs.

Added to this, is the huge amount of discrimination against candidates on a variety of areas like experience, relevant experience, institute of study, location, gender and age, not to mention interviewer's biases. While it is a tough situation, it doesn't mean that there's no hope. You can and should take the effort to plan your job search.

Here are 4 key things to keep in mind:

1) Know your self - This really means taking the time to understand who you are, which skills you possess, your strengths, the tasks that you prefer, which tasks energize you, what you find easy to learn and apply quickly. On this particular journey, you must be totally honest with yourself, if you want successful efforts. A tool like the Clifton Strengthsfinder or PRISM Brainmapping Inventory is essential and powerful for this purpose.

2) Know the industry you are applying for - This means understanding which industry is suitable for your skills and strengths, and to which other industries you can transfer your skills towards. Of course, add to this the prospects of your chosen industry viz. will it thrive, survive or die. This means extensive research and networking to get a realistic picture of the industry.

3) Prepare your resume accordingly - In addition to the numerous resume tips out there which I will not repeat, make sure that your achievements you mention are actually based on your strengths.

4) Prepare for your interview accordingly - This means keeping at least 5 examples of achievements (one for each interview round) where you were able to apply your strengths in a work context. It tremendously helps if the context is relevant and required to the organization who is interviewing you. Also, if you do have some achievements, where you found that you were drained and just happy that it was over, then DON'T dwell on them too long or mention them at all. You do not really want to do tasks that drain you since those particular tasks require you to work from an area of weakness. If you are a fresher, talk about projects and community / volunteer work that you may have been involved in, with the same guidelines mentioned in this point.

You might ask - Do I need to do all of this? Can't I simply prepare my resume, and read the newspaper for a few days as preparation, and attend the interview?

Yes you can - but you have no guarantee that the job will be yours. That aspect is never in your control.  The only thing that is in your control is your ability to stand out from other candidates and make a great impression during the interview. This will help create your 'Recall Value' and they will definitely remember you after the interview. All of what I have mentioned above will help you do that. Click here to view a quick reminder of this important aspect - Why you need a Strengths-based Resume

Your second career may be just around the corner.

Given the volatility in the market, mergers which are causing layoffs, new technologies like A.I. and A.R. (Artificial Intelligence and Augmented Reality), with some industries heading south, and new ones coming up, don't be afraid to plan a second career that is completely different from the one you started out.

Yes I understand that this looks scary, especially when you may have spent more than 10 years of your work-life in a particular job. It can definitely be done. Just make sure it's aligned with your strengths. If you are a fresher, please know that it is completely ok to start with a particular career, and then change to something completely different along the way. There are many who do this.

Look around you. In fact, look for opportunities to ensure that your life has at least two or three different careers which allow you the opportunity to build and use your strengths.

What's the point of spending time to align your strengths with your job?

You may be thinking "why is aligning your strengths with your job important?" or "why should I invest the time in both understanding my strengths and then finding a job which fits my strengths? That will take too long, and I need a job soon". So if you have financial constraints, please pick up a job that helps pay the bills, and simultaneously plan so that your next job is aligned with your strengths. Why? We know that we spend a great deal of time at work. Thanks to the smartphone, the lines between personal and professional life are increasingly getting blurred. The need to check work email when you're home is addictive. Work stress increases and spills over into the home, and vice versa. When we use the strengths that we are born with, in our daily work, our lives become happier and satisfied, because we are happy doing what we are meant to do.  It's no longer classified as "work" in our minds, and you will look forward to your job.

Now, if you take this beyond work, you can visualize the kind of positive and profound impact you will have on the people you meet, and the ones you live with. Wouldn't this be worth the effort?

Since the past 5 years, I've been coaching people to identify their strengths and align it with a career. It is exhilarating to watch them embark on a strengths-based career search. This is out of their comfort zone, and into their growth zone. And they love it.

If you want to learn about, apply and align your strengths in your next job search, write to me at ryanbbarretto@hotmail.com or leave a note here so that we can schedule a call.

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