The Secret to Getting Hired

“Soft skills may get you hired, but you need hard skills to get your foot in the door,” says an infographic on hiring by Employment Metrix. That’s one mantra you should take to heart. It clears up a lot of confusion. We’ve heard that employers value soft skills so much, but we also know that it’s not enough to get hired. Saving the soft skills for the interview portion is one great strategy for job seekers.

While 62% of HR professionals say candidates do a good job of including relevant keywords in their resume, 73% say applications don’t do a good job of tailoring their resumes, according to the same infographic. That means job seekers are focusing too much on the jargon and less on the meaning behind it. But as we just learned, those hard skills are what’s going to get your foot in the door. So you better illustrate your relevant experiences specific to this position and share information that pertains to this specific company and this specific position.

If you’re short for space, perhaps phrases like “team player” and “great communicator” are better reserved for the interview portion of the hiring process than the resume. Seeing “team player” on a resume can’t really compare to a two-minute conversation during an interview that exemplifies the multitude of ways you’ve worked in a team. Analyze all of the phrases in your resume and decide which are best expressed in written form and which are best expressed verbally.

Before you apply for your next position, think of the resume and the interview as two separate and unique stepping stones on the path to getting hired. A hiring manager will find a strong candidate and bring them in based on their resume — the cold, hard facts and qualifications. But the interview is really much more telling of someone’s personality than of their career strengths and weaknesses. The recruiter has already learned most of that from the resume and LinkedIn profile anyway. Regardless of what questions are asked, the interview is about showing off how communicative, personable, and agreeable you are. It wouldn’t hurt to show off your problem-solving skills too.

Find comfort in knowing that this interview is a chance to express yourself and not just a cataloging of your skills. Be yourself. Be polite. Be enthusiastic. And hopefully the job offer will follow.