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What Hiring Managers Look For

If you’ve been wishing you knew what hiring managers look for in a job candidate, you’re in luck! The skills and experience will vary based on industry and position, but there are fundamental aspects that every hiring manager will want to know about you.

3 Things a Hiring Manager Wants to Know

Every hiring manager hires a job candidate based on three things: personality, aptitude and experience.  The better you get at sharing these attributes, the higher you’re chances of getting an interview and scoring the job. So, how do you go about sharing this?

  1. Show that you can bring value.
    Hiring managers like to see that you bring value to an organization by alleviating pain points and solve problems.
  2. Clearly describe how you will bring value.
    Break down exactly how you will alleviate the pains and solve problems. Much like you’d share during interview questions
  3. Explain your short-term goal.
    You have the experience and value, but what are you going to do with them to make a difference? Hiring managers want to hire someone who has a career direction and who can increase in value. If you set a short-term goal, it will show you have long-term potential, thus making you a more ideal candidate.

Prepare for Common Interview Questions

When it comes to interview questions, research and preparation are crucial to boosting your chances of making it to the next step. You’ll never know exactly what a hiring manager is going to ask, but here are seven of the most common queries:

  1. What are your weaknesses?
  2. What are your strengths?
  3. Why are you interested in working for our company?
  4. Why was there a gap in your employment between these years?
  5. Tell me about an accomplishment you are most proud of.
  6. Tell me how you handled a difficult situation.
  7. Where do you see yourself in five years?

It’s also a good idea to have some questions for hiring managers to show that you’ve researched the position, the industry and the company. Visit the website beforehand to get a clear idea of the company mission and how you will be able to contribute to it. With enough preparation and confidence, you’ll be exactly what hiring managers are looking for.