How To Get That Job Interview

Recruitment Experts Explain

The job interview is probably the most crucial part of your job search.  The way to that all-important job offer starts with getting an interview invitation.  In today’s increasingly competitive job market, you need all the help you can get to push your application ahead and be invited to talk about your resume details.  A job interview will help you sell your skills and experiences in person and possibly impress potential employers enough to hire you. 

          We talked to three recruitment experts and asked them the question every job seeker wants answered, “What does it take to get an interview?”

Sasha Javier, 30

Online Staffing Manager

Sasha says that a good cover letter is the best way to get an interview.  She adds than an impressive cover letter is one that highlights both the applicant’s skill and personality.  As a Staffing Manager for a leading online recruitment company, Sasha admits to prioritizing candidates with well-written, concise, and error-free cover letter.  She is even willing to try applicants with very little job experience if they’re able to impress her with the way they write their cover letter.

Ynna Salazar, 27

HR Specialist

 Ynna, on the other hand, stresses the importance of having a clean-looking resume.  Not surprising, especially since she goes through hundreds of applications every day.  Ynna says a good resume should allow her to zoom in to important details without having to go through the entire content.  She also reveals her preference for custom over traditional resume layout.  According to her, a custom resume allows applicants to tailor the layout of the document to focus on their skills and qualifications that match the job requirements.  Applicants should use this resume form especially if they’re up against several candidates with the same level of expertise and experience. 

Sugar Suarez, 24

IT Recruitment Officer

Sugar agrees with both Sasha and Ynna.  She says that she looks at both the cover letter and the resume when profiling applicants for the job posting.  She adds that both documents are essential job application tools.  A well-coordinated cover letter and resume greatly increases an applicant’s chance of being interviewed as it shows how much thought they put into creating them.  Sugar says that there is no need to put details of every single task that one has done in the past as it’s best to leave something to discuss during the interview.

All three recruitment experts agree that the hardest part of being a recruitment officer is breaking the bad news to applicants after the job interview.  Sasha and Ynna prefer to give it straight after the interview.  Sugar adds that she likes providing applicants with constructive criticisms so that they can improve their competencies further.

In summary, the shortest path to receiving a job offer is careful planning and thorough preparation.  Job seekers should understand that a well-written cover letter and an amazing resume could lead them one-step closer that job offer by being invited for an interview. Once you’re there, how you conduct yourself and what you say during the interview will determine whether you get the job or not.