The Resume The Pitch The Close


10 years.”

Show performance. Illustrate how, through measurable accomplishments, you’ve helped your companies grow. Rivera found this to be a struggle. “I’ve worked on so many projects, where we’ve actually spent a lot of money. I would really have to think about where I’ve been able to save money for a division.” Recalling your accomplishments is often difficult for many employees, says Young. And if you haven’t kept records of your achievements, they can be easily overlooked. “Most of us just work,” he explains. “We don’t stop to recognize our efforts, but it’s important that we keep track. It’s not enough to say that I sold cookies. How much revenue did you generate?” asks Young. You want to put quantitative information in a hiring manager’s face about how you affected the bottom line, says Bradford. “Mention that you were awarded sales manager of the year, or saved the corporation $3 million by instituting a more efficient system.”

TALK THAT TALK
You look good on paper, you’ve gotten called in for first-round interviews, but you can’t seem to cement an offer. “At the senior executive level, it’s about relationship, style, and chemistry — so the meeting is key,” says Mason. “It’s about what you say and how you say it. A top executive is looking to see if this marriage is going to work.”

You may have all the necessary degrees, but if you’ve been selected for an interview, employers assume that you’ve learned what you had to in school. They are now interested in skills you’ve acquired outside the curriculum, says Mark Rice, Murata dean at the F. W. Olin Graduate School of Business at Babson College in Boston. “They are looking for communications, teaming, and leadership skills; thinking on your feet; dealing with uncertainty and ambiguity; selling; and negotiating.” So how do you make an impressive showing?

Do real research. You’ve got to know more about a company than how long it has been in business and that it has offices all over the world. Was it recently acquired? Did it recently close a division? You also have to know your industry. “We hit every subtopic within the particular areas of my career path, A to Z,” says Bearden-Byrd about her interview for her new position. “I was more than fluid in any one of those areas and can more than carry my weight talking about any given aspect of my industry and how they tie together. Technology changes every six months. If you don’t keep up, you’ll be out quickly. You have to understand not just the infrastructure and applications, but methodology, where technology is going, and the trends.”

Sell, Sell, Sell. This is your opportunity to communicate your knowledge of what the position requires and how you can contribute to the company. “You can’t go in and say what your vision for the company is anymore,” says Pierre Mornell, author of Games Companies Play: The Job Hunter’s Guide to Playing Smart & Winning Big in the High-Stakes Hiring Game (Ten Speed Press, $17.95).


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