The secret to nailing an interview is the opposite of what everybody thinks

The secret to nailing an bewerbungsgesprch is the opposite of what everybody thinksThe secret to nailing an interview is the opposite of what everybody thinksCongratulations, youve made the short list of candidates for your dream job. Now all you have to do is pass the final test How do I walk into the room and convince the decision makers that Im their best choice?This is the question on the mind of anyone, everywhere, whos ever competed for a job. Unfortunately, its exactly the wrong question to ask. We know because we advise corporate boards, executives, and CEOs - from middle-market firms to the Fortune 500 - to help them make their fruchtwein critical hiring decisions. Were in those rooms all the time. More importantly, were in the heads of the people who make the decisions. Job seekers, heres one of the surprising interview tips to understand before you walk into the room Theyre as anxious about the hiring process as you are. Maybe even more so.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFoll ow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreWhy? Time is short. No one seems like the perfect fit. The chances for failure are uncomfortably high. The cost of a wrong decision can be astronomical.In the face of uncertainty, hiring decision-makers want to make a safe choice. So when you are walking into the interview, get out of your own head and your own anxieties over proving you are worthy of the role. Safety is your key to the kingdom. And communicating safety, weve found, has less to do with convincing the decision maker of your capabilities, skills, or intelligence.The bottom line is this You get fired on results but hired on perception. So how can we all exude safety in the room?Become the Happy WarriorBill Fry has delivered many tens of millions of dollars of value to shareholders of companies he ran. He grew the vacuum company Oreck during an economic downturn - no easy feat - and before that, he led Bell Spor ts through a similarly challenging time, with 9/11, new market entrants, a major acquisition and then a merger. Before starting his corporate career, he spent eight years in the Navy, after an ROTC scholarship took him to Ole Miss. Bill is competitive and as sharp as a tack. Sounds formidable, right? He must be one intense guy we thought, prior to meeting him to assess him for the CEO role at Oreck.It took one minute in his presence to prove that assumption wrong. Bill radiates an Im OK, youre OK vibe that sets you immediately at ease. Eye contact, friendly questions, self-effacing humor, and calm but confident demeanor. Bill listens intently no matter who is in front of him - a CEO or a mailroom clerk - and makes you feel respected. Bill Fry gets results, without a doubt, but darned if he isnt the nicest guy you ever met.In the interview process, nice guys and gals finish first.Boards, and interviewers in general, consistently overemphasize soft skills in their hiring decisions. Can it be that the same comportment that helps attract a date also gives you an edge in getting hired? Sophisticated as they are in tackling hard business problems, when sizing up people, most board members and business leaders hire under the heavy influence of gedeihlich feel. And gut feel leads them to the more likeable candidates.Among 2,600 CEO candidates analyzed by Professors Steve Kaplan and Morten Srensen of the University of Chicago and Columbia University, the more likeable leaders had higher odds of getting hired for any leadership position. They werent necessarily the best of the best, but they were the friendliest of the best. SAS analysts found similar patterns in their analysis. Highly confident candidates were 2.5 times more likely to be hired. Likeability and confidence impart no advantage in performance, but they definitely help you land the job. While these studies focused on CEO candidates, weve seen the likeability effect play out up and down the corporate ladde r.Bill Fry exudes a Happy Warrior demeanor. The happy warrior confidently says, I love to solve the problems you have. Been there, done that, and liked it. Eager to do it again for you As these leaders talk about their most difficult projects and tough decisions, they exude joy, pleasure, passion, and energy. In other words, they simultaneously create both emotional and practical safety. You know youve met a happy warrior when he or she leaves the room and you cant wait to put her or him in the job.The people who ultimately get picked are those who lead with fierce competence delivered with genuine warmth. Good interviewees take a read on the room the moment they walk in and mirror the energy level. They pay close attention to body language to see how their words are landing Are peoples eyes lighting up? Do they sound hesitant? Are they checking their watches? Your goal is to connect with your audience and make them feel safeLinguistic landmines and the safety of wordsDuring the CEO Genome Project, we ran 212 CEO interview transcripts through SAS text-mining software, searching for linguistic patterns behind hire and no-hire decisions. SAS is a company who builds powerful predictive analytics tools the IRS and major banks use it to detect fraud, to name just one application. When we unleashed it on our interviews, we found some ugly hidden handicaps superficial factors that have little or elendhing to do with what it takes to perform yet that trigger biases that affect your odds of being hired.Foreign accents. Candidates for United Statesbased companies who had a significant accent were, twelve to one (), less likely to be hired. Yes, in the twenty-first century, when billions are spent on diversity initiatives, in-group bias continues to play an out-size role. Its bad enough that the bias exists. Whats worse is that nobody will tell you as you are coming up the ranks that you may be the most capable person in the world but that others perception of your capab ilities may suffer because of your accent. Saying so is not polite and can even be risky.Elevated or pretentious language or affectations. While accents are a handicap, so is using overly sophisticated language. Throwing the dictionary at your interviewers will not get you the job. Interview candidates who used more esoteric, intellectual, or ivory tower vocabulary were, eight to one, less likely to be hired. Candidates who used more colloquial language (e.g., phrases such as shooting from the hip) were, eight to one, more likely to be hired. In our experience, down-to-earth storytelling, drawing on memorable results, is vastly more powerful than a cerebral, academic style.Management platitudes, acronyms, and consulting-ese. Relying on empty buzzwords can be an interview killer. We sat with one candidate who kept saying he was all about amplitude and that he liked to elevate people. Trouble was, he seemed to think that repeating these phrases removed the need to offer specific, quan tifiable examples. Using generic language can come across as lacking authenticity and can trigger the interviewers ambiguity bias - the tendency to avoid those who appear to be missing information. Instead, be precise in your use of language and examples.We and I. Leadership is a team sport. The goal is to balance the I with the We. All candidates use I when describing their accomplishments at a higher rate than We. But the weakest candidates used I at twice the rate of the rest of the interview candidates. The best candidates are clear about their individual contributions without overusing I. Candidates who go on and on with their own accolades and accomplishments impress decision makers less than the ones who say, My proudest achievement was the moment the team began to knock it out of the park - and then clearly explain their role in the teams achievement.You may not look anything like the interviewers who will decide whether you get the job. You may not have gone to the same s chools or played the same sports. But if you can leave them feeling safer and more energized than you found them, youve got a much better shot at getting the job.Elena Lytkina Botelho and Kim Rosenkoetter Powell are the authors of The CEO Next Door (Crown Publishing), from which this article was adapted.This article was originally published on March 8, 2018.

New FAA Postings for Air Traffic Controllers Are a Top Federal Job Opportunity for Young People with Limited Qualifications

New FAA Postings for Air Traffic Controllers Are a Top Federal Job Opportunity for Young People with Limited QualificationsNew FAA Postings for Air Traffic Controllers Are a Top Federal Job Opportunity for Young People with Limited QualificationsNew FAA Postings for Air Traffic Controllers Are a Top Federal Job Opportunity for Young People with Limited QualificationsThe FAA plans to hire more than 1,000 Air Traffic Controller Specialist trainees per year for the next 9 years, according to a Resume Place analysis. A Bachelors degree or three years of work experience will qualify millions of 20-somethings to apply.The Federal Aviation Administration announced the opening on Feb. 10 of a number of Air Traffic Controller Specialist trainee positions, creating some of the best federal job opportunities for young people, according to The Resume Place.Air traffic control can be an excellent career choice for young people, says Kathryn Troutman, president of The Resume Place, a resume writin g and federal job-search coaching firm. Trainees must begin the training program before their 31st birthday at age 56, controllers are subject to mandatory retirement with full federal benefits. Newly hired air traffic controllers must be willing to relocate to any of the 50 states, Guam, Puerto Rico or the U.S. Virgin Islands.Trainees receive a wide variety of instruction in controlling air traffic over several weeks at the FAA Academy in Oklahoma City. During their studies at the academy, Air Traffic Control Specialist trainees earn a salary of between $20,527 and $27,942, plus a per diem payment to help with living expenses. Upon successful completion of the academy training, candidates will be offered permanent employment with standard pay of $37,441. Air Traffic Control specialists eventually earn very good pay, typically between $57,982 and $82,534, according to USAJOBS.To maximize the likelihood of being hired as an Air Traffic Control Specialist trainee, applicants should re ad and follow the job announcement instructions carefully, says Troutman. Each of the job announcements is different in terms of qualifications and experience.Troutman makes the following suggestions for applicants to the ATC trainee program.The civil-service application process is very demanding, and it requires applicants to be clear and specific in describing their experience and education, says Troutman. The average length of a successful federal resume is 3 to 5 pages. Applicants should write their federal resumes with the USAJOBS resume builder and include details that evidence education, demonstrate work experience with progressive responsibility, and show an understanding of the FAAs mission and the role of the Air Traffic Controller. Successful candidates delve into detail when discussing their work responsibilities, projects and accomplishments.Troutman says that the resume builder asks applicants to fill in lots of specific information about themselves, including the fol lowing for each position in the work history job title, detailed duties, employers name and address, supervisors name and phone number, abflug and end dates, salary, and full- or part-time status including hours worked per week.The online application includes a biographical assessment, a narrative of the candidates personal information, education, experience and other qualifications. Applicants should be sure to describe their years of full-time work experience in a way that shows how theyve been able to work with teams, that they have knowledge of their job and their organization, and that theyve demonstrated responsibility, says Troutman. Lack of experience in aviation, air traffic or transportation apparently does not disqualify a candidate, but any work history in these fields is likely to help.Applicants should be sure to describe their years of full-time work experience in a way that shows how theyve been able to work with teams, that they have knowledge of their job and their organization, and that theyve demonstrated responsibility. Kathryn Troutman,President, The Resume PlaceThere are five ways to qualify for the ATC Specialist trainee program1. Three years of progressively responsible work experience. Full-time (40 hours per week) employment must be documented and show progressively responsible experience. Most types of employment include the required experience if the worker has learned about the organization, gained knowledge of the occupation and demonstrated responsibility.OR2. A Bachelors degree earned with a four-year course of study. The degree must be earned at a higher education institution acleistungspunkted by an organization recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. To qualify based on education, applicants must submit transcripts that state the institution, credit hours earned and graduation date.OR3. A combination of education and work experience. The applicants total qualifying work experience is converted to a percentage of th e three-year experience requirement the applicants education is converted to a percentage of the four-year education requirement. The combination must be at least 100 percent. For study at a business or technical school, 36 weeks of study is comparable to one academic year of college.OR4. Previous experience as an Air Traffic Control Specialist. Applicants must provide supporting documentation such as an FAA certificate, military certificate or training record.OR5. An alternative qualification for Air Traffic Control Specialist. Any one of the following can suffice An appropriate facility rating with experience actively controlling air traffic in civilian or military air traffic control terminals or centers Current or past FAA certificate as a dispatcher for an air carrier Current or past instrument flight ratingCurrent or past FAA certificate as a navigator or full qualification as a navigator/bombardier in the Armed Forces 350 hours of flight time as a copilot or higher and curre nt or past private certificate or equivalent Armed Forces rating Experience as a rated aerospace defense command intercept directorRegardless of the means of qualifying, the candidate must be a U.S. citizen who passes a medical screening and security check. Successful candidates must also speak English clearly enough to be understood over radios and other communications equipment.Even if candidates dont currently meet the requirement for a combined three years of progressive work experience and college education, they can work toward that qualification with confidence that new vacancies will continue to be posted. The FAA plans to hire more than 1,000 ATCs on average each year through at least 2022.

Employers Seek College Grads Fresh out of School

Employers Seek College Grads Fresh out of School Employers Seek College Grads Fresh out of School According to CareerBuilder, forty-six percent of employers said they plan to hire recent college graduates in 2011, up from 44 percent in 2010 and 43 percent in 2009. Of those who plan to hire recent college graduates, 26 percent reported they will offer higher starting salaries than they did in 2010, an improvement from 16 percent who said the same in last years survey and 11 percent in 2009.Employers are more optimistic overall, and as a result, are looking to bring in entry-level workers to build their workforce for the future, said Brent Rasmussen, President of CareerBuilder North America. Companies are adding jobs in a variety of areas and need fresh, educated talent to fill those roles. Our survey found that they will recruit college grads primarily for IT, customer service, sales, finance, accounting and marketing jobs this year.While schools are quick to cut budgets for arts in education, in the end, it seems that the skills that employers look for are all about self-expression. The most important skill that employers look for in candidates is their ability to communicate well. In some jobs, its particularly important that workers are able to write well, but people with strong verbal communication are sought after as well.