Want to Win the Job?

August 2007 brought some bad news for job seekers. The number of Americans with jobs fell in August for the first time in four years, raising fears that weakness in the economy has spread beyond the housing and financial sectors that have panicked markets in recent weeks. It appears that job seekers had a harder time finding work in August. June and July job figures where revised downward by 24,000 and 57,000. 

Yet with this news, some people are still getting hired.

How can you ensure you'll be the candidate who gets that great phone call with a job offer? Be sure to answer the 4 glowing needs every employer has in both your resume and in the interview. If you need help doing this, try using S.C.A.R. as a guide:

Problem Solver

I can't think of one company, business, or organization that doesn't have problems. Companies hire people to come in and solve problems. Demonstrate how your past performance includes problems identified and solved. Try using the following guide:

S - Situation - "I was working at XYZ corporation last year when... 

C - Challenge - ...we had this major crisis happen in the IT department...

A - Action - ...so rather than sit on my butt and watch it happen, I ...

R - Result - ...and because I took the action, the server came back up quickly and work continued."

Show them you fix problems and you'll get the offer.

Money Maker

Companies ultimately exist to make money. Corporate mission and vision statements aside, it's the whole business of business. Are you a good investment? Will the organization make more money as a result of hiring you? If so, then prepare some stories about how you've helped make money.

Here's an example:

S - Situation - "I was working at XYZ corporation last year when...

C - Challenge - ...I identified a process that seemed to be fraught with rework...

A - Action - ...so rather than sit on my butt and let that process continue, I modified it so that ...

R - Result - ...and because I took the action, we saved over $100,000 last year." Show them you can make money and you'll get the offer.

People Lover

People are an organization's most valuable commodity and also the one that's most difficult to manage. Processes can be fixed but people are much more complex. Demonstrate that you have a heart for people and a great ability to deal with them and you'll be very attractive to an employer.

Here's an example:

S - Situation - "I was working at XYZ corporation 2 years ago when...

C - Challenge - ...I took over the management of a division where there was high employee turnover...

A - Action - ...so rather than sit on my butt and let that continue, I instituted a coaching and feedback system ...

R - Result - ...and because I took the action, our employee retention rate increased by 20%."

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