Hiring is a buying decision

The decision on who to hire is a buying decision - use this knowledge wisely

As a career recruiter I believe it is a massive advantage to anyone entering

the job market, to spend some time to put themselves in the hiring manager or

employers shoes.

Really get behind what they are thinking?, why are they hiring?, what do they

want?, what are their risks? etc, etc.

As an example Bradford Smart in his book Topgrading (a hiring methodology for

companies serious about leading their industry), Smart proves that miss-

hiring can cost anywhere from 10 to 28 times the original base compensation

package!

Clearly the more senior the hiring mistake the more damaging.

Therefore anyone hiring clearly has a major need, but also some very serious

consequences for getting it wrong.

The decision to hire is therefore a "buying" decision. A serious one at that.
This is good to know.

A buying decision is a marriage of logical reasoning and emotional drive.

Consider a major purchase - car for example.

The marketeer's manipulate your emotional drivers by suggesting that buying

their car will make you, more attractive to potential partners, feel super

successful, save the planet, and other emotional goodies.

Your emotional drivers are the real powerful ones.

So if you are looking for a car, and want to feel more attractive to

potential partners (I know this was me when younger), you are going to but

the car that most meets this criteria, combined with logical criteria such as

your budget, required size and so on.

Hiring is the same, logically they need someone to perform a specific

function, who can prove they have done this, have the qualifications, have

the potential, whatever the job spec requires.

Logically this is easy, CV's and resumes are mostly written for logical

assessment.

However as any marketeer will tell you, the real power is in appealing to the

buyers emotional need.

In recruitment this covers a number of factors, mostly around the need to

avoid miss-hires and the find a person who will fit with the company and work

well with colleagues and clients.

This can be described as LIKABILITY.

Therefore the person who get's the job will be the most LIKABLE with enough

supporting reasons (LOGICAL) to justify the offer.

Therefore it is VITAL that you keep both of these criteria in mind the entire

hiring process. From CV / Resume / cover letters, and throughout the

interview process.

So how do you create LIKABILITY?

Yes likability can be created; it's a combination of characteristics but must

include CONFIDENCE.

Within a CV / Resume the trick is to include honest behaviour traits and

personality characteristics that you possess and the role demands. Within the

logical but often dull facts, figures and experience information.

By doing this you embed personality, written in a concise style you add pace

for the reader, keeping them interested, and developing their need to know

more about YOU.

Through the interview you build upon this with answers (the foundations you

have pre-prepared) based on the role-relevant characteristics, skills /

competencies you posses and can DEMONSTRATE.

The honesty is key here, by basing your answers around your personal

character and real experiences, will build your confidence and therefore

likability.

It's far easier to be confident talking about real experiences and

characteristics than if you have overstated and overly manipulated your

character to fit the role.

I realise it's not always easy to put this on paper, and therefore have

written a free guide that describes in more detail how to develop your CV /

resume and interviewing performance to embed likability.

If you would like more detail please feel free to grab it from my website

listed below.

About the Author

I have been in the recruitment industry for the past 11 years. http://www.sentient-recruitment.com/how-to-prepare-a-resume-for-interview-success.html