3 Tips to Help You Gain the Attention of Hiring Managers

Maybe you've been trying to get noticed by hiring managers in the interview process, or maybe you have your eye on a company that you'd like to work for, but you just don't know how to go about getting their attention. Getting noticed by potential employers in a sea of candidates takes a bit more preparation and forethought.

Strategically speaking, you always want to do the basic but essential things like writing great cover letters and resumes, doing company research before an interview, and making a great first impression; however, there are three other tips you can use to kick things up a notch and help you rise above the competition or gain the interest of your favorite companies:

Tip #1- Demonstrate Your Value:

Your job as a potential employee is to help the company realize how you will add value to their team and its mission. Before you can convince a potential employer of the value you bring to the table, you first need to understand their corporate goals. Generally, this is a pretty easy thing to do because company officers like to be seen and heard. As the face and voice of their company, they make forward-thinking statements and talk about where they want their company to go. Much of what they say is quoted publicly.

You should be able to find some of this quoted information when you do company research. You can leverage this information for entrance to the company by using it to match up your experience with corporate goals. Demonstrating your knowledge of the company's direction and how you can help moves you up higher in the pile.

Tip #2- Network Yourself Into a Company:

Still not seeing the top of the pile? Getting to know company insiders can help. It is much easier to network into a company from the middle than it is from the top. Trying to enter a bit lower where there are typically more names and titles to choose from may help you gain entrance a bit easier. Talk to people in the organization and obtain information; find out who the influencers are and then get to know them. Once you do, you also learn what concerns them and how you can help.

Does this seem like a lot of work? It is!! However, while talking to real people at real companies you are able to increase your network, expand your sphere of influence, and get closer to the decision makers. Once you have an insider working for you-anything can happen. Many companies pay their employees for quality referrals. This gives current company employees a good reason for wanting to help you gain entrance.

Tip #3- Make Sure Your Message Meets their Needs:

Still not getting noticed? Then it's time to check your message. Remember that it should NOT be all about you-hiring companies want to know what you'll do for them. Just like a salesman that delivers solutions to help customers overcome their problems, you need to sell to their expressed needs and be better at matching your life experiences to the challenges they are facing. Remember you can't close the deal unless you can get them to listen. The best way to get them to listen is to make your presentation about something they are interested in-"them", you do this by answering the question, "What's in it for them?"

Find out what they are being held accountable for and let them know you can help them succeed. Given that message, they will likely notice you faster.

At the core of each of these tips is something that speaks to the needs of the hiring managers and their companies-this is what you need to leverage to get to the top of the pile. By not giving up and implementing these tips, you should see a substantial improvement in how you are received by hiring managers and their companies since there is always a need for well-educated and experienced professionals that bring value to an organization and its' people.