By Tom Musbach, Yahoo! HotJobs<\/font><\/p> Well-meaning job seekers sometimes get too creative when making their cases to potential employers, such as the candidate who said he was “allergic to unemployment.”<\/font><\/p> The contrived allergy and other wacky pitches were revealed by hiring executives in a survey by Accountemps, a large staffing service for financial professionals. The group of 150 senior executives offered several other examples of candidates going too far in their attempts to stand out:<\/font><\/p> Break It Down<\/font><\/strong><\/p> Richard Phillips, founder of Advantage Career Solutions in Palo Alto, California, suggests a three-step approach that flows from the job description:<\/font><\/p> Tailor Your Story<\/font><\/strong><\/p> Joe Turner, author of <\/span>Job Secrets Unlocked<\/em>, suggests you prepare your best “story” to answer the question by showing how you will go the extra mile.<\/font><\/p> “Here is where you tell that story of exactly how you worked 60-hour weeks, acquired new skills, or whatever it took to distinguish yourself and meet the challenge head-on to successfully make the sale, save the project, rescue a client or whatever it was,” he says. “If you can monetize the end result, your story will only be that much more dramatic. Since no other candidate can duplicate your own personal story here, you’ll make a memorable impression.” During the process of researching the employer and preparing for the interview, think of what you might do if you had the position, advises Carla-Krystin Andrade, author of <\/span>Kick Start Your Job Search<\/em>.<\/font><\/p> “Perhaps you have an idea for a new feature for their product or a new process that is relevant to the position,” she says. “This is the perfect time to tell them about this idea and show them how you would bring value to the position if they hired you.”<\/font><\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Tom Musbach, Yahoo! HotJobsWell-meaning job seekers sometimes get too creative when making their cases to potential employers, such as the candidate who said he was “allergic to unemployment.”The contrived allergy and other wacky pitches were revealed by hiring executives in a survey by Accountemps, a large staffing service for financial professionals.Creativity Can BackfireThe group … Continue reading Use Cleverness with Caution in the Interview<\/span>
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Creativity Can Backfire<\/font><\/strong><\/p>
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Run With Your Ideas<\/font><\/strong><\/p>