You will never have an interview when you are thought to be the best candidate for the job. Most recruiters choose candidates with as little as a 75% fit rate for interviews when sifting through resumes.
As a result, when the time comes, you will be confronted with an interviewer (or group of interviewers) who will have reservations about your suitability for the position.
This is commonplace, and it says nothing about your character, reputation, or honesty. You’re merely conversing with a bunch of people that want to make the best decision they can.
You must learn how to favourably address their objections against you while keeping in mind that in most (if not all) circumstances, these complaints will never be questioned explicitly or even uttered.
Read Also: Things you should never do during and after a job interview.
Objections to a certain applicant might manifest themselves merely in the interviewer’s tone of voice or body language. All you have to do is pay careful attention and handle any/all concerns:
Article Road Map
1. Significant Gaps Between Job Positions
If you have taken time away from your job, either intentionally or unintentionally, you must appropriately position it. If you are:
- If you took time off to raise a family, you must demonstrate that you performed something related to your field of study during that time. It might take the shape of volunteer work, aiding a family member with their own business, or anything else.
- You might recognize that you started a business and then offer references for this time period.
- If you were laid off during the previous recession and failed to find work, you must establish yourself as an exception to the belief that long-term jobless people are somehow less talented or productive.
Read Also: Building A Standard CV For Job Interview
2. Very Little Experience
If you’re applying for a creative career (such as advertising, architecture, art, design, or writing), have your portfolio reviewed during the interview. A portfolio is a visual tool to exhibit your talents, expertise, and accomplishments, and it is sometimes required to bring one to an interview.
Before the interview, go over all of your employment positions/responsibilities/achievements and make sure they are sufficiently portrayed on your resume. Prepare to talk about these with the interviewer.
Regardless of the business or position for which you are applying, your resume should function as a portfolio, emphasizing your measurable successes and responsibilities. Read our article “CRAFT A PERSUASIVE AND COMPELLING RESUME” for more details on creating this resume.
Read Also: Tips For Job Hunting (Best Practices for Quickly Getting a Job).
3. Not Sure How You Will Fit in With The Team.
This issue addresses the concept of a “cultural fit” between the new hiring and the existing team of employees. This objection will be voiced if the interviewer is unsure how to “mesh” with the present team.
During the interview, they will assess if your personality will mesh well with the rest of the team’s already established members.
Will your presence force others to search for another employment or (worse) harm the team’s productivity? To overcome this point, be prepared to explain how you have worked in partnership with a team or taken on a leadership role within a team, with concrete examples.
Read Also: How to Follow up After a Successful Job Interview
4. I Can’t Pay You As Much As You Expect.
This criticism must be addressed cautiously; you do not want to negotiate a salary during the interview process. You aim to persuade the interviewer that you are the best candidate for the position, and then you can begin pay negotiations.
To answer this criticism, explain that pay is only one component of the overall remuneration, and be open about your desire to pursue other possibilities. Sincerity is essential.
In all honesty, depending on a specific person’s stage of life, other aspects of the remuneration package (i.e. flexible schedule, expense reimbursement policy, benefits package, 401(k) match, etc.) might be highly lucrative.
Concentrate on those. Emphasize that you are seeking a new job because you want to be a member of a certain organization or for promotion prospects, skill learning, and exposure to new procedures, among other things.
5. You Are Over Qualified.
Recruiters and hiring managers are looking for the finest applicant for the job. You must address this if you are interviewing with someone who believes you are overqualified.
Read Also: 7 Reasons Why You Are Still Unemployed.
During The Interview
1. Maintain your confidence.
The above list is not exhaustive. You will almost certainly be asked a question you did not anticipate. If that’s the case, don’t show it; instead, organize your thoughts and be confident in your response.
2. Respond To a Question With a Question.
Don’t use this strategy every time you’re asked a question. If you cannot respond quickly, asking a probing question or requesting an example might offer you time to organize your response while also providing you with much-needed additional information.
3. Get To The Bottom Of The Problem.
Not all objections are visible, and many are silent. Pay great attention to the interviewer’s questions, as well as their tone and body language. If you can identify the hidden reason, you may address it while simultaneously emphasizing your ability to confront and solve difficulties.
Conclusion:
Remember not to take it personally. People you interview are human beings who come to the interview with ideas and expectations based on their unique background and previous experiences. Your task is to persuade them that you are the best applicant for the position despite all of this.
When seeking to overcome these objections, remember not to concentrate on them, but rather, after you are certain you understand them, flip them around to overcome them. Suppose you do have a flaw that the interviewer has pointed out to you. Figure out how to convert it into a strength.
Read Also: Job hunting Strategies That Works.
For example, if you were dismissed from your previous job, find a method to demonstrate how the experience has given you fresh insight into ensuring your supervisor is aware of the contributions you are making—one word of caution for those of you who have never worked in sales.
While it is good to think of the interview, be careful not to oversell yourself to the point where the interviewer is turned off by your candidacy. You must balance being overly modest about your achievements and fit with the organization and talking too much about yourself.
Finally, keep in mind that the interview is really a dialogue between two people attempting to highlight their strongest features.
You aim to leave the interview knowing that you have done your best to market your unique combination of abilities and achievements while overcoming any objections made by the interviewer.