An economic downturn is no deterrent for the top companies when it comes to scouting for fresh talent. If you have your sights set on working for one of them, it pays to be persistent and prepared.
Fortune magazine, for instance, annually ranks the 100 top employers. Top companies are still hiring, it says, but the competition is stiffer than ever. Senior writer Anne Fisher offers these tips for getting your foot in the door:
Unleash your inner storyteller. By far the most popular interview style is what's known as the behavioral, meaning that you will be asked to describe troublesome situations in previous jobs and recount exactly how you handled them. Be ready to interview and interview and interview. Although the process varies significantly from one company to the next, you could easily be faced with a series of 12 to 15 one-on-one chats or one long conversation with a panel of up to 50 current employees.
A Google search won't do it. A proven way to stand out from the rest of the candidates is to know more about the place and the industry than your rivals. Do creative research, such as talking to past or current customers of the company you want to work for. The insight you will glean from these sources is so rare that if you demonstrate it effectively, you will set yourself far apart from the other candidates.
No lone rangers need apply. By and large, top companies want team players. One recruiting director that Fisher spoke to said he actually counts the number of times a candidate says “I” in an interview; he'd much rather hear “we.” Another big turnoff is declaring that you're already the best at what you do. The top employers pride themselves on creating learning environments, so talk instead about the skills you'd like to acquire or polish.
If at first you don't succeed, try again. Top companies keep track of what FedEx calls “silver medalists” – people who barely missed getting hired – and alerts them to new openings. One way to do this is by registering on the company's Web site to receive news and alerts of new openings. Four Seasons, for example, has hired people seven or eight years after an initial meeting.
Finally, remember that applying for a job simply because the company shines on lists or has a reputation as a great place to work is not a winning strategy. If the reason you want to work there is that you want subsidized day care or a fabulous gym, chances are you won't last.
