8 Smart Ways to Make Recruiters Like You and Your Resume

Date Posted: 03/31/2016

Alam mo ba na magastos din para sa mga recruiters ang magkamali sa pag-hire kaya naman they are acutely aware and use their experience to analyze candidates’ replies to questions. Pero hindi lang basihan ang mga sinasagot sa interviews, they also interpret answers from various angles like intelligence, body language, clear speech, etc. Madalas, they seek candidates who give smart simple answers, and above all else, answer their questions with integrity and truthfulness. Such answers must therefore be ‘smart’ (intelligent), not ‘smart’ (smug or clever) without any attempt to conceal, suppress or twist any aspect of your profile that is not true.  Mas makakabuti pa yung aminin mo na you only have limited or no exposure in some of your past career and/or training rather na mag-imbento ka o magyabang ka ng bagay na hindi mo naman talaga nagawa because sooner or later, you will be exposed. Lalabas din ang katotohanan and you will be rejected for attempting to falsify your profile.  Therefore to establish any claims that you make, you must back it up with real time anecdotes to show that you can really handle the role.  Magbigay ka ng examples o pangyayari na magpapatunay na talagang nagawa mo at alam mo iyong trabaho.

Wala naman talagang ideal or perfect candidate for any job and everyone has to adapt and learn new roles.  Admitting that you are not familiar with the exact requirement of the new role but that you are willing and able to learn it fast will suggest humility that will be more appreciated than trying to bluff your way through.  Magpakatotoo at magpakumbaba, aminin na hindi mo alam at ipakita na handa ka matuto. Mas mapapahanga mo sila dito.

You will be asked specific questions about yourself, who you are (professionally), about your greatest strengths and biggest weaknesses, about your views on suitability for this job, about your choice to work for the organization and your career vision, etc. In replying to such questions your answers should be well thought out, short and convincingly stated to underscore your fitness for the job.

Here are some examples of good answers which may help you:

About yourself.

The smart way is to state strongly who you are. Speak with confidence about your capabilities and keen interest to accept the new responsibility, and your natural flexibility in blending into the new organizational culture. Maari mong ikuwento ang ibang milestones in your career or education at interests, just touching upon your family background in passing. Wag mong ikwento ang buong buhay mo, hindi interesado ang interviewer sa love life mo o sa favorite long song mo. Use common sense if you are a new job seeker for a job abroad.  Highlight what skills you can bring to the job.

Your strengths.

The smart way is to be specific and brief when you speak of your professional/temperamental strengths, and do not go into excessive detail about every positive aspect of yourself. Piliin mo lang yung strengths that you want to highlight and mention these in the context of the role.  Never generalize your qualities with words like ‘efficient’, ‘friendly’, ‘hard-working’ and ‘honest’ unless you can back this up with specific examples.  Ipakita mong ikaw ang kailangan nila, magbigay ka ng mga halimbawa hango sa dati mong trabaho na magpapakita ng kakayahan mo.

Your weaknesses.

Walang perfect sa atin, we all have our weaknesses and it is smarter to just admit these human weaknesses which are common, credible and excusable and not over-confess and be unnecessarily frank about any negative aspect of yourself.  Pero wag mo namang i-highlight ang pagkukulang at kahinaan mo.  Never claim any trait like ‘over-dedicated’, ‘obsessed’, ‘perfectionist’ as weaknesses as this would suggest that you are merely trying to portray a weakness as an advantage that should be valued.  Be prepared to talk about instances where you had to confront a weakness and how you managed to overcome it.  Magbigay ka ng pagkakataon na nalampasan mo ang kahinaan mo. Another way is to lightheartedly state that you cannot know your own weaknesses unless others speak of it, which they haven’t, and if you knew of any weakness, you would have fixed it long ago.

Why you quit your last job.

How you present your current/last employer is very important.  Bawal ang bad or negative words about them.  Do not let your interviewer ever doubt that you would also be critical of them later, should you ever leave them. Highlight the positives of your last job and state positive reasons for seeking a career change, avoiding mention of what you didn’t get from your past employers.  Huwag mong pintasan o pagsalitaan ng masama ang dati mong trabaho, maaari itong magpapakita na magiging ganito ka din sa kanila.

Your curiosity and motivation for the new role.

The smart way is to keep the interview conversational, meaning a two-way communication about the new job profile, with questions and answers from both sides, not just your monologue. Presuming that you did your homework on the role, you must ask questions to seek ways of confirming what you know to establish your fitness for the new role. Hindi lang puro sila ang nagtatanong, magtanong ka din tungkol sa trabaho at sa kompanya.  Your curiosity must be positive in order to convey that you are confident that you are a good match.

How you can contribute.

The smart way to answer this is to showcase yourself by highlighting your own unique skills, aptitude and training/experience, tying these to your successes by citing real time examples. Dito papasok ang kakayahan mo, sabihin mo ang mga natutunan mo sa mga training at experience mo sa dating trabaho.  Do not repeat the requirements of the vacancy; rather make positive suggestions to the selectors to conclude the good match.

How informed you are.

The smart way is to acquire some in-depth knowledge in whatever really interests you so you can talk about it. Huwag mo sasabihin na gusto mo yung ganito then when you are asked more about it, wala ka na maisasagot pa. Kunwari if you are not a reader, don’t say that you like reading. If you like football, not basketball, don’t mention the wrong sport. Just make sure you do like something and ensure that you know something about it because that will show a normal balance in your character.  Lagi lang magpakatotoo.

Who your role model is.

The smart way is not to stop at mentioning a name but to speak of the reason for selecting your role model, irrespective of personally knowing this person, whether from public or family. Explain why you feel inspired about this person and why you admire those qualities for developing yourself.  Sa tanong na ito, sabihin mo kung anong nagustuhan mo sa role model mo? Bakit gusto mo maging katulad niya? Magbigay ka ng dahilan, halimbawa o pagkapareho kung bakit siya ang role model mo.

You may be asked questions on a host of many other aspects and topics, like self-awareness, values, personal goals, problem solving skills, interpersonal skills, etc. Take a cue from the approach explained above and think out your smart answers in advance. Remember that to give ‘smart’ answers you must be essentially yourself, and totally straight-forward, or else you may find yourself outsmarted.  If you cannot be better than the competition, at least be different to be noticed.  Sa dami ng maaaring itanong sa iyo, laging tandaan na ang pagiging makatotohanan ang magtataguyod at sigurado kang mapapansin ka.