Getting a Job Isn't Hard...If You Prepare For These 4 Things

Landing a job, as it turns out, is about four major things—at least with most corporations. The resume is worth just over 10%, enough to get you through the door, but then your interview performance and company fit are each worth about two-thirds of the equation. And the last little bit of magic has to do with your personality—at least how they perceive it. So start focusing on these, in the appropriate proportions.

1. Resume

By now, you know what you need to do. And if you don’t, there are some great examples and suggestions and strategies to be found that will make it easy to develop your resume.

2. Interview

Like a movie star’s screen test, or a Broadway actor’s audition, the interview is your first major hurdle, and worth about a third of the weight in the hiring process. Don’t just pick a snazzy outfit: do your homework, practice, practice, practice, and come prepared. The more work you do before you walk into that interview, the easier it will be to sell them on your strengths and how you can deliver across all of their unique needs for your position.

3. Cultural Fit

It seems a little like getting invited to sit at someone’s lunch table, but so it goes. This is also weighted at about a third of the equation. They want to make sure you’re a good fit just as much as you want to make sure you’ll get along with your co-workers and not be miserable coming to work each day. Does everyone wear power suits and sit in cubicles, when you’re accustomed to standing desks and jeans and open plan offices with empanada carts? These things are worth considering, and your hiring manager will be just as interested in figuring out how well you’d fit as you are.

4. Personality Assessment

More and more companies are using specially designed assessments to determine what your unique personality would be as an employee, given the environment at that particular company, what your job will be, and who you are. These are the final chunk of the pie, and probably weighted at less than 10 percent of the overall impression you will make. Sometimes they can prove disastrously wrong, but sometimes they can really show a perfect match. Try to be yourself—rather than attempting to outsmart the system, and you should be fine. Remember, the best and only thing you can do is be prepared. Knowing what your future employers might be looking for is just another tool in your job search toolbox. Know before you go.