If you were a hiring manager, how could I really impress you?

[UserThenLotsOfNumbers]

Just that really.

I have an interview next week and I'm always the candidate that was "really strong but someone was slightly better".

I turn up 5 mins early, well dressed, bring some notes and anything else they ask for e.g. qualifications and passport, I use the STAR method, have the right experience for the job and prepare well. But that doesn't seem to be enough.

At the end I always ask 2/3 questions about the role and the role in relation to the company's strategy.

I would be very grateful for any advice, thanks.

Be natural, be yourself and smile, eye contact, sit slightly forward. And admit that you may be a bit nervous, it's only natural. Fitting into a team which can support you and vice versa is so important. Skills can be taught, but soft skills matter too. Maybe you just haven't found your match yet?

Be friendly and seem fun. I would always hire the fun, relaxed person over the jobsworth who might be tricky if things went wrong.

Tell them 'I want this job'.

For me, its not just about experience but fit. My team have a dynamic and work really well together and I dont want to put that at risk buy employing someone who has the skills but doesn't fit personality wise.

Be yourself, be as natural as you can and let your personality come through (i know this can be difficult to do in interviews!)

I liked when a candidate actually wrote down the question I had asked them on their notes - it meant it was easier for them to keep referring back to it and were less likely to forget what I originally asked them. It also allows a few extra seconds to prepare an answer in your head before beginning! It's something I do myself in interviews now too.

Thank you, yes do all that. I'm friendly and get on with everyone. Definitely not a jobsworth but I know what you mean!

I think you're right about the team fit though. In a recent job I didn't get (in the company I already work for), the person they did employ has very limited knowledge and has had to go on lots of training to do the job, but I guess their face fit. If I sound bitter I don't mean to, I think I had a lucky escape there!

I usually turn up 15 minutes early.

What sort of questions do you ask at the end? My favourite is "why do you like working here?". Takes them off guard just a tiny bit and makes you more memorable.

For me personality is very important.

I want any new starters to fit in with my current team - as an example, we're in the outdoor industry so I wouldn't hire someone who didn't have any interest in the outdoors or in travel as passion is really important here.

The last person I hired was a young 22 year old lad and my decision was queried several times - however he's turned into one of our best sales assistants and his passion for the outdoors really helps that.

He had zero retail experience before he came here.

I'm in IT, but my team are relationship managers. So for me it's less about technical skills (but they are needed), and less about being 'business like' but need a lot of experience and need to be very personable. I'd take personality fit before skills. Someone who asks how I am, if there's time such as a small walk to the meeting room , will make appropriate small talk.

I must have a defective personality

Not at all OP, what type of job/industry are you in?

Last time I interviewed there was someone who basically did the perfect interview, her answers were textbook. That, combined with her CV, said to me she had a lot of interview experiences and wouldn't stick around. I took an instant dislike to her, maybe unfair but it is what it is.

The person we hired didn't necessarily do perfect STAR answers but you could tell when he was talking about his current job that he was very competent and genuinely interested in the job.

So I would say partly luck because the person interviewing could be an idiot and partly be genuine because over rehearsed answers might achieve the opposite effect.

I think if you over prepare it can come across as a bit wooden and lacking in personality and as a pp said - it’s as much about fit as it is skills.

search your mind for transferable skills, imo that is what they want

Perhaps you need to put the boot on the other foot OP? Sometimes if you've been looking and looking and just missing out, you can get so desperate that you don't assess the employer. It's easy to forget that it's a two-way process and that you have to be happy with them too.

I also think competency based interviewing can get in the way of this process, as it tends to lead to very formulaic tick-box answers, as well as being very bad for applicants with non standard backgrounds.

Good luck with your job hunt. There's nothing wrong with your personality - just think of it as like backing yourself in a horse race. You can help your own odds but you've no idea of the competition.

Thank you for your kind words and advice, I really appreciate it

The one really good thing that's come out of my job search is how much former colleagues and managers have supported me and helped me to find work. This week I'll be temping in the team where I have the interview. I spoke to the hiring manager a couple of other team members about the role a few weeks ago, and afterwards one of the team members asked if I'd be happy to temp for another manager in that team. Hopefully I made a good impression. I'm currently working but temping, hoping to get something permanent

Thanks again!

Maybe you're just not the right fit for the companies you're applying for?

Different companies have different criteria so maybe you need to find one that's right for you?

Easier said than done I know

Tell them 'I want this job'

...definitely don't do that. Ugh.

There's no guaranteed way to hack the system OP, hiring managers are different and want different things. You seem to be doing all the right things generally. Sometimes you just have to hang in there until you and a situation really match. When competition is high it's normal and often true for there just to be someone who is a bit more experienced. If you're getting interviews eventually you'll get an offer. And if you have ex colleagues who speak highly of you and are getting temp experience that also speaks highly that you'll get an offer. Make sure you work your network - if you know someone anywhere there is an opening, contact them and ask them to refer you or put in a good word. That can go a long way.

One thing you can do is make sure your questions about the company show you've researched it and understand the sector, strategy etc.

I hire people and beyond a check that they have the skills and experience it's often a gut instinct thing. Anyone can research answers to interview questions. You can't make them that different.

The ones I tend to like show genuine interest in the role and ask several questions. I'm always suspicious when people have no questions.

Can you research who is interviewing you and try and scope them out? Then 'fit' your answers to them?

I've recently just completed a recruitment exercise. I've been hiring for over 30 years and recruit on evidence. I need to know that the candidate can do the job, will do it well, and will be worth the investment the company makes. I don't recruit on "gut instinct".

Two most common interview faults:

Not researching the company. If you can't be arsed to find out what we do and where and how we do it then we're not going any further.

Not listening to the question and then selling yourself with the answer. I'm asking because I want to know how you will fit the role.

And yes, be enthusiastic about the role and the company. Convince me you want to work here.

And to the PP that said this I took an instant dislike to her, maybe unfair but it is what it is - you should not be interviewing or recruiting. This is about people's livelihoods . They deserve better than your personal prejudices.

Be passionate. By which mean be obviously excited about the role and industry. I've got jobs I wasn't even particularly qualified for by being passionate about the post and work overall, and what I could bring to it.

I recruited this week and hired the person who was most nervous, who's presentation was the weakest, and who had the least relevant experience.

This was because she clearly wanted it and had a great personality.

There were better qualified and more experienced candidates, but they were either far too dull, too cocky, too ambivalent or just too unprepared.

This lady knew about our company, products and services, our history, culture and values, and proved she'd be a great fit within our team.

That she was so nervous showed me she cared and I sensed that if given the opportunity, she'd give it everything she had.

I've never been so pleased to offer someone a job and to hear how shocked and thrilled she was when I informed her, made me so happy. I can't wait for her to start.

Well this shows we're all different doesn't it? I don't always know for definite a candidate can do a job when I recruit. It totally depends on the type and level of the role whether you need evidence in advance that they can do it.

In some cases it may even be their first role so you have nothing to go on in terms of work experience.

I recruited our former lunch delivery boy for a professional customer services role earlier this year. He's bloody brilliant and I'm so glad we got to give him his first real role.

Well this shows we're all different doesn't it?

It shows some of us take recruitment seriously and some of us use it to boost our ego and make ourselves feel good.

It's not always about experience. There are ways to determine whether someone has the resilience, diligence, maturity to perform in a role. Sometimes you can ignore proper recruitment processes and hire solely on the "feelz" and sometimes you'll get lucky. More often, it's a bad choice that doesn't make the organisation more effective and pisses off the rest of the team.

I've never been so pleased to offer someone a job and to hear how shocked and thrilled she was when I informed her, made me so happy. I can't wait for her to start . Well let's just hope she can do the job, because the evidence cited in your post suggests strongly she can't.