Guest Author
Many interview tips and guides focus on corporate America, large companies with visions of high rise buildings and suits. However, a majority of Americans are employed by small businesses, which can look and operate differently than a traditional corporate career.
So why focus on small businesses? The numbers alone make it clear why you should care and even target these companies during your search. According to a recent Small Business Administration report, small businesses make up 99.7 percent of the U.S. employer firms while accounting for over 64 percent of new private sector jobs.
Interview Tips From Actual Small Business Owners
If you are looking to embark on a new career or just need to improve your chances at landing your next job, keep small businesses in mind. To get you started down the path of success, check out these hot interview tips from actual small business owners.
There are numerous reports and statistics showing that healthcare jobs are on the rise. Therefore, exploring careers with high growth potential such as a dental hygienists, dental assistants and even medical and dental billing specialists are a wise move. “Demand for highly qualified dental professionals is only going to grow, especially as competition increases,” says Dr. Malcolm Greenberg, a family dentist in Saginaw, MI. “When I am looking to hire someone I want them to prove to me that this is not just a job, they need to show that they truly care about our patients.”
As part of any interview doing your homework goes a long way, specifically looking at the customer base. As Dr. Greenberg noted above, many small business owners want to see your passion for the customer and business come through during the interview process. Recognizing the customer’s, or in this case patient’s needs and showing how you truly want to help can put you in front of candidates that may have more hands-on experience.
As the economy improves, so does the service industry supporting event planning and party rentals. “Many people underestimate the time and energy we [small business owners] expend on our employees,” explains Terpos Ageladelis, the owner of Air Fun Games, a company providing bounce house rentals in Tampa, FL. “Our jobs require top notch customer service skills and the ability to manage anything that may come up, such as bad weather.” “Successful candidates that landed the job showed an enthusiasm for our products and gave clear examples of why they were reliable.”
Looking further into Mr. Ageladelis’ comments, we can see how critical reliability is to small business owners. Often, they have a smaller more nimble staff, which also means a greater responsibility per employee. Having examples and anecdotes that relate to your reliability and associating it with the job you are applying for could increase that trust factor.
These two business owners are perfect examples of small businesses thriving in America, though they couldn’t do it alone. They require qualified candidates but it doesn’t stop there. By truly understanding their comments you will begin to see that exuding passion for the company, job and associated customer base is just as important as the technical skill set you may have.
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This article was provided by Matthew Speer, Founder of the sustainable living and green career site www.isustainableearth.com
