#1 thing you can do that will make me want to hire you

Right now I am hiring for a digital communications manager position for one of our clients.  This is not what I normally do (as I mentioned, I mostly write).  Kind of random since I am learning about all this search engine optimization/keyword research stuff myself.  But also good, since I am at the point where at least I know what I don't know.

Back to interviewing though: frustrating!  First of all, about 90% of the emails get immediately trashed because they are too long, too short, or too boring.  We are looking for someone who can WRITE.  Every woman who comes in wears this uniform: a black pants suit and a white shirt.  Boring.

What you can do to impress me the most


I ask the interviewee questions, trying to see if their experience matches the job description.  Trying to get clues to see if they are a self-starter.  Near the end of the interview, I usually ask: "is there anything else you want to tell me?"

The last three people have said, "nope, that's about it!"

They are missing the opportunity! Now is the time!

Tell me exactly how your qualifications match the job description.  It's all out there in the original ad.  Bullet points. Tell me, "I think I'd be great at this job because I can do A,B and C, just like you have in the ad.  I'm learning about D and E and I know I can do it because I did Z in my last job."

What am I doing wrong?


Am I doing something wrong as an interviewer?  Should I ask straight out: "What qualifies you for this position?"  What do you think?