In recent weeks, recruiters for Consolidated Container Co. have seen job candidates arrive up to an hour early for interviews. Other candidates have alluded to financial hardships while in the hot seat, and one person even distributed bound copies of documents describing projects he completed for past employers.

These sorts of tactics aren't exactly winners.

In today's ultracompetitive job market, even getting an interview is a feat. Yet recruiters and hiring managers say many unemployed candidates blow the opportunity by appearing desperate or bitter about their situations -- often without realizing it.

'People are becoming a lot more aggressive,' says Julie Loubaton, director of recruiting and talent management for Atlanta-based Consolidated Container. 'They often wind up hurting themselves.'

At an interview, you want to stand out for the right reasons. To do so, you'll need to leave your baggage and anxiety at the door. For starters, wait until 10 minutes before your scheduled interview time to announce yourself. Arriving any sooner 'shows that you're not respectful of the time the hiring manager put aside for you,' says Ms. Loubaton, adding that a candidate who arrived an hour early made workers uncomfortable. 'Companies really don't want someone camped out in their lobby.'

Signal confidence by offering a firm handshake, adds Wendy Alfus Rothman, president of Wenroth Consulting Inc., an executive coaching firm in New York. Focus your attention on the interviewer. Avoid looking around the room, tapping your fingers, or other nervous movements.

No matter how you're feeling, keep your personal woes out of the interview process, asserts Ms. Alfus Rothman. Instead, always exude an upbeat attitude. For example, if you were laid off, instead of lamenting the situation, you might say the experience prompted you to reassess your skills, and that's what led you here. 'You want to demonstrate resilience in the face of unpredictable obstacles,' she says.

Meanwhile, show you've done your homework on the company by explaining how your background and track record relates to its current needs, adds Deborah Markus, founder of Columbus Advisors LLC, an executive-search firm in New York. This is particularly important if the firm is in a different industry than the one you worked in before. To stand out, you'll need to look up more than just basics on company leadership and core businesses. You'll also need to find out -- and understand -- how recent changes in the marketplace have affected the firm, its competitors and industry overall. Read recent company press releases, annual reports, media coverage and industry blogs, and consult with trusted members of your network. 'Companies that may have been performing well just a few months ago might be in survival mode now,' says Ms. Markus. 'You want to understand how [they're] positioned today.'

Also, be sure to show you're a strong fit for the particular position you're seeking, adds Kathy Marsico, senior vice president of human resources at PDI Inc., a Saddle River, N.J., provider of sales and marketing services for pharmaceutical companies. Offer examples of past accomplishments -- not just responsibilities you've held -- and describe how they're relevant to the opportunity. 'You must differentiate yourself like never before,' she says. 'You need to customize yourself and make yourself memorable.'

Sherry R. Brickman, a partner at executive-search firm Martin Partners LLC, says a candidate recently impressed her with this sort of preparation. 'He knew the company's product line and what markets it was already in,' she says of the man, who was interviewing for an executive post at a midsize industrial manufacturer. 'He clearly and effectively explained how he could cut costs, increase sales and expand market share based on what he'd done in his current job.' The candidate was hired.

Be careful not to go too far, though, in your quest to stand out. For example, it may be tempting to offer to work temporarily for free or to take a lesser salary than what a job pays. But experts say such bold moves often backfire on candidates. 'Employers want value,' says Lee Miller, author of 'Get More Money on Your Next Job . . . In Any Economy.' 'They don't want cheap.'

Your best bet is to wait until you're extended a job offer before talking pay. 'In a recession, employers are going to be very price sensitive,' says Mr. Miller. 'The salary you ask for may impact their decision to move forward.' Come prepared having researched the average pay range for a position in case you're pressured to name your price, he adds. You might say, for example, that money isn't a primary concern for you and that you're just looking for something fair, suggests Mr. Miller. You can try turning the tables by asking interviewers what the company has budgeted for the position.

In some cases, you may be looking just for a job to get you through so you might consider a less-than-perfect fit. But if you aren't really excited about an opportunity, keep it to yourself, warns David Gaspin, director of human resources at 5W Public Relations in New York. 'I've had times where people come in and it's clear that if they really had their preference, they'd be doing something different,' he says. 'You don't want to put that out on the table. Nobody wants to hire someone who's going to run for the door when times get better.'

After an interview, take caution with your follow-up. If you're in the running for multiple jobs at once, make sure to address thank-yous to the right people, career experts advise. Also look closely for spelling and grammatical errors. In a competitive job market, employers have the luxury of choice, and even a minor faux pas can hurt your chances.

If all has gone well, don't stalk the interviewer. Wait at least a week before checking on your candidacy, adds Jose Tamez, managing partner at Austin-Michael LP, an executive-search firm in Golden, Colo. Call recruiters only at their office, even if their business card lists a home or cell number. Leave a message if you get voicemail. These days, recruiters typically have caller ID and can tell if you've tried reaching them multiple times without leaving a voicemail. 'There's a fine line between enthusiasm and overenthusiasm,' he says.

最近幾周，包裝公司Consolidated Container Co.的招聘官注意到一個(gè)現(xiàn)象，某些應(yīng)聘者提早一個(gè)小時(shí)就來(lái)到面試現(xiàn)場(chǎng)，還有一些應(yīng)聘者在面試時(shí)暗示自己經(jīng)濟(jì)上遇到麻煩，一位應(yīng)聘者甚至將過(guò)去做過(guò)的項(xiàng)目編印成冊(cè)進(jìn)行分發(fā)。

其實(shí)上述舉動(dòng)并不是面試成功的上策。

在如今競(jìng)爭(zhēng)異常激烈的就業(yè)市場(chǎng)上，獲得面試機(jī)會(huì)本身就是一個(gè)成就。但是不少招聘官和人事經(jīng)理反映，很多失業(yè)的應(yīng)聘者對(duì)于自己的處境所表現(xiàn)出的絕望或痛苦毀掉了他們的機(jī)會(huì)。而他們常常意識(shí)不到這一點(diǎn)。

亞特蘭大Consolidated Container公司招聘和人力資源管理經(jīng)理朱麗•魯巴頓(Julie Loubaton)說(shuō)：“應(yīng)聘者比過(guò)去激進(jìn)多了，不過(guò)他們常常事與愿違。”

如果想以正確的方式在面試中嶄露頭角，就要把心理負(fù)擔(dān)和焦慮情緒扔在門(mén)外。如果你是職場(chǎng)新人，那么請(qǐng)等到指定時(shí)間前的十分鐘，再出現(xiàn)在面試地點(diǎn)。魯巴頓說(shuō)：“早到10分鐘以上，說(shuō)明你不尊重人事經(jīng)理為你留出的時(shí)間。”她補(bǔ)充道：“提前一個(gè)小時(shí)，會(huì)讓面試方的員工感覺(jué)不舒服，哪家公司都不希望有人在自己的門(mén)廳里安營(yíng)扎寨。”

紐約高管培訓(xùn)公司W(wǎng)enroth Consulting總裁溫迪•阿爾法斯•羅斯曼(Wendy Alfus Rothman)的建議是，用一個(gè)有力的握手來(lái)傳遞你的自信，將注意力放在面試官身上。避免東張西望或用手指敲桌子等表現(xiàn)緊張的舉動(dòng)。

羅斯曼強(qiáng)調(diào)道，無(wú)論心情如何，面試時(shí)一定要表現(xiàn)得蓬勃向上，把個(gè)人的不幸全部忘掉。例如，如果你被裁員，與其悲嘆時(shí)局，不如告訴面試官，裁員的經(jīng)歷激勵(lì)你重新評(píng)價(jià)自己的能力，并促使你申請(qǐng)這份新工作。羅斯曼說(shuō)：“在不可預(yù)知的挫折面前，你要表現(xiàn)出越挫越勇的精神。”

紐約高管獵頭公司Columbus Advisors的創(chuàng)始人德博拉•馬庫(kù)斯(Deborah Markus)補(bǔ)充道：“與此同時(shí)，還要解釋你的背景和履歷為什么符合對(duì)方當(dāng)前的需求，以此說(shuō)明你已針對(duì)招聘單位做了功課。”對(duì)于跨行業(yè)的應(yīng)聘者來(lái)說(shuō)，這一點(diǎn)尤其重要。為了脫潁而出，應(yīng)聘者不僅要了解對(duì)方的管理模式和核心業(yè)務(wù)等基本信息，還要進(jìn)行更深入的研究，弄清近期的市場(chǎng)變化如何影響招聘方、其競(jìng)爭(zhēng)對(duì)手和整個(gè)行業(yè)。這就要求應(yīng)聘者查閱招聘方的最新新聞稿、財(cái)務(wù)年報(bào)、媒體報(bào)導(dǎo)和行業(yè)博客等，并向社交圈里值得信任的人士進(jìn)行咨詢(xún)。馬庫(kù)斯說(shuō)：“幾個(gè)月以前經(jīng)營(yíng)良好的公司，現(xiàn)在可能已經(jīng)掙扎在生死線(xiàn)上。你應(yīng)該掌握他們目前的經(jīng)營(yíng)策略。”

PDI公司人力資源高級(jí)副總裁凱西•馬斯科(Kathy Marsico)的建議是，一定要顯示出自己是所應(yīng)征職位的最佳人選，向?qū)Ψ教峁┠茏C明過(guò)去成就的案例，不僅要指出你過(guò)去的職責(zé)，還要說(shuō)明這些職責(zé)與應(yīng)聘的崗位有什么關(guān)系：“你必須用全新的方式讓自己脫潁而出，一方面要根據(jù)對(duì)方的需求塑造自己，另一方面還要讓自己表現(xiàn)得令人過(guò)目不忘。”總部位于新澤西州薩德河地區(qū)的PDI公司向制藥企業(yè)提供銷(xiāo)售和營(yíng)銷(xiāo)服務(wù)。

高管獵頭公司Martin Partners合伙人莎莉•R•布利克曼(Sherry R. Brickman)表示，最近一位應(yīng)聘者就用上面提到的方法給她留下深刻的印象：“他了解招聘方的產(chǎn)品線(xiàn)，以及所在的市場(chǎng)。”這位應(yīng)聘者面試的是一家中型工業(yè)制造企業(yè)的高層管理職位。“他結(jié)合自己在目前職位的工作，明確而有效地解釋出他將如何幫助對(duì)方削減成本、增加銷(xiāo)量和擴(kuò)大市場(chǎng)。”這位應(yīng)聘者最終被錄用了。

但是切記，即使你想讓自己獨(dú)樹(shù)一幟，也不要過(guò)猶不及。比如，提出為對(duì)方免費(fèi)或者低薪工作一段時(shí)間，也許聽(tīng)上去很誘人，但是專(zhuān)家們指出，這種魯莽的舉動(dòng)可能適得其反。

《如何跳槽到高薪的職位》(Get More Money on Your Next Job . . . In Any Economy.)一書(shū)的作者李•米勒(Lee Miller)說(shuō)，“雇主們想要獲得價(jià)值，而不是便宜貨。”

最保險(xiǎn)的做法是拿到錄用通知之后再談薪水。米勒說(shuō)：“經(jīng)濟(jì)衰退時(shí)，雇主對(duì)錢(qián)非常敏感，你的目標(biāo)薪酬可能影響他們作出進(jìn)一步?jīng)Q定的決心。” 米勒補(bǔ)充道，面試前，你可以搜索相關(guān)職位的平均薪酬范圍，以防萬(wàn)一被迫回答薪酬問(wèn)題。米勒還建議道，你可以說(shuō)，錢(qián)不是你主要考慮的問(wèn)題，你只想獲得一份公平的報(bào)酬。你還可以把問(wèn)題拋回去，問(wèn)對(duì)方到底留了多少預(yù)算給這個(gè)職位。

有時(shí)候，你只不過(guò)想找份工作作為權(quán)宜之計(jì)，而沒(méi)有追求最完美的職位。即使你對(duì)面前的機(jī)會(huì)并不那么感興趣，也要把這種想法埋在心底。這是紐約公關(guān)公司5W公司人力資源主管大衛(wèi)•加斯賓(David Gaspin)的警告。“我遇到過(guò)這種情況，一些人一進(jìn)來(lái)，我從他們的表現(xiàn)中就能看出，他們對(duì)這份工作并不真正感興趣。應(yīng)聘者不應(yīng)該把這種心理表現(xiàn)出來(lái)，因?yàn)檎l(shuí)也不想雇用一個(gè)只要經(jīng)濟(jì)形勢(shì)好轉(zhuǎn)，就立刻轉(zhuǎn)身走人的員工。”

面試之后的跟進(jìn)也很重要。職業(yè)專(zhuān)家的建議是，如果你同時(shí)面試幾個(gè)職位，記得要對(duì)恰當(dāng)?shù)娜吮磉_(dá)感謝。拼寫(xiě)和語(yǔ)法錯(cuò)誤也要嚴(yán)格避免。在競(jìng)爭(zhēng)激烈的就業(yè)市場(chǎng)上，雇主們擁有眾多選擇，微小的失禮也可能毀掉你的機(jī)會(huì)。

如果一切進(jìn)展順利，也不要對(duì)面試官追得太緊�？屏_拉多州高管獵頭公司Austin-Michael公司執(zhí)行合伙人約斯•塔姆斯(Jose Tamez)忠告應(yīng)聘者，至少在一周后再查詢(xún)面試結(jié)果。另外，即使面試官的名片上有手機(jī)號(hào)或家庭電話(huà)，你也只能打辦公室電話(huà)。如果是語(yǔ)音信箱，就留個(gè)口信。如今，招聘官們電話(huà)大多有來(lái)電顯示，他們知道誰(shuí)打了很多電話(huà)卻不留口信。塔姆斯說(shuō)：“要把握好熱情和過(guò)度熱情之間的界線(xiàn)。”