By Nick Kossovan

“The devil is in the details” is an idiom highlighting how small details can significantly affect the outcome of something and that attention to detail is the difference between something good and something great. This phrase captures the essence of job search success.

A misplaced decimal point on a financial spreadsheet will result in inaccurate reporting. It only takes a minor design flaw to cause a costly recall or safety issues. In personal interactions, eye contact and smiling shape perception. Colour scheme drastically influences the mood of a room or whether you make a fashion statement.

Job seekers who meticulously craft their resume, LinkedIn profile, applications, and interview presence will have an edge over those they’re competing against. If your resume and LinkedIn profile are full of typos or your voicemail isn’t set up, you aren’t doing yourself any favours. Misaddressing your interviewer or failing to turn on your camera during a Zoom interview can cost you the job opportunity.

When competing against other job seekers just as qualified as you are, some more so, as you are in the current job market, not paying attention to details or your actions will hurt your job search.

The most common details overlooked by job seekers:

Title your resume file “First Name_Last Name_Resume_Year”

Example: [Nick_Kossovan_Resume_2025]

This format ensures that your resume is easily recognizable by recruiters and easily searchable in the recruiter’s or employer’s database, which, I’d ballpark, contains something like 1,689,355 resumes.

Save your resume as a PDF file.

Saving your resume as a PDF preserves its formatting across all devices, ensuring it appears as you intended, with no changes to margins or layout.

Include a link to your LinkedIn profile.

Along with your resume prominently displaying your phone number and email address, include a link to your LinkedIn profile.(https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickkossovan/) Make it easy for hiring managers to contact you and to view your LinkedIn profile. The easier you make it for a hiring manager, the more likely they’ll consider your candidacy.

Proofread relentlessly!

Ensure your resume, cover letter, and LinkedIn profile are free of typos and grammatical errors. These documents and your online footprint create your first impression; errors can diminish your credibility and chances of being selected for an interview.

Adjust the privacy settings on your social media.

Employers will Google you to determine if you’re interview-worthy. If you’re hired, your new colleagues will also Google you and look you up on Facebook, X/Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, etc. To avoid having your social media activity being misconstrued, except for LinkedIn, your privacy settings so only your followers can see your activity.

Always dress to impress.

You never know who you might encounter when you’re out and about, and you only get one chance to make a good first impression. Whether you like it or not, we live in a world where we judge a book by its cover—we assess visual cues—we always have and always will.

I’ve missed out on many possible opportunities because I left my house not looking my best. One time, I was waiting in line at a coffee shop dressed “comfortably” when a friend sitting in a booth called out to introduce me to the COO of a national transportation company he was meeting with. Although the COO was friendly, the introduction didn’t lead anywhere; I believe it was due to my lack of credible appearance. Dressing well not only boosts your confidence but also earns you respect.

Always carry a pen, a small notebook, and copies of your resume.

As I mentioned, you never know who you might meet or whether you’ll want to share your contact information or take notes. Having a pen and paper on hand demonstrates that you’re prepared (read: on top of your game) and professional. A further step to “being prepared” is always having a few copies of your resume.

A few years ago, during an intermission at a community theatre production, I struck up a conversation with a man who, it turned out, was looking for a workforce manager position. Although I didn’t have an opening, I knew someone who did. He went to his car, retrieved a copy of his resume, and handed it to me, which I passed along to the person I knew who was searching for a workforce manager. Yes, he got the job.

Carefully consider the questions you ask.

Voltaire said, “Judge a man by his questions rather than by his answers.” Your questions during an interview reveal a great deal about you. Steer clear of asking irrelevant or self-serving questions, such as, “How many sick days do you offer?” or, “When will my benefits start?” Instead, inquire about the specific responsibilities, challenges, and goals of the role. Ask questions that demonstrate genuine interest in how you can contribute to the team’s success.

Lastly, never ask for an expectation! Questions such as “I understand this position requires me to work in the office every day. Is it possible to work from home on Thursdays and Fridays?” will eliminate you from consideration.

Succeeding in today’s highly competitive job market requires paying close attention to details and your actions.

Nick Kossovan, a well-seasoned corporate veteran, offers “unsweetened” job search advice. Send Nick your job search questions to artoffindingwork@gmail.com.

Feature Image: Photo by Cytonn Photography on Unsplash

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By Nick Kossovan

Brené Brown American professor, author and podcast host, once said, “Empathy fuels connection.”

Empathizing with someone, especially with their concerns, is how you build strong relationships. Interacting empathically with employers is a competitive advantage since few job seekers do so.

All hiring managers have concerns. The times you weren’t hired were likely because of a concern(s) your interviewer had that wasn’t addressed during the interview. 

Employers don’t care about your “whys” (concerns); they care about their “whys.” As a job seeker, focusing on an employer’s whys will help you establish a connection with the employer and differentiate you from your competition, who, for the most part, are focused on their whys.

There are three hiring facts job seekers would be wise to keep top of mind:

      •     Employers don’t hire opinions (of yourself).

      •     Employers no longer consider a candidate’s potential.(Employers aren’t in the business of growing careers.)

      •     Employers don’t hire employees; they hire solutions. 

Therefore, don’t waste precious resume/LinkedIn profile real estate or interview time offering opinions about yourself, trying to sell your potential and not providing solutions. Instead, boost your competitive advantage by empathizing with employers’ three fundamental hiring concerns.

      •     Will you fit the company’s culture? 

Interviews are conducted primarily to determine whether you’ll fit the company’s culture, not just to assess your skills. Whether it’s fair or not, employers generally hire based on the “fit” they believe a candidate will be to their culture.

Job seekers need to accept that the hiring manager knows best whether they’ll fit (read: is compatible) with the company and employees and that they’re not entitled to inclusion. Skills and experience are easy to evaluate and assess. (testing, reference checks) However, being deemed a “fit” is subjective. While you can’t control the final “Yes” or “No,” you can influence the possibility of receiving a thumbs up by:

      •     Before an interview, become familiar with the company’s culture and visualize yourself working there.

      •     Speak the language. Every profession has its share of expressions and jargon — insider language — that, when used, implies “I’m one of you.”

      •     Dress as if you already work for the company. All companies have an unofficial dress code, even if they have an official dress code. Know both and dress accordingly.

A better option is to conduct your job search by prioritizing finding where you belong, which is the best compass a job seeker can use. Don’t look for a job. Look for where you’ll be accepted. Think: “I’m not looking for a job; I’m looking for my tribe!”

      •     Are you able to hit the ground running?
Imagine a leaking pipe in your basement. Who’d you want to fix the leak? An experienced plumber who can fix it quickly or a less experienced plumber who’ll have to spend time figuring out how to stop the leak? When we deal with someone highly experienced (e.g., a painter, mechanic, lawyer, medical professional, waitress), we’re more likely to experience [high] quality work and service compared to someone who is just starting.

All jobs exist to solve an employer’s problem, like generating revenue, maintaining and growing their client base, meeting government safety standards and keeping profit margins healthy by purchasing raw materials at the best prices.

When an employer posts a job, whether newly created or to backfill, the problem the job addresses currently exists, like the pipe leaking in your basement. Understandably, employers seek candidates who can provide an immediate solution, are self-starters with proven skills and experience and have the confidence to take initiative without handholding.

Therefore, throughout your job search — networking, applications, your resume and LinkedIn profile, and especially during interviews — provide examples of when you were a self-starter and took the initiative. Give examples of times when you figured out what needed to be done and got it done without involving your manager.

      •     How will hiring you make them look? 

When making a hire, the stakes are high. Bad hires are costly. Have you ever considered this: What impression will you make on the hiring manager’s boss, leadership team and current employees if you’re hired?

I’ve made my share of bad hires. Firsthand experience has taught me that making a bad hire doesn’t reflect well on me. Hiring managers will inevitably make a few bad hires, but they should be few and far between.

Having their boss and the rest of the company doubt their hiring skills (read: judgment) is the last thing a hiring manager wants, something you should deeply empathize with. When preparing for an interview, ask yourself, What makes you the right candidate for the hiring manager to put their reputation on the line? Throughout your interview, speak to your answer.

Once, inspired by a line Tom Cruise spoke in the 1990 film Days of Thunder, I said to my interviewer, as we were wrapping up, who’d be my boss and who I felt was unsure about me, “I won’t make a fool of you.” The following day, the position was mine. Several months later, while having coffee in the company’s cafeteria, he said that line was what sold him.

Nick Kossovan, a well-seasoned veteran of the corporate landscape, offers “unsweetened” job search advice. You can send Nick your questions to artoffindingwork@gmail.com.

Editor’s Note: The views expressed in this commentary piece do not necessarily the express the opinions of The Cincinnati Herald.

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