By Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter
You want to land a new job, right? Every organization is focused on one of two things: making money or saving money. Your job in the interview is to show—clearly and confidently—how you’re going to help them do that, and do it better than it costs to bring you on board.
Why This Works
Before you start building your story, you need to understand why this approach is works. I’ve spent years recruiting top-tier professionals in many industries—people who should be experts at selling themselves. Yet, many miss the mark, not because they lack talent, but because they deliver the wrong message. This article is about making sure you deliver the right one: a message that’s laser-focused, irresistible, and tailored to your target employer.
Hiring you is a buying decision. The company weighs logic (can you do the job?), emotion (do they like you?), and risk (what are the chances this won’t work out?). Your job is to tip the scales in your favor by marketing yourself with the right message.
Start With Your Target—Lock It In
Don’t even think about building your pitch until you know exactly who they’re targeting. That means digging deep into the job description or spec—don’t just skim it. Print it out, grab a pen, and highlight everything that matters: the must-haves, the nice-to-haves, and especially the personality traits that might not be listed but are crucial for the role.
For example, if you’re looking at an SAP Project Manager role, you’ll see requirements like project management experience, SAP finance expertise, and the ability to communicate with senior management. But don’t stop there—add in soft skills like attention to detail, calm under pressure, and being a motivator. These are often missing from the ad but are essential for success.
Build Your Irresistible Offer
This isn’t just an objective statement for your resume. This is your marketing cornerstone—the backbone of every conversation, email, and interview answer you’ll give. Your irresistible offer should be tailored for every role you target, showing exactly how you’ll help the company make or save money, and why you’re the best fit.
Action Step: List the employer’s most important criteria and match them to your strengths and experience. Be honest and specific—this is the foundation of your pitch.
STAR and SOAR Stories: Your Secret Weapons
Now, let’s talk about how you back up your offer. You need stories—real, specific examples that show you’ve delivered results. That’s where STAR and SOAR come in.
What is STAR?
Situation: Set the scene.
Task: What was your responsibility?
Action: What did you do?
Result: What was the outcome?
Example STAR Story:
Situation: The company’s event attendance was dropping.
Task: I was responsible for boosting numbers.
Action: I launched a targeted social media campaign and incentivized referrals.
Result: Attendance increased by 60% within a year.
What is SOAR?
Situation: The context.
Obstacle: The challenge you faced.
Action: What you did to overcome it.
Result: The measurable impact.
Example SOAR Story:
Situation: Our team was missing deadlines.
Obstacle: Lack of communication between departments.
Action: I implemented weekly cross-team meetings and a shared project tracker.
Result: On-time project delivery improved from 50% to 95%.
How to Use This in Your Interview
Prepare a library of STAR and SOAR stories tailored to the job description.
Weave in the key skills and personality traits you identified earlier.
If you want to stand out, you need more than a resume
If you want to stand out, you need more than a resume—you need a compelling offer and the stories to back it up. Do your homework, build your pitch, and practice your stories. That’s how you become the obvious choice.
Ⓒ The Big Game Hunter, Inc., Asheville, NC 2025
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ABOUT JEFF ALTMAN, THE BIG GAME HUNTER
People hire Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter to provide No BS Career Advice globally because he makes many things in peoples’ careers
easier. Those things can involve job search, hiring more effectively, managing and leading better, career transition, as well as advice about resolving workplace issues.
He is the producer and former host of “No BS Job Search Advice Radio,” the #1 podcast in iTunes for job search with over 3000 episodes.
Over 60 and Job Hunting: 10 Ideas for You
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