As we move toward the end of Covid19 confinement, many people are planning their next moves and anticipating job interviews. If you haven’t been on an interview for a long time, the experience can be daunting.
So what do you take to a job interview?
Your single biggest asset is your own confidence. Back in the day when I held “real” jobs, I was usually a maverick among the applicants. I didn’t have a clear career path and I wasn’t what most interviewers expected. After I was hired, I usually discovered why I’d been chosen. I came across as confident.
So how do you come across as confident?
(1) Walk in feeling as if you belong.
Do some research on the job and the corporate culture. For some environments, you’ll do better to dress as casually as the employees; for others, you’ll be advised to dress formally, even if everyone else is walking around in jeans and flip-flops.
More subtly, your feeling of belonging will help you feel more relaxed. So a button comes loose on your shirt. If you were an employee, it wouldn’t be a big deal. Trip or spill coffee? Hardly an ideal scenario but it happens.
When you’re not worried about “what can go wrong,” chances are nothing will.
As you research the company, try to figure out more subtle aspects of the culture. What are their values? What do people talk about? Do they all work out at lunch and maybe go running? Do they eat together or do they eat at their desks? Get together for beer after work? Disappear at the end of the day? Or work so late the day never ends?
(2) Get comfortable being a pro so you don’t turn it on and off.
When your friend expresses alarm at your speaking style, do you catch yourself saying, “Oh, I’m just relaxed when we’re talking. I’m very professional when I’m at work.”
I’ve talked to hiring managers who say they’ve turned down candidates with long-winded conversational styles and free use of language during interviews. These days it’s hard to know what counts as bad language; one hiring manager refused to hire a candidate who used the word “sucks,” which seems pretty mild to me.
(3) You’ll feel truly confident if you’re not feeling desperate. To avoid this feeling of “I’ve GOT to get this job,” create your Plan B. Set up multiple interviews. Think about how you would start your own business.
Ideally, you walk into a meeting with the feeling, “I’d love to have this job but if it doesn’t work out, I’ll find something even better.”
At the end of the day, it’s all a game.
Your interviewer may already have chosen the candidate and is just going through the motions. It’s hard to tell; sometimes indifference is just bad manners and sometimes a charming interviewer is just a good actor.
Even when the job exists and you’re the most qualified candidate, you never know what’s going on behind the scenes or inside the interviewer’s mind. If you don’t get the job, it may have nothing to do with you. One of my career clients got the “no” because she reminded the hiring executive of his ex-wife.
Want some help with your next interview? Join me for a dynamic, supportive, straight-shooting Career Strategy Session.
This is all so true, although you don’t hear much about the “confidence factor.” I interviewed quite a few people for jobs, and I’ve found that the confident candidate always, always has the edge. Of course, it’s not easy to feel confident when sitting you’re on the other side of the desk, but you’ve got to try to at least act that way (easier said than done, I know).
I especially love this piece of advice: Ideally you walk into a meeting with the feeling, “I’d love to have this job but if it doesn’t work out, I’ll find something even better.”
I’ve been interviewing for jobs myself, with not-so-great results. I think I’m going to use this statement as an affirmation of sorts.
Thanks, Cathy. Really great advice!
You’re so welcome! Confidence is totally underrated and it’s critical. One of the most important things a career consultant can do for a client is to identify ways to create a Plan B so you don’t feel desperate.
I’d love to hear tips from you or anyone else – how do you get that confidence?