Just how good are you at interviews?….any interviews!…with the Bank Manager, the important business meeting, even in Court (! ). The most important, by far, however, is the 150 or so interviews that you have, in your working life, for a job or career-move. For these are the golden chance to prove your worth.
Whether or not you possess a whole string of degrees and qualifications, and experience to back these up, the acid test of this background is just how good you are at promoting, honestly and fairly, YOURSELF, at interview.
Interviews are the tipping points in your career where how you perform, as perceived by others, will make or break you in terms of personal growth and progress. You can make more advance in your working life at interviews than you can in any other discipline……minute for minute of this learning will outstrip examination results, past experience, professional qualifications, previous track record….ohhh and good looks, too!
Academic achievement and qualifications will open doors but since so many candidates will likely have these credentials, especially at the short-list stage, it is your interview performance that will make or break your future.
For example, if you have straight A’s and a 1st Class Honours degree then, yes, it will carry much weight with the prospective new employer……BUT without a top-class interview performance to back them up you will almost always come second/third to the academically less-gifted who turns in a brilliant interview. The only exceptions may be academic/research type positions where intellect may be perceived to carry more weight.
This certainly so, and research can demonstrate it, but why? The reason is that in the real world of employment the person doing the hiring is has very different criteria from that indicated by your background. Thus, they need to consider, beyond the basics, typical elements such as for example:-
Can this person do the job well/the best? Does she/he have the potential to take progressively more responsibility? Is the person generally likeable? Will the applicant get on well with existing staff?
…..and unless you’re applying for a job that has no people-contact then the element that applies to all four of the above must be displayed and in evidence when the representative of the employer first meets you….i.e. at interview!
Meeting a stranger in order to talk about your working life and a bit of your personal life, too, when you know they are a decision-maker is more than a bit one-sided. She/he will represent the prospective employer, may not do this very well, and there’s you, usually the other side of a table, trying to look cool and intelligent and thoroughly employable when your heart is running at 120 bpm and your palms are more than a little sweaty. In addition, you don’t often get to ask them the same questions about themselves because they represent the company, whereas you represent you! The conversation is mainly either about you or the company via an intermediary you’ve never met before…….easy for her/him, very tough on you.
Yet these are some of the hurdles you need to leap over if you are to succeed…..and whilst this selling of yourself is a dedicated and easily learned skill , very few candidates realise its’ importance let alone try to address the challenge. So in order to make those waves in your career you need to get ahead of the rest by learning all you can about this skill.
And think of the some of the advantages………. better working conditions, able to move jobs more easily, better remuneration/compensation package, better able to say ” I’m out of here “, better feeling of security, better choice of location….to name but a few.
Qualifications and experience are important but you’ll not go far without top-notch interview skills.
