Just be you

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I’ve written a few interview/job-related posts over the years and wanted to add one more important item to the list. But first, here are some of those interview or application-related posts;

And on the subject of authenticity;

As many will know from my update on LinkedIn last week, I have a new job that I start in a little over a month – Head of Learning Experience – at a new venture that is exploring the bridge between education, careers and recruitment. It’s called Edvanza, and it’s going to be epic!

So, what have I learned from my experiences in applying for jobs and undergoing the interview process over the (many) years I’ve been doing it? Well:

  1. Not every interview is the same. Some are very formal, structured and scary. Others are more informal, conversational and relaxed. When conducted well both these approaches can give the interviewer and interviewee the opportunity to explore the role, the organisation, and the suitability of the role. It can go horribly wrong, as I’ve also experienced, but I know I’m not alone there.
  2. Be nervous. But understand these nerves and remember to think about the question and not about being nervous. Sure, it looks good if you come across as confident and authoritative, but the panel will see through it if you’re faking it. You’re not being interviewed for how enthusiastic or confident you are, you’re being interviewed for your suitability for the role. A confident and structured panel will know this and encourage you to relax and be yourself. Nerves and all. When you relax you can hear the questions and be in a better place, mentally, to answer them.
  3. Be confident. Not everyone can enter the interview process feeling confident, especially if you’re looking at a role that is a promotion or on a different career track. To get to the interview you’ve passed the first two hurdles … the longlisting and shortlisting. The bulk of applications have been considered and then reduced to a manageable interviewing number for those candidates who have shown an aptitude for the role, an understanding of what the role is, and have applied themselves and their experience to their application. In short, take the confidence, even if you don’t feel it yet, that you’ve beaten a lot of other people to get here.
  4. Just be you. Nothing is more stressful in an already stressful and pressured environment like this than trying to be something or someone you’re not. The panel will see through the bravado, they will see the disconnect between the application and the candidate in front of them, and they will see when the fake veneer you are showing them slips. Which it will. This is why being you, from the start, is the only way to go. Be shy, be quiet, be nervous, and be yourself. Above all else, be authentic. Be you. This is what will see you through and show the panel you are the right person for the role.

Just be you. This is the best advice I can give you from my experiences on both sides of the interview panel. Just be you.

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