Ace That Interview!
The 3 Things Every Employer Wants
Can you do the job?
A lot of this has been worked out during the ‘CV sift’. If you demonstrated your ability to do the job as part of your application and are called for an interview, you’re half way to answering question 1. But not having all the right skills is not necessarily a show stopper. Aptitude trumps experience, because questions 2 and 3 are way more important.
Do you want to do the job?
This is a two part question. Do you want to do this job? For this company? No-one ever got hired because they’d applied for every job in town. There are no extra points given for desperation, quantity of applications or length of time looking. What gets you ahead is a passion for this job and a genuine knowledge and interest in working for this organisation. Make sure you do your homework!
Can they tolerate you?
Although this is question number 3, in terms of priority, this is top of the heap. Being the right person for the team – or for the company as a whole – is the key ingredient to acing the interview. Does that mean you have to look a certain way? Have a special (secret) handshake? Or wear a particular brand of shoes or suit? Not at all. You need to come across as easy to work with: Flexible; Kind; Friendly; Helpful; Interested; Happy. If you’re unsure how to ‘be’, think of your perfect work colleague. Visualise their personality. Their temperament. Now model some of their traits.
Disclaimer: this is where I point out that faking it to get that job is pointless. If you are a square peg, you will be desperately unhappy (and unsuited) to a round hole job. Much as you could ace that interview, ask yourself; for 8 hours a day, 220 days per year, for the next 4(?) years…. do I want it?
About the author
Author of 'Get That Interview' and 'Clickst@rt Your Career'Julie is The Job Seeker's Guide. She works with thousands of clients through her audio and web-based programmes, helping them get 'job search fit' and successfully navigate their way into that new role.
Select clients are able to apply to work with Julie one-to-one.
Before joining Churchill Brook in 2009, she spent twelve years as an international headhunter, where she successfully helped her clients recruit exceptionally well-matched people, who were passionate about doing a job well done. Julie is an expert at getting candidates noticed by companies and had one of the highest success ratios for CV submission to hire that we know of within the recruitment industry.
Check out what some of her clients have said about her. And check out her Free LinkedIn Review here.
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