The absolute worst way to go to an interview is with the
attitude of: "Please, please - hire me."
When you go to an interview with that attitude you appear
desperate. And even though you actually may be desperate in
a difficult job market, you don't want to appear that way.
The demeanor and attitude that you bring to the interview
will set the tone for the entire interview.
Let's look at it from the employer's/interviewer's point of
view.
You are the employer and are seeking a solution to a
problem. Your best sales person has just left and you have
no one to cover the territory. You are hoping that you can
find some who is capable to help you solve this problem.
You are tired of interviewing candidates who seem to fall
short. You would like to find a good person who can do the
job and take over the problem. This will allow you to get
back to your job to get on with your work.
And one afternoon a candidate walks in who appears to be
confident, has a lot of energy, and who seems to understand
your problem. This candidate is very personable and has a
great attitude toward the type of situation you need to be
filled. There is a real connection between the two of you.
He "gets you."
The more questions you ask this candidate the more excited
you become about his qualifications. He presents himself
with confidence. He doesn't just say he's good at closing
sales, he gives great examples of times when he not only
closed sales - but he exceeded expectations.
You heart starts beating fast and you know that you have
found the solution to your problem. He looks professional,
he's prepared, he has stories to back his claims, and he
has asked intelligent questions that demonstrate his
interest in what you do.
This is the man you are going to hire.
But wait, there are some problems: he has a higher salary
expectation than you budgeted for. You reason that you can
handle that by using your "fudget factor" and finding some
extra money somewhere else.
The other problem is this person has been out of work for a
few months. Could this be a problem? You already have a
problem - you don't want to hire another problem. When you
question him he is sincere and honest. He's going through a
tough time in a tough job market. You ask him why he left
his last job. He explains very forthrightly that the
company that he worked for went through several changes and
he no longer fit into the culture. He didn't bad mouth the
company or doesn't appear to be bitter about the situation.
Since you've had a similar experience you can relate.
After spending an hour with this person you are sure you
have found the right "fit" for not only you but for the
candidate. Everything you have asked him seems to work with
your company and culture. He seems to know what he is
looking for and what he wants when you question him about
his goals and why he wants to work for your company. This
is important to you because otherwise he won't be happy
working at your job and you will have to repeat this
process again sooner than later - and you don't want that
to happen. You want to hire a "solution."
You decide to check out his reference and if the comments
are as positive as this candidate claims - then you will
make him an offer.
Looking at the job process from this perspective you can
see that when you appear desperate and aren't prepared with
good answers, the interviewer will not get those positive
vibes about you being the person to solve his problems. A
desperate attitude and demeanor will work against you in
the interview.
Negative thinking such as: "I'm probably not the "perfect"
fit for the job, I'm over-qualified, or lacking in some of
the skills," or "They probably won't like me," will
sabotage your efforts to make a good impression
There may be no such thing as the "perfect" job or the
"perfect" interview, but when you change your attitude
toward the interview, you have a better chance of having a
"near perfect" interview. And, a far great chance of
finding the job that will satisfy your values and your
needs.
----------------------------------------------------
Carole Martin, America's #1 Interview Coach has specialized
in the subject of "Interviewing" for the past 15 years from
both sides of the desk. She has produced a free practice
interview that shows you where you are going wrong in your
interview. See if your skills pass the test at
http://www.interviewcoach.com/interviewlogin.html . Don't
be caught without the right answers, get your free 9-week
ecourse at http://www.interviewcoach.com
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