When you appear for an interview, remain calm, instead of appearing like a caged animal looking for the next exit. PHOTO | FILE
What you need to know:
Interviewers are keen on seeing the expert portrayed in the CV.
Conrad is an accomplished professional, a responsible family man, and a respected member of society. Lots of high-performing achievers show up before me for personal development solutions.
They usually think their issues are work-related, other people-related, money-related, and a host of other causes.
My experienced summary is one common denominator: an undeveloped self-image. When I met Conrad, he was already an achiever yet he felt one challenge was holding him back.
He has a high-stress job that involves lots of travel and time away from his young family. He makes a lot more money than he thought he would at his ripe age of 42 but he also knows that his family is quickly getting accustomed to his frequent absence.
Conrad is at a crossroads and now must decide to navigate. There have been other opportunities that he could have explored but the universe seems to conspire against him every time he comes close.
Employment agencies and head-hunters seek him out frequently. He definitely is well qualified for the open positions but it never quite goes beyond the interview stage and he is beginning to think he is self-sabotaging in a way that he can’t quite put a finger on.
So we re-enact an interview and there it is. We quickly go from a very comfortable conversation about the challenge to a rather difficult question and answer session for Conrad.
He simply doesn’t take pressure in his personal interactions very well. How can this be when he already is in a high-stress job, he asks? I smile.
The stress related to his work is impersonal and involves code-writing and getting computer systems to “talk” to each other. Rarely does he need to deal with people.
At interviews, his reactions do not position him well or support his goal of grabbing one of the attractive opportunities presented. He feels like a caged animal and his animalistic instincts kick right in. He immediately goes on “flight mode”.
You can imagine interviewing a fairly senior professional who seems to be looking for the nearest exit out of the room. He seems uneasy, shifty and hurried; certainly not the experienced, confident professional who would be an asset to any organisation.
His impressive credentials and wealth of experience in multi-cultural environments simply do not shine through.
Conrad, like most people, is not used to being put to task. While there, he is uncomfortable about highlighting his academic and professional accomplishments. Why? One word: conditioning.
In a nutshell, Conrad is wired to think that speaking in glowing terms about himself is tantamount to arrogance. He wants to be seen as a humble and teachable resource. Conrad’s socialisation is holding him back from opportunities that literally are his.
Conrad must allow himself the much-needed permission to embrace himself and project himself in the way that is sure to yield the outcomes he yearns. Mum, dad, his head teacher and whoever else do not lead his life. He does and must chart his own way starting with his self-image.
Conrad must begin to see and believe in himself as the intelligent, experienced, and successful sought-after resource before any interviewer if he is to land the opportunity of his dreams.
While we are on your rights, you’re entitled to be as humble as you want. However, if your understanding of humility stands in the way of your opportunities, you’re not humble. You’re plain ignorant.
Get this: if others do not see you as happy, knowledgeable, joyous and eager about your value, they assume that is the same way you will approach your work.
Anyone wants to work with those who are proud to be who they are, which translates to doing work they are proud of.
Understand that pride is an accomplished sense of attachment to your strengths, abilities and achievements. It is self-appreciation. The law of appreciation decrees that what you appreciate, appreciates in value.
Arrogance on the other hand is an inflated sense of self, normally manifested by behaviour designed to show insensitive and even insulting superiority over others.
Permit yourself to acknowledge, believe in and appreciate yourself enough to be comfortable selling yourself. If you don’t toot your own horn, no one else will.
Seraphine is an expert in attitude and human potential. Email: [email protected]
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