Be you…the dilemma of authenticity in acing a job interview

‘Be you, everyone else is already taken’, the well know quote by Oscar Wilde must be one of the most cliché ways of starting a blog on authenticity. Nevertheless, when it comes down to interviewing for a job, it is the only advice I give to candidates.

Being authentic during a job interview however comes with challenges. It’s about finding the balance between showing the real you and being naïve. It is not the idea that you put yourself on display. It is about being genuine and trustworthy, not about being careless.

So how can you display authenticity without killing your chances of getting a job?

·       People hire people so it is ok to divulge some details of your life and personality. It will give an insight in how you perceive yourself and how you communicate things you feel naturally passionate about.  However, there is no need to show all your flaws up front as you try to give an (otherwise) honest account of who you are.

·       Adjust your behavior to the context. Being authentic does not mean saying whatever comes to mind. Show your natural ability to adapt to the demands of a situation without feeling fake.

·       When you tell the truth of who you are, even if you edit it a little, you stand up for who you are and what you want in life, and you create a two-way conversation.  You are not only being interviewed to see if you’re the right fit for the company, you’re also examining if they are the right fit for you. And if it isn’t a match, you’re saving everyone time, money, and anguish. After all being stuck in a job or relationship where you can’t be at least a version of your real self is painful and disappointing.  And you can't very well expect your job to meet your needs and expectations if haven’t been up front about what it is that you are looking for.

·       Tell a story. Stay away from the generic responses such as ‘I am a great team player’. Determine prior to an interview the key attributes that make you a perfect fit. Prepare stories you want to share to give a true sense of yourself to another person and then translate them into what you bring to the table in relation to a job. At the same time, determine what aspects of yourself you want to keep private. 

In the end, authenticity is a crucial, defining element in the interview process. The challenge is to decide what to share and when. Assess the situation, look at your options, and decide what level of authenticity is right for you and right for the situation. 

Then stand in the power of your choice. It can make the difference between landing a job and landing the right one for you.

I look forward to hearing from you

Isabel

Through a personalized and tailor-made approach, Ingenium Executive Search aspires to assist you in attracting the right talent that matches the DNA of your company

Check out our website http://www.ingenium-search.be

Follow me on Twitter @IngeniumSearch

Ace your Skype interview: how to make a great impression from a distance?

A new year has started and here I am again, headset on, ready for another series of interviews via Skype. In today’s digital age, Skype has become a common way of interviewing, at least as a first step in the selection process.

So how do you make a great impression from a distance?

·       Don’t make excuses

Let’s face, it is easier to make a great impression when I can see you instead of just hearing you over the phone. So try to make it work. You wouldn’t be the first person to download Skype and create an account. And as a little remark, a professionally looking user name always helps.

·       Technology is a bitch

And it always fails when you least expect it but you can handle it with grace. So do a little test run, check how to put on your sound and video prior to the actual interview.

But keep in mind that things can go wrong. Don’t be afraid to ask to hang up the call and try again if your Skype is freezing. If anything, it will show me that you can troubleshoot and that you can handle unexpected hurdles.

·       Check your surroundings

As you are most likely to have a Skype interview in the privacy of your own house, I get a unique insight in your home environment. So check your background, you don’t have to share with me the fact that you are in the middle of a house move. 

It can happen that your child unexpectedly walks in with a very urgent question (trust me, I know how it feels) but the way you handle the hick-up will show me how you deal with unexpected circumstances. So briefly excuse yourself, put the ‘mute’ button on and fix it. No harm will be done.

·       Dress for success

It’s not because you are at a distance and I can only see the upper half of your body that you can neglect the way you look. There is no need to put a suit on but give me a professional impression. A hoodie is never a good idea and the cliché of sweatpants…well, what can I say…if you need to handle the above kids issue with your sweatpants on…I promise I will never forget that I talked to you.

All jokes aside, dressing up for the interview will also help you to create the mindset that you are conducting an interview rather than having a casual conversation.

·       Business as usual

To a large extend, it remains business as usual… after all, an interview is a discussion between two people as to whether there could be a potential job match. So it is important to build a connection with me. Through video, less body language information is transmitted so focus on matching the tone and pace of your voice to the message that you are trying to convey. If you say that you are excited about a project, sound excited.

You can use non-verbal communication. Make eye contact by looking into the camera, it gives me the impression that you are talking to me, instead of to your screen. Smile and sit up straight.

Skype will never be able to replace a face2face meeting to assess chemistry, feel body language and to genuinely ‘meet’ a person. However, it’s important to keep in mind that, during the Skype interview, you need to convince me that you are the right person for the job and that I can confidently present you to my client.  I hope that these tips will help you in making a great first digital impression.

I look forward to talking to you…in real life or via Skype.

Isabel

Through a personalized and tailor-made approach, Ingenium Executive Search aspires to assist you in attracting the right talent that matches the DNA of your company

Check out our website http://www.ingenium-search.be

Follow me on Twitter @IngeniumSearch

In the end, it is all about chemistry….

Today is the last part of my series on identifying the right job opportunity… and maybe the most important one. When it comes down to determining whether a job opportunity is the right one for you, the chemistry that you have with your future boss might be the most decisive factor.

Beyond any doubt, chemistry is the most intangible aspect of a selection process. It is all about the feeling: ‘do I like this person? Will I enjoy working with him or her? Will he or she make me successful?’.  

Unfortunately, it’s not something you can fake – you either have it or you don’t. The relationships that thrive most easily are the ones where there is a natural spark, a connection that is reciprocated, and it is just as important for work relationships as it is for personal ones.

Determining whether there is a connection between you and your future boss isn’t easy because, just like you, your future boss will be at his best behavior. It pays off to notice different clues that raise the corner of the veil for true chemistry.

It starts at the very beginning. Just like a blind date, the first few minutes of an interview can tell a lot. It can come down to the simple things: the smell of perfume that reminds you of a bad experience, a squeaky voice that makes you shiver, dirty fingernails …

Rational or not, these little things play an important role is establishing the first impression that you have on someone.

Don’t forget that your future boss will also be looking for clues so walk in with a firm handshake and a warm smile.

I always advise to be as natural as possible during the interview.  Be warned: being natural is not the same as being casual or laid back. It is important that they see the real person behind the somewhat nervous interviewee.

By the way, it’s ok to mention at the start that you are feeling a little nervous. You’ll see right away what type of person you are dealing with.

Make the interview a two-way conversation. Get to know your future boss.  Through questions you can determine what he or she values, his likes and dislikes.

And last but not least, it comes down to having the courage to trust your intuition. If you feel a solid connection with your future boss, than most likely this job opportunity is the right one for you. If you don’t feel chemistry, although you are the best fit from a technical point of view, decline the offer. This does not reflect on your personality or on your ability to do the job. It is merely a matter of it not being the right match.

I look forward to hearing from you,

Isabel

Through a personalized and tailor-made approach, Ingenium Executive Search aspires to assist you in attracting the right talent that matches the DNA of your company

Check out our website http://www.ingenium-search.be

Follow me on Twitter @IngeniumSearch