It Has Never Been Easier
You probably wouldn’t disagree if I said that landing your next job can be a challenge.
Now you probably realise that everything is not within your control.
For example you can’t control what that the interviewer thinks or feels about you and your experience.
Yet there is one thing that in my view has never been easier.
And that’s the availability of resources to be well prepared for any job interview.
Take this site. I have over 900 articles on it.
There are plenty of other career related sites that offer tips and insights.
If you are going to an interview through an introduction from a recruitment consultant they will probably give you guides, tips, checklists and a whole lot more.
Despite all of this more than 80% of candidates are either poorly or completely unprepared for job interviews.
In the days before the internet this might have been acceptable.
Now you can quickly:
- Research an organisation
- Research an industry or sector
- Discover what employers are really looking for
- Find lists of common interview questions
- Find out how to answer common interview questions
- Learn how to manage nerves
- Learn about the different types of questions and how to answer them
And much more….
As I say it has never been easier to be well prepared.
So why are so few candidates well prepared for interview?
I personally think there are whole host of reasons but here are my top 3.
They apply for too many roles
This is a real issue for people who are already in a job.
Realistically you can only ever expect to find the time to prepare well for 1-2 roles in quick succession.
You only have 168 hours in the week. Deduct time for work and sleep plus all of the other day to day things you have to do and you will quickly discover how little discretionary time you have.
They don’t see the hiring manager perspective
Making the decision to employ someone is a major investment decision.
There is a lot of risk.
So those making the decision want assurance.
Your job at the interview is to provide that assurance.
They want to take shortcuts
This might be tempting.
But if you adopt this strategy you are sending out some signals about you and your professionalism.
If you were on the other side of the table making the hiring decision, would you take a chance on someone who appears to do the minimum.
So going forward are you going to stay with the mass and do the minimum or are you going to commit to being a top performer in job interviews?
Duncan Brodie helps accountants and professionals achieve more career success.
About the Author Duncan Brodie
Since 2006 I’ve worked with in excess of 8,000 accountants and professionals in workshops, seminars and one to one helping them land their next jobs and become better leaders, presenters and business partners. Before that I spent 25 years in accountancy climbing the career ladder from Payments Clerk to FD. I’m a CIMA Fellow, Certified Professional Coach and Team Coach Facilitator.