What Signals Are You Sending Out In The Job Interview?

You have decided that it is time to step up to the next level in your career.

Performing to your potential in the job interview is going to be important.

After all while the job interview is a big event for you, it is a major investment decision for the organisation.

Oddly enough I’ve noticed that even among accountants and professionals, many don’t grasp the fact that the decision to offer someone a job is a big one.

Even more of a concern is the fact that more than 80% of people don’t prepare well enough.

You might ask me how I know this.

The answer is that I’ve asked hundreds of accountants and professionals how long they spend preparing for a job interview.

So you might be wondering why this is such a big issue.

Well let me explain.

The interviewer makes a judgement about you based on several factors including:

  • The quality of the answers you give.
  • The confidence you demonstrate when answering questions.
  • The depth of your answers.
  • The insights you share.

The well prepared candidate will be able to do all of the above with ease.

The poorly prepared candidate will struggle.

If you are someone who is well prepared it will tell the interviewer a lot about you.

  • They will see you as professional.
  • They will see you as someone who prepares for significant meetings which an interview is.
  • They will see you as someone who is able to see decision making from the perspective of the other person.

If on the other hand you are poorly prepared they might see you as someone who:

  • Does the minimum.
  • Doesn’t really care.
  • Lacks motivation.
  • Only cares about themselves.

If you were the person making the hiring decision, which perspective is more likely to be the one that leads to you being offered the job rather than getting the rejection letter?

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.

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