The first step to being successful at interview

Ask yourself honestly: 'Is this job right for me?'

Giving yourself a great chance of being successful at interview means asking yourself honestly, ‘Is this job right for me?'

What we mean here is not whether you can do it, but whether you stand a chance of getting it. Not whether it might be possible, but is it possible? It is challenging enough to prepare for an interview for a job we really believe can be ours without putting ourselves under stress for one that never can be.

Being honest from the outset can save yourself hours of preparation time.

However much we might want a job, to be successful at interview we need to be able to answer ‘yes’ to the following questions:-

Can you do this job?
Do you want this job?
Does the job have your name on it?
Are you prepared to do the work necessary to give a brilliant interview and stand out from the other candidates?

Only you can say whether you can get this job but remember, if you answered no to any of the above it is going to be extra hard if not impossible to be successful at interview and get the job.

If the job is not right for you, you can waste a lot of time, energy and effort being interviewed for :-

a job you are not interested in
a job you don’t think you’ll be able to do
or a job that is almost certainly going to be offered to someone else

You also increase you chances of putting yourself up to be rejected. Not something that we would recommend.

Shall we take a look at your answers?

Question 1. Can You Do the Job?

If the answer to this one is ‘no’ then you it might be wise to think again. You have a dilemma but also some options.

You can:-

Hope the employer won’t notice (and yes before you ask I have got a job that I couldn’t do. I hated it and left after only 4 days)

Hope that the employer will be so impressed with your dazzling personality that they will take the time, trouble and effort to train you.

It is true that many employers say that ‘fitting in’ is the number one priority as training to actually do the job can be provided. This may be true but only up to a point.

For most employers this is a risky strategy and whilst fitting in is important they would much prefer someone who has the proven ability & experience to do the job on offer.

Stretch the truth, tell white lies, blag, exaggerate. But be careful. Being economical with the truth might make you successful at interview but it may be misleading.

Dishonesty can be grounds for dismissal, is certainly unprofessional and ultimately puts you in a vulnerable position.

Ultimately only you can answer the question 'Can I do this Job?' If the answer is ‘yes’ then the chances of being successful at interview are that much higher.

Question 2. Do You Want the Job?

If you answered ‘no’ to this question-think again. In today’s tough employment world we can get desperate to find a job. Any job? However trying for a job you don’t really want has a number of disadvantages.

To be successful at interview you need to be positive and enthusiastic. If you are not, these are the possible consequences.

Your body language cannot lie

It will show at the interview. No matter how good you are at selling yourself your body language will always give you away. One of the most common interview questions is ‘Why do you want this job’. And no matter what you say, if you don’t really want it, subtly, your non-verbal clues will let you down. Your eye contact wavers, the tone of your voice is momentarily less confident and maybe the tell tale scratch of the nose will be spotted almost unconsciously by the interviewer.

Rejection is something to be avoided

This site is designed to help boost your confidence so we don't want you to be rejected for something you didn’t want anyway. We know that rejection even from something you never wanted in the first place hurts and can make you feel pretty worthless. We've all heard people complaining ‘I can’t even get that job’ (with the sub-text, even though I didn’t want it).

It knocks our confidence for no good reason.Rejection is unpleasant so exposing yourself to it if you can avoid it makes sense.

Do you have time to waste?

Going for interview when you don’t want the job wastes not only your time, it wastes the employer’s time too. You and the interviewer may never cross paths again but it is a surprisingly small world and they might just remember you as a time waster and worse, that you weren’t successful & didn’t get the job.

I need interview practice

I hear people say ‘I’ll go for the interview practice and see what happens’. Unfortunately it rarely works to your benefit.

Yes, you get the practice, but for what? Going for a job you didn’t want?In my view it is better to save your energy and preparation time for a job that you really want, can do, and stand a chance of getting.

You might get the job

If you’re very unlucky you might actually get the job you don’t want. Maybe the interviewer is not so cute or you are very convincing. Either way many people end up spending years in a job they didn’t want.

We all know when you have worked hard to get a job, leaving to go to another can be a step too far and before you know it you are stuck. But there again it just might work out but who knows. Only you know if it is a risk worth taking

Question 3. Does the job have your name on it?

What we mean by this is do you believe in your heart of hearts that this is your job?

Sometimes we may have all the skills & the right experience. We may even be already doing the job but deep down we know that for some mysterious reason this job is not going to be ours.

This may be because:

Another candidate is the odds on favourite
An internal candidate may be lined up
The HR department are going through the motions of appearing to be fair
The chemistry just isn’t there between you and the person you will be working for

If your name isn’t on the job then all the interview techniques & interview practice in the world probably won’t make you successful at interview.

Facing up to this is tough but in the long run it will save you a lot of work, stress & energy that you could be using to go for a job possibly has got your name on it, even if, for the moment, it is only pencilled in.

This website is designed to help you get the right job, the one that you’re sure you want one you can do without too much training and one that is open to you.

Have you decided to take it further? Are you going to commit yourself to getting this job?

Is this job right for you? Can you get this job? Yes?

Great news!

But before we go on. here's the final question.

Question 4. Are you prepared to do the work necessary to research the questions, prepare your answers, and be successful at interview?

Yes? Well, that is wonderful.

Move on to any of the pages on this site. We will all answer your interview questions and help you move forward step by step into the job of your choice.

Follow them and you stand a strong chance of being be successful at interview. And if you need any further advice you can always email us with your personal questions.

You can also book an Individual Coaching Session to help you prepare even more thoroughly. Click here for more information

We look forward to working with you.

Good Luck from the Team at Interview-Questions-Answered

Click here for the next step on how to be successful at interview, information about what Employers & Interviewers are looking for.

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Image: renjith krishnan / FreeDigitalPhotos.net