6 Lies We Tell Ourselves About Job Interviews

From InternsOver40 | Feb 25, 2010

Guest Contributor: Michael Neece, CEO, InterviewMastery.com



I present frequently to groups large (200+) and small on job interview
skills, and I am constantly amazed at the harmful lies people tell
themselves about job interviews.

Few
will argue about the importance of having a great resume; after all, it
is the resume that generates job interviews. But nearly all job seekers
minimize the importance of their own job interview skills. Minimizing
the importance of interview skills reduces the probability of getting
the job offer because it is only through an exceptional job interview
performance that you'll get hired.



17-to-one is the ratio of job interviews to job offers during a
recession. During a recession, the average applicant will interview for
17 different opportunities before he/she gets one job offer. When job
openings are plentiful and candidates are in high demand, the ratio
drops to 6-to-1, meaning it takes only 6 interviews to get an offer
during the good times. The lesson here is that without interview
skills, you'll waste 6 to 17 job opportunities before you get good
enough at interviews to get an offer.



Below are six lies (assumptions) we tell ourselves about job interviews:

"I'll do great on my job interviews because..."





1. I'm Great at My Job.

The skills required to get the job are fundamentally different from the
skills required to do a job. If you have ever looked for a job you know
this all too well.





2. I'm a Good Communicator

Being a good communicator is a good start, but most of our business
communicating is one-on-one or in a setting where you are talking about
work. During the job interview, you are often speaking with multiple
interviewers and responding to thought-provoking questions about you
and your talents. Convincing an interviewer of your abilities is a
unique situation in the world of business communications.





3. I've Interviewed Hundreds of People

Being an interviewer is different from being interviewed. Just ask
anyone who has been interviewed recently. I consult internationally to
organizations on interviewer skills. I also present to thousands each
year on job interviewing for the job seeker. While the interviewer and
the interviewee are in the same room, each is playing a different role
that requires different skills to be successful. It's a bit like
dancing. One person leads while the other follows. The skills to lead
are very different from the talents needed to follow. When each partner
does his/her part, they dance beautifully. When the job applicant has
the skills, he/she facilitates a conversation and usually gets the
offer.





4. I've Had Many Practice Interviews

Learning by trial and error can teach you a few things about effective
interviewing, but it wastes a lot of great job opportunities. Besides,
practicing the same unproductive job interview ritual will only make
you comfortable with ineffective habits that can really hurt your
career.





5. Interviewers Have Interviewing Skills

Having traveled internationally to train interviewers, I can state with
certainty that over 95% of interviewers are unskilled and have had no
training on effective interviewing. That is exactly why interviewers
still ask totally irrelevant and bogus questions like, "Tell me about
yourself," and "What are your strengths and weaknesses?" When an
interviewers asks you one of these questions, you know they are
completely unskilled at interviewing.





6. The Most Qualified, Get Hired Most of the Time

Eleven years as a recruiter taught me one truth about the job market:
the most qualified person never gets hired. The reason is that who is
the most qualified is a matter of interviewer opinions, assumptions,
and personal bias. Additionally, a job description is actually a
collection of guesses as to what the prerequisites are for a specific
job. A job description is a way for the hiring manager to say, "I want
to hire someone who has already done, many times, what I want him or
her to do for me."



To secure a great job, you can either continue lying to yourself and go
through 17 interviews before you get an offer, or you can invest the
energy to learn successful job interviewing and significantly increase
your odds of getting a great job sooner.



Whether you try Interview Mastery or another job interview program is
irrelevant. What really matters, is that you improve your interview
skills. Common advice is everywhere on the Internet, but this common
wisdom will only get you common results.



If you don't want to invest any money in yourself, at least make a list
of the interview questions you expect and those that you fear. Then ask
a former colleague to mock interview you using the questions you
listed. Record the mock interview using audio or video. You may be
surprised at how you actually sound.Remember, the job interview is the
most important moment in your job search and in your career.



While your resume may get you to the interview, it is your job
interview skills that will secure the job offer. Preparation and
practice make all the difference in your performance because the most
qualified person rarely gets the job. It's the person who interviews
the best who wins the job offer.



Good luck on your next interview. You're going to be awesome!





Michael R. Neece, CEO

interviewmastery.com