Be Prepared... Be Confident in the Interview

Check out this Blog from "The Wise Job Search" Blog.

Not being assertive in an interview or being a "milk-toast" in a meeting that could turn into a job lead is all too easy if you're not prepared and lack confidence in yourself. Face it you're selling a product, YOU! If you're not confident then, why should someone buy the product. 


People want to believe that they are getting the best deal and there is a lot of competition out there today. Be yourself and be prepared. That doesn't mean you need to get in someone's face during the interview, in fact, that would be even worse than having no confidence. Sell your product by sharing the benefits that you will bring with you after they hire you. Help them to see you doing the job by telling success stories that show your value. 


Harry Urschel's Blog is called, Being "Assertive" in Job Interviews. The word "Assertive" can be misleading however. Don't make the mistake of being aggressive in the interview or the mistake of attempting to take control from the interviewer. Both of these behaviors are 99% effective at killing your chances in the interview. Mr. Urschel offers a list of other things to avoid in an interview... I totally agree with his list.

Remember you are there and it's your time to connect and win the job offer. Like Goldilocks and the Three Bears... you cannot be too hot, too cold, but you need to be just right!


Review and practice telling your success stories every day. Then, review them right before the interview and you'll smile, endorphins will release in your body; calming and relaxing you, helping you to appear more confident. 

Dealing With Negative and Excuses...

A long time ago I realized that there are two types of people in the world. People who enter the room and it lights up... then there are the folks that leave the room and it lights up. I won’t ask you which kind of person you are, but ask yourself. Sometimes I meet with people who tell me that they’ve had interviews for jobs they were perfectly qualified for, but they didn’t get the job. Often they are the second type of person I mentioned.

My friend and colleague Nancy Wajler tells job seekers that three things influence the hiring decision. First, can you do the job? Second, are you motivated to do the job? Third, will you fit into the job? It’s true if you get the interview they already have an answer for the first point... Your resume shows that you can do the job; and they want to validate that in the interview. So, when you get an interview it really is about showing your motivation and your ability to fit in.

I don’t like working with negative people -- period! I don’t know anyone who says they do. As you interview you want to make a favorable impression. You need to be yourself and be prepared. You need to be as enthusiastic as a puppy dog when the door bell rings. You need to help the interviewer see you as the person who can do the job, work well in the team and help everyone be more successful.

If you’re the kind of person who makes it seem darker when you enter the room, you need to makes some changes or you’ll miss out on the opportunities to prove your worth and value in an interview. What changes? The most powerful change someone can make in this area is to stop making excuses. Take responsibility, apologize, and be quiet. Better yet, don’t be in the position where you’re tempted to make an excuse, identify the risks in your life and mitigate or resolve them... then you have no need to give an excuse.

Napoleon Hill

Another thing folks with a dark cloud around them need to do is stop being negative... pump in the positive. Listen to and Read positive, “self esteem building” materials. Zig Ziglar, Napoleon Hill, W. Clement Stone, Tony Robbins, Denis Waitley, Ken Blanchard, Spencer Johnson, Norman Vincent Peale and Earl Nightingale have all produced marvelous material. Plus there are dozens if not hundreds of newer devotees of building and having a positive mental attitude. At the Harper College’s Career Stimulus Program we will be starting a new regular program for members called Pump Up Your Job Search! in April. The goal of this program is to aid folks in leaving the dark cloud behind and moving into the light.