THE CAREER DOCTOR TEACHING YOURSELF VITAL LESSONS IN SELF-PROMOTION

If you've got the qualification and the right attitude but it's all going wrong, there may be other reasons why you're not succeeding at interviews, says ROWAN MANAHAN

I hear this kind of complaint on a regular basis. Chances are, you are probably doing one or two simple things wrong at interviews. The process of hiring is called screening and selection. This is a misnomer. It should be called screening and elimination.

Suppose there are one hundred applicants for a single position, ninety of whom are screened out at the CV stage. For the remaining ten, do you suppose that the interviewer(s) is looking to find out the absolute best points of each candidate or the chinks in their armour? Which takes less time? Which is easier? Which is cheaper?

The old cliché tells us that if you've got the interview, you've got the job. That should be true, but never lose sight of the fact that the interview is all about identifying which of these 'possibles' is the real thing. There's a world of difference between the candidate who sounds good and the candidate who is good and sound ....

Herewith, my all-time list of things to do if you absolutely don't want the job:

	Turn up late, sweating and out of breath, because you didn't bother to scout out the building and you couldn't find a parking space.
	Dress inappropriately, because you don't care about the impression you make on your own, or anyone else's behalf.
	Don’t listen to the questions asked and prattle on nervously, laughing at your own hilarious jokes and regaling the interviewer with a stream of irrelevant anecdotes and examples.
	If that doesn't work, try answering with monosyllabic grunts and hostile stares.
	Tell the interviewer how he/she should be running the business and how you're going to change everything when you are in charge.
	Admit to perfectionism or overworking when asked about your weaknesses.
	Contradict yourself as the interview progresses, because you can't remember which lie you told to whom and in response to which question .... or better yet, claim credit for significant achievements on your CV and then be completely unable to supply any detail as to how you accomplished these feats.
	Reveal that you have applied for loads of jobs in the last year, because your current job is a bore and you can't wait to get out of 'that rotten company.'
	Ask trite, naïve, self-serving questions at the end of the interview because you haven’t researched the industry or the job and you’re only really applying because you want a bit more drinking money.

If you are not dropping this sort of obvious clanger but you are not succeeding at interview after interview, it's time to swallow some humble pie and start learning from your mistakes. Under the Freedom of Information Act, you are entitled to seek feedback on your performance at interview.

In the private sector, companies tend not to give particularly useful feedback, typically responding with some statement to the effect that there was a 'more suitable', 'better qualified' or 'more experienced' candidate. Fine. Ask them what YOU could have done better. Harass them nicely. Send them a check-list by e-mail and ask them to take a few moments to HELP you! Wait a month and send a congratulation card to the successful candidate. Then invite him/her to lunch and pick his/her brains. Don't give up. DIG until you learn something that allows you to improve your approach.

With the roll-out of the Strategic Management Initiative in the public sector, you are now entitled to fairly concrete feedback on your performance at interview, specifically on areas in which you were perceived as being weak. You are also entitled to a transcript of the questions asked, the notes taken and scores assigned to each of your answers. If psychometric or other testing is used as part of the selection process, you are entitled to see the results and receive an explanation of what those results mean.

New Vocabulary
You use an alien language in the selection process, a vocabulary that you have no occasion to call upon outside of a professional interview. This is called 'The Vocabulary of Self Promotion.' (It's the kind of self-laudatory phrasing that would get you a clip on the ear from your mother if you used it in her presence, no matter what age you are).

An interview is an exercise in public speaking and as such, it merits a great deal of rehearsal. If you don't have good, honest answers to these old chestnuts, then you are in trouble before you begin:

	Tell us a bit about yourself.
	What attracted you to this job, industry or company?
	Why do you want to leave your current job/company?
	What are your strengths/weaknesses?
	How would you describe yourself?
	How would you approach this job?
	What interests you most in your work? What motivates you?
	Do you prefer to work in a team or on your own?
	How would your workmates describe you?
	Where do you plan to be in five year’s time?
	What do you regard as your greatest success / failure to date?
	What particular quality(ies) do you feel you will bring to this job that other candidates won’t?
	I’m sure you must have some questions for us ....

Use a Dictaphone and practise your answers to the stock interview questions over and over. Better yet, use a video camera and watch and listen to yourself. Get feedback from your friends and family.

If you are consistently failing at interviews, you are probably doing something very basic very badly. A blind spot, by definition, is something that you can't see in yourself. Your friends and family may not notice it either. Or may be too polite to tell you. Or you might not be listening to what they are telling you. The information is there. Have the courage to look for it.

Rowan Manahan is Managing Director of Fortify Services, a Dublin-based outplacement and career management firm.

Original article here.