You wrote a great cover letter, have a slammin’ resume, and landed the interview.
Now doubts start to creep in. “Do I really want this job?” “Are these the right hours?” “Will it pay me enough?” “I’m not sure I really want to do this…”
STOP IT!
Those are conditioned responses to good news. And they are putting the cart well before the horse. You get to have all the doubts you want — later.
For the interview, I encourage you to go in looking ONLY at the positives. No doubts, no “if only” or “only if”, no “I’m not sure…” You need to accentuate the positive as the song goes.
If they really want you at the end of the day, you can most likely negotiate some stuff.First they have to REALLY want you.
Interviewers will pick up on your energy – your reservations or your enthusiasm, your doubts or your genuine curiosity to learn more about the position. Interviews involve an acting job in a way. I often say that job search is a time when I feel the worst and have to present myself at my best. It is doable.
Acting as if you really want the job is key. And you do want it in some way, or you wouldn’t have applied.
It’s about getting the offer, having the choice, having them want YOU. They will want you because YOU want THEM. You show them during the interview that you really admire them and want to work there.
So muster up the reasons you want the job, and focus on them. Come up with questions you can ask to learn more about them and how the job relates to the company’s work. For example, “how does this job affect the bottom line?” And “what success would look like?”
You also can ask “if there is anything that would stop you from hiring me, what would it be?” so you can address the possible objection right then and there.
Remember the interview is an opportunity for you to show what you’d be like at your best in the job. So focus only on the things you like, allow yourself to be curious to learn more about the position, and remember to accentuate the positive.
