Should You “Be Yourself” At a Job Interview?

This write-up is inspired to a great extent by an excellent guest post over at The Unemploymentality (a great blog for anyone looking for a cheerful, tongue-in-cheek outlook on unemployment). One of the central themes of the original post was whether you should “be yourself” at a job interview, or if you should adopt and morph to the expectations of the interviewer.

And that, I think, is a question we’ve all been confronted with. After all, how many times has one of your well-meaning friends told you to “relax and be yourself” when they spotted  you being all jittery before an interview? How many times have you heard the notion that interviewers appreciate honesty in a candidate (or, worse still, that honesty is the best policy at a job interview?)

On the surface, it seems that an interview would appreciate a candidate who doesn’t exaggerate or bloat their achievements and instead tells things how they are. In fact, some believe that it would even help them distinguish themselves from all the other candidates who came to the interview solely to explain why they’re the best candidate since Bill Gates decided to have a go at running Microsoft.

And here’s the simple truth.

The interviewer will thank you for your honesty - right before they decide that you’re not qualified for the job.

You see, at a job interview, your goal is to present yourself in the best possible light - and that meanings glossing over unsuccessful efforts at previous jobs, bad experiences or uncomfortably long periods of unemployment. Whichever way you slice it, if you were to sit down and explain honestly that you got fired from  your last job for sexually harassing the secretary, you’re not going to get the position you’re applying for, no matter how good you are.

In many ways, job interviews are like public performances. Performers come to entertain - and candidates come to sell themselves to the prospective employer. In both cases, the audience doesn’t want to see a poorly-dressed guy who hasn’t shaved for a few days and stinks like they just took a swim in the sewage filtration system. They want a dazzling young bloke who can convince them that he is the right guy for the job, and has an impressive list of accomplishments to back it all up.

Needless to say, you can’t put your best foot forward and still be yourself - and, since the two terms are mutually exclusive, it makes sense to drop one in favor of the other.

Now don’t get me wrong here - I am not encouraging you to lie or mislead your prospective employer! But there’s a world of difference between glossing over some of your more uncomfortable experiences and blurting them out in a fit of honesty and being yourself.

Sure, it might make you feel better - but it won’t get you the job. Because even as you decide to be honest about everything, there’ll be ten other candidates out there who won’t - and they’re the ones who’ll get hired.

Thank You Letters 101

Sometimes, what makes or breaks your job interview isn’t your performance, prior work experience or knowledge, skills and abilities.

Sometimes, it’s all down to a simple e-mail to set you aside from other candidates and close the deal.

Thank-you letters - or e-mails - are a necessary part of almost every job interview. “Sending a thank you letter is as important as interview preparation,” writes Judy Perkins, the founder of VisionQuest.

This is why it’s so depressing that 90% of all candidates get them dead wrong (and the other 10% don’t bother sending one in the first place). Most simply fire off a brief, three-sentence e-mail thanking the HR for the meeting.

While courteous, this letter doesn’t really do anything for you. To be sure, you come across as polite - but that’s about it. And this is not what a good thank-you letter is about.

Instead, thank-you letters should be used as an opportunity to accomplish the following:

• Demonstrate once again that your skills and experiences match the requirements of the job
• Highlight certain skills that you may have omitted to mention or discuss at length during the interview
• Address any issues that may have been raised during the interview and that you do not feel were sufficiently addressed or resolved
• Provide feedback on the interview - for example, by telling the company that you really liked the culture you observed, or the assignment sounds even more interesting than you had anticipated
• Reaffirm your interest in the vacancy

Despite the name, the purpose of a thank-you letter is not to merely thank the interview, but to also close the deal by providing positive feedback on the interview and settling any unresolved issues that may have cropped up during the meeting. Try to sound as enthusiastic as possible - remember, you’ve already met these people, so you can afford to be somewhat more casual than before!

How to Negotiate Your Salary

We’ve all been in this situation - the job interview has gone remarkably well, you can tell that they’re really interested and you’re available to start as early as possible. Your prospects are up, chances of rejection are down - and all that stands between you and your dream job is that nagging salary question.

There are two major mistakes candidates make when addressing this issue - they either ask for too little, or too much. Both are deadly to your career chances. Almost every company I know has an internal salary curve used to determine how much to pay someone at any given level within the organization. If you ask for too much, you’ll be outside the curve - and the company will either seek to negotiate the salary down (if they’re really interested) or simply accept that you’re outside their salary range.

On the flip side, asking for too little can get you hired - but why sell yourself short? The last thing you want is to discover that you’re getting paid half as much as your peers. Unfortunately, once you’re in at an agreed-upon salary, it can be very difficult to negotiate it back up (remember, you’re not supposed to talk to your co-workers about your monthly pay - even if everyone does it, that argument still won’t hold up too well with the HR).

In short, you can see why it’s important to nail your salary just right from the get-go, rather than trying to fix it afterwards. But how do you do that?

The simple rule of the thumb to keep in mind when negotiating a salary is that the person who makes an offer first, loses. There’s no getting around it - if you’re the one who names the figure first, it will be driven down relentlessly by the interviewer.

This is why salary negotiations often consist of a delicate interchange between you and the company, where you do everything in your power to get the interviewer to make an offer first while thwarting their efforts to make you do the same.

Usually, the dance will start with something like this:

“So what kind of salary range are you thinking of?”

And here’s a very simple way to respond to it:

“In all fairness, I do not know the salary curve that your organization typically offers for this position and for a candidate of my expertise, so it’s probably best if you provide me with some indication of the range and we can work from there.”

This tells the interviewer that you’re expecting him to name the figure first. Unfortunately, this usually doesn’t happen, and you can expect questions such as this:

“Look, before I can make you an offer, I really need to know your salary expectations. So if you could tell me how much you’re looking for, we could discuss that and finalize the interview.”

Again, this isn’t a trick you should fall for - see the sample reply above for an example of how to handle it.

Another indirect question you might get asked is this:

“If you don’t mind me asking, how much were you earning at your previous job?”

The idea behind this question is very simple - the interviewer wants you to tell them how much you were earning before, and this, in turn, will enable them to make an offer based on your previous salary. In other words, they’re still asking you to name the figure first - and we’re not falling for that!

Here’s how to answer this one:

“Judging from the job description you provided, it seems that the job in question is somewhat different from the one I did in the past. As such, I don’t think that my previous job has any bearing on my possible future one, particularly in terms of compensation.”

As you can see, there are many ways to dance around the salary question. Remember - they can’t make you a formal job offer without a concrete salary figure, so if they’re really interested, they really have no choice but to eventually break down and put a price tag on your services.

Above all, don’t give in because you’re afraid that if you negotiate too much, they will decide not to hire you. This just doesn’t happen - if anything, any HR professional will appreciate a shrewd negotiator!

Job Interviews: What to Wear?

You’ve done it! After spending days researching jobs and hours crafting the perfect resume, you’ve finally hit it big - you’re being invited for an interview, and that elusive dream job is finally within your grasp. All that remains is to pass the interview with flying colors - except that you don’t know what colors - or indeed, what at all - you should wear.

Proper attire is critical for a job interview - and it’s about more than just wearing a tie. Experts say that 95% of opinions about a person are formed within the first 5 seconds - which means that you have to look your dazzling best the moment you enter the room.

In general, always err on the side of caution. If you’re unsure how to dress, wear a suit and a tie if you’re a man or a jacket top and trouses (or a reasonably long skirt) if you’re a lady. It’s always better to come across as overdressed than the other way around.

However, also keep in mind the nature of the job that you’re applying for. If you’re interviewing for a vacancy with a local bank, a conservative look is expected.  But if you’re looking for a DJ career, wearing a black suit and red tie will make you look overly conservative and out-of-touch with the club crowd.

If you’re really at a loss as to what to wear for a job interview, you can always call the receptionist and ask them what kind of dress code is expected. This is a great way to get an insider scoop into the practices of the organization - and without asking the HR uncomfortable questions!

5 Best Questions to Ask During a Job Interview

Countless HR experts agree – asking the right questions is often the key to landing that lucrative job you’ve been losing sleep over for the past few weeks. Interviewers treat your questions as an indicator of why you’re really interested in this job – which is why it’s so important that you ask the right ones.

Which is why here you’ll find the list of top five questions to ask during a job interview – use this guideline, and that job just might finally be within your reach!

1. Whenever possible, make your questions relevant to the company you’re applying for a job with. For example, if you’re interviewing for a marketing job with a major household goods manufacturer, ask questions on how well they’re doing on the market, what their greatest challenges have been and what recent initiatives they launched. This not only demonstrates your expertise in the subject, but also clearly shows your interest in the company’s operations.
2. One safe question you can always ask is about organizational culture - what the environment is like, how employees interact, etc etc. A lot of companies nowadays look for candidates that match the culture and spirit of the organization - and demonstrating that you’re interested not only in the pay, but also in working closely with your coworkers speaks volumes about your teamworking skills and the degree of your commitment to the company.
3. Another fantastic question to ask - especially if you are being interviewed by your potential direct supervisor - is what goals and objectives they have in mind for you in the first 6-12 months. This demonstrates preparedness on your part as well as the ability to make long-term plans (not to mention your readiness to hit the ground running from day one!)
4. Yet another question to ask is that of performance evaluations - how often will they take place, and in what manner? Nowadays, companies often use different models than the boss sitting down with the employee to discuss a few things here and there. This question demonstrates that you are career-oriented and aren’t afraid of having your performance appraised on a regular basis.
5. Another good question to ask - usually at the very end of the interview - is what the next step in the recruitment process will be and when the company expects to make a decision. These days, you’re often asked to attend a series of interviews - not just one - before the final decision is made. As a candidate, you have every right to know what the selection process consists of, and when the decision regarding your place in it will be made.

So there you have it - these five tips should set you well on your way to winning the interview by asking the right questions, to the right person, at the right time!