Is Your Interview Image Hurting Your Job Search?

What Image do you Project?

What does someone see and hear when you interview? What image do you project?  In addition to how you look, there are mannerisms and behaviors to consider.

These little things that you do and say may be getting in the way of finding that perfect job.  You may not even know you are doing them. So it’s important to try to understand how others see you.  Once you understand this, you can work towards making sure that’s the image you want to project.

Are you confident or arrogant?  Are you shy or a snob?  Do you babble on when asked a question or clam up and give one word answers?

I talk with hundreds of people at various stages of their careers.  I won’t say “I’ve seen it all” but I have seen quite a few examples of behavior and mannerisms that I’m certain was not the intent of the job seeker.

Confident or Arrogant?

I’ve meet several candidates who are extremely smart and know their field of specialty inside and out.  Yet when they are interviewing and someone asks them a question, they come across as arrogant.  They’re trying for confident, but are just missing the mark.

They are so anxious to reply that they cut off the person asking the question.  They are so anxious to provide a detailed answer to show how much they know and that they are right for the job that they come across as condescending.  Perhaps they are even perceived to be defensive of the position they have taken in response to the question.  When the interviewer attempts to steer the conversation in another direction or pushes to see how they respond to criticism, they become belligerent and aggressive. Sometimes perceived as digging in and refusing to listen or even consider another point of view.

They don’t see this as arrogant or aggressive.  They see this as being able to support their answer and provide the information needed for the interviewer to see how knowledgeable they are.

Shy or a Snob?

I’ve also met candidates who were perfectly competent and usually clear communicators, yet during an interview, they were so frightened of saying the wrong thing, they answered questions with yes or no.  And then, they either wouldn’t or couldn’t bring themselves to elaborate.  They were perceived as being “too good” for the position for which they were interviewing.

Do you Babble?

Others have talked non-stop for ten minutes in response to a question that really only needed a one or two word response.  Thus, making the interviewer question if they should ask another question or if they should end the interview for fear of running out of time.

One of the most valuable assets in a job search is “a true friend” or family member who is willing to tell you honestly what they are seeing/hearing during a practice interview.  Of course, you have to promise that you will continue to be their friend and/or family member afterwards.  And that you will take the advice in the positive way, in which it was given.

Worth the Pain

While learning about yourself may be painful, it can also make a huge difference in developing and improving your interview skills and ultimately finding a new job.