5 Lies You're Telling Yourself that Stop You from Getting Hired
Whether you’re looking for your first job, want to change employer, get a promotion, or launch a completely new career, there is one strength that is necessary for you to develop. And it's not interview skills, job search strategy, or CV/profile optimisation, although these are all, of course, important.
The most important thing
There’s a good reason that the first thing I work on with career coaching clients is mindset. Growth mindset, success mindset, positive mindset. Without the right mindset, they will approach the work we do together, and therefore their career moves, less effectively. They won't sell themselves as well on their resumes or in interviews. They’ll use less impactful vocabulary. They’ll discount experiences and skills that they could be including in their profile. They’ll downplay their suitability in comparison to others.
Mindset work is so important for all facets of life. However, in your career it can be the difference between achieving what you want in a timely manner, and getting left behind, unsatisfied, with your talent unrealised.
So what are five of the lies I hear that hold people back from getting hired - and how do we shift their mindset?
I don't practise answering interview questions because I want to sound natural, and I’m talking about myself anyway!
Yes, and, remember while some interviews are becoming more casual or conversational, presenting yourself in an interview is a very specific type of communication. It is not the type of conversation you have every day.
You want to present yourself in the best way possible.
You have a limited amount of time to do so.
You want to talk about only a selection of experiences out of a lifetime of them.
You want to be ready to do so, and not scrambling to think of examples on the spot.
The only way to do this is to prepare your responses and your profile presentation adequately and practise frequently. Frequently means, until you are comfortable responding to a variety of common/relevant questions, and you have a bank of relevant examples to provide, in a concise and confident manner.
The easiest way to sound natural is to know what to say so well that it rolls off your tongue. When you have all that preparation done in advance, it frees you up to focus on your performance on the day. If you’re trying to articulate well-crafted responses on the spot, your actual presentation of them will be impaired. Whereas, if you’re prepared to respond, then you can do so with all your authentic charm. Don’t put yourself under the pressure to improvise. Prepare in advance, practise often and perform well on the day.
2. Although I'm not getting offers yet, I'm getting interviews, so my CV must be fine
Yes, and, don't take it for granted.
Organisations have quotas to fill. Talent acquisition managers have targets to meet. Teams have positions to fill. Getting called for an interview does not mean your CV does not need work or can’t be improved.
If a company is having difficulty filling a spot, they may have to lower their expectations or cast their net wider than they normally do to interview enough candidates. You don't want to be in the lower expectations/wider net group. Particularly because, in these cases, you’ll have to work harder at interview to tick all their boxes and prove your value.
Your CV and application should make the interview panel positive and excited to interview you. The interview should confirm that meeting you in person matches how you come across on paper. If you have a mediocre CV then their expectations of you are already lower. Give yourself a head start by adjusting and optimising your CV for every job you apply for.
3. Traineeships and volunteering don’t count as real experience
If this is true, then I have a question for you. Why did you do the traineeship/volunteer in the first place?
Why did you spend time and effort for a low wage, getting experience that you are now too embarrassed or don't value enough to include?
Why volunteer your time and skills if you don’t believe you’re contributing and adding value?
It is a dangerous assumption that relevant traineeships/volunteering aren't valuable experience. They should absolutely be included, loud and proud. They demonstrate initiative, humility, openness to learn, teamwork. You were a contributing member of an organisation, using or developing many of the same skills as regular staff members, often without the perks and credit. Squeeze every ounce of value that you can out of that experience.
4. I can't use personal examples in my responses
If you don’t have relevant examples from your professional experience, or if you have a personal experience example which is more relevant, by all means use it!
Interviewers are looking for evidence of strengths, skills and experience. In fact, being able to demonstrate your awareness and use of those strengths and skills outside of the professional arena could actually reflect even more positively on you, and differentiate you from other candidates.
Here are some examples: COVID - because work and homelife became intertwined for many, speaking about managing challenges during this period could be a highly relatable experience for your interviewers.
Maybe you don't have experience managing a team, but you do lead a family. The same skills of communication, time management and leadership are used, and simply applied in a different way. Your interviewing panel should recognise and relate to that too.
5. I don't have all the skills or experience they are asking for, so I can’t apply
This is disappointingly a more common belief among women than men. In any case, it’s one that is keeping people stuck, underpaid, undervalued and underemployed.
There is a learning curve that goes with every new job. All teams and organisations do not behave identically. So, whether it's learning how to do things ‘their way’ or having to acquire a new skill, if you are confident you can do the job anyway and acquire the missing skills, then apply. You can even go about developing those skills in the meantime, and be able to confirm that at the interview.
It is rare that all candidates meet all the requirements to the highest standard. By ruling yourself out, you're presuming that everyone else is judging themselves in the same way. They’re not. ‘Qualified’ is a personal perspective. Put your hat in the ring. Use your time to develop the required skills. Enquire at interview as to how much your missing skill is actually needed, and what support you could get in developing it.
The Lesson
So, what’s the takeaway?
Don’t presume. Don’t underprepare. Don’t sell yourself short.
Do develop a growth mindset where you value what you have to offer currently, you are aware of the areas you need to develop, and you are actively seeking opportunities in which to do so. That will already make you a more interesting candidate.
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Have questions about communication skills for your career? Let’s chat so you can learn more. Or check out the 5Cs Career Coaching programme.
Siobhán Gallagher is a coach, educator and writer focused on the intersection between communication, self-leadership and wellbeing. Join her mailing list or book a discovery call to learn more. Connect at siobhangallagher.co, LinkedIn and Instagram.