Best tip of the week – BE YOURSELF !

So I’ve been back in the ‘biz’ and interviewing candidates for.  Its honestly been brilliant!

Last week an interesting theme emerged.

I met candidates who were trying to portray themselves as something they thought potential employers wanted to see rather than as themselves.  One candidate who was hoping for a promotion into a different position broke into corporate speak and used language she thought would befit the role she was applying for. – it didn’t. She pitched herself completely out of the game!

In a bid to appear more experienced and capable as a manager, another candidate came across as aloof and disengaged from his team at work.

I found that when candidates tried to present themselves as suitable for a more senior position, they were so focused on communicating the ‘higher’ aspects of their roles that they forgot to communicate the basics, to tell me why they were great at what they did.  As a result, they appeared to lack a solid foundation and the basic skills necessary for the position that they were applying for

Now here’s the thing, when I drilled down and dug deeper, the main culprits were in fact fabulous.  They were strong, down to earth leaders, no doubt managers that their teams could relate to.  They were people who had achieved great things and who demonstrated the kind of working styles, values and ethics that the employer, my client, was searching for.

Hoping to make a good impression, the candidates had projected professional, yet disengaged versions of themselves.  Ironically it was who they really were that my client wanted to meet.

Just be yourself!