Getting that job: Preparing for interview

Getting in the right frame of mind

How often have you heard people say these kinds of things?

• I'm hopeless at interviews

• A lot of good people are going for the job

• I'm not really up to the job

• I hate interviews: I never know what they want to hear

• I'm no good at interviews because I'm no good at bullshitting

Although these thoughts and sentiments are common, they are not useful.

When a job is advertised the people offering the job are usually required to state clearly what they want in the person specification. The deal is that if you satisfy the essential requirements, then you are eligible for shortlisting. If too many candidates come through at this stage, they will then move on to the “desirable” list of attributes. The number of attributes are scored, and the top scorers are shortlisted. It is as simple as that.

So when you are invited for interview you already, by definition, satisfy the requirements of the job. You therefore have as good a chance as anybody of getting the job. I think you would agree that this is a more useful thought. It does mean, however, that whether or not you …