Nobody’s Interviewing You for Shits and Giggles

“I’ll just go to the interview for experience.”

I talk to a surprising amount of people who don’t really get why they’ve been invited to interview, especially when it’s a big name company. Or they’ve applied for a role but aren’t super sure they’ll want the job, if offered.

They say they’re happy to give it a go and see what happens.

“It’ll be good practice”, they say.

Nobody is wasting their time inviting candidates to interview that they don’t believe have the goods. People just don’t have space on that shortlist to invite someone along for shits and giggles. Each and every candidate is there because they’ve already shown that they have what’s needed for the role.

What if there’s an internal candidate already lined up for the role?

What if there is? What if you can’t know that?

Don’t prepare for your interview like you already know it’s going to go to someone else. It might not. You might show them a candidate they just can’t turn down.

Maybe you’re not sure you actually want the job.

Imagine if you decided to treat that interview as practice and then when you’re at the interview and meet the team and hear more about the organisation, you realise that you really do want the job?

The uncertainty will show through so it might require a reframe. How about the goal being to get a job offer? This gives you permission to go for the goal, even when you’re not sure and you’ll perform in the interview as though you really want the job, because you know you really want the offer.

And it will be good practice because an offer means you also get the opportunity to practice turning it down, or making a decision between two offers, or negotiating a salary.

You’re never committed to taking a job until you sign a contract.

If you’re invited to interview, prepare for the most powerful hour you’ve ever had.

Prepare like you deserve to be there. You do!

Prepare like you really want the job, even if you’re not sure.