Sometimes a candidate preparing for a job interview has got to go back to basics – and, by basics, I mean back to themselves, writes Arthur Geraghty, Career Coach, Sli Nua Careers.
Yes, some of the answers lie in the new company’s annual reports, strategic plans or press statements, but there is a limit to what you can learn in a few weeks. You can only take on so much and if you focus solely on trying to accumulate information, there is a very real danger that you will overlook the thing that most matters – namely, your suitability for the position.
The challenge is to show what YOU can bring to the position. That involves a judicious mix of knowing the position inside out, and identifying and articulating your strengths for that job. If you err too much on the side of learning all about the company, without relating what you’re learning to what you can specifically bring to the company, you run the risk of doing an interview that appears like a third-party, academic assessment of the role.
So, if you’re gone too far into reports, plans and statements, pull it back a bit and remember to bring yourself into the picture too.
Arthur Geraghty is a Career Coach with Sli Nua Careers.
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Sometimes a candidate preparing for a job interview has got to go back to basics – and, by basics, I mean back to themselves, writes Arthur Geraghty, Career Coach, Sli Nua Careers.
