The Casanova's guide to job interview success
When recent grads are prepping for their first professional interviews out of school, they usually turn to career experts for the basics on how to nail the experience and impress, despite their limited experience. But according to the blog of author and business relationship guru Keith Ferrazzi there's another, less expected place they might look for good advice - history's great seducers.
While it's certainly important to prep answers to likely questions and carefully consider how to frame your accomplishments, a great deal of interview success comes down to charm. You obviously don't want to creep out your interviewer with amateurish, Don Juan-inspired flirtation -- but making sure you come across as sought after and confident can pay big dividends, writes Alex Banayan in the post:
When somebody is enthusiastic about a job opportunity--but gives off the feeling that this is not the only one they have on the table--they become more seductive in the employer's eyes," [CEO of Mandalay Entertainment and Golden State Warriors co-owner Peter] Guber explained. "You become more desirable because it shows that you're making a conscious and thoughtful decision for the right reasons." He elaborated that it is the same dynamic as the situation when "the boy is interested in the girl and the girl isn't really interested in him." The girl becomes more appealing. "And if you don't think that works in business--you're wrong--it does"!When interviewing with Columbia Pictures, Guber knew he had other options on the table and his confidence reflected that fact. Before you go to your next interview, remember that an astute employer can smell a desperate candidate a mile away. Remind yourself that the world is full of possibilities and that your life doesn't depend on any single offer.
Of course, playing hard to get can easily get out of hand or be misunderstood, but for relative newcomers to the art of interviewing Guber's reminder that projecting confidence and desirability (even if it feels a bit silly at first) is particularly valuable. With the jobs situation pretty dismal for recent grads you may feel desperate, but that doesn't mean you should ever show it.
Looking for more hints and tips to up your interviewing game? Banayan has a few more bits of advice that are worth checking out, or read up on the under-appreciated value of maniacal interview prep work or some strange but effective tricks for getting in the right frame of mind before your present yourself to potential employers.