New Grads: Should You Fake It on the Interview?
By Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter
A coach shared a story on LinkedIn about working a recent grad who was turned down for a job because he failed to show sufficient enthusiasm at an interview. She wrote,”If a candidate takes the interview, they should show enthusiasm for the role. An interview does not equal a job offer.”
She continued, “The interview process is a mutual discovery between the employer and the candidate. An employer not only wants to assess skills but also ‘fit’ in the organization. They want to believe that a candidate can contribute to solving their problems and help them achieve their goals. Candidates should never lie about credentials or experience, but they should express their desire to work for that company and why they want to do so. Being prepared to sell that commitment will make a candidate stand out.
Once the grad has the offer, then they can assess if it’s a good fit for them through the due diligence of speaking with other employees and diving deeper.
When it comes to enthusiasm, desire, and genuine interest, if a candidate has bothered to take the interview, then they should fake it or “express it” until they make it.”
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I replied, “Respectfully, I don’t know if I completely agree. Interviewing is like a blind date. Each side expresses modest interest and then finds out more. They present themselves in a great light and through that try to figure out if there is chemistry. They go out on another date (or not) and get to know one another better.
Personally, I think an employer is being unrealistic to believe a new grad should arrive with passion and enthusiasm. After all, that job description the person is MAYBE 80% accurate . . . if they’re lucky. I believe the new grad should present their world-class abilities and potential to make the employer fall in love with them. They should be assessing the employer each step of the way because, like in dating, everyone is on good behavior. If an employer behaves badly while dating, they will be worse once a person is on board. I don’t have to tell you that no one wants to be an obedient little cog in someone’s machine. Perhaps this person would be well-served by a startup. Thank you for sharing this and giving me a way to sort through my own thinking.
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Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter is a coach who worked as a recruiter for what seems like one hundred years. He is hired to provide No BS Career Advice
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