Don’t Play Hard To Get In Your Job Search

Join Isaiah as he discusses why timidity and uncertainty can destroy your career, especially during job interviews

Here’s a quick rundown of this week’s episode…

• First, Isaiah explains how timidity can set your back in your job search
• Next, Isaiah explores why showing certainty instead of timidity is especially important at the interview stage
• Finally, Isaiah discloses how you come across to employers when you show uncertainty at a job interview

From This Week’s Show… 

Why Timidity Can Destroy Your Career

Timidity destroys careers. This isn’t just a cute saying. It’s reality.

How timidly are you communicating your skills and results on your resume? How timidly are you reaching out to connections on LinkedIn? How timidly are you communicating your competency to employers during interviews?

Your timidity is likely a way of protecting yourself. By not going all in on your job search, you think it will hurt less if you get rejected. You think you’ll protect yourself from tough questions about your skills and expertise. So, you pull back, or you posture.

Job Interviews Are The Worse Place To Be Timid

Why would you work so hard to finally talk to an employer only to pretend like you don’t really want the job in the first place? How could you possibly get on a phone or video interview without being 100% ready to articulate why you are the very best person for the job and why you really, really want the job?

The main reason employers are interviewing you is to gauge your desire for the role. Only once they know you really want to work with them will they move on to evaluating your fit for the role.

When interviewing, you better have dozens of reasons written down for why you’re the best person for the job and why working at that company is your number one choice.

Every company you apply to can be your first choice for at least one reason because every company wins in the marketplace in at least one area or they wouldn’t be in business in the first place. Even if another company is your top choice holistically, there is at least one thing about every company you’re interested in that they’re better at than any other company.

Find that reason and lean on it. You must believe that the company across from you is highly desirable. They have to be your first choice for some reason. You must really want the job in front of you, and it has to show. You have to believe it.

How Uncertain Candidates Come Across To Recruiters And Hiring Managers

How can you expect an employer to extend you a job offer if they aren’t certain that you will likely take it? You must project certainty at all times. You must convince them that you want the job and build a case for why you want it and why you’re the best person for it.

Hiring managers and recruiters will know that you’re a phony and that you’re not serious if you don’t truly commit to the job at hand.

They will know that you’re unsure of yourself or unsure about whether you should work for them. And if they detect that you’re unsure, they will see no reason to continue the job search process with you.

Of course, none of this means you can’t get additional offers and continue interviewing elsewhere. It doesn’t mean you can’t leverage multiple offers against each other. It also doesn’t mean you want to work at the company you’re interviewing with forever and ever.

But if you’re there now, investing your time and taking their time, you better know why you want to work at that company, where they win in the marketplace, and how you can help them win more in the marketplace.

If you’re ready to start your transition into industry, you can apply to book a free Transition Call with our founder Isaiah Hankel, PhD or one of our Transition Specialists. Apply to book a Transition Call here.