It doesn't matter who you are, an internal auditor, teacher or surgeon; you will have to go through an interview process at some stage. We have spoken about the details of interviews previously, however we think it would be helpful to emphasise just how important it is to be able to sell who you are, and why you are of real value to an organisation.
Many people, understandably, learn at an early stage that their achievements demonstrate their ability. Whether it is exam grades, sporting achievements or charitable work, what we have done demonstrates future value. However, what is not explained is that no matter who you are, there will come a day when you have to explain to someone else why these achievements are of real value to them.
In order to do this there are certain characteristics that make an immeasurable difference; enthusiasm, ambition, confidence, and an engaging personality, to name but a few. These can only be demonstrated by you projecting your personality and pushing the value of who you are as an individual.
This process is not natural. Most of us find it very uncomfortable describing our own achievements or why we stand out from our peers. However it is a necessary evil and is a skill that must be mastered (or at least attempted) in order to progress through your career as you hope to. There is no harm in emphasising your own abilities at interview, if you find this uncomfortable then practice with family and friends.
Too often we meet individuals who have worked incredibly hard to get to where they are in their career. However when interviewed they give modest, generic and cautious responses. These people fail to pass the interviews for the jobs they aspire to.
This is a difficult point to summarise in a simple list of advice, as the specific advice will be different for each individual. However if we can finish on one point it would be this; your CV will not sell you, a recruitment consultant will not sell you, you will. Modesty is an admirable quality, but not at interview.