Is Self Sabotage Affecting Your Job Search?
Self sabotage…
We’ve seen it so often. People getting so close to their goals then putting self imposed barriers in the way as to why it can’t be completed or reached.
Lots of what ifs and buts….
People spend their lives trying to be accepted by their peers and society. The job, the car, the house, the “life-style”. So much so people remain in jobs that don’t satisfy them; in fact, jobs that make them downright unhappy for the sake of keeping up appearances, and how they, and others will react to CHANGE.
All of a sudden deciding to change how you look at your life – your job and how it impacts on your happiness and life, is a daunting thought.
For many, changing careers, or deciding to look for a new job is scary.
Scared of interviews.
Scared of being rejected/failure.
Scared of your peers or family seeing you fail.
Scared of people judging you differently.
Treating you differently.
Scared of the unknown or a new way of doing things.
We meet lots of people who’s confidence is rock bottom and they are just so scared by changed. But just as you may need to be nurtured and guided in any scenario (which we always do), you must also realise one thing.
You deserve success.
Job seekers often ruin their chances for a productive interview based on negative actions that are actually within their control. This kind of self-sabotage makes the time both the interviewee and interviewer spend discussing the job vacancy seem like an exercise in futility.
Courtesy
When you are feeling low on confidence or scared of the change, you may mumble something like, “Yeah, that’s me…” when the interviewer comes to the waiting room and announces your name.
This is a classic example of subtle self sabotage.
You only have a few seconds to make a first impression on an interviewer, so demonstrate professional courtesy right away. Regardless of whether you’re a woman or a man, when the interviewer comes to the waiting area, get up from your seat, shake hands, and give a pleasant greeting while you establish eye contact. Speak clearly and confidently.
Confidence
As we touched on above, candidates sabotage their interviews by not projecting confidence in themselves. This can turn hiring managers off because they want candidates who believe in themselves and their abilities. Give yourself a pep talk in the hours before your interview. Remind yourself that you are the best candidate for the job and you can bring a lot of skills to the company. Envision a successful interview and you will greatly enhance your chances of having one.
Preparation
“Fail to prepare and prepare to fail” – it may sound glaringly obvious and overused but you’d be surprised just how many candidates think they can ‘wing’ a job interview. Now whether that is down to fear (burying ones head in the sand) or something else…preparation is paramount.
Practise the typical questions that will be asked of someone in your field. Practice in front of the mirror or why not use your webcam or phone to record your practice sessions. Have friends or family members carry out mock interviews. Evaluate how you sound, whether you use fillers like “um,” and “you know,” and look at your body language. If you correct those issues long before your interview you feel much more calm when the day of your interview comes around. Not to mention more self aware of how you come across in any work/life environment.
Change is scary but sometimes you got to go with it and make the steps towards it and at Aspire Personnel we are always happy to help.
Career Development, Interviews, Job Search, Telephone Interview, Top Tips, Vacancies