Before you apply, however, ask yourself if you’re really interested in this job, and if it’s the right opportunity for you. If you aren’t really interested and invested in the job, it will come through in your interview performance.
3. Don’t air your dirty laundry. While you should be honest and candid with a person on a date, this isn’t necessarily the time to share every intimate detail of your life or potential indiscretions. You want them to like you, not flee the scene at a cheetah’s
pace. The same holds true for an interview. Remember your purpose—you aren’t there to make a best friend, or to engage in group therapy. Keep your questions, answers, and language professional; if you get the job, you will have plenty of time to get to know your colleagues.
4. Don’t bring up their negatives either. Feel ambivalent about their taste in music? If they have other qualities you like, this interaction may not be the time to challenge them on the merits of boy bands. In an interview, think ISO is better than Six Sigma? Consider this: is it a job deal breaker? If not, move along.
5. Don’t be desperate. Be interested. Could you imagine if someone said to you, “I just really need a boyfriend/girlfriend. That’s why I’m here.” I’ve actually sat in an interview (where I wasn’t the interviewee) and heard the job equivalent. The candidate just wasn’t that into us (which ultimately ensured that we weren’t into them either). Your date (or interviewer) won’t be interested in you if you aren’t interested in them. So lose all shades of inattentive, bored, or uninspired, and summon up some enthusiasm.
6. Be confident, but not cocky. I don’t know anyone who wants to date someone who is solely into themselves, and I don’t know of many companies who want to add a narcissist to their team. Yes, you have to be confident, but you don’t have to be an egomaniac. Nobody wants to work with an egomaniac.
A perfect interview, like a perfect first date, can feel like the stuff of magic. While it can feel tempting to wait for the magic to find you, why not take a chance and go out and make some job magic for yourself.