Don’t mistake an interview for a counselling session

By Goretti Kimani

The critical role that a job interview plays in career building cannot be overemphasised. Many job seekers look forward to the next job interview with eager anticipation because they realise it is the bridge to their dream career.

Ironically, many other job seekers will do a shoddy job and lose too many chances on the interview table.

Besides taking a lot of things for granted, these job seekers mistake job interviews for counselling sessions. They are ready to download all their problems – be it real and imagined – to the interview panel. The amazing thing is that they expect the panellists to understand, empathise, and even counsel them.

A number of job seekers will lament about heavy traffic, water shortages in their estates, or use a fake sickness as their excuse for arriving late for a job interview. Others will blame the rains, or even the poor economy for their clumsiness, unkempt hair, muddy shoes or creased documents. Yet others will bore the panellists with tales of their unfortunate childhood, hunger pangs, poor upbringing, and harsh parents or relatives.

DO NO GOOD

But the truth of the matter is that these lamentations will do you no good. The panellists are not responsible for your real – or imagined – misfortunes.

Some job seekers will cite obscure traditional beliefs in defence of their bizarre behaviour, including how they greet and behave around people, or why they are in their polygamous family situation. They overlook the fact that other people may not subscribe to the same beliefs, and could not care less. In any case, these are your beliefs, live with them and avoid rubbing them off others.

Other job seekers will use all ways and means to seek sympathy from the panellists in a bid to gain some leverage against the competition. They will pretend to be tongue-tied, and have to be prodded, and cajoled to talk or answer questions. Others will amplify a simple cold, flu or cough just to be noticed. Yet others will rant and rave about the misdeeds of their former boss, and how much suffering they had to persevere. They forget that they are talking to a potential boss, and even expect the panellists to defend and distance themselves from such conduct.

DUMP PROBLEMS

Genuine job interviews are meant to be forums through where employers meet and ultimately select potential employees. It is not a place to dump your problems and dig up all the sad tales from days gone by just to gain some cheap sympathy.

Lamentations and complains are a form of negative energy that drain your psyche. And such behaviour proves what you really are; awkwardly selfish, immature and undeserving of the job at hand. Employers are looking for honest, positive people and nobody want to employ a victim.

 It is time to do an honest check up. You owe it to yourself and others to seek professional help from the right sources, rather than expect a free counselling session from every job interview.

The writer is a human resource specialist with Peoplelink Consultants Ltd. Email: [email protected]