Yahoo Finance 4 Ways to Stay True to Yourself When Searching for a Job
Prince has left behind a legacy of incredible creativity, music and memories. Advice he offered back in 1982 rings true today, and has special applicability for job hunters:
"The most important thing is to be true to yourself."
[See: 8 Important Questions to Ask a Job Interviewer -- And Yourself.]
Often times, if you are trying to go for a position that is far from what you've been doing, or if you are just desperate for any job, the temptation is great to turn yourself into someone you are not in order to be an appealing candidate.
It's one thing, of course, to show how you legitimately have what the employer seeks, but it's another to try to trick an employer just to get the opportunity for an interview. There are numerous stories of individuals, even CEOs, who were later found to have overly exaggerated or lied on resumes or in interviews, and were then appropriately and unceremoniously fired.
Being true to yourself, however, means more than simply telling the truth on your resume. Consider the following ways Prince's advice applies to your job hunt.
Hone Your Story. Employers don't have lots of time to explore everything you've ever done. When they ask you to tell something about yourself, that doesn't mean that they want a meandering answer that reveals all the twists and turns your career has taken.
Being true to yourself in this sense means being able to cut to the chase. In a couple of sentences, provide the essence of who you are, what you are passionate about and how you can bring value to your next employer. Keep your story focused on who you are now, and don't clutter it up with all kinds of distracting or irrelevant information.
Stay true to your own moral compass. Beware of employers who ask you to take shortcuts that can imperil how others perceive your own moral character. For example, selling products you know don't do what is promised, harming consumers or engaging in other unethical business practices can tar your reputation just as much as the company's going forward. Before you take a job, ask yourself if you really want your reputation tied to the company with which you are speaking.
[See: The 8 Stages of a Winning Job Search.]
Stay true to your higher aspirations. There are lots of ways to get ahead in the workplace. But along the way, you will likely see others, or be tempted yourself, to climb the ladder of success by tearing others down. Sabotaging the work of others, treating others unfairly or otherwise taking unfair advantage of situations to boost yourself at the expense of others might work in the short term. But such behavior diminishes the value of the prize you seek, and can even backfire when others see you for the negative character you have become.
Demonstrate examples of your character. Sophisticated interviewers will ask about far more than your technical skills, by way of behavioral interview questions. These are designed to bring out how your character influences your actions in the workplace.
There's no catalog of all the questions you might encounter, but think of these as some common examples:
"When is it acceptable not to keep a commitment or to not do what you said you would do?"
"Tell about a time when you had to forgive someone in the workplace."
"Tell about a time when a fellow employee asked you to tell a white lie."
"Give an example of when there was considerable conflict within a team of which you were a part and how you handled it."
"What's the toughest professional challenge you've ever encountered and how did you handle it?"
[See: How to Be an Active Interviewee.]
Your answers will likely portray more about you than you realize at the time. They will reveal how you relate to your peers and superiors, how your own ethics play out in the complex world where values often collide. When you demonstrate through your answers a core of inner integrity, and an unwillingness to waver from the good person you see yourself to be, you'll be taking Prince's advice and increasing the chances you'll be seen as the next great hire an employer will likely bring on board.
Happy hunting!
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