Love is in the air. You
know a little about your date and your date knows a
little about you. The description of your blind date
seems to be too good to be true – a perfect vision
of your ideal partner. They have the right physical
attributes and personal qualities. Your matchmaking
friends are even more excited than you because
they’re convinced you are perfect for one another.
The date has been set. You can hardly wait!
The night arrives and you see your blind date
walk through the door of the restaurant. So far so
good. The introductions go very well. They are very
attractive and have a great personality. They seem
to like you too. You can sense each other’s nerves,
and are very careful about saying the wrong thing
and turning each other off. After about fifteen
minutes of slightly awkward conversation mostly
dominated by your friends, your date, who by the way
is a nurse, says, “So, I hear you’re a successful
pharmaceutical sales representative with one of the
largest pharmaceutical companies in the country.
That sounds so exciting. How did you get into
pharmaceutical sales? You begin by talking about how
you’ve always been interested in medicine, enjoy
selling, and never saw yourself at a desk job. You
explain how you joined the company when they
launched one of the best selling nebulizers on the
market. As you humbly mention that you grew your
sales territory to rank as one of the highest in the
country, the waitress interrupts to take your plates
and asks if you’d like desert. Wow, the conversation
just flowed. You even forgot you were on a date!
Your date was so interested in what you had to say,
and they responded so well to the great questions
you asked them about their work and family. Your
date can sense you are truly interested in them. In
the first half hour, you both realized you have so
much in common. Deep down inside you are praying
they like you as much as you like them, and hope
they aren’t seeing anyone else. By the end of the
night, it seems your date feels the same way. You
both agree to a second date – this time alone!
Okay, let’s rewind the tape. You’re not in
pharmaceutical sales yet. But, that is what you want
to be. You’ve just graduated with a Bachelor’s
degree in Biochemistry with a concentration in
Psychology. You’ve had your resume professionally
developed and it’s time to send it out. You scour
all the job boards and classified ads, and talk to
everyone in your personal network. Things are
looking up. In less than two weeks, you have lined
up four promising interviews.
So, if everything is going so well, why are you
so nervous? Is it because you’re afraid you are
going to fail at making a great first impression?
Take a deep breath. There is a way to overcome this
fear -- and you hold the key. Remember that blind
date? What was the hardest part? That’s right – it
was the anticipation! Once you got there, everything
went smoothly – especially when they asked you about
your {future} job. Why did it go so well? Because it
was about YOU! Know one knows you better than
yourself, and that’s who they want to get to know
better -- YOU. THEY WANT TO MEET YOU. THEY ALREADY
LIKE YOU!
And therein lies the secret. The very fact that
they have invited you for an interview means they
have PRE-QUALIFIED YOU FOR THE JOB! Can you believe
that? It’s true! They are hoping that you are as
good in person and you are on paper. If you are,
like your blind date, they’re going to pray that
you’ll stop interviewing with other companies and
accept their offer to join their company.
So how do you gain the confidence you need to
overcome your interview jitters? First, believe in
yourself. Know how talented and knowledgeable you
are. Remember, your resume says you are – and that’s
why they want to meet YOU. Next, do your homework.
Learn about the company. Ask genuine questions to
show how interested you are in what their company
does, why the position is available, what the
position is about, and what the potential is to grow
with the company. Volunteer to tell them what you
know about their company, using it as a lead-in for
a question you might have or save it as a response
to a question they may have. Do not fail to ask
questions! Do not wait until the end and say, “No, I
think you answered all my questions (that were
silently in my head!). BE PROACTIVE in the
interview. As long as you know who you are and know
something about them, you should have no problem
hitting it off. If for some crazy reason they decide
to offer the position to someone else, don’t be
discouraged. There are other fish in the sea. Think
of it as a great experience and opportunity to
practice your interviewing skills.
In summary, the interview is a meeting between
two interested people. They already know about
themselves. So, it’s about YOU. They want to meet
YOU. They want to get to know YOU. Just be yourself,
be interesting, polite, and show your interest in
them. If it is meant to be (hey, remember, you might
not like them. Did you ever think about that?), you
will be invited to a second interview or will be
offered the position after the first meeting. Good
luck!