Going to a job interview is an agonizing step, we can all agree on this point. By wanting at all costs to make a good impression on the potential future employer, it can happen that this creates the opposite effect and that the interview turns into a total fiasco. Luckily, there are a few tried-and-true tricks to appearing believable, like maintaining eye contact or choosing the right color of clothing (yes, yes!), but it seems that adopting a particular behavior pays off in the majority of cases. case:be frank. Researchers at University College London have indeed shown that revealing one's weak points without any embarrassment could paradoxically lead to a successful interview, because it makes it possible to stand out from other candidates. They conducted two very telling studies, one of 1,240 teachers from around the world who wanted to teach in the United States and the other of 333 lawyers who wanted to get a job in the American army. In the first case, honest professors had a 22% greater chance of being taken for the job, and lawyers who were honest saw their chances of success multiply by 5 (17% instead of 3%), as reported by the Telegraph .
How is the phenomenon explained? Scientists call this the concept of “self-verification,” which refers to a person's willingness to be seen by others in the same way that they see themselves. The research discussed above indicates that employers are impressed by candidates who give a description of themselves that includes flaws because it proves that they are clear-headed. Conversely, individuals who attempt to render a perfect image are rather perceived as “inauthentic” and “too good to be true”. And the choice of vocabulary should not be overlooked:verbs that belong to the lexical field of perception are excellent assets, like "think", "feel", "feel", because they indicate that the candidate knows himself well and is therefore better able to meet the requirements of the new position. Other terms like "see", "consider" and "perceive" suggest that we are aware of our weak points and that we are not trying to hide any of them. A small clarification, however:the honest attitude in question works in the case of qualified people for a position, those who are unqualified should not be so direct. Dr. Celia Moore who conducted the study concludes:“In the case of an interview, we always try to send back a perfect image. Our research proves that this is a bad idea. Employers believe that an impeccable description is potentially misleading. If you're a qualified candidate, just be yourself […] honest and genuine, and you'll have a better chance of getting the job .
This is a very useful piece of advice… To keep in mind and to share as much as possible!
