I was struck by a phrase in a posting about a job as follows:
“Cultural fit will be very important…looking for an all-around athlete that is easy to get along with”
This is a point that many candidates overlook – they are so worried about ’selling themselves’ that they forget to take a really close look at the opportunity, and particularly the culture, to see if it’s a fit to what THEY want.
This is a recipe for disaster. I can cite 2 specific examples:
1. Many years ago, someone I know was very distracted by family issues that were leading him to make a transition to be nearer family. He accepted a job, only to realize immediately upon arriving that he really didn’t want that specific job. He turned in his resignation after only a few weeks. (The good news for me was that I ended up landing the job immediately after, and it was my Dream Job!)
2. Not too far back, someone I knew was in a panic about landing a job, found a job title that sounded good and sold himself for it through a networking contact. He neglected to dig into the specifics of how the job was done, landed it, and then called me his 2nd day on the job to tell me how miserable he was. He quit within a week. (The good news is that shortly thereafter he landed a totally different job that suited his talents and style very well, and has had great success with it.)
On the other hand, operating from a psychology where you have the confidence to project that you are there to evaluate them as much as for them to evaluate you is a powerful position that produces a much stronger result for you in the interview.