Learning to be yourself to pursue opportunities

Pursuing Opportunities That Are Right For Us

When it comes to job applications, I’ve often been quite good at getting interviews but not so good at turning those into job offers. Perhaps you feel the same?

A few years ago I saw a job advertised that I, and everyone else, thought was perfect for me. I did two things that I hadn’t done before.

Firstly, on a friend’s recommendation, I had a couple of sessions with an interview coach (yes, there are such things!) to prepare and think through the job requirements and possible questions. Secondly, when it came to the interview, instead of doing what I usually do and trying to second guess what I thought the interviewers wanted to hear, I answered absolutely from the heart…

The coaching boosted my confidence, and I think that helped me to be up front about who I was and what I had to offer. And yes, I got the job, and absolutely loved it.

More recently, I applied for another job, that I wasn’t entirely sure about. This time, my application was fairly brutally honest about what I could offer, but didn’t try to gloss over where I didn’t match their requirements. I didn’t get an interview, but that was OK – it just meant it wasn’t right for me.

Being confident about who we are is an acquired skill, but being comfortable in our own skin helps us to pursue the opportunities that are right for us and worry less about the ones that aren’t – and coaching can help with that.

If you’d like to know more, do get in touch.