I recently told a story about my experience as an interviewee. Now let me share one as a hiring manager.
I was once part of a team that had settled in on two finalists for an important position. They both had excellent credentials, and interviewed well. But we had interviewed both of them, we weren’t sure which to hire. So we brought them back in to have a few other people talk to them. We had another conversation. We still liked them, but over the course of evaluating them over a month, we weren’t enamored anymore. Neither of them got the job. We looked for another two months, and decided to hire someone internally.
The takeaway? Both candidates were content to leave us to our deliberation. Both sent polite thank you notes, but neither grabbed the bull by the horns and took the opportunity while we were evaluating to demonstrate why THEY were right for the job.
What does this mean for a job seeker? It means that confidence is critical. Yes, you need to have relevant experience, and to spend the time polishing your resume, networking, and preparing for interviews. But equally important is how you carry yourself. If you want the job, then be prepared to get it. If you can see yourself in the position, then the person doing the hiring may see you in it as well.
Confidence is the intangible edge that successful job seekers have.