My daughter is auditioning this week for a show choir at her school, and she was rehearsing both the dance and the song portion over the weekend at home. As my wife and I provided tips and helpful feedback, there were moments I thought to myself I could have been in a conversation with a candidate, prepping for a job interview. Here is why:
1) It only matters what you are doing, not who you are up against. My daughter is really good at math (fortunately or unfortunately) and she knows exactly what her chances are mathematically to make the show choir. But if she focuses only on that, it will likely impact her performance. While it may seem contrite to tell her (or a candidate) to "just do your best", that is exactly what I would expect. Put out the best version of yourself and the results will be what they will be. Regardless of the result, you will know you went in prepared, did your absolute best, and will be chosen on that merit alone at the end of the day. If it goes down any other way, the system was rigged.
2) Be nervous. I would be more worried if my daughter was NOT nervous ahead of the audition. That would mean she either doesn't really care or is over-confident and won't try her best. If on any level she thinks 80% effort is good enough, there is a good chance it won't be. Same thing goes for an interview. Frankly I think sometimes candidates go into an interview with the attitude of "Well, we will just see how things go." That completely undermines the ability to impact the process in your favor. Why anyone would just go through the motions in an interview is beyond me. To what end would you want to do that? My favorite candidate is the nervous one because that confirms to me that they are fully engaged.
3) Pay attention to the small details. We told our daughter to greet the judges immediately upon entering the room. Shake their hand, acknowledge their efforts, thank them for their time, leave with a smile on your face - the list could go on and on. Sure, they will be watching her audition. But I guarantee they will also be watching how she conducts herself in every setting. Same goes for an interview. From the moment you park your car or walk in the building, you should be acting on the premise that the interview has begun. You never know what tiny detail is going to be the tipping point for making the first or final impression. Leave nothing to fate.
4) Have fun. If you look like you don't want to be there, it will be assumed that is the case. People naturally want to be around other people that are happy. You can certainly go overboard on this one, but if you strike a good balance it pays off every single time.
5) Be ready to say yes. While it would be exciting to be accepted in the show choir, we have tried to communicate to our daughter that is when the real work begins. Practices, rehearsals, time at home, and much more will come with the territory. Be sure you are ready to commit to that, knowing that is what is required to put a good product on the stage. Same with an interview - be ready to accept an offer if it comes. No one should need practice interviewing. If you are doing so, it must be for a good reason. Go into that interview knowing you might get the job and what that means. Otherwise you are wasting everyone's time.
The only thing left to say if you are preparing for an interview is "Go and break a leg!"
No comments:
Post a Comment