Interviewing? Don't Hide Your Point of View

In a sea of navy blue suits, have a POV.

We’ve been told to wear a simple outfit, a navy blue suit to an interivew. Don’t wear too much jewelry (remove one thing). Don’t talk too much. Be neutral. Fit in. Make small talk about weather.

What? This is considered good interviewing advice?

Ummm…. only if you want to be invisible. And forgetable.

No, in 2024, this is not good advice. Not at all.

You can show some personal style, or swagger, in an interview, if that is really who you are.

You cannot hide coolness. You cannot hide that you have a high IQ. You cannot hide that you have a personality. If you laugh, laugh like you mean it. If you smile, smile like you do every day. If you are a thinker or cautious, be that.

My advice to my friends and careerguide.ai clients is this: Be Yourself.

Maybe don’t swear. And don’t talk about politics… but that’s it.

Be Yourself.

It’s easy. It’s easier than trying to be someone you are not.

Now this is not to say that you should treat the interview like you would someone you have been friends with for 20 years, like you would treat someone you know from the bar or school.

What I am saying is, be authentic. And have a point of view.

And if you are witty (funny), be funny in the interview. If you are quiet or shy, be that in the interview the best way you know how.

If the interviewer asks you questions about software you prefer or company branding he/she wants your opinion on, say it. Tell the truth. Say what you think. The company and interviewer is hiring you for your experience and what you know, and what you think. Maybe they are looking for an independent thinker. Maybe they are looking for someone who has some work bumps and bruises and is wiser.

“Does this company need to update its logo?” — No, usually never. The logo is never the problem. That’s my usual answer.

A question about AI replacing phone centers? Answer what you know and think.

A question about work from home vs in-office, tell the person what you think.

A question about the type of manager you like, say it (hands-off please, no micro-managers).

Talk about the weather? Only if you like weather.

If you have opinions and a point of view, and the interview questioner asks you, say it. Answer it honestly. If someone asks me if I think a company with 20 people needs Salesforce software, I tell them no. If someone asks me if a company needs a full-time SEO expert, I say you cannot hire and keep them for long so you need to outsource.

If someone asks me if I like creating and editing Powerpoint presentations, I say no. I say I try to outsource it if I can. (I say I like a memo or a Prezi.)

If someone presses me further, I say that too many executives spend way too much time on Powerpoint when it could easily be given to an admin person or outsourced. (Even the Goldman Sachs investment department has a whole department dedicated to IPO Road Show Powerpoints and other Powerpoint presentations 24 hours a day!)

The fact that most companies today do not have any junior staff nor admin folks nor secretaries still baffles me! (my POV like it or not) We need them still!

If you have more than 10 years of work experience, I would hope that you have a Point of View on lots of things. If you are neutral on topics, and a blank slate, what have you been doing and learning all these years?

A point of view should reflect your intellect, experience and learning. It should reflect YOU. And not some neutral answer that a career advice book told you to say.

Maybe there are some topics that don’t belong in an interview such as politics or religion or children or marriage status. But a work or life experience point of view that you own ALWAYS belongs in an interview.

In a sea of blue suits and neutral lipstick, have a point of view.

Something I learned a long time ago, and the one same thing I learned again just recently, is that people don’t do something just once. They repeat. This goes for bad behavior and for good.

So repeat who you are. Repeat your point of view. Repeat your behaviors.

Be the one with the Point of View.

Own it.

It may be the only thing the interviewer remembers about you and that gets you to the next stage.

-Cathy