Bigging yourself up is not lying  - Blair McPherson

You definitely shouldn’t lie in a job interview but you want to show yourself in the best possible light. You shouldn’t claim credit for the work of others, exaggerate your contribution to a successful project or say you have experience and skills you don’t  have. But you should blow your own trumpet, make the most of what you’ve got.  A job interview is not the occasion to be modest or self effacing about your skills, knowledge ,experience and achievements.

If you have a gap in your employment history don’t try and hid it. If you took a year off to travel talk about how that increased  your self confidence, gave you the ability to bounce back and adapt when things didn’t go to plan, help you understand there was more than one way of doing things and looking at the world. “ Experience “  is not restricted to what you have done at work but also what you have done and do outside of work. 

A favourite interview question is to ask the candidate to identify their weaknesses. It is not a trick question but is designed to establish if you have insight into your own behaviour and how it affects others. Remember the interview panel may have already read your references so they know what your previous managers have said about you! Your answer should address this by saying what you are doing to work on your weaknesses. For example your manager may feel you let your enthusiasm lead you into over committing your self. In view of this you are aware you need to manage your work load and improve your ability to prioritise. An other example might be that your previous manager highlighted that whilst you were a team player you did need to recognise that a convoy can only go as fast as the slowest ship. You recognise this is not so much about slowing down as helping other team members with their workload. 

Another popular interview question is to ask you the reason for leaving your last post especially if you were there for less than 18 months. The most common reason for changing jobs after a short period in post is conflict with your line manager. Do not fall into the trap of criticising your previous line manager or the organisation you worked for. Negativity does not come over well in interview and the panel will be wondering if in a year’s time you will be rubbishing them and their organisation. Instead stress your interest in parts of the job on offer that weren’t available to you in your previous job. Wanting a new challenge and going somewhere you feel you could have a bigger impact are good reasons for moving on.

If however you were made redundant and you are taking a sideways move because you’re unemployed and need a job then you need to demonstrate enthusiasm for the post you are applying for even if it is not your dream job.  If the post is in a different area of work then you need to demonstrate you have transferable skills such as manageing people and budgets an essential part of the post you have applied for. 

Presenting yourself in the best possible light during a job interview is not the same as lying it’s what interviewers expect and what candidates should do. 

Blair Mcpherson former director author and blogger www.blairmcpherson.co.uk