Interviewing Tip #1: Think of it as an audition

"Every time you have to speak, you are auditioning for leadership.” ~ James C. Humes

In High School it seemed like I was auditioning constantly. If you have ever auditioned or tried out for anything, you know how nerve-wracking and ego-straining it is. It feels like a test, not only of your skills and talents, but of your very self worth. When I tried out for a part the high school play and was told I’d be much more useful in the orchestra pit, I felt like I could never look the drama teacher (who was also my English teacher) in the eye again. Interviewing for a job feels like that too, doesn’t it? If you don’t get the job, then you just must be completely worthless, you’ll never do anything right again, and the employer must think of you as something lower than pond scum. But, really, you know that’s not the case. If you think about interviewing as auditioning, it can help put the experience in perspective.

There are two reasons why interviewing is like auditioning:
1. It is an indication of future performance.
2. It is a test of where you fit at this time. It isn’t a personal value-judgment.

Because I know you are just dying for me to expound:

1. Future performance: Just like your singing audition will tell the director if you can project confidently into a crowded theater, the way you conduct yourself in an interview—what you say, how you look, how you make the interviewer feel—are all indications of how you will someday represent them. Whether it is a test of how you treat their clients, how you articulate your thoughts in court, or how you handle difficult questions with the press, your interview can give a glimpse of your future self. Even how you deal with your own weaknesses, like a grade or a lack of experience, can be an example of how you make case when all the facts aren’t as strong as they could be. You’re your first client, after all. An interview is your opportunity to show how you make your case for being hired!

2. Fit : You may think you were born to play Batman, but you might make a brilliant Robin instead! You may be a wonderfully smart person, but the interviewer knows that your personality is wrong for the job. If you keep in touch with the interviewer, despite not getting the job, her feedback may be instrumental in your career search and may steer you in a direction that will ultimately make you happier.

Timing: You’re a great tap-dancer, but there’s only one female part in “Singin’ in the Rain.” If you hang around, you may find that the understudy becomes the star! In an interview, you may fit in every way, but you may be the 5th stellar candidate for 4 positions. The employer would be delighted if you kept in touch with them because it’s hard to find great candidates. If you can get over your initial disappointment and find a way to keep in touch, I’m sure they wish they could have hired you, and would welcome another chance if they get one.

So here’s the takeaway. When you’re preparing for an interview, think of what the questions are for, and you will make a great impression. Whatever happens, if you view the interview at the very least as a way to make another career-related contact and possible mentor, you will always get something out of it. And if you remember that getting the job has nothing to do with how good a person you are, then you’re in great shape for the job search!

It’s hard to keep this in mind when you’re in the middle of it, but I guarantee you will look back on interviews and know that most of them turn out the way they should. Looking back, at my own aspirations for a theatrical "career," of course I realize now that I would have made a terrible Adelaide in Guys and Dolls, and when the sax player got mono, it was a good thing I was in the pit, ready to play the “Luck Be a Lady” solo!