Page 115 - James Caan - Get the Job you Really Want

Fitting in

Another message you have to consider is whether you are
suggesting to the interviewer that you are somebody who
prefers to work on their own or someone who works well in

a team environment. Anyone sitting in the interviewing chair
is unconsciously trying to work out, ‘Will this person fit in?’
The question for you is, ‘How can you demonstrate that you

will fit into the company?’

That is something you may have to convey yourself, because
it is a question that does not always come up in an interview.
Put yourself in the other person’s position. In their head he or
she will be asking themselves, ‘When I put this person into this

department, will they fit in?’ But they may never articulate that
to you. So, your job is to work towards a specific objective in
that interview, to deal with the following points:

■ Have I done my research?
■ Do I know enough about this company?
■ Can I demonstrate my ability to do my work?
■ Do I look the part?

■ What have I done that demonstrates I am competent
for the job?

There is an art to conveying that you are a person who can fit
in. Over the past few years I have been interviewed many times
by journalists, and I consistently use exactly the same tech-
niques. I have learned that whenever the press are doing any

103 presentation