Page 125 - James Caan - Get the Job you Really Want

interviewers. So, when I say you need to give the performance
of your life, I mean in the context of giving a job interview, and
getting the job.
The interview represents a completely di≠erent phase of the
job process, for both sides. The interview takes us back to basics

again. As an interviewer, I have already whittled the applicants
down, and in my mind there is a certain hierarchy based on the
information I have picked up from the C Vs. But more often than

not experience tells me the candidate who on paper looks as if
they are going to be really good generally is not. There is only so
much you can pick up from a piece of paper, or even a video clip.
You can take confidence from this thought: there may be
people who are a hundred times better qualified than you –

with better experience, better grades – who tick every box. But
if they walk through the door and are as dull as dishwater, they
are not going to get the job. You can be average, even mediocre,

in content and experience – you could almost have no experi-
ence – but still convince the interviewer and get the job. It’s
about how you present yourself, about your communication
skills. If I listed the things that stood out about every person
I have ever hired, personality and the ability to communicate

would rank the highest.
It starts as soon as you walk into the interview. Be aware
of your body language. If you walk in and you are slouching,

or your hands are sweating – that’s not great. When you shake
my hand, if it’s a weak and woolly grip, before you’ve even
opened your mouth I have formed an opinion. We have made
contact, and that contact is more important than you think.

113 performance