Page 167 - James Caan - Get the Job you Really Want
P. 167
that you always wanted the job, but that you now want it even
more after meeting and talking to the interviewer. Be pleasant,
but not overfriendly – you’re not trying to be best mates after
one meeting.
overcoming nerves
To make the interview process pleasurable for both sides, the
secret lies in creating a sense of relaxation, and establishing that
rather mystical, indefinable quality: rapport. This should arise
naturally from the knowledge you have acquired in advance,
and the confidence that knowledge automatically gives you. But
the pressure of the interview situation can still lead to nerves,
which will obscure all the good work you have put in.
Since appearing on Dragons’ Den, I have noticed – and I find
this quite astonishing – that ninety per cent of the people who
come and see me now are incredibly nervous and uncomfort-
able, simply because they perceive me as a TV celebrity. They
have seen me on TV, read about me in the newspapers. These
are people who are successful in their own right – and yet, when
they walk into my o≤ce, to some degree they are shaking.
And because I am an experienced interviewer, I can spot
those nerves a mile away.
In that situation I will ask the interviewee, ‘Are you feeling
nervous?’
At this point most people will say, ‘Actually, you know, I am a
bit nervous.’
155 pleasure