In this post I’ll talk about why being too professional can actually hurt your chances at the job you want.
 
 

 
 

So stay tuned….
 

DON’T LOVE READING? Watch video here:

If you do love reading, let’s get back to it…

The biggest mistake most people make is thinking that they have to be super professional in interviews and I get why you might think this, it makes sense and it’s what we are told.
 

But continuing to believe this could be a mistake, if this were 100% then everyone who was professional would get hired right away, but that doesn’t happen.
 

So what do you need to do if being professional is not the be all and end all?
 

Well First let’s look at what being professional means.
 

Point #1 – What does Being professional even mean?

So when you’re going in for a job interview it seems that you’d want to be super professional right? Well what does professional really mean anyways?
 

The definition of professional actually is:
 

(Of a person) engaged in a specified activity as one’s main paid occupation rather than as a pastime.
 

Basically it just means that you are someone who gets paid for something, or in the case of an interview it’s a meeting with a person who wants to get paid for something.
 

In reality the definition of “professionalism” isn’t that you are wearing a nice outfit, or that you’ve got your hair done nicely, or that you use big words when you talk (I mean if that’s you, go ahead and do those things) but just be clear that it has nothing to do with “being professional.”
 
 
 

Point #2 – Being too professional makes a person more difficult to connect with.

Someone who is too polished and too “professional” can come across as very rigid and difficult to connect with. That’s not always going to be ideal for an interviewer and so you want to be yourself and let them see someone with a personality.
 

Because if everyone comes in thinking they need to be “professional” or act in a specific, ridgid way, then everyone is going to be the same and that’s your opportunity to stand apart.
 

So continuing to believe that you need to be Super professional could cost you the job, because if the interviewers feel they can’t connect with you on a human level then as human beings we feel disconnected and like something could be wrong.
 

Dress well, be comfortable, but be yourself and make sure you’re being yourself, because remember, if they like you great, if they don’t like you that’s equally great.
 
 

 
 

So, if you’d like to dive deeper with me…

If you want some help coming up with your own impressive story answers for interview questions…

If you have ever blanked when asked one of these questions…

I’ve got you covered in my famous downloadable guide.

All you have to do is click on the image below to get it.

What you’ll get inside the guide:

• Top-ten examples of stories that have proven to be impressive interview answers

 

• The S.A.R.I. formula breakdown of how to answer these questions

 

• The step-by-step of why it works

 

• Fill-in-the-blank templates for each question so, you’ll be able to fill in the blanks and get going!

 

• Now you’ll need to come up with your own stories! (You can steal the ones in the guide if they apply to you though too, I don’t mind)

 

If you are still getting stuck because you can’t think of your own stories…

I’ve included 25 questions that you can ask yourself to come up with your stories much quicker!

You’ll get all this in a beautifully designed workbook prepared specifically for you to prepare for your interviews.

By the end of working through this guide, you’ll be feeling confident and ready for any situational interview that comes your way!

Here is some feedback I’ve gotten from this guide, and I get new emails like this every day, and they NEVER get old!

Do you know one person who could benefit from the information in this post? If so, do your friend a favour and share this info with him/her.

And remember, the current system isn’t perfect, but you can outsmart it. I’m here to prove to you that you do have what it takes.

I’ll see you next time and I can’t wait!

In Work & Life

I’ve got your back

-Natalie