I Have a Job Interview. How Do I Land this Job I Want?

There is no question in the professional world that attitude is a huge part of everything that you do and everything that you will accomplish. Companies and employers seek mentally sound, healthy, optimistic, and passion-orientated individuals for employment. Perhaps you don't believe you are cut out for this type of work. If you don't, you should definitely start working on improving your attitude.

Your attitude and overall interest in the position are the things that will get you hired, don't forget that. Also, the amount of effort you put into pursuing the job opportunity and excelling in the interview also has a lot to do with you getting the job. Ideally, the job you are applying for will be well worth the effort you put into getting it. If not, there's always the next opportunity, and you will be far more experienced and more prepared for the next interview, so there is always a benefit from putting effort into something; you always get something back from it.

Your attitude and effort in the job interviewing process is capable of swooning employers far more than fancy schools, or other job experience a different candidate may have had. If you outmatch all of your competition in both the effort in preparing for the interview and the winning attitude, you will almost most certainly be hired in favor of other, less enthusiastic candidates.

When employers are looking for the ideal candidate for a position, there are two main purposes to the interview:

1. Ensure that your abilities, skills, and your attitude are all a good fit for the job.

2. To see how comfortable they are with you and measure compatibility. In other words, your personality.

Generally, most people who earn the interview have the abilities and skills, so the deciding factors are your attitude and your personality.

Most experienced employers have had a lot of bad experiences with at least a few people they have hired. Perhaps their technical skills and abilities were up to par, but their ability to get along with people ended up getting them fired.

Interested in learning more? Why not take an online Interview Skills course?

Your job search is the first opportunity you have to set the standard of your career. If you want a fulfilling, exciting career, you'll have to start it out on the right foot. Searching for work with the right attitude is critical. If you are looking for a job simply because "you have nothing better to do," then you will fizzle out in the interview. If you do manage to make it past the interview with no passion, no spark, and a lousy attitude, congratulations. Now you have years of bitter employment ahead of you.

Some people need guidance when it comes to improving their attitude. Most people do, at some point in their lives. It's perfectly all right; but it has to be something you truly want. If you have doubts about yourself or your job search, it may be time to look into yourself and find out what's holding you back. If you feel you are ready to begin your job search today, then read on and find out a few ways you can help yourself improve your attitude about job searching.

· Recall and mentally describe a time in the past where you felt you were at your peak performance, and giving little to no effort for maximum productivity.

· Identify the factors associated with this time. Remember what you were doing, what you were feeling, and the qualities you possessed.

· Feel the same emotions that you felt while entering that state. Keep bringing that feeling to the front of your mind until you feel the way you did when you were working.

· Imagine--imagine yourself showing up at your next interview with this positive glow. You feel confident, productive, and you are the best you that you ever have been. How could a potential employer turn this down? · Find the right "mixture" in your job search. Keep your search challenging, yet not so hard that you get discouraged. You need a good balance between what you already know and new experiences.

Attitude has and always will be more important than cold, hard facts.

It is more important than your past, your education, your money, your personal circumstances, your personal failures, and what other people think or say or do. It is more important than talent, skill, and any gifts people may be perceived to have – just remember that during your job search and your interview!

Kicking up Your Job Search by Kicking up Your Attitude

Do you ever find yourself becoming discouraged or unenthused with your job search, despite telling your family and friends that you are fully committed and optimistic? Does it feel like you have been tirelessly searching for the right job, but not getting the results you expected? Are you feeling burned out and low on steam from your unrelenting, yet unprofitable job hunting?

There may be a fluke. Maybe your attitude is holding you back from something better; perhaps you are working hard, but not quite working smart.

New opportunities are opening up every day, and your job is to take advantage of those opportunities that apply to you. But, the job market is a tough place to be sometimes. It's a lot different than it was 10 or 15 years ago. If you are becoming discouraged with your job search, keep in mind that in your working life of 40-50 years, it is only a small portion of a bigger idea. Keep yourself in perspective and know that this will soon pass, if you desire it. Don't tear yourself up about finding a job! There are a lot of people out of work who find jobs and then they are completely fine, resulting in them knowing that they could have been a lot easier on themselves during their job search, and still gotten the same results with less stress, less worry, and generally in a lot better spirits. It is up to only you how you handle the bumps in the road; the minor conflicts that will try to hold you back from what you really want.

Don't let the fact that your brother, neighbor, friend, or a random stranger hasn't found a job in ____ amount of time discourage you. You don't know their situation, nor should you try to know their situation. The only situation in this case that matters is yours, and you are the only one who can change your own situation. Remember that throughout your job search, and ask yourself what you are doing to change your situation. Are you really trying, or just going through the motions?

As I have mentioned before, a great attitude is crucial in today's tough world. You either have a good attitude, or you have a lousy attitude, but either way you can help yourself out.

If you feel you need some assistance in adjusting your attitude, feel free to read on and follow the advice given.

Remember, you're responsible for you own attitude!

As with pretty much anything, you are the one responsible for your attitude. This is not a burden, however, it is a relief. Isn't it comforting to know that you can control your attitude, instead of your environment controlling your attitude? If you have a bad attitude, you can change it if you want to. But don't try to fool yourself; it is impossible to change if you don't want to. Everything you've accomplished or done in your life has probably started with what it is that you want. All the jobs you've gotten in the past, the promotions, and the successes that started with you.

Let go of past mistakes.

This step is often more difficult than it first appears. In order to move forward with the most possible momentum, you must first let go of all those past would haves, should haves, and could haves. Thinking extensively about your past mistakes and beating yourself up over them has little to no effect, in fact, it has a prominent negative effect. It kills your attitude and holds you back, so better to learn from past mistakes, and then move forward. Focus on self-improvement

There was surely a time in your life, your employment history, where you felt a break would be the perfect thing for you. Use your time off to recharge yourself mentally, to turn your life in a whole new direction. Don't quit your job search, by all means if you wish to continue. However, since you have free time, you should take advantage of it. Spend time with your friends, your family, pray, meditate, work out, spend time doing something you love, pursue a passion, focus on a side project, make plans, make goals, plan to live out your dreams. This will launch you into a positive state-of-mind and kick-start your job search.

Remember, if you got to the interview, the interviewee already believes you are capable of doing the job. They have taken a look at your resume, they have evaluated your experience, and now all they need to know is if you have a good attitude, or a lousy attitude. If you are a good fit for the company (i.e., you have a great attitude at the interview), then you will probably win out over any candidates with a worse attitude. Remember that.