Separate Competence from Confidence when Interviewing.

and same when you are the interviewer.

Interviewing well requires holding three solid beliefs:

1- belief in your skills
2- belief in your capacity to deliver on those skills
3- belief the job market wants you.

A chair, a stool, or a table needs a minimum of 3 legs to withhold any weight.

Take one out, and you'll be sitting on the floor.

Competence covers #1 & #2, the beliefs in your skills and capacity to deliver.

Confidence is #3, believing that you are wanted.
That can be the challenging part of interviewing.
Because unlike competence which asks you to talk about what you do, confidence requires you to speak about who you are.

I can talk recruiting and coaching for 15 straight hours.
Ask me about myself, and I'll share. I'll start squirming after 5 mn.
And that's because I've trained myself to last that long :)

Ze Ulitimate Interviewing Question is, " Tell me about yourself."
The difficulty is that it doesn't separate skills and confidence.

And if you are feeling low because of burnout, lost faith in your industry, or any work-related issue, you might not talk with assurance about your skills, and the interviewer will pick it up.

But think about it; it's not because a doctor has a cold that he loses his capacity to diagnose.

Interviewing is the art of being able to talk about your skills and your capacity to deliver with the belief you are needed.

Confidence, like all muscles, can be trained. 
Strengthening the belief the world needs you independently of external factors.
Like you've been invited, you are in demand, and your skills are needed by a company.

Knowing that whether it takes a week or 3 months, or despite the lack of reply from applications or that a specific recruiter, it's happening.

Djokovic practices tennis his backhand every day.
And I am pretty sure he also works on his mindset.

Interviewing is part technical: 
Knowing your skills and how to share them clearly and concisely so others can quickly understand what you do.

And part mindset by practicing beliefs that serve you so your confidence shines.

Actually, it works both ways, when you are the interviewer, separate both so you don't get swayed by candidates with lots of confidence.

Stay tuned for June 26; I'll teach a masterclass on sharing your achievements - a minimum requirement for any interviews.

Enjoy the weekend.
Agathe

PS: I love your responses. Please keep them coming :)