Forget the “ideal candidate”: show interviewers who you really are

Something unexpected is happening in the labour market. A new wave of highly educated young people are shaping their own destinies. For example, data from Kerb, the street food collective behind some of London’s best-known food markets, suggests almost one in four founders has a postgraduate degree. These young people are crafting careers where they can grow their skills, exercise autonomy and be themselves.

Research by Dan Cable and colleagues suggests that this mindset also pays off when it comes to securing roles inside organisations. They found that among the job candidates rated in the top 10% by the organisations that were doing the hiring, those who presented themselves authentically, by letting interviewers see who they really were, were more likely to be hired. In one study of applications from lawyers seeking jobs in the US military, well-qualified candidates who spoke authentically about themselves during the interview were three times more likely to receive a job offer than those who did not.

Authentic self-presentation acts as a multiplier, helping strong candidates to stand out. But being oneself when job hunting can be challenging. In a world driven by social media we are bombarded with image “ideals” and these influences can erode our willingness to be authentic. Often, being authentic – that is, sincere and true to ourselves – means stepping outside of the idealised image that we might think will land us the job.

Herminia Ibarra talks about the authenticity paradox. When the job market is particularly squeezed, there may be a danger that some job applicants “sell out” by trying to present themselves as the ideal candidate, doing all they can to look good to recruiters and compromising what it means to be true to themselves. But your self may be flexible rather than fixed. Ibarra argues that acting with authenticity is not about holding on to a rigid sense of who you are but instead being open to experimenting with new versions of yourself along the way. She suggests using experiences such as feedback from job interviews to figure out what people see and appreciate in you, and to explore who you might become.

We would argue that what tethers us and keeps us anchored as our sense of self evolves during the course of our careers is our core values. By that we mean knowing the things that matter and bring meaning to your life. Kristen Neff talks about core values as the deeply held ideals that help to give our lives meaning. Our goals can change during the course of our careers, but our core values tend to remain and can guide us long after we have achieved them.

So, when considering your next career move, ask yourself what matters most to you. By clarifying your core values, you can identify what you care about and that can act as a compass for the decisions you take on the road ahead. Rather than assuming it is salary, job title or employer prestige, take time to ask yourself: What kind of work feels meaningful to me? What environments help me to thrive? What impact do I want to have?

You might reflect on moments in your career so far when you felt most energised, proud or fulfilled, as well as moments when you felt something was misaligned or draining. Noticing patterns in these experiences can help to point you towards your values, such as fairness, autonomy, creativity, or excellence. Once you can name these values, they can become a practical filter: helping you to assess opportunities, ask better interview questions, and make more intentional choices that are aligned with the life and the career you want to build.

So reclaiming your authenticity is about living in accordance with your values and knowing the things that bring meaning to your life. Ironically, the vulnerability that it takes to be authentic is both noticeable and attractive to other people (as long as you are qualified for the job, of course). In a job interview, bring all of this with you as a differentiator. Particularly as you progress to the second interview, distinguish yourself from others by being open in how you talk about yourself.

Talk about what genuinely motivates you.To learn more about you personal “why” and what matters most to you, you might engage in a purpose laddering exercise where you think of activities you perform in your job and in your life and ask “why” you do them four times. For example, if you complete performance evaluations and you ask “Why do I do them?”, you might at first think, “Because I have to.” But if you look deeper, you might say you do them “to give people feedback.” Then you ask the question, “Why do I care if people get feedback?” and you have to answer that question.

Maybe it’s to help them get better. So you ask “why?” a third time: “Why do I care if people get better?” and answer that question. Eventually, you get to a point where you learn about the fundamental purpose of the activity to you, and why it might matter to you to complete performance evaluations. You can do this across the activities in your work and in your life.

Share stories from your life that candidly illustrate your strengths. If, in an interview, you feel you are not able to be true to yourself in terms of what matters, then that organisation is probably not the right place for you.

In the end, most successful careers are built not by landing a perfect first role, but instead by accumulating experiences, learning from successes and failures – and being yourself along the way.

If you land a job that is not perfect for you, over time you might be able to personalise it and really make it your own. Sometimes called job crafting, the idea is to shape and redefine your job so that it feels energising to you.

You also can personalise your work by bringing in a new task that plays to your strengths or is exciting to you — no matter how large or small. Finally, you can find ways to interact more with colleagues who inspire you rather the ones who try to squash you and what is best about you.