How many times have you gone on an interview, felt things were going well only to never hear from the company again? Maybe you met the entire letter “C” hiring committee - CEO, CFO, CIO, CSO, CMO (you get the point) and thought the connection / spark was there. Three days later you get a call from someone who was not involved in the actual interview, HR or a recruiter, who wants to give you interview feedback. The only problem is this feedback rarely adds meaning or provides insight as to what really happened and does nothing to repair your bruised ego.

Well I’m here to tell you that interviews can often feel like you’re in an episode of Punk’d or Hidden Camera. You need to take a different approach to your interviews and realize feedback does not really matter. Every interview needs to be viewed as an opportunity grow. This way it won’t matter if you get the job or not.

It’s time to PEG LEG

Practice
Evolve
Get Comfortable
Learn
Expertise
Graduate

P - You should view each interview as an opportunity to practice and hone your skills. Maybe you can work on maintaining good eye contact or learn how to stop that annoying habit you have of tapping your pen during the interview. Use the interview as a chance to practice whatever it is you need work on.

E - Become flexible and adapt to each interview situation. You must be able to evolve and change like a chameleon to each circumstance. You need to connect with the person that is interviewing you (college, kids, likes/dislikes, cars, clothes, sports) whatever it is, learn how to mold your background and paint yourself in a more favorable color.

G - Get comfortable with the fact that the person you are talking to will have a say in whether or not you get the job. It doesn’t matter if you feel you are more qualified. It doesn’t matter if you don’t like his/her cologne/perfume. The only thing that matters is this person, at this point in time, has more pull than you do. Embrace this fact and move on.

L - Learn from the experience. You must always have a take away. I’m not referring to the feedback they may or may not give you. I’m talking about the situation. Maybe you have a hard time speaking in front of a panel interview and now know that’s an area to improve on. You may get sweaty palms or stutter when trying to get your thoughts together.

E - Once you are done, realize the interview for what it is, an opportunity to grow as an individual and to increase your interviewing expertise. At this point you have developed other skills and areas when it comes to interacting with people. Embrace them and accept the fact that you are becoming an expert in the fine art of interviewing.

G - Now that you have achieved this heightened sense of interviewing understanding, you have graduated to a new level. Approach each interview with the understanding that is just another opportunity to enhance your skills as a person. This is just another part of the hiring process like your resume. In fact, often times companies will go through the interview process because it’s just something they have to do. (Even though they may have already identified the person they will extend an offer to.)

As tough as this may sound, it’s not always about what you say, what you do or how you come across. Sometimes the deck is stacked against you no matter what happens. That’s why it’s so important you approach this process with the understanding I’ve laid out here. Don’t let the interview get you down, just stand up tall on that PEG LEG.