You hardly slept the night before and arrived to the meeting 25 minutes early. You were wearing your favorite outfit and were fully prepared to put your best foot forward. No, I’m not talking about your first date, but rather that job interview that landed you your gig.
Think about how you were fully present, asked thoughtful questions, and did everything you could to shine. Realizing the importance of the meeting, you went above and beyond to demonstrate your value and position yourself as a linchpin.
The problem for many of us is that we significantly reduce our efforts one the job is ours. Yet if you really think about it, you’re always interviewing. The way you perform in a meeting will establish how colleagues view you. If you under-deliver for a client, your reputation for mediocrity spreads. When you mail it in thinking no one will notice, frankly, everyone notices.
On the other hand, each touch point with others is an interview opportunity. Those who regularly demonstrate the same professionalism, intensity, curiosity, and focus they exhibited during their interview are the ones that achieve greatly. While daily interactions lack the formality of a job interview, isn’t our responsibility to perform just the same?
When a musician, actor, or dancer auditions, he or she is committed to showcasing their best work. After the audition, the ones that continue to view every performance a new audition for future possibilities are the ones that make history, while the ones that get caught in the daily grind are the ones whose careers eventually get ground up and spit out.
Whatever your craft may be – from delivering keynote speeches to selling insurance – each time you take the proverbial stage should be a treasured moment to perform at your best. Even if you have that particular situation in the bag, think of it as an interview to win the next one. To reinforce your passion and focus, so that your value is undeniable. While we can’t prepare as many hours as we did for the big job interview, we must make sure we bring the same intensity and commitment to putting our best foot forward on a consistent basis.
Every day is a new interview, even if you’ve been on the job for 20 years. Each professional interaction is the opportunity to audition for something more, even if it doesn’t seem obvious. When we realize that we’re always interviewing, we elevate our impact on others, and in turn, we realize our full potential.