Here is your problem. In the absence of any other strategy, people approach interviews trying to be likeable, trustworthy and passionate.
Not bad as an aim in itself, except that employers see lots of people who tick those boxes. But when they are recruiting what are they looking for?
Normally a solution to a problem. And in times of stress like this, it is normally a short-term problem.
They may not find somebody with exactly the right experience who has solved this problem before. But they will recognise the person when they see them.
Now nobody is suggesting that if you’ve been working in hotels all your life you have the right experience to suddenly become a brain surgeon. But in many other walks of life, skills are transferable. Salespeople in one industry can generally do well in another, especially if the profile of the customer is similar.
Likewise technical experts may benefit from 20 years with such and such technology, but in reality technology is changing so fast most people have no more than a year’s experience in any of it.
So recruiters are looking for people who solve problems. Whether on the front desk, whether managing a team of people, foreign customer support. But they want to understand that you can recognise problems and how you solve them. If you demonstrate this to people at an interview, they will listen. If you communicate it in the right way they will remember you.
But they see plenty of nice, 120% committed, likeable people. And that is not enough.
