How can introverts overcome employment barriers?

There seems to be one type of candidate that still struggles with gaining the recognition that they deserve

Employers have started to understand how important it is to look at different backgrounds and cultures for new candidates during their recruitment processes, as they then create a diverse mixture of people within their companies.

In doing this, employees feel valued and value the company they work for. Employers also have to take in to consideration people with physical disabilities by providing assistance in the recruitment process where necessary and understanding their needs.

There seems to be one type of candidate that still struggles with gaining the recognition that they deserve, and that is people who are shy. They struggle with interviews and the employer may dismiss them from being a good candidate due to this, especially in sales jobs. Perhaps an introverted person needs to look at how they can gain an advantage, by spending more time planning and researching each position and approaching the whole recruitment process in a different way.

The recruitment process for the introvert

The most important thing for someone who is shy is to be well prepared for the interview and recruitment process, by going the extra mile.

For the interview preparation, the shy individual should look at a variety of questions which the interviewer is most likely to ask. This would be a great benefit, and there are various sites on the web that can give you help with these.

The most common questions asked at interviews are “How do people describe you?”, “Why should we hire you?”, “Why do you want to work for our company?” and “What would you say are your strengths and weaknesses?”.

These are popular questions and to be a success at an interview, a shy person does need to go that bit further by perhaps role-playing interview scenarios to gain confidence, or looking on the web for more complex questions that an interviewer may ask them. By doing these things, the shy candidate can be on a more equal footing with other candidates who are applying for the position.

What shy candidates could also do is make up what is termed in the business world as a “Brag File”. This is a file that consists of all your sales and KPI achievements, as well as certificates of any courses that you have passed.

It is also a good idea to have some references in this file, to show the employer at the interview. Also research the job and company thoroughly, so you can match any of your achievements that you have in your “Brag File”. Being thoroughly prepared in this way will help the introvert stand out and gain an equal, or even an advantageous, position over the extrovert

It is by no means easy for a shy person to go through the interview process, but by being very thorough, they can help themselves to appear a more suitable contender to employers.

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The British Institute of Recruiters is the Professional Body operating The Recruitment Certification Scheme

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