One thing about job interviews that always rubbed me the wrong way is how much of that shit feels like a performance.
You can know your shit, have the experience, have the certifications, and actually be able to do the job. But if you don’t smile enough, make enough eye contact, or come off enthusiastic enough, now all of a sudden you’re not the right fit.
Like, hold on. I thought we was here to talk about whether I can do the job. When did this turn into an audition?
You gotta have the right energy, say the right shit, make the right facial expressions, and convince somebody you want the job bad enough. And you better know how to sell yourself without coming off too cocky, too quiet, too nervous, or too much of anything.
It’s a whole balancing act.
And God forbid you’re naturally quiet, socially anxious, neurodivergent, or just not the type to put on a show for somebody you met twenty minutes ago.
Now you got an attitude. You don’t seem interested. You ain’t confident enough. You don’t seem like a good culture fit.
Or maybe I’m just sitting here answering your questions, bruh.
I’m not saying communication doesn’t matter. Some jobs really do require you to be good with people. That’s fair. But there’s a difference between evaluating somebody’s ability to communicate and expecting everybody to have the same personality.
Some people know how to work a room. Some people know how to do the work.
Ideally, you can do both. But let’s not sit here and act like they’re the same damn skill.
Just because somebody is charismatic doesn’t mean they know what they’re doing. Just because somebody can talk a good game doesn’t mean they’re about to be the best person for the job.
But people get caught up in how you make them feel. If you come off confident, they assume you’re competent. If you come off awkward, now they got doubts.
And that’s where shit gets backwards.
You’re quiet? You must not be interested.
You’re nervous? You must not be confident.
You’re direct? You got an attitude.
You don’t make enough eye contact? Something must be off about you.
Meanwhile, this person barely knows you. They sat across from you for half an hour and now they think they got your whole personality figured out.
That’s crazy to me.
People will mistake their personal preference for an objective standard and then act like their judgment is just common sense.
And the funny part is, all this stuff gets dressed up as professionalism. But a lot of what people call professional is really just knowing how to make other people comfortable with you.
Smile more. Speak up. Show more enthusiasm. Make eye contact. Sell yourself.
Basically, learn how to perform in a way that makes us like you.
And if you don’t naturally operate like that, now it’s your responsibility to fix something that might not even have anything to do with your ability to do the job.
I’m not saying presentation doesn’t matter. I’m saying it shouldn’t outweigh competence when presentation isn’t what you’re being hired to do.
Because somebody can be quiet and still know their shit. Somebody can be awkward and still be reliable. Somebody can struggle to sell themselves and still outperform the person who interviewed better.
Everybody isn’t gonna be good at performing for you. That doesn’t mean they aren’t good at what they do.
And I think we need to stop confusing the two.
— Bo