Showing an awareness of worldly issues in an interview can really enhance your chances of scoring the perfect job.
Politics and other polarising subjects are often off the table in the workplace, so you shouldn’t expect to announce your affiliations. However, if you’ve watched the news recently, you no doubt know that the world is in a state of rapid evolution in multiple spheres. The workplace is often at the centre of them all!
During this time, where remote meetings are the priority, the rules of the interview are largely unchanged. You need to adhere to the dress code, present the best version of yourself and use every word you utter wisely. When it comes to discussing worldly issues, this is typically where things can get… complicated.
Here are some tips to help you navigate this rare but vital part of a job interview.
Let Them Bring It Up
In the interview, it’s best to let the interviewer decide the structure and rhythm of the dialogue.
If you launch yourself into talking about issues without being given a natural opening to do, then that’s a tangent, and you risk polarising the employers. Let them steer the dialogue, and that way, you can make certain that your responses are appropriate and relevant to the discussion at hand.
After all, you don’t want to come across overeager or as if you’re compensating for some other area of yourself that’s lacking. Worldly issues should only be discussed when the interviewer brings them up, and when they do, it can tell you a great deal about their values and whether they align with your own.
Communicate Mutual Interests
Worldly issues effect everybody, so their discussion can be a great way to build a report and find common ground right out of the gate.
For example, the advent of the coronavirus has blown everything wide open. The subject is likely to come up in the interviews you have lined up, so be prepared. You could even investigate businesses like Ideal Cleaning. They provide thorough cleanup services to keep workplaces and equipment coronavirus free. Research them for a detailed insight into what it takes to keep everything in order. You’ll either have some important trivia to discuss in keeping workplaces safe, or a lifeline service to recommend to your new boss if you get the job.
Something like fighting the coronavirus is in everyone’ mutual interest. Showing that you’re in the know about these things tells the interviewer you’re responsible, attentive, and that you have resolve in the face of something that’s understandably worrying everyone.
Stay Updated on Current Affairs
If you demonstrate you have a finger on the pulse of current affairs, it tells the interviewer that you’re active in society and that you have an eye on the industry.
While people can be forgiven for not being completely up to speed on what’s going on in all parts of the world, there are some things that are too seismic to ignore. For example, workplaces are actively enforcing diversity procedures, and if you’re applying for a position HR then that is something you really need to be up to speed on. World news and your job do not stand a million miles apart from one another.
People want to work with those who they can see are passionate and caring about anything and everything. You needn’t take sides or make all your opinions known but demonstrating that you have a stake in what’s going on in society will communicate your maturity.
