Authenticity

They dropped her off at the airport after the interview. She thought she’d get the job offer, but wasn’t sure. But – she was sure that she had been herself…had been completely honest about what her best and worst qualities were. She was authentic.

The Business World

The story above happened this week. She’s a great lady who had just interviewed for a new position. As we talked in the weeks before the interview, I knew she would present herself well.


She had so many of the traits that the hiring company wanted:

• Great technical experience
• Excellent in working with people
• Very good ‘connections’ in the industry in which she applied

But, the thing that made her stand out was her authenticity. She didn’t pretend to be someone that she wasn’t. She honestly presented herself and the company recognized and appreciated it.

Are you authentic?

 
In today’s world, we all meet people that are pretending: 

●      Pretending to show the world their       
        ‘perfect’ lives on Social Media

●      Pretending to ‘have it all together’

●      Pretending to be ‘the perfect fit’ for a position 
        (even when they have no clue)

●      Pretending to be ‘well rounded’

___________________________________________________Here’s the thing though:
“In a world of pretending, most people recognize and value authenticity.”
____________________________________________________

Learning the Hard Way

When I lived overseas, I was like an infant in that country. I didn’t understand the language (at first). I didn’t understand the culture. I didn’t have all the skills I needed to function every day.

But – I was still very successful living cross-culturally. What attracted the people to me was that I was ‘real’.

Time and again, this theme that I’m ‘authentic’ has come to the surface as one of my key strengths. Because of that, people trust me. Because of that, people buy things from me.

While I lived internationally, I saw many other internationals adjusting to the culture, some didn’t. The ones that didn’t make it were the ones pretending to know everything, pretending to have it together, pretending to be a ‘gift’ to the culture they were in.

Be Yourself

It doesn’t matter what your key strengths are. The point is, they are strengths and you should emphasize them. Present yourself authentically, and others will recognize your strengths as well.