The Secret to Acing Your Remote Interview: Vulnerability
The Secret to Acing your Remote Interview: Vulnerability
What would you think if I tell you that the secret to ace a remote interview is using your vulnerability?
What would you think if I tell you that the secret to ace a remote interview is using your vulnerability?
When we think of vulnerability, what comes to mind is a weakness or something in danger. A system is vulnerable when it can be corrupted. Someone is vulnerable when needs protection. According to language, we tend to associate the word with a state of exposure to some attack or harm. In short, we don’t want to look vulnerable to others around us. Specifically, we don’t want to look vulnerable during a job interview.
What Is Vulnerability?
If we think about it carefully, a child is vulnerable and needs protection not because is weak. Kids need protection while growing up because that’s what they are, kids. Being vulnerable doesn’t necessarily mean being weak or unable to handle yourself.
Researcher and storyteller Brené Brown thinks that vulnerability is the key to build authentic connections with others around us. In her research, she found out that vulnerability is, certainly, the core of shame and fear. On the flip side, it is also the birthplace of joy, love, and belonging. We tend to numb negative emotions because we always want to show the best version of ourselves. But our brain cannot selectively numb emotions. If we don’t want to feel shame and fear, we will also numb joy or gratitude.
In this daily attempt of being perfect, we forget to let other people know who we are. In this sense, not showing your vulnerabilities means stopping connecting with others. When thinking of vulnerability, rather than look for a definition, think of an attitude. To be vulnerable means to be courageous enough to show your weakness and let others see you.
Why Is Vulnerability Important In A Remote Interview?
Try to think about the plot for an interesting story. Probably, the last heroine coming to mind is a perfect girl that always makes the right decision and lived a sensible life. Perfection is never inspiring or interesting. What’s inspiring is how people deal with life struggles and find a better version of themselves with their vulnerabilities.
Likewise, an employer will be impressed by how you challenge yourself to get a raise or propose an innovative idea. Browsing remote work news, you won’t find leaders claiming that the key to a great team is perfection. Rather, you will find advice and strategies to make it work despite cultural differences and mistakes.
Anytime we speak or raise a hand, we expose ourselves to some possible rejection or judgment. Vulnerability is the attitude that helps us open up to uncertainty and the possibility of failure. Without vulnerability, it’s impossible to grow and succeed standing out from others.
4 Benefits Of Being Vulnerable In The Workplace
1. Authentic Connection
As we mentioned in the beginning, our language suggests that being vulnerable means being weak. As Brown states, it’s a common misconception. Vulnerability is also the willingness to be seen for what we are despite the outcome.
In the workplace, vulnerability means finding the courage of having difficult conversations with colleagues. Without constructive conflict, a team can’t grow and find the right dynamic. Sharing real (embarrassing) stories about yourself and embrace hard conversations is the way to build an authentic connection with your colleagues and leaders.
2. Accountability
Trust is an essential element to build a collaborative workplace. In virtual teams, this word assumes a concrete meaning. When you work daily with someone, how much you trust your colleagues highly impact efficiency and productivity.
Being vulnerable at work helps to create trust because shows you are reliable and accountable. You are honest when setting your boundaries and respectful of others’ needs. Rather than overpromise work or performance, be transparent on your limits and fix mistakes when you need to. Without judging others, being vulnerable is the key to understand others around you and help them understand what you need to improve.
3. Self-improvement
Vulnerability is also important to rise and pick yourself up when you make a mistake. Rising skills are essential for any type of job, and the attitude for learning is sometimes more valuable than the skill itself. During the interview, don’t be afraid of showing how you learn what you know, even if you failed during the process. Leaders ofter look for people who have failed and tried again because they can rely on their determination and resilience. You can also try these online experiences to gain self-improvement, check this out.
4. Transparency
Last but not least, vulnerability means being transparent and helps to translate your values into behavior visible to others. Working with a team every day, transparency is essential to build trust. Being vulnerable doesn’t mean only be honest on your limits, but also showing through your actions what you believe in.
How to Ace Remote Interview Using Vulnerability?
To recap, vulnerability is a critical foundation in relationship-building because it’s the key to let others know you for what you are. Transparency builds trust, and that’s what makes you stand out during a remote interview. Even though a screen, people can get a sense of your personality and, to a certain extent, have the feeling that they know you. As you might imagine, people don’t hire people they do not trust or feel like strangers.
Based on what we said, here a few tips to ace your remote interview using vulnerability:
Being open about your passion, life vision, and concerns.
Illustrating strengths and weaknesses showing that you know where you are good and when you need to improve.
Expressing your needs to provide realistic expectations about what you can offer.
Talking about your past challenges and failures - and how you dealt with them.
Narrating about your story, your family, and where you come from.
Connecting isn’t the same as impressing.
Remember what we said in the beginning? In the attempt of being perfect, we forget to let others know us for what we are. Doing your best isn’t cheating or selling your skills. Be honest about who you are, before thinking of what you should do to be the best.
Are There Vulnerability Coaching Programs?
Vulnerability might sound like an easy strategy, but it requires deep inner work and effort. Being open about your weaknesses is always a tedious process, and no one ever really stops fearing others’ opinions. But the juice is worth the squeeze, for personal and professional life.
Being vulnerable is a never-ending process to know yourself and build deep connections. Global movements like Vulnerable AF encourages vulnerability and thought-provoking conversations in a safe space. Among folks, you can learn how to live with your vulnerability and create a meaningful community.
Once we move on from the negative stigmas of vulnerability, our fragility becomes the best ally to ace a remote interview!
Author’s bio:
Costanza Tagliaferri is a Writer and Content Marketer at DistantJob & ThinkRemote. She has covered a wide range of topics, and now she is focussing on technology, traveling, and remote work.