Much of what I do is work with people to enhance their careers.

Not because life is all about work, but because people spend too much of their lives at work for work to be an unhappy and unfulfilling place.

Rather than chasing the dream job, I work with people on defining their version of ideal and then matching that in their search.

This is what I refer to as the Four Pillars of Career Management. You see a career is much more than landing a job – sure it is important to have the right resume, perform well at interview and get the job. However let me ask you a question….

Do you know anyone who has landed what seemed to be the ideal job only to fail in spectacular fashion in 6 or 12 months’ time? That person or those people would be an example of those who do well getting the job yet not so well at holding it.

Finding and holding onto the right job is as much about knowing yourself as it is about mastering the interview process.

Successful careers are made frequently (or broken) on Reputation – which has everything to do with how you conduct yourself while in that role. There is more to it than that and we cover that in the Four Pillars program.

One of the key elements to that reputation is authenticity, or the aspect of being yourself; being true to yourself.

That’s really important to be able to accept that it is possible to be successful whilst being yourself; being who you are.

Now that might not be what you would consider appropriate. For example, you might wonder how appropriate it would be for a naturally smiling and happy person to be themselves while working with people with terminal illnesses.

You might not think it’s appropriate in that situation to laugh at work. And you know what?… You’re probably right! Although there is humor naturally in life and to suppress what comes naturally is, well, unnatural!

What is appropriate is when you feel compassion for someone, to allow that compassion to show genuinely.

When you’re talking to colleagues or potential bosses it’s okay to allow some of who you are to shine through, because, as human beings, we’re tribal creatures and we seek out others like us. We want to connect and we want to connect with people who are like us.

If you’ve hidden who you are behind some kind of facade or some kind of mask in an interview then it’s hidden, people won’t be able to see what’s being hidden.  That means you have to wear that façade while at work, or risk disappointing others and having them feel that they were deceived.

What others will see at any rate is that something has been hidden. They may not be able to describe what is being hidden, just the feeling that there is “more here than meets the eye”  You’ve heard that phrase before?

The human brain likes to fill in the gaps. If a human brain identifies that something is being hidden, it will go on potentially a creative journey to close those gaps; to identify what it is that’s been hidden¾to speculate!

So if you’re hiding your true personality someone else will sense that you’re hiding something, they might not guess that it’s your personality, they might think that you’re hiding a secret. They might think that you’re hiding a mistake. They might think that you’re hiding something that you don’t want them to know, and that will then arouse their suspicions. Once someone’s suspicions are aroused trust becomes very, very, difficult to maintain.

Therefore, being you is one of the key tips to being successful.

Your career is much longer and ongoing than an interview.  Career management and career success have much more to do with how you handle yourself while in the job, and how you interact with other people. The impressions we make are lasting ones.

Why not make an impression by being you?