{"id":1283,"date":"2019-02-19T12:59:55","date_gmt":"2019-02-19T12:59:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/careers\/?p=1283"},"modified":"2025-10-22T15:17:21","modified_gmt":"2025-10-22T14:17:21","slug":"how-to-be-an-authentic-chameleon-in-your-graduate-scheme-and-job-applications","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/careers\/2019\/02\/19\/how-to-be-an-authentic-chameleon-in-your-graduate-scheme-and-job-applications\/","title":{"rendered":"How to be an authentic chameleon in your graduate scheme and job applications"},"content":{"rendered":"

You need to steer a confident path between sounding like an unmanageable free spirit and a pre-programmed robot which spouts out corporate buzzword bingo on repeat!<\/em><\/p>\n

This blog was written by colleague Debbie Pye<\/i><\/p>\n

In my first post<\/a> on authenticity I described the pitfalls I experienced as a new graduate applying for graduate schemes. Actually being too<\/strong> effective at adapting my responses (either at the application stage or the interview) to what I thought was the \u201cright\u201d answer meant that I got the job\u2026..but it really wasn\u2019t a career where I could be myself and so I hated it. Pretending to be someone I wasn\u2019t was not sustainable in the long term.<\/p>\n

However, of course that doesn\u2019t mean that you can afford to adopt a \u201ctake me or leave me\u201d approach; being 100% focussed on being \u201ctrue to yourself\u201d can come across as inflexible, intransigent and frankly arrogant. I\u2019ve come across applicants like this in my work as a leadership coach \u2013 they can\u2019t understand why despite their qualifications and experience being spot on they aren\u2019t getting past first interview stage.<\/p>\n

As in most things, what\u2019s needed is a willingness and ability to be reasonably flexible and adaptable. This means reading the demands of specific situations and pivoting your style to achieve the goal in hand whilst also retaining working relationships and<\/em> your personal brand. \u00a0In your applications\/interviews it\u2019s all about demonstrating that you can be an \u201cauthentic chameleon\u201d.<\/strong> Whilst that might seem like a contradiction in terms, most of us are actually pretty adept at adapting our behaviour depending on the circumstances, social mores, the background or \u201crank\u201d of the other person etc. That doesn\u2019t mean we are compromising our core belief system or genuine character. Being adaptable \u2013 sensitive to the situation at hand - also showcases our empathy <\/em>and our self-awareness <\/em>: two key facets of emotional intelligence which are core \u201ctransferrable skills\u201d frequently sought by employers.<\/p>\n

So here are some ideas for communicating to potential employers that you are both genuine and <\/em>adaptable. Give examples in cover letters\/personal statements and interviews of situations where you have:<\/p>\n