Every Thursday during the summer, one of our executives hosts a lunch for our current interns. It’s a chance for the young talent in our LifeSize family to have a personal conversation with our leaders, gain some advice and learn that executives were once interns too.

Yesterday our VP of Worldwide Services and Support talked about some of the lessons he learned during the first few years in his career… stuff they don’t teach you in school but probably should. Build good relationships with your co-workers. Inspire trust in yourself and your work product. Be accountable. Don’t be afraid to admit what you don’t know.

Most importantly he shared that you need to be yourself in the job interview. It’s the beginning of your relationship with potential co-workers. Make sure that you lay the right foundation for your success in this new position. Otherwise they will quickly sniff out who you really are during your first week on the job. What a disastrous way to start your career with a new company!

While this may seem simple, it’s phenomenal advice that most people don’t consider. I see many candidates who are so concerned with landing the job that they sabotage themselves on this basic point. Besides, if they don’t like who you really are then chances are that you won’t like them and it’s not the right place for you to work anyway.