Authenticity: The Golden Trait

I read a news article recently where an AFL coach described one of his colleagues as “a really authentic person”. It caught my eye because it is a trait that people rarely use to describe each other.

One definition labels authenticity to be “undisputed credibility”. To put it in the context of the world of graduate recruitment (in describing a candidate) it HAS to be one of the best compliments a person can receive. A very common question that graduates have when wanting advice of how to positively impact a prospective employer is “what will make me an attractive or suitable employee in eyes of an employer?” – to which I always say, be yourself (or, be authentic).

In an employment market that is currently crowded and highly competitive, graduates should be continually striving to showcase their individual qualities and ultimately what makes them unique when compared against others. Authenticity (or being real or genuine) tends to be forgotten about because we are so busy trying to impress an employer or at least discuss our strengths in a way that relate to what we believe an employer wants to hear.

At Readygrad, we pride ourselves on our programs and advice to students being anchored in understanding yourself and being AUTHENTIC throughout the selection process and well into your first job and career. The reasoning is that, who would want to accept a job based on being someone that isn’t them? It’s not sustainable and surely it is far too stressful trying to be someone that you are not….