Interview tomorrow and feel I am not skilled enough for this… help!

[Breeeei]

I’m in a professional role and have an interview tomorrow with a significant pay rise (over 30k pay increase with bonus on top). I applied on a bit of a whim and didn’t expect an interview. I feel out of my depth. There’s lots I don’t know for the role and this is obvious from my CV but I am worried I’ve over sold myself.

I haven’t changed jobs for 9 years and my pay has stagnated. But I worry even if I did get offered this role that it would be a mistake as what if I can’t do it then I’ve lost all employment rights I gained and have in my current role. Feel totally out of my depth and haven’t had an interview for years… have a two year old too and look haggard these days which has affected my confidence

Has anyone done anything similar? Was it a mistake?

Remember- women only tend to apply for roles where they fulfil all of the criteria, men apply for ones where they met some/most. So, think like a man!

Where you don't meet the criteria, maybe have a think about how you can learn the skills needed.

And remember it's just an interview- if you totally fluff it it's no big deal and a good interview practice. If you don't fluff it and you do get the job they obviously think you can do it, so believe in yourself.

This was me 10 days ago, first interview in a very long time and even though I couldn't do the task they set me, they were aware from my application I hadn't used their software, I got the job because they really liked me and thought I would fit in with the team. So try not to worry as it isn't always about the skills but how you come across.

You’re talking about conscious incompetence. If you get the job, you’ll move towards conscious competence, then unconscious competence i.e. doing a good job without thinking about it.

The time you need to worry is when it’s unconscious incompetence- someone has no idea what they’re doing and is unaware that they don’t know what they’re doing.

You meet some criteria. You’ll acquire the rest. Go for it.

Be honest and straightforward in the interview. Emphasise the skills you DO have and your enthusiasm to take on more challenge and bring energy to the new role.
DON’T oversell/lie at the interview, but make yourself a desirable ‘package’ for them.

If Rachel Reeves could do it, you can too!

On a serious note, they wouldn't have setup an interview if they don't see something in your experience. If you do get it, then you'll be very busy learning on the job and in your private time until you get a hang of it.

Go for the interview and be completely honest with them about where you lack experience. Your application just have been good to get the interview
If you get the job it will be because they think you could learn it. If you don't it will be good interview practice anyway

As @perenniallymessy said, women usually apply for jobs they're overqualified for, men apply for jobs they are under qualified for. And get them.
Reframe your attitude. Focus on the skills you have that they want, the transferable skills you can apply to new tasks and, above all, your willingness and aptitude to learn new skills and become competent.
30k jump in salary is a massive incentive to get brilliant very quickly.
My tip is: focus on what they need and want. Know what sort of company they are, what their recent achievements are. Ask what they want in an ideal candidate, talk about how you would apply your current skills to the role and ask about training and handover options in the areas you don't yet know. Give the impression that picking up new skills doesn't faze you.
Good luck.

They wouldn't interview you if you didn't meet the criteria for the role. Don't undersell yourself.

Even if you don't get it, it shows you can interview at that pay/experience level and should continue to apply for better positions.

Is it tech role, by any chance? I ask because I also had a similar experience a couple of weeks ago. I didn't believe that I had the level of skill/experience they were looking for, but was honest about my adaptability and the way in which I've picked up new software quickly in my role. Turned out I was massively underselling myself.

I used Chatgpt to come up with some interview questions so I could test myself. As expected, I was asked totally different questions in the actual interview, but being able to answer the 'fake' ones competently in my head made me feel much more confident in advance of going into the interview. It actually stimulated me to think of more scenarios I could refer to, also. Sometimes before an interview, if you feel on the back foot, you end up with a head full of noise. This helped me gain a fair amount of clarity and I believe it helped.

Agree with pp - a bloke would be unlikely to be plagued by self-doubt to the same extent.