Teamwork As A Valued Trait

Looking at job postings these days, teamwork is one qualification that shows up fairly consistently; the ability to work cooperatively and productively with others. It’s a highly valued commodity; an essential quality that employer’s want more and more in the people they bring in from the outside to join their existing workforces.

It’s more though than simply getting along with others. When you work as a member of a team, you’ve got to understand and act differently than you would if you were working independently. A member of a team comes to rely on others and at the same time be relied upon by them to complete assigned work. Good teams trust each person to show up when scheduled, pull their own weight and go about their work in such a way that fits the other employees. When you’re the new hire, you’re being assessed by the employer and your new co-workers to see how you’ll fit in with the existing workforce; everyone is hoping you’ll contribute in such a way that doesn’t disrupt the way things are. This is true unless of course you’re part of an overhaul of how things have been done and the company wants to shift the culture from the way things have been to something different.

Long ago, many job applicants had similar skills and backgrounds. When an employer advertised an opening, they found that the people applying shared common work histories; people didn’t tend to move around much, and people were interchangeable without much need for teams to adapt to new people. These days, things have changed. Because it’s easier to move around the globe, often employees are showing up not just from different parts of the community, they’re coming from different countries altogether; sometimes from different continents, speaking different languages and having different ways of doing similar work. People aren’t as interchangeable as they once were, and now need much more orientation to local methods, specific procedures and company practices.

You find too that friction is inevitable for some when bringing in new people. Whereas in the past the new hire had to assimilate themselves into the culture of the teams they joined, now you find that many existing workers have to gain an awareness and sensitivity to the needs of the person hired as well. This is a good thing, but it requires effort on the part of the existing team in a way that long ago wasn’t such a priority. Employers too have learned to be culturally sensitive to the needs of their individual workforce members. They go out of their way now to train people on how to work better together – and by better, they ultimately mean be more productive.

Many workers are now cross-trained; they learn not just how to do the job they were initially hired for, but they also learn how to do the job of others. When a person is cross-trained, they become more adaptable, can work in two or three different roles if need be, they become more valuable to the employer. For the person, they are increasing their own skills and doing everything they can to stay hired.

Communication skills are essential when working together. It’s more than just being able to talk and write clearly though. It’s all the non-verbal interaction that’s going on too. Even when working side-by-side with someone, it’s anticipating what they’ll do next, knowing when they’ll need to interact with you and knowing when you’ll be interacting with the next person on your team. Doing your work and being counted on by your teammates to be reliable and dependable goes a long way to fitting in.

The thing about a team environment is that each member should understand and buy in to the same end goals. These can be quotas and targets to hit on a daily basis for example, or they can be how a product is delivered to the customers or end-users. Many teams take a lot of pride in what they do, and if someone – a new hire in this case, threatens that mood or feeling, it will need to be addressed.

Sometimes an organization will actually hire more employees than they plan on keeping. What they are doing in fact is having an internal competition to see who among the new employees will fit with the existing chemistry the best. Or said another way, they are determining who is the most disruptive, performing more independently than gelling with others, and who then to let go.

In a job interview, it’s not enough to say you’re a team player. Too many other people are making the same claims. What is absolutely critical is to give clear examples from your past or current work experiences where you’ve thrived working cooperatively with others and been highly productive. When you show or prove you’ve worked effectively as a valued team member, you make it easier for the interviewers to envision you performing similarly for them. This is where many applicants fail miserably; they make statements with nothing to back up their claims.

Teamwork is about recognizing the strengths of each person and putting everyone in a position to contribute towards the common end goal. If you don’t know what your teams purpose is, this is something you should immediately ask. And while you don’t need to be best friends with your team, show some interest in them.

Success? Here’s What It Is

Success to me is being able to seize opportunities now because your past decisions placed you in a position to take advantage of them. Future success is having the decisions you make in your present put you in position to take advantage of opportunities in your future.

Let’s be honest here, we can’t know with absolute certainty, exactly what our futures hold. Furthermore, the further we gaze into the future, the odds continue to get lower and lower that what we imagine, guess, hypothesize, or yes – even plan for – will actually turn into our reality.

So if this is true, some people would take this to mean why plan anything? Indeed, why plan at all if what we do in the future can’t be predicted with absolute certainty? I found myself cooking hamburgers last evening instead of chicken breasts, rice and vegetables. Why? Because just as it was time to start preparing the evening meal, my wife had a change in what she wanted and having both options available, she surprised me and opted for burgers. What I’d planned at 11:30a.m when out shopping wasn’t what I started preparing at 6:00p.m.

Now yes, it is only dinner. But what about the big stuff? You know, choosing courses in high school that lead to College or University? What about planning on graduating and getting a job instead of post secondary education? These choices to be made and more importantly, decisions to be made, have consequences years down the road. I wish I had a dollar for every time someone said, “I wish I’d stayed in school”, or, “I wish I had my degree.” Then again, less often but now and then, I also hear, “I wish I’d just got a job after my degree instead of getting my Masters.” Additional schooling isn’t always the right choice.

Yes, we can’t know with any certainty that Life (with a capital, ‘L’) will turn out exactly like we envision it will when we look ahead. That being said, I don’t advocate just throwing up your arms in submission and winging it until you die. We’ll all have regrets in the end; choices we made that we wish in retrospect we could go back and alter. Some of our regrets will be larger than others, and I suppose the best we can hope for is that our regrets tend to be minor and not major ones.

As good as the burgers were, I’d rather have had the chicken. However, as I bought both when out shopping, I still get the chicken tonight; a day later than I had planned, but I can only do so because I had the foresight to buy both. A minor delay in getting what I want most. However, we can’t always have it so. No, some of the choices we make send us down roads that never seem to have a U-turn; and there’s no going back. That person you should have told how you felt but never had the guts to do so moved away, married someone else, and you just wonder ever so often, ‘what if…?’

Education is a great example of this whole concept of putting yourself in a position to succeed further ahead in life. While you’re only in your early teens now perhaps, school officials are on you to choose your courses – the university or college stream. The choices you make either keep both doors open or close the university option. Sure you can always go back and upgrade courses later in life as a mature adult, it just means you take a longer route to get to University.

Keeping doors open sounds like a reasonably smart thing to do though, especially when you can be influenced by so many things between now and when high school is done. By the time you’ve finished with school and you’re in your late 20’s, you’ll either be happy or disappointed with the choices you’re being asked to make now in your early teens re. those course selections. The jobs you are considering in your 20’s require some level of education. If you opted for the degree, you have more options than the college diploma; the college diploma more options than the high school diploma and the high school diploma more options than dropping out without finishing high school.

Now some make a wonderful life without having finished high school. The jobs they hold and enjoy doing don’t require post secondary education, so let’s acknowledge them. However, many more people are happy they stayed in school, graduated and went on to get a degree or diploma, and a lot of people wish they had. Even the ones who lie on their resumes and say they have their high school when they don’t are demonstrating they know it is an advantage to have it.

Whether we’re talking education, volunteering, working or relationships etc., the principle is exactly the same; the decisions we’ve made in our past either allow us to take advantage of opportunities in the present or they don’t. The thing is, our past decisions can’t be altered.

What we can do is think about the decisions we make today and moving forward. It’s these decisions that will put ourselves in position to seize opportunities in the future; some of which we can’t possibly even imagine now. The good decisions keep the doors open.

Living With Extreme Anxiety?

There’s a difference between feeling anxious and nervous every so often and feeling chronic and severe anxiety all the time. If that’s hard to imagine, it’s like comparing having a bad headache with a migraine; two related but completely different experiences. Those who suffer from migraines wouldn’t wish them on others, and those with chronic and acute anxiety suffer so intensely, they too wouldn’t wish what they experience on those they know.

If you’re fortunate enough not to live with ongoing, acute anxiety, it might be challenging to understand and really empathize with those that do. Situations that seem innocent and safe to you can be paralyzing for the anxiety sufferer to deal with. In the most extreme cases, anxiety can be so intense that a person might live avoiding interactions with others; and I mean all. Things you might take as straight-forward and simple such as withdrawing money from a bank, doing grocery shopping or taking a bus might be incredibly difficult to think about and impossible to actually do.

Now many of us who don’t live with acute anxiety still find some situations stressful. It might be a job interview, attending a family gathering, getting married, the first day on a new job, having to stand up and make a presentation to a large group of people. Perhaps if we recall how we feel in these circumstances we might get a small glimpse into what others experience. The thing is we’d have to magnify the intensity of how we are feeling in those situations and then imagine living like that all the time, day in and day out 24/7. That’s where we probably would admit it’s impossible for us to truly understand this condition.

Through my work as an Employment Counsellor/Coach, I help people as they look for employment. I go about this in part by asking questions and listening to people share their past experiences and finding out what their problems and barriers are. By learning all I can about someone, I can better assist them in finding not just a job, but the best possible fit; looking at much more than their skills alone. I’d like to help them find the right career or job that is a good fit for their personality, their psyche if you will, so it means taking into consideration things like the workplace environment, leadership and management styles a person will perform best under, frequency of interaction with others etc. It’s NOT just about looking at a job posting and seeing if a person has the listed qualifications.

Now if you live with severe anxiety, just like anyone else, you might ask yourself if you want to go on with things the way they are, or would you like a different, (and hopefully) better future. You may have instinctively just thought, “I can’t”. It’s okay; you’re safe and you’re not in any danger just reading on. Things can stay the same even after you’re done reading. So just thinking again for a moment, would you like a future where you make some progress in a safe way?

You may not be ready yet and if so, I understand. Forcing you into situations where your anxiety will be off the charts isn’t going to be helpful. However, for those of you who are willing and able to consider some forward movement, there are some things you can do.

Let me first say that many of the people I help through my work have mental health challenges. Some of these people do in fact have acute, severe anxiety. I want to say right up front that I have tremendous respect just appreciating how difficult it is for them to come and meet with me in the first place. Now my first encounter with many is in a group workshop. That likely sounds terrifying to some readers.

At the start of a workshop, I will mention that should someone have anxiety or feel extreme stress, a good thing would be to let me know as soon as possible. After all, I want the experience to be safe and positive. So what can I do with that knowledge? As the presenter, I can avoid putting such a person in situations that will trigger their anxiety. So I may not ask them to volunteer, avoid asking them to share their feelings or answers with the group, or if I am going around the room asking people to share some answer to a question, always give a person the option to say, “Pass.” This power to opt out of anything threatening alone is a help.

Other small things that help include being able to excuse yourself from the room entirely if an activity seems dangerous or extremely threatening. Get your breathing under control and come back when you’re ready. By creating a safe environment and asking others in the group to show respect and patience with each other, it can be a safe place those with anxiety can attend. It might even take a few attempts before completing a class, but you make the progress you can.

So when you’re ready, (and that’s the key), speak ahead of time with anyone who is running a class or in charge. See what accommodations they can make to keep you safe and included. When you do finish, you’ll have immense satisfaction at having worked through a major hurdle. And as always, you’re worth it!

Now That The Interview Is Over

Whether in the past, here in the now or at some point in the future, you’re likely to have a job interview. Like many other people, you may put a lot of effort into making sure you do at your best by doing some digging beforehand to learn all you can about both the job and the company you hope to be hired by. However, after the interview is over, what now?

For many, the simple answer is they sit and wait. The reasoning most of the time is this; “If they want me they’ll call.” My question to you in reply is, “Why did you bother trying to stand apart from your competition as the best candidate before and during the interview and suddenly decide at the last stage to just blend in and do nothing?” This, ‘sit and wait’ behaviour seems contradictory to what you’ve done up to that point.

I suppose in a way the best analogy I can give you is having a date with someone. Prior to the first date, you put some effort into your preparation. You clean yourself up, put on some clothes that both make you feel good and you look your best in. When you meet, you’re on your best behaviour, and you and the date know you’re sizing each other up. Essentially you’re both determining if the match is there; is there some chemistry between the two of you. At the end, if things have gone well, you’re hoping for a second one. If things have gone extremely well, you start imagining the possibility of something long-term.

So, after the date that went well, do you sit and wait? If so, how long? Forever? Remember this is someone you really hit it off with and want to spend some time with, not just a one-time dinner. If you shared your feelings with your best friend, they’d probably ask if you have their number and say, “Make the call! What have you got to lose? They might be wondering why you didn’t call because they thought you were interested in them!”

Why is the post-job interview any different? Over the years I’ve had the opportunity to speak with those who do the interviewing and hiring for the companies they work for. Many of those people tell me that after all the interviews have concluded, they go through the process of weeding out the applicants who just didn’t fit as well as others. A lot of the time, it comes down to two people who they feel would be good employees and honestly, it’s no longer about qualifications and skills, it becomes all about personal fit and how much the person seemed to really want the job. Their assessment of each candidate isn’t entirely over they’ve told me, until they actually make a call and offer a job. During that assessment time, one of the determining factors can be if one person makes contact and follows-up on the interview while the second does not. Who then really wants the job more?

So with the date analogy, how would it make you feel if you got a call and they said, “I really had a good time. I think we really hit it off and I’d like to see you again.” If you feel likewise, it’s flattering and reassuring to know they are motivated and interested enough to express their continued interest.  It’s kinda like saying, “I’m very interested in the opening and would like to continue to the next stage in the hiring process.”

Now conversely, if the first date is good for you but they don’t ask for your number, and don’t follow-up with a call, the conclusion you’ll start to draw for yourself is that they don’t find you all that interesting and aren’t interested in continuing to see you. This, “I’ll sit and wait” philosophy you may have adopted after interviews is no different. The company often assumes that having had your interview, you’ve decided you just aren’t interested in working there as you may have been before or during the interview; something has changed in your decision.

Okay, but what to do? What to say? This is starting to sound more and more like a real date question if you’re fretting over how to begin. Relax. You’ve got some options. One is to send a short note either in a hand-written card or by email. Thank the interviewer for the meeting and express your genuine and ongoing interest in the position. Indicate you’re looking forward to the next step in their hiring process and joining the team.

If you’re more of a phone call person and want to avoid showing off your writing skills, make a personal phone call. Again, have your résumé on hand and the job posting in front of you. You never know if your brief call might turn into a longer conversation if they ask you about a few of your past experiences or want to clarify something you said in the first meeting. Your résumé will help you focus and not be caught off guard.

Remember, a lot of other people are sitting by the phone and just waiting. This follow-up is a quick and easy way to stand apart from all those others. Show some enthusiasm and genuine desire for the job and you’ll get results.

That Negative Attitude In The Audience

If you’ve ever run a workshop, taught a class, or led a project, I think you’ll agree that one of your hopes is that all the members of your audience actually want to be in attendance and hear what you’ve got to say. After all, when you’ve put a lot of preparation in ahead of time, you’re hoping it will be appreciated.

So perhaps you can identify with the situation I found myself in yesterday. There I was standing before 16 people, just about to welcome them formally and kick off a 7 day Career Exploration workshop. My audience consisted of unemployed people choosing (for the most part) to take this free course and learn not only what jobs or careers might be the best personally fit, but a lot about themselves in the process.

Just as I was about to begin, one person said, “How long is this? I don’t want to be here but my worker is making me. And are you paying for childcare because it’s a PA day today and that’s the only way I could come today.” Now if it were you, what would you say? There’s a few different ways you could respond; kick them out, tell them that’s too bad, maybe even take them aside and tell them you don’t appreciate their attitude. I rejected all of these; none of them actually fit with my style.

I was sad of course, because this overtly negative attitude had the possibility of spreading and infecting others, and what she didn’t know – and still doesn’t – is that she had opted to sit herself down immediately beside a gentleman with phobia’s and severe anxiety. I was sad also to think that this negative attitude was also preventing herself from benefitting from being present. However, things had to be nipped in the bud.

I’ve done workshops and presentations for a long time now, and one of the things I know is that every person in the room starts forming an opinion of the presenter right away. Just like seeing someone for the first time in an interview, or any social situation, we start sizing other people up. So heads turned to me to see how I would respond to this person and what I would say and do. Not the way I would choose to start but a good challenge nonetheless.

“You don’t have to be here; none of you do in fact. You can get up now and walk out the door and miss the extra money, gift card and certificate for attending. You only have to attend one workshop and this isn’t it; it’s optional. If you choose to stay, you’ll not only get extra money, you’ll learn a lot about yourself that you don’t know and you’ll be better prepared to talk about the strengths you’ve got. We’re talking 7 days out of your entire life, and the thing is, it will be fun. So leave now or stay, but if you stay, why not choose to be more positive? You’ll have a better time and so will everyone else.”

She didn’t get up to go. But if you think that her attitude switched immediately, you’re wrong. It did however improve slightly. When I asked people to put their names on both sides of the tent cards in front of them, she put her name on the side facing her and on the other she wrote, “No Name.” Yeah, that wasn’t going to work. So I asked her politely to not fight things all the way, and she relented and switched it around. Oh well, name projecting out and to her, a little hold on her feisty attitude; a compromise. It’s not about wining her over by completely defeating her spirit.

We did an exercise yesterday where everyone developed a personal motto or slogan based on their beliefs and things they hold important. When invited to share her own, she did so, dropping an f-bomb and expressing how the world will mess you up. I decided not to take the offered bait and just thanked her and moved on to the next person.

Later in the day when each person was adding another bit of information to their summary page, I noticed her Motto section was blank. Questioning her, I asked why she hadn’t filled it in. She replied, “I want to take it home and think about it and come up with something better.” To me, this was a breakthrough moment. She was actually investing in the process – in herself really. “Good for you. I really appreciate you deciding to stay and with a positive attitude. Thanks for that”, I replied.

You know, a lot of people have multiple barriers and want their lives to improve. They want better futures for their children and some of the good things in life that they see on television, the movies or in watching other people. I don’t know what this young woman has gone through to get where she is now, nor do I know the effort that is required just to get to class. I hope she sticks out the 7 days and makes it back in today.

Sometimes the people who present with the most overt negative attitudes are the ones who later will appreciate most the help offered them. I hope this is the case here. I also hope the way I’ve handled things is a learning moment for others in the class.

Unappreciated At Work?

Thinking about your workplace values, how important is it that you feel recognized and appreciated in your workplace? Where would you put yourself on a scale that ranges from Extremely Important to Totally Unimportant? Being aware of your personal values in general – and how you feel about being appreciated and recognized in this case – is essential to your overall happiness in the workplace.

It’s been my experience in listening to others that there’s a curious irony about how people perceive being recognized and appreciated. When looking for a job, many will say they don’t put much value in being recognized. The same people however will say feeling underappreciated and not getting recognized for the effort they put into their jobs was one of the prime reasons they left their last job.

As much as I try to stay clear of making sweeping statements, I do think it’s a fair assumption to say that most of us would like our contributions to an organization appreciated. After all, if we are going to spend 7 hours a day, 5 days a week working, it only seems reasonable that all our time and effort should be appreciated by an employer. Wouldn’t you agree?

The real question then isn’t so much whether we’d like to feel appreciated or not, but rather HOW would we like the employer to show that recognition and appreciation. When was the last time though that you were asked how you’d like to be recognized?

The organization I work with if I may, has several ways of extending its appreciation for various kinds of service. When you’ve worked 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 or 30 years, you’re invited to a ‘Years of Service’ Awards presentation. Along with other colleagues reaching these milestones, you’re presented with a certificate from our Department Director. Based on the years you’ve achieved, you get to order a gift of a determined value that rises to reflect your years of service. My last award was at 15 years and being a practical kind of guy, I chose a scale which I use each morning to weigh myself.

My employer also recognizes achievements in attendance. This recognition also comes in the way of a certificate, and the same Director makes a point of coming around in person to our various offices and hand-delivering each one with a few words of thanks. As we are all different, you might not think much of such an award, but to me this is one of great meaning. You see I live 96 kilometres from work, and a lot could happen over that distance to keep me away. The fact that I strive really hard to be consistently at work from this distance and have good attendance to show for it is nice to have recognized. Should I ever want to find a new job and distance be an issue, I’d proudly haul out all my attendance awards to prove I’m reliable and can be counted on to show up each day.

The thing about receiving a certificate from your employer which formally recognizes your work is that it doesn’t cost a great deal but the return can be sizeable. I wish more employer’s would follow this example.

Now, while formal recognition events are nice, they generally happen once a year or in the case of my service awards, once every five. What about more frequent recognition however? Sometimes it’s the pat on the back, the genuine, “thank you, I see what you do everyday and I really appreciate your hard work”. These are the little things that can make us feel good and carry us through a day or a rough patch. We might even get home and tell our spouse about it.

The best kind of recognition however – in my opinion – comes from the end users. Having someone you’ve assisted or provided a product or service to go out of their way to say how much they appreciate your help is gold. Sure, we’re all different and I recognize that we place different values on everything, but I for one feel really good when all the hard work and effort I put in to helping others results in a small card of thanks or a few sincere words of appreciation.

It works the other way round by the way. I mean, if you make a point of recognizing someone you work with for whatever they do, I would hope they’d appreciate both your observation skills and your kind words. It might even make their day. And what does it cost you in the end? Last month I was at the end of a two-week workshop and handing out some certificates to each participant. I was surprised when one of the participants walked up with a certificate he’d made for me recognizing my investment in him and the others. What meaning that holds for me!

So how do you feel about having your contributions recognized? How does your employer go about formally and informally showing its appreciation for your contributions?

It’s not an egotistical thing to want to have your contributions noted and be thanked. Being recognized keeps us aware that our investment is worthwhile, that there is real meaning in the work we do. Without having our contributions noted, we might sooner or later wonder, “Am I making any difference at all?”

You’re worth it.

 

 

A Successful Interview Primer

We all want to have an interview that leads to a job offer correct? Get a job offer after all and we can stop writing resumes and going to job interviews. Even if you enjoy writing resumes, applying for jobs and attending job interviews, you can’t get past that it takes time and energy; both of which we’d rather spend actually working and getting paid to do so!

So here’s some pointers broken down into categories. Hope you find them helpful.

FIRST IMPRESSION

• Dress a notch above what you’ll typically wear on the job
• Formal, business or business casual dress depending on the job; never casual
• A firm, dry handshake, solid eye contact, a smile
• Stand up straight, no slouching or stooping; look as fit as possible
• Good hygiene: deodorant, clean hands and teeth, hair off the face, fresh breath
• Turn your phone off just before reaching Reception
• Greet the Receptionist with warmth; he/she may be asked for feedback

BRING WITH YOU

• A résumé for yourself and up to 3 copies for those interviewing you
• The job posting showing with highlights on the skills and qualifications
• 2 pens (if 1 should run dry), paper for notes
• A thank you note to be given to the lead interviewer later the same day
• 3 or 4 written questions to ask before leaving
• Enthusiasm, a positive outlook and some energy

IF YOU SIT DOWN

• Show your preparation and lay out your résumé, job posting, notepad, pen, etc.
• Offer copies of your résumé to anyone without one
• Glance at your résumé if you need to recall points during the meeting
• Lean slightly forward in the chair, sit up straight but look comfortable
• Enjoy the conversation; this is an opportunity NOT an inquisition
• Put your shoulders back and watch your posture

IF YOU STAND OR WALK

• Match the pace of the interviewer, put energy in your step
• Keep your right hand empty for handshakes along the way
• Look interested in what you see, be observant and picture yourself working
• Be friendly with whomever you meet; you never know their title or influence

WHAT YOU SAY

• Ensure you have energy and enthusiasm in your voice
• Market your value and benefits just as you would a product you’re selling
• Know why you want the job and how hiring you benefits them
• Vary the pace of your words, slowing down to emphasize points made
• Never curse, resort to slang or speak badly of former employers, companies etc.
• Use skill-based language as you speak; the words you found in the posting
• Provide examples from your past and specific examples that prove your claims
• Express gratitude for the interview, anticipation of joining them soon
• Avoid talking excessively or one-word answers
• Ask for clarification if you are unsure of a question
• Steer clear of saying anything controversial that could damage your chances

NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION

• Keep good eye contact throughout the interview
• Avoid distracting behaviour like twirling hair, tapping your pen, bouncing legs
• Always look focused and show strong interest
• Listen to questions asked and make sure you answer the questions asked
• Check your clothes before putting them on for cleanliness
• Shine your shoes
• Avoid large, dangling jewelry
• Be punctual, allow for delays
• If there’s time, check your appearance nearby before announcing your arrival

WRAPPING THINGS UP

• Make a solid last impression – (more important than the first impression!)
• Know the next steps in the hiring process by asking
• Get business cards, contact information and how to follow-up
• Find out when a decision is to be made
• Ask if there’s more information they would like which you could offer
• Express gratitude again for the conversation and your peaked interest
• Thank the Receptionist, get their name (you will be calling them to follow up)
• Smile again and shake hands firmly
• Leave them your references

POST INTERVIEW

• Ask Reception for interviewers contact info and proper spelling of name/title
• Find a quiet spot and jot down any problem questions
• Pen a Thank You card now and return to the Receptionist, leaving it with them
• Note a follow-up date in your phone or agenda
• You may still be observed until you leave the property so you’re still, ‘on’
• Note your surroundings should there be a 2nd interview

There is great debate over which is more important, what you say or how you say it. Many people believe that the interview is largely successful or not somewhere in the first 45 seconds to 3 minutes of meeting a candidate. In other words, that first impression is critical.

Interviewers are generally smart enough to know that their first impressions are just that, and the bulk of the interview is determining if that first impression was correct or perhaps they misjudged an applicant and their opinion is changed. You are fully in control of how you come across with your body language, your words, the preparation and research you completed ahead of time and how you behave during the conversation. While this is a lot of responsibility, it’s nice to know that you’ve got a lot more control on the decision to hire you than you might have thought otherwise.

For more pointers, tips and general suggestions on how to both get and keep a job, I invite you to visit https://myjobadvice.wordpress.com/ where you’ll find my personal blog. There you can check out past blogs, comment, click on follow to get notifications on new ones etc.

Always with enthusiasm and appreciation for your readership and support

Kelly

 

 

Nervous About An Upcoming Interview?

First things first; congratulations on the interview! Give yourself credit because you’re up against a lot of other people all competing for employment. So well done!

That credit your giving yourself is important because its external validation that  you’ve done a good job responding to the employer’s needs. Employer’s need people who can be productive and add to the success of the organization, so just getting to the interview is a good sign that they like what they read.

Okay, so you’re nervous. There are two kinds of situations where nerves can have you feeling anxious . The first is where you haven’t prepared at all for the interview. Not only did you not prepare, your plan is to wake up and wing it, counting on your natural ability to charm and think on your feet. If this has worked in the past, it will likely work again. Wrong. Employer’s are better qualified than before, better trained and can size up these candidates quickly. Your nerves will go through the roof as you slowly become more and more exposed as having not invested any time at all in doing some basic homework. You’ll be nervous, and for good reason as you’ve brought this on yourself.

The second kind of nervous is the good kind; yes you read right…there is a good kind! This is nervous excitement! You’ve prepared yourself as best you could, read up on the job posting, their website, you may have talked to some employees and you really want this job. The possibility that you’re soon going to be hired for a job you can do well, doing work you’ll enjoy and in a situation you’ll be successful at is so motivating! So this nervous excitement as the interview draws closer is fantastic.

As someone who loves interviewing, I’d be more worried for you if you felt no nervousness at all – that would be a huge warning sign that you’re running on autopilot and aren’t as invested in the job or company to the extent you should be.

Now, what to do to help you get those nerves under control. First off, breathe… Stress is a physical thing, and a few deep breaths; in through the nose and out through the mouth will help you give your body oxygen when it needs it to relax. Now stand up for a moment. Seriously. Place your hands on your hips and spread your legs, with equal weight on both feet. You’re in the, ‘Superman’ pose. Head up and looking straight ahead, chest slightly out and hold this for two or three minutes. Do this before the interview – say in the washroom or reception area and you’ll feel confidence growing. Odd thing is, it works.

Now, first impressions are important so choose clothing you feel comfortable in that fit the job you’re applying to. Check them a few days before so they are clean, ironed and you’re ready. On the morning of the interview, shower, brush the teeth, do your hair (off the face as a general guideline for women) and give yourself enough time to get where you’re going anticipating delays.

It’s always good to bring multiple copies of your résumé (for you and for them), pre-determined questions you want answered, paper and pen for notes, the job posting and your references to offer at the end. Depending on the job, you might want any certificates or proof of licences and education requirements too.

Smile at the first meeting, offer a firm handshake and look the interviewer(s) in the eye as you do so. When you walk, don’t amble or shuffle along, walk with purpose and be aware of slouching shoulders.

As for answering questions, use the STAR format. Well, I endorse it at any rate. Essentially you answer by sketching out SITUATIONS you found yourself in so the get a framework for your answer, present the TASK or problem to overcome, move to the ACTION you took in rising to the challenge and finish with a positive RESULT that came about because of what you did.

This format is neat, tidy and concise. It will help you PROVE you’ve done what you claim you can do. I can’t stress enough how specific examples you give are essential to a successful interview. Without specific examples in your answers, you’re hoping they’ll believe you’ve got the experience and skills you state you do, and you’ll come up short.

The tone of your voice is important too. Nervous people often talk quicker and their voices are slightly higher. Slow your words down, pause every so often to emphasize certain things you believe are critical, and your voice suddenly gets more interesting, more meaning is attached to your words and the overall impact is a more attentive audience.

As the interview wraps up, ask for their business card. All the information you need to follow-up with a thank you note or phone call is on that card. Do send a card of thanks! Many don’t bother these days and that’s even more reason to do it. You stand out and that’s what you’re hoping to do.

The most important thing you can do is leave a lasting positive impression. Why hire you? What makes you the right fit? Answer this now, before you get to the interview. It’s not about what you want, but how hiring you is in the company’s best interests.

Doubt Yourself? This Is A Strength!

Do you doubt your abilities or skills in your workplace? Do you wonder if you’re as effective or as productive as you should be? Good! You my friend have just identified a strength.

I bet that comes as ironic because perhaps seen your lack of confidence as a weakness. I mean after all, how can self-doubt be good? Well, read on and see if what I’ve got to say doesn’t make you change your point of view.

Think of doubt as your instincts kicking in when you’ve got a decision to make. Should I choose one thing over another, or even when presented with several options and having to make the best choice. Some people confidently make a choice and stick by their decision, sure in their ability to make the correct one. You however, are less sure, so you pause, hesitating while you think and weigh the pros and cons of the choices before you and even as you make your choice, an inner voice is crying out, “Wait! Not all the information has been processed yet and we might be wrong!”

Now if the top prize always goes to the person who makes the quickest decision, sure the confident person might win more than they lose. However, even the most confident person will tell you that their confident decisions turn out to be incorrect every so often.

Self-doubt is a good thing if it causes us to check on the information we already have or gather more information when necessary to make the best choices. So if you teach or instruct, you may doubt your ability to communicate a topic to your audience; to get through to the extent you’d like. The ideal thing to do is to check with those you’re teaching; essentially determining if you’re being as effective as you’d like or as your employer expects. Checking with your audience might be done verbally as in asking for them to paraphrase what they’ve learned, or it could be in the form of a test. Have you ever considered that tests don’t only show what someone has learned but also show the ability of the teacher to instruct?  It’s true!

Self-doubt can also benefit you if you are feeling pressured into doing something that goes against your moral compass. Ever had one of those moments when you were dared to do something that you just felt was wrong? You wanted perhaps to impress someone or a group, but to do so meant hurting someone intentionally? You doubted your ability to actually do it though and said something like, “I don’t know if I can do this. It just seems wrong.” That was self-doubt kicking in and it was a good thing back then and it’s still a good thing today.

Now while self-doubt is a good thing; a strength, in its extreme, it can be a negative. When self-doubt has you completely paralyzed, unable to go ahead and make any choice at all, that frozen state of inaction that robs you of your ability to choose is not a good thing.

If you know you have to compile a report for your boss by a certain date and you’re completely at doubt about if you can do it, it will definitely be an issue if the day comes and you haven’t even started. However, I don’t think that’s just self-doubt kicking in, that’s also the fear of asking for help until you gain the confidence to do similar reports on your own in the future. Not everybody learns at the same pace, and you might need more help before mastering the skills needed to compile reports on your own.

Of course self-doubt takes energy. Many who doubt themselves wish they had more self-confidence, especially when it comes to big choices and big decisions. I have to say though, at the root of this self-doubt there’s often an explanation for this present behaviour in the past. Many who continually doubt themselves had little praise, support and encouragement from people in influential positions while growing up – parents, teachers, employers and yes former/present partners.

An abusive partner who constantly looks for every opportunity to be critical and demeaning, can unfortunately cause a lot of damage in a person. If you were told all the time, “This coffee tastes like crap!” you’d start to doubt your ability to make a good one. This lack of confidence and heightened self-doubt is a cruel result of bullying and abuse. In fact, if you as a co-worker or boss find you’ve got an employee who seems plagued with self-doubt, you could help them immensely with some encouragement to make choices and not come down hard on them when they make a choice you’d rather they didn’t. Words of encouragement will do more to achieve the desired result than any words said in anger and frustration. In fact, just by being such a person’s boss, your title alone is something they’ll feel intimidated by.

Good advice? Start with small decisions; those with small consequences. If you can, look for work that might have less responsibility for decision-making; at least until your self-doubt gradually subsides. Increasing your confidence is also something you might share with others, so you receive encouragement more often. Remember self-doubt is a strength and can often have you re-evaluate your thinking and come up with a better result.

All the best out there today and every day!

Awake The Giant!

Many people, maybe you perhaps, go through much of life living their days in a relatively state of complacency and routine. Each morning is a regular routine, the trip in to work is essentially the same route, taking approximately the same amount of time to travel. The work day might vary every so often with training or a unique encounter with a customer, but as you look back at the past month’s or years in a job, the days blend pretty much in a sea of normalcy.

At the close of the work day, the trek back home is made, another meal prepared and consumed, an evening spent and the cycle repeats itself. This life you’re living isn’t bad; it’s far from it perhaps. Your happy in fact, and generally content. Sure you have your moments with problems, challenges, frustrations and setbacks – we all do. However, you’ve also got your moments of challenges overcome, tasks completed, successes realized. Nothing is really wrong at all.

So if all this is true, if nothing is really wrong, why is it that from somewhere deep down inside, you occasionally feel this tremor; this stirring of something slumbering? Physically there may be nothing going on; it’s not indigestion, nor is it your last meal breaking down into nutrients and waste. No, something else is stirring restlessly from within; something far from physical – much more metaphysical. It might be hard to put into words beyond what I’ve done here but if you’ve felt it you know what I refer to.

It starts with a general awareness you get that something is stirring. That stirring is in response to what’s going on around you; your stimulated in some way with your environment or maybe someone you’re interacting with. If you fail to tune in to that deep inner feeling, it passes. There’s no harm done, you return to the life you’re leading and it subsides. It never really goes away completely, but it slumbers again for a period. Ah, but if you’re dialed in, attuned to the stirring; if you really live that moment in full self-awareness, you my friend, have the opportunity to awake the giant!

Some of you will never know what I’m referring to here. For you, this will be simply a romanticized post of whimsy and theatrics; a poetic rambling of nonsense to be dismissed. Might actually be the majority of you come to think of it. No matter. There are only so many Harry Potter’s, Frodo Baggins, Christopher Columbus’ and Sir Edmund Hilary’s in our world.

Or is that a falsehood? After all, don’t each of us star as the leading character in our own life stories? We are the ones that compose our lives, write our tales and no one else. So what kind of story are you writing? Is it a story filled with highs and lows, repeated defeats, struggles of mental health, loved one’s lost, and interjected moments of triumph and victory? Or is it a huge volume of mundane, commonplace, daily routines; where your decisions are which cereal to have at the start of your day?

What makes you come alive? What shakes the Giant within and gets you feeling invigorated? Have you found that yet? If you’ve had that feeling why aren’t you doing more to feed that feeling more often? And for each of us it’s different isn’t it? For we are on a quest of sorts. We’re on a journey from our present to our future self. In the stories that make good adventures such as Treasure Island or The Lord Of The Rings, hero’s don’t always recognize themselves as such. They start expecting life to be ordered and highly predictable and then some event comes along that changes all that.

If you’re waiting for pirates to abscond with you or some dwarves to come knocking at your door to take you on a quest, you might be waiting a rather long time – waiting your life away. Your stimulus; your calling, might just be internal and not external – the giant within. If you feed it, it grows. If you ignore it, it diminishes until it’s such a far cry from itself it’s barely recognizable.

For there are many adventures still to be found in 2018. While some are thousands of miles away, some are right where we live – where you live – all around you. There are tyrants and victims, the oppressed and the hungry, lives to be saved and people to be helped up. There are those to advocate for, some to be rescued, and the hero to do all these things and more isn’t charging in on some distant horizon. The hero my friend is – perhaps – the giant that slumbers within Y-O-U.

Sure, go on and nod your head in disbelief. Jim Hawkins didn’t believe it, nor did Frodo when talking to Gandalf. Most hero’s at some point say, “But I am only one! What can I do?” Ah, but there is a slumbering giant within us all my friend. Imagine how powerful we might be if we not only awoke the giant within us but stirred the giant in others to join us; to work with us, to journey with us! Then what could we not do collectively together?

Now the next time you feel this stirring from within, pay heed my friend. Ask not where it comes from but rather what is it in response to around you that stirs it?