Archive for the ‘Interviewing Skills’ Category

Par, Score, Home run, Touchdown, Hit it out of the park

Monday, January 2nd, 2012

http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=NFL+video+highligh&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

I like sports analogies. But then again, I was quite a tomboy, and these analogies make sense to me as a result. But if you are speaking to a global group or others who didn’t play sports or aren’t interested in them, maybe you should think of analogies that relate to what others have in common — family, weather, vacations, and if not politically charged, current events. I’m glad you like sports, and you can go ahead and use some athletic analogies, but you’d better explain them. Then you’ll really score.

Posted in Cultural Differences, Influencing, Interviewing Skills | No Comments »

An Inexpensive Gift to Give

Thursday, December 30th, 2010

I’m having a great time reading The Zen of Listening by Rebecca Shafir, a neurotherapist and speech pathologist. Her latest “gift” in the book is this quote: “Listening is a very inexpensive way to give to others.” She offers this statement after pages of quotes from people who recalled the moment in which they had felt truly listened to and understood, without interruptions by others to tell their own stories or “run their own agendas.” To receive full and complete listening by others seems so rare that people find it to be magical. I’m enjoying focusing on listening without barriers or an agenda. It’s not so hard. Here’s the link for her book: http://www.mindfulcommunication.com/

At our company, we’ve spent a lot of time helping people to hear implied meanings in questions and discern the intentions of others, but I think I will recommend this book for its approach to the fine points of focusing and listening. More later on this topic. Thanks for reading this blog, and let me know what you think.

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Posted in Auditory Memory, Career Advancement, Dealing with difficult people and situations, Executive Communications, Generational Differences, Influencing, Interviewing Skills, Presence, self-direction and control | No Comments »

Can’t Remember Names

Wednesday, December 29th, 2010

Being introduced to someone and not remembering his or her name a minute later or days later or even more is one of life’s frustrations. You may wonder why your forget names so easily. I used to think names were forgettable because they told you so little — whether someone you meet is named Sue or Shana doesn’t tell you much. However, according to author Rebecca Shafir in The Zen of Listening, we forget names because we are too busy at the time we hear names. We’re busy going through what she calls “the acceptability list.” By “acceptability list,” she means that we are checking the person against our biases, their appearance, previous similar-looking people, etc. and just not paying attention to anything but our acceptability list. She says an extraordinary listener “does not allow her attention to be consumed by any bias” (page 59). Isn’t that interesting? Try quieting your “acceptability list” and see if that improves your recall of names. After all, your name and theirs are important to everyone! Keep up the good communications.

Also, learn how to make your own introductions more memorable. Just write and ask.

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Posted in Auditory Memory, Interviewing Skills, Presence | No Comments »

The Q Factor: Angelina Jolie

Sunday, December 19th, 2010

Angelina Jolie has another movie out, and with her every movie, interview, and photo, she is mesmerizing. How? Why? Obviously, she is a beautiful woman. There are many beautiful women in the public eye, and yet she stands out. One reason might be what my associate and favorite colleague, Allan Carlsen, instructor in theater at the University of Delaware, calls the “Q factor.” In the performing arts, this factor means how simply interesting, appealing and watchable a person is. From our field, we might describe her Q factor as relating to Angelina’s additional ability to convey warmth, intelligence, and confidence as well as her ability to communicate clearly, diplomatically, and at a principled, philosophical level in a warm, low, resonant voice. That she is known for good works also helps. So beyond beautiful is the Q factor, and you don’t have to be beautiful to have it. Take a look at our course on Presence to get help finding your Q.

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Posted in Interviewing Skills, Presence, Speaking Style, Speech and Voice | No Comments »

Great speaker = winner

Sunday, October 31st, 2010

The Financial Times published a letter that quotes Richard Critchfield in Among the English as saying, “This society has since Elizabethan times rewarded almost extravagantly the articulate, the eloquent, the witty, the masters of words, and repartee.” See www.ft.com. Still true? YES. Being “articulate” as become more than a compliment. It succeeds more than facts or logic.

Don’t give up on trying to be more articulate. Now here’s a surprise: to be more articulate, just try talking about 10% slower. This gives your brain a chance to find your best words and to edit your speech before you say something. Try it.

You may not need to be articulate to do your daily activities or to run for office, but it will let you win when interviewing for a job or persuading a customer to buy your service, right?

Speak to you later.

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So much suffering — end this for interviews

Monday, July 12th, 2010

 

Suffering   This is not about Haiti, south China, or women in Afghanistan, although I empathize with their suffering, of course. It’s the suffering that goes with being laid off, especially for people for whom even the worst job they ever had still defines their worth as individuals. The depression from being out of work is not real coachable, in my experience, except for the most well-adjusted, who see the upcoming change as an opportunity.

Reduce Suffering   Whether you are deeply sad about a job loss, glad to try something else, or somewhere on that continuum, here is a way to move forward with success.

Competitive Advantages   Jack Welch of GE fame said, “If you don’t have a competitive advantage, [then] don’t compete.” I think everyone has a competitive advantage, but they often don’t think about what that is until their backs are up against the wall, when they have to interview for a new position and “sell themselves.” So even if your job is not currently in danger, or your organization for that matter, still take the time to think about what your competitive advantage is.

I bet you will be surprised by what they say. Check it out.

Resume Mistake   Often I find that what our clients write in their resumes as far as competitive advantages are NOT what turns on most interviewers. For example, they write the standard “leadership skills” and knowledge of various technical aspects of their jobs, but these only get you through the screening process, at best.

Ask   If you don’t know what your advantages are over your competitors, then ask people whom you respect to tell you how they perceive you and what your advantages are in the workplace. To really stand out, ask others what they see as your advantages over competitors for jobs, and the surprise might be that YOUR competitive advantages are: “reliable, trustworthy, high integrity, does not over-promise, understands internal communication structure (of a big company), knows how to handle sensitive information,” and others.

So, ask others what they see as your competitive advantage, and make sure that that aspect shines through in your resume and during your interviews. Good luck, and let us know what experiences you have had in interviewing. I’ll bet that you will do better and better, when your competitive advantages set you apart from your competitors.

Posted in Career Advancement, Dealing with difficult people and situations, Interviewing Skills | No Comments »