Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Making lemonade from lemons: the job seeker mantra

Lately, it seems that everything is conspiring to test our optimism.  First, there were several tremors felt across the United States and Latin America.  Then, Hurricane Irene caused havoc the Caribbean and along the East Coast, from Florida to New England. Telephone lines, internet and electric power were interrupted.  How can we focus on looking for work under these conditions?

I was one of those who was in a technology stand still.  We lost electricity for three days which meant I got behind  in my work and deadlines.  It took lots of will power to channel my frustration into some kind of productive outcome but somehow I got there.  Here are the steps that helped me.  They may help you.
  • Go with the flow.  It is useless to get angry about an act of God.  Accepting that there are circumstances beyond our control, like the weather, diffuses the feeling of helplessness. 
  • Refocus and re-prioritize. Once you have accepted your new, temporary reality, see what you can get done.  Could you go to the library to continue your online search?  
  • Test your resourcefulness.  Make a game of finding solutions to the challenges in front of you. If you need to write a thank you letter, do it by hand until you can get to a computer. It is as simple as that.  You would be surprised to know how many people spend the day complaining about what's wrong and do not do anything about it.
  • Acknowledge what is working.  The feeling of appreciation will put things in perspective.  Although our level of comfort was radically changed, it did not compare to what others went through.  And this applies to Irene or to being unemployed.  
Remember, there are always others who are better or worse than we.  Understanding this dynamic does not make us complacent.  It turns us into grateful, resourceful, creative individuals that can be productive under any circumstance.

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Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Maintaining your cool during interviews

Given the volatile economic environment we live in, we are bound to think and to react out of fear.  We will promise results we are not sure we cannot deliver.  We will accept situations that make us uncomfortable. How does this fear-based reaction translate into your careers and job search?

When a hiring manager asks, 'would you relocate to Latin America?,' you immediately jump and say, 'of course!' knowing that you have some personal responsibilities that make it difficult.  Or if an interviewer asks, 'how fluent are you in Spanish?,' you say, 'I am pretty fluent. I am a prolific writer and engaging speaker,' knowing that you are massively stretching the truth.

When placed on the spot during an interview, do what politicians and other personalities do when being interviewed:  stall in a subtle way.  I call it smart stalling.  The goal is to gather a bit more information to answer the question in a clear and confident way.  Here are a few steps:
  1. Ask additional questions.  For example, when asked if you are willing to move to Latin America, you could ask, where? what country? This will give you a break to quickly check with yourself and see how the possibility of a move might affect you. After the interviewer tells you where, you could make a positive statement about the country and say, "I will certainly be willing to consider moving there if the job requires it."
  2. Show authentic enthusiasm.  As a job seeker, hungry for work and a salary, you could easily nod and smile from ear to ear to every requirement described during the interview.  Interviewers have caught on and know that people are desperate to work and would say yes to practically every job demand.  You will be able to stand out from the desperate pile of applicants by expressing your enthusiasm according to your level of interest.  For example, if you like the customer service part of the job, say so with a wide smile--because it is true.  But if you are not too thrilled about the record keeping that follows, then you could say that you are looking forward to learning more about this function.  Just don't lie about how much you love to keep records.  
  3. Provide specific examples of your ability.  For instance, when the interviewer asks you about your level of language proficiency--or any other type of knowledge--give specific examples of how you have applied this knowledge in your professional life.  Did you translate customers feedback into Spanish and created reports for management?  Did you write periodically for the company newsletter?  
By staying true about your credentials, experiences and levels of interest, you will be able to demonstrate a maturity and confidence as an interviewee that will help you come across as the poised professional every one wants to hire.

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