You interview for your job every day...

   Read How to Win Friends and Influence People. Why? Well it’s the most read book in the world next to the Bible. Also, it is loaded with wisdom about how to present yourself in almost every situation. Dale Carnegie wrote it in 1936 and it’s quoted more today than when it was first written. Finally, if you understand how to connect with people and focus on these rules you’ll not shoot yourself in the foot when it comes to moving forward in your career.


   If you don’t have a job that pays you a living wage, every moment is an opportunity to impress a potential boss. I’m often amazed how job seekers show up for different networking events and am especially blown away when I see how they dress for training, workshops and presentations. From a presenter’s  perspective, you never know who is going to be in the audience. So I dress for success. I present myself in the most positive, professional attitude possible. But when I look out into the audience, I see people who have shown up in shorts and tee shirts. 


   Career consultants and job transition counselors tell our clients that the best predictor of future behavior is past performance... guess what, if you have a job you’re being evaluated. Every day is a chance to win or lose. If you’re in transition it’s important to remember that everyday people are looking at you and judging. You never know who you’ll meet during a day of networking or whatever.


   Be positive and professional in your attitude. If you’re on the job, everyone is going to relate to you better if you have a winning attitude. Nobody wants to work with Debbie Downer. Have a friendly word to say and keep a smile on your face. What’s a smile worth? To quote the April 2007 issue of AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH:

Smiling is a significant nonverbal signal in a sales encounter between sales clerk and consumer. A sales clerk’s smile should result in more positive impressions of the clerk and his/her sales pitch, and influence the consumer’s purchasing behavior.

   Getting a job offer and/or a promotion is a result of a sales process where you are the product. Smiling isn’t the only thing necessary but all things being equal regarding capability, the person that makes the most favorable impression will most likely be the winner. 


   Also remember everyone’s favorite radio station is WIIFM (What’s in it for me.) If your focus is on the people in your life and not yourself... this will be noticed and valued. If you’re the go to person in a certain area it’s because you are approachable and competent at what someone needs done. And why do people hire people? To solve problems. If you can solve problems and you’re a pain in the butt or you send off a “negative” vibe, people will avoid you and you’ll miss out on the promotion or the job opportunity. 


   Another idea: You interview for a promotion by doing the job before you have it. If you’re doing the job with a positive attitude and being successful at it, then it’s self evident. I cannot think of a better way to show folks that you are the one for the job. Before you interview for a new job be indispensable in your current role and the new role. It shows initiative, hard work, and a willingness to put others first. Don’t forget to ask for the promotion though.

Transition: What I am becoming? (part 2)

The transition process is a classic Birth – Death – Rebirth cycle (Stepping between worlds) where job loss is the death event. We see job loss as an end. I suggest to my clients that it is a loss and deserves time for grieving. Yet, what follows is the transition to the next thing, a rebirth. The time between is truly hard for people – we are not good at being between things. You’ve come from a state of: “What you were,” moving into a state of, “What you are going to be” This syndrome is not so uncommon. Normally you graduate from 8th grade and you’re going into 9th grade. Then bang! you’re a Freshman in High School and there is no looking back. I suggest that transition is like going from 8th to 9th grade without a three month summer break.

What makes transition such a scary thing? There is no time-line and the next step isn’t a guarantee. Someone may very well say "No" to you. Transition is full of rejection, where your ego can really take a beating.

Job and life transitions are not predictable. Of course you can plan and work the plan but there are far too many variables out of your control. People like things to be predictable, which is one of the reasons people stay in the same job year after year even when they have grown tired of the work… it’s safe and secure but it is also predictable.

I suggest looking at transition as a phase in life, call it: “Your Becoming Phase”… You’re no longer X and you’re not Y yet? You’re becoming – meaning… you’re free to ask yourself “What do I need to do to fit into the world?” Where do my strengths and interests fit best? If money wasn’t an issue what would I do to make the world a better place?

These are great topics to investigate and a coach can really help. In the third part of this discussion we will talk about the bigger questions that you can address in your becoming phase.