The Morning Blend: Scariest Job Search Situations

I have to admit that Halloween is my second favorite holiday of the year. We have held the Raney Spooktacular Halloween party for many years and I always enjoy decorating the house for the trick or treaters. This year was no different, except that I decided to turn the spookiness of the season around and try an “unscientific experiment” on Job Seekers.

In the past two weeks, I have spoken to four different job seeker groups or organizations. At the end of each session, I posed a simple question and asked each attendee to write down their answer for me. The question – “What scares you the most in your job search?”

I got many different responses but three specific areas bubbled up from my survey. In the “David Letterman Top Ten List” style, here are the three things that scare job seekers the most, and my advice for those situations.

#3 – Telephone Interviews! This does not surprise me at all -very few folks are comfortable talking on the phone to an interviewer. You can’t see facial expressions or watch the interviewer’s body language. You only have vocal inflections to go by and usually the “interviewer” is just reading a series of questions to you. In most cases, these are a second or third level screening devices designed to weed out individuals who can’t think clearly under pressure. They ask you the same questions several different ways to see if you are telling the truth. They might even try to intimidate you to see how you handle confrontations. The whole process is to find one more reason to drop you from the job contenders list. How do you make phone interviews less scary? First, preparation is the key to feeling comfortable on the phone. Research the company as much as you can and be ready to tell great stories about your achievements when those open ended questions pop up. Second, practice this skill with a friend. Go online and find a list of the most common interview questions and have your friend call in the role of the interviewer. Get comfortable hearing your answers and make notes on questions that you have difficulty answering well. This is the only interview where you can have a “cheat sheet” to help you – no one can see the notes you have made to help you, so use this to your advantage.

#2 – Knowing What I Really Want To Do? This answer came in many forms, but what is really means is that job seekers today are looking for the best opportunity, are open to try something new, and are terrified of making a wrong choice. If you have attended one of my VOWELS presentations, seen my website, or read my new book, you will know that this is the central message of my teaching and preaching – understanding yourself, where you are now and where you want to go in life. The only way to know how to find your perfect job is to dig deep inside and ask yourself some tough questions. This topic is much too deep and involved to go into here, but the decision is based in understanding what you really want. Do you want a Job (an income provider), a Career (a series of jobs in a general progression), or a Vocation (a calling – what you were made to do!). Each of us were made for a Vocation but it often takes some time and effort to understand what that is – I can help you with this one, on a one on one basis.

And finally, the #1 thing that scares job seekers the most – how to stand out in the crowded job market! This situation goes straight the “U” VOWEL in my program – Uniqueness! You must find ways to “pull back the curtain” and share your unique experiences, hopes, dreams, passions, skills and more with hiring managers and recruiters. Recently a job seeker handed me a flash drive with his resume, examples of his work, a video about him and things he’s passionate about, and even videos from references who endorse his great skills and attitude. THAT is being different and unique! You don’t have to go to that extreme, but think long and hard about how you can tell interviewers more about you than you might think is necessary. One of my recruiter friends put it this way – he said that if you are called in for a face to face interview, the company or recruiter has decided that you have the skills that are required to do the job. The in-person interview is about deciding if they like you, if you will fit in the company’s culture, and if others would enjoy being around you 8-9 hours a day. Your resume is the basis of some talking points for the face to face interview, but make no mistake – this is your one (and sometimes ONLY) chance to stand out from the other candidates – to exhibit the VOWEL of UNIQUENESS! Use this opportunity to do just that – be personable, professional, and have as much fun as you can!

If your job search is “scary”, I’m here to help.

Sincerely,

Brad Raney

brad@improveyourvowels.com

Brad Raney is a motivational speaker, life coach, author and sales trainer. He has over 25 years of experience in sales and sales management within the broadcast industry. Brad developed the VOWELS program in 2009 and the success it brought his sales team has spurred keynote speeches, workshops, seminars, a website, and his first book “Improve Your VOWELS, Improve Your Career!” which was released in July 2010. Click here to order “Improve Your Vowels, Improve Your Career! The A, E, I, O, U’s of Finding Your Perfect Job!” — Available Now!

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