Helping career professionals to pass more job interviews.
“To a brave man, good and bad luck are like his left and right hand. He uses both.” – St Catherine of Siena
The interview is broken down into several parts, from the introduction, followed by the interviewer’s brief overview of the company, to the interviewer checking you are a suitable candidate, questioning you to extract what value you can add to the company, to the interview close.
Throughout the interview you will have used a variety of techniques to increase your chance of the interviewer realising you are the ideal person for this position. At the interview close stage, you need to close the deal, to finally ensure the interviewer will choose you.
But, first you need to understand why people want what they can’t have. Scarcity makes us want a product more, which is why collector’s items are so valuable – there’s not that many of them. I have a friend who collects album covers with faults; the guitarist jacket is the wrong colour, a name is spelled wrong. These items are worth quadruple the price of a normal collector’s item even though the product was wrongly produced, the value is in the fact that this item is unique, one of a kind. And it’s being one of a kind, a unique item that will secure you a job offer.
If you have followed the rules in this book, so have already sold your unique selling point and highlighted on several occasions the value you will bring to the organisation, so all that is left is to make yourself scarce.
If I was selling a necklace, I would put a big sign in my shop window saying “Ruby Necklace Only 10 Remaining” if I was selling an old comic I might say “Limited Edition Superman Comic Only 100 Ever Produced” but when making yourself look scarce at a job interview you need a different tack, but the psychology remains the same – the interviewer doesn’t want to miss out.
With the interview being highly impressed with you, mainly due to your new selling skills or by you embedding commands into your interview answers, telling him to recruit you, you next need to highlight that you are not freely available and you can do this in two ways:
Remember by this stage of the interview, the employer is already highly impressed with you, all you are doing here is saying, “Look I’m not going to hold out for this job” if you have done your homework and the interview has gone as planned, the interviewer will want to hire you anyway, but they can’t as they have to follow their company policies and procedures and interview the other 4-5 candidates that made it through the first round of CV’s and application forms, and now they have the fear that an opponent company may snatch you up first, making them want you even more.
By highlighting how you can add value to whichever organisation you accept a job offer from, the current interviewer or their competition, you are now taking the interviewer on an emotional journey.
Taking them on a high when they realise how they can turn your skills into profit and down to a low when they realise that a competitive organisation is still in with a chance of recruiting you. emotional journey will add to your unforgettable performance, but as we started on a high, you need to end on a high….
You want to give an employer an equal handshake, you don’t want to dominate the interviewer and you don’t want to be seen as submissive, again these thoughts are always subconscious. If you ask an interviewer they will often say they make their mind up about someone after the interview. Research has proven this to be wrong.
If you shake hands with your palm facing upwards you will come across as submissive – From this, we can see the origins of the phrase – “Giving someone the upper hand”.
If you shake hands with your palm facing downwards you come across as domineering or aggressive.
You need to shake hands with your palm facing sideways, as this will give an equal handshake.
If an employer walks towards you with their palm facing downwards (they want to dominate you) all you need to do is take their hand and clasp your other hand on the back of their hand and use this to gently turn their hand so that it faces sideways.
Start by explaining how you get on well with everyone, and then stop to think.
Carry on by saying you would not want to work with someone who was violent or someone who was lazy.
“I always get on well everyone I meet, I am often told how friendly and approachable I am. I like to give everyone a chance but I wouldn’t like to work with someone who is violent or lazy”
Recently created and future jobs belong to the STEM sector (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) and the potential jobs opportunities range from the entertainment industry recruiting game designers to sound engineers, to the energy and environmental sector who are developing new energy sources from wind, sun and wave power.
Governments from all over the world are looking at how we can cut carbon emissions to create a greener planet while enjoying the advancements we have created. Innovators are currently working on Wave Powered Electricity – creating energy from under the sea, Electric Powered Cars that can travel as fast as formula one vehicles and Planes Powered by the Sun.
Scientists from different expert fields are coming together to collaborate, creating new ideas for old problems. This scientific collaboration is proving to be highly successful. There is a massive need for innovative scientists and this sector is due to rapidly expand.
STEM jobs (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) is predicted to be the growth industry of the future. Advancements in technology, computer science, health, psychology and nanoscience will increase jobs in this sector.
Predicted growth in the space industry is massive, with scientists looking at energy sources from different planets, space watchers ready to predict asteroids hitting the planet and even space holidays are not too far away.
As the internet has flourished, a large amount of data is being stored on company servers, which can literally burn out the servers. Companies like Google and Amazon collect data to use to increase profits. Big Data, Data Analyst and Online Data Security staff play a powerful part in this high
Louise moved to Cornwall in 2004 with no job, no qualifications and no prospects. “sometimes you have to take the chance” Louise said after ditching her life in Manchester. Jobs in Cornwall are hard to come by even for qualified career professionals.
Louise always dreamed of a career working with children, but ended up working in shops and as a chambermaid, both of which were low paid seasonal work.
By 2007 Louise had met her husband and was expecting her first child. After he was born she choose to give up work and to have another baby to complete the family. All the time she thought about how she could pursue her dream job. Louise felt disheartened, believing she would have to go back to the unsatisfying job as a shop assistant or chambermaid.
By the time the children were getting older, Louise has had enough. “I had always wanted to work within a school setting but never imagined I could achieve this from not doing well at school and not going on to further education and now I was older with children I just didn’t think it would be possible”
She got her lucky break after researching different entry routes into careers with children. She heard about entry into university via the access course at college which is equivalent to A-Levels. “it was quite demanding, balancing being a mother, as well as studying” At times Louise felt like giving up, but her inspiration and dreams kept her going. Louise admits that the first 6 months of the Access Course was difficult “I hadn’t studied since leaving school” Louise admits.
Some people thought it was a pointless exercise, but throughout the long nights of studying and the early morning wake-up calls by her two young boys, Louise finally passed her course.
“I was really excited, I didn’t actually believe I was going to pass” Before she knew it, she had already signed up to Worcester University for the Teaching and Learning foundation degree. Louise is the first in her family to go to University and feels that she can be a better role model for her children.
Louise now has to attend University, undertake a volunteering placement in a school as well as being a mother for two demanding children but feels this extra work is worth it. Her plan is to get a job within a school while completing the 3-year university course.
Louise wants to share her story with other mothers who may not have had the time to attend college due to being a mum or other mothers like Louise who wrongly believe that because you left school with no qualifications that you cant follow your dreams. When asked what advice would you give to other young mums who are thinking about university and careers, Louise said “Just Go For It”
Find out more about Louise on her FaceBook page here: Louise Phillips
Recently on Virgin Blog.com, they discuss the importance of creativity for future job searchers.
Creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship will be soon seen as the most desirable skills required by employers, Virgin explains. This is because employers understand that the digital age has a need for entrepreneurs.
Inventions soon to come to light include paper-thin phones that curl up when you receive a call and self-driving cars.
STEM (science, technology, engineering, maths) jobs are on the rise. Examples can be found now with innovative scientists looking at new ways of harnessing the suns rays to provide green energy and products such as “The Life Saver Bottle” have been designed to clean polluted water, by pumping contaminated water after hurricanes and tsunamis turning polluted water into drinking water within seconds, saving thousands of lives.
Employers and business leaders understand how such innovations will change the world while making them billions of pounds. Communication and technology is the new in-demand job, employers will interview highly skilled job hunters and creativity and innovation will be a required skill without these some employees will find it hard to progress in the workplace.
Read the full article here: The importance of daydreaming for entrepreneurs
