Learning a Few Tricks of the Trade

After reading several of the articles from the blog prompt link, I decided that the two I found to be most helpful were "Worst-Case Scenario Survival Tactics for Job Seekers" and "An Interview Strategy: Telling Stories".

The issues raised in the "Worst-Case" article were particularly helpful because they were the kinds of issues that are not your "typically addressed" issues when it comes to formal interviews, yet they are the ones that can really make or break it for you.

Not to mention, I have been unexpectedly late to an interview as well as been called the wrong name and I would be hard-pressed to believe you if you told me I would never again encounter one or both of those faux pas at some point down the line in my professional career. I know myself well enough to know that the odds are not in my favor in that respect so I am very glad that I now have some ammunition (i.e. this article) to combat these very delicate interview situations.

Whatsmore, It is very awkward to be called the wrong name on numerous occassions by an entire board of people, hence, I found it comforting to read this section of the article because it reminded me that the interviewers are human just like me. They are prone to mistakes just like me. That doesn't mean they should not be respected (they absolutely should!) - but it also means that I need not be afraid of them or feel so intimidated by them that I don't have the courage to stand up for myself.

As far as the other article is concerned, it covered an issue I already knew about, but none the less served as an awesome refresher. For example, it is so very easy to forget the real purpose of an interview. They really are not suppose to be interrogations -if they were they would be called interrogations and not interviews!

This article put the emphasis on answering questions via short narrations versus stiff, rehearsed cookie-cutter answers - and rightly so!

Even though it sounds like it might be alot of work to prepare "short stories" about yourself, I definitely see where the article is coming from. By formulating stories, you are able to paint a fuller picture of yourself than can be generated on a paper resume or through cliche question answering. These stories will, in turn, be more memorable and help you to stand out from the rest of the applicants.

A clear win-win!