photo credit: courtneyrae312

Neediness comes disguised in many forms. People can smell it on you, and it acts as a great repellant. Showing up needy for an interview is the kiss of death.

Instead: try helpfulness.

Instead: try showing up hungry.

Instead: try showing up with readiness to do what it takes.

These three things are much more uncommon, but instantly send the message that you are there for what you can offer, not because you are unable to find anything else.

photo credit: Port of San Diego

When you are interviewing for a prospective job, you are selling yourself. You are literally given the chance to make your advertising pitch-it is sink or swim.

Studies show that 93% of the impact you have is non-verbal. It isn’t so much the words you use, but in the non-verbal signals you send. This means that what is important  is how you come across. Talk to fast and you will lose their interest. Talk too slowly and you will send your interviewer to sleep.

When I was at college I had a really terrible lecturer. He was dull, didn’t know his subject well, and was generally uninspiring. But, I’m eternally thankful for some advice he gave me. He said:

Remember the 3 Ps: Pitch, Pause and Pace

Great advice, but not as good as his next gem:

If you can’t do the 3 Ps then do the 6 Ps: Prior preparation prevents piss-poor performance.

This is where reaseach and preparation comes to the fore- and what sets you up for success.

But hit that sweet spot, and, wow…. you’ve aced that interview. Is this going to guarantee you the job, but it will help you present yourself in a way that ensures you get taken seriously.

Here are some things that you can do:

• Watch Talk Shows
• Watch The Movie Frost/Nixon
• Vary your pace and pitch
• Have more conversations

If you are uncomfortable speaking in a public arena, than you can join an organization like Toastmasters.

You want to be comfortable talking about your topic before you enter the interview.

How do you do this? The same way that you get to Carnegie Hall: Practice, Practice Practice.

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photo credit: thomaspetermueller

I saw a tweet yesterday from the incredibly insightful Hugh MacLeod of Gaping Void yesterday:

Society tends to despise artists both for selling out and/or being poor. I find that humorous.

Work hard at your passion and find some way to monetize it. By making money, you support yourself doing the thing you love. By making money, you allow yourself to become the author of your own life, and those in your shpere of influence.

Money is not the root of all evil, as some would have you think. It is a shared stored energy source that we’ve agreed to use as a society. That’s it. Having no money makes you no more  spiritual. It makes it hard for you to build a career that you get success and satisfaction from.

Now is following your bliss and making money easy? No, of course not. If it was, most people would choose to do something they liked. But, just because it is difficult and you will meet some challenges, why give up before you even begin?

Financial Mess

Recently I had the opportunity to interview Melissa Dinwiddie of 365 Days of Genius and Living A Creative Life.

It was great because Melissa is not only really creative, but she has some great business savvy as well.

Check out the interview: Melissa Interview

Whatever it is you want to do with your career, you cannot do it alone. The myth of the lone cowboy is just that- a myth. We live in a very interconnected world, and those who succeed know how to help others, and when to get help from others.

I belong to a great cutting edge marketing group called “The Third Tribe”. But we get together once a month to discuss marketing our businesses in a fun and productive way. Here are Lisa Johnson of Modern Pilates and Ben Eadie of SWGeeks:

And while we all do very different things within our businesses, we have one core mission- to do great work.

Hear how an Irishman, Benny The Polyglot, is building his career on his own terms.

He was working as a translator, but wanted to do a lot more with his life. And he wanted to do it on his own terms, making his own rules. I caught up with him over breakfast at the Blog World Expo.

Find out what he has done. So far…

www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnJCRY5x3Ts

It is amazing which doors open for you when you begin to live life on your own terms. Benny’s story is one of thousands I’v heard in my lifetime of people who have an idea and bring it into reality in the world. For me, the best thing is that it is only the beginning for Benny.

photo credit: shahsjunkie

Don’t Become A Commodity

Commodities like milk, juice and sugar can only compete on price. It is a race to the bottom of the barrel. There are a lot of people in the workforce who position themselves this way. They think that if they try to fit in more with what others are doing thing will work out for them. Consequently never get recognized for what they do and never position themselves in a way which is advantageous.

Why should you get hired? What separates you from the group? What makes you unique?

This could be:

1 Your skills and abilities.
2 Your enthusiasm.
3 Your willingness to go the extra mile.

Journalist Amy Parmenter of the www.theparmfarm.com. In a recent interview I did with Amy, she tells a story of how she got hired by some of the largest media companies. She was willing to wake up at 2:30 am for 18 months for an unpaid internship.

Listen to the entire interview here.

It is interesting to see the qualities that others are looking for in you. Notice that they are qualities, not skills…

Qualities Employers Are Looking For