When seeking employment it is of utmost importance to maintain a strong sense of self confidence. Sure it generally takes between three to six months to land a job, and face rejection four out of five times, but your outer image is a reflection of your inner perceptions, and you’ve got to hold your head up high. Here are some excellent tips from Dr. Ivan Joseph, on how to learn the skill of self confidence. How can you learn this vital skill? Repetition Repetition Repetition You will attain a sense of mastery only after years of practice. Malcolm Gladwell in his book Outliers, explains that the key to achieving world-class expertise in any skill, is a matter of practicing the correct way, for a total of 10,000 hours. He calls it “the 10,000 hour rule”. Do not expect to be self confident about mastering a skill without years of practice. Persistence When adversity comes DO NOT BAIL OUT. It took Thomas Edison many thousands of tries to build the light bulb. JK Rowling took her Harry Potter took her book to 12 publishers before she finally got a yes. Do not accept no for an answer and you will succeed. Positive Self Affirmations here are to many people in our lives telling us that we just won’t succeed and that we are not good enough. Often,..
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By Harvard Career Advisor - Linda Spencer Do your Homework Before you have the interview Research yourself. What are your qualifications and how will you add value to a company. Research the position. What are the expected tasks for such a position? Research the employer. What does the company do? What is the history, the products and who are their competitors? Research the industry. What are the current and evolving trends in the industry? The interviewer will be impressed if you know about the company. Prepare your Stories Prepare a series of stories about yourself demonstrating your skills. The stories should be short and have a beginning and an end. Like show and tell. Practice your Responses Practice your responses to commonly asked questions. Talk to yourself in a mirror or set up a mock interview with a professional. First Impressions Matter Be sure to dress in proper attire, wear a necktie. Are your shoes shined, hands clean, and fingernails clean? Arrive early. Come a half hour early and announce yourself in the reception area 10 - 15 minutes early. Within 7 seconds your interviewer will notice your general appearance and will size you up. They will decide if they like you, if are you intelligent and if are you kind. Maintain good eye contact, have a nice strong hand shake, keep positive, upbeat, authentic, and speak in..
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