Is My Personality Killing My Chances?

If you feel that your enthusiasm and focus on being the best you can be, either in an interview or on the job, may be working against you, you may want to rein in your enthusiasm - moderate the intensity to some degree, but more often than not, it is a matter of developing good communication sense.

High Self-expectation + Tenacity ≠ Arrogance. On the other hand, ‘high self-expectation + tenacity’ minus a well-developed ‘communication sense’ might.

"Communication skills" and "communication sense" are not the same. Good communication skills is the foundation, underpinnings, for developing communication sense, just like knowing the functions of the pieces on the Chess board is ultimately necessary for executing strategy. Pieces don’t win the match, how you manage them does; and perhaps that's all you need - a better strategy for managing your communications or Sound Communication Sense.

Here are some tips to help:

1. Truism: You create a more meaningful connection by becoming interested in others than by first trying to interest others in you.

2. Don’t oversell yourself: Talking to much is perceived as over-selling. Focus and listen and show the interviewer that h/she matters.

3. “Two ears, one mouth blah, blah, blah…”

4. Don’t bury your listener with incidentals and unnecessary details of a situation. When showcasing your value if it is not relevant to a result, drop it!

5. Use simple language when talking with others. Don’t make your listeners plow through jargon. If they recognize it they’ll be turned-off; if they don’t they’ll take out a book and read.

6. Use brief anecdotes to communicate your value and strengths; keep each under 90 seconds and invite interviewer questions. (People will remember your anecdotal stories more than a litany of duties and responsibilities).

7. Don’t rush. Stop and wait to see if there are questions after your response.

8. Choose your words carefully. Mark Twain once said, “The difference between the right word and the almost-right word is like the difference between lightening and lightening bug".

I will make 3 final suggestions:

1. Set up "informational interviews" with knowledgeable and/or influential people with the specific intention of gaining job information. Informational interviews are also great low-risk practice grounds for developing your communication sense.

2. Seek out “referrals” which results in less stressful interviews for all parties. When you are referred you enter the interview “pre-sold” to some degree and thus less burdened.

3. Finally, target "spot opportunities". Spot opportunities are typically unadvertised, unpublicized opportunities that are triggered by some activity or event in the business community: Plant openings; new business developments, diversification or product introductions; mergers, acquisitions, divestitures; IPO’s, LBO’s, etc.

Informational interviews, referrals & spot opportunities can all result in other networking opportunities, leads to jobs or actual openings that you can get to before of the crowd; and always a more comfortable meeting when you arrive, but only if you have sound communication sense.

Hope this helps!

YT,

Rob Taub

of RésuméPro PLUS