Time is of the essence – here’s how to get it done efficiently

 

While watching a student on campus one day I witnessed “the ultimate” in multi-tasking.

The student was roller-blading (getting exercise) – to class (quick transportation) – with his shirt off (getting a tan) – listening to his assignment that he had downloaded into his ipod (audio-learning) – AND – he was eating a sandwich – all at the same time (alright, probably not a great way to eat while exercising – but doable).

My thought was, “Why can’t job seekers do the same multi-tasking while they prepare for their job search and interviews?”

Answer, “They can!”

Most people today are pressed for time for one reason or another – families having to be transported; appointments to get to; errands to run; waiting for service – car, beauty, medical, standing in lines. These are the perfect opportunities to multi-task your job search.

The fact is that the more you prepare and work on knowing your product – YOU – the more you will be comfortable with the idea of presenting yourself. What better way than to hear yourself or others telling you about yourself than through your ipod or other listening device? Downloading products – not music this time – but preparation products make perfect sense.

Working out in the gym is a quiet, mindless time to watch some bad tv –or you could be working on your points and what makes you unique – Branding Yourself – while walking on that treadmill or riding that recombinant bike.

Walking is a good time to get in some quiet thinking time. A perfect time to do some of the exercises that require you to delve deep into your thoughts to come up with examples and stories of past experiences – listening to your product on downloads.

One of the challenges of the job search in this economy is demonstrating your uniqueness. How do you differ yourself from the woman or man who walked through the door to interview one hour ago?

It is necessary for you to take the time to think about what makes you unique or what added value you bring, and then be able to articulate what that uniqueness is.

This is a major stumbling block for most people. Most people dislike or are uncomfortable talking about themselves – bragging. Even the most articulate of candidates become bumbling communicators when asked to “Tell me about yourself.”

The importance of selling yourself

Here’s a chance to change your thinking and take action so that you begin to think of this as preparation to “sell yourself” as you would sell a product. Becoming comfortable with the idea of “selling yourself” or letting those you’re talking to know what you have to offer as a member of their team will make a huge difference in your job search results.

It is imperative that you know what the unique properties of your product, YOU have to offer. Consumers (in this case hiring managers/interviewers) have a choice about which product they choose and it is your job to make sure they have all the facts about you so that they can make the decision based on objective data and information and not “gut feelings” about the way you look.

An example of what your prep time with your downloads would be is to go through some steps and some thinking.

By doing some basic preparation, you can determine your uniqueness and where you should focus your attention. The first step in this process is to identify your strengths. These strengths are the areas where you do very well.

This may take some thought on your part. What are your strengths? Think about previous performance appraisals – what was said or written about you? What would your co-workers or ex-bosses say about you?

• Think about the skills and experiences you have that would be required in the type of job you are seeking. For instance, a technical job would focus on programs, languages, and platforms, etc.
• Give some thought to those skills in which you excel, those that are referred to as the “soft skills.” These skills can be viewed as transferable– you can take them with you to any job you hold. Examples of these skills are your communication and people skills, or your time-management and project-management skills, your ability to build strong relationships, or your ability to influence others.
• Lastly, think of the personal traits that make you unique. Maybe you never miss deadlines, or perhaps you are willing to do above and beyond what is asked, or perhaps you have a great attitude. (Don’t dismiss these traits–many people have been fired for negative personal traits rather than for lack of knowledge).

This is an example of what you can accomplish and what you achieve when you download products that will give you the motivation and steps to take to identify your uniqueness.

Products are available to assist you while you carry out your daily routine. These products can make your preparation easy, less painful, and even enlightening – and you can have all this and stay in shape or get organized at the same time.

Isn’t technology a great tool?

I wanted to let you know that I’ve drastically reduced the price of my Complete Interview Coach product. Download all of the MP3s to your MP3 player and have an interview coach “on the go” – interview coaching when it’s convenient for you. Of course, the package includes my published books in digital format for your PC. AND, it includes “Interview Fitness Training” with more help for salary negotiation, more help with branding yourself, and an extra 30 pages of interview questions and answers. Turn your free time into learning time and come out of your next job interview with the job!