Whether it is job interviews, press interviews, interviews to get into med school, application for rentals, you can’t escape it and you want to be the last person standing.
I made my own share of mistakes fresh out of university. I remember this one time in the final round of interview, I got tripped by this question: “What would you do if you know that your manager’s decision was wrong?”. Without even thinking, I said “I will raise it to him and discuss it with him”. The follow up question was “What if you cannot convince him?”, I said “I will try to prove otherwise and if necessaary escalate it”. While all those can be correct, the interviewer was looking for someone who is not afraid to speak up AND YET willing to take orders when needed. I did not come across as someone who is willing to bend over – at least not easily. So I did not get the job but they also missed out on hiring someone who thrives at independent thinking. 🙂
To be successful at a job interview, you must understand what they are looking for and what you possess that stand out from other applicants. Explaining why you need the job or how the job will help you build your work experience will not get you the job. Furthermore, using abstracts like “hard working” or “good” will not get you anywhere since everyone claims they are “good” anyways. You should quote actual examples of what you did that proves that you are committed, hard working, always going-the-extra-mile, able to work under pressure, positive, work well with peers, etc..
“Shark Tank” or “Dragons’ Den” are both reality TV shows featuring entrepreneurs pitching their business ideas in order to secure investment finance from a panel of venture capitalists. It is a great way to see commonalities of those that are successful as well as those that failed miserably.
Some common failures that I picked up from the shows are:
- Not listening – you don’t understand the ‘spirit’ of a question and don’t take a hint either. Futhermore, not answering a direct question give people the impression that you are trying to talk around it.
- Over-valuation – there is a difference between business potential versus proven record. While you do not want to undervalue yourself, the contrary do just as much damage.
- Indecision – opportunities do not wait for you forever. Sometimes you have to make quick hard decisions.
- Nothing unique – if it is a model that anyone can repeat, it is not a good business to invest in.
Exercise
- For those that have imminent job interviews, create a list of descriptor words like “Committed”, “Hard working” or whatever and then illustrate it with actual facts. Do practice with someone else, maybe even record it so that you can hear how it sounds.
- For others, explain how the above article is relevant to kung fu.