How to have a healthy relationship with your job applications

You know those people that get carried away by relationships? They go on a few dates with somebody and suddenly they’re building castles in the sky – planning their wedding, doodling names on their notebook and mentally planning out their life for the next thirty or forty years. Next thing you know they’re sobbing on your shoulder because the other person got freaked out by the intensity and broke it off.

Photo by Mendhak via flickr

Well, it turns out that when it comes to jobs that’s exactly the kind of person I am: as soon as I know I’ve got an interview (arguably the first date of the job hunting process) I get carried away imagining my life if I got the job; I look at possible places to live, think about how I’d get to work and work out where I’d meet up with my friends. I even plan holidays I could take on the salary available. Just like the over-keen person in a relationship I go too far, too fast when there’s no guarantee that the outcome of the situation will be the one I want. As a result, I leave myself completely emotionally vulnerable for the (seemingly) inevitable rejection that ensues.

It’s an easy trap to fall into, particularly if your job hunt is just beginning or not going well: in the former situation every application seems like a dazzling pathway to a better future and you get carried away by the fantasy and in the latter each opportunity provides a glimmer of hope that this time the search might be over and you’ll finally get your life sorted. Either way, you get attached to the vision of the future rather than the job itself, meaning that when you’re unsuccessful you don’t just lose the job, you lose all the plans and dreams that go along with it.

While this may not seem like the worst thing in the world, I’ve learned the hard way that if you keep repeating this pattern with each application you get extremely disheartened about the job hunt and depressed about your future opportunities.

Instead of focusing completely on one role at a time therefore, make sure you have a number of applications on the go at any one time – put the same amount of effort in but don’t dwell on the possibilities inherent in each position. The more positions you apply for, the more possible futures there are, making it less likely you’ll get overly invested in any of them. In addition to this, when you come back from an interview get straight on with the next application – it can be tempting to give yourself a break but resist: taking a break often means you are subconsciously relying on getting the job whereas continuing the process prevents you becoming too emotionally involved with the future that success could provide.

Are you a needy job hunter? Do you get too attached to the possibilities each job provides? Let me know in the comments. For more job hunting information click here.

The Truth about TEFL Part 3: Selling yourself via Skype

Picture by Jakob Montrasio via Flickr

TEFL job interviews are all about one thing: Skype. Occasionally employers may be in the UK during their recruiting period but for the most part your opportunity to impress them with your

There are a few things it’s important to remember however, if you want to become a Skype interview pro.

personality and suitability for the job will be a virtual one. Many people dread Skype interviews, unsure of how they should behave comparably to face-to-face interviews, but once you’ve gotten a few under your belt they’re an easy and effective way to connect with potential employers with little cost to either party.

1.       It’s still an interview so don’t get lazy. You still need to dress like you would for an interview and take care with your appearance – no top half only, no ‘smart casual’ wear. This is your only chance to make an impression and you don’t want to blow the deal before you even open your mouth.

2.       Do your preparation. When an interview is going to take place in your house, it often feels like the urgency is removed. Do not trust this feeling – you need to isolate a block of time before the interview to read up on the role and refresh yourself on what you wrote in your application. Remember that you won’t have the travel time and the pre-interview coffee shop time that you would with a traditional interview. It’s possible to have notes by your laptop for a Skype interview but you don’t want to be obviously fact checking every few minutes.

3.       Think about your body language. Even over a video link the way you present yourself can say a lot about you to an interviewer so it’s as important to consider your body language in a Skype interview as it is for a face to face meeting. Make sure you centre yourself on the screen and sit a sensible distance from the camera – you don’t want to be overly close but you need to be in range of the microphone. Most importantly make sure you look directly at the camera rather than the picture of the interviewer or of yourself, to maintain good eye contact.

4.       Be aware of the pitfalls of the internet. A lot of places that hire TEFL teachers aren’t renowned for their strong internet connections or good wifi coverage so it is quite likely that there will be a problem with the connection at some point in the interview. Obviously if you have prepared your setup properly this won’t be your problem but there are a couple of things you can do to minimise the damage; firstly, make sure you speak slowly and clearly to ensure you remain audible even if the connection becomes faulty and secondly try and minimise the amount of moving you do – the less work the system has to do to maintain a clear picture the better.

5.       Act natural. Lastly, behave as you normally would in an interview. Try to resist the urge to reference or joke about the nature of the process – it might be novel to you but they do it everyday. Trying to keep yourself in a normal interview mindset will also hopefully stop you being too nervous about the different format and should help you to come across well to the interviewer.

Had a good or bad interview experience on Skype? Let me know below. If you missed the first two parts of my series on TEFL you can find them here.

The Other Side of the Desk: Interviewers are people too

The other day I was sitting in the office, getting on with my work when the conversation turned to the upcoming interviews with prospective interns – intrigued I watched as the established members of staff debated who was going to have to do it and then googled interview questions to ask. It really brought home to me the rather obvious fact that interviewers are people too – most of them are just like you!

Pictures by Studio tdes via Flickr

Chances are that most people know somebody who has had to conduct interviews as part of their job from time to time – very few companies outside of huge multinationals hire people purely to hire and fire employees and the smaller the company, the lower down the chain of command the interviewer is likely to be as there will be fewer layers of management. As your career progresses – or your job hunt if you’re particularly unlucky – you will find yourself increasingly likely to be interviewed by somebody the same age as you, somebody who, outside of the interview room, you would likely consider a peer. Somebody just. Like. You.

So why is this grand realisation so important?

Well, firstly it helps even the playing field in your mind: it can be easy to imagine the person on the other side of the desk from you as a remote, all-powerful figure because they do, in fact, have the power to affect your future. What it is important to remember is that you have the potential to similarly affect their life in turn – whoever is hired after all will be the person they work with on a regular basis. Thought about this way, interviews become much less about a supplicant and a powerful figure and more of a negotiation – you are trying to convince them to invest in you as a person and they are trying to establish that you will provide the best possible return on their investment. If you treat the interview as an egalitarian transaction, you are likely to be more comfortable and confident and, as a result, more likely to get what you want out of the meeting.

Another consequence of realising that interviewers are people too is accepting that they are as subject to the whims of fate and the caprices of human emotion as anybody else. If your interview is on a day when their train has been late or they’ve just lost an important contract you are likely to fare worse in comparison to an interviewee on a different day purely by association with negative emotion. While there is nothing you can do to affect this, it does help with the realisation of just how many unknown variables there are in any hiring decision and how little part your value as an individual often plays in such decisions.

Something you do have control over however is your behaviour in the interview: it’s important to pay attention to the clues an interviewer drops about the kind of person they are. People are usually drawn to similar personality types so if your interviewer seems particularly outgoing or friendly, react accordingly; if they seem more reserved, make sure your demeanour mirrors theirs.

At the end of the day it is your interviewer as a person who makes the decision about you and so it is as a person that you need to visualise them when doing your interview preparation – make sure you treat them like a human being and remember that in a year or two it could be you sitting in the chair on the other side of the desk.

Looking for more interview advice? Take a look at Dressingto Impress , Interview Danger Zones and Ten Tips for Reducing Interview Stress.

The Halo Effect

By Zoe Favole via Flickr

In my post on interview techniques I referred to the Halo Effect at one point. This is a psychological phenomena I actually read up on for a previous blog but given its relevance to this one as well I thought I would dust it off and trot it out again- Hope you enjoy!

The recession may officially be over, but it’s never been harder to get a job especially as a graduate. So what should you be relying on to get you chosen over the hundreds of other eager applicants? Qualifications, work experience, extra skills… or a nice smile?

Unfair though it may seem to those of us not so fortunate as to be absolutely gorgeous, studies have shown that good looking people tend to be more highly rated in interview than their less attractive peers. This isn’t a case of sexism in the workplace- the phenomenon occurs for both men and women- nor does it appear to be due to the overt shallowness of the interviewer as the prejudice is seemingly subconscious.

According to psychologists this bias is due to the ‘Halo Effect,’ a psychological kink by which we attribute positive characteristics to people we like and negative ones to people we like less. When the person or people are strangers to us, the tendency is to assume good looking people are nice and less attractive people are not. A reliance on appearance for judging character is inherent in our culture- phrases such as ‘love is blind’ and ‘a face only a mother could love’ reveal how we connect positive emotions to an attractive physical appearance.

A study conducted in the 70’s by Landy and Sigall shows the Halo effect in action: when male students were asked to evaluate the quality of an essay, the marks they gave when they thought the writer was an attractive woman were substantially higher than when the perceived writer was unattractive.

Of course to a certain extent notions of attractiveness are subjective to personal preference and social conditioning; however the experimental proof of the halo effect seems to indicate that there is some base level of attractiveness- traits such as good hygiene and fitness or personal grooming for instance, will influence people’s judgement regardless of what attracts them personally.

This effect does not just condition what people think of your personality but also your abilities and skills- people will assume that attractive people (within reason- obviously looking like Paris Hilton might be a hindrance) are more capable as well as generally nicer.

So what does this mean in the real world? Well realistically looks are unlikely to replace the right qualifications-you’ll need those to get into the interview room anyway. However once you’re at that stage- even if it seems chauvinistic or anti-feminist- it’s up to you to use every weapon in your arsenal. Sadly this is most likely especially the case for young women looking to get on the first rung of the corporate ladder, where the majority of interviewers are likely to be male and the climate is, if no longer hostile to women, certainly not over-friendly.

So dress well, use makeup, get your hair done- at the end of the day it could be the difference between going home with a new job or going back to fill in another round of applications.

Ten Tips for Reducing Interview Stress and Increasing Success

An interview can be the best or worst part of the job application process: on the one hand complete strangers are judging you on your appearance, your personality and your every word… On the other hand, it presents an opportunity to justify your CV and argue your case in person with much more control over the outcome.

Whether you like them or loathe them, everybody can use a few secret weapons to get them through the process so here they are: ten tips for doing well at interview, gleaned from the combined experience of people who know what they’re talking about.

Before the Interview:

1. Actually DO your Research

This is extremely important but all too often falls by the way- usually because you receive an interview date just far enough away that researching the company gets pushed to the bottom of your to-do list only to be remembered at the last minute.

Think of an interview as an oral exam- among the things they are testing you on is your knowledge of the company and the industry. A thorough understanding of the organisation could well give you the edge on the competition.

2. DON’T eat curry the night before

 Or Mexican or Chinese…you get the idea. Whether you’ve got a delicate constitution or an iron stomach you don’t want to risk intestinal distress the day of an interview or be worrying about the location of nearby toilets. Stick to solid, unspicy foods and carb load as much as possible as you may be too nervous to eat the next morning.

3. DO drink lots of water

 People tend to avoid doing this out of a fear of needing to visit the toilet an excessive number of times on the day but being well lubricated can really make a difference in an interview. Nerves will make your mouth and throat dry anyway and adding dehydration to that can make talking at length not only difficult but also uncomfortable, detracting from your overall performance.

4. DO make good use of your appearance but DON’T dress like a slut

 There is a psychological study known as ‘The Halo Effect’ which indicates that people subconsciously associate an attractive appearance with other positive traits such as intelligence and competence. This means it is wise to look your best- looking smart is a must anyway, but makeup and perfume or cologne wouldn’t go amiss.

However, don’t overdo it- subconscious effects are easily overridden by conscious thought and interviewers are not stupid. Overt sexuality will get you nowhere.

5. DO take the lift

 Whether you’re fit or unfit, risking turning up panting and sweaty won’t do much for your presentation or your peace of mind. So forget being healthy for one day and stay pristine. Also be aware that there may not be a working lift so leave enough time that you can ascend the stairs in a leisurely manner rather than having to hurtle up them to be on time.

In the Interview:

6. DO be positive about everything

 From the moment you enter the building everything you say should be positive and enthusiastic. Whether you’re talking to the receptionist, other candidates or the interviewer do not whine about trains, stress about personal problems or complain about your work. You never know who’s listening or who might be consulted in the decision making process so keep it positive and you won’t get into trouble.

7. DO enjoy the first few questions

 This might sound crazy, but consider this: the first few questions are almost always the easy ones, easing you into the interview format. They are also when you make your first impression. So be confident and engaging, expand your answers and act like you’re enjoying being there. This will not only help your confidence overall but means you still leave a positive first impression if it all goes wrong later on.

8. DON’T waffle

 Clearly one word answers will get you nowhere but remember most interviewers will be familiar with the technique of trying to hide a lack of actual knowledge with excess verbosity. Be concise and relevant as much as possible and only refer to relevant topics (if you’ve followed number 1 this should be easy anyway). Finally try to avoid excessive hyperbole- the company is unlikely to be perfect and considered criticism will often outweigh uninformed flattery.

9. DON’T lie but DON’T be too honest

 Lying in an interview is stupid. For a start you’ll already be nervous and so you’ll be unlikely to keep track of what you’ve made up but also THEY WILL KNOW. Consider how many people they’ve interviewed over the years- you are not going to win this psychological warfare. That being said, I was recently told a story of a guy applying to work in banking who when asked, disavowed any knowledge of- or interest in- the industry. Clearly true but also clearly a bad idea. Tweaking is all well and good and part of the process, lying isn’t.

10. DO have relevant questions

 At the end of the interview you will almost certainly be asked if you have any questions. Have some. Come up with them beforehand if necessary but make sure they are intelligent and relevant to the job and the rest of the interview. Also make sure to remember the answers- they are keeping notes and repetition of the same queries will not look impressive if you’re asked back.

So there you are: ten ways to polish your interview technique. I’ve not done all these dos and done all the don’ts and I can assure you that doing it this way round is infinitely more comfortable. I can’t promise it will get you a job but I can assure you that it will make the whole experience a little more bearable.

Let us know if you have successfully used any of the above or if you have tips of your own to share in the comments below.

(picture by twicepix via flickr)