Richard Maun

Tag: Job Hunting

  • Putting The Eyes Into Interviews

    Look down dear, I'm over here!
    Look down dear, I’m over here!

    A cheery story came my way last week when a colleague emailed to let me know that he had finally secured a full time job and was grateful for my help. I banked the stroke and being a curious fish, asked what I had done that had really made a difference. He instantly replied:

    “Well, it sounds mad, but it was Crow really. He reminded me to keep making eye contact with people and when I had a panel of three managers at my second interview it went really well.”

    Eye Contact Counts

    Oh yes, the power of the Crow. He came along to a couple of my lectures and squawked when people ignored him during their Minute to Win It*. This managed to put delegates off their stride, which was the point really, because there’s no point in talking if you don’t make eye contact; your words are mostly missing their target.

    Good eye contact has a gentle rhythm to it of 1-2-3-move 1-2-3-move, which means holding contact for three ‘beats’ and then bobbing on to the next person in the room. If there’s just the two of you then you can avoid staring by looking down as you write a note, or by looking away whilst you think, making sure to look back in order to deliver your answer with enthusiasm.

    The power of the Crow was really to provide my colleague with a strong memory that served as an anchor for positive behaviour when under pressure. I shared the stroke with Crow and he was happy. After all, it’s not everyday you help someone get a job when you’re a shaggy black bird (not a shaggy blackbird).

    So, the next time you are in a meeting, about to start an interview, or pitching your product to people, remember the Crow. You don’t want to get squawked at do you?

    Has This Raised Issues for You?

    If you know someone who needs to improve the way they make eye contact and would like to meet Crow he can be contacted through Richard by clicking here. All coaching is confidential and all workshops run the risk of being fun.

    *A Minute to Win It is a very effective way to sell yourself, or a product, or a service. There’s more information in the book Job Hunting 3.0 which will be published on 15th June. Subscribe to the blog for updates and free downloads.

  • The Value Of Helping

    Flickr Creative Commons: credited to Mykl Roventine
    Ahoy shipmates! There's pirate gold for helping others!

    As I might have mentioned already, I’m currently writing a book about Job Hunting. I need to deliver the manuscript at the end of the month and I still have a small mountain of typing and editing to climb. Yesterday I was intending to rush to the office in order to spend the day completing a chapter about interview skills, when the telephone rang.

    A friend’s son needed urgent help and could I write his CV with him? The answer was; yes. I had what he needed and he needed support and encouragement, to help him get back to work.

    So, instead of writing my book we spent the afternoon compiling his CV, running through interview questions and generally brushing up his skills. He was very grateful and I felt good too. Not only had I helped someone in need, our conversation had also given me an idea for the chapter I am currenty writing.

    A win-win for both of us and it did remind me that we when help people we often get something unexpected in return.

    So, if you have some specific knowledge, or a key skill, that could help someone; enjoy sharing it and enjoy the rewards this will bring. Happy helping!

    Job Hunting Support

    Apart from delivering development workshops and executive coaching, Primary People also works with people to help them learn job hunting skills. Knowing about the 90/90 rule, networking conversations, STAR interview answers, rapport building skills and how to run a campaign can help people to get ahead of the competition. If you know someone who would benefit from support then please ask them to contact me.