When Dressing for Success, Don't Leave the Mind Naked! (apply, interviewing, application)

[E. Perry McNeil]

So, you've checked yourself in the mirror from head to toe. Not a
hair strand is out of place. You are ready to go knock ‘em dead on this
job interview!

In spite of your preparation, I’m willing to bet that you might have
already lost this job opportunity, because you neglected the most
important grooming which you could have engaged in!

Of all of the powers our Creator has endowed us with, the power to
have absolute control over our thoughts may be the greatest gift
as well as the hardest one to exercise! We all know that maintaining
a positive attitude during a job search campaign is extremely hard
and seemingly impossible to manage.

So, what can we do to counter the doubt, fear and insecurity which we
subconsciously transmit during the interview, especially, as we acknowl-
edge that this might be the determinant factor contributing to our job
application’s rejection?

Ironically, the company representative interviewing you may not
CONSCIOUSLY know why he or she feels the need to reject your appli-
cation, responding to an intuitive hunch. Because the communication – his
or her reacting to the fear, doubt and insecurity which you are projecting -
is taking place on the subconscious level, he or she may not even REALIZE
what is driving his or her decision!

Therefore, dressing the MIND for success is one of the most important
grooming exercises one could pursue. The sixty-four-thousand-dollar
question is HOW does one go about achieving this objective?

As goes the saying, “The proof of the pie is in the pudding!”, we need to
ensure that quality ingredients form the pudding which will result in the
perfect pie acceptable to our prospective employer’s taste! What are these
ingredients, you ask? Namely, RESEARCH, PREPARATION and VISUALIZATION.

- Research – you wouldn’t apply for a position of ‘Paralegal Assistant’
without knowing the first thing about what the job entails,
would you? Likewise, you must research YOUR area of interest
as much as possible beforehand. Concentrate on getting a feel
of what the day-to-day details associated with the position
would involve. Learn as much of the industry jargon as you
would be expected to know. Go to the library and look at trade
publications to get a good feel of industry trends and directions.

- Preparation – practice, practice, practice! If the position which you seek
requires a repetitive skill, such as data entry, then you
should practice your proficiency in this particular area un-
til you are confident that you meet minimum industry
standards, knowing that, at some point along the inter-
view continuum, you most likely will be tested! Even if the
task DOESN’T involve a repetitive skill so much as a mindset,
try to capture this mindset as much as you are able to.

- Visualization – perhaps, the most IMPORTANT or CONSEQUENTIAL practice
engaged in involves visualization. So much as humanly pos-
sible, visualize yourself ALREADY being successful in the
position which you seek. Put yourself in a quiet place and
conjure up in your mind’s eye a vision of your successfully
carrying out the responsibilities of said position. Make it as
real as you are able to, taking in the smells, tastes, sounds,
and tactile senses associated. DO NOT RUSH this experience,
allowing enough time for this reverie to ‘take’ in your sub-
conscious as being ‘real’ or ‘realistic’!

Now that you have ‘claimed’ this desired position as belonging to you, you will have
the awesome power of your subconscious mind working WITH you instead of AGAINST
you, without your needing to consciously manage the process! The more that you
CONSCIOUSLY practice to harness this awesome power, the better you will get at it!

This new-found power can’t HELP being received in your favor, giving you an unbeatable
edge in your job-seeking endeavors. To put it bluntly, it is the ‘intangibles’ which make
all of the difference!

[Lodestar 77]

TMI! Please make your posts shorter if you want people to read them. Perhaps break up into several shorter posts. Welcome to the forum and thank you for your input, it looks like good advice, but I only skimmed your post due to TMI all at one time.

[E. Perry McNeil]

Thanks for you feedback, TMI. Bear with me as I attempt to make my articles as compact as possible. Admittedly, I've gotten my work cut out! Just posted a second article in this forum - not necessarily any shorter; however, I think it's well worth the read!