08 Oct 09 The Importance Of Body Language In An Interview

A massive part of any interview isn’t what you or the interviewer says, but rather your body language. Body language is a huge form of communication that most don’t even notice. The visual clues that people emit affect emotions from how that person is received, to deductions on how that person feels. Sending the wrong body language in an interview could lead to you not getting a job, no matter what you say. Coming off anything less than positive could be enough to seal the deal, and make you appear less than fit for the job.

So be conscious about everything you’re doing as you walk through the door. When your interview begins, think about the facial expression you have. The first thing an interviewer wants to see, is a confident positive person walking through their door. Does your face reflect confidence, and a positive attitude? Exactly what you should be asking yourself. Stand up straight, reflect good posture, and smile politely. But don’t appear overconfident, remember you don’t have the job yet, and overconfidence can be just as bad as negative body language.

From the successful entrance, make sure to shake hands with ever interviewer present. If you’re being interviewed by a panel, or just one person, make sure to walk over to them and give a good firm handshake. A firm handshake is important, as it shows confidence and also the ability to lead. You’re unafraid when you give someone a firm handshake, and up for the challenge. Make that clear by speaking through your body.

From there make sure to keep up that good posture when you sit down. Respond positively to every question, keeping your confident and courteous demeanor no matter the topic. Also remember to use hand gestures casually when speaking. By using hand gestures you show a calmness during your speech that will resonate on the interviewer. Don’t get excessive with your hand motions, but tracing a few shapes to illustrate an idea is always good.

Answer questions by leaning forward slightly, to show genuine interest and consideration in the question, and your answer. Don’t forget to also keep your voice at a higher decibel. You want to be heard, but you don’t have to shout. Being too loud makes you look overconfident, and that never plays well. Speak so all can hear you, but don’t hurt their ears.

Finally, shake hands with everyone once the interview is over, and thank them for the opportunity. Then, keeping your posture straight, and your disposition positive and courteous, leave the room the same way you came. If you pull off all of these factors correctly, your body language will have been pretty much impeccable. Letting your body speak with you could even just be that edge you need to land that job.

Tags: Calmness, Communication, Confidence, Demeanor, Emotions, Facial Expression, Fit, Getting A Job, Good Posture, Hand Gestures, Hand Motions, Handshake, Interviewer, Lead, Negative Body Language, Positive Attitude, Posture, Shapes, Smile

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06 Oct 09 Make Yourself Into A Leader

Becoming a leader is different than becoming a manager at your place of work. Not everyone in management knows how to lead, and the problem that sort of manager, is that they don’t last very long. To truly become a manager worth your mettle and paycheck, able to lead a team to success, you have to develop your leadership skills. Developing those skills is hard work, and can take a very long time. But in the end becoming a true leader is worth your time, because leaders always distinguish themselves. Because the leadership quality is fairly rare, employers are always willing to stick with a good one.

Think of what you would expect from a leader, and what you hope to gain out of becoming one. If it helps make a list of each, preferably side by side, to figure out your motivation. These factors will give you a guide to follow. By writing out what you want, and what you expect, you have a good idea of whether or not being a leader works for you. In most cases being a leader means taking a back seat for the better good of the team sometimes. If you aren’t prepared to do that, you’ll have a hard time developing your leadership skills.

To be a leader you have to be prepared to take charge. Being a leader is just what the title implies, you are expected to lead your followers, or your team. The best way to do that is to lead by example. You have to be the best performer, so that the rest of the team can feed off your leadership. Nobody wants to follow a coworker that can’t achieve goals as well as they can. This doesn’t mean you have to be the best at doing the job, but rather the best at meeting goals and following directions. This way you inspire through example, making yourself a natural leader before you ever have the title.

Finally, you have to be the anchor of the team. When the cards look like they’re stacked against everyone, you have to be the person to bring the motivation to get the job done. A leader motivates the team by any means available. So if you want to be a leader, you have to be able to stay positive to help your team get the job done, no matter the situation.

Tags: Anchor, Back Seat, Becoming A Leader, Being A Leader, Cards, Coworker, Followers, Hard Time, Job, Lead, Leadership Quality, Leadership Skills, Long Time, Mettle, Motivation, Natural Leader, Paycheck, Team Success, True Leader

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15 Sep 09 Can You Work From Home?

Thinking about pursuing a work at home opportunity? Don’t really know where to start? Well before you think about where you could go on the internet or otherwise to find jobs, consider if you’re even the work at home type. Working from home you’re really your own boss, and so you have to be able to manage your time as such. Which means the first thing to consider is whether or not you’re a procrastinator.

If you find yourself waiting till the last minute to accomplish tasks, working from home may not be for you. You need to effectively manage your time. The last thing you’d want is to be up against a deadline that looms ever closer, that you shouldn’t have to worry about. If you don’t think you’ll be able to manage your time without a boss checking in every once in a while, this may not be the career for you.

Make sure that you have the space in your home to create an adequate working environment. You don’t want to be converting an area like your living room, or bedroom. Both are full of distractions and can lead you to unintentionally losing focus when working. You have to ensure that you have the room to make your own office. A place where you can be free from non-work related distractions. A sanctuary of at home production to where you can always accomplish your goals.

Also, you need to be a very self motivated person. You have to make a lot of decisions for yourself when you work at home. You only have yourself to fall back on, which means you have to keep yourself positive and goal focused. Part of that is avoiding the temptation to get personal tasks done when you’re supposed to be working. Try to avoid household chores or things you wanted to get done while you’re working. This will lead to longer term distractions which can lead to major procrastination on your part. That is absolutely always bad.

Tags: Boss, Career, Decisions, Distractions, Focus, Goals, Household Chores, Jobs, Last Minute, Lead, Living Room, Personal Tasks, Procrastination, Procrastinator, Sanctuary, Temptation, Work At Home Opportunity, Working Environment, Working From Home

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08 Oct 09 The Importance Of Body Language In An Interview

06 Oct 09 Make Yourself Into A Leader

15 Sep 09 Can You Work From Home?

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