Stevie Puckett

Author: Stevie Puckett

  • Tips to Nourish Your Career – Interview 1


    SHOW NOTES
    Listen in as Stevie is interviewed by Shahrzad Arasteh, a holistic career counselor out of Baltimore, Maryland. Shahrzad brought many career development experts together in a unique project to create the book Nourish Your Career*. Check out her website at NourishYourCareer.com to hear top tips from other featured contributors to the book as well.

    Shahrzad asks me to give my top tips for job search and career development.

    We venture into topics like:

    • personal career development as an inherently selfish process
    • the benefits of keeping a career portfolio and tips on how to do it
    • how to better endure the job search process which often runs longer than expected.

    If you enjoyed this interview (Shahrzad is a great interviewer!), listen to our second interview about using intuition in your career.

  • On Interviewing, Part 5

    One step that people miss when they do interview preparation is to do a preparatory visualization. Think about and feel how you’ll have confidence at interview time. Feel how you know that the answers are going to come to you. When you need a response, it will be there. You can be relaxed and know that the interview is going to flow well. You’ll be well prepared. You’ll have everything you need right on time.

    When the interview is coming up, stop what you’re doing each time you think of it and let yourself feel that you’re going to do an excellent job at the interview. It’s all going to work out. Let your confidence grow, and keep your thinking positive.

    This is Law of Attraction action here. The idea is that you understand that things are unfolding as they should. You can calm and release any anxiety about any judgment that is going to happen in this process. 

    Yes, they’re going to compare you to other people. That is part of the interview process. It’s to be expected. It’s going to go well. You’re going to have a good experience. You’ll be able to be yourself. If it’s a good fit, you’ll get an offer and will consider it.

    Continue to focus on how it’s going to go well, how you’re happy to have the interview, and how it’s going well. Reflect on that any chance you get. Make it a part of your interview preparation.

    On Interviewing: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4

  • On Interviewing, Part 4

    Of course, you will have done your research when you go into an interview for a position. You looked into what’s going on with the company. You checked out their website. You prepared for potential questions. You have questions of your own. You reviewed your power stories.

    Now realize that the people who are hiring have a problem. And they need to find someone who can solve that problem. So be sure you are aware of why they are hiring right now. Make that a part of your research. Begin to think in terms of how you can be a solution to that problem. That’s what they want to hear, and that’s what will make you stand out. They’re looking for a solution, and you can be that solution. Position yourself to show that you’re aware of what they intend to accomplish by hiring someone. 

    Check-in with them. When you go into your interview, say, “I imagine that blah blah blah is a problem, and I think that I could contribute by blah.” Doing so will help you demonstrate how you want to be a solution to their problem. They’ll like that.

    Much of what goes on in an interview is the interviewer seeking to understand your personal brand. It’s often an awkward situation because each question is basically, “What makes you the best choice for us?” And, that is such a mind trick of a question. You can get into this idea of, “Oh my gosh, is it okay to say that I’m special…that I’m the best one?” You know what, it’s okay. You have a personal brand, and they want to know about that to determine if you will fit into the company culture. Be okay with saying, “This is who I am. This is what I do especially well. This is how I contribute.” Take pride in that.

    Prepare yourself by losing that awkwardness about how they’re going to ask you what makes you unique. What makes you better than the other applicants? Understand that it is your invitation to tell them about your brand what you embody. Go ahead and be yourself and stand for something. Know in advance who you are and what you are looking for, and say it with calmness and pride. Question them too. It’s the only way to find out if the match is a good fit for you both.

    On Interviewing: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 5

  • On Interviewing, Part 3

    You may likely be fired at some point in the course of your career. This, of course, can come as a total shock, but it is imperative to come to terms with such an experience so that you can recover quickly and be able to represent yourself well in upcoming job interviews.

    Spend some time processing what happened and practice verbalizing the lessons learned in a non-emotional way. Keep a positive attitude that you are preparing to go on to bigger and better things. The reality is that to many employers these days, even being fired isn’t necessarily a mark against you, depending on how you recover.

    Many successful people have been fired at some point in their career before becoming a superstar.

    On Interviewing: Part 1, Part 2, Part 4, Part 5

  • On Interviewing, Part 2

    Most people don’t land a great job or create a wonderful career by being open to anything, not at all. Instead, it’s done by checking in with themselves about what they really want and going for it a hundred percent. This focus makes them more attractive candidates, too. Think about it as if you were the one hiring. You have two people to choose from. One candidate has done a job for several years and is keeping her options open. The other candidate is committed to being the very best at the job she knows she wants. Who would you be more likely to make an offer to?

    On Interviewing: Part 1, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5