On any given day, when the world swirls around us, we may notice as little as
10%
Finding work that feels effortless starts with your "filter"
that 10% that you actually notice
consciously
or not
Welcome to Interview First
Interviews are the starting point of my work with clients, especially for those who are trying to find direction. Figuring out what to do (or what to do next) is one of the hardest aspects of career management. I do a one and half hour interview, video-taped, which enables you to figure out what you pay attention to. Most people know that they don’t pay attention to everything going on around them. What percentage do you figure that you take in? Maybe 10%? What if you could find work where that thing you pay attention to is an advantage and not a disadvantage. That would be work that would almost feel effortless. And it would be more interesting. And you would likely be more successful at it.
Interviews come first in other ways; they are a good starting point when you are struggling to write a cover letter, resume or other document. This is something that I noticed in my early years working within Career Services in a university setting. I would get a student talking about their experience and all sorts of interesting and impressive information would come out. Then I would look for hints about this great experience in the resume or cover letter and typically it was just not there. It is not easy to get an employer to think, “Let’s bring them in to talk about their experience in this role--it sounds like it could be an interesting conversation.” But I have helped students elicit that reaction from an employer by working backwards and helping them convey how they did the work and the depth of their experience. Work with clients in this way is natural and fun for me to do and I do it well.
