Life on the Narrow Path - Power of Positive Thinking & Preparation

Almost as important as personal branding/value propositioning and mapping/pathing your job search strategies is having a positive attitude, preparing for your interviews and networking activities.  Most people I've met on job search are still bitter or angry about their last job or the hand they were dealt.  While there is something to be said for venting and getting certain negative feelings out of your system, you must quickly move on.  Don't dwell on the past, you cannot change it.  No one wants to hear about your problem boss or team, or how you were not appreciated.  This is a sure-fire way of blowing an interview. 

Questions such as:  tell me about why you were laid off or find yourself in job search, should be responded with a quick response such as:  the company laid off 500 employees, 20% of the workforce or the entire unit and I am now looking for my next opportunity.  Another problematic question you'll hear is:  tell about a problem you had with a prior supervisor.  A good response is to say you've had all types of supervisors who have taught you valuable lessons on how to treat your employees better.  These could include: 

• listening and responding to your team members with respect and empathy
• looking for opportunities to share credit and mentor your direct reports
• in making assignments asking for their suggestions in getting to a positive resolution
• finding ways to have them explore personal best stories and feelings of "flow" in other situations

Another difficult question:  Tell me a time when you disagreed with your supervisor and what did you do.
Remember - never bad mouth a prior boss.  A better response would be one where you had a boss that wasn't a good communicator.  Everytime you asked for clarification, he/she would give you little direction but indicated they would know what they wanted when they saw it.  So your response is to show how you helped the supervisor better define the deliverables and possibly provide some suggestions on business intelligence or best practices you could employ to resolve the concern.  Clarification of the scope, time and budget are important to resolve upfront whenever possible to be successful.  The important lesson is how you helped the boss communicate expectations and establish deliverables.

You cannot change the past so move on.  You can only change how you're going to respond to the present and future.  Be positive about your responses and opportunities to grow and provide value to your new opportunities.  Generally one can learn the organization's processes but they must feel comfortable that you will fit into the new culture and team and be a valuable contributor.  Think "fitting" in while contributing instead of fixing a broken team or process.  This may be difficult if your focusing on their "pain points."  So talk more about process than solution.  You were able to resolve a similar concern by inviting others to help in the resolution, engaging their talents and passions, and recognizing and celebrating success.  Whenever, I hire a manager or leader, I want to see how the direct reports will work with him/her and how they feel they are being heard and engaged.  Most of us will be working with a team so we have to function as a team player and a collaborative contributer.  The action part of your SPAR response (Situation/Problem, Action and Result) should show how you engaged people, sought and obtained synergies in the process and encourage people to be active contributers and accountable partners. 

Tell me a time you had a project that backfired or failed to get your boss's or team's support and why?  This is a specific and tough weakness question, that cannot be glossed over by a prepared answer about why you are so busy or successful inspite of others.  Prepare for these type questions with your own power examples.  The situation/problem is the failure to get approval or acceptance.  The response they are seeking is how you engaged the team to overcome resistance to change and to embrace a more positive resolution.  You should indicate this is a lesson you learned several years/jobs ago and state the concern.  You must then show how with good mentoring or training you've found a better way and indicate the result of that training.  You might also indicate you look forward to opportunities that challenge you and the team to work together because the rewards are so fullfilling and rewarding for all in the end.

One final question that will tackle or challenge our positive thinking muscles:  What if your boss told you that you have to make a command and control decision with your group due to time constraints and then get their buy-in later on.  How would you handle this challenge as a new supervisor?  Here is how I would respond.  If you are new and haven't developed the type of team support where they can trust you to be collaborative in the future, you have to be frank.  Explain to the group the need for quick response and the reasons.  Get their general concurrence on the need to act with little collaboration even though that is how you generally operate.  Bounce off a suggestion with your more senior or experienced subject matter experts and then act judiciously.  Explain later that it might not be the best approach in getting consensus and allow the group to do a post mortem on how it could be handled in the future with more time and more input.  A good and loyal team will work with you under such circumstances.  I have found that even when I thought I had the best reponse, listening to others helped solidify that decision, clarify alternative avenues that are better, but in the end, get better commitment to action from your team.

Unlike mountain biking that is a thrill for it's advocates, job hunting can sometimes be challenging.  Always have a positive image going into every interview.  If asked why you are the best candidate in the group, don't hesitate by saying you don't know the others.  You are the best because you've prepared for the interview via LinkedIn, your business intelligence and you marketing portfolio.  You are the best because you are passionate about your work accomplishments and how they can help the company.  You are the best because you have a positive vision of what success looks and feels like even before the interview.