Josie Lynn Books: Imagine the Possibilities

Tag: job interviews

  • The Jane Austen Treatment

    The Jane Austen Treatment

    The idea: to translate Jane Austen’s comedies of manners into useful instruction in the finding and keeping of employment.

    Background: I’ve been an avid reader and/or viewer of Jane Austen novels and/or movies since I was a teenager. My first Jane Austen novel was Pride and Prejudice, read it in one setting, as I was mentally, physically, and emotionally unable to put it down.

    As a teenager/young adult, I also read a steady steam of job search articles and books about surviving job interviews. I knew all of the ins and outs, the whys and wherefores, and the dos and don’ts. I was well-schooled in the art of looking for a job. But I still dreaded interviews because I never felt prepared.

    Then one day, while waiting in my car to go into a job interview, I was mulling over the standard tips I’d gleaned over the years. They seemed cold and lifeless sitting on the page or glaring at you from the computer screen. And, as I sat in my car in the few minutes before having to go in to face the “hiring squad,” I gave those familiar tips a slight tweak—the Jane Austen treatment, if you will—and suddenly they came to life. They became useful. They became memorable. They became fun.

    And now I’m (re)sharing them with you. (Editor’s note: these articles were originally published on this blog May-October 2014)

    What’s Your Worst Quality, Mr. Bingley?

    If answering the questions “What’s your worst quality?” or “What’s your biggest weakness?” sends chills down your spine, read what Mr. Bingley did. You’ll never be stumped again. Read more here.

    darcy at desk

    Don’t Bad-Mouth Your Former Boss, Wickham

    When a potential employer asks, “Who was your worst boss?” he/she’s not inviting you to vent. Discover a better way to respond to this question by reviewing Wickham’s epic fail. Read more here.

    wickham

    Become a World-Class Networker (Like Mrs. Bennet)

    This is probably the one and only time it is okay to make Mrs. Bennet your role-model. When it came to networking, the girl had skills! Read more here.

    mrs. bennet

    Dress For Success, Elizabeth

    Miss Elizabeth Bennet may have had fine, bright eyes, but did her petticoats drenched in mud really send the right message? Read more here.

    eliza

    Tell Me About Yourself, Lady Catherine

    Learn how to deal with this ice-breaker from none other than Lady Catherine de Bourgh herself. Read more here.

    lady catherine

    You Can Never Be Too Thankful…Just Ask Mr. Collins

    Mr. Collins was nothing if not overflowing with gratitude. Take a page from his book (just don’t overdo it). Read more here.

    Mr. Collins

    Does anyone else find it highly ironic that a bunch of people who (with the exception of Wickham) never worked a day in their lives could instruct one about job interviews?

    Gossipgirls

    Nevertheless, this is what’s worked for me. What are some of the ways you make a boring, unpleasant task a tad more tolerable?

    And finally, do I promise this is the last time I will write about Jane Austen? I’m sorry, I cannot make that promise.

  • The Sum of Its Parts

    The Sum of Its Parts

    jux·ta·pose

    verb \’jək-stə-,pōz\
    : to place (different things) together in order to create an interesting effect or to show how they are the same or different

    Long before we knew what juxtapose meant or had even heard of the word, my sister and I were busy “juxtaposing” things—and by things, I mean unsavory foods that we were forced to eat by a concerned and conscientious parent—like liver and mashed potatoes. Not that there’s anything essentially wrong with mashed potatoes…it was the combining them with the liver that we had the problem with. And nothing against liver—it is, after all, an essential organ, but I believe most people will agree with me that children generally find it disgusting. Parents should acknowledge this universal truth.

    My sister’s bright idea was that we pretend that the liver was chocolate and that the mashed potatoes were whipped cream. That way we could trick ourselves into thinking we were eating dessert instead of something “gross-ning” (which was a favorite non-word word when we were in elementary school).

    It worked…sort of. Eventually my mom stopped serving us liver and mashed potatoes for dinner, so we were able to eat our dinner like normal people, instead of being forced to mentally play with our food. More importantly, we were free to apply our creativity to more worthwhile endeavors.

    Still, our little thought experiment/exercise in imaginative eating taught me that it pays to combine something you like with something you like not so much, especially when the not so liked thing is something you have to do. I find this technique has gotten me though many of life’s less than pleasant, un-rose garden moments. Sort of like what Mary Poppins said about that spoonful of sugar.

    Which brings me back to my series of articles on Everything (About Job Interviews) I Learned From Jane Austen, which is all about how to make that awful medicine—the job interview—a touch more palatable.

    Here is a brief summation of our tips so far:

    Tip 1: Do master the indirect boast

    We learned how to answer “What’s your worst quality?” or “What’s your biggest weakness?” by watching Mr. Bingley. You can learn a lot by watching people. Case in point:

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1yp750t_xk?rel=0&w=420&h=315]

    …uh, back to Bingley. Remember how he “modestly” said his letters were crazy/sloppy/jumbled up because he thought faster than he wrote? Sloppy letters writing skills might sound like a weakness until you realize they are the product of a quick mind/brilliant brain. Bingo! Now that question will never stump you again.

    Tip 2: Don’t bad-mouth a former employer

    When an interviewer asks an interviewee “Who was your worst boss?” he/she’s not inviting you to relate some epic tale of dragon boss man/boss lady. It’s more like a test of your maturity level and discretion. Don’t fail…don’t be a Wickham. Bad-mouthing a former boss is just wrong.

    Tip 3: Do become a world-class networker

    This is probably the one and only time it is okay to make Mrs. Bennet your role-model. Feigning sickness and nagging your family will only annoy and alienate people—like your husband who will promptly retire to the library, the one place he know he will be safe from you because you…don’t…read—so don’t model that behavior. Imitate her savant-like ability to network.

    Tip 4: Don’t show up slovenly dressed

    Elizabeth Bennet provides the basis for this tip when she shows up at Netherfield with petticoats drenched in mud (after traipsing through the countryside). Perhaps she was trying to demonstrate her indifference to and disregard of Mr. Darcy and his 10,000 pounds per annum. As an candidate for a job, you cannot afford to make such a statement. Show up neat and tidy, pressed and shaven, i.e., dress for success.

    Tip 5: Do stay on topic when “telling about yourself”

    Everyone needs a opening, so interviewers often start by saying, “Tell me about yourself.” Lady Catherine de Bourgh shows us how to turn this conversation-starter into an opportunity to share relevant bits of data about our suitableness for the job.

    Tip 6: Do send a thank you note

    I promise, no one will find you ridiculous if you copy Mr. Collins’, er, enthusiasm about showing himself grateful by sending a post-interview thank you card/note/letter/email. However, if you approach Mr. Darcy and start talking without a formal introduction, you’re going to get royally snubbed.

    So, there we are…tips 1-6 in list format.  We have yet to hear from Mr. Darcy, Caroline, Georgiana, Jane, Lydia, Kitty, Mary (oh, dear), Mr. Bennet, or any of the Lucases. The possibilities are endless, so I’ll be revisiting this sometime in the near future. In the meantime, I’ve been working on some other projects (and desperately trying to get this blog rhythm down!).

    See you next time.

  • Dress For Success, Elizabeth

    Dress For Success, Elizabeth

    Tip 4: Don’t Show Up Slovenly Dressed

    Elizabeth Bennet may have scored points with Mr. Darcy when she turned up in Mr. Bingley’s breakfast-parlour in mud-drenched petticoats, but not everyone was impressed with her entrance. Perhaps Mr. Darcy was too busy staring at her “fine eyes” to notice her sloppy appearance, but übercritical Caroline Bingley and her equally smug sister, Louisa Hurst, made the following snide comments:

    … Miss Bingley began abusing her as soon as she was out of the room. Her manners were pronounced to be very bad indeed, a mixture of pride and impertinence; she had no conversation, no style, no beauty. Mrs. Hurst thought the same, and added:

    “She has nothing, in short, to recommend her, but being an excellent walker. I shall never forget her appearance this morning. She really looked almost wild.”

    “She did, indeed, Louisa. I could hardly keep my countenance. Very nonsensical to come at all! Why must she be scampering about the country, because her sister had a cold? Her hair, so untidy, so blowsy!”

    “Yes, and her petticoat; I hope you saw her petticoat, six inches deep in mud, I am absolutely certain; and the gown which had been let down to hide it not doing its office.”

    “Your picture may be very exact, Louisa,” said Bingley; “but this was all lost upon me. I thought Miss Elizabeth Bennet looked remarkably well when she came into the room this morning. Her dirty petticoat quite escaped my notice.”

    “You observed it, Mr. Darcy, I am sure,” said Miss Bingley; “and I am inclined to think that you would not wish to see your sister make such an exhibition.”

    “Certainly not.”

    “To walk three miles, or four miles, or five miles, or whatever it is, above her ankles in dirt, and alone, quite alone! What could she mean by it? It seems to me to show an abominable sort of conceited independence, a most country-town indifference to decorum.”

    “It shows an affection for her sister that is very pleasing,” said Bingley.

    “I am afraid, Mr. Darcy,” observed Miss Bingley in a half whisper, “that this adventure has rather affected your admiration of her fine eyes.”

    “Not at all,” he replied; “they were brightened by the exercise.”

    No Excuse for Bad Dressing

    Elizabeth had a good reason for not looking exactly freshly pressed and starched, however Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst weren’t buying it. Similarly, you won’t win points with your prospective employer if you look like you just rolled out of bed (or traipsed across the muddy countryside). Your future boss is liable to think: “If this is how he/she dresses for an interview, I don’t even want to know how he/she will dress for work!”

    Dress the Part to Get the Part

    Bottom line: don’t shoot yourself in the foot before the interview even starts. Strive to make a good first impression on your potential employer by dressing the part. And for those of you who are saying, I don’t want to be judged by something as shallow as my outward appearance, I have some news for you: that’s what a job interview is all about! Assume the person interviewing you is going to take the unforgiving Caroline/Louisa approach rather than the distracted/oblivious Fitzwilliam/Charles approach. Dress for success. Once you get the job, you can dress however you like (within reasonable limits).

    Next up: A Lady reveals how to handle the “So, tell me about yourself” question.

  • What’s Your Worst Quality, Mr. Bingley?

    What’s Your Worst Quality, Mr. Bingley?

    Tip 1: Master the Indirect Boast

    Our first tip comes from Mr. Charles Bingley of P&P fame and has to do with turning a seemingly bad quality (your worst quality or your biggest weakness) into an opportunity to do a little bit of self-promotion (i.e. cause the potential employer to see that you really are this awesome person who has no flaws and totally deserves the job!!). It’s the old, let’s disarm them with an “indirect boast” trick.

    In Pride and Prejudice, Mr. Bingley mentions a seemingly bad trait: the tendency to produce incoherent, sloppily composed letters and cleverly spins it in such a way that we come to understand what a quick-witted fellow he really is.

    Brilliant.

    The Setup

    I know you’re familiar with the scene. It’s the one where Mr. Bingley, Mr. Darcy, Mr. and Mrs. Hurst, Miss Bingley and Elizabeth are all passing a quiet (i.e. boring) evening in the drawing room.

    Mr. Darcy is writing a letter to his sister and Miss Caroline Bingley is trying in vain to flatter and flirt with the surly Mr. Darcy. She refuses to recognize and accept the fact that he is just not into her. At all.

    Awkward.

    She persists in engaging him in conversation, which is painful to read/watch/listen to, but it does provide her brother a chance to demonstrate how to handle that pesky “What’s your worst quality/biggest weakness?” interview question because, getting nowhere with Darcy, Caroline turns to criticizing her brother’s style of letter-writing. (Maybe she was a tad annoyed that he was not doing his part to help her land a landed gentry). In his defense, Mr. Bingley says the following (then Elizabeth chimes in and there are also a couple of snarky comments from Darcy in the dialog below):

    Bingley’s Spin

    “My ideas flow so rapidly that I have not time to express them — by which means my letters sometimes convey no ideas at all to my correspondents.”

    “Your humility, Mr. Bingley,” said Elizabeth, “must disarm reproof.’”

    “Nothing is more deceitful,” said Darcy, “than the appearance of humility. It is often only carelessness of opinion, and sometimes an indirect boast.”’

    “And which of the two do you call my little recent piece of modesty?’”

    “The indirect boast; — for you are really proud of your defects in writing, because you consider them as proceeding from a rapidity of thought and carelessness of execution, which if not estimable, you think at least highly interesting. The power of doing any thing with quickness is always much prized by the possessor, and often without any attention to the imperfection of the performance…”

    Modern-Day Application

    So there you have it. Now imagine Mr. Bingley is being interviewed for a job. (What? A gentleman having to earn his fortune? Never!) But for my purposes, let’s suppose…

    Potential employer: So, Charles, what is your worst quality?

    Charles: My worst quality, I suppose, would be that when I’m working on a project, my thoughts come out so quickly, sometimes they only make sense to me. I have to really slow down and edit myself. (Charles laughs a self-depreciating laugh)

    Potential employer: (to himself) Wow, this guy must be really smart. Only smart people think faster than they can write. Let’s move this guy to the top of the short list.

    Putting Your Spin on It

    Of course, there are probably better worst/best qualities to pick from: being a perfectionist, being single-minded about a project, even saying something like “I tend to be impatient, but I’m working on it…” Mainly, you want to list a quality that actually makes you a desirable employee or use the question as an opportunity to show how you have addressed a “problem” or are currently addressing it.

    The basic idea is to channel your inner Mr. Bingley. Remember, a job interview is not a therapy session. It is not a time for self-disclosure. (Save that for conversations with Mom or episodes of speed dating). A job interview is your chance to sell yourself to a potential employer, so view every question as an opportunity to do just that.

    Next, we will explore what we can learn about job interviews from resident bad-boy, Wickham, who seemed to have a particular aversion to employment.

  • Everything (About Job Interviews) I Learned From Jane Austen

    Everything (About Job Interviews) I Learned From Jane Austen

    Life seems but a quick succession of busy nothings.

    I first encountered Jane Austen when I was sixteen and purchased a mass-market paperback copy of Pride and Prejudice from a bookstore at the mall. I started reading it on a Saturday morning and read it straight through in one setting. I was supposed to go to a party that evening but ended up ditching my friends for Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy. (Does it mean something bad when you’d rather hang out with fictional people from 200 years ago than party with living, breathing teenagers in your own era? Probably. Anyway.)

    My love affair with Jane Austen books only intensified as I got older. I’ve always marveled at her razor-sharp wit and keen understanding of human nature. On more than one occasion I’ve wished I could be a heroine in one of her novels. I read her books. I watched the movie versions…all of them…multiple times.

    Welcome to the real world

    However, as I grew older and had to face the “real world” (yes, John Mayer, there is such a thing), I started reading literature of another kind—books and magazine articles about Job Interviews and How to Land a Job—and soon found myself well-versed on the art of finding a job. But I hated/loathed/dreaded job interviews.

    The idea of having to go and sit in front of a hiring squad seemed unnatural and demeaning. And what was with those stupid questions that cannot be and are not expected to be answered truthfully? Questions like “What’s your worst quality?” Suppose your worse quality was lying, in which case you would lie about that, so really, the questioner would, in fact, not be enlightened by your answer, at all. Alternatively, if one responded truthfully (and ironically??) and said, “I am a big fat liar,” one just wouldn’t get the job, unless one was interviewing to be a spy, maybe. But something tells me the CIA doesn’t ask that particular question in their interviews.

    Life seems to me a Jane Austen novel

    Sitting in my car one day, waiting to go in to a job interview (and rehearsing my answer to the “worst quality” question), I suddenly realized something: I’d been wasting my time reading all of those how-to books…I could have learned everything I needed to know about job interviews from a Jane Austen novel!

    To be continued…

    Next, how Jane Austen helped me survive job interviews from that moment forward. Or Everything I Learned From Jane Austen…Tip 1: How to answer “What’s your worst quality?”

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