WorkWise BlogTip: Energy

Throw some life into your next interview by imagining yourself getting ready for a performance. Sandra Lamb (SandraLamb.com) tells you how:

• Stand in front of a mirror to practice. “Smile,” she says. “Lights, camera, action.”

• Practice in your outfit, the one for “your leading role. This isn't a good time for a costume malfunction,” she comments.

• Turn off your cell phone before you open the stage door.

• Thank the person and send a handwritten note later covering “one salient point you want to reemphasize.”

Don’t forget your lines! These are the substantive statements about your work and the questions you’re prepared to ask, the ones that convince employers that you’re serious about the kind of work they need someone to do.

Ask for the top three results the company wants out of the person in the job. Ask what skills to expect to use the most frequently. Find out what the biggest challenge of the job will be, the make-or-break factor. Have the employer explain what resources and tools will be provided to meet that challenge. Ask for the names of five other people in the company you might meet, but don’t tell ‘em you’re looking for skeletons in the closet.

The performance metaphor includes being cracker-jack with content. Otherwise, you won’t land an Emmy.

Dr. Mildred L. Culp welcomes your questions at culp@workwise.net. Copyright 2009 Passage Media.