The Career Clinic Blog

Sell me this pen. What’s the meaning of life? Tell me how you’d get an elephant into a refrigerator.

Sure, you could devote part of your preparation for that job interview dreaming up answers to questions like these. But why? Recruiter Tony Beshara says the odds are slight you’ll have to field even one of them. And if you do, the person asking is probably much more interested in your poise than your answer.

The secret to a job interview--and maybe to life--isn’t so much knowing what to do as it is not freaking out when you don’t.

Tony hopes you’ll practice telling stories about how capably you solved another employer’s problems--and how eager you are to put that experience to work again.

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Do you think it’s a good practice to interview for a job you don’t want? You know, to practice interviewing?

Some career consultants think that’s fine. I’m not one of them. A career consultant, that is. But I also don’t think it’s okay to waste someone’s time. Practice on your own time.

If during the interview you discover the position isn’t what you had in mind after all, you’ll want to turn it down graciously--once you get an offer, that is. A note of appreciation is always in order, especially if it’s by snail mail. It’s the right thing to do, but it’s also pragmatic. Things change. The person who brought you in to talk about the less-than-ideal situation might change jobs herself, and be hiring for your dream position the next time you’re looking.

I was going to offer a suggestion for what to do if you don’t get the job you’ve interviewed for and want desperately, but I realized I already had. Write that note.

I’ve had a lot of practice writing thank-you notes after losing out on a job. I’m a writer! I rarely get the gig. But when people take the time to consider my work, they get a heartfelt letter. If they offer me suggestions for how to improve that work, they get a longer heartfelt letter--and probably some gourmet cookies.

As for why it stings not to get an offer for a job you don’t want, I’m afraid I can’t help--but I can relate. How many times have you watched a child who’s completely lost interest in a toy suddenly decide it’s her favorite only because some other kid wants it? It’s a cliché, how often someone dumps a boyfriend or girlfriend only to be upset when that person rebounds a little too quickly for the dumper’s taste.

I guess you just have to remind yourself this isn’t something you wanted. Then go get what you do want. And don’t delay. In the words of one of my favorite bosses: “Ready, fire, aim.”

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How much time do you spend playing games? I don’t mean corporate games. I mean fun games. And how do you justify those?

I’m partial to Tetris and Scrabble. Tetris is great practice for not freaking out. Scrabble, for being adventurous--and calculating--with word choice.

Tetris reminds me that as life--I mean, the game--goes along, making any decision becomes more important than making the right decision. Time is short. Don’t be waffling. You can always correct your course, if you don’t freak out.

Scrabble reminds me I want to win, but not if the person I’m playing loses. I go for the kill with every turn, but I love it when the outcome is uncertain until the big “Game Over” sign flashes on the screen.

It doesn’t really matter what cards--er, tiles and letters--you’re dealt. Have fun, learn a lot, better your best.

Most importantly, hope for an uncertain outcome. Unless you love a boring story.

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A violin student is trying to perfect a short but difficult passage in a song. Should she play the passage twenty times? Or play it perfectly--with zero mistakes--until she does that five times in a row?

A basketball team keeps losing games because of missed free throws. Should each player shoot fifty free throws at the end of a practice? Or should the team practice free throws during a scrimmage--so each player has to shoot them while exhausted, under pressure?

The Talent Code author Daniel Coyle ponders these questions--and gives you the answers--in his latest post about measuring the effectiveness of practice.

You want to get better, right? That’s why you’re practicing. So why not get better at that?

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Ever listened to a motivational speaker and had the following reaction? “Easy for you to say.”

May I suggest an alternative?

“Easy for you to say. But maybe it wasn’t so easy to do.”

Think of someone you admire. Who was she before she became well-known? Probably someone who worked really hard and took a lot of risks and decided to share what she’s learned.

I’ve found a kindred spirit in John Strelecky. He’s the author of The Why Café and agrees you learn so much about people by their reaction to someone who’s making it big. “I think you can be thankful,” John says. “You can be thankful for the proof that success is possible.”

Here, here. The people who love their lives, who are up the road a ways and are willing to give you directions, are mapmakers. Why would you resent them?

Maybe it’s because someone practices that he’s…a preacher!

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Long before Twitter, long before you had to find a way to be interesting in 140 characters or fewer, there were teenagers.

I got me a good one, I know. But if I say something lame, or unnecessary (which is probably redundant and...unnecessary!), I've lost her.

As well I should.

Great practice for the talk show, eh?

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Want to get better at tennis? The violin? A foreign language? Daniel Coyle, author of The Talent Code, says the way to develop talent is with what he calls deep practice.

Break things down. Isolate the movements. Do each one perfectly. Repeat. Ten thousand times!

It won’t guarantee you’ll reach the finals at Wimbledon, but it will help rewire your brain and make you a whole lot better than someone who isn’t willing to put in that much effort. Daniel says repetition has gotten a bad rap since the beginning of times tables. But repetition is power, he adds, if you concentrate on each rep.

Intense practice, endless repetition. The not-so-secret formula to many a successful--and yes, fun-filled--career.

Now granted, there are only so many things you’ll have the passion--or the time--to master. But that’s okay, too. Daniel thinks there’s a lot to be said for enjoying things you suck at. More in my next post.

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Write an effective resume. Sparkle in a job interview. Be a great employee. Career consultant Vicki Brackett thinks the fastest route to all three is from the perspective of the employer.

“Your resume should make it clear how you’ve made money, saved money, or minimized risk for other employers,” she says. “That’s what makes you attractive to the next one.”

To ace an interview, Vicki suggests you practice telling stories about (you guessed it) making money, saving money, or minimizing risk. Practice in front of a mirror or--even better--in front of a friend. You’ll feel ridiculous. I promise! But you won’t be sorry. You’ll sound more natural, and feel more relaxed, once you’re in front of the hiring manager. Remember how stressful the experience is for that person, too--which will make it easier to present yourself as the solution to a problem. That’s why you’re needed. You don’t get hired to decorate the place. You get hired to help.

After you are, make sure you know what your boss calls success on the job. Keep that in mind, check in often, and make the world a better place.

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Happiness in this World is a blog by Dr. Alex Lickerman and it's subtitled "Reflections of a Buddhist Physician." Part of the reason I admire Alex is the example he sets for his patients. I almost typed "patience" just now, which is eerie, because that's one way Buddhism informs Alex's practice. By paying attention to how he feels, he can see his patients not as whiners but as people with problems. It reminds me what flight attendants tell parents: "In the event of an emergency, put your oxygen mask on first." Taking care of yourself enables you to take care of others.

But how does someone like Alex, who practices medicine and teaches and blogs and spends time with his family and on and on, find time for all of it? One word, he says: boundaries. He knows what's important, and says no to the rest.

You may know people--and I used to be one of them--who have difficulty saying no because they want others to like them. Then they get overwhelmed, and don't like themselves.

I've decided it's more important to be genuine than it is to be liked, though ironically (or not) people will find you more likeable if you're genuine.

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