We have years of experience when it comes to recruiting right- so what is it that you, as a candidate, need to know but never get told?

Simply this – focus solely on why you are good for the role – do not spend time explaining why it’s good for you!”

At the point of interview, most potential employers do not yet care about you as a person.

They have a gap in their organisation and they care much more about addressing that than whether you are appreciated, happy, lonely or fulfilled etc.

If you choose to tell a potential employer how great this job will be for you; how keen you are to progress; how driven you are etc. You are likely to be politely shown the door.

This will also be true if you are vitriolic about previous employers; after all, if you will say it about them, we can picture you saying it about us!

Next time you are thinking of applying for that great job, take a moment to consider it from an employers perspective and if you are seeking unconditional acceptance, call your mum.

One last tip- consider all of the reasons why they wouldn’t want to give you the job. Use this information to make sure you prepare some robust responses and remove doubt from their minds.

As with all things worth having in life, the more time and effort you put in upfront, the better the outcome is likely to be.

If you want to know more or would like a quick chat let us know by clicking here.

Achieving success through networking effectively is really very simple and yet I have observed that it is one of those issues that can make otherwise confident men and women go weak at the knees!

Whether you are attending a ‘business breakfast’ or it’s an important ‘sales event’ for your business or you are trying to ‘develop contacts’ to progress your career, it can sometimes seem easier to hide behind your coffee cup than to work the room.

Yet we have all seen people who make it look easy… so what is their secret.

Well, first they never, ever use language like, “I really ought to do it more; I need to get better at it; I feel like I should or my boss says it’s important”.

If you hear yourself using that type of language, it is worth asking yourself how you used to respond when your parents said, “You ought to tidy your room/You need to finish your homework/You should wash the dishes”.

Chances are you demonstrated your independence by ignoring them or in other words, you have lots of practice at not acting positively when you hear this type of language.

So instead of thinking of reasons to avoid networking, you may find that it will pay you to start thinking about the tremendous positive difference being great at this skill will bring to you.

Second, be honest with yourself as to what it is you don’t like about networking in the first place.

For most people, it is usually a combination of the following:

• - It makes me feel uncomfortable
• - I don’t like pushy people so I don’t want to come across that way myself
• - I talk to lots of people but they are all trying to sell to me or,
• - It has never worked for me.

Whatever your reasons, there is a fundamental truth it may help you to acknowledge…

Unless you really want to do something; there is very little likelihood you will put in the effort to become great at it.

Third, if for you it is about feeling uncomfortable, it is definitely time to grow your comfort zone.

I have a friend who feels entirely happy crossing a crevice or sleeping on a mountain ledge right next to a vertical drop – both things that make what’s left of my hair stand on end!

By all of my measures he is brave and has nerves of steel and yet he finds walking into a room full of people, that it could be tremendously beneficial for him to know, deeply challenging.

When I asked him why he is great at climbing but less so at networking, he told me, “I know what I want to achieve when I am climbing a mountain. I have a clear goal and I break it down into manageable chunks. I then develop a plan that will ensure I succeed at each step of the way and then I practice… a lot… after all, if I get it wrong I can die.”

I pointed out that becoming a successful networker is somewhat less risky than becoming a great mountaineer!

He looked at me and uttered those magic words…”I’ve never thought about it like that before.”

Now, I am guessing here but I am willing to bet that the first bit of climbing he did wasn’t on Mount Everest.

I am sure that he started out small but as he continued to build his skill and his confidence, he gradually took on more and more challenging climbs.

So what can this approach teach us about being highly successful networkers and how can we use it to benefit ourselves.

1. Be clear about ‘WHY’ you are going to an event and ‘WHAT’ you want out of it
2. CREATE A POSITIVE PICTURE of yourself leaving, feeling great and having met some really interesting people
3. DEVELOP A PLAN for arriving, enjoying talking to strangers and moving on from people with whom you do not ‘click’START small and work your way up as your confidence and ability grows
4. CREATE lots of opportunities to PRACTICE.

I am sure that following these simple steps will help you get better.

If you decide that you want to make your life easy and become exceptional, simply call now and let’s talk about where our expertise can help you achieve your goals even more quickly.

A final thought, it pays to be selective about where you choose to network; after all, if you only cast your net into small ponds, you are not likely to catch any big fish.

When we are feeling confident and well adjusted, being told the truth by someone we trust is rarely a problem even for the most sensitive of us. So then, why is it that the old saying “The Truth Hurts” strikes a chord?

Over the years, I have been lucky enough to work with many bright and intelligent people. Who, on the whole, have been able to see issues clearly and are entirely comfortable with making positive changes within their business or private lives.

However, there is one issue that has the capability to blindside almost everyone. When we allow our emotions to get the better of us it becomes increasingly difficult to have a balanced response. Frequently, everyone else can see the warning signs, so why can’t we?

I know that at this point some of you will be saying to yourselves, “it is my emotions that make me human.” Of course you are correct and I am not advocating for one moment that you try to become emotionally suppressed!

Yet, it does beg the question of whether there is a better way of dealing with contentious and emotive issues. Think for a moment of the significant benefit of taking time to reflect on the cost of allowing your emotions to run amok.

Even the most cerebral of individuals have emotional trigger points which, when pressed, steer them to focus on trivia, ignore risk and sometimes even real danger. Where there is an atmosphere of trust and mutual regard these trigger points fade into the background and they can cause no harm.

However, if we find ourselves in a situation that is stressful or if we are being given news that does not fit with us remaining within our comfort zones, our trigger points become very prevalent, our friends end up tiptoeing around us and those with whom we do not have a positive relationship are handed a lighted match to set off our blue touch paper!

Over the last 8 years, we have helped many companies and individuals successfully navigate these pitfalls and deliver results that have been consistently above what they thought would be possible.

So how have we managed this when so many others have not?

We have developed a great process that allows the important stuff to get discussed in an open, honest and solution focused manner. Could anyone do it….of course they could with sufficient experience and plenty of practice. Our expertise is usually called upon once our clients have exhausted their internal options or when a situation has a high likelihood of going wrong. Regardless of the reasons why people choose to engage us, we see our main objective as the delivery of transformational results.

If you would like to know more about how our expertise can transform your team or business, click here or call us now.