Amy Lindgren
Do you have favorite words that carry extra power in your life?
When it comes to difficult issues, my favorite word is How. As in, “How am I going to fix this?” and “How can I change this outcome?” This one word opens the door to everything, as far as I’m concerned. If I start with “How,” I’m compelled to move on to find a solution.
For job search, my favorite word is Yes. I believe that job seekers with a “yes” mentality achieve their goals more quickly than those whose set-points lean to “no” or “I don’t think so.”
You don’t need to be a natural optimist to adopt a yes approach to job search. It just takes practice and a little extra vigilance. Here are four situations in which Yes is the answer (or should be).
1. When answering interview questions: In improv comedy, actors train themselves to answer any situation, no matter how improbable, with “Yes, and … ” As in, “Yes, and besides baking cakes with a box on my head, I also build Lego ships that actually sail.”
Silly? That’s the point. But imagine the opposite: “No, I don’t bake cakes.” Thud. In an unfortunate twist, job seekers are sometimes advised to answer with “No, but … ” As in, “No, I don’t know PowerPoint, but I can learn.”
Frankly, that’s another thud. The employer needs a doer, not a learner, at least for the basic parts of the job. A better answer starts with Yes: “Yes, I’ve had exposure to PowerPoint. I saw it in the job posting so I found a refresher class I can take. How would I be using it?”
Now we have a conversation started and the game is afoot. The idea isn’t to lie or inflate. Rather, it’s to answer positively, providing whatever information you can before redirecting with a question of your own. In the end, it may not be enough to win the offer but you’ll definitely come closer. Helpful mantras to practice: “Yes, I can … ” or “Yes, and … ”
2. When pursuing leads: I was talking with someone the other day about checking her college alumni department for networking contacts. Her answer: “No, I don’t think they do that.”
Um, don’t think, or know for a fact? It’s logical to prioritize ideas to avoid tumbling down every rabbit hole. If I’d suggested checking with her hardware store for networking ideas, I would agree the result might not be worth the effort. But it’s important to distinguish between wasted time and lost opportunities.
The mantra here could be “Yes, this might help,” followed by “How would I get the best result?” If answering the How question doesn’t provide a likely path to pursue, the option can be shelved in favor of one that has more potential. And if there isn’t a higher-value option available? It’s back to the first one, just to keep things moving.
3. In imagining a new future: This one might need both a Yes and a few Hows besides. Here’s an example: Suppose you’re wondering about changing careers. This is a question of exploration, so an automatic Yes doesn’t fit. You need information first, and an understanding of the risks and benefits. This is where “How” comes in. How will you find that information?
Now suppose you’ve found an idea that excites you. This is where Yes comes in. If the new career would mean less money, the person who leans to No might say, “Oh, that’s not enough money. It won’t work.” As a career counselor, I’m always going to push back on that. Not because it’s not true but because it closes off an entire path that might otherwise be perfect.
The remedy would be more How questions, including “How would we balance our budget?” or maybe, “How would our lifestyle change to accommodate that?” Or even, “How could I earn more money if I took that path? How soon could I be promoted?”
The beginning mantras for the entire sequence are simple Yes phrases: “Yes, I think there’s something more for me out there” and, “Yes, I think that’s worth exploring.”
4. In just getting out of bed: Sometimes just facing the day is enough of a challenge. Here’s a mantra to try: “Yes. I think this day will be worth getting up for.” And then you do get up, because none of the other yeses will matter otherwise.
Ready to try? Yes, of course you are!
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Amy Lindgren owns a career consulting firm in St. Paul. She can be reached at alindgren@prototypecareerservice.com.
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