A Yoga Drishti and Your Job Search

 If you've been following this blog long enough, you'll know that I practice yoga. I also write how certain yoga techniques can be used universally; especially in a job search. Today, while in  a yoga class, we focused on a drishti while doing the tree pose. I focused hard on the pattern of the curtain at the front of the room and stopped listening to those chatty voices in my head that were telling me that I would fall. The more I focused, the taller I stood.

To backtrack, a drishti is a yoga technique that uses a focused gaze to enhance concentration. It's usually used in balancing. It's a Sanskrit word defined as "focused gaze". Using my example from class today, the drishti directed my attention to my inner concentration. When gazing at a fixed point (the curtain) while trying to balance on my one leg, it helped to shoo out the negative words in my head and concentrate on completing the balance.

In your job search, don't let the negative voices in your head tell you that you you're not good enough to apply for a better position. Don't tell yourself that you're not smart enough, not loud enough, don't have the skills or are generally not worth it to go after that position.

Calm yourself, turn inward, focus on self care and eliminate those chattering negative voices. You ARE smart enough, you ARE good enough, you DO have the skills and mindset to go after that job. You ARE worth it. If you can, focus inwardly on something or somewhere that brings you joy and focus on the positive. You WILL succeed.

Please Visit a Dermatologist

Today I had surgery for a Stage 0 Melanoma. It was discovered about a month ago when I went to my dermatologist for my annual skin screening. I was so lucky to have a Nurse Practitioner who was thorough and eagle eyed as she spotted a pinhead sized dot on my left buttock. She took a scraping, sent it out and sure enough, it came back as a Melanoma in Situ (along with all these other words that I'd never heard of and had to Google).

The Nurse Practitioner called me into the office to go over my results rather than sharing the news over the phone and then referred me to a Surgeon/Oncologist in Naples. That began a month of appointments, discussions, pictures (!) and then today, surgery. 

My surgeon was wonderful, the team at the surgery center were kind, caring and funny and what was a scary event turned into a kind of visit with friends. I won't get my results until I meet with the surgeon in two weeks so until then, I will research Melanoma and hope that it stayed in the margins and didn't stray. 

I'm also using my job search blog as a place to tell you my story and to ask you to get your skin checked. I had a bad experience with a dermatologist in NJ about ten years ago and it left me not trusting them. I'm glad I changed my mind and have been consistently getting checked over the last few years. So please, get checked. I grew up at the beach and love to be outside. This melanoma doesn't seem to be caused by the sun, the doctor says it is most likely from my family history.

If I can make one person visit a dermatologist from this post, I'll be happy. 

PS I learned to today that a melanoma, even a stage zero can quickly spread within six weeks. That's not very long.

Preparing for a STAR Behavioral Interview

Sometimes preparing for an interview can be as challenging as participating in an interview! 

Here's a tip about charting your responses to anticipated behavioral or STAR (Situation or Task, Actions Taken and Results) interviewing questions. 

Line up the new job requirements and skills in the left column. In the middle column, think of similar requirements you may have faced in former positions and list the actions or activities you took. In the third column record your tangible results.

Valentine's Day and Your Job Search

 

How is an interview like a first date? The way you look and behave will allow your interviewer (date) to immediately know if they want to learn more about you.  Thoughtful dress, a genuine smile and eye contact are essential elements to both a date and an interview. To continue the theme, it’s important be conscious of your body language.  Sitting up straight or slightly leaning forward demonstrate your interest in the speaker and topic along with your desire to continue the conversation.

 Like a first date, an interview is a conversation; a back and forth discussion where the interviewee actively listens and engages the interviewer with insightful questions and responses.  The interviewee should be prepared to fully explain his or her comments with thought-out examples of accomplishments and career highlights.

Finally, during a first date you may be asked about your strengths and weaknesses and likes and dislikes.  These come up on an interview too and in both cases you should be prepared with examples of each.  As far as weaknesses, don’t forget to mention what you’re doing to improve so that you don’t turn off the interviewer.

I haven’t been on a first date for a long time thankfully but I do remember being prepared to talk about myself, ask questions of my date and express an interest in what he said. If he called for a second date the routine would start all over and maybe by then we’d learn if we wanted to move further or go our separate ways.

Happy Valentine’s Day!