Percepción del riesgo

If you haven’t “heard anything” about your interviewer, never pretend that you have. Instead, bring out the business facts that you do know about his company, then ask him how long he’s worked there, and if he enjoys it. What if you have heard something negative about your interviewer? Don’t mention it. As Samuel Butler once said: “It is tact that is golden, not silence.”

179.

Can you tell me about your childhood?

A.

Certainly, Lucy. I grew up in the outskirts of Chicago, where I attended a pretty good public school. I loved to ice-skate, and, for a long time, had dreams of becoming a professional skater. However, when I turned eighteen, I had to decide whether I wanted to pursue professional ice-skating or go to college. I was accepted at Ohio State University, and during my freshman year, dropped ice- skating to pursue a new passion: modern dance.

I’ve always loved sports, and understand how important they are to developing a healthy sense of self-esteem. I believe that my lifelong commitment to athletics, plus the fact that I got my MBA in marketing, make me the perfect person for this job.

Why This Technique Works

1. Asked about your childhood, you gave your interviewer the edited version, rather than your whole life story chapter by chapter.

180.

What’s your passion?

A.

I’ve always had a great “eye” for design. As a teenager, I used to do hundreds of “home-ec” projects like painting, wallpapering, and sanding. When I went to college, I ended up majoring in psychology, but I minored in art. I created sculptures and immense, floor-to-ceiling murals, and, sometimes, I even mixed mediums. For example, for a performance art piece, I once mixed beautiful African poetry and synthesized jazz rhythms with documentary footage of Houston’s urban sprawl.

I started as a secretary in a decorator’s showroom. My boss would sit down with me each morning and give me a daily “to do” list. As I would check off each task from the list, I couldn’t help doodling all over the piece of paper.

One day, a very famous graphic artist strolled into the showroom and noticed my doodles. He advised me to go into textile design; as a matter of fact, he was adamant about it. And I actually listened to him. I enrolled in a local art school, where I took night classes towards a second degree in textile design. I brought my portfolio of designs with me today for you to review. (Then, pull out your portfolio.)

Why try to fit a square peg into a round hole? Make sure that your passion and the primary skill that you need for the job are one and the same.

181.

If you were to give a speech to a group of executives, what topic would you select, and why?

A.

I would give a speech about overcoming obstacles. It was certainly difficult for me to break into our closed “auction house” world without an art history background or an uncle in the field. But I kept banging on the proverbial door, and miraculously, it eventually opened. I feel like everyone in our business has probably encountered some setbacks along the way, and I think that a speech describing how to rise above them would probably motivate a lot of people.

182.

What would you change about yourself?

A.

I think that, sometimes, our lead times are a lot longer than one can possibly predict. To deal with them, patience really is a virtue, and so I have been trying to practice it. It’s ludicrous to expect

instantaneous results, no matter how good a concept you might have.

When I was toiling away at my first record company, I really thought that we should be trying to court some of the new hip-hop bands that were coming up. A lot of the people at the company disagreed with me, but one of my mentors there actually thought it would be a great way to attract a younger clientele. He helped me push through some of our very first recording contracts. It was rough going there for me for a while, because once everyone jumped on the hip-hop “bandwagon,” we all expected immediate results. Instead, it took almost three years, but we did eventually get the sales figures that we had hoped for. A new hiphop spinoff label was created, and I was ultimately promoted to help manage it.

A twist on “What’s your biggest weakness?” is the question that asks what you would change about yourself. However, since this question is phrased in relatively mild

language, it’s smart to pick a small, mild, (practically insignificant) weakness that leads to one of your strengths.

Why Interviewers Sometimes Ask Questions That Are Light

In document Vulnerabilidad social de las personas adultas mayores en áreas de riesgo de inundaciones en la zona metropolitana de Monterrey (página 45-48)