What’s your nickname? What’s your element?
If you were an animal, vegetable or mineral, what would you be? Don’t try to come up with the perfect answer. Trust your imagination and your intuition. Think fast. Think outside the box!
Perfection sucks… the life force out of us. When I listen to people talk about their career goals and prep for job interviews, I often hear them talk about having the right answer, the ideal skillset, how they need to be perfect to be the perfect fit.
Blah blah blah.
They’re trying to fit into a box.
There are major negative consequences to that kind of striving: you are not going to be very interesting. You may not stand out from the competition. You won’t get to show what makes you unique. You may not find your voice or convey the dynamism to capture someone’s attention and engage them. You may not be YOUR SELF!
When it comes to talking about yourself, your skills, and your experience, you need to be BOTH/AND
BOTH authentic AND able to speak the employer’s language
The authentic part can come from imagination and intuition, not perfection. (The AND is about showing how you match up using their terminology. It’s actually kind of boring but it’s essential. For every job responsibility, you give an example of how you’ve used that skill, done that task, achieved that goal, or done something similar. And you use their language so that they don’t have to work to figure out you’re a match.https://lauraparadisecoaching.com/youve-got-an-interview-now-what/)
AUTHENTIC IS NOT BORING. IT IS BETTER THAN PERFECTION.
Let’s assume you know you know your skillset, have inventoried your accomplishments, tallied up your measurable achievements, named your key values, and know what personality traits make you a great co-worker/manager/partner. Yes, you have “filled your bowl”. You have taken stock of the riches you have to offer.
In addition to what you’d expect to have in the bowl, I suggest that you add other things- your element, your animal totem, a nickname, what you’re known for, your role in an organization, your vision, your standards, and more. I use these prompts with my clients when I help them prepare for interviews. My original intention was to add lightness and humor to the job search process. At the last Interview Club, I discovered the true benefit of adding these components.
They spark the imagination. They add life force. Originality. Complexity. Subtlety. Authenticity.
They call me the whip.
I’m water. I am adaptable and flexible.
I am coral. I can be shelter.
I am a water monster.
They call me authoritative and supportive.
They call me fresh eyes.
I am the wind.
Notice that some responses immediately elicit an image and tell a story. Others benefit from more information or an example. But all draw us in. Tell me more about this person who brings fresh eyes. Tell me how being coral can be an asset in an organization. Tell me when you have been authoritative. When do you use this quality? When is it called for?
Notice that these simple statements pique our interest. Notice that they can lead to rich examples and perhaps to compelling interview responses.
I am not suggesting that you tell someone that you’re water or a whip at your next job interview. I am suggesting that you make space for your imagination as you consider who you are as a working being.
Image-ination makes room for better interview responses, responses that go beyond perfect, boring fit. You – the whip – get people into action. Your fresh eyes turn around a stuck team. Your water nature is perfectly suited for working with diverse populations.
What’s your nickname?