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Wednesday, September 08, 2010
Accentuate the Positive
"Don't send me any bad apples," an employer told me. It was his way of telling me, an employment office manager, that a positive attitude was the chief quality he looked for in an employee. Employment ads frequently ask for workers with a positive attitude.
The business owner was echoing a 73-year-old observation of Napoleon Hill, a pioneer of self-improvement literature and author of the 1937 bestseller "Think and Grow Rich." Hill noticed that a positive attitude attracts success and that the negative person misses opportunities. A negative worker, he believed, has a negative impact on a business.
Plan to show your positive attitude to a prospective employer in every contact, including a personal visit, phone call and interview.
• Speak in an enthusiastic manner. A young man approached me looking at the floor. "Is anyone hiring?" he asked in a barely audible voice. I repeated Napoleon Hill's observation that one's attitude can create good luck or bad luck.
• Tell the employer "I really want this job!"
• Have a smile on your face when you meet the interviewer.
• Make sure your body language radiates enthusiasm.
• Show drive and passion.
• Maintain eye contact.
It is also possible to show one's positive attitude on an application, résumé, or cover letter:
• Mention a comment made in a positive employee evaluation.
• Have you ever been elected to anything? No one votes for a grump.
• Did you ever start up a club or organization? For example, "As a high school freshman I initiated a petition to change how our school board was operated. This change was eventually adopted." Make use of similar accomplishments.
• Do you have any hobbies?
Some people told me that some of my suggestions to act positive were not their nature - their personality. We are not all built the same. Practice showing your positive side with a friend. After mock interviews you will be able to shine in an interview.
Bob Lankard, a business columnist for the Indiana Gazette and former program manager at the state Job Center in Indiana, Pa., offers common-sense advice and innovative tactics to help all levels of job seekers satisfy their employment ambitions.
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