September 18, 2008

Why You'll Never Please Some People

In This Issue:

Feature Article: "Why You'll Never Please Some People"

Quick Tips: "How To Handle Behavioral Job Interviews"

Fast Facts: "What Is a 'Recession' Anyway?"

* FEATURE ARTICLE *

“Why You'll Never Please Some People”

It may not be easy to swallow, but let's face it: you'll just never please some people.

Some people just seem wired to expect more and more... and won't ever be satisfied, no matter what you do for them.

There are also people who seem programmed to complain. You can bend over backwards to help them along... but they'll still find things to whinge and whine about.

It's as if they are constantly producing negativity and need an outlet. You can close one 'outlet' by helping them with one problem... but, sure enough, they'll find another outlet (i.e. another perceived problem) for their complaints.

On the flip side, I think the reverse is also true. Some people are wired to be positive and, no matter what the situation, will find something to be happy about. I love these people!

Are we doomed to be one or the other, or somewhere in between? well, I'll leave that for the psychologists but my experience suggests that 'negative' people CAN become more positive... IF they put effort into it. I liken it to exercise. By exercising our positivity we can strengthen our positive 'muscles' and, in so doing, become more positive overall.

But we have to want to do it. Some people just don't, or at least, are not prepared to put effort into becoming more positive.

Try to limit your exposure to these people. They'll do your head in. Instead, try to hang out with positive people. They'll provide much more inspiration for you as you become more positive yourself, and get closer to achieving your goals.

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* QUICK TIPS *

“How To Handle Behavioral Job Interviews”

'Behavioral' job interviews are all the rage nowadays. These are interviews where the interviewer asks job candidates to describe how they behaved in certain situations in the past.

Candidates are generally expected to respond according to the
STAR formula:

S - Situation or

T - Task

-- What was the situation or task you faced?

A - Action

-- What was the action you took?

R - Results

-- What were the results?

The idea behind behavioral interviews is that past behavior is the best predictor of future performance. Of course, like other kinds of interviews and exams, they can be manipulated by skillful job interview "performers".

In any case, here are three tips for preparing for a behavioral job interview:

1. Think of examples for each of the core competencies listed in the job or position description. Chances are it's the core competencies that the interviewer will want you to demonstrate by explaining past examples and behaviors.

2. Use specific, simple examples. You want to be able to give an example that not only conveys your level of competency, but is also easy to explain during the intense, somewhat stressful environment of a job interview. Avoid scenarios that are difficult to explain, where the results are ambiguous, or where it's unclear as to whether you or someone else was the key protagonist ('hero').

3. Be prepared for some follow up questions. The interviewer is likely to probe further - whether it's out of genuine interest, to test whether you really know what you're talking about, or because they're blindly following their own script. Just answer honestly and don't be afraid to repeat an earlier answer if it feels like the interviewer is asking the same question (sometimes they do so on purpose).

As mentioned above, behavioral interviews can be manipulated. A job interview is a somewhat artificial situation that bears little resemblance to the actual job.

It reflects a flawed model for selecting staff but, unfortunately, it's something many of us just have to live with. So if that's the 'game' you have to play, better to prepare and do well, than fail miserably because you didn't learn the 'rules'.

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* FAST FACTS *

“What Is a 'Recession' Anyway?”

The U.S. National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) offers this definition of a 'recession':

"A recession is a significant decline in activity spread across the economy, lasting more than a few months, visible in industrial production, employment, real income, and wholesale- retail trade. A recession begins just after the economy reaches a peak of activity and ends as the economy reaches its trough. Between trough and peak, the economy is in an expansion. Expansion is the normal state of the economy; most recessions are brief and they have been rare in recent decades."

A 'depression' is a recession that lasts for a sustained period e.g. several years.

As you can see, this 'official' definition of a recession is much broader than the often quoted view that a recession exists where an economy sustains negative real gross domestic product (GDP) growth over two or more consecutive quarters.

(Source: National Bureau of Economic Research, NBER Reporter
OnLine: Fall 2001, http://www.nber.org/reporter/fall01/)

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