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process can make learning from experts difficult, because they can be so far
removed from being a beginner that they say ‘just do it’ and are unable to
break down the skill into easy stages.
Getting the Best Job for You
Huge competition exists for good jobs in challenging economic times, which
means that approaching your career change and job interviews strategically
is more important than ever. Shifting jobs merely because you’re bored – like
changing the wallpaper or going shopping and coming home with yet another
blue shirt – can be counterproductive. You may change jobs and then realise
that the change was what was attractive and not the job itself.
Working with an NLP-trained career coach can guide you towards obtaining
the job that takes your life in the best direction (instead of just a different job)
and presenting yourself at your very best in an interview. Career planning
needs to be done proactively or you can end up like Alice in Wonderland: not
too bothered about where you get to, just so long as it’s somewhere. Making
informed decisions, based on your values and desired future, ensures that
you don’t leave a perfectly good job only to end up somewhere where you’re
very unhappy or at best just as unsettled as you were in your previous job,
and still searching for the greener grass.
Make your job search a well-formed outcome using the checklist in
Appendix C. Do your homework about the person with the power to appoint
you to your dream job and decide how that person’s map of the world
operates. Chapter 7 contains a checklist to help you think about the people
you need to influence.
Be creative about making yourself stand out from the crowd. To gain
perspective, shift into second and third positions (which we describe in
Chapter 7) and think of yourself as a product; what would your features
and benefits be? In front of a mirror, practise being the person your dream
employer wants to employ – check out the communication information in
Chapter 7 to ensure that your words, gestures, and tone of voice present a
consistent view. How would you dress and talk? What would you be saying
about yourself and your capabilities? Remember, you need to believe in
yourself for others to feel confident in you – and buy you.
