perspective

Use "Cognitive Crafting" to Ace Your Next Job Interview

Paul Michael — Mon, 23 Apr 2018 09:00:06 +0000

You may have heard of the term "job crafting." You may even have done it without realizing. Job crafting is a technique used by employees to redesign their own specific roles to foster greater job satisfaction. It's a mind trick that turns a bad job into a tolerable one, or a good job into a great job.

The techniques employed in job crafting can also be used in an interview situation, putting you in the driver's seat and making you a star interviewee. It's called cognitive crafting and it can work wonders.

What is cognitive crafting?

The simplest way to describe it is a paradigm shift; you are looking at the exact same information or scenario, but in a different way. One example of this is the infamous rabbit and duck illusion, described by philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein as "seeing that" versus "seeing as." You may look at the image and see a rabbit. You may see a duck. The shift happens when you go from one to the other, opening your eyes to a new view without anything changing other than your own opinion.

Another example of this comes from a story about a man on a train, sitting solemnly as his two children cause havoc. They're jumping on the seats, running around, shouting, and he is doing nothing. A bystander says, "What a terrible parent, he should do something about his kids." Then, someone tells the bystander, "I was just with him at his wife's funeral." Suddenly, the bystander has a complete shift in perspective. Nothing has changed. The kids are still running around, the man is still sitting in silence, but now the feeling felt is one of empathy, not anger.

With cognitive crafting, you are responsible for creating these kinds of paradigm shifts to benefit yourself. With this technique, you can make yourself a much more impressive prospect in your next job interview.

They're not interviewing you; you're interviewing them

Perhaps the simplest piece of cognitive crafting you can use is to turn the tables on the whole situation. As soon as you are asked to go in for an interview, start telling yourself that you will be interviewing the company to see if they are a good fit for you. In fact, go one step further, and tell yourself that they have to prove they're good enough to have you as an employee.

Of course, don't go so far that you become aloof and arrogant — but by taking this approach, you become less nervous and more confident in your own abilities. Confidence is an excellent trait for an interviewee to have, and it makes a huge difference. (See also: 15 Soft Skills Every Employer Values)

Give yourself a self-review before the interview

Give yourself a genuine self-appraisal before your interview, and use performance appraisal language while you do so. If you're unfamiliar with this type of phrasing, you can look up hundreds of examples online. The goal is to find different ways to talk about yourself and your achievements without sounding repetitive or dull.

For example, if you excel at decision making, you can say you "effectively weigh risks, uncertainties, and assumptions." If you are a great presenter, say you "excel in directing and engaging audience participation." Not only does this make you sound well-versed in your chosen skills, but it is a great way to build your confidence and remind yourself of what makes you a hirable candidate. (See also: 9 Ways an Annual Self Review Can Boost Your Career)

Assume you're being asked to help the company survive

You're not just there to fill a vacant role. You're coming in as a trouble shooter; someone that will see the problems, know the solutions, and have ideas that will make the company grow and prosper.

It doesn't matter if the company is as successful as Amazon, or one that's known to be in trouble. You are there to take things to the next level. Do your homework, look at potential weaknesses that can be fixed, or find ways to boost impact and revenue. Take these ideas with you, and offer them up enthusiastically. If you're seen to already be actively interested in the success of the company, you will be seen as a much more valuable asset.

Imagine you're the last interview at the end of a long day

This may actually be true, but whether you're first through the door or last in line, assume the hiring manager has been doing this for nine hours straight with very few breaks. They're tired. They're cranky. They're smiling through gritted teeth. They have heard everyone answer the same questions the same way. They've heard people recite long passages from their resumes when they asked them, "Tell me your strengths and weaknesses."

Now, you're there. What are you going to do to make this last interview the best one? How will you deviate from the norm? How will you bring much-needed energy back into the room? This is your chance to stand out and make your time with the interviewer memorable in all the right ways. (See also: 15 Questions You Should Always Ask at the End of a Job Interview)

Take a leaf out of every politician's book

When politicians are being interviewed, they know exactly what they want to talk about, even if the interviewer is asking different questions. At its worst, it's obstructionist and annoying, usually because the politician refuses to answer the actual question. You don't want to do that. Answer the question the best way you can.

However, being able to pivot to talk about something you really want to discuss is a great way to push your strengths and make the conversation about topics that you're comfortable talking about at length. How can you turn one topic into another seamlessly? Imagine the usual questions you will be asked, and write down a list of subjects you want to insert into the interview process. Now … how will you move from one to the other? (See also: 5 Things Never to Bring Up in a Job Interview)

Don't imagine the interviewer naked or on the toilet

It's a cognitive crafting technique that almost everyone knows about, and it's supposed to help you shake your jitters and feel superior. It doesn't work. At best, it distracts you from thinking about something that really matters. More often than not, you could start smirking or even stumble over your words in an attempt to cover your mind game.

Instead, if you're having confidence issues, there are a number of exercises you can do beforehand to put yourself at ease. First, record yourself being interviewed by a friend or relative, and play it back. Listen to the number of times you repeat a phrase or say, "Umm." Then, do it again, and again, until you are happy with the result. Practice like this is invaluable. Study some body language techniques that make you feel bigger and more confident. And study the company and the position thoroughly so that you feel sure you can answer any question.

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This article is from Paul Michael of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

3 Reasons to Make Your New Year's Resolutions Today

Elizabeth Lang — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 14:00:11 +0000

One more cookie? OK, January 1st is when you’ll start your diet. Spend another $25 on a gift? Why not, you’ll turn things around next year.

It’s the end of the year, and we all tend to compromise with ourselves at this point in the game. Why? Because we’ll set resolutions soon, and next year will be different.

However, I propose that mid-December is actually the best time to sit down and sketch out your goals for next year. Here’s why.

You'll Put Life in Perspective

Chris Gillebeau at Art of Non-Conformity advocates conducting your own annual review. It’s not just about setting goals for the next year, it’s about reconsidering the past. Right around the holidays it can be difficult to put your life in perspective because so much time is spent with friends, family, and coworkers, comparing your life to theirs. For instance, think of some of the holiday letters you get — you know the people — “Happy Holidays — We hope you’ve had a wonderful year! This year we celebrated our 30th anniversary on a private island surrounded by piles of money and our oldest son got married to a supermodel...“ Don’t compare yourself to them. A healthier perspective is comparing your own life to your own goals.

You’ll Slow Down

It doesn’t matter if you’re encountering year-end work deadlines, taking finals for school, shopping for last minute Christmas gifts, or shoveling out from a giant snowstorm — this time of year is busy for everyone. When each day passes so quickly, it’s necessary to stop and enjoy the moment. Writing your goals will help you do just this. Need more inspiration for slowing down? I love Gretchen Rubin’s video “The Years are Short."

You’ll Eat Less, Spend Less, or Do _____

If you want to set a resolution that actually sticks, you can’t just reboot on January 1st. If you set your goals today, you’ll find yourself making conscious choices over the holidays. Yes, maybe you’ll eat the extra cookie or spend that extra $25, but you’ll be more likely to take a walk around the block afterward or sell that extra microwave on Craigslist (that you’ve been meaning to list for months).

So go ahead and enjoy the splurges or the holiday season — just make sure that you're aware of your goals and making conscious choices.

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This article is from Elizabeth Lang of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

Your Job as a Personal Finance Literature Reader

David Ning — Wed, 26 May 2010 12:00:03 +0000

Once upon a time, there was a businessman named Richard. He was very smart, and built a thriving business from scratch. Everyone was jealous of him, but he wasn't happy. As the business grew, so did his expenses and ultimately his lifestyle. He was living large, and though he can afford it, the high income / high expense lifestyle made him very aware of the fact that he could lose it all. As a result, he was obsessed with his companies' every decision, and his actions not only stressed him out, but his family and subordinates too.

His company's janitor, Poris, almost seemed to be living in a completely different world. He was married, and makes about 5% of Richard's income. Obviously, he couldn't afford nearly the same lifestyle as Richard. As a result, he was very frugal but he was stressed too. Poris is stressed about making ends meet, stressed about whether he'd get laid off and stressed about whether he could ever afford an actual retirement.

Usually when you read these stories, the author will ask you to point out the one with the better life. But the reality is that we don't want to be either of them. When we look from the outside, it's easy to spot that neither of them has a life we should envy. You make a bundle and you could be stressed. You made nothing and you could be stressed. You spend a bunch and you could be stressed, but you are frugal and it could still be stressful. Just nitpicking about one aspect of money matters tell you nothing.

One of my neighbors has a $200,000 2-door Bentley sports car. Does it make him rich, and can we automatically conclude that he's a shopaholic? Another neighbor has two very old Hondas. It's so old that the paint is starting to rust. Does it mean that the family is having a hard time making ends meet, or does it show that they are just frugal?

Due to the length of our articles, we usually write about one side of personal finance. Sometimes, we talk about and why it helps. Other times, we talk about making money with rental properties and REITs. By reading them one at a time, it is easy to forget that personal finance is all about balance. At the end of the day, the key is to make more money than you spend.

We write about all the tips, tricks, and habits because they either help you save or make more money. We (at least I) won't tell you whether it's right or wrong. After all, someone who is making $1 million dollars a year may think that all those latte factor articles are a big waste of time, while the same article may make so much sense for the family with a household income of $30,000 a year. If you read personal finance articles regularly, it is your job to know your own situation and figure out what's best for you.

Making your own coffee will guarantee you at least a couple bucks a pop, but you still have to figure out whether it makes economic sense for you. I personally don't watch too much TV because I can use that time to run my business and make quite a bit of money. If you take my advice and cut your cable but end up surfing the web for three hours a day, you are just changing the chair you sit on. If you feel miserable after you stop watching the NBA finals, it might actually hurt your finances. Every time you try to change your habit, it is critical to mind the big picture.

Personal finance literature is general, but it is your job to make it personal.

This article is from David Ning of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread: