With the recent change of Government in Queensland there have been a lot of changes including the end of temporary contracts that will not be renewed. Some of these temporary employees have already finished their contract and there are many more to come; this will end up running into the thousands. Over the last couple of months I have had many conversations with people from entry level administration candidates’ right through to Managers and Directors and it was all doom and gloom – it has been very negative. On that note there have been some heart wrenching stories from people not being able to pay their mortgages, just finding out they are expecting their first child, Managers going home feeling sick because they can’t keep their great staff and even a couple of people coming up to me (that I didn’t even know) asking if I had a job for them. It is very easy for everyone to get very negative very quickly in this sort of situation.
Ok, enough of the sadness and negativity. I decided to contact all of my clients to ask them to pass on my details to those who were finishing in the event we can find them their next job. I was referred anywhere from three to eleven candidates from individual clients and areas within the departments. I would sit at a coffee shop beneath their building and interview one after another, but what I initially saw was not good. I saw the negativity and lack of confidence walk towards me every time so this interview process had to change. We conducted the usual interview but I threw in some motivators and positivity about how good they are at what they do and their records of achievement. The bounce in their step as they walked back to the office looked as though it was coming from a completely different person.
The results from these interviews have given us some good news stories and one in particular was this… We had a scanning and filing role called in for a period of two weeks; an entry level admin role. I called a candidate that lived near-by knowing that she was too senior for the role but why not, she is a great candidate and not working. I explained the simplicities of the role and certainly did not sugar coat it. The response………….”Craig, that role is not beneath me and it will keep me busy for the next couple of weeks.” The result…………. After three days in the role the client wanted to offer her a permanent role which the candidate accepted. That candidate has stayed positive in some gloomy times and has used some very powerful tools to stay positive to achieve a positive outcome. Here are a few that may help.
Visualise – Visualise nailing the interview and getting the job. The most successful goal kickers in all football codes do this, before they have even kicked the ball in their mind it is already sailing though the posts.
Use positive words (negative words to positives) e.g. – Problems become Situations, Faults become Differences and Mistakes become Valuable Lessons. When you buy your next house car or something substantial the best salesman will use a positive word so you sign off on the deal. Instead of “sign here” he should say “may I have your authority?” Sign here will scare you but you authority will empower you.
Smile – Whether it is face to face or over the phone a smile is infectious. Even over the phone the other person can feel it. Not only that just for a bit of fun people trying to work out what you have just been up to.
Take you daily dose of vitamins (A, B, C, D, E & F) – I got this years ago from a training session. A for Attitude, B for Belief, C for Courage and Confidence, D for Discipline, E for Empathy and F for Fun. Please take these every morning when you get out of bed.
For those who are feeling a little down at the moment I hope this helps and for others it might be that refresher you need to stay on top and remember this “A positive attitude is like any other habit: The longer you have it, the stronger it becomes.”
Craig Morison – Senior Consultant