Understanding the Past is a virtue best taken with a few shots of humility

So this is going to be the post where I talk about my last job experience. 

Yeah, it didn't end well, and while I have been all-too-quick to talk about all the things I learned from it and how I'm so grateful I got to experience it for as long as I did... but at the end of the day, I didn't take to the water quickly enough and was let go because of it.  It wasn't that I didn't care about my job or that I wasn't trying, it's just that I didn't have the experience to learn the keys of my role in a quick enough amount of time.  I was given a review period by my direct manager where I had a forum to ask questions and receive guidance, but instead of airing them my general response to the situation was work longer hours, study the details, write more notes, don't ask "stupid questions" and never complain or show weakness.  Aside from the fact that the last one is impossible, the rest of these behaviors, while admirable in some ways, were misguided and cost me big-time.


                                                   Learning from the Insights of Experience

Recently I've been reading Colin Powell's self-help / life-management book: It Worked for Me.  It's a pretty good read so far, that I decided to read as a variance in perspective from Bush's Decision Points, which I read earlier this month.  Next up is Obama's Dreams From My Father.  Mostly I've picked them up in an effort to beef up my knowledge about recent world events and the politics behind them -- which I've neglected cultivating over the past few years largely due to my own disillusionment with the political system.  Plus, reading takes time, and personally I've been wasting a lot of my time with, for lack of better words, less intellectual pursuits over the past couple years.

But no one likes to cheer for someone trapped in self-pity...

Anyways, regardless of your own personal opinions on Obama, Bush and Powell -- the plain truth and bottom line is that you just don't reach the positions they did without a good head on your shoulders.  In my opinion, both books contain a lot of universally-helpful nuggets of wisdom that I have found easy to relate to my own life.  For example, did you know that Bush quit drinking way back in the early 80's?  Forget whether you believe that or not for a second, and think about how little emphasis that got during his presidency...all those DUI attack ads, and his sobriety had already been a matter of public record for decades.  In his book, Bush says it just got in the way of what really mattered to him, and he goes on to say that he never would've enjoyed his life as much otherwise -- never mind become the President of the United States.  All those years I just thought he took shots while sent U.S Soldiers to their death for oil money.  Speaking of that, it is also a matter of public record that he met with and sent more personalized letters to families of fallen soldiers than any other war-time president.  I was looking to understand how a heartless monster could be elected president twice, and what I got was a layered... well, this is getting besides the point but the bottom line is that I found out that ignorance can be shockingly-prevalent in everything from the television, politics to even the most well-intentioned people.  Moving forward, another valuable nugget I've found while reading these books was in one of the first chapters of It Worked for Me, where Powell refers to the type of worker I just described myself as a busy bastard.

                                                  The Lumps of Being a Busy Bastard

From my interpretation, a busy bastard is the type of worker who can never "let it go" and ends up creating additional work because of his/her misguided disposition.  Whether that be busy work or just by splintering their focus away from their essential responsibilities and then making rushed mistakes on them.  Bottom line; it didn't work for me and I wouldn't recommend being a busy bastard to anyone under review or who is just starting to feel insecure about their position.  It's better to be as open about as possible about the things you don't know or feel confident about as early as possible -- even though it puts your weaknesses on display, it's more than likely your superiors and peers are already just as (if not more) aware of them then you are.  Plus, no one's perfect, but the people that are open about their imperfections tend to earn respect and understanding faster that the one's who appear to pretend they're not there.  Maybe that sound obvious to you too, I probably would have said "I know that already," a year ago -- but I think there's sometimes a real difference between a logical comprehension of something and actually putting it into action.  Kind of like someone who decides not to vote because "there are no good candidates," but also didn't take the time to get a clear grasp on the issues or positions before making that decision -- broad strokes are not something you can ever stake your life on.  Or your job on for that matter.


I can hold my head high and bask in the knowledge that I always 'gave it my all,' 'never gave up hope' and 'tried my best' all I want -- but the reality is that I just wasn't good enough from day one to avoid being let go after six months.  The job was a great one too; a junior media planner working on the digital campaigns for a very good brand on an absolutely amazing account.  While shepherding digital campaigns wasn't what I wanted to do for the rest of my life, it was something I could hang my hat on at 23 years of age.  And after a few years there, I could go anywhere.  Plus by then I would have my own place in the world's greatest city (or a nearby borough), invaluable knowledge of the business-end of publishing, a network of friends and useful contacts to boot. But in the end, I didn't handle adversity well-enough because I wasn't transparent about my capabilities.  I didn't ask for help or additional explanation early enough, and ended up helpless to catch up once the expectations for my daily output started to rise.  When that happened, I did my best to make up for it by being the busiest bastard I could manage, but what I should have done was taken stock of the situation and expressed my needs in a clear manner with my supervisor.  They even gave me the chance to do so, multiple times, but I kept on trying to busy my way through it all.  Looking back, I think that even when I first went on review, and it had become clear to my team that I was willing to put in the hours and recognized the need for serious change in my performance, I could have solved everything just by articulating a few things that were still confusing me about the job and also that I would appreciate a bit clearer instructions on new tasks.  That sort of honesty would've been hard for me, for sure, but also would've been respected or at the very least understood.  Instead of treating every day like a battle that could only be won by completing every task perfectly and never speaking out of turn, I could have made myself more comfortable with asking necessary questions and probably would have quickly lead to a healthier and more manageable workload.  And if not, well then maybe the job just wasn't the right fit for me, but it sure would have been a helluva lot better than being the busy bastard that got fired because he couldn't manage his workload.


                                                              But Life Goes On...

Every day I remain unemployed I have to accept my failure a little more, but it's also a chance to understand why it happened and what I can do to prevent it a little more.  Reading books, pursuing my passions and hobbies, taking the time to travel and try new things -- these are all things I didn't do when I was working something close to 80 hours a week at my last job.  They not only help me lead a healthier lifestyle -- but I think clearer because of it.  That's why busy bastards always fail -- they don't ever go that other life and embrace something besides working for the sake of it.  That's not a sustainable place to be in, professionally or personally, and the way to avoid being one is by demanding and maintaining a clear understanding of expectations at work, making sure they're manageable and if not then expressing your concerns, while also facilitating a fulfilling and renewing existence outside of work.  There are no prizes for working the most hours, only for the most quality hours.  The people that do that are the one's that have a good times with their family, make time to hit the gym, read books and pursue their passions as an escape.  If you find you don't have enough time for all that after work, then it might be time to cut some of the less essential stuff out (like drinking, partying or going on Facebook) and if that still isn't enough, then it's reasonable that you would bring that up to your supervisor.  Again, sounds simple?  I thought I understood it too, but when it came time to express my need for additional explanation and clearer instructions I just decided to "deal with it" and soldier on through until I had more confidence in my position.  But instead of appearing strong, I just made myself weaker and less capable of doing my job with reliable success.  Next time will be different, yeah-yeah, but only in the sense that experience comes from bad judgement.  I'd have been much better off if I had just shared my issues with my team then trying to appear as though they didn't exist, but instead, I have to learn from them in hindsight while I'm out of work.

A little humility goes a long way and a little honesty can save your life.

The Baseball Metaphor Post

 



Hey ya'll.  So it's been about a week since my last blog, and in that time I've been busy.  I'll try to be a bit more punctual in the future.  In the meantime, here's a bullet-style breakdown of the last week or so:

- I went to New York Comic-Con -- loved seeing the passion displayed by the fans and a lot of my all-time favorite writers/artists at various panels -- but there's a pungency to the passion on display there that got a little old this time. "It insists upon itself Lois," and I ended up getting pretty tired after just a few hours.  Still glad I did it.

 - Had a very productive day on a campus tour of a company I have a professional interest interest in. More on that in a later (but near) post, but as usual: no names.

- I had my Birthday on 10/19 which I celebrated with my family that night.  I had gone to the movie theater for the first time in months earlier that week to see Argo, which reminded me why I've always loved going to the movies, so I decided to see another one on my birthday with some friends.  It being the Halloween season I went out to see Paranormal Activity 4 and that experience reminded me why I had not been going to the movies so much in the recent past.  A lot of great work by the production team, millions of dollars in marketing spent and all for a ridiculous plot, nonsensical bad guy and terrible ending that left me pissed off as ever at the Hollywood system, and the people who support it, as I left the theater.  But altogether, it was a good birthday.  Just sucks that I'm now older than the guy in that song "Whats my age again" by Blink-182, now I truly am old.

Chilling with my uncle during Halftime at the Giants game

- I went back to New York City to celebrate my birthday with family and friends down there.  Got to go to the WSH-NYG game on Sunday which was amazing -- this was my 2nd NFL game and the first one that was actually close, and the excitement in the stands during the last few minutes of the 4th quarter was palpable.  Like, awesome and really f'n loud.  There's a lot to life I want to earn, and plenty more to learn -- but making events like these become a regular part of it has to now be near the top of my list.  I can see how some people can be very happy working their entire lives at jobs they don't necessarily like or believe in, so they can take care of their families and live a sustainable existence and also afford season tickets which makes their week. 



I also can't imagine how that sentiment must be amplified for someone's who's father passes on the season tickets to them, and then they share that experience with their kids, and so on so forth....

Exploring Austin, which reminded me of a Bible-Belt take on Williamsburgh

- I took care of as much as I could before leaving for a long-scheduled trip to Texas with family on Tuesday the 23rd.  Unfortunately, the day before I left I got diagnosed with a Gastrointestinal disorder, and because I was leaving the next day, had no time to get treatment for it.  That kind of slowed down my productivity for the day.  I've maintained a positive attitude and enjoyed the experience as much as possible, hardly thinking about the illness, but I definitely am anxious to get something for it soon.

The dietary limitations have made taking in an authentic Texan experience a little bit trickier, but all-in-all, it's been a relaxing experience and what I needed.  I have handled Salt Licks pork ribs, Firehouse Itbrisket, Ruby's brisket,   Due to the hurricane hitting the northeast this week I'll be staying an extra week too, which, aside from giving me time to work on my neglected blogs and read a few books that will help get me ready to vote in my first election, will give me more time to explore Texas and try out new things.  Just last night I went to a country bar and I have to say I prefer that style of meeting people a lot better than the hip-hop clubs I've been to in the northeast.


                                                            Taking the Long-Cut
Regarding the current state of affairs with my job-hunt, honestly it feels like whenever I complete one task, three more appear in it's place.  I'm also always weary of the notion that I am just going to take the first job that comes my way and render all my efforts to pursue my dream jobs mute. 

Nah!  I'm not really that much of a wallflower, but it is still a daily process to overcome doubts and believe in what I'm doing or I else I will basically be opening the door for that to happen.  There's so much growing up that happens when you're forced to choose what you're going to do with yourself everyday.  It's not like being a student or having a full-time job, which has always been a part of my life.  I am constantly thinking back to my past and wondering how I could have been so... ignorant of the future.  I always felt like I was open and actively seeking the truth in all situations, but there is so much I see now as insecurity and laziness that it's hard to let the past go.  I get angry at myself, I wish I had listened more and tried new things when I was younger.  I wish I had been more appreciative of the moments that were great...I always looking towards the next thing.  What you might call one of those "busy bastards."
 
The worst thing of all is that I was always so determined to not be one of those people saying "woe is me I have regrets and I'll never be able to go back" at any point in his life. "Live with no regrets," was my motto with all the wisdom of a 15-year-old with a job, along with "To dream is to aspire but to Pursue is to Achieve" said the 17-year-old with a car and a job in a nursing home that paid $12.75 an hour.  When I graduate high school I thought I had achieved: I had starred in school plays, climbed the ladder of the varsity tennis team, played in the state tournament, turned around my gpa and become a near-4.0 student in my last two years, started a screenwriting club and even got into my dream school with a full academic scholarship.  Then when I went to Clark U. and by 19-years-old I thought I really had it down; I had become the co-station manager of the local TV station, had lots of friends and was regularly producing short films, had a 4.0 GPA and was managing to do pretty well with girls as well.  But as good as those statistics sound when I rattle them off like that, there were plenty of things that I didn't do so great -- I wasn't appreciative enough of other people; I was critical of them and turned a blind eye to my own problems.  For a Psychology major with a decent average, I had a hard time diagnosing my own insecurities.  Maybe I was afraid to admit I still had growing up to do -- since I had never cut myself a break for all the work I put into it during High School.  Still, I believed I could do it all on my own, and that all that really mattered was that I followed through on the important things... and in a lot of ways I did.  But I definitely got off-track somewhere between adolescence and whatever place off-adulthood I'm at right now.  Maybe I just never learned how to stop and smell the roses...

Like this guy.

  
                                       Getting by doesn't matter, Getting there does. 
The beauty of this time now, this TRANSITION PERIOD time-of-adjustment, is that I have all the time in the world to figure myself out and pursue what matters.  Yeah, I can't be unemployed forever (God knows I can hardly stand it most of the time) but there's a lot I can do to better myself so that my next adventure in life -- whether that's my next job, a new city, new girlfriend or whatever the case may be -- I'll be prepared to succeed in it so I never have to look back at my past with disappointment again. 

I've always been a hard worker, and I've always pursued the truth in my professional and personal life -- but there's a lot more to life than just maintaining a loose grip on those broad strokes, and you can never take your hands off the wheel.  I think it's easy to run away from your problems when you're young and there is a set world for you to operate in like school, sports, and part-time positions.  It can be so easy to maintain equilibrium in that sort of world that you forget why you're in it.  You can forget I forgot how it's meant to serve you and help you gain valuable experience - even when it sucks and gets repetitive -- and ended up getting lost in the process.  I feel like I'm just comprehending it's affects on me from years ago now. Now, I'm at ground zero. Level one. Sega Genesis.  I have been humbled, I am starving hungry and if experience comes from bad judgement, then I feel as though I am prepared to lead a team.
                                 
Fortunately, all I have to worry about is myself for now.  I also want to be there for my family, who still think of it the other way around, but for now I have time for that and building a better life for myself than the one I've had over the past few year.  It wasn't without it's great moments, but I never appreciated the best parts enough when they were there -- and that's because my eyes weren't fixed on the ball that was being pitched.  They were thinking about how to approach the next pitch. But that's not how you play, you have to be there, and when you get a hit -- live in that moment for as long as possible.  Remember it, and don't forget how important it was when it happened.  Because you might not get it again.  That's my first goal when I get my next real shot at life... to take that moment and live it hard for as long as possible. 

If it's a job, love it and hold on to it for as long as possible, and avoid getting bored or feeling misutilized at all costs.  If I start feeling that way, share those feelings with my superiors and peers, learn from their insights, and be willing to take criticism and advice every step of the way.  It won't always be right, and it won't always be what I want to hear, but I need to be always read to hear it if I want to get anywhere. 

I need to be in the moment -- push to be the best I can be and hold myself personally accountable to maintain it.  At the same time I have to take the time to enjoy life and smell the roses; try new things, make new connections and always let my passions be my escape.  That's how you stay in the moment, and that's how - I absolutely believe -the most successful people in the world achieve success, both professional and personally.

Batter-up, True Believers.

Don't Cheat Yourself...Treat Yourself

                                            "Don't Cheat Yourself, Treat Yourself"
That quote was on the Rock's Facebook page, and a brief sweep of his page shows me that he gains upwards of 100K likes and as many supportive comments for every sentence he posts on Facebook. What's interesting about this is that The Rock was initially totally against the idea of bringing social media into his life, until he took some advice from Amy Jo Martin; Founder and CEO of Digital Royalty and Author of Renegades Write The Rules.  Now, roughly a year and a half later, he is one of the greatest on-going success stories in the social media realm.

Do U smell What THE_ROCK is Tweeting? 
-Reprinted excerpts from Martin's Renegades Write The Rules via fastcompany.com.

So asks the petulant reader; so what?  He was already a world-wide brand, popular across a diverse range of demographics, and so ripped he could probably flex out of a full-metal jacket.  Well, based on almost everything I've ever read about strong companies and popular brands; it is innovation, not satisfaction, that is the common thread of every on-going success story. 

Fast-forward roughly 1.5 years from when Amy Jo Martin first talked Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson into social media, and from where I'm sitting, it was a pretty productive conversation.  Or rather, a productive series of conversations and exchanges, because before the Rock ever released a status update on Facebook, lot of work and research went into figuring out the best approaches.  And that's never a bad idea. Demographic research was done on his diverse fan-base, sub-groups were analyzed, and rules of thumb were expressed.  I'd like to learn a lot more about the granular aspects of this process, but I get the feeling that if I talked to someone who worked there, they'd probably say the broad strokes are enough.  Regardless, back to the present, having 7.2MM friends, 3.4MM followers, and most-impressively, a re-tweet rate of 11% has done a lot to enlarge his fanbase and engage them in a positive way.  While being the "most charismatic man in all of entertainment" probably made him a natural at this sort of thing, he also did his homework before even opening an account and has been very smart about the types of content he puts out.
                                                  
So what does that have to do with me?  I'm getting to that.  But as a preface to my larger point; this blog centered on my career transition period is probably the most personal I've ever allowed myself to be on Social Media.  While I've been on Facebook since it came out, I never shared anything too personal about myself or used it as a tool for concerns or anything that could be construed or interpreted as a negative attitude or being unhappy.  I was fine bridging my personal life into a digital realm, but not so deeply that it would reflect my problems or worries because I didn't want to be judged for those feelings in a public setting. But that's kind of avoiding getting your hair wet in a pool, and while there are certain things I will always believe are not meant to be shared in a public forum, I think having the willingness to share yourself with a self-effacing authenticity -- even in the face of judgement -- is a risk worth taking because you might just find positive engagement and help from people you wouldn't have expected would relate to you or care. A fully-completed message, no matter how imperfect, is infinitely better than a message half-made...

This harkens back to what Amy Jo Martin talks about in Renegades Write The Rules: "During my time leading Digital Royalty, I've found that the most successful people and brands resolve to make the same trade-off. They trade comfort for momentum. It's not that they embrace discomfort. Nobody likes stress, anxiety, or embarrassment. It's that they understand that avoiding stagnation in any endeavor takes an ability to get used to--to grow comfortable with--growing pains. Today's renegades are not unlike adrenaline junkies who feed off the knowledge that the highest highs can be had on the backside of our biggest fears, anxieties, and chaos." Looking back on my life, I can relate to this very easily -- and I imagine you can too.  The best gains have always started with a leap of faith or a risk, and been thrilling not just because they were new but because I was scared and uncertain.  But afterwards; I was happy for having done it, able to do it again better the next time and stronger because I overcame fear with focused effort and self-confidence.

But back to the Rock and his most-electrifying move to Facebook/Twitter.

The Subject: "Treat yourself on Cheat Meal Days." The Engagement: +300K Likes, Nearly 22K Shares and 13K Comments. The Value: Immeasurable.

                                                             The People's Handle
Martin goes on about Dwayne "the rock" Johnson's rise to (incredible) success in the digital space; "Today the amount of attention DJ gives to social media, along with his hands-on approach, is unmatched in the world of celebrity. He works at it daily, and it's always his fingers to the keyboard or iPhone. Nobody speaks on his behalf. Ever. DJ is successful with these communication channels because he's dialed in and has fully and personally committed to delivering value to his audience."

                                         Yeah, well you're not the Rock - so what's the point?      
I don't know who my audience is -- I don't even know where my career is headed right now -- but I do know that by putting out the truest possible output about myself into the world, without fear of reprisal or judgement, that is what's going to be what gets me noticed in the ways I am meant to be.  By being my unabridged self, talking about the things that drive my passions, I feel I will inevitably be giving myself the best shot at true professional success.  Even if it doesn't help me directly by getting me contacts or a job, it's helping me by letting me write what I know and express myself on subjects that I have passion for...and the more I do that, the better I will get at it and the stronger I will be able to speak about them when I am being listened to by someone who could help me in some way...in the meantime, I will keep trying to improve with every project/post/diatribe and put out the best possible output I can in all my personal/professional endeavors.

Because you never know who might be listening...

A New Creative Branch in My Transition Tree

SO. Sup. It's been a while. I know. I'm working on it - yeah it's tough. How are you? Good. OK.

I had another interview today, this time with a company here in Hartford County.  Now while it has certainly dawned on me over the past couple months that Hartford isn't as sexy or captivating as New York City, Los Angeles -- but I have learned to appreciate that any professional opportunity has something (if not quite a lot) to teach me -- so I approach these opportunities with the same prep and focus that I would a job interview in any other city.  As I've mentioned in past posts, humility is a gift failure has given me, and the sun shines just as brightly on a small shop as it does a skyscraper.

This attitude is dually-productive -- because (1) with every passing interview that I pursue to the best of my ability, the more capable and comfortable I become in the interview environment and (2) the more I observe best practices leading up to and during those interviews, the more ingrained those skills will become...which will provide me a valuable foundation to build upon as my career progresses.

I don't think that there's any downside to pursuing interviews at jobs that aren't exactly what you're looking for either.  Recently, some contacts with great jobs have told me that one of the best ways to get the job you want is to have a job that is just slightly related.  What do you lose?  A few hours of researching you can make up on the weekend, and what do you get in return? You show your prospective employer that you're someone who's capable of holding down a job -- who isn't just twiddling his thumbs waiting for the job fairy to show up and grant a wish.  Plus, it certainly adds to your value proposition if you're able to say "I'm here because I want to pursue my passion, and I am willing to leave a position I am currently successful at to work here" as opposed to something like "I'm here because I'm unemployed...and I am really passionate about you hiring me."

In conclusion, there's no law against turning down an opportunity if a better one comes along, and you lose nothing by taking an interview that isn't precisely what you're looking for...bottom line is it gives you experience, as well as the most valuable commodity in business: information. Whether the most valuable information is about the job itself, yourself, or something else entirely -- you're still gaining from the experience, and that's what matters.

SHIFTING GEARS

So as fun as it might be filling out applications and banging on digital doors week after week, I've found that exercising your creative muscles is a good way to make the best of my transition period.

Thanks to being without the time constraints of a job, or a class schedule for that matter, these past few weeks I've started returning to my old artsy habits. What this means for me is: Music Composition on GarageBand/Playing Guitar, Drawing, Writing new scripts, Editing old scripts, Reading (a lot...I missed it), Linguistics (Spanish Fluency could be so useful to me right now), Going on message boards and reading/discussing the trades of my favorite industries, and starting a passion blog (still in the design process but stay tuned).

As someone with a car and knowledge of search engines, I have also found that there are lots of organizations and clubs out there (even in boring old Connecticut) for people like me that want to express their creative passions. This too has become a great breath of fresh air to my artistic spirit. And while I am still amazed at how quickly my days can become filled-to-the-brim with activities and earrings, I know that it's a lot easier to fit in these sorts of creative projects now then when this transition period is over and I'm back to work.  You never know, it might just help me get there.

A trend I've noticed in how-to articles for various job markets is that; most successful professionals suggest that job-seekers stop waiting for the chance to apply their creative skills and just, for lack of better words, start doing it.  The digital age makes it so we're all capable of expressing our creative spirit in a public way online in a variety of forms and genres -- for example; musicians can create, promote and discuss music on their own website or on a preexisting one - writers can join websites or start blogs where they put up their own work for review and critique others in a mutually constructive exchange - and graphic design artists can promote their portfolio and connect with fellow artists on a myriad of professional websites and networks.

SO. Yeah. Did you like it? Was it too talky? Do you want to get coffee sometime? OK.

I am getting off the proverbial but and getting myself out there -- both professionally, personally and artistically. There's no reason not to try new things and put myself in new situations to see what happens.  The transition period is a great opportunity slash excuse to start pushing myself as an artist to produce new work.  It's also a great opportunity to build professional relationships in my passion areas and research them in new ways. While at first it will be hard to get back into a regular creative process -- as long as I push myself there's no telling what dividends the experience might pay. So with that, this Transition Period has just cultivated a new branch -- and a new blog.

Stay tuned and keep on pursuing tomorrow True Believers. 

A Few Best Practices for Interviews

Greetings and Salutations my beloved audience, whoever/wherever/whenever you may be...

So I've been interviewing a bit more lately (3 in the last week) and been improving each time -- but unfortunately, learning a lot from a lot of my own mistakes as well.  My biggest weakness seems to be when the interviewer takes the conversation away from subjects I prepared for -- or asks me a question about myself that I wasn't expecting to answer.  That's a great technique from their side, because it forces the candidate to think on their feet which is where their true character really goes on display. I'd like to think I've handled these situations fairly well, but at the same time, I can definitely improve in that area.  On that note, I believe that anyone on the job-hunt taking interviews can benefit from the cultivation of a few best practices, which I have outlined below:

1- Memorize the names and roles of the people interviewing BEFORE you go to the interview.  Say them out loud beforehand - the night before and/or the drive over - as it's definitely appreciated and expected. Speaking from experience (AKA: mistakes) remembering names is one of the most important things about being a professional, if you don't seem like you care enough to remember someone's name then, bottom line, their not going to like you all that much -- never mind offer you a competitive job opportunity. And while memorizing them before you arrive is a great tactic, there will also always be surprises at the interview, you just never know who else will be in the room, so memorizing names the moment you get introduced is so important.  This can be tough when you're trying to stay focused on the topics/areas of the interview you've practiced for... but that's why tunnel vision is not the best approach.  Anyone can play the role of the great candidate and your potential employers realize that, they''ll be trying to throw you off your "script" to see how you react on your feet, which leads me to...

2- Research is great, but writing-out potential answers to questions that the interviewer will likely ask is GOLDEN. This one speaks to the writer in me, but I think anyone can benefit from a little bit of this sort of creative preparation. While I'm not saying to think about your interview as a performance -- as I alluded to earlier, you want to allow the conversation freedom to move organically because no one wants to hire an actor (unless that's what you're going for, in which case, good luck) -- it's a great idea to put your inner scriptwriter to work before the interview. If you take the time to really think it over, there's likely a lot of things you want to express about yourself and how you see the job in question, but in order to get it all out in an articulate and natural manner, it helps to try and write out your ideal interview beforehand.  If you're like me, after a first draft you'll probably find yourself editing your wording down and thinking of better ways to put things. This way, you won't leave the interview thinking "why didn't I say that," or  I could have worded that much more clearly."  There is no virtue in being a Costanza, unless you're doing it ironically (and even that is probably a turn-off at the interview stage if you ask me).

3- Get their early, but don't show off how much time you have on your hands.  If you're unemployed, that's not a secret, but if you don't act like your time still matters it comes across negative and you've worked too hard to get to this point to let that happen. I had a tough experience the other day where I arrived very early for an interview, with a plan to eat a relaxed lunch and go over my notes while acclimating to the campus before signing in -- but I made the mistake of parking within their campus and ended up having to sign in with security -- which, as you probably guessed, lead to my interview happening right then and there. While I definitely came across as punctual, it was definitely not the foot I wanted to get off on -- and it also caused me to have less time to prepare than I would have. Tough lesson, but lesson-learned -- my recommendation: stick to signing in as close to fifteen minutes early as you can and don't risk getting into the building/campus any earlier than that. I had hoped to acclimate myself to my surroundings by eating lunch/reviewing my notes there before my interview -- and maybe taking a walk around -- but in hindsight I was foolish to think that I could do so without sending out a signal with security. But mistakes are part of the process, and every lesson you learn pays dividends down the road, which leads me to my next best practice (which should be an obvious one)...

4- Dress to impress. This one is getting more fun all the time, whether it's just that I've lost a lot of weight recently or that I miss wearing suits -- but knowing that I put my best possible suit and tie combination together makes me feel a lot more confident and prepared for my interview. There's also a lot that can be said for looking the part, both internally and externally, and this is something that's expected across all industry borders. While there's always room for improvement, this is one best practice where effort is mastery -- so long as you know you've got the right materials and allocate enough time to put it all together  -- which leads me to my next best practice...

5- Wake up early, no matter what time the interview is happening.  This is something I would recommend to anyone in the middle of a Transition Period -- waking up when you're body does might be fun at first, but after a while it starts to send yourself the signal that you're days don't have much potential. And that can have some nasty after-effects. But that's just my perspective, some people are natural early-birds and getting a little extra rest for a while can actually help them in the long run. But anyways, with any interview, it's imperative that you're alert and cognizant of every detail by the time you're in the building (or campus, as it were) so waking up bright and early and using your time to get dressed thoughtfully and study at a comfortable pace is a big favor you can do for yourself. In addition, I think it also helps to fit a work out in so that you can feel more confident and relaxed come interview time. Finally, if you complete all you preparation with time to spare, you can take that last hour or so before the interview to let your mind wander a bit, which can help make the interview process feel like a natural (dare I say fun) conversation and helps you avoid tunnel-vision.


So those are my recommendations, and I am by no-means an expert.  I'm also sure that there will be plenty more lessons as I continue my professional career, but I feel like my experiences have informed my philosophy and that I am getting a lot better at the process. That being said -- as I'm sure you've noticed -- a lot of these best practices can carry-over into your professional life once you land your dream job, so it's a great idea to start practicing them now as an interviewee so you're already experienced come day one.

That's it for this edition of The Transition Period, until the next time I feel compelled to share my plights/musings with a blank page and hypothetical audience -- keep on truckin' my true believers.