Great Resumes get great jobs, but what are you thinking?
One of the biggest problems I have found in working with my clients, is not so much their world view, but rather how they truly perceive themselves.
When I start to discuss their goals and objectives for their careers it often starts out well and then I hear phrases like “well I do think I could be a COO” or “I know I am capable of greater things, even if doesn’t look like it on my CV.” The CV part is definitely something we at IntroducingU can “fix” or edit to reflect your skills and we do market our clients according to their desired target audience, but what is difficult is one’s own self-perception.
Those silent inner beliefs creep into the room like a mist rolling in and cloud the view on a beautiful sunny day. After spending time with my clients I find that these beliefs trickle into interview conversations and sabotage their opportunities
Your Song
We see the world through our past perception and beliefs. We all have messages, or as I prefer to call them “songs”, that play over and over in our heads. We sing the lyrics and believe the words. It’s human nature to think negatively. But our thoughts hold power, as we tend to act on what we think. You can’t allow your mind to just think whatever it feels like.
Pink in the lyrics of her song Perfect sings;
You're so mean when you talk about yourself, you were wrong. Change the voices in your head make them like you instead. Oh, pretty pretty please. Don't you ever ever feel Like you're less than perfect.
So what are the voices in your head saying? If you listen carefully, you will hear that you have a certain theme songs central to your beliefs and your life. Unfortunately it’s often negative. “Joe is always lucky, I never am.” “I don’t have a higher education so I realize I will never achieve anything”. One of the world champion golfers from South Africa, Gary Player, was told by his teacher to give up golf as it would never get him anywhere.
So how do we get our beliefs to reinforce our inner dreams?
This is something that we are in control of, and that we can use our positive thoughts to take us forward or focus on our fears and limitations. The choice is ours! We simply have to rewrite the music and the lyrics and play a new song. Once we do that, we will dance like never before. Like Pink says “make the voices in your head, like you instead”.
For many years I went to sales presentations, read books and was told over and over to create a vision board and make a list of affirmations. I never did it. Why? To be honest I thought it was stupid. I had my dreams, so why did I have to do that? Besides I thought that cutting out pictures from magazines was just for school assignments.
Until one day I decided, that I would do it. My timing was perfect, as this small exercise changed my life from that week onward. Having a clearer idea of who you are and where your life is going helps against being swayed by others opinions or the wind blowing on that day. On inner inspection I uncovered that I had a lot limiting self beliefs beneath my confident exterior, that poisoned and infiltrated my words and actions daily.
Why does this work?
You use your conscious brain to help you set your goals. But it is your subconscious brain that really does the work of fulfilling all the actions you need to succeed in achieving them.
My dad always told me the story of Ted Williams who saw himself as the greatest baseball hitter of all times, and that’s what he became. His subconscious thoughts became his reality.
Theodore Samuel "Ted" Williams (born 30th August 1918, died 5th July 2002), was an American baseball player. He played his entire 21-year Major League Baseball career as the left fielder for the Boston Red Sox (1939-1942 and 1946-1960). Williams was a two-time American League Most Valuable Player winner, led the league in batting six times, and won the Triple Crown twice. A nineteen-time All-Star, he had a career batting average of 0.344, with 521 home runs, and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1966.
Today there are many stories like this and sometimes I feel bombarded by them on social media. They may be many but they are true.
The interview process is difficult for you but also for the employer. Recruiters and hiring managers need to KNOW that YOU know that you ARE the person for the job. Don’t ‘think that you could be...' the best COO. Believe in yourself, all the bits of yourself and be confident in your skills to deliver.
This is not about arrogance it’s about belief, and what you truly believe under that suit in your heart of hearts will be the difference between getting what you want and getting what you believe you can get.
Author: Penny de Villiers