A Series
Patrice
Patrice- Patrice got herself fired before she was ever hired. She never knew what hit her. It was painful to watch. She was bright, beautiful, charming, and approachable. She presented herself well and was professional. Patrice came into a downtown Portland business and job shadowed my boss one rainy winter afternoon. Her enthusiasm was genuine and it was apparent the big guy liked her right away. David Carrera surrounded himself with attractive apprentices in his high end hair salon and day spa. He was known for holding high standards in the salon and twice weekly classes that all new hires must attend for the better part of their first year ensured this.
Patrice knew the best way to get her foot in the door and stand out among the many applicants, was to come in on her own time, essentially volunteer a few hours doing what others hoped to do after a vetting process, and then secure an entry level position she would endure for ten to twelve months, all for a chance at a coveted position as a stylist or junior stylist in the salon.
And so, dressed impeccably, hair and make-up done to perfection, and in high heels, Patrice swept hair, shampooed hair, towel-dried hair, and all the while made chit-chat with the master stylist himself, David Carrera. As she did, she complimented him, asked questions, and generally presented herself as someone who would fit in well among the existing staff. Patrice was a smart young woman and it soon showed. She proved she would have fit in with not only existing staff, but with the savvy clientele, too.
This was a fabulous strategy, and one can be used in other contexts beyond the beauty industry. To volunteer two to four hours- even a whole day- is a great investment. You will find out if this is the environment you want to work in in a much more meaningful way by actually working in it than you will by sitting across from a conference table. You will be interviewing them as much as they will be interviewing you.
But back to Patrice and how she lost the job before she even got it- I already told you she looked great, handled herself like a pro, and was creative. It was easy to read the boss’s face and see he was going to put her at the top of the short list for interviews. He admired her spunk, it was clear. He kept it professional, but the banter soon became relaxed, and I knew he liked her. So what happened that took Patrice from “Yeah baby!” to “Not even maybe!”?
The ugly turn came when Patrice offered too much information. She started bragging about her three small children. We all love out children. That is not to be disputed. And this is not about how she gushed much too long about them, which she did. She should not have, but in truth she should not have even mentioned them in this context.
David knew from experience that a young mother would be, by necessity, taking a number of days off to care for her children when they were ill. He worked with women, remember? This was not his first rodeo, and Patrice had just told him she had three children. The spark left his eyes. He lost interest in a matter of a couple of seconds. I knew. He knew. She, however, had no idea, and continued to try and impress as him as she swept clippings and served coffee to clients. She was allowed to finish the day, and possibly interview, but from that exact moment, her chances at a job in that particular establishment were zero. She had shot herself in the foot and had no idea she had done so. She had really wanted that job. It was sad.
I could not tell her, as I stood awkwardly nearby that day, but I can tell you: Do not give away too much information to a potential employer.
There are laws that protect you from a potential employer asking about your marital status, religious background, HIV status, number of children, and so on, but there are no laws against stupidity. Therefore employers usually will ask you of there are any other things you would like to tell them about yourself. This open ended question is everyone’s opportunity to divulge too much. You are under no obligation to tell your future employer anything. You may give a little detail about a hobby if you choose to, but spilling your guts is only going to hurt you. I accidentally did myself a good thing in this scenario once- I had told my potential employer I had no husband, no children, no boyfriend, and no pets. It was dumb luck. I didn’t know any better than to say too much either, but in my case I had said the right thing. David hired me that day.
Submitted by Carmen Lohkamp
Find Jobs at http://absoluteknowitall.com/jobs/
No comments:
Post a Comment