The letter ‘U’ is the ultimate in difficulty when it comes to advising how to be successful in that important interview.
For instance; do I use the world ulcer, and then explain how we can turn all that nervous energy into positive power – but, we’ve covered that in detail before. Perhaps I could wax lyrical about the power of thinking positively and how you can really change your outlook by a number of simple, easy steps – yes that sounds good – but alas, that has also been done.
So maybe I can explore ‘understanding’ and how very important it is to be absolutely clear in your own mind, that you understand the interviewer’s questions. I could probably give you the winning formula on how to ensure that you are clear in your response; sound confident in yourself and – most importantly – are concise, taking into consideration the time factor – but why try to improve on perfection – it’s been covered in detail here.
Scratching my head, I consulted my dictionary for some words beginning with ‘U’ that could be valuable to someone seeking to close a job offer. And I found two, and both are probably interesting aspects of your closing questions.
For instance, are you seeking a job with a company that has a uniform approach to wearing a uniform? Especially for people seeking employment with the defence force, the police etc; the question about uniforms can be of interest. At least you know with the police and defence; that wearing uniform is a requirement, but some companies do have optional uniform policies. You might like to find out.
And what about the Unions? In some industries belonging to a union is almost compulsory. While it may be legally optional, how many companies actually have policies to give preference to union members? We’ve all heard of a ‘closed shop’ but what does it mean?
“The closed shop is a generic term that can be defined as ‘any employment situation in which particular jobs can only be filled, in practice, if the worker is willing to become and remain a member of a specified trade union or one of a number of specified trade unions’ (Stevens et.al. 1989,616)
And even if the ‘closed shop’ itself doesn’t apply, what about ‘preferred clauses in awards’–
“These are clauses which legally oblige employers to give preference to union members, or people willing to become union members, at the time of engagement. In themselves, preference clauses are not closed shops.”
The compulsory membership of unions, however implied, is very different in different countries; even here in Australia the effects of legislation differ from state to state. But it might be an issue you may wish to explore, before deciding if this is a job you really want.
So I’m a little upset that I could find so few words beginning with ‘u’ to use today; and I do hope that you will not take umbrage at the lack of erudition. I assure you I have no ulterior motive in sharing my links with you, (except that I feel a little uppish today) and I urge you to check back in again on Monday when I will be vainly trying to do the same thing with the letter ‘V’
Oh! And all you married gentlemen, do try to be a little uxorious today. I shall leave that to you to discover for yourself !!
Michele @ Trischel