A friend’s daughter just had her first serious college romance, and her mom was stunned to see the phone bills. She joked, “It’s a good thing we have unlimited text and talk. They’re burning up the lines in the midnight hour. When I asked what was so important, she brushed me off. She told me “nothing”—can you believe that?!”
In the March series, Unforgettable, In-Demand Soft Skills, we’re talking about three ways you can be unforgettable. Great communication is high on the list of desired work skills, but if you’re spending your day on conference calls, you know there’s a whole lot of nothing going on! So, let’s discover how one person transformed a run-of-the-mill interview to an unforgettable conversation.
TechSalesGal had a bunch of average interviews in her job search. The discussion would start well but then lose energy as they veered toward her least favorite topic: job hopping.
Her work history was what it was—there was no getting around what she dubbed the “ugly” parts of her career. But she knew there had to be a way to avoid talking through each role. Getting that assignment right was challenging on multiple levels: She had to provide the right information and have a sincere, credible presentation.
After taking a step back to reflect, she cracked the code. She decided to pivot away from her resume and redirect the anything goes question of, “So, tell me about yourself.” Her new go-to-response is, “Since we only have 30 minutes, I want to make sure I’m telling you what is most important to you.”
The story gets even more interesting when you read the article feedback. Guess who liked TechSalesGal’s reply the most—recruiters and hiring managers! She received comments like, “Talking through every job is boring as a hiring manager. I want to hear what people are excited about for the role,” and “As a recruiter…it implies you’re actually engaged and not robotic. I would much rather it be an open convo!”
Here’s an insight I wish someone had told me early in my career: Meaningful conversations can happen in minutes. You don’t need hours and hours for a heart-to-heart. In fact, a light touch is often best.
But here’s the problem: Calibrating your message can be a delicate matter. The trick isn’t to leave out the good stuff and simply skip to the end—it is to use your internal wisdom to know the essentials and make judicious cuts.
I watched a former manager put this practice into play by preparing a one, three, and five minute version of every presentation. He wasn’t cutting himself short. Instead, he chose his greatest hits with intention. By preparing cut-down versions ahead of time, he always communicated in a complete way, even if others went over time. Genius!
Are you scratching your head, wondering how to put these concepts into practice? And would you get stumped describing your communication expertise to others?
Then turn to soft skill How tactics, like the ability to make smart decisions and be adaptable and think on your feet. The next time someone asks, “How do you communicate effectively?” try these three short and sweet examples, or brainstorm answers now so you’ll feel comfortable and have them in the moment. Imagine how great it will feel to have the right words at the right time.
Diving deep in the weeds and sharing everything under the sun is forgettable, especially at the end of a long day when people are talked out. So, tailor your communication style and use soft skills to be unforgettable.