Today’s lesson brought to you by the letter “P”

25 May 2011

Not sure where I heard this (Seinfeld maybe?).  The #1 fear people have is speaking in public, the #2 fear is death.  So if this is the case at a funeral more people would rather be in the casket than delivering the eulogy.

Last night I gave what’s called the “Company Overview” to potential new hires for the first time.  There were only two candidates but I didn’t practice the material like I should have so it didn’t go as well as I would have liked.  In fact I thought it went horribly.

I’m reassured by the fact that everyone says they stunk the first time and that usually it went better than they thought.

This presentation is one of the most important aspects of our business so I’m humbled and honored that the office VP’s have put their faith and trust in me to conduct the presentation.

The Candidates – the two candidates were both very sharply dressed and gave the impression that they might be awesome additions to our team.  They were both attentive and gave the appropriate answers to my questions.  The one difference between the two was in their body language.  One seemed to be getting bored and antsy during my talk.  I let it distract me and I rushed through the material and I wasn’t as loose or as light hearted as I would have liked.

Upon the end of our presentation I find out who would like to go onto the next step of the interview process.  One candidate did want to proceed the other did not wish to pursue a position with us.

I followed up with the guy that looked bored silly throughout my spiel.  He was the one that wanted to be scheduled for a follow up interview.  After I scheduled him we talked for a few more minutes.  He said the presentation was very interesting and we discussed some key points.

It’s amazing how he went from being a stuck up jerk in my mind when I felt he was judging me as a boring windbag, to a super smart, nice guy when I realized my knee jerk reaction about him was wrong.

Today’s lesson brought to you by the letter “P”

We are burdened with prejudice; against the poor, or the rich, the smart or the slow, the gaunt or the obese.  It is natural to develop prejudice.  It is noble to rise above them.”  ~ Author Unknown