I Feel Sorry for Kamala, So Please Send Her This Book
I desperately do not want to see Kamala Harris elected president of the United States, but, because I’m feeling gracious today, I’m going to offer her some much-needed advice.
Almost 25 years ago I took my first steps into the professional workforce. Doing so meant appearing for job interviews. Job interviews meant talking about myself and my accomplishments…which, at the time, weren’t many.
Job interviews meant answering challenging questions. Job interviews meant convincing the prospective employer that I was the best candidate for the job. And, for many months, I floundered.
That is, until I read a book entitled Job Interviews for Dummies. My copy was published in 1996. In the decades since I purchased it, I’ve more or less mastered the material. I keep it in storage…just in case. Special passages are highlighted and dog-eared.
As I once floundered, I now see Kamala Harris floundering on television interviews…particularly the one she had last week with Bret Baier. Even with friendly media, Kamala pivots to other subjects. She refuses to provide any specificity. She uses cliched political slogans and buzzwords to sell herself.
Granted, most of the media who interviews her is friendly to her and wants her to win. But, for every 10 media outlets she interviews with, possibly one, maybe two, will pose challenging questions.
To write this column, I took my copy of Job Interviews for Dummies out of storage.
Here are some passages that I highlighted or dog-eared 25 years ago that might aid and assist Kamala today:
• The Role to Play is Your Best You: Job interviews are showbiz. Remain mindful of how you present yourself to the stranger who decides whether you’re hired or not hired.
• Answer Questions Directly: What do you plan to accomplish within the first year that gives someone a good reason to hire you? Talk about a time when you worked under intense deadline pressure and what actions you took to succeed?
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• The Burden of Proof is on You to Demonstrate That You’re as Talented and as Dedicated a Team Player as You Claim You Are: Prepare in advance. Anticipate what questions you might get asked.
• Interviewers Predict Future Behavior Based on Past Behavior: Always answer every question with a story from your past to back up that you possess the necessary experience and expertise to do the job. Show how you deliver results.
• Focus on Your Audience, Not on Yourself: Polish your basic sales pitch. Personalize each sales pitch. Focus on how your skills can benefit your audience.
• Show Up on Time: According to reports, Kamala showed up 20 minutes late for her FOX interview.
In all likelihood, there are newer and updated versions of Job Interviews for Dummies available for purchase. Public schools seriously ought to make this book mandatory reading for senior students.
Seriously….someone send this book to Kamala Harris. Because that FOX interview last week was like watching the Hindenburg crash into the Titanic.
Special thanks to Warhammer’s Wife proofreading this story before publication to make certain there were no misspellings, grammatical errors or other embarrassing mistakes and/or typos. Follow Warhammer on Twitter @Real_Warhammer
