Presenter: Dinorah Meyer
Session Description:
Both networking and interviewing have in common the task of introducing yourself to people you don’t know. They can bring up a fear of being negatively evaluated and turned down. While the value of networking in a job search seems like common knowledge, many people find it hard to do. They may feel uncomfortable or intimidated by the idea of approaching strangers to promote themselves professionally. They may not know how to reach out or initiate conversations; they may also feel that they don’t belong in the arena they want to explore or worry that they will repel others by “selling” themselves too forcefully. Similarly, many job search candidates experience interview anxiety and struggle with how to answer the question, “Tell me about yourself.”
This experiential workshop will take a two-pronged approach to empowering participants as they prepare for and participate in networking and interviews, by 1) providing a basic framework for developing an introductory message, whether reaching out to someone online or connecting in a live networking context or formal interview, and 2) offering tools that make use of the mind-body connection – focused breathing, visualization, and expansive physical postures – to facilitate a more relaxed and centered state of mind in anticipation of connecting with others and a stronger sense of personal agency in their ability to communicate effectively and positively influence future networking and interviewing scenarios.
By virtue of applying the skills learned in this workshop, participants will hopefully discover an internal sense of personal power and feel more ready and confident to explore potential roles and opportunities. This workshop can be considered innovative in that it will offer ways to build upon common networking and interviewing preparation guidance that are not at this time a standard part of skill instruction around these subjects.
By attending this session, attendees will:
- learn how to develop a self-introduction that conveys essential information they would like to share with new contacts
- be able to apply skills that draw on the mind-body connection to reduce their level of stress/worry around networking and interviewing
- learn to tap into their awareness of what they want, the value they bring, and their sense of personal agency to proactively create intentions around what they’d like to have happen in networking or interviewing interactions
Materials:
- Presentation deck (coming soon)