Finding those “shining eyes” and staying positive are essential in the job hunting challenge according to Head of the Careers Cinic, Eoghan McDermott.
By Eoghan McDermott
2010 has been a tough year for a lot of people and for some it’s a relief that 2011 is on its way. When a New Year comes, the jobs market generally gets a lift and also brings new opportunities for everyone. If you’re down in the dumps those opportunities are more difficult to grab. And especially when you’re job hunting.
Be enthusiastic, positive and resilient. These are vital components in successful job hunting. David Maister, the English consultant who has written some excellent books about the whole process of management consultancy talks about the importance of hiring “the people with the shining eyes.”
Meeting a person with “shining eyes” lights up everybody’s day. Getting the chance to work with a “shining eyes” person is a gift – in a meeting, interview or even on the phone, they light up others’ days. They have energy, enthusiasm and the get up and go to keep chippin’ away and succeeding.
Seligman theory
One of the most interesting chunks of supportive evidence for what I’m saying comes from the work of an American Professor of Psychology named Martin Seligman. Seligman has a theory called “Learned Optimism”. It refers to the acknowledgement people make when confronted with failure or setbacks. He has rigorously researched this topic for over 30 years and has found that optimism and resilience are vital component to predicting high achievers.
His research and tests reveal whether or not a person will become defeated by a setback and give up, or if they will overcome it and keep fighting. You need to keep this in mind. When hunting for a job and going to interviews, and not succeeding, don’t lose faith, keep working at it, ask for feedback on how you could improve, apply it, and you will overcome.
In research at MetLife, Seligman convinced them to launch a highly original pilot programme to hire new recruits. Managements best predictor of success, Seligman argued, is the candidate’s level of optimism. Met Life were unsure, but intrigued. Martin, sure of his theory, said to MetLife if the salesmen he picks don’t outsell the others he’ll pay them, and if they do, MetLife pay them.
Optimism
Seligman and his colleagues found that new salesmen who were optimists sold 37 percent more insurance in their first two years than did pessimists. When the company hired a special group of individuals who scored high on optimism but failed the normal screening, they outsold the pessimists by 21 percent in their first year and 57 percent in the second. They even outsold the average agent by 27 percent.
Seligman’s research shows the incredible impact and affect that optimism has on achievement and well-being. For example, he studied a cohort of 99 Harvard University graduates who were veterans of World War II and had physical examinations every five years since they graduated. The men who were optimists at 25 were significantly healthier at 65 than the pessimists.
When hunting for a job keep positive. Getting a job is a series of no’s followed by a single yes: but you only need the one yes. To be successful you must learn how to cope with rejection, be resilient and positive.
If you have a question about your job or career that Eoghan could help you with, why not email JOE at [email protected]?
Eoghan McDermott is Head of The Careers Clinic in The Communications Clinic and is the author of The Career Doctor- How to Get and Keep the Job You Want.
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