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Hi everybody, Paul Cameron here from SpeedUpMyJobSearch.com, an online resource to find a good job faster. In this short 5 minute video I want to explain why every section of this website approaches its subject with the goal of being likable, from the daily preparation, to social media use, resume writing, and especially interviewing. The goal is likability.

To define likable, I’m not going to read you a dictionary definition of likable here, very simply what I mean by that is just common sense, do people like you or not. The bottom line in job search is that these companies are hiring the person they like the best, not necessarily the most qualified person. I know that’s not necessarily fair, and I know there are some very talented people who aren’t naturally likable, but it is what it is.

That’s why I approach the job search process from a sales person’s perspective. Obviously you’re going in there to sell your best product, you, and there are techniques that sales people use specifically to affect that likability factor. It’s like they’ve broken down how to be likable into a science, a step by step process, where they’ve identified some universally likable human characteristics and they know that if they can display those characteristics, what I call dropping anchors, at strategic points throughout their sales call, that their percentage chance of being perceived as more likable increases dramatically.

And a lot of these anchors they’re dropping are very little things, but they make a big difference. For example, I’m sure you’ve heard a hundred times already that you never want to speak negatively about your current or prior employers, right? Sure, basic psychology, when you speak negatively about other people, it reflects negatively on you. But what a lot of people don’t take advantage of, especially in an interview, is that the exact opposite is also true. When you go out of your way to speak positively of other people, it reflects positively on you. It speaks to your character as a human being and says, “Hey, I’m a good person.” And it’s easy to like a good person.

Where this comes into play is when someone asks you why you’re leaving your current position, or why left your last position (and I get into more detail on how to handle every type of reason why you would leave and how to answer it in the interview section) but for this example, let’s say you were laid off with 15 other people. When they ask why you left, rather than just saying, “Unfortunately I was laid off with about 15 other people.” which is what many people say, and don’t get me wrong, that’s not negative. It is what it is and it’s honest, which is important. To me, rule number one in interviewing is to be honest, so that answer is good.

But what if you started that exact same sentence out with, “It was a great company, I loved the people I worked with, but unfortunately I was laid off with about 15 other people.” That little compliment at the beginning doesn’t seem like a big deal, and we both know that the Hiring Manager isn’t going to say, “Wow! You just complimented that company that was awesome, you know what? Here’s an offer, you’re hired!” Obviously that’s not going to happen, but you’re giving him one more reason to like you, and you want to give them as many little reasons as possible throughout the interview to like you because at the end of the interview, that’s going to affect that little conversation he has with himself when he says, “Boy, I don’t know what it was about that person, I just liked ‘em.” And if you drop enough of those types of little anchors all throughout your entire interview, they’re going to add up and your percentage chance of being perceived as more likable increases dramatically.

But here’s the thing, being likable isn’t just relevant to interviewing. It should drive the way you set up your desk at home, the social media tools that you use and how you use them, the way you organize your resume, and how you approach networking. Every aspect of your job search needs to work these universally likable human characteristics, the anchors I was referring to, into every part of your job search, and that’s what I’m going to show you how to do on SpeedUpMyJobSearch.com.

Here’s your first assignment. Go through your resume and list out on a sheet of paper at least 1 reason why you loved each company you’ve worked for. In my example I said it was a great company and I loved the people there, but if in your case you worked for a terrible company and you hated everybody you worked with, you took the job for some reason, maybe it was close to home, or maybe you loved the technology you were working on, whatever. List out why you liked each company, and get to know those reasons so well that when someone asks you about those companies that’s the first thing you think of.

Finding a good job quickly doesn’t have to be so stressful, you can do this. Now get movin’, it’s time to get to work.