Page 71 - Oscar Adler - Sell Yourself in Any Interview_ Use Proven Sales Techniques to Land Your Dream Job (2008)

LISTEN BETTER TO LEARN WHAT’S IMPORTANT

trust to be honest to rate your listening skills using the same
scale. Do your evaluations match up? Do you think that you
are a better listener than others do?
The listening habits you have in daily life relate directly
to your interviewing skills. If you or your objective observer
thinks that your listening skills need to be sharpened or
developed, now is the time to make improvements. In addi-
tion to becoming a more successful job hunter, your new-
and-improved listening skills will continue to benefit you in
your new job and in virtually every area of your life.
Listening is a habit. For most of us, our listening habits
are developed haphazardly over the years, without much self-
evaluation. The first thing you need to do to become a better
listener is to stop talking. The simple fact is that you cannot lis-
ten when you are talking. If you or your objective observer
checked “Often” or “Sometimes” in any area of the listening
exercise, then you need practice. Tackle each area one at a
time, making a conscious effort to improve on or eliminate
that one habit before moving on to the next. Bad habits are
amplified during stressful situations, such as an interview.
Take the time to eliminate your bad listening habits and
improve your good ones.

WATCH FOR NONVERBAL
COMMUNICATION, TOO

Not all communication is verbal. Ideas and information can
be communicated through gestures, facial expressions, atten-
tion level, and a host of other nonverbal cues. Often, these
nonverbal cues speak louder than words. When you become
a good listener, you become tuned-in to every aspect of
communication.

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