Page 74 - Oscar Adler - Sell Yourself in Any Interview_ Use Proven Sales Techniques to Land Your Dream Job (2008)

SELL YOURSELF IN ANY INTERVIEW

promoting satisfying relationships with friends, mates, par-
ents, and children.

LISTENING BETWEEN THE LINES

What is the person really trying to say? What do they want
or need? You need to learn to listen between the lines.
For example, let’s say you are having a casual conversa-
tion with an acquaintance who states, “I think I am getting a
cold.” What is your response? Do you launch into a long
tirade about your last cold? “Oh, I had a cold last week. It was
awful. Sneezing, coughing, fever, every symptom you can
imagine. I’m feeling better now, but it is still lingering in my
chest, and I still get tired. I ran into Sam earlier, and he looked
just terrible . . . .”
Or do you go into attack mode? “Oh, do you think you’re
contagious? I can’t afford to get sick. I have a huge presenta-
tion next week. I hate when people go around coughing all
over everyone.”
Your poor friend is probably getting sicker by the minute
just listening to you. Put yourself in the other person’s shoes
and ask yourself, “How would I feel if this was said to me?”
or “How would I feel if I was interrupted?” What would a
good listener say? “Oh, that’s too bad. What are your symp-
toms?” Now, how do you think the other person would feel
about you? She probably would think that you cared about
her, that you were a kind person, and she would have good
feelings about you.
These good feelings are important. The better the other
person feels about you, the more likely he or she is to share
his or her thoughts and feelings with you. Listening creates
an atmosphere of mutual trust, understanding, and respect.

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