Career transition courses at a local center were offered as a part of my severance package from work. I definitely took advantage of this opportunity. I really enjoyed being updated on the changes in the job hunting arena. The job market has changed in the past decade... Skype interviews, Linked In networking, and no "references available upon request" on your resume are just a few new things.
The final class was an interview simulation. This course was a mock panel interview conducted by 2 career counselors pretending to be a hiring manager and an HR representative. The goal was to be asked common interview questions, answer in the manner you were taught, and receive feedback in order to be prepared for actual interviews.
One of the questions that I received was "What was a mistake you have made?" I proudly set up my answer in the CAR format. C- explain the challenge. A- describe the action. R- give the result. This over achiever, even remembered to state " an example from early in my career", which was an instruction given in one of the previous courses. My answer blew the mock interviewers away!
I explained that I sold Viagra when I first started as pharmaceutical rep. The selling message to doctors was that this medication "gave the patient a harder and firmer erection versus the competition." I told this to a physician of a cultural background that did not discuss erectile dysfunction (ED). He said "no penis" and walked away. I was not allowed back in the office for sometime. I proceeded to explain how I turned this doctor around, he began to open ED dialogue with his patients, and became a good Viagra customer. I was so proud of myself for giving a stellar example.
After being laughed at by the career counselors, I was told not to use the words "erection" or "penis" in an interview. This is especially true when interviewing outside the medical community. I guess after nearly a decade of aggressively selling medications and discussing body functions on a daily basis, you forget how to communicate with the rest of the world. It is a good thing that I went to this career center because I honesty thought I did well!
Success of the Day: Learning to how to polish up my interview style
Pink Inspiration: The pink cheeks of the embarrassed male mock interviewer
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