Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Eight seconds to make a good impression

Rob Smith, of the Job Readiness training program at Second Chance, explains the importance of interview readiness.

In your program what is the very first thing you stress to your clients about interviewing?

We stress the importance of a first impression. You get eight seconds to make a good first impression. Most of our clients underestimate the complexities and dynamics of the first impression and how it leaves a lasting impression on a potential employer.

When you role-play with your clients, what’s the most common mistake you see?

Sponsored
Sponsored

The handshake and smile. Most of our people try to avoid eye contact and smiling at the initial meet-and-greet due to a list of reasons. At the top of that list for the most part is a lack of self-confidence.

And what’s the simplest way to fix that? How do you coach them through it?

Over the four weeks our cognitive behavioral training modules and methodology precisely target the attitudes and systems of thinking that perpetuate that lack of confidence. There is no quick way to change the socio-systemic issues our clients face. All we can do is provide perspective and elicit change from those individuals who most exhibit the motivation to do things in a new way.

Why does your program emphasize how to handle rejection?

Most programs motivate their clients to believe and trust in the organization and the mission. We teach the clients to believe and trust themselves. Helping people learn to believe in themselves is the most powerful tool one can have in handling rejection. The “no” does not reflect on who I am; the “no” does not call my character into question.

Ok, so let’s talk clothes and first impressions. What are your recommendations for heading into the interview? Is a business suit always the best option?

Professional attire is a big part of setting the stage for what the employer is buying. The employer is buying your product, your skills and experience, but if the product packaging ain’t appealing, they ain’t buying whatever you’re selling.

What would you say are the top three most important things to keep in mind when the interview begins?

Be positive. Be confident. Be prepared.

For someone not qualified for the Job Readiness training program program, can you point to any other resources that offer interview coaching?

Local career centers.

Can you offer any additional bit of advice for those who dread the interview part of the job search?

Job interviews are as much about you interviewing a potential employer as it is about the employer getting to know you.  If you have done your homework on the company and display that you have skills directly related to the duties required for the job, your chances are better than half already. Couple that with a well-packaged first impression, and you should have it in the bag. If not, there is always a seat open at Second Chance where seven out of ten graduates are successful in obtaining employment.

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Domestic disturbance at the home of Mayor Gloria and partner

Home Sweet Homeless?

Rob Smith, of the Job Readiness training program at Second Chance, explains the importance of interview readiness.

In your program what is the very first thing you stress to your clients about interviewing?

We stress the importance of a first impression. You get eight seconds to make a good first impression. Most of our clients underestimate the complexities and dynamics of the first impression and how it leaves a lasting impression on a potential employer.

When you role-play with your clients, what’s the most common mistake you see?

Sponsored
Sponsored

The handshake and smile. Most of our people try to avoid eye contact and smiling at the initial meet-and-greet due to a list of reasons. At the top of that list for the most part is a lack of self-confidence.

And what’s the simplest way to fix that? How do you coach them through it?

Over the four weeks our cognitive behavioral training modules and methodology precisely target the attitudes and systems of thinking that perpetuate that lack of confidence. There is no quick way to change the socio-systemic issues our clients face. All we can do is provide perspective and elicit change from those individuals who most exhibit the motivation to do things in a new way.

Why does your program emphasize how to handle rejection?

Most programs motivate their clients to believe and trust in the organization and the mission. We teach the clients to believe and trust themselves. Helping people learn to believe in themselves is the most powerful tool one can have in handling rejection. The “no” does not reflect on who I am; the “no” does not call my character into question.

Ok, so let’s talk clothes and first impressions. What are your recommendations for heading into the interview? Is a business suit always the best option?

Professional attire is a big part of setting the stage for what the employer is buying. The employer is buying your product, your skills and experience, but if the product packaging ain’t appealing, they ain’t buying whatever you’re selling.

What would you say are the top three most important things to keep in mind when the interview begins?

Be positive. Be confident. Be prepared.

For someone not qualified for the Job Readiness training program program, can you point to any other resources that offer interview coaching?

Local career centers.

Can you offer any additional bit of advice for those who dread the interview part of the job search?

Job interviews are as much about you interviewing a potential employer as it is about the employer getting to know you.  If you have done your homework on the company and display that you have skills directly related to the duties required for the job, your chances are better than half already. Couple that with a well-packaged first impression, and you should have it in the bag. If not, there is always a seat open at Second Chance where seven out of ten graduates are successful in obtaining employment.

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

WAV College Church reminds kids that time is short

College is a formational time for decisions about belief
Next Article

Jazz guitarist Alex Ciavarelli pays tribute to pianist Oscar Peterson

“I had to extract the elements that spoke to me and realize them on my instrument”
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader