[Looking at history and our area’s unique political and religious attitudes.]

How do I get a job/career against the competition? This was perhaps the most asked questions by my students, this time of year. A paraphrase of Dale Carnegie that applies to every people relationship is “Find out what the other person wants. Help them get it. In the process you will get what you want.” Read his book again and again.

In our capitalist system, the employer invests and develops a business for what reason? To make money. Business is not primarily an eleemosynary venture, but has to make money to operate. To make money, the business must provide a good and valuable service. To be hired, a person must contribute to that service.

As a professor, I would bring in outside experts to clarify topics. One was an attorney; another was the co-author. Let’s talk about the attorney advice. Oklahoma is an ‘at will’ state. The law states an employer may hire and fire a person for any reason or no reason at all.

‘But I am a free spirit and want to live life my way.’ That is your privilege, but is not in an employer’s interest. Life is hard enough. Do what you can to grease the skids.

Obtaining positive attention from potential employers depends on three traits: attitude, ability, and attire.

Interestingly, a recent article researched how serial criminals picked their victims. Universally, one of the criteria was how the victim walked. They were looking for people without confidence. It shows in your pace, how you hold your head, your posture, your awareness of surroundings, and your voice.

Attitude first requires confidence. Stand up straight. Look people in the eye, without drooping your head. Speak with assurance.

You can develop confidence. It begins with a positive attitude. Every process has a positive or negative feedback loop. If positive, the process continues to grow and expand. If negative, the process deteriorates until it collapses in failure. Just a side note, the ‘negative’ concept in today’s vernacular was the word ‘sin’ in Olde English writing.

In class each semester I demonstrated how attitude affects a person’s physical strength. With two fingers, I could overcome a jock who was saying ‘No, I cannot.’

Smile. This is the most positive exercise you can project, without saying a word, or touching a person. Stand in front of a mirror, practicing the smile you want. Get a photo of a person whose smile you want to emulate. Practice. You practice athletics, you practice other skills. I gave an assignment. Smile at 10 people this week, that you do not know. What is the result? Over 80% smiled back. The connection is wired in.

Ability means you can do the job. First that applies to skill set. If you are not an artist, do not apply for an illustrator job.

Be current. If you have not been employed for a few weeks, volunteer. Take classes at a junior college, vo-tech, or university. Do something. Employers are looking for fresh, active ability, not a stale, afraid person.

Be disciplined. Show up on time and work while there. That will put you in the top five percenters. Do not wait to be told every little step. Remember our recent story about integrity and the calendar? If you say you will do something, do it.

Ask for the close when selling a product or yourself. When do you need me to start?

Network to find opportunities. Talk to people. They know about events that you do not.

Do a job you enjoy. Be creative to get that kind of job. A recent podcast between a leading media figure and a billionaire entrepreneur declared, ‘If you are a white male with a business degree, you cannot get a job.’ That was one of only two career paths that I previously recommended to students. Now it is just one, science related.

Thanks to their grandmother’s innate abilities and their schooling, most all our grandchildren are quite good artists. But there are few jobs for artists. So, couple it with another skill set you can learn. Two of our artist granddaughters are in the architectural field. A physician acquaintance encouraged his daughter to get an undergraduate degree in anatomy so she could be a medical illustrator. Virtually all fields need technical illustrators. Learn their language and be a well-paid illustrator.

Have the right look. Remember the co-author came to class as an outside expert. As an artist, she had extensive training in attire. You may want your self-expression, but the employer has theirs and their clients have their expectations, which you must fit.

Dress for the job you want, not the one you are applying for. If you want the boss’ job, dress more that direction. Look at the morning hosts or evening newscasters on television. That is what society expects credible success to look like. Well-kempt hair and face, will get you a long way. Right fit and colors are simply expected. Trade-up from the jeans, clunky footwear, and dark colors.

Think about it. People want to do business with people they like and relate. Dress the part. Be the person. Have the values. It is up to you. We have helped hundreds, so we know you can do it.