My Avatar Interview

The sharp buzz of the alarm hits my ears at 6:00 AM. It’s a blustery January morning in the year 2020. It’s time to get moving. The interview is at noon. I’ve had a good night’s sleep, and it’s time to shop for my avatar. Over fresh fruit and a whole grain bagel, I tell my computer to wake up. After being unemployed for 6 months, I hired a professional career coach to make sure I would be prepared for my job interview. After visiting the virtual company as my coach suggested, I know that the atmosphere is friendly and somewhat casual. A classic sport suit will work well. Since I eventually want to be a buyer for the sportswear department, I will choose a very fit avatar with a golden bronze complexion and dark brown hair.

I double check the time and make sure my login and passwords are close at hand. I know where to find the virtual office protocol, and exactly how long it will take to get in. I know that customer service is the number one priority for the company, with efficiency and fiscal management close behind. I take a deep breath and give a sigh of relief that I no longer have to shop ahead, press my jacket and polish my shoes ahead of time as I did in 2010. I don’t need to test drive my route and fill my gas tank. The competition is intense, so choosing the right avatar and wardrobe is essential, but it’s fun and creative to tailor my look to my interests.

I know what strengths, skills, and experience the company is looking for, and I have individualized my ePortfolio accordingly. After getting the interview, I practiced possible questions and answers with the latest job search program, and then improved my confidence and voice tone with my coach. Several practice sessions later, I can quickly answer the questions verbally and in writing. I took time to make sure I know how to move around skillfully in the virtual world. In the year 2007, a Wall Street Journal article described gaffes such as interviewees floating in the air or showing up in jeans. I would not be taken seriously in today’s work world without a basic understanding of virtual technology.

The avatars have leveled the playing field in many ways. There are no more worries about transportation, traffic at the mall, being introverted, too young or too old. Although many aspects of job search are simpler now, the basic principles of interviewing never really change. Background checks, skills testing, and assessments are the norm since the employer is not seeing the real me in my body language and facial expression. I will have to build trust through voice inflection and choice of language. It’s 11:45 and I look fabulous and confident. I’m ready for my interview!

Wall Street Journal (2007), http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118229876637841321.html, online 3/11/10

The Interview

Imagine answering these questions based on the avatar scenario. What else could the avatar say? Imagine your own avatar scenario. How would you answer these questions for yourself?

1. Tell me about yourself.

I have 5 years experience working in retail. I recently designed an online market research survey to assess the interest of customers and potential customers in a new line of sportswear. The response to the line was so positive that our buyer will soon be getting a small order to try out in the store. I have a passion for fishing, boating, and skiing, and your store has top of the line equipment.

2. Why do you want this job?

I really enjoy talking to customers about their different sports interests. Helping them find the best price on the safest, most innovative supplies makes my day. Most sports enthusiasts would rather be outdoors than in the store shopping, so my goal is to have satisfied customers out on the slopes or in the water as quickly and efficiently as possible.

3. What do you expect to be doing 5 years from now?

Over the next five years I plan to learn more about sports equipment and attire. I hope to be working with designers to find the most innovative equipment for the store. I travel to different parts of the country and visit sports events to find out what equipment the winners are using. I am constantly researching the latest concepts in sportswear.

4. Tell me about a strength/weakness?

My strength is satisfying customers. In the last year, I have had the least returns of any associate because I listen to the customer and assist them in finding the right products. My weakness is that I enjoy talking to customers about the latest sports equipment. After years of experience, I am able to keep my conversations friendly, brief, and focused on the customer and the product.

5. Describe a problem or conflict and how you solved it.

An angry customer wanted to return equipment he had obviously used over a period of time. He said the associate misled him when he made the sale. After asking the customer some questions about how he was using the equipment, I was able to show him the proper use. He decided to keep the equipment and also bought a jacket.

After all of my preparation, I felt confident in the interview. I shared my ePortfolio that included sports gear designs from Europe and Alaska. I got the job, and I will be starting next week.

Reprint by permission only

Copyright CLWD © 2007 Nancy Miller, M.S.

www.centerforlifeworkdesign.org

success@lifeworkplan.com

Vision Statement Revisited

It’s a cold overcast damp January morning. As I took a walk along the creek, I had time to reflect on my "Vision Statement." I created a Vision Statement" about five years ago, and at least once a year I go back and re-evaluate it to make sure it still fits with my current values and goals. In 2006 I wrote this vision statement after completing the "Vision Mapping Assessment."

My Personal Vision Statement

To find a place
That inspires my spiritual growth;
Where I can develop my ideas;
Speak the truth;
See honestly;
And feel valued.

I was thinking that my "Vision" for honest self-expression might need to evolve and grow by now. As I thought about it, I couldn’t imagine what else to add. Then I realized that this year I had set a goal to put my self-expression and creativity into a well-formed book. That is my challenge. I realized that writing a book was the culmination of my vision for self-expression. I’m
finding out how much work it really is! Looking back at my “Vision Statement” still gives me motivation. to put more time and energy into the work that I planned to do this year.

The next step is to take another look at my strengths. I will go back to my vegetable analogy to identify the strengths I can use to create my book. The next step will be to see what I am missing. Where are my challenges and blocks to accomplishing my goals? What strengths am I lacking? I will look for ways to build my character by using strengths that don’t come naturally to me, and learning skills I need. Then I will look to my network to build a team to support the work that I want to do. If my network doesn’t provide people who have the time and skills needed for this project, I will broaden my network or hire consultants.

The third step is to develop a plan to accomplish my goals. The important part is to make sure my goals fit my vision. Otherwise I could accomplish my goals without fulfilling my purpose. Last year, I thought I needed to build my skills in the area of math. I took an online Intermediate Algebra course and didn’t complete it. I had always thought it would be one of the ultimate challenges in my life to complete Intermediate Algebra. With a Bachelors Degree through the School of Math & Science, and a Master of Science degree, it just seemed like I should complete a course in Intermediate Algebra. Not to mention the fact that my daughter whizzed through the course while she was in high school. But before I finished the course, I realized that I was spending a good deal of my time on a class that I wasn’t interested in, that didn’t fit my vision or purpose, and I really didn’t need. The lesson I learned was that all the determination in the world doesn’t help if I am working on something that doesn’t fit my vision and purpose.


This website is intended for informational purposes only. For professional personal/ career coaching, call or email Nancy for assistance with consulting, resources, and information to meet your personal needs. See links on the side panel for professional organizations. Copyright LWD © 2005 Nancy Miller

Building Alliances

Networking is the key to finding a job. In the broadest sense it is the key to finding any job, but networking is even more important if you are looking for a job that you feel passionate about as in a career related to the green economy or sustainability. If networking is so important, what is it?

• In the world of computers, networking is sharing data between two devices. http://compnetworking.about.com/cs/basicnetworking/f/whatsnetworking.htm
• In the career world networking includes sharing information. In fact, speed networking could be compared to computer networking. Speed networking can be useful for entrepreneurs who want rapid exposure of their name and product identification. It is one step up from social networking.

The most important way to network is to by building alliances. The Riley Guide describes ways to build alliances for networking, http://www.rileyguide.com/network.html. Alliances are not built in a 3-minute connection, although whenever you connect with another person whether at work, a meeting, a community garden or at the grocery store, if you make a connection, you can then build an alliance.

After years of working in my field and learning my personal strengths, I can be fairly comfortable in a speed networking meeting. On the other hand, my niece actually loves it. The last time I went to a speed networking event through my alumni association, I invited my sister and niece to go with me. We spent 3 minutes talking to each person as we moved around the tables. It was a great place for me to practice my elevator speech and meet a dozen or so people in a short period of time. After we made the rounds and I talked with a few people, I was ready to leave. I had stretched myself to the limit. My niece on the other hand was just warming up. She made new friends and talked to people I didn’t even know were there. What makes the difference? Why is it net WORKING for some people and net FUN for others?

We each have different strengths that we bring to our environment. I like to think of my environment as a garden. I have seeds that are my natural strengths that grow naturally in certain environments and seem to wilt in others. Each of us works in our own garden. We may have different strengths and challenges, but we can learn to build character by cultivating seeds that don’t grow naturally in a given environment.

As the gardener, I can take charge of my career development. My career includes my lifetime paid and unpaid work, but "Career Development is the total constellation of psychological, sociological, educational, physical, economic, and chance factors that combine to influence the nature and significance of work in the total lifespan of any given individual.” Career Development: A Policy Statement of the National Career Development Association Board of Directors, (Adopted March 16, 1993; revised 2003)

This website is intended for informational purposes only. For professional personal/ career coaching, call or email Nancy for assistance with consulting, resources, and information to meet your personal needs. See links on the side panel for professional organizations. Copyright LWD © 2005 Nancy Miller