You’re looking for a sweater. Not just any sweater, it must be a small, powder blue, long-sleeved, v-neck, cotton blend sweater with no buttons . The talented sales clerk brings you a sweater that matches your description exactly. After trying it on, you thank the clerk and return the sweater to the rack. Confused the sales clerk inquires, was it the price, the size, the color, the fabric that was wrong?  you assure her that no, the sweater matched everything you were looking for, it just wasn’t the right fit.

Why am I rambling on about a sweater? It has everything to do with the way positions are staffed in today’s market. Increasingly more employers are using this same intangible yet crucial method to select and reject candidates. Qualified has taken a passenger seat to this unquantifiable determination. Perhaps a candidate meets more of the requirements in the job description than the other applicants, perhaps not. The question is: are they the right fit?

What is a fit? A certain character trait, demeanor, sense of adaptability demonstrated in the face-to-face interview process that shows an employer the candidate is not only right for the position, but for the company.  What makes you the right fit? You can’t know that 100 per cent. What you can do is know the company well and be yourself. Give them reason to see that beyond their job description, you just may be the ‘fit’ they’ve been searching for.

Long ago, a fairytale was written about a girl who gained a throne by being the right fit for an enchanted slipper, popularizing the phrase ‘if the shoe fits.’ Today, we all can live this story in the workforce.

Here’s to your happily ever after

Mae

I attended my first webinar recently and I can see why they are so popular.  Webinars are online seminars that you can access easily through your home or office computer. The information was clear, concise and relevant; the presenter stuck exactly to the one hour time frame, and the material was sent directly through the computer. I must add here that the title of this webinar was ‘Improve Your Communications: Keys to Writing in Plain Language’ so it’s a pretty good thing it was delivered so succinctly.

The speaker, Mandi Stanley, is a certified speaking professional and she is a lot of fun to listen to, which never hurts when a person is talking about writing for an hour.

I decided to sit in on this webinar as a way to stay up-to-date on all the latest writing tips and faux-pas. The one hour webinar was divided into five parts: weeding out wasted words, handling acronyms and jargon, active vs passive voice, writing with bullet lists, and old clichés.

The  exact content of the seminar is something I don’t think Mandi Stanley, would appreciate me publishing en masse as she does charge for the information. What I can say is that for those with English or Communication backgrounds, it’s a good mix of review material and new material. You find yourself thinking, ‘that’s true, I remember learning that’ and that’s very interesting/very good to know’ throughout the presentation.

Webinars are convenient and cost efficient ways to fit continuous learning into your busy schedule if you have a computer and the technology to access them. From my first experience with webinars, I give them two thumbs up. For more information about this webinar or about the speaker, Mandi Stanley, visit mandistanley.com

In a world where anyone’s a critic, I’d like to leave some thoughts about the possibility of making this eye for the negative a positive thing to have.

As a self-proclimed “people person,” I take in every opportunity to sit back and observe my fellow man.

The latest observation I have made is that there are certain kinds of people who seem to always be criticizing something. we all know someone(s)  like this,  but what we may have missed is that not all critics are created equal.

I have concluded that there are two categories of people that automatically (seemingly innately) spot and point out negatives:

a category A critic: One who looks at an error and sees an obstacle

a category B critic: One who looks at an error and sees an opportunity

Though similar in nature, a category B critic renders herself invaluable; a category A critic renders herself insufferable.

If critical is among your list of character traits, fear not; you’ve recognized it. Insufferable as you may be to others,  you can turn that trait into an asset.  Set out to make yourself invaluable.

You – and those around you- will be very glad you did

Mae McCrae
Algonquin PR Student

I was laughing along with the congregation on Sunday as the Pastor of Calvary Church preached his message. He gave an example of a time in Toronto when he, being a shy man, would have loved nothing more than to check into a hotel and go straight to his room. Instead, as he entered the lobby, he heard his wife tell two strangers, “and here’s my husband now” and suddenly he found himself making plans for tea with the ambassadors to Macedonia.

We laughed along with him as he described the awkward moments after the initial greetings, and we laughed at the idea of an innately shy man having chosen a profession centered on speaking to others.

The pastor could simply have said, “I am very shy, yet I still must meet people.”  By taking the time to include an example, he brought his thought into reality for everyone listening, and made his message memorable.

Examples, illustrations, demonstrations, props – all tools a good communicator can use to add impact to any message.   Just be prepared: whatever you choose to illustrate could be the element people are talking about long after your presentation is over

~Mae McCrae
Algonquin PR Student

Presenting is passion. It’s about loving your message enough to give it life and loving your audience enough to speak into their life.

How often do we find ourselves daydreaming through someone’s presentation? Probably more times than we’d like to admit.

The good news is, you are not entirely to blame. Chances are, after you wake up and think about what was just presented to you, there will be two key questions you will be able to answer “NO” to:

1- Do I care about this topic?
2- Does this speaker care about me?

The onus is on every speaker to make sure you can say yes to these questions right away if they want to keep you till the end of their presentation.

Public speaking is one of those special things that can be natural and can be learned.  It is up to us to know whether we fall into the nature or nurture category and take the necessary steps. Should you decide though, that you’re a natural, remember: there’s always something more that can be learned.

Speaking of learning, I’m about to give a ‘knowledge management’ presentation to my fellow classmates in the Algonquin PR program.

Here’s hoping for a snore-free zone

~Mae McCrae
Algonquin PR student