3 – Share the Moment of Clarity (7 to 10 seconds)

• Give a specific example, a moment you realized you had to make another choice.
• The more serious the situation, the more dramatic your moment of clarity must be.
• Share your motivation for doing it differently in the future.
• Explain what you have learned & how you have changed since it occurred.
• Consider what is important to them! Be sure the lesson or change will be valued by them. Prove it!

Ensure your candidate demonstrates these changes wherever possible by being on time, displaying a positive attitude, being polite, listening, etc.

4 – Paint A New Picture of Today (15-20 seconds)Explain how your life is different today.

• Don’t just tell them the barrier will not recur, let them realize it.
• Prove it … demonstrate it … make them see!
• Be specific! … Share concrete examples of the things in your life today that will keep the barrier from recurring … a new group of friends, a new skill you have learned, a strong addition recovery programme, etc.
• Be consistent! …Make sure the changes are evident in every part of the way you present yourself.

By this stage if unsuccessful the employer should start thinking things like:
“… I wouldn’t have guessed that”
“…I believe in this person”
“…it’s worth the risk.”

5 – Tell Them What They Gain (10-30 seconds)

• Market yourself by changing the focus to the benefits of hiring you and your specific selling points for all 6 areas of PADMAN!
• Prove you have what they want…consider hard to find qualities like loyalty, doing the extra, great attitude, etc
• Each selling point must meet a perceived employer need!

Putting it all together
When utilising this process rather than answering the question of what have you been doing the last 9 months with “I’m a grateful recovering alcoholic” or “I was in a recovery center”, a better answer would be:

“I’m glad you asked. I want to explain. Several years ago I began drinking. It got out of hand, and even led to some drug use. 9 months ago, when my boss fired me and my wife said she was going to leave, it shocked me into realising I didn’t want to live like that, so I checked myself into a recovery programme. It was the best thing I’ve ever done.
Today I’m focused on achieving my new goals, being a great husband and role model, and another is working with animals. As we discussed, my …”

IMPORTANT:
If the employer will never discover the barrier issues, then teach your client to “NOT tell on themselves”. Instead, help them develop a Good Answer that explains the situation without introducing the concern. Have a pre-plan answer will calm their fears and reduce the likelihood of telling on themselves.

Photo by Ethan Lofton

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So the next few weeks we’ll look at a method for creating good answers to these barriers. In our work with the difficult to place these issues can be quite daunting if not answered well but the same method can be used for barriers with less social stigma.

5 Steps for Developing Good Answers

1 – Welcome the Question (3 seconds)

• Expect, even welcome the difficult question because most employers will ask it!
• Maintain a welcoming, relaxed facial expression and body posture. Don’t be defensive.
• Remember your clients can be screened out for issues that are illegal to ask about or politically incorrect! So if they don’t ask, but will find out … offer your good answer before leaving the interview.

This may look something like:

• “I’m glad you asked. I wanted to explain an important lesson I’ve learned…”
• “It’s personal, but you have the right to know and I want to be honest with you…”

No one is saying this is always easy, but if the employer is likely to find out the barrier anyhow, it’s important to take control and help shape the employer’s opinion of your candidate.

2 – Take Responsibility (10 – 15 seconds)

• Briefly explain what happened & why
• Take responsibility for your actions & choices
• Do not blame or deny …  if appropriate, attribute it to youth… a “wrong crowd” you’re no longer a part of…. a bad decision you wouldn’t make today.
• Don’t brag or share gory details!
• Always be honest

Watch your language!…  use words that are less intimidating and more positive so the employer doesn’t get “stuck” and stop listening. For example, use phrases such as “drank to much” instead of “alcoholic” or “took some things” instead of “burglarized”. We aren’t trying to hide the issue but give an accurate image rather than rely on the employer’s pre-determined view of what that word actually means.

To this point we have addressed what the issue was/is and how the candidate found themselves in that position. This is probably as far as most get but while it may explain the past it still doesn’t give the employer ease and a reason to hire your candidate. The final 3  steps which I’ll list next week make all the difference.

Photo by Karl Baron

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