We all aspire at the beginning of our career landing in a dream job. And it’s true that if we fail to land a good job at the beginning of our career our career destiny goes hay way. But to crack a tough job interview few qualities are essential – and being assertive is one of the critical skills. Assertiveness helps an interview candidate to give answers to questions confidently and bargain for a good remuneration and rank in an organization.
So, what is assertiveness? The Concise Oxford Dictionary defines assertiveness as: “Forthright, positive, insistence on the recognition of one’s rights”. Assertiveness means standing up for your personal rights – expressing thoughts, feelings, and beliefs in direct, honest and appropriate ways but also always respecting the thoughts, feelings, and beliefs of other people.
Some people are naturally more assertive than others. But if you lack certain assertiveness skills – you need not worry, there are several techniques which you can practice regularly to be assertive.
At first, you need to identify your needs and wants and ask for them to be satisfied. Always use the “I” statements to grab your rights. Use phrases like “I want.”, “I need.” or “I feel.” to convey basic assertions. You should change your verb like, using ‘won’t’ instead of can’t’, ‘want’ instead of ‘need’, ‘choose to’ instead of ‘have to’ and ‘could’ instead of ‘should’.
Being assertive means knowing where the fine line is between assertion and aggression and balancing on it. Assertiveness means having a strong sense of yourself and acknowledging that you deserve to get what you want. And it means standing up for yourself even in the most difficult situations. Surprisingly these are the skills which most interviewers look into most deserving candidates. But you cannot be assertive in one fine day. You have to start practicing assertiveness skills well in advance before you start applying for jobs.
When you enter the interview room your first handshake can make or break the deal – either you win or lose the game. The best way to convey a solid image of yourself in the job interview is with a solid handshake.
An article in Psychology Today writes:
Possessing the traits that define a firm handshake and a split-second ability to win hearts go hand in hand, according to a study conducted at the University of Alabama. A winning handshake has several identifiable characteristics.
The handshake should be strong and vigorous with complete grip. Keep eye contact with the interviewer and it should be 2-3 seconds long. Also, you should exude an assertive body language during interviews. Stand up or sit straight, keep your shoulders back and lift your head. Keep your body squared to the other person’s to convey that you are receptive and unafraid and do maintain eye contact all the time.
Do you know any other assertive techniques which can help you land your dream job? Kindly comment in the comment box and don’t forget to share this blog with aspiring candidates who are looking for dream jobs.
Sayak takes care of both recruitments and assessment projects of The HR Monks team. He loves helping people finding their dream job.
He started his journey in career leaving the shores of Waiting for Godot and found The HR Monks a better place, where he can change the lives of people by helping them achieve their dreams.
He has been to quite a fewer place across India and loves to travel. He loves two books, in particular, one Siddhartha by Herman Hesse and the other The Shift by Dr. Wayne Dyer.
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