I’m generally not a big fan of cliched and often over-the-top motivational phrases but the cliche that refers to how “opportunity knocks” is a good one especially when you consider the whole picture: even when opportunity knocks, you still have to get up and answer the door.
It always amazes me with some people who even despite having things handed to them, will still put forth minimal to no effort to take it.
In the case of the reference to opportunity knocking it’s essentially referring to how you act when you’re faced with an opportunity to improve your life, career, etc.
What will you do to grab the brass ring? (To use another overused analogy)
Probably the worst (or at least one of the worst) traits you can give off during an interview or with anyone who can influence your career is that of laziness. I’ve met my share of people who upon meeting them, just gave me the impression that working with them and trying to help them was going to be a supreme waste of my time.
And it usually was.
Often, it seems that these people are used to getting what they want and simply think that this will be another occasion where this will happen with a minimal amount of work required on their part. Maybe they were spoiled as a child, I don’t know.
Working as a recruiter can be tough because the job searcher of course doesn’t pay the recruiter, the hiring manager does so the lazy, spoiled job searcher often looks at recruiters as just another freebie, someone to do work for them at no cost to them.
Perhaps you’ve worked with people in your own life who view others in the same light.
Working in sales environments has taught me to spend as much time as possible with people and activities that will positively contribute to my success and to avoid those people who don’t.
In one of the books I recently read, the author talks about spending most of your time working on payside activities and little time on non-payside activities ie. spend your time on activities that lead to success, however that is defined in your job.
This is a good strategy for people to follow regardless of whether or not they work in sales.
