Ramesh & Zarina (Sunny) Anand. Zarina is the first woman to get a black belt in Judo. She was the National Champion of India in her weight category for three consecutive years
can help the company overcome its challenges. Throwing Someone Who is Trying to Throw You Judo is always a combination of mind and body. As a Judoka, I am trying to throw an equally competent Judoka who is simultaneously devising ways to throw me. My mind has to simultaneously look for ways to attack my opponent while I physically defend myself from being thrown. As a job seeker, your situation is no different. When you prepare your resume, while you are trying to make yourself appear suitable for a particular job, your interviewer is comparing it to other responses to evaluate why you may be less suitable. The same holds true during an interview. Your interviewer is assessing you based on your body language and responses. Stay one step ahead of your interviewer. For example, be on the lookout for trick questions. The most common example is: What are your strengths and weaknesses? Many candidates go overboard when explaining their weakness. You are not in church for a confession. Obviously, be honest; but the question really wasn’t intended to elicit a laundry-list of your personal weaknesses. Find a few examples, preferably those that can also be recast as strengths or potential areas of growth. You Can’t Win if You Don’t Play As a Judoka, one has to leverage every opportunity that presents itself. Any throw one does not attempt is a lost opportunity. This also applies to your job search. Opportunities to network present themselves everywhere — at the gym, a social event, or your child’s school. Don’t be pushy, but at the same, time, be on the lookout for opportunities to network. These sorts of connections are what frequently lead you to potential opportunities. Similarly, during an interview, you need to consistently be on your toes. Whenever the opportunity presents itself, explain why your qualifications and past experiences will provide value
to company. Remember: any opportunity you lose will not come back. Keep the End Goal in Mind Judo is about using combination of multiple throws and grapple techniques to achieve one final objective: winning the match. The Judoka has to defend against the opponent’s attacks and simultaneously breaking his defense to deliver a throw, followed by one or a multitude of other throws, all of which leads to a final throw that is executed with perfection. You can apply this to a job search as well. At every stage of the job search process — whether networking, preparing your resume, or giving an interview — you need to be alert and armed with varied combinations and options. During an interview, if one of your answers results in a negative response or body language from the interviewer, you must be flexible enough to immediately change your strategy. Only if you are prepared with alternatives can you manage these issues with the ease of a Judoka, and impress upon the interviewer that you are the perfect person for the job. Finally, Have a Singular Focus When attempting a Judo throw, my entire body and mind are focusing in that one movement. I must keep my mind extremely alert to the fact that my opponent may also be planning an attack, or may resist my throw with a countermove. My body has to move in sync with my mind to ensure that I execute the technique flawlessly to ensure victory. There is no scope for error or distractions. A job search is no different. Once you have decided that you will pursue a new job, you need to be focusing in that direction. At any networking opportunity, you should be prepared with an “elevator pitch” about yourself, and a business card or some form of handout about yourself. As in Judo, if you put all your energy and focus in one direction, there is no stopping you from getting hired for a job suited just for you.
Ramesh Anand has worked in the headhunting profession for over thirty years. He is President of American Personnel Resources LLC. He can be contacted at ramesh@aprllc.com
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