About Andy Expertise I can help prepare candidates for job interviews; assist in discussing problems with your supervisors or peers; help in creating a resume that gets results; answer general work related questions.
Experience I have been in a management leadership role for the past 30 years. I have extensive knowledge re: the interview process, problem solving, team building, communcation with executive management, company mergers, downsizing, outsourcing of jobs, project management, disaster recovery, office politics, management consulting, business ethics,career changes, job relocation to another part of the country & becoming an agent for change within a corporation.
I am a student attending the Albuquerque Job Corps Center and I have been searching for a job recently since I graduated. I am doing great, but I am only worried about the interview. I was born with a speech impairment (stuttering). I am worried that I will not get the job because of my speech. You will be amazed of how bad I stutter when I get nervous. I heard that we cannot fidget during an interview, but I always fidget when I stutter. Sometimes I have to force my words out and my face scrunches up. It’s so embarrassing. I want a job that doesn’t contain a lot of communication. Can you help me? Thank you so much!
Answer Hi Rachel,
Ahh, the big interview! Job interviews & public speaking are natural fears held by millions. Before providing some ideas for you to consider, first let me share with you a story.
I worked for a company that each year would have an annual meeting of all executive management where many presentations & company updates were provide. During one of the sessions, one of my co-workers (I’ll just call him Ralph) was about to give a presentation to about 500 people in a big conference room. He panicked & couldn’t get a word out & began stuttering. It was an issue for him but rarely seen in small groups; however, in this situation he was overwhelmed by the sheer volume of people. His boss came on to the stage & took over by giving the presentation while asking Ralph simple questions so that he could regain his composure. From that day forward, each Monday morning @ 8:30 AM someone in attendance had to get up in front of the same 500 people & give a presentation. Ralph opened each Monday morning meeting by introducing the presenter & over time eliminated his stuttering concern.
OK, so why did I share the story about Ralph? I did so in order for you to know, your stuttering can be overcome & it can be overcome by gaining confidence in what you have to say & with some professional help. There is something that I’ve recommended before & which I’ll recommend to you. Make yourself a mental “20 second commercial” of yourself. By that I mean, take 20 seconds to tell the interviewer why Rachel should be chosen for the position & practice your Rachel commercial in front of a mirror & in front of friends. The practice is so that you’ll know it by heart & believe it or not so that it doesn’t sound rehearsed but just normal conversation. Something like this…. “Hi I’m Rachel & I recently graduated from XXX. I am dependable, honest, detail oriented & possess excellent customer service skills. I am a fast learner who would be an excellent addition to your organization.” How does that sound?
Let’s get to the interview….First, you have to realize that an experienced interviewer expects a candidate to be nervous. It’s a very normal. Your “20 second commercial” will help you break the ice” in a warm friendly manner which will help set the tone for the rest of the interview. Now Rachel, remember something very important. You are being interviewed because something in your education or work history sparked an interest in the interviewer. They want you as much as you may want them. This is very important to remember during the whole interview process. Keep this in mind as well Rachel, any interviewer that acts like a jerk during the interview isn’t someone you want to work with anyway. Are you feeling better yet about your interview??
Rachel, I know of no job that doesn’t involve speaking with people whether it be co-workers or customers. So I’m not going to help you find one. But I will help you to gain the confidence to speak clearly & distinctly without becoming nervous. So why do you get overly nervous? Because you won’t know the answer to a question? Well, no one has all the answers. Because the interviewer won’t like you? Well, here’s a bulletin…I’m sure there’s people already who don’t like you but they don’t cause you to stutter. Controlling your nervousness controls the conversation & the interview.
Rachel, do you stutter during conversations with friends or only when you get nervous? If the answer is only when you get nervous, then that is the area we need to improve. Let me know if any of this makes sense to you & we can continue working on making you more confident about yourself, your skills & your abilities. Practice your “20 second commercial” & if you don’t get nervous speaking casually with friends, we have to get your mind convinced the interviewer is a friend. If I can further assist, please let me know. I wish you the best of luck & I’m here to help you as things progress. When time permits, I would appreciate you filling out the allexperts.com questionnaire.
