July 1996

rM®'Yl!l@bites I
WANT TO SUCCEED? DO THE UNEXPECTED
By Jeff Marson
II When you step out of your comfortzone, General Meetings
things happen." These words, delivered
by Gerry Maddalozzo in the EU Interview Thursdays, 1:15-3 :15 PM
Preparation & Presentation workshop, and at the June 13 Alemany Campus
General Meeting, have poked, prodded and challenged 750 Eddy Street
many of our members to move beyond conventional (usually #302)
thinking to further their quest for securing the ideal job at
the ideal salary.
July 4
people pleasing attitude," says
Holiday-No Meeting
Gerry. "However, if you're
Taking Control willing to break that habit, and
Gerry firmly believes that one's July 11
willing to try doing the unex-
mind set plays a crucial role in Building Confidence
pected, you stand a good
determining the direction of a chance of creating new possi- in the Workplace
job interview. "Approaching a bilities for yourself." Alan Ovson
company with the attitude that
I'm the one they're going to hire July 18
because I'm the best person for Strategy for Enhancing
the job can be tremendously
The Power of Silence Performance
empowering," he asserts. One stark example of doing the
unexpected, and the one that
David Oliverio
Believing that you're in a posi- hits his audience the hardest,
centers around salary negotia- July 25
tion to steer the interview To Be Determined
represents a radical departure tion. He makes his point by
from the average job seeker's saying that "the one who men-
thinking. "Clearly, most people tions a figure (salary) first, Speakers, times, and locations
go into the interview with a loses." While the ancient ques- are subject to change.
tion of "what kind of money are Presentations are at 2 PM on
you looking for" pushes most Thursdays after the break.
Inside this issue of us to blurt out a figure we
hope will sit well with the We thank:
From the Editor's Desk ••... page 2 interviewer, Gerry advises Peel's Coffee & Tea
Braln-Thawlnq Techniques . responding in a much different 3419 California (221·8506)
..........•.............. page2 fashion. "When you're pre-
Job Hunting Online page 3 sented with that question, you Rolling Pin Donuts
must refrain from stating a 2401 California (931·0817)
Profiles Dept •............. page 3
number. Doing so will merely
Alumni Perspectives •.•.... page 3 put an upper limit on the salary for their contributions
Gold Sheets page 8 range which you're negotiating. to our General Meetings-:-
Continues on page 5

The Unexpected
Continues from page 1
Instead, maintain solid eye
contact, smile, and, in a very
matter of fact way, ask the
interviewer to tell you the
salary range that has been
budgeted for the position.
Pursuing this line of action can
prompt the interviewer to give
you an immediate answer to
your question. However,
there's always the real possibil-
ity that this person will look
back and stare at you, without
saying a word. In effect, an
empty space is created between
the two of you, waiting to be
filled. This is commonly re-
ferred to as "the pregnant
pause."
•••••••••••••••••••••
"Maintain solid eye
contact, smile, and, in a
very matter of fact way,
ask the interviewer to
tell you the salary range
that has been budgeted
for the position."
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • same cancer. Even though we
As he explains, this is exactly
the point where you've got to
move out of your comfort zone.
"If you've worked up the
courage and composure to put
the salary question back on the
interviewer's lap, be prepared
for some silence. No matter
how uncomfortable or unnatu-
ral this may feel, no matter how
strong the urge may be to break
this silence, don't. Eventually,
after about 10-20 seconds, the
other person will feel obligated
to start talking, and may very
well come forth with the salary
information you've requested."
In Gerry's opinion, this puts
you back in the driver's seat in
terms of a negotiating position.
Living his Philosophy
Although the tactics he urges
ED members to take may sound
bold, unrealistic and even
arrogant, he counts his own real
life experiences as proof of how
the power of attitude and con-
viction can shape your destiny.
Recalling his early encounter
with bone cancer at the age of
16, he explains how his decision
to overcome this disease saved
his life.
"At the Mayo Clinic, I was a
part of a group of 20 kids who
were all suffering from the
were all in the same stage of
sickness, just about all of the
other kids actually looked
sicker than me, he states. Given
the severity of this situation, he
tells how acceptance and con-
viction made all the difference
in the world.
July 1996/ Page 5
"1 told myself that I've got
cancer, that I'll be sick for a
while, but it'll pass. I knew '
that I had to go through che-
motherapy, and I chose to have
it happen," he says. "1 never
told myself I was going to
survive. I knew, beyond any
question, that I would beat this
thing. In contrast, he sadly
reveals that all the other kids in
the treatment program died
within 2-3 years. In retrospect,
he's convinced that his attitude
and certainty about survival
saved his life.
Attitude Still Carries
the Day
Gerry's willingness to move
into the unknown played a big
role in his taking on the chal-
lenge of conducting the
Interview Preparation & Presen-
tation workshop. While his
clear and confident manner
may appear to be the result of
careful planning and rehearsal,
he again attributes his effec-
tiveness to attitude .
Surprisingly, he admits that
doing the workshop, and
addressing the General
Meeting's audience are activi-
ties he's not entirely
comfortable with. However,
he chooses not to let his fears
Continues on page 6
 July 1996/ Page 6
The Unexpected
Continues from page 5
stop him.
"I decided to take a leap of faith
and go ahead with leading the
workshop. Although I've got a
strong background in inter-
viewing and salary negotiation,
I didn't have any detailed
forma t for running the class.
But, it didn't really matter. I
made the commitment, and I
knew I was going to do the job.
Keeping the basic course out-
line in the back of my head, I
proceeded, and continue to
proceed, with conducting each
session on an improvisational
basis."
So far, the feedback from the
•••••••••••••••••••••
Although the tactics he
urges EU members to
take may sound bold,
unrealistic and even
arrogant, he counts his
own real life
experiences as proof of
how the power of
attitude and conviction
can shape your destiny .
••••••••••••••• ••••••
classes he's taught has been
very positive. While it's grati-
fying when members come up
to thank him, he strives to
continuously enhance the
workshop by paying attention
to the full range of comments,
critiques and suggestions that
come his way.
Confidence, Not
Arrogance
As mentioned earlier, some
may view his unorthodox
interviewing and negotiating
techniques as bordering on
arrogance. Realizing this
perception, he's careful to
emphasize the importance of
remaining truthful- and being
factual. "Don't go out and sell
yourself. Just be honest and
very straightforward in giving
the facts as to why you're the
best person for the job. You
can avoid sounding boastful
and arrogant by limiting your
interview statements and
responses to 20-30 seconds. He
further adds that "steady eye
contact will help you to appear
sincere, open and human.t'-e