The Interviewer’s Perception (teeth bleaching) or Who Gets Hired?
No commentsBy Jack Deal
I recently interviewed on radio a high tech human resources guru from Silicon Valley. During one segment of the show we had been talking about appropriate dress for a high tech job position. At one of the commercial breaks he mentioned he had done recruiting at a small high tech company that had adopted ‘grunge’ as its corporate identity. He had interviewees that had torn clothing, matted hair and no shoes.
It was a strange set of interviews, he confided, but for better or worse the company had set the standard. A suit and tie were definitely not appropriate. Later in the show we discussed in more detail what sorts of things were appropriate.
Having been involved in thousands of interviews I thought I had seen it all: alcohol, facial tattoos, free use of obscenities, etc. Still, the question of an interviewer’s perception is an interesting one so I began to jot down a few notes.
The perceptual experts tell us we have 6 seconds to make a first impression. That is the visual side of perception. Personal hygiene, with the possible exception of some high tech grungers, strikes me first. If hair is dirty, clothes unkempt and shoes soiled then the perception, mine included, is that the individual does not take care of himself or herself. If they can’t take care of themselves when going to an interview — what will they do when hired? What does it say about an interviewee if they do not care about personal appearance?
Beyond the physical, I think we get a more personal picture in the first two minutes of an interview. These are often awkward moments ‘hi, how are you, thanks for coming, good to see you’, etc. These initial moments are a good indicator of an individual’s behavior when dealing with the unknown and determining their level of people skills. This initial chit-chat also sets the stage for the rest of the interview.
In the United States, we shake hands, especially in a business context. If I get a weak touch, strongman grip, or vertical yanking then I will perceive the individual tends to the extreme. I may be wrong, but for the applicant the interviewer’s perception is reality.
I usually begin by asking the applicant to give me a thumbnail sketch of their skills and abilities. Most qualified applicants can usually give a synopsis in a minute or two. This is not a difficult question but it does require a variety of skills to pull it off. If the applicant cannot state what they can do then the implication is they cannot do anything. Obviously this may be true with some applicants and not with others. But perception is perception.
Gradually I get around to what they are looking for. Amazingly, some answer they do not know. If they appear truthful, a ‘don’t know’ response can be seen as being honest. Most of the time, it implies the applicant has no ambition or has not thought very much. Here reality creates the perception and it’s a negative.
What I normally want to hear is they are looking for an opportunity and challenge. This means that at some point the applicant will have ’smoke coming out of their smokestack’. This is an indicator of ambition, drive, work ethic, etc. If they are looking for security and stability and no smoke I often perceive they are in it just for the paycheck.
I let the applicant do the talking and I just ask a series of questions. Near the end of the interview I usually ask them if they have any questions about the company. Amazingly again, many applicants say no, even when they know virtually nothing about their potential future employer! What I perceive is a good response is one or two insightful questions. Going into a long series of intricate questions is just as bad as not having any questions at all.
There are several areas that send flags up at different points in the interview. If they jump right on salary and benefits I know they are more interested in what the company can do for them then what they can do for the company. If they speak poorly about their past employers then I know they would probably do the same with my company. If they tell me secrets or confidential information about their past employers, I know they will do the same to me. The best predictor of future behavior is past behavior.
I am used to applicants being nervous but experienced interviewers can get applicants to relax. The sole purpose of the interview is to find out if the applicant will be appropriate for the company. This seems too obvious! Yet many applicants do not understand this simple concept. We have a very short period of time to determine if the applicant is appropriate to become ‘one of our family’. And why would we ever hire an obvious problem?
Those of us that conduct interviews are people too. We have our perceptions: the good, bad and ugly.
The difference is we decide who gets hired.
Jack D. Deal is the owner of Deal Business Consulting. Related articlesmay be found at http://www.jddeal.com and http://www.freeandinquiringmind.typepad.com
Myths About Oral Health
By Kevin Pederson
Oral health plays a vital role in the health and well-being of all people and, subsequently, the quality of life. Till recently it was felt that aging had to do with debilitating changes in oral functioning like loss of teeth, less salivary flow, mucosal atrophy and loss of taste. Recent research, however, withdraws many such misconceptions. Oral health myths and their debunking include:
Myth 1: Cavities are for children.
Reality: Wrong. If you have one or more of your natural teeth, you can still develop cavities. Cavities are more common as you grow older as your gums tend to pull away from the base of the teeth, leaving the roots exposed.
Myth 2: Those who have false teeth do not have to see a dentist anymore.
Reality: Wrong again, even if you have one or more false teeth or dentures, you must still clean them and visit your dentist on a regular basis.
Myth 3: Teeth are only for appearances sakes.
Reality: Wrong once more. Definitive studies have revealed the link between poor oral health and diseases like diabetes in people of all ages. In seniors, poor oral health is connected to respiratory diseases. Research has also revealed a possible link between oral health and heart disease.
Myth 4: Overall health does not depend on our oral health.
Reality: Not altogether true. If your gums are unhygienic, dental bacterial byproducts could get into your blood stream and this might result in heart diseases, strokes or under-weight child birth.
Myth 5: When brushing, bleeding is normal.
Reality: Not so. bleeding gums are just a sign of gum disease.
Myth 6: Brushing is done to remove food particles.
Reality: This is only partly right. By brushing and flossing daily it helps keep formation of plaque to the minimum, thus preventing oral diseases.
Myth 7: Bad breath is the result of lack of oral hygiene.
Reality: This again is only partly correct. There are some bacteria on the tongue and throat that produce volatile sulfur compounds. Excessive sulfur compounds result in the bad breath.
Myth 8: Pregnant women do not require dental checkups.
Reality: Unfortunately, no. Dental health has an impact on the health of baby to be born. Dental diseased during pregnancy could raise the chances of having a premature, under-weight baby.
Myth 9: Tooth loss is inevitable the older you grow.
Reality: Sadly it is not so. Around 15 years ago, over 50% Americans above 65 were totally toothless. By the year 1985, the figure had fallen to around 41% overall, ranging from 32% in ages 65-69 and 49% in the over 80 age group.
Herbal Natural Therapies for Oral Hygiene
A number of herbs have antibacterial properties that aid in oral hygiene routine. They also make the breath smell a little sweeter. For instance, as therapies for oral hygiene, essential oils of peppermint, spearmint, and almond can all be rubbed around the base of the gums.
As a therapy for oral hygiene tea tree oil has a lot more bacterial-fighting agents than the above mentioned essential oils. Add a few drops of tea tree oil to your toothbrush during brushing and it will leave your gums feeling clean and invigorated.
For centuries, another of the best natural therapies for oral hygiene is green tea. For long have the Chinese used green tea as an oral rinse for regular mouth care, since it contains powerful antioxidants that besides other things help boost the immune system.
Home Remedies for toothaches
The good old clove is one of the best known home remedies for toothache relief. Clove helps abate the pain with its antiseptic properties. In fact, clove oil, applied on the painful tooth, helps ease toothaches pain fairly quickly. Alternatively, try grinding a clove and applying the powder on the affected area.
Wheat grass juice is widely available nowadays as a fantastic home remedy to help prevent toothaches. Sometimes it can even cure. You may chew on wheat grass for pain relief; it will prevent bacteria from procreating and even draw bacteria out of the painful area.
A piece of raw onion chewed for 3 minutes helps ease toothache pain, or kill oral bacteria. This not only helps relieve the pain, it also helps cure toothaches. If you cannot chew, a small piece of raw onion applied directly to the infected spot will ease the pain almost immediately.
A lukewarm saltwater mouthwash also mildly disinfects the mouth and helps rinse the teeth and gums, thus providing gentle toothache pain relief. This is, perhaps, the easiest toothache home pain remedy, as everyone has some salt in their kitchens.
Finally, for successful toothache relief, a clove of garlic possibly mashed up with some salt and placed on the tooth helps relieve the pain. It even acts as an anesthetic, sometimes even curing mild toothaches. This home remedy could be one of the more successful ones of regularly applied.
Kevin Pederson, a regular writer for Natural Remedies and Home Cures recommends effective, low cost natural cures to recover from common health problems easily. The writer uncovers several misconceptions on oral health, and offers useful tips on dental health.
How to Germ Proof Your Bathroom Against Bird Flu and Other Diseases
By Richard Stooker
Think your bathroom is safe from disease?
I can almost guarantee that unless you know some special “germ” secrets, your bathroom may be giving you diarrhea and other unpleasant problems.
Don’t get grossed out — but do get scared enough to take effective action.
Your bathroom is one of the major germ centers of your house, for obvious reasons. If there’s ever a bird flu pandemic, it’s one of the areas you must keep hygienic to prevent the spread of bird flu within your household.
Unfortunately, bird flu is by far NOT the only disease threat you face from your bathroom. So you should not wait until bird flu is killing millions of people before you change some of your bathroom habits.
First habit — in the great traditional battle between men and women about whether the toilet seat should be kept up or down, both men and women are wrong, though women are half right.
The toilet LID should be put down, assuming that after you do your business into the toilet, you flush it.
Studies have shown that when a toilet is flushed, the force of it can send small droplets of urine and/or aerosolized fecal matter as high as twenty feet into the air. They can hit the surface anywhere in even large bathrooms.
Yes, everywhere — onto your combs, your hairbrushes, your hairdryer, your razor — and yes, even onto your toothbrushes.
So if that doesn’t make you close the lid next time you flush — just remember that your fecal matter can contain germs which can cause diarrhea. Maybe you didn’t get it the first time those germs were in your intestinal tract, but give them a second chance at you and maybe you’ll feel them the second time around.
The dirtier the toilet bowl is, the more contaminated material can be spread. So toilet bowls and lids should be sanitized at least weekly.
And while we’re speaking of fecal matter — underwear never be washed in the same load as other clothes. And here I am referring bottom-worn underwear such as boxers and panties, not bras or undershirts.
Yes, fecal matter from your underwear gets mixed in with your other clothes and towels — anything that’s in the same washing machine load. So wash your underwear separately — in hot water — and use bleach to make sure all germs are killed. Once a week or so, run a the washer with an empty load, just hot water and bleach, to disinfect it.
Toothbrushs should be keep in a rack where they dry in the air, because germs prefer wet areas. You should dip them into hydrogen peroxide before and after using them.
Razors should be cleaned and dried after every use.
Your washcloth, loofah or bath sponge can hold bacteria from your skin, including Staphylococcus aureus, which can cause infections and boils if it gets on the wrong part of your body.
Therefore, you should keep them dry between your baths and showers.
And of course wash your bath cloth in the laundry, and wash sponges and loofahs once a week with a mixture of bleach and water.
Of course, you should keep your bathtub and shower and rubber mat and curtains, and all other areas such as sinks and counters clean and — as much as possible — dry. Germs can lurk on every wet surface, so be sure to use strong bleach or disinfectant on any area that’s going to contact your bare skin.
Germs are small and even though we’re generally much cleaner than people were many years ago, most of us still need to improve our hygiene habits — especially in the bathroom.
c 2006 by Richard Stooker
Richard Stooker is the author of How to Protect Yourself and Your Family From Bird Flu and
Bird Flu Blog
Creating The Brilliant Smile You Deserve
Sunday, July 27th, 2008 at 5:45 pm and is filed under Creating The Brilliant Smile You Deserve. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
