Claire Bradford: Looking for a job? It pays to stay positive

Of course, the more you want the job, the more you invest your time and energy into producing the perfect covering letter, the more nervous you get if you make it to interview, and the more crushed you feel if you fall at any of the hurdles.

But when all that hard work and nervous energy pay off, it’s an incredible feeling, and a gateway to the next part of your career.

Jackie Arnold, an executive coach based in Lancing, has recently launched her newest book, Get That Job with NLP: From Application and Cover Letter, to Interview and Negotiation, to help jobseekers get to that gateway moment faster, with minimal crushing en route!

Seeing so many cutbacks in the public sector, as well as growing disenchantment among young people frustrated by the lack of opportunities available, inspired Jackie to want to help.

Despite the recession and the resulting scarcity of available jobs, Jackie believes that it is really important to keep positive.

Her book is based on using the principles of NLP – Neuro Linguistic Programming – which is a great tool for managing mindset, and she provides straightforward, simple exercises which help to get the reader focused and energised.

NLP techniques are great for building rapport with potential employers at every stage of the application process, and the reader is guided confidently through the whole journey.

I asked Jackie whether she had any success stories to share and she told me that, as the result of reading the book, a 37-year-old woman realised that she had a really defensive attitude at interviews which had held her back.

After following the exercises, she got her ideal job in the financial industry after being out of work for two years. Sounds like a result to me!

Do you have any interview tales to tell, good or bad?

Do you have any advice for job seekers? Come over and comment at www.facebook.com/womaninbusiness or tweet me @coachbythecoast