Female Executives Who Are Too Bold and Too Aggressive Do Not Rise as Fast

March 25th, 2008 by Randy Nichols

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Female executives who are bold and aggressive do not rise up the corporate ladder as quickly as you may think. Bold and aggressive traits do not naturally match well with intelligence and savvy. Given the fact that there are many more male executives than female executives, being bold and aggressive gets fewer promotions on the way up.

Female executives who use a self-confident but much softer, indirect approach do not highlight or reinforce any pre-conceived notions that they might be too bold, too aggressive or too judgmental for a higher position.

Remember that men, and especially male executives, do not like aggressive, judgmental women (it may even remind them of their wife in some cases). The expression is: Behind every successful man is a strong and cooperating woman, and we surely do hope it is his wife because too often it is his mistress.

Men like women who are assertive but not aggressive. A man sees an intelligent, assertive woman as completing him, not challenging him. Remember that men do not know how to handle aggressive women, they do not have any centuries old database other than that the man leads, the woman follows. Their ego does not allow them to treat aggressive women any differently than men.

If they perceive that you are aggressive, they will treat you as they do men, they will rip out your jugular vein and walk over you to the next corporate competitor in the boardroom. Here are some things to consider:

First, female executives should never, under any circumstances, devalue any core competencies of a male executive. Try to reinforce any good trait that a male executive has that you have. Why? Because he psychologically cannot deny himself. If he is detail-oriented and you are detail-oriented, and he criticizes you for being so, he is criticizing himself during the process. Male executives who are Read the rest of this entry »

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Body Language At an Interview

March 23rd, 2008 by Randy Nichols

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Body Language at an Interview

It’s easy to think that if we go through all the steps when looking for a new job such as searching for ads, sending resumes with cover letters, and landing an interview, then we’re home free. Unfortunately, it’s rarely that simple. It happens often that all of these are flawless, and the applicant is a very good candidate for the job, but the interview flops. What happens? Probably something as simple as ignoring one important step: understanding the body language of the interviewer and using body language to reinforce your excellent resume.

It’s not uncommon for a person to say one thing while sending an entirely different message with his body language. If you pay close enough attention, you can tell when a person is not telling the truth. There are tell-tale signs in his movements, gestures, eye contact, and facial expressions.

Taking the time to understand the dynamics of body language may be the best weapon in your arsenal for getting the job you want. You need to know that some companies hire body language experts to help them make the best possible selections. Most interviewers have some training in body language, so it’s in your best interest to have at least a cursory understanding of it.

Facial Expressions

Is the interviewer smiling? He may be signaling that he is friendly-even that he is supportive of your application. On the other hand, be wary if the person is smiling too much-while he is talking, for example. He may be hiding something. Maybe he already knows that another candidate has been selected and he is just going through the motions with you. Smiling from time to time is a good sign, though. It’s an indication that the person is being himself and is probably not hiding anything.

The most important clues will be in the eyes. A shifty-ey Read the rest of this entry »

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