How opera singers can help you get a new job

Terrific article on Forbes magazine by an HR executive, Liz Ryan, who doubles as a professional opera singer. After years of auditions, it occurred to her that opera singers are uniquely equipped to teach the rest of us how to go about improving our job prospects.

Sample text:

My beautiful and brilliant teacher Winifred told  us “You have no idea what they want. They may have a conception of the role already. If they want Corn Flakes and you’re Raisin Bran, you’re not going to get the role, but that’s okay. Your job is not to try to figure out what they want. Go sing the best version of you that there is at this minute, and forget about everyone else.”

This is the perfect advice for job-seekers. Go to a job interview with an open heart and mind, ready to have a conversation and see whether there’s a resonance between you and the people you’re meeting, enough to have another conversation. You’re not going on the interview to beg and grovel. Your parents didn’t raise a doormat.

You have a tremendous amount to offer your next employer, and the more you can stay in your body and be present, not stepping out of the conversation mentally to critique your performance in the interview, the happier you will be when you go home and reflect on the conversation.

Read more here.