Go on. Give it a go!

Posted by: Kate D. on: May 13, 2010

• In: book review | Interviews | Pyschology
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How will anyone ever know you want or need something if you don’t ask? Well, obviously, they’d have to be telepathic.

Barring telepathy, you have to tell people what you are looking for. Another way of putting it is, don’t be shy. A few weeks ago, I stumbled upon the opportunity to request advance coppies of Tony Hsieh’s new book Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose. I had a choice. I could either not put myself forward because I know, I’m a small blogger and only a few of my posts are book reviews or even business centric. Or I could put myself forward anyway, shrug, and understand that the worst that could happen is they say “No.”

Well, yesterday, a resounding” Yes” arrived at my door:

My mother holding my two advanced coppies.

The lesson here is ask or you wont get anything. Sometimes you get what you are looking for, sometimes not. As the publicist for the Phoenix Comicon, it’s my responsability to line up interviews for the convention’s celebrity guests. This includes Stan Lee, yes, Stan “The Man” Lee himself. I, of course, get lots of requests for interviews with Mr. Lee. Tons. Requests are flying in from places as big as the largest radio in town to a small podcast that caters to niche markets. Will they all get interviews? Umm, no. Do I think any less of them all for asking? Of course not! I encourage it. Ask away! What’s the worst that will happen? I’ll say, “No”?

This is also true of job interviews. One of the biggest mistakes people make in interviews is not “asking for the job.” This isn’t begging and saying, “please, oh please, hire me.” This is summing up the interview as you leave and telling the interviewer that you are really interested in the position and think you’re perfect for the job. What’s the worst the interviewer will say, “No”?