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Saturday, January 29, 2011

Sandra Johnson, the photographer of my book cover



I want to introduce you to the photographer, Sandra Johnson, who took the picture of me with my Boston Terrier puppy, Annabelle, for the cover of How to Interview Like a Pro. Here is a picture of Sandra with her husband Chris with their dogs,Goblin, the brown dog, and James, the poodle.


Mary: I know that you primarily photograph weddings. Can you tell me something about how you got into that part of the business?

Sandra: I have been taking pictures for as long as I can remember and in high school I was asked to photograph a wedding for a friend's older sister. I was hooked at that point! I really love all things weddings - magazines, TV shows, websites, movies - I can't get enough of them!

Mary: I met you at The Doggie Door in Winter Park where you were doing photos of dogs with or without their owners. I know that you donate the proceeds to a Greyhound rescue group. Can you tell me more about photographing dogs and how you got involved with animal rescue organizations.

Sandra: A friend of mine owned a grooming shop and she said it would be a great idea to take photos of dogs. We tried it and loved it and when we approached The Doggie Door about doing photos with them they asked for the proceeds to go to the Greyhounds. That was 10 years ago and they now have the Sebastian Haul Fund and all of the photo events we do with The Doggie Door help raise money for the Sebastian Haul Fund. From there we also did a few photo days for the SPCA and also for the Greyhound Ranch. Most recently we donated a private session to Hound Haven and we hope to work with them more in the future.

Mary: How is photographing dogs different from photographing people?

Sandra:
With people I can communicate exactly what I want to them. I can get them to pose exactly how I want and I ask them to smile or laugh. With dogs you get what you can - you have to trick them into posing and staying put (and we try to do this without treats since that is a distraction). Some dogs like sounds, some prefer movement and some dogs we have to surprise. The good thing is all of the tricks we use on dogs usually make their owners smile, too!

Mary: You make it look so easy. How many photographs do you usually take for the one perfect photo that your client loves?


Sandra:
In one of the sessions for The Doggie Door we usually take about 10 photos - but I know when I got "the shot" in that group and usually there is one outstanding shot that is better than the rest. But we always give the clients all of them since they all show the dog's personality. We used to delete the ones where the dog snuck in a kiss or something silly but now we leave those in and they have been a big hit!

Mary:
What is the best way for people to reach you? What is your website? Anything else you want to add?


Sandra: Our website has all of our contact information - it is www.SJFoto.com and there is also a contact form there. We are always looking for new ideas and groups to work with - feel free to contact us!

Mary:
I have really enjoyed finding out more about you. Annabelle is 8 months now. Maybe I will have to come in and have a Valentine photo. Stay tuned for more photos.



Mary Greenwood, Mediator, Attorney and Author of
How to Interview Like a Pro, Editor's Choice and Rising Star,
How To Negotiate Like A Pro: 41 Rules for Resolving Disputes,Winner of six book awards:Best How To Book, DIY FestivalRunner Up, New York Book Festival, E-Book and Self-Help CategoryFinalist ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year AwardsFinalist, Best National Book Awards, Self-Help Category Honorable Mention, London Book Festival;
How To Mediate Like A Pro: 42 Rules for Mediating Disputes, Winner of ftwelve book awardsBest National Book AWard, Law Category, Best E-Book, New York Book FestivalBest How To Book, Beach Book FestivalBest E-Book, Indie Excellence AwardsSpirit Award, South Florida Writers AssociationEmail:
howtointerview@aol.com; vist my website www.marygreenwood.org

Monday, January 17, 2011

What Not to Do In An Interview Part 2; How to Interview Like a Pro







Here are some more tips about what not to do in an interview from my new book, How to Interview Like a Pro: 43 Rules for Getting Your Next Job.

Part 2

4. Don't Ask How Long the Interview Will Take.
If you start off the interview asking how long the interview will take, you are sending the message that you have someplace better to be or did not put enough money in your parking meter. Either way, it does not make you sound engaged in the interview itself. It will take as long as it takes. If you are lucky, it may take longer than the 30 or 60 minutes allotted; that would mean they like you and want to ask you more questions. Don't do anything that may cut the interview short.

5. Don't Drop Names in the interview.
If you know someone at the company, don't say something like this: "Yesterday I was talking to the Senior Vice-President and his view on this position is ______." First of all this sounds very arrogant. Secondly, it might look as though were asking that person to influence the hiring process. Thirdly, if the interviewer does not care what the Senior Vice-President said, you have put your foot in your mouth for nothing. If you must, put that person as a reference, but don't mention him/her in the interview.

6. Dont flirt with the interviewer or ask him/her on a date.
Yes, I have seen this happen. This is an interview, not speed dating. If you appear to be flirting, you are, by definition, not being professional. Of course, you can be charming, funny and smart but don't overdo it and don't cross that line even if you believe in "love at first sight."

If you follow these tips, you will be interviewing like a pro.

Mary Greenwood, Attorney Mediator, and Author, How to Interview Like a Pro, Editor's Choice and Rising Star, How to Negotiate like a Pro, Winner of six book awards, How To Mediate Like A Pro, Winner of twelve book awards, Available at http://www.amazon.com. http://www.Marygreenwood.org
Email: Howtointerview@aol.com




Mary Greenwood, Mediator, Attorney and Author ofHow To Negotiate LIke A Pro: 41 Rules for Resolving Disputes, Winner of six book awardsBest How To Book, DIY FestivalRunner Up, New York Book Festival, E-Book and Self-Help CategoryFinalist ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year AwardsFinalist, Best National Book Awards, Self-Help CategoryHonorable Mention, London Book FestivalHow To Mediate Like A Pro: 42 Rules for Mediating DisputesWinner of five book awardsBest National Book AWard, Law CategoryBest E-Book, New York Book FestivalBest How To Book, Beach Book FestivalBest E-Book, Indie Excellence AwardsSpirit AWard, South Florida Writers AssociationEmail: howtonegotiate@aol.comwww.marygreenwood.com

Sunday, January 16, 2011

What Not to Do In An Interview; How to Interview LIke a Pro







For my new book, How to Interview Like a Pro, I included a list of Do's and Don'ts. The following are a list of some of them. It might not seem possible, but I have seen all of these:







1. Don't Use Your Cell Phone.

This might seem obvious. Recently I was interviewing a candidate and on his way into the interview, he was texting. He was completely oblivious to his surroundings, had his head down and did not come up for air until he was sitting in his interview seat. So much for a good entrance! He had lost the position even before he opened his mouth. When I say "don't use your cell phone," that means at all times, not just when you are answering questions.

2. Don't Use a Weird Tagline on Your Email.
If your email is something like Sexy Momma or Big Hog or worse, don't use that account to conduct business for your job search. If you are wedded to that email name for your personal emails, then get another email account with a professional sounding tagline or one that just has your name. Most providers will let you have more than one account. It is good to have one that is easy to remember. I have an email tagline that is "How to Interview." Having an account just for your job search also helps keep you organized. When I see an inappropriate tagline, I immediately think that this candidate does not have good judgment.

3. Don't Speak Negatively About Your Boss.
When you are asked why you want to leave or how you get along with your boss, never say anything bad about him or her. That will reflect negatively on you because it may seem as though you are a whiner or cannot get along with people. Instead say something more neutral like "We sometimes agreed to disagree, but generally have a good working relationship" or "My boss agrees that there are not any promotional opportunities now and he knows I am looking elsewhere." Of course, don't say something that may be contradicted if your boss is called for a reference.

If you follow these tips, you will be interviewing like a pro.



Mary Greenwood, Mediator, Attorney and Author of
How To Interview Like a Pro, 43 Rules for Getting Your Next Job, Rising Star and Editor's Choice;
How To Negotiate Like A Pro: 41 Rules for Resolving Disputes, Winner of six book awards;
How To Mediate Like A Pro: 42 Rules for Mediating DisputesWinner of 12 book awards.

Email: howtointerview@aol.com, website: www.marygreenwood.org

Sunday, January 2, 2011

Getting a Job is Like Parking



Getting a job is like parking. You have to be in the right place at the right time.

Just like with many things in life, timing is very important. You have to be at the right place at the right time. One thing that is always interesting about the interview process is that you really don't know what is happening on the other side of the interview. You don't know where the company is in the interview process or what they are really looking for. You don't know where the company is in the interview process or what they are really looking for.

Once when looking for a job, I took a map ( this is before Google and GPS systems) and used a protractor to arc the distance from my new apartment to see what towns were nearby. I saw that if I went over the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, a neighboring city was only ten miles away. I picked up my briefcase with resumes, got dressed for a job interview, and drove over that bridge. I found that the county administrator was looking for an attorney. I knocked on his door and introduced myself. He looked as though he could not believe his good luck; he read my resume and interviewed me on the spot. It turned out the county administrator had already advertised for the position, did not like any of the candidates, and was getting pressure to hire someone quickly. He asked me to come back, and I started my new job within the week.

That was when I first realized that getting a job was like parking. Was I the best candidate? Probably not, but I did have experience. I was available and I was there. It is amazing what a protractor can do. My point is to get out there so that when somebody pulls out of his or her parking spot, you are ready to drive in that spot and get the job.



Mary Greenwood, Mediator, Attorney and Author ofHow To Negotiate LIke A Pro: 41 Rules for Resolving Disputes, Winner of six book awardsBest How To Book, DIY FestivalRunner Up, New York Book Festival, E-Book and Self-Help CategoryFinalist ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year AwardsFinalist, Best National Book Awards, Self-Help CategoryHonorable Mention, London Book FestivalHow To Mediate Like A Pro: 42 Rules for Mediating DisputesWinner of five book awardsBest National Book AWard, Law CategoryBest E-Book, New York Book FestivalBest How To Book, Beach Book FestivalBest E-Book, Indie Excellence AwardsSpirit AWard, South Florida Writers AssociationEmail: howtonegotiate@aol.com, www.marygreenwood.org