I check out several newspapers around the country, looking for interesting articles. Last Saturday I found one in the Arizona Republic. The headline was “School encourages future dealers to entertain.”

That was enough to get me reading the story about a school for casino dealers. But what really got me thinking was the following:

“Cosmo Raymond says that helping his blackjack- and poker-dealer students understand that they audition for a dealer’s position, rather than interview for it, is a big part of his job at the ABC Bartending and Casino School in Tempe.”

That’s not bad advice for anyone. Whether you’re interviewing for a dealer’s job or any other kind of job, thinking of it as an audition can help you do better.

I’m not suggesting that you break into song to answer a question. I doubt that a couple of dance steps will help your prospects. But acting like a person who already has the job you want may be just the thing.

Dress the part. Dress like the person in the job would dress if he or she were in a formal business meeting.

Talk the talk. Every profession and trade has its own language Make sure you use some, especially if you’re being interviewed by your prospective boss. Show some enthusiasm about the issues and challenges someone on the job will confront.

There’s another benefit from thinking this way. It can be an early warning sign that the job you’re interviewing for is not for you. If you’re uncomfortable dressing the way you’ll have to dress, or if the challenges you’ll confront on the job don’t excite you, think twice before accepting it.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 18th, 2008 at 9:41 am and is filed under Tools and Strategies for Success. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.