The Interview. The Test. And Peter.

[Photo Credit: dreamsamirrortothesoul.blogspot.com]

In the midst of my distracted discussion with Mark, (“um what’s that, you couldn’t tell whether I was younger or older than 24? Oh go on now….”), he mentioned something as he penciled me in to meet with an Admissions rep; “dress professionally for the interview”. Huh? I’m not applying for a job. Maybe that’s just the term Mark uses when scheduling appointments for the Admissions department. Paid it no mind, dressed appropriately as I normally do and arrived for my appointment the following week.

As I sat in the lobby waiting for an Admissions rep, I noticed a well-dressed young man approaching. He said my name and extended his hand for a warm greeting. I followed him back to his office where we made small talk as he explained that while Beauty School doesn’t discriminate based on age, race, sex, creed etc; they select applicants based on the outcome of their interview and the results of their admissions test. GASP! Sounds like Mark was correct in his use of the word “interview”. Hmmm. Well, it certainly didn’t deter me, just took me by surprise.

The interview process was a breeze. Having worked in corporate settings and completing interviews as my career progressed, I was perfectly prepared for questions like:

“If you are working on a team project, what role would you play to make sure it is completed by the deadline?”

Easy stuff. There were even cute, fun questions like “What’s your favorite movie?” My reaction: “Are you serious”, with a smile/laugh of course. Carl laughed with me knowing it was a silly question and then proceeded to share with me his favorite movie. The title escapes me at the moment. Nevertheless, we made more small talk about it. Then he went on to say that he felt I’d be a good fit for the school and covered the basics such as pricing, financing options and THE TEST.

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Sales Pitch 101: Persuade by impressing: “Hey, you dropped something..” “Really? What?” “So many names, I lost count.”

[Photo Credit: Cartoonstock.com]

One way to persuade someone to do something is by enthusiastically running down the names of famous people who did it before them. It’s a surefire way to impress, garner some “oohs” and “aahs” from the crowd. Everyone knows celebrity success is a top-seller of just about anything in the world so the connection inspires hope and belief that “you too can achieve that same level of success!”  Really? Woooow! All together now… “ooh aah“.

This name-droppin’ approach was part of the visual slide presentation at the Beauty School’s Open House two weeks ago. While I’m sure the young hopefuls that filled the majority of the room found the loud music, flashy screen-shots and glossy bios of those that came before them all too thrilling, I was rather sold on the school itself, the curriculum and the upbeat yet informative students whom I met along the way.

And here’s the thing that put it over the top for me – after leaving said presentation where I peeked into my goody bag of brochures and a water bottle full of red gum balls, not to mention being the first name pulled for the raffle, I stopped by the Admissions office to have the rest of my 17 question checklist answered by one of the reps. I asked Mark about financial grant options and he asked if I was under or over 24 years old. My reply “cute, I’m way over”. His response “Really? Honestly, I can’t tell so I had to ask.”

Oh Mark, you adorable, perfect-smile-possessing yet clearly delirious young man! What a doll you are! Sign me up for a meeting with the Admissions office next week, will you?

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