Hey Tweeby, I can't wait to hear of your #close!

What do you have in mind? Is it a 'direct' or 'indirect' type close? I'd love to see you post what you're thinking of saying.

Also (You probably know this but it's something i overlooked a lot) it might help to do fluff talk before using anything scripted, it lets your brain calmed down and think properly. Kasabi made a great post of it here heart-rate-cognitive-performance-and-ap ... or+neurons

We're probably talking about the same thing but just to reiterate:

Whether it's fluff talk or scripted routines, the idea is to begin with SIMPLE, short sentences using basic vocabulary that you use often. So. . .

"So what's the hottest phone?" is better than, "Do you have any phones that utilize a one button user interface like the iPhone but built for the Android operating system?"

"Actually, I came back to see you." is better than, "Although I am looking for a phone, I couldn't help thinking about you from the last time we met and I thought that perhaps we had a moment and I thought if I didn't come back to see you, I'd never get over it."

"I know this really cool bar." is better than, " blah, blah, blah, blah . . "

-afterwards-

(Showing her your phone, smiling, and making the hand 'call you sign') is better than, "So if you give me your number, I'll give you a call and maybe we can set something up on a free weekend?"

That's the idea. . .

Quick update...

I now have lots of students I'm teaching and getting a steady stream of cash.

I also had another phone interview and got a right grilling. I was totally unprepared, and it was my best bet opportunity to date. I was all over the place, my voice was shaky FFFFFFFFuck!

Seems the pattern is the same. I send them a link to my portfolio. They're practically begging for me to work for them. Then they ask me for my C.V and because I have no ACTUAL experience I choke big time. Not sure how to remedy this? How much can you blag?

Anyway. They still asked for me to send them an update of my C.V detailing what actual work I have done. Let's get organised...

_________________
*Justice renders the WEAK his due*
My Journal
here-vp445642.html#445642

So be prepared next time. It's easy to say I know . . . but you'll have many more chances. Let me tell you something . . . I did the SAME THING several times; one time with a pair of national network execs with my whole team watching and hearing my conversation on speaker phone. What are you going to do but prepare better next time?
So you just tell it to them EXACTLY as it is. You tell them that you don't have much work experience . . . this is OK, OK, OK . . . and you can tell them that you're even worried about that fact. You are you. There is no changing this. You can't change your history.

You're nervous because you're trying to 'fill-in' for things that are blank. They're asking you for candy and holding out a bucket. Plainly tell them that you have no fucking candy and that's that. . . .but that's NOT ALL they're asking for. You have other things to add to that bucket. After you clear your mind and 'unload' the nervousness of trying to sweet talk your way out of the 'short C.V. issue', your mind will be clear to explain your strengths. Tell them about the projects you've had. Tell them about the problems you've solved. Tell them about students you've had. Explain your portfolio. "Showing" them the passion you have for your work by explaining the steps you took for a particular project and how you lost sleep over particular problems is far better than telling them, "I am passionate about my work."
Again, if you have it, add it. If not, don't feel pressured to fabricate. Admit it, be OK with it, and move on to your strengths.

God damit Kasabi do you have to be spot on right all the time.

So true... I was trying to make up for experience I simply don't have... Not the skills... I have the skills and my portfolio shows this off, but experience is something I don't have much off.

Thing I found frustrating is after a sent them a link to my portfolio I literally got a phone call from the guy seconds after. And sure enough I played it cool, made out like I was busy and he was the one selling me the job, and asking if it paid enough to cover my expenses... Hell, he even asked if I would be lead developer and potentially even CEO?!

But then I sent him my C.V and he grilled me about my LACK of experience, much like everything in my life. Fair point, if I saw my C.V I would expect the same thing. But I guess this is just the way of the world - Experience counts.

That being said, next time I won't lie, I'll tell it how it is and offer forward my strengths.

Today I had another interview in person, (yep it's true, you wait for a bus then three come all at once) it seemed to go OK and I was more prepared. Okay the pay is a lot less and I'm gonna have to start from the bottom...

Either way, things are on the up in terms of my finance. And even if I don't get THIS one, there are others to come.

_________________
*Justice renders the WEAK his due*
My Journal
here-vp445642.html#445642

Okay so I've got a follow up interview tomorrow.

I don't wanna jinx this but... This is looking good.

Let's get organised.

I'm going to post a quick check list of things I NEED to have covered for tomorrow.

Job interview checklist to follow:

_________________
*Justice renders the WEAK his due*
My Journal
here-vp445642.html#445642

Check list

-What are their names?
-How to get there on my own -> google maps?
-Look reasonably smart.
-Top up my phone in case I need to ring them?
-Find out about the business and what are they expecting from me.
-Find out about courier charges, find out about postage and packing.
-Find out what they intend to sell and how much stock they want to sell weekly.
-Talk about my wage and if I make the sales what percentage I will want. Do NOT budge on my agreed percentage.

-What questions are they gonna ask?

-- How long will it take to do their ecommerce website?
-- How will I set up their Ebay account?
-- My role is going to be selling, creating customer invoices, dealing with postage and packaging, managing stock, updating stock control, filing reports, liaising with customers both national and international, researching item prices, including delivery charges, how are they going to take payments, SPAM visa or debit cards, PDQ countertop payment machines, is cheque or bank transfer OK?
-- I am going to need a separate line for my customer queries. How much will this cost?
-- I am going to need a computer in their office, how much will this cost and what spec should it be?
-- Should their database be in house or web based (in the cloud)
-- Should I create a database system for managing customer details and their enquires, what dates they want products and chasing up deliveries with the manufactures.
-- For small deliveries I am going to have to go to the post office and deliver these myself.

Important
Be calm, be confident... Talk with presence, do NOT try to blag stuff I simply do not know about as this gets me nervous. Talk about my strengths and what I can offer the company and why they would be foolish to miss out on that.

From my first interview I know the company has a hard work ethic. I also know one of the guys wants to get his family involved in the business, so family and understanding how money is made in the real world is important to him. I can use this knowledge to my advantage in gaining rapport.

Take a deep BREATH... and EXHALE... This one is in the bag.

_________________
*Justice renders the WEAK his due*
My Journal
here-vp445642.html#445642

Well, well, well.

I got the job. Cut a long story short, I prepared for this one thoroughly. I left nothing to chance and went over every single question they might ask me. I built rapport with all staff members, effectively I game them and low and behold... The job's mine.

Kasabi, I owe you a beer man!

Next to follow is a plan for leveraging this company so they make mega bucks. Time scale and costing, how much the website is going to cost, specs I need for my computer, transer over hosting and support, how I want to get paid (self support)... God I'm going to be very very busy now.

Let's try and fit some pick-up in during my free time

_________________
*Justice renders the WEAK his due*
My Journal
here-vp445642.html#445642

You can do a CV based on skills, what you have to offer in terms of your qualities.

Or you can lie and say you've done lots of private work for people so you know the specifics well just not the formalities.

P.s. Everybody who has gotten somewhere has lied about experience and just winged it. Its apart of life as far as I'm concerned.

For the average guy, this is a tough act. (actually believing the lie enough to pass it off smoothly and BS'ing your way through it effectively)

. . .But even for the best "actors", this is an act that will catch up with them.

I'd take a passionate, less experienced guy over a cocky experienced(@lying) guy any day. Every notice that cockiness and 'overcompensating' is the domain of lying idiots? The first few exchanges in conversation will almost always tell you a few things.

1. Lying cocky bastards almost always go blank on white board tests. (Or any tests that gauges their applicable skill sets)
2. Nobody likes lying cocky bastards so the folks that set up tests (interviewers) will ALWAYS yank out the most difficult tests to make the lying bastards stumble.
3. Even the average guy points fingers at trained Hollywood actors and go, "That guy can't act!" - what chances do you think you have at a 'live show"?

By the way . . . congrats! Nothing like the feeling of getting your first paycheck at a new gig! Nothing like the feeling of setting your desk up, meeting new team members and having a platform to show off your skills! Befriend everybody.

Thanks so much guys.

@Cornishman, I read your journal and you have some serious staying power. It's hard to focus on gaming for great lengths of time. I take my hat off to you, you got intense focus.

In regards to 'winging it', yeah I know what you mean. We're all taught sell yourself, tell a white lie if you must... To be honest, if I look back it has gotten me my foot in the door. I mean I almost landed the job before this one.

But... And this is a big but. It gets most people nervous, and eventually this will catch up with you. If I did land that prior job, there would have come a time where some of my staff members will ask 'a question' and I won't have a damn idea what's going on. Once they realise that the charade is as good as over.

Okay you don't wanna sell yourself short, but there are great ways to emphasize your strengths whilst still pointing out your weaknesses.

Personally, knowing what I know now, and seeing the complete difference in terms of being calm and selling all my good points without BS'ing them HAS. I'm always going to go for the no BS approach in EVERY single job I apply for... after this job runs it course (if it does).

@Kasabi, once again thanks for following my journal and pushing me where I need it. This might sound a bit OTT but your advice/mentality might have just 'SAVED' me.

________________

Today, I hit the gym and the girl I Facebooked was there (I guess she's back from uni). She's sooo much younger than me, LOL but when she walked in I still got a bit nervous.

We kind of made 'awkward' eye contact. Yeah, she recognizes me. I wish I can behave in a normal rational way around women I like. This is my goal. Just fucking say 'hello' and make a joke of it instead of looking at her and saying absolutely nothing and then running off. It's probably way tooo late.

Anyway, for the moment I'm busy... Seriously FUCKING busy... Work coming in from freelancing, four student's I'm responsible for their grades... And now, I am more or less single-handedly responsible for turning my new job's business around.

So a thorough plan is coming up. I need to be organised.

But I still have objectives to do with pickup. Now, I have my finances sorted, I can concentrate giving more to pickup in my spare time.

I also have a wedding to go to overseas in June, and plan to get RIIIPPPPPED.

So coming up next... A revision of my goals and where I am since I started this journal.


_________
[edit] Today I just splashed out and got myself another 1GB of ram for my laptop. Haha. It's great not being just above the bread line.

_________________
*Justice renders the WEAK his due*
My Journal
here-vp445642.html#445642

Reflections
It's time to reflect on the progress I've made since the start of my journal.

Getting a Job
One of my main goals since starting this journal was to get a job.

This time last year, quitting my job was one of the most difficult decisions I have ever had to make. It was at a time where EVERYTHING was coming undone. Anyone who has the guts to just sack in a job you hate in this climate where finding a job is so FUCKING difficult and not knowing what's down the line -

I take my hat off to you. I've been there.

But now I have another job... and it means so many things. Socializing with fellow team members, putting food on the table, being able to support myself and feeling like a part of society.

Without money, it makes it difficult to game. Not saying you can't, but having money means so many things. Now this priority is effectively taken care off I want to get back to concentrating on my weaknesses.

Independence
Being fully independent has been another goal in my journal. And I can say that I can cook and wash for myself now. I don't worry about this anymore. If I were to get a place of my own I'm sure I'll be just fine.

If work takes off my next goal will be to find a place of my own. Even if it means living in a run down part of the neighborhood in a one bedroom flat. My parents drive me crazy and I know they mean well, but they will always treat me like a fucking child. It's a maternal thing I guess.

Travelling
Now I have some money coming in, I want to pursue travelling. I said in my journal how I want to travel to France by myself. I should have really achieved this goal regardless of my money issues. No excuse here. But now I want to seriously plan this. One of my mates just came back from a trip abroad by himself.

Doing anything alone takes balls. Travelling alone takes balls. This is my goal.
Ideally, I would like to go to the far East but would have been a money issue. I mean if things get real good with work travelling to such a far of place won't be such of an issue. So this could be a REALITY.

Health and fitness
Not gonna say much about this. I met my goals and attend the gym 3 times a week. I could probably deck guys twice my size. My left hook is lethal. But I want to get ripped. Properly and that will mean a proper gym routine and eating schedule. Is it possible to do this in two months before I go on holiday? I don't know, but I'm sure as hell gonna try. There's going to be so many cutie pies at that Wedding.

Being part of society
Anyone who is unemployed at the moment. Guess what? You don't have to have a job to feel a valued part of society. Go do some volunteer work. Stop by at your local hospital and drop into the cancer ward or something. Trust me, that will open your eyes as to how lucky we all are.

When I didn't have a job I was determined to still be a part of society. Teaching, is one of my passions. I love helping others, seeing kids learn something seemingly difficult. It's a real buzz.

Same with my freelance stuff. Doing these type of projects keeps you busy when you don't have a job. I didn't stay on state benefits for long. I HATE handouts.

My new job
I can't take this new job for granted. I can't do the same kinda shit I was doing in my previous job. These guys aren't gonna take much BS. I know what I need to do. I reckon I'm a pretty good cold reader. Luckily it's my personality to mold and adapt to gel with other people's personalities. That's what makes me great.

So I have a real detailed plan, showing how I'm going to transmute their business into something special. And I'm going to work hard hours to make it happen.

I SIMPLY can't afford to FUCK this one up... PERIOD.

Gaming
Ah yes... The reason why we're all here. To find and meet that special girl. To be honest, it's been less of a dominating factor as of late. I've been more pre-occupied in finding a job, learning a new language, socializing and being self reliant.

But still... when I fall asleep with the radio on and a tune plays... And if it is a love song - my heart aches because I have no one there to share my life with. My mind is filled with thoughts about all the ones that 'got away.'

I try to not think about it too much because I feel so miserable. I think back to why I started this journey.

Only we can engineer change... It's as simple as that. We are in charge of our own destiny. It took me a long time to realize this.

So let's plan a BETTER way to make this happen. Anyone who is following these journals - Pay close attention to Cornishman's Journal, it's gold:

1-vt117930.html?postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

I love how he splits his steps into micro-steps. There's nothing special here. Just plain old common sense.

Now vague shit like 'I'm going to try and open.' But exact, to the point set goals. And no matter what he pushes through and sticks to them. How he has mentality to stay that focused, especially when you're gaming alone... Like I said hats off.

So that is how I intend to move forward. I already knew I was doing the right thing by starting this... But I guess you're not too sure until you start seeing some results.

Well now I'm seeing those results (albeit in other aspects of my life such as finance) and it feels good.

No... actually... it feels FUCKING AWESOME...

_________________
*Justice renders the WEAK his due*
My Journal
here-vp445642.html#445642

With all things, balance. . .

I realize you're excited about your new gig but you didn't sign up for a project, you signed up for a job. You're going to be there for a good long time. You're going to experience highlights as well as mistakes. Just do your best to achieve more positive than negatives and keep a steady pace.

Same idea with your social life. . .

You make it sound like you want a soul-giving wife to live with you. Well, perhaps someday when the situation is right, this will happen. For now, how about just getting yourself an ice cream date and sucking face with her at the park?

*Hey, you just got a new job, shouldn't you be rewarding yourself with a new smartphone? FOLLOW THROUGH with your life, MAN . . . (which reminds me, if this is technology related company, wouldn't they provide you with some mobile communications perks?)

Day 7

Well, I've kept my head down and knuckled down into my job for the past two weeks. I was simply too busy to do anything else...That and having to teach four students + gym ... etc. Phewwww. It had to be done. I have to PROVE myself to those I'm working with. I worked extra hours, came in early and befriended as many people as I can. Today, I'm making a special trip to an employee's house to fix their laptop. It demonstrates I am one with the company. Thanks Kasabi.

I remember reading a post somewhere here on the forums, I think it was started by Hobbit... 'You can tell the guys who are successful in both their work and their love lives. They simply don't have the time to post here.'

______

Today, I spent a couple of hours in town after work. My goal is to look for a phone with a calendar on it. Kasabi said follow through, so here I am. I can't ask work because at the moment it's a bit much to ask... Although it would be great to have an iphone! Maybe, in time as sales pick up... Anything is possible.

I had my eye on the an Android, HTC. It looks pretty good and cheap. I need it for development so I'm going to do some research on youtube then go in and buy it tomorrow (second hand).

I decided to walk around in town. I go to my favourite chill out place. Star bucks.

As I'm sitting down I notice a couple. They can't be more than 19 and it's real funny. The guy is a complete AFC, a nerd if you will. But she is too and what he is saying is cringe-worthy. He's talking about his essay and using big words. He's supplicating yet he has his hand on her thigh.

The thing is... Ordinarily, I would have thought total AFC. How can he land a girlfriend with this frame? But it doesn't matter. She loves who HE is. She loves that he is a geek. This is what gets her going. I catch a quick glimpse and as he talks she has the doggy dinner bowl look.

It makes me think again about what being 'alpha' in a relationship means. Maybe, you don't have to be a typical alpha. There are guys out there like this guy who is doing nothing special but yet he's got the girl. Funny... You learn a lot from careful observation.

Then I wander around on the hunt for a phone. I walk into a second hand store. The shop is empty.

A young guy with short brown hair and a nerdy exterior is sat eating chocolate buttons on the counter. I ask him about the phone on display.

When he talks he has a high pitched squeaky voice, but he is real helpful and tells me everything I need to know about the phone.
I get him to write down the specs of the phone then I walk into another store to check the mobile contract.

It's the same store I saw T-mobile girl with pink fingernail polish. I'm secretly hoping to bump into her.

As I walk into the store, I notice she isn't there. Funny... But knowing she isn't there makes me feel more relaxed. When I have an agenda I'm on edge. I don't know I guess it's normal to feel nervous around hotties. Anyway, the manger there engages me.

Now this guy has an amazing alpha stance. He gets real close looks me in the eye and asks what contract I need. Then he puts his arm around my shoulder like you would a little brother. To be honest it's a little strange, and I can't keep EC with him. But I guess this is his thing.

He is touchy/feely with everything in HIS world. I remember reading a thread by Kasabi saying, if you're not naturally comfortable with kino, start touching everything. Fruit in supermarkets, doors. Feel everything and experience the world through touch. I guess this must be what this guy at the phone store does.

It's natural for him to place his hands on a complete stranger's shoulder... Interesting.

Anyway, I get the info I need a scoot off. I need to go home. As I'm strolling through the exit of the shopping centre I hear clasp of thunder and suddenly the heavens open. It's too wet to go outside, so I U-turn and decide to walk into a perfume/aftershave store. I want to inquire about a new cologne.


This is when I notice a cute blonde. She early 30's late twenties. I walk in with a smile. She asks me what cologne I want to try with a smile on her face. I look at the counter with a smile as I'm looking at her checking her out. I just shake my head and say... 'I've forgot, you've totally distracted me.'

Her face lights up....

Then we have a little small talk. I ask her if she has been busy... Blah blah blah.

Now I want to drop the bombshell. Kasabi always said less is more. So I did.

I made a cell phone signal with my hand, pointed at her then to me. [I'm fucking bricking it but on the outside I look as calm as fuck]

She looks at me puzzled. Then I smile and say:

'Me and you coffee sometime.... Do you have a mobile number?'

[Then passes, what seems like an infinite amount of time... I want to break the awkwardness, but a little voice in the back of my head is saying- HOLD IT MY SON.... HOLD IT.... HOLDDDDDDDDD]

She looks at me nervously but from beneath a smile.

'Oh, sorry I have a fella.' -she says.

Then I spot the big engagement ring on her finger. 'Ah I say no problems.'

I wrap up the conversation then make an exit. My heart is going AWOL.

But there it was. A transition from meeting to a direct attempt at a number close. I never thought it could be done but it's simpler than I thought.
Makes me think what is possible with day game.

So anyway.... To follow comes a more detailed plan.

I've spent a lot of time reading and taking notes from Cornishman's Journal. Tomorrow, I going to go into town again to get my calendar phone and before I'm going to lay out in micro steps what I intend to achieve. For anyone else, I recommend reading Cornishman's Journal.

Tweeby

_________________
*Justice renders the WEAK his due*
My Journal
here-vp445642.html#445642