Blog Post: Responding to Career Liabilities - A Subtle Approach

Few, if any individuals realize the importance of dealing with their career liabilities when involved in a job campaign. Remember, if some aspect of your experience, skill, or qualifications can be perceived negatively, it will be. There are some instances when problems concerning career experiences are viewed as so insignificant that they are simply ignored. In other cases, an interviewer will view the problems surrounding a career to be disqualifying for further consideration.

In the competitive job hunting climate, it can take only one perceived negative to eliminate an individual from consideration. So, to shift the odds in your favor, you must develop strategies for handling anything which might be perceived as a weakness or liability.

Over many years, the ARQS concept has proven to be the most effective method of offsetting liabilities. ARQS is an acronym for Acknowledge, Redirect, Qualify, Satisfy; this procedure will prove to be a formidable weapon in your upcoming job campaign. Born in the courtroom, where even life sometimes hung in the balance, ARQS became a subtle way of combating negative perceptions and scoring positive points without the appearance of contention. Redirecting the focus of a question from one area to another – an area where positive points could be raised and discussed – leaves an overall impression of good will and responsiveness. A way of seeming to lose the battle but win the war.

In the following weeks I will explain the ARQS concept in more detail, provide some examples and list the most common perceived liabilities and provide suggestions for addressing them. The process of identifying your own particular negatives and devising a strategy for addressing them is a critical component to winning the career position you are seeking. You will discover that ARQS will become a powerful weapon in scoring the points which will quickly give you the advantage in what could have been a “no win” situation.