futureWhen I first heard the term “future memory” I as immediately attracted to it as it seems to be an oxymoron.  How can you remember the future?  Another term for this is “prospective memory” or “automacity.”  Many people might also hear it called “muscle memory.”  We are constantly training ourselves to do things in the future without taking the time to think about them.  The problem is that we are rarely intentional about developing our future memory.

How do you get future memory?  Practice.  You must practice if you want to perform well.  This is especially true of interviews.  No, you cannot rehearse an entire interview but you can prepare and practice a few things:

Non-verbals:  Ask people for feedback on your non verbals.  Do you make effective eye contact?  How is your handshake?  Do you have good posture?  The list goes on.  Be sure to tell people why you want the feedback and that you want honest feedback.  Your livelihood may depend on it.

Interview responses:  Anyone who is not prepared for one of the following questions should not pass go and will not collect $200… Tell me about yourself.  Why are you interested in this position and our company?  What is your biggest weakness and/or strength?  Why did you leave your last job?

Making small talk:  This is where being a jack of all trades helps but anyone can do this.  One way is to listen to or read some recent news stories from NPR or the BBC.  Sorry, those are truly the most fair and balanced news agencies out there.  I also highly recommend listening to a few podcasts that are on the top of the charts or just check out some TED Talks.  If you do not or have not watched / listened to TED Talks then you are REALLY missing out.

So stop remembering the past and get started building your future memory.

Al

The future depends on what we do in the present.
Mahatma Gandhi