Instant Interviews: 101 Ways to Get the Best Job of Your Life

Chapter 25. Making Your Own Recordings

If you speak at any event, record it. It's a sure way to even more instant interviews!

You probably won't like what you hear. No matter. Some of the most accomplished public speakers have the same reaction. But you're really not the best judge of this.

The best judge of this is the offeror who sees on your resume the title of your talk and the words "This was so popular that it was recorded and distributed to interested parties." This is absolutely true.

Use a digital recorder. If you're asked for a copy, you can easily burn one on a CD and complete a label from a stationery store with your name, the title, and the date. No serious offeror will take the time to listen through it. Anyone who does is either looking for someone to conduct workshops or has so much time that he doesn't need to hire. Besides, the offeror already knows what you sound like.

You may well have a market for your recording. The sponsor of the talk may want to sell it to members who didn't attend. Or other groups may want to benefit from it. These things may lead to many instant interviews and leverage your name and expertise with almost no additional effort or expense.

I was retained as general counsel for the California Association of Personnel Consultants a few years after I started practicing law. It was at the CAPC's annual conference. That day I gave a seminar and recorded it on a little portable tape recorder.

When I returned home, I had some graphics done on an audiocassette-notebook ...