Interview with Career Strategist Robert Patterson, Sr.

Born in Cincinnati, Ohio Reverend Robert Patterson, Sr. is the father of six children (5 sons one daughter) and the loving husband of Mrs. Linda Patterson. He is a grandfather as well as a great grandfather.

As a member of Walker Chapel AME Church (The Fifth District), he has served in various capacities, from the Usher Board to the Steward and Trustee Boards. He has taught both Sunday School and Bible Study and has served in each department to the best of his abilities

His life reads like a road map, he is a Vietnam ERA Veteran (U.S.M.C 1961-1970), A Graduate of San Diego State University (Class of 1975). He has served as a Cable Television News Reporter, (Oceanside, CA.) Host of “Behind the Truth”, Employment Counselor Specialist, (Operation SER), Counselor-Testing Specialist, Metropolitan Area Advisory Committee (MAAC). Coordinator of Manpower, CETA Area Training Center (at Palomar Community College), Transitional Assistance Program Instructor (TAP) and was Director of Personal Affairs (Camp Pendleton, CA) and Coordinated the first ever Sickle Cell Anemia Testing in Oceanside, just to name a few of his many accomplishments.

Reverend Patterson is a strong advocate of education and cultural awareness. He likes teaching and having the interaction and discussion of both Bible Study and Sunday School with the congregation in order to get down to the nitty gritty and still be brief, be specific, and be seated.” As he is fond of saying, “The day that you stop seeking knowledge, is the day that you most surely are dead.”

We interviewed Robert to find out more about his new book, Five Steps to C.A.L.M. (Career and Life Management).

Welcome to The Writer's Life, Robert. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

I was born in Cincinnati, Ohio and I am the father of six children (5 sons and one daughter) and the loving husband of Mrs. Linda Patterson. I am also a grandfather as well as a great grandfather, and an ordained minister in the African Methodist Episcopal Church.

My humanitarianism has allowed me a plethora of opportunity to help others obtain their goals. And now with this illuminating book Five Steps to C.A.L.M. (Career and Life Management) thousands more will benefit!

I am a strong advocate of education and cultural awareness. Furthermore, I like teaching and having the interaction and discussion of business forums, bible studies, as well as the networking and fellowshipping with my congregation in order to get down to the nitty gritty and still be brief, be specific, and be seated.” As I am fond of saying, “The day that you stop seeking knowledge, is the day that you most surely are dead.”

In my opinion Five Steps to C.A.L.M. are certainly not just another well thought-out plans and stratagems or antic dotes to be applied to a resume. On the Contrary, the many talented hats worn by myself have wrought this latest fascinating opus. Inside Five Steps To C.A.L.M., each page unfolds a literal transducing of business intellect with a stimulating application for all businesses as well as businesspersons new and seasoned. This evolutionary book is a must read! And it speaks to all avenues of business. My exhausting business experiences, to name a few, range from Job Match; Employment Counseling Specialist; Military Counseling Testing Specialist; T.V. News Reporter; Corporate America, and manpower Coordinator. He has been able to assist hundreds in their business thinking.

AND SURELY! -This new read will awesomely impact more future business minds for years to come!

Can you please tell us about your book and why you wrote it?

A father once told his young son, who was going out into the world on his own, “Son, whatever you want to become, be The Best.” This course teaches you how to be “The Best.”

It begins with instructions on how to put “The Best” of you on paper  Writing Your Resume. Then, later presenting “The Best” of you in person  Preparing for an Interview.

You’ll begin with the basic Resume Content, noting what should and should not be included in your Resume. After mastering the content, then begins the formatting of the Resume.

I have thoughtfully provided you with a Resume checklist. Some of the questions are as follows:

1. Is the Resume two pages or less?
(Do you realize the importance of this question?)
2. Are the dates consistent on the left (or right) side, and limited to years?
3. Does the language “flow” (neither stiff nor stilted)?
Are Action Verbs used to your full advantage?

I would like to make a comment here; this is one of the many sections that you will utilize not only in your job search but also in your everyday associations.

C.A.L.M. gives you access to nine different categories for Action Verbs. They are listed under the headings of:

Communication Skills
Creative Skills
Detailed Skills
Financial Skills
Helping Skills
Management Skills
Manual Skills
Research Skills
Teaching Skills

You’ll be surprised how many Action Verbs from this section you will be able to include in your Resume, which will help make it more impressive to your employer.

Didn’t I tell you that employers would be impressed with your Resume? Now, you have been called for an interview! The next section of the book takes you into “Interviewing Techniques.” What other book walks you through an all-inclusive “Pre-Interview” session? Well, C.A.L.M. does, and once you have completed this lesson, you will indeed be CALM during your interview, no matter how many people may be on the panel of interviewers.

Included in the “Interviewing Techniques” section are Fashion Recommendations, which takes you step by step through the protocol for the business interview dress code, how both men and women should dress when going to an interview. Remember, your Resume may have “opened” the door, now your personal appearance may get a “foot” in that door. Here is where you put the lessons you have learned from C.A.L.M. into practice. Here’s where you sell The Product – Yourself! Don’t worry. C.A.L.M. has fully prepared you for any of the possible questions that you may be asked during the interview. You are ready for them, and you will remain CALM.

C.A.L.M. guides you step-by-step through the entire interview: from the Beginning of the Interview, during the Interview, and through the Closure of the Interview. After completing this course of study, you will glide through your interview with confidence and a sense of achievement. You will have left a favorable impression with the employer, and all because you put into practice your C.A.L.M. course of study.

While the employer is checking you out, C.A.L.M. also instructs you on how to compile a checklist of pertinent company information. Information that is important to you in helping you decide whether or not you would want to work for this firm or company.

The author has thought of everything in preparing you for the job search. He has included a web-site listing for those of you who want to do your job-hunting via the Internet.

C.A.L.M. answers all the questions you may have ever had in your previous job search. The “Who,” the “What,” the “Where,” and the “How.”

If you are willing to strike a Faustian Bargain, that is, willing to sacrifice anything to satisfy a limitless desire for knowledge, then C.A.L.M. is, without a doubt, the course of study for you.

What kind of research was involved in writing Five Steps to C.A.L.M. (Career and Life Management)?

I did my research throughout all the fifteen years that I was teaching my seminars as a motivational speaker and receiving feed back that I was getting from the seminar participants.

How much input did you have into the design of your book cover?

I had a great deal of impute into the design of my book cover because it had to reflect what the title was implying.

Has it been a bumpy ride to becoming a published author or has it been pretty well smooth sailing?

Having my path already set before me I would say that it was pretty smooth. Remember that you must first plan your work and then you work your plan.

For this particular book, how long did it take from the time you signed the contract to its release?

I would say about a year.

Do you have an agent and, if so, would you mind sharing whom he/she is? If not, have you ever had an agent or do you even feel it’s necessary to have one?

No, I don’t have an agent at this point in time. However, in today’s global market I would think that it would be a good idea if one can find that agent who could share you views on what path you would prefer to take.

Do you plan subsequent books?

Yes, I will be publishing any book look for it some time early 2009.

Are you a morning writer or a night writer?

I am a morning writer, right after meditation.

If money was no object, what would be the first thing you would invest in to promote your book?

To answer that question I would invest in a very good PR person.

How important do you think self-promotion is and in what ways have you been promoting your book offline and online?

In today’s global market I would find it very difficult in self-promotion. You can’t promote beyond cyberspace market on your own.

Any final words of wisdom for those of us who would like to be published?

We all have a gift. I would advise everyone to look inward and ask yourself this question:
What do I want to do. Not what do I want to be.

Thank you for coming, Robert! Would you like to tell my readers where they could find you on the web and how everyone can buy your book?

Author’s website: http://www.rpatters.com
Author’s Blog: http://www.fivestepstocalm.wordpress.com

I would like to say thank you for having me here and would like for all of you to think about this: To anyone who buys and takes the time to read my book. This is not a book that you would read and then put down to say that you have read it. On the contrary, this is a book that you will be reading for some time because it is a workbook that intended to guide you through your career path in life. It is a book that you will need to keep with you at every turn in your career and life management.