Resources

Author: Rebecca Metschke

“I wish I would have said….”

We’ve all had that moment (or, as the case may be, those moments). Whether 5 minutes later or the following day, the amazing comeback or witty response pops into your head after the fact. Too little, too late.

Obviously, lapses like this aren’t limited to everyday conversations; they happen during interviews, too.

You’re asked a question, your brain freezes up - so you stumble and give a weak response.

Later, when you’re more relaxed and you’ve had some time to think it over, the right words pop into your head. You know exactly what you should have said. Why did this not come to you when you needed it? You just know it would have been a slam dunk answer!

But you blew it. And there are no do-overs when it comes to interviews.

You’ve got one chance to make the right impression…one opportunity to convince the person you’re talking with that you’re the person they ought to hire.

You need to try to anticipate everything you might be asked and know how you’re going to respond. You must be able to articulate what’s unique about you - why should they hire you and not the next person? (They’re not going to coax it out of you…) You need to be able to speak to and support every line on your resume. You’ve got to do your homework and thoroughly research the company.

The better prepared you are, the less likely you are to fumble your responses. Or worse yet, find yourself at a total loss for words.

Woulda, coulda, shoulda. Don’t let it happen to you.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/interviews-articles/interview-regrets-the-great-reply-that-comes-too-late-884306.html

Author: Tina Pestalozzi

Whether you are new to the workplace or still looking for the right place to start, here are a few things to keep in mind to make your first working experience a successful one.

#1. You show a great deal about who you are in your approach to your work. Demonstrate that you respect yourself enough to honor your commitment to your job. Be willing to give your best and be happy to be useful.

#2. Be courteous. Are you pleasant to work with? Are your co-workers happy to spend time with you? Look carefully at your behavior. Employers want employees who can get along with everyone and are pleasant to be around. Never put people down or engage in mean gossip, or allow others to gossip to you. Keep both your promises and your confidences.

#3. Make sure you are never late. Being late must never be more than a rare occurrence. Show that you are both dependable and responsible.

#4. Truly make it a habit to think before you speak. Communicate as clearly as you can and always speak with respect.

#5. Being a good listener is a skill that few fail to appreciate. This skill alone will help you immensely and when coupled with not interrupting others, will greatly contribute to your on-the-job success.

#6. Make sure to dress appropriately. Overly suggestive clothes are not for the workplace. Dress the way the person responsible for your promotions expects you to dress.

#7. You may find that now is a good time to change how you manage your time. Work on developing the habit of planning ahead; for instance, make sure your work clothes are clean and that you have gas in your car well ahead of time. You may want to start a few new routines such as using a daily planner. Take the necessary actions to remain organized and to adjust to your new responsibilities.

#8. Approach every job challenge and difficult situation as an opportunity to increase both your workplace and your interpersonal skills.

#9. Whatever your job, remember that there is dignity in work, and great satisfaction can be gained from knowing you do your particular job well and give your best.

#10. Don’t forget that the contacts you make during your first job may turn out to be life changing and affect the course of future events. For instance, leaving a lasting good impression with your employer may go a long way. You may need another job in the future or a strong personal reference for college or for a better job!

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/careers-articles/first-time-on-the-job-ten-workplace-tips-you-need-to-know-865495.html

Author: Barbara Brown, PhD

Are you a manager who is looking for ways to jumpstart or advance your career? If so, in addition to working hard and achieving goals, you might want to find ways to subtlety (and not so subtlety) show that you understand the BIG PICTURE.

Why? Because the further you move up the corporate ladder, the more your responsibilities will cover a wide range of areas within your organization. So you want to demonstrate your understanding of how the achievement of goals impacts profits or customer service for your 10-person team as well as for your 100-person organization. HOW and WHEN do you do that? Consider these four instances:

During Planning Discussions With Superiors: Think about the instances when you have to meet with your immediate boss or other powerful people to discuss future goals, strategies, etc. In those situations, find a way to link what your team or unit is doing to some broader organizational objective. For example, if the discussion concerns profits, describe how an increase in revenues in your area of responsibility might positively impact other areas. You could make the same connection with customer service, quality, or productivity. The topics are limitless.

During Progress Discussions With Superiors: There are times when you have to update senior managers on what you and your team are doing. Use these opportunities to showcase your knowledge about what is happening elsewhere in your organization. Make connections with other teams, divisions, and departments. For instance, you might show how what you are doing or what you have done will lead to the completion of an assignment somewhere else.

During Problem Solving Discussions With Superiors: Consider situations when the topic is problems rather than progress. These might involve people, processes, profits, or practices. Whatever the topic, use these encounters to demonstrate your knowledge about the synergistic impact—how failure in one area will impact another area. If the problem involves your team, explain how the resolution will affect other teams. If the problem involves another area within your organization, draw connections between improvements in that area and improvements in other areas.

During Non-Work Discussions With Superiors: Think about all the chance encounters you have with influential people. These might occur at the elevator, in the cafeteria, on the parking lot, or a charity event. Wherever the encounter, you probably start talking about the one thing you definitely have in common-WORK! So don’t just tell the other person what you do or respond to a question with a “yes” or “no” answer. Instead, pepper your remarks with comments about the strategic plan, the company vision, or the organization mission. And be sure to link what you do to outcomes in other areas within your organization.

Demonstrating Your BIG PICTURE Understanding Is Easy

The people in your organization who have power, influence, and authority can help you jumpstart or advance your career. And you are always talking to these people. So use such encounters to let them know how competent you are AND how much you know about your organization. The further you move up the ladder, the more you will need to understand the BIG PICTURE. To demonstrate that understanding, all you have to do is make a few small changes in what you say. So start today!

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/career-management-articles/jumpstart-your-career-by-using-a-big-picture-approach-799411.html

Author: Kurt DuNard

by Kurt DuNard The Exceptional Life Coach

Write this down:

The best candidate does not always get the job.

Let us say that again:

THE BEST CANDIDATE DOES NOT ALWAYS GET THE JOB!

Sometimes, the candidate with the best résumé gets the job. The fact is if two identical twins had equal job experience and equal abilities with all aspects of their career equal in every way, and one twin had a lame résumé and the other had a killer résumé, then it is almost certain that the one with the killer résumé would get the job. The résumé is simply an ad to get an interview or phone call from the hiring company. Without the interview, even the future world champion would not be invited to the Olympics. If they don’t read your résumé, then they don’t know you exist. Make them want to read your résumé.

Now, recognize the following:

Most résumés don’t get the attention they deserve. Most are never read and are deselected for trivial reasons.

Most companies are set up so the Human Resource (HR) department handles all the initial selection of candidates, sets up interviews, hires, and makes offers. So these are the people that initially look at your résumé. This is an awesome responsibility, because whom they hire frequently determines the success of the company—perhaps even more so than the CEO. In many cases, HR is under paid and overworked with many other responsibilities besides hiring. They can be responsible for employee reviews, benefits, policies/procedures, EEO reporting, and training among other things. When the HR department is responsible for hiring, many are asked to find engineers, sales people, executives, and support staff. Few have the expertise in all these areas but many feel they can look through résumés to pass the “good” ones on to the hiring managers. In most cases, they have to look through hundreds of résumés and because they are overworked and short of time, they are looking for reasons to deselect your résumé. Don’t let them find them.

Take note:

Write your résumé so that someone just out of college that works in HR and is not in your field can understand your résumé and think that it should be passed on to the hiring manager.

If you have sent your résumé to companies or job boards on the Internet and feel like it went into a black hole or was lost, then it is possible your résumé is not being read. It has been deselected. It is worth your time to make sure this does not happen. Make your résumé a killer résumé.

The following will go a long way toward creating your perfect killer résumé.

• Truth in Advertising –People can tell when you are exaggerating, overselling, or down right lying. Tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God. Proudly list your accomplishments without being a slick salesman. People want to hire people with integrity and ethics. They want an employee they can trust. Show them that you have both integrity and ethics with a truthful résumé.

• Make Your Résumé Look Professional –Read a recent book on résumé formatting. The format is the look of your résumé and is the first thing that is noticed–even before your name or job title. Your résumé is like a pre-interview. The format is your résumé’s interview suit. It must look professional or the first impression could be that you’re not. The reason you want a recent book on formatting your résumé is that just like interview suits, fashions in résumé styles and formats change. You would not think of going to an interview in your suit from the 1980’s. Don’t do the equivalent with a résumé style from the 1980’s.

• Put all Your Contact Information at the top of your Résumé –Your e-mail is the most important, without it, it will be deselected. Next is phone number and then your home address.

• Write a Goal Paragraph at the Top of the Résumé –If you don’t know what kind of job you want and what kind of job you can do, then how can the HR person know? Without this statement, it is deselected. Create a short paragraph that enthusiastically states what kind of job and work you want to do.

• Only use a Chronological Résumé with all Years Accounted for –List most recent job first and all the rest in order. If you have chosen to do a functional résumé without dates, then expect to be deselected. Many hiring managers believe people are trying to hide something when they won’t show their history. Was the candidate in the penitentiary, asylum, or worse during those unaccounted years? If you are concerned about ageism and don’t want to tip your hand as having too much experience (as if you can have too much experience), then show the most recent ten years followed by a paragraph showing relevant experience before that period without dates. Degrees should not include dates either.

• Write up Your Job History –State name of company, dates employed, company location, description of the company’s services or products and size, and your job title and description of your responsibilities. Then MOST IMPORTANT

• Talk about Your Quantifiable Successes at Each Job –Quantifiable, means numbers and numbers get attention especially if they are at the end of sentences. Put those success statements with bullets after each job. Some examples:

• Increased sales by $5,000,000.
• Created new time saving procedure and saved company $12,000,000.
• Increased branch revenues by 18%

• Remember the Hiring Company Only Cares About What’s in it for Them –The way many companies feel about employees is that employees make them money, save them money, or parasitically lose them money. They only want to hire those that will make them money or save them money. They for sure don’t want to hire those that will cost or lose money. In fact, they want to fire those employees. Your job is to clearly show in your résumé that if you are hired you will either make them money or save them money. How have you done this for past employers? How can your quantifiable successes support this conclusion? Use the old salesman’s trick when you write down a feature about yourself. Ask yourself–so what is the benefit of this feature? The “so what?” should be that you are making more money or saving money for the company.

Whether you are looking now for a job or are completely satisfied with your current job, it is imperative that you have an up-to-date killer résumé. Your résumé is part of your family’s security system. Like savings in the bank, one does not want to be unprepared for a rainy day.

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Copyright © 2009 Kurt W. DuNard. Permission is granted to reprint if credit is given in the following way \”by Kurt W. DuNard The Exceptional Life Coach.\”

Kurt DuNard, The Exceptional Life Coach, is the author of EXCEPTIONAL LIFE: Living the Life You Were Meant to Live. High achievers seek him out to pinpoint their soul’s goals, increase abundance, and find more happiness and joy. If you think you would also like these things, then receive your FREE success tools from Kurt DuNard now at www.DuNard.com.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/resumes-articles/writing-a-killer-rsum-779645.html

Author: Damen Choy - the Career Expert

Despite all the advances in technology and communications these days, the traditional rules still hold when it comes to interview techniques that will get you hired. Whether you’re applying to a global corporation or a small company, the most important part of an interview is that you have a winning presentation. This is usually the key factor in determining whether you get the job.

Once you have created an effective resume and have sent your resume to prospective employers, the next step is to try and obtain an interview. This can be done by phone or in person. Chances are you will first meet an administrative assistant or receptionist. This person could be the key to your future in terms of helping you to get an interview or providing information about the company, so remember to be polite and friendly.

Once an interview is scheduled, your personal appearance and behavior are critical factors which could decide whether your job search is successful.

Here are 7 important steps to help you improve your interview techniques.

Interview Techniques #1 — Proper Preparation

To make sure you’re on time for the interview, find out ahead of time where the interview is and how to get there. Give yourself plenty of time to get dressed and get there on time. As a matter of courtesy, make sure your cell phone is turned off before the interview.

Plan to dress in a manner which is appropriate for the job. Your appearance will determine the first impression the interviewer has of you. Take care in your grooming before the interview, and be aware of your body language during the interview. Good posture will help to give an overall good impression.

Interview Techniques #2 — Do the Research

Use every possible resource to learn about a company before you interview there. You should be prepared to answer question about why you’re interested in the company or what you’ve heard about it. Make sure you know what the company does and if possible a little bit about its history. Be familiar with the company profile.

While it’s a good idea to prepare some answers to questions ahead of time, avoid memorizing your responses. You need to sound unscripted and as natural as possible. Rehearse an overview of what you want to say, but keep it spontaneous.

Interview Techniques #3 — Keep your Cool

When you meet the interviewer, remember to look him or her in the eye and be prepared to return a handshake if offered. A polite greeting and friendly smile are in order. Only take a seat after it’s offered. Thank the interviewer for taking the time to meet with you. Keep your demeanor and comments positive.

Interview Techniques #4 — Sell Yourself

As you’re being interviewed, answer all questions as honestly as possible. Honesty and sincerity are both important interview techniques. Make your answers concise and not unnecessarily wordy. Do your best to convey to the interviewer what type of employee you will be and what you will offer the company. When asked about previous employers, stay as positive as possible.

If this is your first job, don’t be intimidated by your lack of experience. Emphasize your skills and talents, and let the employer know that you are confident and eager to learn.

One of the most important interview techniques is to see through the eyes of the employer. If you were the one doing the hiring, what qualities would you look for? What benefit would the employer gain in hiring you?

Lastly, don’t be afraid to sell yourself, but at the same time avoid the appearance of over confidence. Project an air of confidence without sounding like a know-it-all.

Interview Techniques #5 — Ask the Right Questions

Show the interviewer that you know the right questions to ask. Express an interest in knowing exactly what your responsibilities will be. If you come across an interviewer who does all of the talking, don’t be intimidated. Politely try to ask questions which will give you the chance to discuss your qualifications for the job.

Interview Techniques #6 — The Wrap Up

As the interview comes to a close, make sure that you’ve covered all the important points. This is not the time to ask about salary and benefits. Save those questions for the job offer or follow up interview.

Summarize you strengths and skills and re-emphasize your positive traits. Find out what the next steps are in the interview and job decision process. Thank the interviewer for taking the time to meet with you and make sure to leave a final good impression.

Interview Techniques #7 — The Follow Up

After the interview, another of the important interview techniques is to follow up with a thank you note to each person who interviewed you. Thank him or her for their time and for giving you the opportunity to apply for a job.

For details on these and other winning techniques, refer to the Interview Techniques section of InstantCareerAdvice.com

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/interviews-articles/7-interview-techniques-that-will-get-you-hired-793223.html

Author: Damen Choy - the Career Expert

No matter how well you have prepared for your interview, chances are you would be confronted with questions you don’t know how to answer. In this case, don’t get nervous. You have to accept that you are not invincible. And sometimes it might just be a trick your interviewers use to test how you respond to difficult and tough questions on the spot. They want to observe your behaviour under embarrassing and difficult situations.

Use the Seek-And-Reply technique. It allows you to

• Understand more clearly the interviewers’ question.
• Gain rapport with your interviewers and engage them in your presentation
• Take control of your answer presentation to achieve your desired performance

How to use the Seek-And-Reply technique?

Whenever you encounter a question that you don’t know how to answer, follow the procedures:

Think of the best PRELIMINARY answer to the question.

Break down your PRELIMINARY answer into 2 to 3 points.

Begin your answer by using diplomatic language like a politician. For example, “I DO NOT HAVE THE COMPLETE PICTURE BUT I DO THINK…..”, “AS FAR AS I CAN FIGURE IT OUT”, “TO THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE”, “IF I DO NOT UNDERSTAND YOU FULLY, I HOPE I CAN ANSWER IT IN THIS WAY……”

Here is a demonstration:

I do not have the “COMPLETE PICTURE”, so “to the best of my UNDERSTANDING AND COMPREHENSION”, I would like to express my opinion herein as……………………………………

Then you can go on to explain the first point of your PRELIMINARY answer. Make a short pause after point one and ask the interviewers:

“CAN YOU FOLLOW WHAT I AM SAYING?”

“AM I IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION?”

“DO YOU HAVE ANY COMMENTS SO FAR?”

You are now passing the “turn” to the interviewers. They are “guided” by you to provide further information and the “answers” in their mind.

Your strategy is to dig out what is in their mind when they are asking the difficult question.

So give your fair “share” of the answer and ask them for their “share” as well.

Repeat the above procedures for point 2 and 3 of your preliminary answer.

Of course, you can quickly adapt your answers to the information they contribute under your guidance. Now you know how to answer difficult questions by using Seek-And-Reply technique.

Seek their minds before your Reply to their questions.

Use this technique to take control of a job interview.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/interviews-articles/how-to-answer-difficult-interview-questions-without-knowing-the-answers-795370.html