Category: Charting Your Career for Success

Charting Your Career for Success:
Feeling a pull towards something different in your work life? This category is your compass for navigating the exciting and sometimes challenging journey of career change. Whether you’re contemplating a slight pivot or a complete industry leap, you’ll find guidance and resources here to help you:

Explore new career possibilities that align with your passions and skills.
Identify your transferable skills and how to leverage them in a new field.
Develop a strategic plan for making a successful transition.
Learn practical tips for networking, upskilling, and adapting your job search materials.
Find inspiration and real-world stories from others who have navigated career changes.
It’s never too late to pursue a more fulfilling and meaningful career. Let’s explore the possibilities together and help you confidently chart your new professional path.

How to Handle Hard Interview Questions

Hard interview questions: The most difficult interview questions are open-ended. These questions require a discussion to answer. They give the interviewers more detailed, meaningful answers. Additionally, open-ended questions display your ability to think and to express yourself effectively. By contrast, the easier questions are closed-ended questions. These questions have yes-no or simple fact answers.

Examples:

How do you handle stress?
Why are you changing jobs?
What does your boss say about you?

Hard Interview Questions

In this chapter, I will cover some of the more difficult open-ended interview questions.

“What Is Your Greatest Weakness?”

“What is your greatest weakness?” is a tricky interview question. Although you want to be forthcoming with an interviewer, you don’t want to give the hiring manager a reason not to hire you.

Furthermore, from my experience, things you say about yourself can affect how people see you after you go to work for the company. I made the mistake of answering this question honestly during an interview for a promotion. I did get the promotion. However, my new supervisor had an annoying habit of reminding me of my answer (my greatest weakness) during our work together.

Show How You Deal with Your Weakness

What should I have said when he asked me about my greatest weakness? I could have discussed weaknesses as growth areas. For example, a person has a weakness of scheduling too many projects. However, the person can learn to start each day by prioritizing work.

Another suggestion is how you become anxious before appointments. You dread being late. Pressuring yourself for time creates more anxiety. The way you are working with this anxiety issue is you arrive to meetings with enough time to relax and organize your thoughts.

Another example might be that you tend to take over meetings. You have found that your behavior annoys other people. However, you are developing the skills to get other people involved in a couple of ways. Sometimes all you need is just to listen. In other cases, you may ask people for their input.

Preparation

Prepare your answer based on something that is true about you. You want to be able to show the skills you have developed to turn your weakness into a strength.

Be specific about the steps that you are taking. Have examples how the steps you have taken will make you more effective at the hiring company.

What is Your Greatest Strength?

Answering this question gives you an opportunity to shine as the perfect applicant for the job. When preparing for your interview, think specifically about how your strengths fit the job.

First however, a little discussion of skills and talents is in order. Understanding the differences will help you present your strengths most effectively.

Soft Skills, Hard Skills, and Talent

There are three elements that determine your ability to perform a task: Hard skills, soft skills, and talent. Each of these qualities has value depending on the requirements of a job. Again, target your presentation to show you how your greatest strengths match the qualifications and requirements of the job. Write these qualities in your resume. Practice presenting them in your interviews. Show how your strengths make you the perfect candidate for the hiring company.

Hard Skills

These skills come from your education and your work you have done. They are the strengths that you can take from one job to the next. These type skills are core qualifications for any job.

Accounting
Brand Development
Computer Programming
Data Management
Education
Financial Management
Internet Programming
People Management
Planning
Mathematics
Typing
Writing

These hard skills normally appear as requirements in a job description.

Soft Skills

Soft skills are tricky. Some hiring managers and recruiters overlook soft skills in a resume. In other cases, hiring managers and recruiters think of listing soft skills as puffery in a resume. However, discussing soft skills is effective when you show how those skills specifically relate to the job for which you are interviewing.

Interpersonal Communication skills
Enthusiasm & Attitude skills
Teamwork skills
Relationship skills
Problem Solving & Critical Thinking skills
Communication Skills
Determination and Persistence

Talent or Natural Ability

One of my favorite subjects is talent. Talent is a gift. However, everyone can strengthen their natural talents. Gifted athletes are naturally faster or stronger or have greater agility from birth. However, less gifted athletes find that they can build on their athleticism thought effort. Therefore, with repeated effort a person can raise the level of their natural gifts.

In conclusion, discussing your greatest weakness or your greatest strengths give you opportunities to show how you are perfection for the job.

Why Should We Hire You?

Knowing how to show why the company should hire you is simply to succeeding in an interview.

Furthermore, preparing to answer this question creates a framework to help you prepare to interview for any job. This question challenges you to think about your qualifications as they offer value to the hiring company.

The Competition

You don’t know anything about the other candidates. The things that you do know are the facts of your qualifications: that is, the things that make you the person the company wants to hire.

Furthermore, you not only want to show that you have the experience and education for the job. You want to show that you have a record of accomplishments that add value to the hiring company.

The Sales Pitch

Prepare a short pitch on the job, your successes and qualifications, and your desire for the job.

State the objective of the job.
State a list of successful things you have done to achieve and exceed these types of objectives.
State that the reason that you are interviewing for the job is that you enjoy performing the type of tasks the job requires.
Furthermore, state why you want to work for this company.
State that the person the company hires will be lucky to get the job. Then say that you hope that the company hires you.

Rehearse Your Answer

Before you go to an interview, rehearse your pitch on how your experience shows that you can perform successfully. Give your presentation in front of a mirror. If possible, give your presentation in front of other people. performed the same job. Say that they should hire the most qualified person for the job.

Conclusion

In conclusion, prepare for the question, Why should we hire you? This type of question challenges you to think about your qualifications. In your preparation, you can practice giving answers that show that you are an outstanding applicant for the job. Answering the question with a positive, enthusiastic statement about how much you want the job will help seal your opportunity in getting a job offer.

Photo by Diego PH on Unsplash

Job Interview Agenda: A Powerful Tool for Job Seekers

Job interview agenda: a list of topics to be introduced during an interview. Bringing an agenda to an interview gives you several advantages.

First, the agenda provides you with a reference sheet. With your resume and your agenda, you will have the facts in front of you. Furthermore, having an agenda will help you stand out for the preparations you have made before the interview. Moreover, by giving to interviewer an opportunity to view your agenda, you gain a chance of controlling how the interview goes.

Job Interview Agenda Items

In writing your agenda, prepare to cover the information you want to discuss. Furthermore, prepare to ask questions about the information you need to know.

Create each agenda for the specific company you are meeting. Prepare for the interview with research and outline your research results in the agenda that you take the interview. Show interviewers that you have an interest in their company through the job interview agenda.

Hand out a copy of the agenda when you hand out your resume. Bring a copy for each person you will meet. Make your agenda specifically to fit the company and the specific job for which you are interviewing. By giving interviewers a copy of your agenda, you are giving them a copy of a presentation on why the company should hire you.

You can’t always influence the things that happen in an interview. Some interviewers are locked in on the details they want to cover. Nonetheless, even if the interviewer does not want to cover the information in your agenda, having one will help you to be better prepared for the interview.

Examples of Agenda Items

Here are examples taking from an agenda daughter Heather Tran prepared for a marketing position. She got the job.

Example Number One

You might want to make an agenda item, “Why I want to work for your company.” From there, you create a list of reasons why you want to work for the company.

The reputation of the company as a customer-based marketer
The long history of success of your company
The opportunity to work in an environment that enables me to use the promotional and marketing tools I have developed for my career
Your company’s commitment to respecting and honoring all employees for their service
The opportunity to work in the field of my choice.

Example Number Two

“What I bring to your company”

Team skills: I work well with other people in all departments
Experience in creating promotional marketing programs to target community customers
Skills to create a call to action that leads customers to buy
A successful history of developing marketing strategies that include customer service, pricing, product choice, graphic design, and product presentation at retail and in the media

Example for a Specific Position

Marketing Promotion Position

“How I manage a promotion.”

Does the promotion present value to the customer?
Does it create the correct brand image?
Does it reach your target customer base?
Does it make a buyer out of your customer?
Does it create repeat customers?
Does it draw new customers to your business?

Your Experience in Preparing Agendas

The ideas in this article are suggestions only.

As part of my training at a major consumer products company, I prepared an agenda for each day of work. I worked in field sales positions. When my supervisor met with me, I could show him at the beginning of the day what my plans were for that day.

Likewise, you may have experience in preparing agendas. In this case, your personal experience may help you create an agenda that will take you through job interviews.

How to Turn Job Interview Jitters into Poise and Confidence

Job Interview Jitters: At a time when you want to feel confident, you are tense and uncomfortable. Believe in yourself. Take these simple steps to create poise and confidence.

Believing in Ourselves is the First Step to Poise and Confidence. ~ www.jaywren.com

Job Interview Jitters and Stage Fright

Stage fright comes from thinking about ourselves. However, the audience is there to hear our message. Confidence comes from changing our focus from ourselves to what our audience needs to know.

Likewise, job interview jitters come from thinking about ourselves. However, instead, we can focus on the information the interviewer needs to know.

Arrive Early

Clear your schedule to arrive early and have time if the interview runs late. Getting to the interview early relieves you of the stress of trying to beat the clock. Additionally, when a hiring manager must wait for you to arrive, you risk frustrating the interviewer in ways that could cost you the job.

Eat Before Your Interview

Being hungry can make you feel nervous. Take a light snack and a bottle of water with you. Find a comfortable place to relax. Enjoy your snack about thirty minutes before your interview. Give your body time to digest the snack and get the food into your system. Hungry alone can create job interview jitters.

Reduce the Caffeine

Before an interview, avoid dark chocolate bars and caffeinated drinks. They are great for energy. The sugar and caffeine can give you an energy boost. However, as the sugar wears off, you can feel an energy drop. The caffeine can leave you feeling on edge. Caffeine, added to the adrenaline of having interview pressure can give you a heavy case of the jitters.

Prepare Thoroughly

Know the details of the company. Know the details of the job for which you are interviewing. Review your resume. Know how to discuss your experience in terms of how are qualified for the job.

Questions About the Company

Having questions about the company will show that you are interested in the job. Additionally, having written questions will help you to remember to ask the questions that you will need answered.

Anticipate Interviewer Questions

Try to expect questions that the interviewer might ask. Focus on situations in your background that make you feel uncertain about your skills and employment history. Write those situations in the form of questions and write your answers. Continue to practice giving your answers until you feel comfortable.

Breathe

Baseball players use this simple technique often. Watch pitchers right before the windup or batters right before stepping into the batter’s box. The players will take one or two deep breaths. You don’t need to master any complex breathing meditation. Just take a deep breath and release it slowly.

Script the Match

Research the company thoroughly. Create a script: list reasons why you want to work for this company; list reasons why you are the best candidate for the job and the company.

The Interviewer’s Background

Research the interviewer’s background. Be able to tell the interviewer positive things you know about them and their accomplishments. If you have things in common that are relevant to the job interview, mention those things. Use the interviewer’s name during the interview.

Job Interview Jitters: Conclusion

Poise and confidence are always inside us. We just need to know how to find them.

Remember that the interviewer wants to speak with you. The person sees things in your background that show that you are qualified for the job.

The night before the interview, read your resume. Make notes about your accomplishments. Write specific titles and names of the people with whom you have worked. Make a list of the specific skills you have used to create your accomplishments. Read your scripted notes about the interviewer. Review the match between you and the job opening. You should sleep better knowing that you are prepared. A good night’s sleep will give you even more confidence and poise.

Interview Attire: Dressing to Get the Job

Interview Attire: Different companies have different dress codes. Nonetheless, each company has attire that is standard in their workplace. Moreover, making a point to understand the hiring company’s dress codes will help you feel more comfortable when you walk in the door for a successful interview.

Dress at or Above the Company Dress Standards

Sometimes, the way that hiring managers respond to attire appears capricious and unfair. Here are two examples.

In one case, the applicant wore a colored dress shirt and tie. In another case, an applicant wore business casual to an interview at a weekend company meeting. The employees attending the meeting were wearing business casual as well. In both cases, the hiring manager passed on the job applicant for not wearing attire that matched the company’s business dress code.

Business Professional Interview Attire

In business professional interviews, avoid brightly colored shirts and ties. Professional attire for women is a dress, pants suit. An open-collared white button shirt or blouse is appropriate. Professional attire for men includes a navy blue or charcoal grey suit, a white shirt, and tie.

A level below this attire is for women or men to wear slacks and a jacket.

Footwear for women is typically close-toed black heels or flats. For men, laced-up or tasseled dress shoes are common.

Business Casual Interview Attire

Many companies have a business casual dress code. Women wear skirt or slacks, and open-collar shirts or blouses. Similarly, men wear khakis or slacks and cotton or knit, open-collared shirts.

Footwear for business casual includes running or walking shoes. loafers, boat shoes, Oxfords, or lace-up leather shoes.

Salaried or Hourly Employee Interview Attire

So far, I have been discussing office attire. Depending on the type of job, hourly employees or skilled workers may need to dress ready to go to work. Whether the purpose of the job is to make surfboards or to build bridges, knowing what to wear to work may be based on what you will be doing. Again, if you are uncertain, you might call ahead to get some insight into what people wear to work at the hiring company. In other cases, you may go by the workplace to see what other workers are wearing.

Job Interview Preparation: The 3 Things You Need to Know

Job Interview Preparation: Are you frustrated with rejection when you have the qualifications for the job? Understanding these three elements will help you understand what happens in an interview. Moreover, these steps will help you prepare for a successful meeting with a future employer.

There are three distinct elements in preparing for an interview.

Everything About You

In the first step, review your qualifications. This step will organize your thinking about the things you want the interviewer to know about you.

In writing your resume, you will have begun to work on this step. Ensure that you can discuss from memory the dates and places where you where you have worked. Furthermore, prepare to present your qualifications as accomplishments.

In the United States, applicants for jobs in research, education, and medicine often use a curriculum vitae.

Everything About the Company

The second step in preparing for an interview is to research the company and research the people at the company where you are interviewing.

The Internet is a powerful tool in this step. Research the directions to location of the interview. Your smartphone can direct you to the location. However, having to follow your smartphone in traffic is stress that you don’t need. Additionally, know where to park before you arrive at your destination.

Furthermore, is this a location where you want to work?

Then, research the details of the company business. What is unique about the company? Why do you want to work for this company? Can you explain to the interviewer the reasons you find the company attractive?

Additionally, learn about the people you will meet. Are these people you want to work with every day? Can you tell the interviewers why you are excited to meet them?

Thoroughly understand the experience and qualifications listed in the job description. If the company does not publish a job description, find job descriptions for similar jobs at other companies.

Why the Company Should Hire You

Prepare to discuss how your qualifications are a match for the job and for the company that is interviewing you. In this step, merge the preparation you have done on presenting your qualifications with your research on the company.

Furthermore, show how you experience makes you the perfect match with the job requirements.

Based on your research, make a list of the things you don’t know about the job and the company. Prepare questions that you fill in the gaps between what you know and what you need to know.

Do mock presentations. Become confident that you can show that you are the best candidate for the job.

Job Interview Preparation: In Conclusion

You are competing against other candidates. Most of them have the qualifications to get the job. Separate yourself from the competition by using the steps in this article to prepare for the interview.

Interview Safety: 4 Steps to Avoiding Risks

Jay Wren The Moveable Career ~ Interview Safety: when you feel safe and comfortable, you will have a better interview. Avoid the risks. Plan for your safety. Here are 4 steps that many job seekers find effective.

Location

The safety of the interview location is important.

Most interviewers will meet with applicants in public locations such as a hotel room, hotel lobby, coffee shop, restaurant, or airport arrival area.

Before going to the interview, look at the safety of the area where you are interviewing. If you are concerned, you might consider asking the interviewer at another location. If you remain concerned, you need to ask whether you want to take the risks of interviewing with the company.

Safety Contact

Let someone, friend or family, know you are going to the interview. Arrange for the person to be available to take your call after your interview. You can use your cell-phone speaker or hands-free system to drive safely.

You can use your call to discuss your interview with this person waiting for your call. Giving the person feedback on your interview will reinforce your memory and increase understanding of the interview.

Travel

If you are flying for an interview, learn how to connect with ground transportation before you leave on your trip. This information can make your transportation safer and save you time and energy during your travel.

Fly early in the day. Just the eerie nature of a late-night empty airport is reason enough to travel early.

Interviewer Behavior

If the interviewer is lewd, profane, threatening, or violent, do the obvious. Leave the interview. Get in touch with friends or family as soon as possible. Let them know about your experience.

I am not a lawyer. I can’t tell you how to handle legal matters. If you believe that the interviewer has broken the law or harmed, seek direction from your friends and family. Additionally, you may consider contacting the proper authorities.

Interview Safety: The Safe Side

You may find that interviewing is interesting, maybe even fun. Plan: think about your safety before making interview commitments. You will have terrific interviews, and you may even land a great job.

Elevator Pitch: Bad Presentations Don’t Solve Problems

Elevator Pitch: before you go to an interview, rehearse a short pitch to show how you can create success for the hiring company. Some people call this short pitch, “The Elevator Pitch.”

The purpose of an elevator pitch is to persuade a person to accept your proposal in a brief presentation. The best elevator pitches make even complex proposals easier to understand and accept.
~ www.jaywren.com

Here is a format that I have found effective for elevator pitches.

If you do not know the person, introduce yourself.
State the subject of your pitch.
Summarize the objectives of the job.
State a list of successful things you have done to achieve and exceed the objectives of the job. Show how the hiring company will benefit from your experience.
State that the reason that you are interviewing for the job is that you enjoy performing the type of tasks the job requires and that you admire the company and what it is doing.
Ask the person to meet with on one or two specific dates. In persuasive selling this is called closing on a choice.

The most effective people know how to ask great questions and to learn from listening. ~ www.jaywren.com

Introduce Yourself

If you do not know the person, introduce yourself. Let the person know that excited to meet them to discuss their career opportunity.

State the Subject

Don’t keep guessing what you are discussing. Your elevator pitch will be confusing and lack focus unless people know where you are going with your discussion.

State the Objective of the Job

Before you go to an interview, study the job description. Learn as much as you can about the company. Script how you understand the job based on the business of the hiring company. Practice presenting a short statement of the hiring need of the company.

Explain how Your Experience Shows that You can Achieve the Objective of the Job

Compare your experience with the job objective. Have a summary of the ways your experience benefits the company. Tailor your pitch directly to the company and to the specific job. Anticipate questions and objections. Have answers that direct the question back to your goal of getting a job interview.

State that You Want the Job

Let the person know that you want the job and that you will make yourself available to fit the needs of the hiring company. Do not mention income. Your goal is to get a job interview. Once you get the interview that leads to an offer, you can fine-tune the details of salary, bonus, and benefits.

Close on a Choice

Ask the person to meet with on one or two specific dates. In persuasive selling this is called closing on a choice.

Practice Giving Your Pitch so You can give it Flawlessly

When you can give your elevator pitch, take a breath before you start. Don’t let the adrenaline drive your pitch. Remember to smile. Look at the person’s face. Remember that you are dealing with a human being. Allow a comfortable three feet of space between yourself and your contact. Remember you speaking with the person to offer solutions and opportunities to the person and the person’s company. You want to join their team.

The Seven Steps of a Persuasive Presentation

Warning Signs: Are You Interviewing with the Wrong Company?

Warning signs: What should you look for when you are interviewing for a job? Should you be interviewing with a better company?

As the owner of a recruiting firm, I worked with applicants who dealt with troubling issues during the interview process. Here are some of the things I learned from my experience in helping these applicants

Interviewers Fail to Keep their Commitments

In some cases, interviewers have valid reasons for cancelling an appointment, and they explain those reasons to you. An easy way to handle the situation is to show understanding and simply reschedule.

However, some interviewers raise warning signs when they fail to keep commitments.

The interviewers cancel appointments without attempting to reschedule.
They cancel appointments more than once.
Worth of all, the interviewers completely fail to call you or to meet with you without calling to cancel or reschedule.

If interviewers can’t keep their commitments, you should see that as a warning sign that you are interviewing with the wrong company.

Interview Interruptions

For interviews allowing interruptions is unfair to you. The interruptions are a distraction to you. The interview loses continuity and you may lose your ability to focus. Furthermore, these people can fail to focused on you and to give a fair evaluation. This type of behavior is a warning sign that the interviewer is not interested in you or, perhaps, simply does not respect your time.

Remember that the way an interviewer handles an interview is a sign of how a company deals with its employees. This behavior is uncommon, but when it has happened, applicants have often complained to me about it and rightfully so.

The interviewer is the face of the company. If the interviewer doesn’t respect your time, how well will you be able to at a company where people do not respect your time. This type of company is the wrong company.

Withholding Information Benefits and Salary Range

The company withholds information on benefits and salary range during the interview process.

The company benefits and compensation are confidential information. For competitive security issues, companies must protect the details of their operations. However, to avoid wasting their own time and the applicant’s time, the best interviewers provide general information on benefits and compensation. Often, companies include a general statement on benefits and compensation on the job description.

You need to work for companies that put the information out front. Companies that are not forthcoming during the interview are companies that show warning signs that you are interviewing with a company that runs its business that way. This type of company is the wrong company.

Warning Signs

Take heed of warning signs. To summarize here common warning signs that I have seen during my experience as a recruiter.

Interviewers fail to keep their commitments
Interviewers allow interruptions
It is difficult for you to get a general idea on benefits and salary range

Winning Performance: How to Build on Your Skills for Success

Winning Performance is not only about how hard you work or how many skills you have. It’s, also, about having the soft skills for working effectively. Day in, day out, equally talented people give different levels of winning performance. Likewise, equally talented people can have widely different career success. Here are seven steps that will help you accomplish more with your time.

Seeking Advice for Winning Performance.

Seek advice before acting on important decisions. It is so easy for me to go into difficult situations and make large decisions with the belief that I already have all the answers. It is equally easy for me to overlook things that I should have considered before acting. I have better results when I get ideas and solutions from other people. I better understand my circumstances by discussing them with someone else.

Getting the Greatest Results – Yards After Catch

Get the greatest results from each activity. The National Football League wide receiver Jerry Rice holds 23 NFL records. One of the more important records is the greater distance he gained after he caught the pass. From my observation, Jerry Rice trained harder and more skillfully than other athletes. Jerry Rice brought winning performance to every game he played.

Listen and Learn

Business professionals can do a better job for their company by identifying those small details that turn mediocre projects into hugely successful projects. They do the same tasks every else does and achieve greater results than anyone else, often because of their getting input from people around them. These people develop a team mentality that tells them when to act or when to set a finished product aside and return to it when they have a fresh perspective.

These people build companies like Apple, Procter & Gamble, Toyota, and so on across the spectrum.

Do One More Task

When you finish your work before the end of the day, do at least one more task before leaving work. It is easy to sit around or leave early. By starting and completing one more task on these days, you will find that your production can rise dramatically. If you add and complete one extra task per week, you will complete fifty more tasks over the course of the year. Your company will benefit. Your value to your company will grow.

Read

Regularly read articles and books about your job and your goals. Nearly every job continues to evolve. Many jobs disappear entirely. New information and tools become available to make job performance easier and make you more marketable. Take advantage of this information to grow in professional value and for personal enrichment.

See Solutions Not Problems

Everyone has problems. Everyone encounters obstacles. It is easy to give up or procrastinate instead of acting on these obstacles. In creating solutions, you can develop effective, often new ways of dealing with these obstacles.

As you create solutions, look for ways to help other people use your solutions. People have founded companies based on providing products and services to overcome common obstacles. If you can sell the solutions you have developed in overcoming obstacles, you have a business.

Build Your Network

Continue to build your network of friends and mentors. One of the more interesting qualities of my son is that he has multiple circles of friends. The people in each of these circles are people he has met at different times and in different settings. Some of these friends are from high school classes. Other friends come from his sports activities. Additionally, he has friends from college and his career.

Since graduating from college, he has met these people from different circles to pick up new hobbies and to travel. He has traveled to Sweden, Peru, and Thailand to meet with friends he has met over the years. You may also find that having new circles of friends can help you develop new and valuable career ideas and solutions for Winning Performance.

Set Goals

Continue to set goals. Goal setting can have a subconscious power to drive your actions even when you are not working directly from a daily plan. Additionally, having goals can give you a sense of purpose and a feeling of a richer quality of life. Rather than focusing on the ruts of your life, you can focus on your goals and how to move toward them. Goals lead to Winning Performance.