How to answer What are your strengths

How to answer What are your strengths by Amber Rolfe Not big on self-promotion? Talking about your strengths at an interview can be tough, especially if blowing your own trumpet isn’t your thing. And aside from finding the fine line between pride and arrogance, you also have to avoid falling back on clichéd answers (let’s face it, who isn’t a hard worker?).We’ve already covered some of  the most common interview questions  that could come up, but here’s our advice for how to answer: ‘What are your strengths?’  The  real  questionWhat they’re asking:  â€˜What are your greatest strengths?’What they’re  actually  asking:  â€˜Do you really know yourself â€" and do you know what our problem is here?’OK, so they want you to talk about your strengths; seems simple enough. But what’s the catch?You also need to show the interviewer how these carefully thought-out strengths will solve their problems â€" by making sure they’re based around the job’s key requirements, and mapped against your best achievements to date.So go easy on the adjectives and heavy on hard data.Step 1: Come up with a new list of strengthsEveryone has a vague list of personal strengths; you’ve had it in your head for years, it rarely changes, and may or may not be entirely accurate.Instead, it’s a mixture of facts and wishes â€" inspired by your work, friends, and let’s face it, what you think an employer wants to hear. Unfortunately, this old dusty list is the complete opposite of what they’re looking for.What’s really needed is a new list of strengths â€" put together using your in-depth knowledge of the job description, alongside your most impressive (and relevant) achievements.Step 2: Choose your strengths wisely When it comes to creating your updated list of strengths, it’s vital to pick ones that fit into a decent plotline.Can you use it to demonstrate progression and development, or is it too generic to quantify? After all, it’s hard to weave an interesting story about you being m erely hard-working and trustworthy.So instead of opting for the obvious, pick something that has been demonstrated consistently over the course of your career/education â€" whether it was by helping you achieve excellent results at work, gaining the praise of your colleagues or manager, or even earning a promotion.Because if you’re not able to give any context, there’ll be no way for you to set yourself apart from the crowd â€" not to mention accurately represent your strength.Step 3:  Give examples Finally, you need to actually back up your claims.Sure, you might feel like using a bunch of pleasant-sounding adjectives will make people think you’re a smart, or generally a good, professional all-rounder â€" but that won’t help solve the employer’s problem.In other words, those things might be necessary, but they’re not sufficient. Adjectives can’t serve customers, write financial reports, or drive a fork-lift truck. But solid, tangible examples that accurately demonstra te the strength you chose to cover? They can.So for each strength you talk about; explain the context in which it was used, describe the impact it had, and give it the element that all employers are looking for â€" results (e.g. transformations, successes, achievements).Example answerI’ve always been very good at reading markets and staying in step with them. For example, out of all the fashion buyers in my industry I was the first to realise that our stores could make money from selling mobile phone accessories (with different colours to match different outfits, for example) â€" even though we’re principally a fashion retailer. My manager usually trusts me on trend spotting so she let me experiment and now our technology line is the fastest growing category in the store. It’s had a great impact on the company, because it put people in the mood to experiment with other technology lines â€" so now we’re doing well with things like headphones too. I think my success at spottin g trends is why they promoted me to chief buyer. Now I’m responsible for helping other buyers develop their trend-spotting skills â€" and I’m certain I could bring those training skills to this job too. Need more interview questions?Unfortunately, we can’t help you predict exactly which interview questions will come up on the big day. However, we can help you prepare for every eventuality and avoid any  interview nightmares.Buy James Reed’s new book:  Why You? 101 Interview Questions You’ll Never Fear Again  to find out how.Five interview questions you should stop being scared ofStill searching for your perfect position?  View all available jobs nowFind a job What Where Search JobsSign up for more Career AdviceSign up for moreCareer Advice Please enter a valid email addressmessage hereBy clicking Submit you agree to the terms and conditions applicable to our service and acknowledge that your personal data will be used in accordance with our privacy policy and you wil l receive emails and communications about jobs and career related topics. Interview Techniques Job interview tips Preparing for an interview

Writing Experience Summary in Resume

Writing Experience Summary in ResumeHow to write an experience summary in resume? This is a question which is often asked by people who are eager to land a job or an interview and want to have some professional information on their resumes. In case the company where you are applying for the job does not require an experience summary in resume then you can skip this question.One can get experience and professional information about the company without writing an experience summary in resume but this can be counted as bad application because there is no guarantee that what you have written is true and accurate. So, how do you write an experience summary in resume? You just need to know the common ways to write a summary.Summary by occupation - an occupation should be mentioned at the beginning of the experience summary in resume. It is a formal statement which should not be taken as personal information. Although it might seem that you are describing the job you have done before. But t he employer needs to have a proper idea about your career history in order to assess whether he should hire you or not.Summary by work experience - a work experience is more informal than an occupation. It is a summary about the work you have already done in a company and thus, it can be used to describe some of the tasks and responsibilities which you have already handled in the past.Summary by project - a project can be the equivalent of a job in itself. Thus, you can mention a project that you have completed in a company or in a group of work colleagues as well.Summary by skill - it is a subjective statement. The employer may feel that you have the ability to perform certain tasks related to the job or even more or less that the work you have done is related to the job.Summary by place - a summary about the working hours in a particular place is also a very good way to describe your career history. If you have worked at the same place for a number of years then you can describe t he working hours as well. This is a good method to describe your working experience and can be used to demonstrate that you have been around for a long time.Summary by reason - a summary can also be about a reason for your termination from a job. The best example would be a summary in a letter for an employer which explains your reason for getting fired. In short, a summary in resume can be a combination of several methods described above.

4 Things to Consider Before a Career Switch

4 Things to Consider Before a Career Switch Changing jobs is a stressful experience. Some will say it is like adding a new full-time job on top of your current position. If you want to change careers, you can expect to almost double the time it takes you to find a job. Before changing jobs or making a career switch, consider these 4 things.1. Do You Want a Job Change or Career Switch?Changing jobs is a bit easier than changing careers. It means you still have the same connections within a career. This is useful to you as you begin your job hunting process.However, if you are making a career switch, you have a whole new batch of connections to make. Some new networking is called for, as well as, things like resume makeovers or job interview prep. These will be needed as you will be meeting with new people in a new career. You also have new skills to learn.This does not mean it cannot be accomplished. It simply means the workload is different. It is safer to first examine the reasons why you want to leave your current job. Is it the job you don’t like or the career?2. Talk to a Career CoachIt is great to seek out a career coach to get a dispassionate point of view. A career switch can be an emotional time. You need that person who can look at what you are doing and give you honest advice.You may not like what you hear all the time, but that is the point. The last thing you want is a career coach who accepts your money only to tell you what you want to hear.Career changes do not happen overnight. Talk to someone who has experience in dealing with people who try to make the career switch.3. Are You Prepared to Be Paid Less?The job you have now pays you well because you worked for it. Changing careers could mean starting all over again. And typically people without experience are not paid as well as experienced professionals. You may need to consider that a career switch means getting paid less.More so, given the time it takes to find a new job in a new career, you have to consider your current financial re sponsibilities. Bills, rent, mortgage, food, and yes, interviewing for work all carry a cost. Make sure you have a long-term financial plan in place.4. Are You Prepared to Answer Questions Without Complaining?You cannot avoid it. It will happen. These interview questions will come up in every interview you have during your career switch: “So, tell me...Why are you changing careers now? You so much experience in your current career.” What they are really asking you is something to think about: “Are you just leaving your current career to take a break because you are unhappy? Will you go back to it again later, if this new career gets difficult?” If your response to these questions sounds like complaining, they will assume you are not ready for a career switch. The reason is that the right time to switch careers is usually when you feel like you have conquered it. You did it all in one career, and now you are happy to try a new one.Why does this matter? It paints the picture o f you as someone who does not run away from challenges. Above all, you come across as confident and positive, the type of person a company loves!

Build Your Personal Brand and Reap the Rewards - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Build Your Personal Brand and Reap the Rewards - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Hi everyone, my name is Chad Levitt, and I’m the newest member of the Personal Branding Blog team. My posts will run here every Saturday and I’m looking forward to hearing all of your thoughts and responding to your comments. For my first post, I wanted to share with you my story on how I got here, and the incredible opportunities that have come my way from promoting my personal brand. This will help all of you to get to know me and show you how essential it is to begin building your own personal brand, if you want to succeed in a very different, digital world. A big realization about my personal brand The first time I read the Personal Branding blog about 7 months ago something clicked. What clicked? I realized my personal brand online sucked! For some people that would not have been a problem. But, for myself, it was a monstrous problem. Why? Well, I had some big goals and I realized they stood a much greater chance of coming true, much quicker, if I began to build my own personal brand and share it with the world. And that’s exactly what I’ve done in just 7 short months. When I first got started building my personal brand, I was already a part of Linkedin, Facebook and a newbie to Twitter. I had already used Linkedin to land my top job choice without even applying to the company. I had experimented with blogging on Blogger because I thought it was a cool way to share my thoughts. I had some experience, but I was still in the kiddie pool with my floaties on, because I hadn’t created anything of my own yet. Creating my personal brand That all changed when I launched the New Sales Economy blog on January 1st, 2009 and started sharing my thoughts on Sales 2.0 Social Media with the world. It was one of the best decisions I’ve made in my life. I now had a virtual marketplace to share my thoughts and build a community. People in the sales and marketing industry could now find me online. And they did. The rewards of creating my personal brand After 2 months had passed, I woke up one morning to an e-mail from Jeb Blount, the CEO and founder of SalesGravy.com. The e-mail was an offer to take over the SalesGravy.com featured Sales 2.0 blog. This was big. SalesGravy.com is the leading web portal and community for sales pros, with over 100,000 unique visitors, 350,000 visits, and 2,500,000 page views per month. Inevitably some proportion of this community will be exposed to my writing and personal brand. It will help to build my audience and thought leadership in my niche/tribe. I’ve also interviewed thought leaders from different fields on how they use Sales 2.0 Social Media to connect, create more opportunities, and increase their business. I’ve interviewed Neil Patel, Jill Konrath, Nigel Edelshain, Jim Fowler, Mike Volpe, Zack Miller, Anneke Seley, and Dan Schawbel. I’ve got some more big names on the way! With each blog post I write, the interviews I do, and each tweet I send out I’m promoting my personal brand to the world and staking my virtual ground in the search engines. Nobody can ever take that away from me. I own it. And my presence grows stronger every day. Then came another slam dunk opportunity. It was an e-mail from Dan Schawbel, that he sent to his network/tribe, with an offer to be a contributing author for the Personal Branding blog. I immediately replied and Dan decided to go with me because he had experienced my personal brand from my blog, our mutual social networks and the interview I did with him. And now your reading my first blog post here. The key takeaways from my story are simple You need to develop your personal brand and you need to do it now. Don’t wait! In 7 short months my personal brand online has grown from virtually non-existent to prominent. It will continue to grow in the future. With some hard work, learning, and passion you can do the same! Author: Chad Levitt is the author of the New Sales Economy blog, which focuses on how Sales 2.0 Social Media can help you connect, create more opportunities and increase your business. Chad is also the featured Sales 2.0 blogger at SalesGravy.com, the number one web portal for sales pros, the professional athletes of the business world. Make sure to connect with him on Twitter @chadalevitt.

How to Write a Personal Resume

How to Write a Personal ResumeWriting a resume is not easy and even more so if you are an aspiring individual who wants to take up a career in the corporate sector. These days it becomes difficult for all job seekers to cope with their responsibilities in preparing a resume that will showcase their capabilities and knowledge and then lead them in the best possible direction. Therefore, the focus has shifted from what to put on the resume to how the resume should look and the ways and means of presentation. The paper, ink and the printer have become the most important tools that will help the job seeker succeed in acquiring a job.Before one gets into writing a personal resume, it is necessary to take stock of what the resume is all about. It is to establish the correct track of one's experience and the rest is all about how one can pitch it and how the reader will see the contents of the resume. The very first step that has to be taken is to start by defining the objective of the resu me, the purpose of the person who is going to write it.Writing a resume can be easy or difficult depending on the skill of the writer. For instance, a good writer can craft a resume that will be tailor made to appeal to the reader and get him or her to fill up the application form and the corresponding page number in the personnel office. On the other hand, a person who is not so good can make the resume look like a very difficult or confusing task for the reader to follow and do a good job at it is next to impossible. A well written resume can provide the prospective employer with the right impression.Another important step that needs to be taken is the way the resume is written. The writing style and the layout should be such that the reader will not be able to get lost and will read every single section thoroughly. Hence, a detailed and a comprehensive resume will not only keep the prospective employer interested in the work but also in reading the rest of the resume.Writing a re sume has been a part of human existence for a long time. No one had any problem writing a resume, as long as the content remains relevant and is catchy. If the words and the points of view remain related to the purpose and objective of the person writing the resume, then the resume will be accepted without any hesitation. However, one can always go beyond these parameters, depending on his or her abilities and talent.As time has passed by, the writing of resumes has taken a new form that has changed the perspective of the job seeker from a self-centered person to a team player. Today, the scenario has changed to a huge extent and it is considered as a sign of professionalism to write a personal resume. There are many companies who take pride in providing good quality services and products and now the mere fact that a resume has been written does not imply that it is suitable for the job market.There are many people who earn a living from writing resumes for the people who have all t he information and details about their careers. These people spend their valuable time creating resumes according to the company requirements and the business strategies. These professionals have made a thriving business because they are capable of reading minds and putting in mind-boggling creativity.To get a successful career in the corporate sector, a great resume is required. Therefore, it is advised that one needs to take the steps and learn the right way to do it. It is good to learn more about how to write a resume from books and websites, because it helps one understand the techniques and comes across with a better grasp of writing and getting the desired results.

6 Questions To Ask Before You Quit Your Job

6 Questions To Ask Before You Quit Your Job Ready to quit your job? No matter how dissatisfied or ill-fitting your current job is, you probably need the money and/or stability. And thats not all. Studies show the longer you are unemployed, the more difficulty youll have getting hired. Fair or unfair, thats the reality. So if youre considering quitting your job, keep in mind that its best to have a new job lined up first. Before you quit your job, ask (and answer) the following six questions. Why do I want to leave? This sounds like a simple question, but dig deep for the answers. List all the reasons you are dissatisfied with your job and be specific. Your list may include things like being underpaid, inattentive management or a long commute. Now list everything you like about your job. Maybe you enjoy the people you work with or the clients you serve. Having a concrete list you can look at and evaluate helps lessen some of the emotional elements of your decision. Use your pros and cons list to help you identify what might be salvageable and what to look for in your next job. You may want to check out this decision-making matrix for help as well. Decision-Making Framework Do I need to leave this company to get what I want? Sometimes it is easier to stay where you are and try to work things out before jumping ship. Have you tried talking with your manager or is manager  part of the problem? Who else can you turn to for advice on how to remedy the situation? If you are feeling bored, can you find additional assignments or projects to take on at work? Dont overlook activities outside of work. Volunteering may fulfill your desire to take on more responsibility. You may even research courses that would enhance your career. Maybe you need a mentor, This would be a great time to identify someone you respect, inside or outside your company, and ask if they can help you with important career decisions. What is my exit strategy? Landing a new job is a lot of work and will take longer than you want. If you think all you need to do is apply for jobs online, think again. There are a lot of people out there looking for new jobs right now. Set your plan in place for how you will land your next job. Give yourself a deadline and dedicate time each week to meet with people you know and network with people youd like to meet. Youll also feel like you have more control over the process if you proactively reach out to people and target companies you believe will be a good fit. What companies are a fit for me? Wouldnt it be great if you could search companies by culture? You cantyet. But you can read anonymous employee reviews on Glassdoor. The best way to find the right opportunities faster is to search companies who are likely to hire people with your skills and background or at least have the types of roles you are interested in. Begin researching these companies. You may have heard about the hidden job market. This implies that the best jobs are never advertised, but instead filled through word-of-mouth. How do you find out about these opportunities? By talking with people. Use LinkedIn to identify people you can contact inside companies you are interested in and conduct informational meetings. Learn what they like about working there, how they got their job and other questions. Who can I turn to for help? List all the people you know who can help you transition. Friends, family and dont forget past co-workers. These old work pals probably work for a company youd be interested in.  Let them know you are open to new opportunities and be as specific as possible as to the type of role and companies you are interested in. Recruiting agencies are another option. Reach out to recruiters who specialize in your area of expertise and let them know you are in a confidential search. How can I survive in my current situation? If you decide to leave your job, you still need to hold on to it, unless you have saved enough money. Do you have six months of savings you dont mind burning through? While you dont have to give your current job 110 percent, you do need to do enough to keep it. And for your sanity, think about what you need to do to survive in your current job. Avoid pesky co-workers, avoid conflict and dont let your work or attitude slack. You want to leave this job on your terms, not someone elses. This post originally appeared on US News World Report

Align Work Values with Your Career - Wolfgang Career Coaching

Align Work Values with Your Career - Wolfgang Career Coaching Identify Your Work Values What is your ideal job? How do you make that determination? Many people are unhappy with their current career, but are unsure what will make them happy. When clients come to me and want to understand why they are unhappy in their current career we begin to discuss their work values. Work values are characteristics of the activities and opportunities in a job that help make performing the job a satisfying experience. For example, variety in work tasks, job security, ability to travel, recognition, etc. are all work values. When you are evaluating your own career or making a decision on a new career, it is important for you to assess how your work values align with the career you are considering. Identify Your Work Values Before you can begin evaluating your work values, first you must identify them. What are the top 5 10 work values that are important to your career satisfaction? Sometimes it is hard to think of what we need, although it can be easy to identify what we do not like in a career. Think back to those times that you may have been upset about your career situation. For example, the time when you did a lot of work on a project and no one recognized it. This could mean that recognition is an important work value to you. What if you are unhappy in your current career because every day you complete the same tasks as you did the week before. This could mean that variety is an important work value for you. To get you started here are samples of some work values that might be important to you: Variety of Work Autonomy Flexible Hours Education/Training Opportunities Workplace Environment Status of Job Pay/Salary Recognition/Praise Opportunities for Advancement Socialization/Interaction Rank Your Work Values Now that you have identified the items that are important to you in a career, you will need to rank them in order of importance. No one job may be able to meet all of your work values, however, a job that is a good match for you should be able to meet your most important ones. Evaluate Your Current Job Now that you know  which values are the most important, ask yourself this question: Is your current job meeting your work values? If its not, don’t worry. This does not mean that this isnt the right career for you. It does mean that some things need to change in your job for you to achieve greater satisfaction. This may  provide a great opportunity for you to speak with your supervisor about ways some of your work values can be met. For example, if you value creativity, but always seem to be completing the tasks rather than helping to develop the solutions, talk to your supervisor about potential projects you can assist with on the creative side.   If you value learning, then identify areas that seem interesting to you and ask your supervisor about helping in those areas so you can learn new skills.   These tactics are also a great way to show your company that you are committed and capable. Take an Assessment If you want to learn more about your specific work values, take the free work values assessment at http://www.myplan.com/assess/values.php. What are your most important work values? Let us know in the comments section below!