How To Describe Yourself Well During An Interview?

They’re going to ask you about your experience during the job interview, they’ll ask you why you want this job in particular and they will ask you to describe yourself. Those questions are guaranteed.

 

Don’t wing it

With everything else you have to think about, you might be tempted to ignore the question about yourself and just wing it when you get there – after all you’ve lived with yourself your whole life. You that should be the easiest question to answer. That’s about the worst thing you can do. If you’re not prepared you’re as likely as not to sound like a robot rattling off a list of attributes that sounds like just about every other robot going through a similar list – I’m hard working, punctual and I’m good with numbers. Or you might go off on a tangent, without explaining exactly how this ability you have to tame numbers saved your last employer thousands of dollars over the past three months.

 

Make a list

Do yourself a favor and make a list of short descriptive sentences you would use to express what you’re like both personally and professionally.  This is just for you now. Show off your skills, what people like about you, what they’re impressed by. How those skills made a difference in other people’s lives. Now find the adjectives that reflect those sentences.

 

Meticulous be an example. An adjective like meticulous indicates an attention to detail to the hiring manager. That you care about the details and are not one to sit back and let someone else do all the heavy lifting. Give an example of how your meticulousness caught a small mistake before it became a big one or ensured that the job got done right -the first time.

 

Have five examples ready

 

Come to the interview prepared with five strong adjectives that describe you, the impact you have had in other workplaces and what you can bring to this new one. Great examples are team player, imaginative and driven.

 

The last thing you want to happen is to have all great ways of describing yourself pop into your head on the trip home. By taking this question seriously before every stepping into the interview you can ensure the interviewer sees you as the fighter you are.

Finding the Possible in Impossible

If Humans Learned To Fly Why Can’t You Achieve Your Dreams?

A flying machine you say? Impossible. If humans were meant to fly they would have been born with wings – like birds. Before we go any further let’s remember, back in their dinosaur days, birds didn’t start out with wings either.

Running a mile in under four minutes? The human body is not capable of that. Or it wasn’t until someone did it. The current record is 3:43:13 – in case anyone out there wants to do something impossible and beat it.

Landing on the moon, a computer you can carry in your pocket, a house that responds to verbal commands. We take all these things for granted because they are here. Before that they didn’t exist except as a spark in someone’s imagination.

Wonderful species, wonderful individuals

To someone from the past our society would appear to run my magic. At the breakneck speed things are changing now imagine what life will look like fifty years from now. We are a wonder as a species and also as individuals that make up the species.

Change your own world

Whether or not you are someone who is going to change the whole world, you certainly can change your own world. What do you consider impossible in your own sphere? Your ability to make it through medical school? The promotion you’re after? The chances that you’ll ever earn a six figure income?

The very first thing you need to do is get out of the impossible cage. Instead of thinking about what is impossible, think about what is possible. One step you can take that will lead in the direction you want to go. In the case of the promotion you want, what is a single thing you can do to bring you closer to your goal? Take a course? Go to a networking event? Work harder/later? Take that step. One step at a time, show impossible, exactly what is possible.

Limited or unlimited?

Most of the things people think of as impossible are actually just really difficult. One person imagines a different way of approaching the problem, cracks open the realm of possible and everyone else pours through.

Impossible is a limiting word. Possible removes the limitations. It is your life. Do you choose to live it under limited constraints or do you choose to embrace potential?

Some Interviews Are Absolutely Stellar

Interviews are nerve wracking and even though you may have great experiences or qualifications that would make you an idea candidate, sometimes it’s hard to get that across in the moment. Unless you prepared to answer the questions using the STAR (Situation/Task/Action/Result) technique.

 

By thinking about your answers within a STAR framework you’ll be able to describe the work situation or task, the actions you took to either finish the task or improve the situation and the fantastic results of your efforts.

 

Question: What kind of experience do you have working in a team?

 

Situation

Start by describing the situation. The people involved, the challenges, goals the team had to work with/deal with. If were negatives associated with the experience frame them as challenges that had to be overcome. Be specific. Don’t say I have worked in many teams. Talk about a specific team and the specific goals.

 

Task

Approach task the same way you approached situation. Be specific about what exactly the team needed to accomplish. The skills people brought to the table what (if anything) was lacking. If you can, describe a task or situation that is pertinent to the job you are applying for.

 

Action

This is the time to highlight your role in the situation. What specific, measurable things did you do to bring about positive results. This is where you want to spend the most time in your answer. Talk about how you came to the action. Steps you took, people you connected with etc.

 

Result

You’ve already talked about the actions you took, now you get to highlight the benefits of those actions. Give concrete examples of the result. The team was able to achieve 30% more efficiency, sales were increased by 15%, work flow was improved in XYZ ways.

 

During an interview people might remember to talk about actions taken then forget to discuss the result of those actions. Results are the icing on the cake!

The More You Give The More You Have To Give

Gratitude is like a perpetual motion machine

Someone has made a huge impact on your life. You are so grateful for their help and their advice. You decide to thank them with the perfect gift. Imagining how happy they’ll be when they receive it, you wrap it up with a beautiful bow. Then you put the perfect gift on the top shelf of your closet until such a time when you will deliver it. Time passes and the gift languishes unopened and unknown. You forget all about it until you clean out the closet years later and wonder why you never gave it.

 

The gift of words

You can certainly show your gratitude with a gift, but remember a gift is only icing on the cake. The best way to let someone know how much they mean to you or how much their actions impacted you is to tell them. The person who helped you probably didn’t do it with expectations of any kind. Hearing about how they impacted you is the icing on their cake.

 

Gratitude is the gift that keeps giving 

How do you feel when you are able to help someone? Probably pretty great. People helped you in the past, so when the opportunity to do the same for someone else comes up the repercussions flow two ways. Not only are you benefitting someone in the present, you are also acknowledging the help you received in the past. Gratitude is like a perpetual motion machine, the gift that keeps giving.

 

Acknowledgements big and small

Remember, gratitude isn’t only about the big things. It’s about all the little things that happen every day. Notice all the lovely things people do for you (for each other) all day long. You see someone give up their seat on the bus for the tired looking person beside you. You feel grateful there are such people in the world. Instead of keeping that thought in the top shelf of the closet of your head, go ahead and say something. Hey that was a really nice thing to do. You have just contributed to the happiness quotient of the world. Well done.

Four Tips To Make Your Days Run Smoother

There are a few things you can do each day to make each day just that little bit smoother.

 

Wake up early

 

Why would you want to wake up early when your bed is so comfortable and inviting and you don’t actually have to get out of it yet? The reason you want to get up earlier than you have to is to give yourself some mental space to think about what you want to do with the day, to plan and to simply breath without worrying about whatever has to be done next. You’re early, you have time to set your mind and spirit for the day.

 

Work harder than you did the day before

 

Imagine how much you could accomplish if every day you made a point of working harder than you did the day before. If you gave each day 100% of your attention and focus. If you managed to find a little bit more energy than you thought you had.

 

Exercise

 

We exercise to get stronger to look better and feel good about ourselves, but do you realize exercise is as important for the mind as for the bod.  Exercise helps clear negative emotions, it helps us feel more alert and it’s energizing. You may not be able to do a full workout everyday but you can certainly go out for a walk. Don’t sit around for long stretches of time. Insert breaks into your day to move.

 

Read

 

During your downtime after working harder than you did the day before, all you may want to do is flake out in front of the TV and rest. Rest is great, but some rest is better than others. Although from the outside, reading and watching TV look pretty similar, TV is passive. You are sitting there while things pass by. Reading (whether for pleasure or learning) is active. Your mind and your imagination are engaged. It’s exercise for the brain.

 

These are simple suggestions, but by incorporating them into your life each day and guaranteed your days will run smoother.

Facing Problems Head On

I can’t face it

My workload is overwhelming. I can’t face it. When something is difficult or painful do you run toward it with open arms? Most likely you turn away, either physically or psychologically. That’s why we find the phrase “I can’t face it” in just about every language.

 

Imagine the biggest problem you’ve got right now. Now turn away from it. A vague sense of relief. Turning away from the problem can provide some emotional relief in the short term but eventually you have to turn your head back. Do that now. Has the problem moved, crept away on its own maybe? Nope. It’s still there staring you in the face. You might even feel worse than the last time you looked at it because the problem has grown in your head in the interim.

 

Close examination brings perspective

This time, instead of turning away from the problem take a deep breath and have a closer look. Imagine this isn’t actually your problem, but that it belongs to someone else. Sit with it. Take a walk around it. Examine it from all angles. Get right in there and probe its innards. Do you see any small chink in the problem? Any way you could make some inroads? Not looking at a problem makes it grow. Looking closely helps shrink it.

 

Challenge it

Yes the problem presents challenges. Rather than shrink from them, embrace them. On close examination you found chinks where you could make inroads on your problem. Even if those inroads are difficult, figure out a way to take action. Dedicated action leads invariably to more action.

 

Make a step by step plan for how you can overcome this problem and begin. Not only will the problem shrink and hopefully eventually resolve, you may even find your actions lead you to a better place than where you started.

 

Must Dos For Interview Success

Research the company

You spend a lot of time working on yourself in order to get the interview. You ensure you have the qualifications necessary to peruse the career you’re after. You network, you volunteer. You prepare a resume and cover letter specifically geared to this job. You are very self centered – as you must be. Now it’s time to look outward. Once you have an interview lined up your first priority is getting to know the company. Of course you will check out their website, but don’t stop there. Check them out on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram. Get a feel for their company culture, their attitude. If come across any news, bring it up in the interview. Make sure the interviewer understands you are not just looking for a job, you are looking for a job with them.

 

Decide where you would like to fit

You have done a lot of research into this company. Is the position you’re applying for where you want to stay or is it a starting point? Have a plan for your future with this company and be ready to explain it. Ensure the interviewer understands why you are a great fit for the job at hand and how you can be an asset to the company down the road. Create a future picture for the company in their mind with you in it.

 

Prepare answers to common interview questions

There are questions common to just about every interview. Tell me about yourself, What are your greatest strengths etc. Here are some from Inc. Here are some more from Workopolis. Review these questions and have well thought out, professional answers.

 

One of the questions they will ask you is, Do you have any questions for us?

 

No I think you’ve covered everything during the interview is the wrong answer.  Demonstrate how excited you are about the position with the right questions. To help you figure out what those might be, check out these examples from Big Interview.

 

Don’t forget what your body is saying

You’ve prepared what’s going to come out of your mouth. Now don’t forget the reams of things you will say silently. If your mouth says one thing and your body says another, chances are the interviewer will go with the things unsaid with words.

 

Even if you are a walking nerve, your body language doesn’t have to be any indication of that. All you need to remember are to keep eye contact, sit up straight, smile, breathe (always breathe) and listen to what the interviewer is saying. Meaning don’t spend all your time thinking ahead to what you are going to say next. Really listen to the interviewer, nod, lean in a little.

 

Follow up

The interview is not over until you have sent a thank you note. Thank them again for the interview, quickly bring up a point of discussion you had and reiterate your interest in the position. Here are a few examples from the balance careers

Don’t Let The Success Of Others Intimidate You

Once you’ve decided on the career of your dreams you will probably look to others that came before for inspiration. If you are a writer you will read as much as you can. You’ll concentrate on everything by your favorites; Charles Dickens and JK Rowlings. If you are an entrepreneur you will want to learn everything there is to know about Richard Branson and Elon Musk. If architecture is your thing you my look to Frank Lloyd Wright for inspiration.

 

When inspiration turns to desperation

Immersing yourself in the works and incredible career trajectories of your professional heroes is a great way to get inspired. Unless the search for inspiration leads instead to the brick wall of existential crisis. How can I ever create anything that could compare with the perfect harmony of a Frank Lloyd Wright? you might lament. How could I possibly have thought I had a shot at this? Trying is a waste of time.  

 

Recognize your individual worth

It is true, you will never be Frank Lloyd Wright or JK Rowlings or Richard Branson. They are all already taken. But they too cannot by you. You have perspectives and ideas that no one else has and there is great value in that.

 

There are valuable contributions only you can make

You chose this field, or as is often the case, the field chose you. You don’t need to be someone else to make a strong, valid contribution. The only person you need to be is you. Putting others in the field aside, what inspired you to want to pursue this endeavor? When you feel intimidated by the success of others, bring yourself back to your starting point. Get re-inspired by you.

 

Take a step everyday toward your goal. Remember, ultimately the only person you ever have to measure up against is yourself. Along the way never know who your work will touch.