Job interview weaknesses Â

Job interview weaknesses   by Amber Rolfe A successful job interview means selling yourself just the right amount…But whilst it might seem simple to focus on your strengths, or get potential interview answers nailed, it’s also important to know what could be considered a weakness by your potential employer â€" because it could be costing you the job.To make sure you’re not accidentally putting your interviewer off, here are five job interview weaknesses, and how you can avoid them:You don’t allow room for improvementNo matter how experienced you are, or what role you’re interviewing for, you should never imply that you’ve reached the peak of your knowledge.Employers are looking for someone who’s willing to adapt and grow in line with their organisation, and a candidate who can’t move on from their current achievements and past work experience is unlikely to give that impression.That’s not to say that you shouldn’t be proud of your career â€" as long as you’re also clear about wher e it’s heading. Link your relevant knowledge back to the role, and explain how your expertise could help their business thrive and grow â€" and you’ll be on the right trackBecause, let’s face it, no-one likes a know-it-all…  You say yes to everything‘The more willing I am, the more employable I’ll be, right…?’Not necessarily. And unless you’re interviewing for an entry-level position or an internship, saying that you’ll do absolutely anything for the sake of any job offer (especially if it’s something that sits outside of your skillset) is unlikely to impress.In fact, it could even demonstrate that you haven’t read the job description correctly, make you seem uninterested in the employer and the position or, worse, just come across a little desperate.So, be honest about your actual skills and expertise, and relate them back to the role. And, if you’re inexperienced in certain tasks, focus on showing a genuine interest in learning more about them.After all, saying yes is only impressive if you can actually follow through…  You’ve over-preparedThe worst thing you can do at an interview is forget to be human.And although preparation is absolutely vital to your success, that doesn’t mean you have to let it hide who you are as a person.So rehearsing your answers word-for-word, memorising a range of facts about the company, and/ or reeling off a scripted response for every question they throw at you, is not an ideal approach.The interviewer wants to see your personality as well as your ability to answer a question â€" and most importantly, they want to be able to have a two-way conversation with you.This means less of the rehearsed question and answer scenarios, and more flowing conversation. That way, everyone has an input, and everyone has an opportunity to learn.  You share the wrong thingsSharing your skills and experience, great. Providing anecdotes to back up those skills, even better. Talking about the recent argument you had w ith your S.O about them forgetting to hoover on Thursday â€" not OK.No matter what it is, bringing up personal topics during an interview will do anything but improve your chances. In other words, there’s a time and a place for everything â€" and in the case of anything but your professional life, it’s not at an interview.If your prospective employer gets the impression that you won’t be able to keep your personal life on the down-low without letting it affect your work (and your colleague’s work), you may be getting a metaphorical red cross next to your application.So no matter how well you think you’re getting along with your interviewer â€" keep your conversation professional.  You say you’re a perfectionistWhen it comes to answering a question about your work-related weaknesses in an interview (see: most terrifying interview question ever) â€" your answer means everything.No matter what type of role you’re interviewing for, this question is likely to come up, so be ing prepared to give a good answer is vital. Instead of pretending you don’t have any (no, you’re not a perfectionist), consider one of your weaknesses, and explain how you’re addressing it.In other words, it was a weakness â€" but it’s in the process of becoming a strength.Not only do you come across proactive, you’ll also draw the interviewer’s attention to something other than the negatives.It’s a win-win.Honourable mentions: you rely too much on buzzwords, you come on too strong, you make it all about you, you badmouth your boss, your career goals don’t match up, you get ahead of yourself.  Still searching for your perfect position? View all available jobs now  Find 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 pr ivacy policy and you will receive emails and communications about jobs and career related topics. Interview Techniques Job interview tips Preparing for an interview

When Writing a Resume, How Many Spaces Between Places of Work?

When Writing a Resume, How Many Spaces Between Places of Work?Writing a resume and presenting it to a job seeker that is simply looking for a position to apply for is one of the more challenging tasks. The process can be intimidating, as the job seeker must take the information, choose a few options and submit the information within the given time frame. What will your resume look like and how many spaces should you include on it? Will your presentation impress the employer?Be sure to provide your full name and your contact information. Use this space to get a professional impression and to make yourself appear knowledgeable about the company or position. Sometimes, using a job title instead of your full name can help to reflect the fact that you are eager to move forward in the employment process.The following guidelines are good guidelines when writing a resume and presenting it to the employer: make sure that you provide your contact information (phone number, email address and ho me or work address) along with your first and last name. Don't forget to include a current salary range if possible. You should also use a name that is unique to your experience or your education.Next, remember that while you may be looking for a job, the employer may not be looking for someone who fits the criteria of an employable position. For example, if the position is sales-oriented, then you may be better off searching for another position. In the same vein, if you're not quite ready to accept a position, try a new career. When it comes to describing your education and experience, make sure that you choose words that convey the message of 'I am eager to learn and improve upon my skills.'Consider adding your job history to the resume. It's always a good idea to give a summary of your work history including dates and titles. If you think you're missing something important, look over your past work history and decide if there is anything that you want to add. This information sh ould not be included if you don't have a good reason for doing so.Employers may ask for a job description before they begin a formal interview process. If you can provide a detailed listing of the duties that you've had with your past employers, this is a great place to include this information. Keep in mind that employers will check your past jobs against what they have available on file. Try to get it down as clearly as possible so that the details are not lost in translation.Keep in mind that employers may be more interested in looking at your educational history than you may think. If you are currently employed but have not completed a degree program, it is likely that your education will be a determining factor when they are evaluating your application. Some employers may be very strict about this and look at your transcript from school. In this case, it may be helpful to list your earned and unearned degrees in your resume.As you can see, there are many ways to make sure that your resume is short and concise when presenting yourself for an interview at a job that is available for an employable position. By following these guidelines, you should be able to put yourself in the best position to get the job.

Personal Branding Weekly - Its No Picnic - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Personal Branding Weekly - Its No Picnic - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career For our readers in the U.S. and Canada, Happy Labor/Labour Day! For many small business owners, it’s time to get back to business. The summertime can be overwhelming.   Juggling kid’s, activities and family reunions/vacations and still be accessible to clients, can take its toll on even the most driven entrepreneurs. Let’s get back to business! Write down what your value proposition is and the problem people avoid by working with you. What are you doing to grow your list of people that you’re connected with? What conferences, workshops, or gatherings do you want to attend? Where do you want to be a year from now? What skills do you need and what do you need to learn to get there? Remember, it’s not just “what” you know. It’s also who you know. Who do you need to reach out to before the year ends who would be a great mentor for you? Who can help you get where you need to go? What networking events (online and offline) do you need to attend to be able to meet with or connect with them. To get focused and back in your business mindset â€" focus on your personal brand and why people do business with you. Bump up your commitment and look at the steps that are needed to make the earning of those goals before the end of 2014, inevitable. And, make time to spend time with people who have experience and expertise in what it is you want to learn. Let’s finish 2014 strong! Here’s our posts from this week that will help you do that. Reliability Trumps Skill and Talent for Workplace Success  by Skip Weisman Why You Need to Marry Marketing to Technology  by Amanda Healy Wow Prospects and Influencers: 3 Social Media Daily Tasks  by Crystal Washington 5 Damaging Career Moves to Avoid  by Glassdoor.com How to be a Great Manager  by Ceren Cubukcu Multiple Choice Leads to Improved Solutions  by Elinor Stutz It’s Counterintuitive for Job Seekers  by Alex Freund Fed Chair Yellen’s Job Market Remarks: A Recruiter’s Perspective  by Skip Freeman How to Upgrade Your Resume, Part 3  by Richard Kirby Give Up The Bloody Fight of Doing it Yourself  by Maria Elena Duron What We Can Learn from The LLWS  by Jeff Shuey 5 Top LinkedIn Features for Personal Brands  by Susan Gilbert Networking Success is About Giving, Not Taking  by Leslie Truex Turn a Scanty Resume into a Winning Marketing Brochure  by Beth Kuhel Do You Have a Plan B for Your Career?  by Marc Miller 5 Steps for Becoming an Indispensable Leader  by Ken Sundheim

6 Ways to Deal with a Lousy Boss

6 Ways to Deal with a Lousy Boss Throughout your career, chances are that youre going to have to contend with a difficult colleague. Though it can be a bit tiresome working alongside someone at a similar level of seniority as you who rattles your cage a bit, there are usually ways that you can resolve these issues without any significant impact on your position in the company. But what can you do if the person whos grinding your gears is your boss? Bad management is one of the most common reasons that employees become unhappy at work or even leave their job altogether. Also when you may love the role you are working in, the workplace can become a toxic environment if you have a poor relationship with your manager. So how exactly can you go about handling a lousy boss? 1) Put yourself in their shoes Try to put yourself in the mindset of your boss and understand why they do what they do. Think about what their role is in the company and what drives them. Some things to consider are what their  key objectives are, what  are their  most important values and what is expected of them. If there is pressure on them  to drive the team to meet specific targets  or to keep the business running smoothly, this burden may be taken out on you as an employee. Once you can see things from your bosss  perspective, you may be able to adapt the way you do things to accommodate their expectations or to at very least tolerate their  moods! 2) Speak up If something is bothering you to the point that it is affecting your work performance or happiness in your job, its best to get it out in the open. Try to catch your boss in private and discuss the issues politely and professionally. Being open about how you feel is a much better option than just sitting and stewing over things that are winding you up and most of the time your boss will appreciate you being honest. You may then be able to work around your differences and come up with a way to resolve the problem. 3) Dont bad mouth your boss to your co-workers As tempting as it may sometimes be when youre feeling worked up, dont whatever you do have anger fuelled rant to your colleagues about everything you dislike about your boss! You never know what might make its way back to them and any concerns about their management style are much better heard from you than second hand. Risking them getting wind of your negative comments can only make your relationship worse, or even get you in trouble. 4) Support your boss and help where you can If you have a poor relationship with your boss you may feel unwilling to help them out, however, in the long run, it will benefit you much more to help them achieve their goals and look good. You can do this by assisting them where possible. If you have noticed that one of their weaknesses is  a lack of organization, you could offer to do their filing for them or remind them of upcoming events on their calendar. If you help to keep things running  smoothly and bring success to the business, you will, in turn, be considered an asset to the company. 5) Dont let it affect your attitude If you allow your bosss behaviour to have a negative influence on your own, you will  become as bad as them. Its easy to develop a sour attitude towards work when you arent happy with the way things are being run, but if you begin to slack off, or your work performance slips, it will only reflect negatively on you. Keep focusing on achieving your best and maintaining positive relationships with the rest of your colleagues. 6) Take a look in the mirror Before you go and place all the blame on your boss, have a look at your own behaviour. Its possible that  you could be held accountable yourself for your poor relationship with your boss. Are you cooperative? Are you completing your work to a good standard? Are you communicating effectively? If you feel it could be partially or even entirely your fault after all, think about what you could do to improve your behaviour and make the changes. Over time you may find that things improve!

How to Write a Great Resume for an Entry Level Position

How to Write a Great Resume for an Entry Level PositionThe best resume writing for an entry level position is not a simple task. There are no simple answers that you can use to write a successful resume for an entry level position. While there are a few general tips you can take in using, they are best used as a general guide for a good resume that will help get you the job you want.First of all, the best resume writing for an entry level position is one that will demonstrate that you have skills that a company needs. You need to make sure you clearly outline your capabilities. This does not mean you use every word or even a lot of words; it means you create a brief and detailed description of your skills. For this reason, you must not include an information overload on your resume.As you should already know, bullet points are a great way to convey information in an easy to read format. For this reason, you should use bullet points to describe your skills as you begin your descriptio n. If you begin your description with a bullet point, you will be able to skip over the other details.Make sure that your key skills are concisely described in order to include them as a bullet point. The most important skill is the one that drives the decision making process that a hiring manager is going to make as he or she reads your resume.In addition to defining your skills, you need to take a look at the company's mission statement. The goal of the company should be well defined and present. This should be included in your resume.Once you have worked through the basics and gotten yourself set up for the initial interview, you should review your resume. Look for areas that could be improved upon. Not only will this ensure you do not lose valuable time on a resume that does not properly describe what you bring to the table, but it will also give you the confidence to send a better resume to the hiring manager.Make sure you thoroughly research the company before sending your res ume to the hiring manager. Many companies are now starting to use online tools to help them find employees. Take advantage of these tools by utilizing them to do some initial research on your own.It should be noted that one of the best resume writing for an entry level position is a resume that shows the potential employer you have already done your homework on the company, your skills, and your background. After reviewing your resume and the many resources available to you, you should be well on your way to being the perfect employee for the company you are applying to.

Career Enhancement Your Complete Guide - CareerEnlightenment.com

Career Enhancement Your Complete Guide Careers are a lifelong construction project with you as site manager. Any patient and mindful individual will know that careers are a lifetime in the making, and that progress can be slow at times, and speedy at others.While sometimes the best advice is to simply bide your time and wait for your opportunity, there are nonetheless things that you can do to help boost your career prospects, enhance your CV, and prepare yourself for roles with greater responsibility, higher pay, and more prestige.You’ll discover how to do that in the points outlined below.  Learning and EducationOne of the fundamental ways in which you can boost your career is also one of the most satisfyingâ€"it’s learning, studying and educating yourself about the things you’re most passionate about and interested in. Education will always be regarded as one of the most important elements of an individual’s working lifeso it’s always worth investing in.But how? Well, there are plenty of ways in which you ca n get back into education. You might choose to undergo a  Six Sigma White Belt  training course, in order to pick up business-specific skills to help you climb the career ladder.Or, you could return to university or college for a master’s degree or a certification that shows off the new skills you’ve gained. Even night classes,  something you can do for years,  will help you single yourself out as a dedicated and exciting prospect for companies to hire. Want to Read More Articles Like This One?Sign up here to receive weekly updates from Career Enlightenment, and never miss another powerful job searching tip! SUBSCRIBE! You have Successfully Subscribed!We hate spam too. Unsubscribe any time. Networking and SocializingWhether you’re long in the tooth or new to the career game, it should be clear to you that all the education and skills in the world will only get you so far.Business and careers are a fundamentally social enterprise, and so you’ll be judged as much by your h andshake and your business conduct as your skills, knowledge and natural intelligence. If you’re unable to  network, you’ll find it difficult to climb the business ladder effectively.As such, a career professional needs to get themselves into the spaces in which they can meet and socialize with new people regularly  including senior office workers, senior industry figures, and the movers and shakers who may, one day, be able to furnish you with a job.Hunt for these opportunities, and capitalize on them, in order to boost your career.  Taking on Extra WorkThis item of advice is a tricky one. On the one hand, you’ll always want to show your worth by arriving to the office early, leaving late, and showing your  complete dedication to the job  at hand. But, on the other hand, you don’t want this huge extra investment to go unnoticed by your superiors.As such, be strategic as to where and when you invest extra resources into your role. Always try harder with an important piece of work for which you’ll be individually judged and pay less attention to those smaller, less important bits of work that you’ll not be judged on.As such, you’ll draw attention to yourself at the right time  and  avoiding the unpleasant feeling of investing in a project for which you get zero recognition.These tips will help you enhance your career and boost your prospects long into the future.

Book review Everybody Matters by Bob Chapman - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

Book review Everybody Matters by Bob Chapman - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog This is simply one of the best new business books Ive read in a LONG?time. What if you ran your organization based on actually, genuinely caring for every single person in it? How would that inform strategy and?leadership and how would it affect?employees and the bottom line? Bob Chapmans leadership at Barry Wehmiller shows what that looks like and it is amazing. Barry Wehmiller is?essentially in the business of buying struggling production companies around the world and?making them happier and more productive by introducing?their processes and culture. They have 8,000 employees in 100 locations around the world in a large variety of businesses and theyre profitable and growing fast. In this short?speech, Bob Chapman?explains their leadership philosophy: The book contains a ton?of powerful lessons that any workplace?could learn from, but for me, these were the 2 most powerful things in the book. 1: Performance focus?- with people first. Of course the company cares about performance, but they realize that people come first.?Chapman shares the story of what happened when a lean consultant came to do a presentation: We scheduled a kickoff meeting in Green Bay with a group of senior leaders to learn about Lean and begin our continuous-improvement journey. On the first afternoon, a consultant gave an opening presentation on Lean. After forty-five minutes, I stood up and walked out of the room in frustration. The presentation was all about justifying bringing Lean tools into an organization because they help add to the bottom line and get more out of people. This will help you get more out of people. Thats when I left the room. Brian followed nervously after me, glancing back to see if the presenter was still speaking. So, whats going on? With fire in my voice, I said, Brian, we are never going to have a Lean journey like that in our organization. We are not going to suck the life out of people and take advantage of them in that way. We are going to build a Lean culture focused on people or were not going to do it at all. I had made it clear that our version of Lean was to be about people. Too many?CEOs would never even catch that. They are steeped in the idea that results come first and processes like Lean are used as a tool?for that purpose. At Barry Wehmiller, Lean has become a tool to make work more fun and meaningful for the employees. And that in turn drives better results, than a direct results focus. 2: No layoffs Your values are tested in hard times. Its a lot easier to be nice and appreciative and people focused when the business is profitable but when?revenue takes a hit and your company is losing money thats when you get a chance to show if you take your values seriously of if theyre just pretty words that you dont really mean. In the books most interesting chapter (for me at least) Chapman discusses what happened when the recession hit them?in 2008. They lost a large amount of business and were faced with?massive pressure from their bank to cut costs. Most companies around the world would not hesitate for a second before enacting layoffs. Its just what you do, despite the fact that evidence shows its actually bad for business. Chapman instead?worked hard to come up with a plan that would ensure the companys survival without laying off a single person which they did. The upshot I HIGHLY?recommend this book. Its a great read and shares not only a great business case but also Chapmans personal story which is interesting in itself. The book?shows that happy workplaces can exist in any industry (even production) and that you can systematically transform bad, failing workplaces into happy successful ones. Provided?you do so with some good structure, great leadership and the basic idea that people deserve to be treated well at work. Related posts How to get?out of a downturn without layoffs Our favorite books about happiness at work Thanks for visiting my blog. If you're new here, you should check out this list of my 10 most popular articles. And if you want more great tips and ideas you should check out our newsletter about happiness at work. It's great and it's free :-)Share this:LinkedInFacebookTwitterRedditPinterest Related