If travel is high on your list of ‘things to do before I die', start small. Research different attractive destinations and take long weekends (3 or maybe 4 days). Get your feet wet! Then as time and money permits, you can take that ‘world traveler' trip you are dreaming about.

Remember: no one ever said, on their deathbed, ‘Gee I wish I had spent more time at office'!

Barbara Kenzik is a sales rep for Coastal Vacations, a travel and leisure company. She loves to travel and talking to people about travel. If you would like to find out more about Coastal Vacations' 3 and 4 day vacation packages, visit www.coastalsuccess.com/barbara or email bkenzik@bellsouth.net

IN PROCESS

Present a weakness as “in process,” i.e., “In moving into management, I’ve realized becoming an excellent manager is a lifelong proposition, and I’m always eager to strengthen my skills.”

Other suggestions (in an organization large enough to offer training): ·Cold calls. Do you have training in this? ·Computer skills. Seems like there’s always something new I want to learn. ·Excel. Haven’t had opportunity to use it much. ·Trade shows. Will I get a chance to learn this?

There’s no reason to serve up your weakness without a little whipped cream on top!

AVOID SAYING:

·I’ve been told that I’m weak at managing people ·I’m hopeless on telephone ·My last boss said I wasn’t good at

You can also use phrases such as

·Like most people who work for nonprofits, I’m sometimes too soft-hearted. ·Because of my military career, I’ll need to learn some new vocabulary.

PUT SOME THINGS EASILY REMEDIABLE

·PowerPoint. Never had access to it. ·Public speaking. Have only given about 10 speeches. ·Grant management, financial. The last place I worked, bookkeeper did that. ·Keyboard speed. ·Training others. Would love to learn more. ·Making sales calls. My partner did that.

SELF AWARENESS

When you’re asked about your strengths and weaknesses, it’s also to find out how much you know about yourself.

If you're applying for a position you've never held before, and they ask why they should hire you without that experience, you can say, “This job would put me on my growing edge. That’s why I want it.”

Saying it’s on your growing edge shows many things, including fact that you have one, and that’s something of great value to most employers – someone who’s willing and eager to learn new things, welcomes challenges and is resilience.

AUTHENTICITY

If you don’t want a job requiring that you make cold calls, stick with it. If you refuse to learn yet another computer program, say so. If you don’t want to be a manager, say so and eliminate possibility they’ll be grooming you for a management position.

But if you don’t intend to work for a woman/man/star-bellied sneech again, look at it this way. If you put this on your resume, first of all it throws up a flag – “And what else will he refuse to do? He’s too picky, too opinionated.”

And secondly, why eliminate yourself out starting gate? You could be offered a job meeting your requirements. Remember, you’re always free to refuse a job that’s offered, but you’re never free to accept one that isn’t.

Of course be truthful. Don't misrepresent yourself – your degrees, your former jobs, or anything else. It’s not right thing to do, and it can have repercussions later on.

Emotional Intelligence is about Intentionality, Personal Power, thinking ahead, putting yourself in other person’s place, and not shooting yourself in foot.