Also take responsibility for your knowledge. Time and time again I hear following: “Well, my company won’t pay for class, so I’m not going to take class.”

I say to that, “Find way to gain knowledge!” There are too many educational options not to have knowledge. Whether you pay for it yourself, receive online training, volunteer, etc., there are ways to receive knowledge.

Remember, once you receive knowledge it is your knowledge to take anywhere you go in life.

3. Communication. Communicate, communicate, and communicate. Talking is one half of communication process. Listening is other and sometimes most important part of communication process. Listening means being open-mined to new ideas.

Communication also means learning how to give and receive feedback. Giving feedback means giving feedback that is honest and fair and leaves person wanting to do better. Receiving feedback means information given to you, and it may include questions for clarity and understanding about what needs to be done.

Communication is also good follow-up with employees and management. Do you inform your managers or co-workers about process or changes in project on which you are working?

4. Appreciation. Appreciate to motivate others. Be accountable for your words. Once you say something, it’s hard to take it back.

Show and give praise to others in workplace. Work at finding them doing something good and praise them (Read my article Appreciate to Motivate.). The more you do this, more you will tear down barriers and motivate others in workplace.

5. Solutions. Be a solution creator, not a problem dictator. Anyone can find problems; but employee who can find a problem or challenge and create a solution is an employee that can write his/her own ticket for success. Take it upon yourself to be a part of solution and not a part of problem.

Ask yourself these questions: * What is positive that can come out of this challenge? * What will I learn from this challenge? * What are some solutions I can present? * How will I present my solutions so that organization sees immediate benefits?

Apply these techniques and you, too, will become perfect employee.

Follow Rule of Three. As important as practice is in preparing for an interview, far too many of us overdo it. Trying to be perfect, we end up giving answers that are stilted or overly long. Remember then that your answer needn’t be perfect (if such a thing exists at all), only plausible. And to help convey that sense of plausibility, I suggest trying to give your answer in only three parts. For example, you might start by saying, “First, I would …,” and “Then, I would …," and “Finally, I believe it would be best if …”

When you follow Rule of Three, it becomes relatively simple to build answers that sound believable as you go along, are not too long, and are easier for interviewer to remember.

Obviously, there are many other things to study and internalize if you are to interview well, but in a pinch, just remembering three suggestions above will help enormously.