2.Work smart and fast. If you're slow on computer, increase your skills. If you pace yourself or spread your work out through day, don't. If you don't have time to train someone to help you, make time. The more you can leverage yourself and more work that you produce, more valuable an asset you become. Invest in yourself.

3.Choose making progress over being busy. Spend a day answering emails, reading mail, completing miscellaneous and unimportant tasks, and at end of day you're no further along on your important work than when you started. Sure, those recurring tasks need to be done, too. But choose first to make progress, then do recurring tasks, not other way around or you'll find there's no time left for big stuff that offers a better return on your investment.

Want to be winning at working? Invest your personal capital wisely and you'll find your ROI compounding year after year and your career stock rising.

(c) 2005 Nan S. Russell. All rights reserved.

In many cases, this is a bigger problem in candidate’s mind than in interviewer’s. You might assume that interviewer is casting aspersions on your managerial skills or business abilities.

Actually, his concern may be very different. He might be worried that you’ll get bored or restless in a corporate job and decide to strike out on your own again. Therefore, it’s best to ask questions to find out what specific concern is. That way, you’ll be addressing right concern.

When replying, focus on how you exercised initiative and demonstrated drive as well as tolerance for risk and ambiguity. Talk about whatever success you had and what you learned from experience. Make it abundantly clear that you have satisfied your entrepreneurial urges and are more than willing to settle into a corporate job.

Objection #4: You seem overqualified for job

There are two possible objections here. One, they might be saying that you may want more money than they’re ready to pay. Second, they might be implying you will get bored and leave for greener pastures soon.

Both these objections may come into play if you’re making a career change.

If money is issue, explain why you don’t mind taking a pay-cut. Talk about how you’re making a career transition and are perfectly willing to accept lower pay. You might even back this up explaining how you have worked out a new personal budget that’ll allow you to be comfortable at lower pay. Also talk about non-monetary factors that give you job satisfaction.

For second objection, best way out is to detail how you have done lots of research on your new career choice before committing to it. If some of tasks in your previous jobs that were similar to what you’ll be doing in your new assignment, explain how you did those tasks without complaints. That should alleviate concerns employer might have about your getting bored in new job.

Anticipate objections and prepare short, to-the-point responses in advance. At job interview, answer objections in a confident, calm manner, taking care to uncover real objection first. Those are keys to dealing with interview curve balls!