So, Why Don't You Tell Me About Yourself?Written by Linda Matias
"So, why don't you tell me about yourself?" is most frequently asked interview question. It's a question that most interviewees expect and one they have most difficulty answering. Though one could answer this open- ended question in a myriad of ways, key to answering this question or any other interview question is to offer a response that supports your career objective. This means that you shouldn't respond with comments about your hobbies, spouse, or extra curricular activities. Trust me, interviewers aren't interested.Interviewers use interview process as a vehicle to eliminate your candidacy. Every question they ask is used to differentiate your skills, experience, and personality with that of other candidates. They want to determine if what you have to offer will mesh with organization's mission and goals. If answered with care, your response to question, "So, why don't you tell me about yourself?" could compliment interviewers needs as well as support your agenda. This is a question you should be prepared to answer as opposed to attempting to "wing it". Follow four easy steps outlined below to ensure your response will grab interviewers attention. 1. Provide a brief introduction. Introduce attributes that are key to open position. Sample introduction: During my 10 years' of experience as a sales manager, I have mastered ability to coach, train, and motivate sales teams into reaching corporate goals. 2. Provide a career summary of your most recent work history. Your career summary is "meat" of your response, so it must support your job objective and it must be compelling. Keep your response limited to your current experience. Don't go back more than 10 years. Sample career summary: Most recently, at The Widget Corporation, I was challenged with turning around a stagnant territory that ranked last in sales in Northeastern region. Using strategies that have worked in past, I developed an aggressive sales campaign that focused on cultivating new accounts and nurturing existing client base. The results were tremendous. Within six months my sales team and I were able to revitalize territory and boost sales by 65%.
| | Take This Job and...Re-staff ItWritten by Linda Matias
Deciding to leave a job isn't easy. In fact, quitting a job requires courage, especially in today's soft economy when unemployment rate has reached 6.4%. However, in a tight job market, some people consider leaving their jobs without having another "lined up".When after a careful evaluation of emotional and financial considerations you determine that leaving your job is your best option, you may find that you will have a hard time getting support from your family, friends and colleagues. The moment you tell others that you are considering leaving your job, their immediate reaction will be, "Don't leave your job if you don't have another to go to." Yes. The ideal situation is to leave a job when you have a perfect career opportunity. But life doesn't always hand you a magic bullet. Sometimes you have to take a risk, and that's when conventional wisdom must be put aside to improve prospects for your career. Your decision to leave should be based on expectation that better opportunities await you. You may be ready to move on when: * The organization's culture has shifted, and no longer matches your work values. * You have outgrown your position, and only way you will get promoted is if someone leaves. * The price of staying (e.g., increased anxiety and loss of self-esteem) is greater than price of leaving. * You no longer care about company, and it is reflected in way you perform your job.
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