Category Archives: Changing Your Life
December 13, 2011 How to Explain your Weaknesses during an Interview
By Margaret Smith
SPEAKER | CAREER COACH | CERTIFIED INSIGHTS DISCOVERY PRACTITIONER
“What is one of your weaknesses?” This is a question we’ve all been asked during interviews. It’s not an easy question to answer. But, because you know it’s coming, you can take the time to prepare a response that is graceful, honest, and effective.
Preparation is your key to handling this question in a way that boosts your impact during the interview. Sharing your challenges and flaws—the very things that make you human—can actually help you to come off as a more human, real person.
Joe Grimm of the Pynter Institute, an organization dedicated to integrity in journalism, suggests that interviewees faced with this question should always be honest, and avoid mentioning character flaws because they seldom change. Instead, mention areas where you’re determined to improve. Consider saying something such as, “I’m not as excel-savvy as I’d like to be, but I’m currently improving my skills through internet tutorials.” Never mention strengths as weaknesses.
As with everything, there’s a reasonable limit to the extent of your honest response to this difficult question. In an article about responding to the “weakness question” published in The Washington Post, Heidi McAllister, a local environmental educator who has hired dozens of professionals into government and nonprofit organizations explains that you should be honest, but don’t sabotage yourself. “No one realistically expects to get brutally honest answers like, ‘I’m below average intelligence and difficult to work with.’”
Even though this question may solicit the skewed truth, employers ask it because it helps reveal “whether applicants possess key qualities such as self-awareness, humility, sincerity, zest, and skill in managing shortcomings and mistakes,” says Washington Post journalist Lily Whiteman.
Don’t overthink your response to the point that you panic and don’t have one. As Whiteman reminds us, the worst responses are “I don’t know” and the comical “I have no weaknesses.”
CareerBuilder, the popular job seeker’s resource, outlines this trying question as an opportunity for applicants to demonstrate that they “can think creatively.” Instead of giving a sterile and lifeless response, consider your weaknesses with an attention to “how you have attempted to overcome them,” then weave these proactive actions into your response.
As a final touch, cater your response to the position and organization to which you are applying. Debra Yergen, author of “Creating Job Security Resource Guide”, recommends job seekers imagine themselves sitting on the other side of the desk. Anticipate the motivation and interests of the interviewer when selecting your response and personal story.
Do you have questions about developing your career, business, or landing the job of your dreams? Would your career benefit from informed advice about finding more customers and building a network that gives back? Contact UXL Today to transform the future of your business or career through guided professional coaching.
Tags: "What are your weaknesses?", How to Answer the Question, How to Explain Your Weaknesses, How to Interview Well, Interview tips from a career coach
December 8, 2011 10 Things to Do AFTER the Interview
By Margaret Smith, UXL
SPEAKER | CAREER COACH | CERTIFIED INSIGHTS DISCOVERY PRACTITIONER
I’ve written and spoken a lot about the tactics for interview preparation and performance that will give you a competitive edge. But there are things you can do after the interview that might up your chances of getting that “We would like to offer you the position” phone call.
These 10 tips for interview follow-up from careerbuilder.com are great reminders of the little steps that can generate huge results:
1. Show that You Are Still Interested:
As I often remind workshop attendees and my coaching clients, you have got to ask for the job at the end of the interview. Make a statement such as, “I would really like to contribute to this company and I hope you select me.” And don’t forget to gather a clear idea of what will happen next in the hiring process. Will there be another interview? When should you expect a call back?
2. Set the Stage for Further Contact:
Don’t let your silence as days pass be interpreted as indifference. Before leaving the interview, find out what the employer prefers in terms of checking in.
3. Be Punctual:
If you’ve made any promises, such as forwarding a list of references, make sure you do it in a timely manner to demonstrate your seriousness and professionalism.
4. Know When to Sit Tight:
If the interviewer requests that you follow up by phone in a week, respect this request. Calling or emailing any sooner could come off as pushy and disrespectful.
5. Send a Thank You Note:
A positive, thoughtful way to remain in an employer’s mind is to send a handwritten thank you note after the interview. I’ve even heard some professionals suggest that bringing a card to fill out in the lobby post-interview to drop at the front desk is a quick and original touch.
6. Send Each Interviewer a Personalized, Powerful Follow-up Letter:
In this letter, include specific references to each person you met and tie your accomplishments directly to the company’s stated challenges, suggests Ford L. Myers, career coach and author of “Get the Job You Want, Even When No One’s Hiring”.
7. Address one of the Company’s Needs:
Companies are interested in hiring people who will not only adopt their tried-and-true business tactics, but who will also answer some of their pressing business challenges. Consider creating a proposal on how you would address one of the company’s weaknesses or areas of possible expansion.
8. Keep Thinking and Learning about the Company:
Don’t stop researching the company and its field just because the interview is over. Continuing to learn gives you something substantial to contribute to any follow-up conversations and demonstrates your interest in the opening.
9. Leverage Outside Resources:
Networking should never stop. “If you have contacts and connections with anyone who might influence the hiring decision, or who actually knows the interviewer, ask her to put a good word in for you,” Myers says.
10. Accept Rejection with Grace:
Never burn bridges when facing the message, “We regret to inform you that we’ve decided to go with another candidate.” Keep your response positive and even consider sending a thank-you email or letter thanking the employer for the opportunity and the follow-through.
Do you have questions about developing your career, business, or landing the job of your dreams? Would your career benefit from informed advice about finding more customers and building a network that gives back? Contact UXL Today to transform the future of your business or career through guided professional coaching.
Tags: Career Coach Advice, How to Interview, Interview Follow-up, Job Hunt Advice, Things to Do After the Interview, What to Do After the Interview
December 5, 2011 The Decline of Fulltime and the Rise of the “Joblet”
By Margaret Smith, UXL
SPEAKER | CAREER COACH | CERTIFIED INSIGHTS DISCOVERY PRACTITIONER
According to an article titled “The Joblet Recovery” in INC. Magazine, “48 percent of Americans believe that since the financial crisis, we have become more capable of starting our own businesses.” The fact that people, post-economic slump, have gotten creative in their effort to make a living is undeniable. I, sitting here at my home office, am a living, breathing example of it. Every week I come into contact with dozens of professionals that have struck off on their own and now work as entrepreneurs, E-lancers, freelancers, and contract laborers instead of their former 9-5 employment.
In response to the market’s elimination of jobs and hesitation to reinstate new full-time positions, people all over the country are finding themselves in a situation where they’re required to wear many hats and learn to market themselves and their skills. Instead of focusing on the set list of skills they used at their previous post, individuals have begun to pursue handfuls of “joblets” that utilize a plethora of skills.
A huge part of an individual’s success as a freelancer, contract worker, or entrepreneur has to do with their ability to land a job or client. Individuals are no longer able to focus solely on their skills as they search for work. Instead, they are required to develop their ability to market themselves.
Learning to market yourself is not an easy task—not everyone has had professional sales experience, nor have they necessarily spent a lot of time on personal branding. Because of this, I have decided to share 3 important don’ts of selling that were recently published in INC. Magazine that may help the burgeoning group of self-employers to up their game:
Three things you never want to do—if you want to close (from INC. Magazine)
Do Not Dump Your Marbles on the Table:
When you enter a preliminary meeting it’s easy to be intimidated and your natural inclination may be to “get it all out,” as John Deal explains. Instead, Deal urges you “introduce yourself, and listen and figure out why they think they’re there and why you’re there.” Never recreate what’s on a brochure or become an “infomercial guy”. Get people talking to create partnerships.
Do Not Work So Hard Closing that You Close the Door:
Even if the deal does not go through, it is essential that you work to keep these potential customers or clients as advocates of your business. Deal explains that he maintains this relationship by sending Christmas cards and inviting people to receive his newsletter. “You’re making them part of your team instead of being a customer,” he says.
Do Not Be Afraid to Recommend Someone Else’s Business or Product:
Recognize when you may not fit the needs of a potential client and refrain from trying to reshape their needs to a service you offer. If you make a practice of referring them to others, you make friends in the industry. As Deal reminds us, your competitor might eventually do the same for you. If you put the best interest of your customer first, you’ll make money.”
Do you have questions about developing your brand, career, or business? Would your career benefit from informed advice about finding more customers and building a network that gives back? Contact UXL Today to transform the future of your business or career through guided professional coaching.
Tags: Career Coaching, Don'ts of Selling, Inc Magazine, Joblet, Margaret Smith, UXL
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