|
Dazzle Interviewers With Your Achievements
Attention Job Seekers: Tasks and Responsibilities are Boooring Ho hum. The interviewer sits there drumming her fingers on the desk trying to look interested while you drone on about your duties and responsibilities at your last position. As you finish up your snore-inducing list of daily tasks, your interviewer jots down next to your name - "Good candidate . . .but nothing special." What happened? You didn't get the job. Even though you felt you were well prepared for this job interview. When the employer asked that common interview question: "What accomplishments are you most proud of?" For lack of a better answer you went into your litany of mundane tasks you know like the back of your hand. However, that's not what the interviewer is looking for. What are your accomplishments? This is the question you must answer when preparing your job interview answers. Interviewers want to hear real accomplishments that you've achieved at school or on the job. This is the new trend in resumes and interviewing. You've got to make an impression on the interviewer and make yourself look like you can initiate projects and get them done successfully. Have you been keeping track of your achievements? If not, start right now. If you've already left the job, then sit down in a quiet place and remember as much as you can. Dig up old emails, memos, awards, etc. to help jog your memory. Next, you'll want to make a list of all of your accomplishments. Achievements are what sets you apart from other job candidates - not tasks and responsibilities. Q: How many managers, administrative assistants, accountants, etc. know how to do an Excel spreadsheet? A: Too many to count. ** How to Make Yourself A Star ** Here's one of the best interview preparation advice tips you're going to get: Always keep a list of your accomplishments so you can access them quickly to use in your resume, cover letter and in the actual interview. What's that? You don't have a list of your star-making achievements? Well, now's the time to make one. Below are several questions designed to bring out the inner achiever in you. They'll give you a jump-start on your quest to give yourself the credit you deserve, and, create a list of accomplishments that you'll be able to share with your interviewer the next time you're asked that frequent interview question: "What accomplishments are you most proud of?" **Job Interview Achievement Skills Questions >>>> In each job, what special things did you do to set yourself apart? How did you do the job better than anyone else did or than anyone else could have done? >>>> What did you do to make each job your own? >>>> How did you take the initiative? How did you go above and beyond what was asked of you in your job description? >>>> What special things did you do to impress your boss so that you might be promoted? >>>> And were you promoted? Rapid and/or frequent promotions can be especially noteworthy. >>>> How did you leave your employers better off than before you worked for them? >>>> Did you win any awards, such as Employee of the Month honors? >>>> What are you most proud of in each job? >>>> Is there material you can use from your annual performance reviews? Did you consistently receive high ratings? Any glowing quotes you can use from former employers? >>>> Have you received any complimentary memos or letters from employers or customers? >>>> What tangible evidence do you have of accomplishments - publications you've produced, products you've developed, software applications you've written? >>>> Think of the "PEP Formula": Profitability, Efficiency, and Productivity. How did you contribute to profitability, such as through sales increase percentages? How did you contribute to efficiency, such as through cost reduction percentages? How did you contribute to productivity, such as through successfully motivating your team? >>>> How did you make your company more competitive? >>>> How did you build relationships or image with internal or external constituencies? How did you attract new customers or retain existing ones? >>>> How did you expand the business? >>>> How did you contribute to the firm's Return on Investment (ROI)? >>>> How did you help the organization fulfill its mission statement? About The Author Copyright 2004 Donna Monday Get Hired Now! Use These Online Interview Tips http://www.get-a-job-interview-quick-tips.com
MORE RESOURCES:
Jobs City of Rochester (.gov)
Careers Washington State University
Careers Gwinnett County Public Schools
JobFeed NSW Department of Education
|
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Career Success Through Self-Marketing
Marketing shouldn't be limited to advertising companies. Finding a job or enhancing your current position requires good self-marketing skills.
Writing Resumes
Use a resume as a foot in the doorWhen you go to college, they don't really teach you how to advance your career. In order to get the jobs you want, you need to know how to write an effective resume that will win you interviews.
Managing Emotions During Career Change and Job Search, Part One
How can you manage your emotions during your career change or job search? To answer this practical and wise question, let's first define what emotions are. Emotions, also commonly referred to as feelings, are energy released in your body in response to perceived events, that is, to data received via your five senses.
Leaders Meet Challenge Heads-UP With Confidence --
Maybe "buck" is better referred to as the Boss' Challenge. Business owners are faced with making lots of decisions - some quickly made - others take more time with greater consequences.
Whats Stopping You from Getting Your Next, Good Job?
This question comes up often when I'm working with someone to help them move forward in finding their next job.What is it that compels people to stay "stuck"?1.
Free Resume Examples: More Is Better
If you ever studied any probability theory in high school or college, you probably remember the marbles.Most introductory probability books talk about drawing different colored marbles out of a bag.
Useless Resume Objectives
What's wrong with an objective on a resume? The problem with objectives on resumes is that a typical objective is self-centered and self-serving; therefore, it is useless. Instead of an objective, use a power statement.
Your Job Search Is A Marketing Campaign (Part 2)
Here's a continuation of my article from a few months back on how the successful job search is really just a personal marketing campaign.To recap, the same marketing techniques that have sell billions of dollars worth of products and services on TV, in print and via direct mail can also help you find a job.
Telephone Job Interview Preparation Tips
TELEPHONE INTERVIEW BACKGROUNDTelephone interviews are quite common in today's job market.They are offered for a variety of reasons including cost savings,screening of candidates and out-of-town applicants.
How To Write A Resume, Avoid These Resume Mistakes
HOW TO WRITE A RESUME-MISTAKE #1NEVER USE THE WRONG PAPER!What kind of paper should you choose when typing your resume? The color of paper you will want to use will be white or ivory. You will also want to type your resume on a heavier paper, such as a 20 lb.
How to Transform a Boring Note Into A Killer Cover Letter - Part II
In Part I, we covered how to grab the reader's attention with the opening sentence. Nowwe'll get them interested, arouse desire, and get them to take action.
Pair Your Powerful Resume with a Great Cover Letter
Every great resume deserves a great cover letter.A cover letter is crucial because it's the first thingthe hiring manager sees.
Self Describing Skills - Key Strengths
You need to be the best you can at describing your best qualities; particularly your key strengths. In my coaching practice I generally, at some point, ask my client: "What are you good at?" purely as a means to establish if they have already thought through this most important question.
The Right Way To Send Your Resume
Having a great resume is the first critical step in a successful job search. Unfortunately, most people don't know the best ways to get that resume noticed.
How Long Does It Take To Write A Resume?
Many people can easily write a resume in just a couple of hours. They can do this by following a resume sample and just writing their information in place of the sample.
Job Interviews: Use the Personal Touch to Get a Job
A study conducted by the Journal of Consumer Research in 1995 showed that sales people who used their prospects' names generated a 239% increase in sales. In today's fast-paced world, that personal touch is even more important.
How to Improve Your Work Situation
buWhy are so many people unhappy in their work situation? Why do people, who are successful at one career, have such difficult times coping with their new career? These problems frequently occur, because conflicts exist in their work relationships.Relationships between you and your work can also be considered the "games of work.
Old Hiring Foxes vs. The Hedgehogs
You are about to compete for the best people again. The recovery is happening.
Working as a Knowledge Worker in the Information Age
The old adages: "It's not what you know, but who you know" and "High Tech, High Touch" could be the mottos of knowledge workers in the 21st Century.Never before in the history of the world has both networking and interpersonal communication been potentially easier, broader, more wide-spread and paradoxically, more difficult.
Resume Writing Tips
Make sure that your resume is up to date with your latest job experience and educational accomplishments. Have a friend or relative evaluate your resume to see if it is clear, consistent, and fairly represents your skills and experience.
|