Pre-Interview Prep

Pre-Interview Prep If youve been applying for jobs, now is the perfect time to do your pre-interview prep.  Its never too early to start  preparing answers to job interview questions.   There are standard questions you can expect to be asked during a job interview. These questions are designed to see if you have the skills and interest to be a good fit for the job. You can begin thinking about these answers and prepare your responses today. Cramming for a job interview isnt the best idea. You want to come across confidently qualified during the interview and that takes practice and time. As part of your pre-interview prep, review the questions below and start preparing your general answers. These job interview questions are grouped by what the interviewer wants to know. About your application What made you apply for this role? Why do you want to work for this organization? Why do you feel you’d be suited to this role? Questions about your career choices and decisions What made you enter this [industry/profession]? What’s the biggest highlight of your career to date? Why was it a highlight? What’s your biggest career mistake to date? What did you learn from this mistake? Where do you see your career going in 3 years (…or 5 years, 10 years time) Questions about each of your roles What made you take that particular role on? What were your reasons for leaving that particular role? What did you deliver in each of your roles? Can you quantify these achievements? Questions about you What  type of work  have you enjoyed the most? What was it about them that you enjoyed? What types of work have frustrated you the most? What was it about them that was frustrating? What are your strengths? Can you provide me with a specific example to back each of them up? What are your  weaknesses? What are you doing about them? How would you describe your personality and working style? What’s unique about you? How are you different to all the other people we’re meeting? Behavioral Job Interview Questions Then there are behavioral job interview questions Tell me about a time when you had a disagreement with your manager. Describe a stressful situation at work and how you handled it. Give me an example of a time when you were able to successfully persuade someone to see things your way at work. You can see a list of more behavioral interview questions here.  popular behavior based job interview questions There is a trick to answering these questions. You use the acronym STAR. STAR Stories Each of your answers should use a STAR story. And its really important to use quantifiable information in the results part of your story! Try really hard to quantify  the productivity, efficiency, performance or outcome of your actions. Situation what was going on (Briefly stated) Task what was it that had to happen Actions step by step, what did YOU do Results what happened because you did what you did It isnt enough to just think about your answers or write them down. YOU MUST practice these answers out loud.   Your answer sounds different when spoken than it does in your head or when youve written it out. Review The Job Posting- Again Youve already thoroughly reviewed the job posting when you created your resume. But dig out the job description again and review each requirement and develop a STAR story to provide proof you meet that requirement. Want more interviewing help? For more pre-interview prep help, plus tips to improve what you do during and after the job interview, get a copy of Do I Want This Job

10 most read posts in May - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

10 most read posts in May - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog These are the 10 most read posts in may on this site: 1. Cool name wanted 2. Selling fish in Seattle and having fun 3. Generosity in action 4. Happiness at work marches on 5. Book review: The fifth discipline 6. 100 things about me 7. How Denmark won the 1992 european soccer championship 8. Book review: The fifth discipline fieldbook 9. Book review: Pattern recognition 10. Book review: Getting to yes It seems that my readers interests are pretty varied, or maybe different people just read this blog for wildly different reasons. Who knows and Im certainly happy either way :o) Thanks to everyone who reads this, its a pleasure to share with you. Thanks for visiting my blog. If you're new here, you should check out this list of my 10 most popular articles. And if you want more great tips and ideas you should check out our newsletter about happiness at work. It's great and it's free :-)Share this:LinkedInFacebookTwitterRedditPinterest Related

Tips for Helping Your Adult Child Develop a Noticeable Cover Letter - Hallie Crawford

Tips for Helping Your Adult Child Develop a Noticeable Cover Letter A resume is a great first step to finding a new job. But whether your adult son or daughter is fresh to the job market or is a relatively seasoned professional who needs to make a fresh start, there’s more to the job search process than just a great-looking resume. Many job hunters discount the importance of the cover letter that accompanies the resume â€" or overlook its importance entirely. Remind your young adult that a solid cover letter is key it is their first chance to communicate with their potential boss or employer. Offer these tips to your son or daughter to help them along when writing a compelling cover letter: He/she should be specific and articulate their relevant knowledge He/she should specifically address the position for which they hope to land an interview He/she should explain specifically how their skills and experience qualify them for the job Further encourage your adult child to refrain from sending the general ‘mass mail,’ all-purpose types of resumes and cover letters, as they generally end in the recycle bin. Talk to them directly about putting some serious effort into a well-thought-out cover letter. Let them know that the time is well spent. After all, the cover letter is a reflection of them â€" it offers the first impression to a prospective employer, of who they are and whether they are qualified to land an interview. Help them make it count! Contact me to discuss my articles, career testing or my coaching programs and group coaching. Career Coach for Young Adults

Having Trouble Writing Job Duties on a Resume Features

Having Trouble Writing Job Duties on a Resume Features Before you compose a work description, you have to understand what you're searching for. Don't have the proper skills, and you may lose out on your perfect job prospect. Don't forget, the upside is receiving the job that you want, so spending a little more effort is well worth it. If you're not content at your present job, look at changing it. If you want to compose a good resume that may help you raise your probability of getting hired, you're in the appropriate place. If you attempt to rush things, it may bring about more mistakes and you may overlook some essential things. Spend some time contemplating your previous experience and the way you are able to relate it to the job in question. If you're having trouble recalling all your duties and accomplishments from a prior job, you'll have to jog your memory a little. Ideas, Formulas and Shortcuts for Having Trouble Writing Job Duties on a Resume Each work experience consists of necessary facts, like the work title and the dates of employment. If you give your recruiter a work description that's lacking information, they could need to re-write it. Just take a look at the work description, in case you have this, and customize your resume accordingly. In the event the work description is unclear, it may be because you don't know the perfect candidate you require. What's Actually Happening with Having Trouble Writing Job Duties on a Resume The logistics manager is only going to scan your resume for 6 seconds, the very first time around. As an overall guideline, a resume should include a single page for every 10 decades of work experience. The War Against Having Trouble Writing Job Duties on a Resume You might think about hiring a recruiter to assist with the hiring process steps. The main reason is that although the job descriptions seem the exact same for certain positions, every provider differs. A work description is an advertisement that contributes to applications. An employee job description should consist of information on the subject of the duties you expect potential employees to be in a position to do. If you don't meet the requirements, you just won't be considered. Even if your work description includes all of the information on the open job, you will likely still receive applications which don't meet the requirements. Instead, you will highlight relevant abilities and achievements from previous work in the neatly-aligned bullet points. If you're asking for a job which has unique requirements, you might need another edition of your resume to completely demonstrate your qualifications. How did your job duties help or increase the organization's capacity to operate. As you list your abilities and experience, consider how they've benefited employers before. Every employer would like you to be passionate about what you do. It's simpler than ever to find your prospective employer and the team mem bers on social networking. Finding the Best Having Trouble Writing Job Duties on a Resume Writing your resume and cover letter are only the very first actions in the employment approach. Your career advisor will be able to help you review your resume and cover letter and make the very best version to submit. When writing bullet points it's important to go beyond just your duties at work. It's very likely that you would like to be successful in writing a great resume but you might not be sure of where to get started.

4 Cs To Career Success - Work It Daily

4 Cs To Career Success - Work It Daily Creating the life and career success you want and deserve is simple common sense. It’s not hard, but you need to do it right. First, focus on the four C's of success: clarity, commitment, confidence, and competence. 1. Clarify The Purpose And Direction For Your Life And Career Create clarity by figuring out what success means to you personally. Create clarity by creating a vivid mental image of yourself as a success. Create clarity by determining your personal values. 2. Commit To Taking Personal Responsibility For Your Life And Career Take personal responsibility for your life and career success. Take personal responsibility by setting and achieving high goals. Take personal responsibility by choosing to react positively to the people and events in your life; especially the negative ones. 3. Build Unshakeable Self-Confidence Build your confidence by choosing to be optimistic. Build your confidence by facing your fears and acting. Build your confidence by surrounding yourself with positive people. Build your confidence by finding a mentor to help you create your success. Build your confidence by sharing your knowledge and wisdom through mentoring others. Get competent: create positive personal impact, become an outstanding performer, become a dynamic communicator, build strong relationships. 4. Positive Personal Impact Create positive personal impact by creating and nurturing your unique personal brand. Create positive personal impact by being impeccable in your presentation of self; in person and on line. Create positive personal impact by knowing the following basic rules of business etiquette. Outstanding Performance Become an outstanding performer by keeping your skills up to date by becoming a lifelong learner. Become an outstanding performer by learning to manage your time and life. Become an outstanding performer by living a healthy life style. Dynamic Communication Become a dynamic communicator by demonstrating strong conversation skills. Become a dynamic communicator by writing clearly and succinctly. Become a dynamic communicator by mastering public speaking skills. Relationship Building Build relationships through self awareness. Use this knowledge to better understand others. Build relationships by paying it forward; give with no expectation of return. Build relationships by using conflict to strengthen, not weaken, relationships with the important people in your life. Photo Credit: Shutterstock Have you joined our career growth club?Join For Free!

Truck Driver Training Take No Shortcuts!

Truck Driver Training Take No ShortcutsThe greatest threat to the trucking industry today isnt automation or poorly maintained roadsits the devaluing of quality driver training by trucking companies. Smart-Tucking.com highlights this disturbing trend, and what can be done to reverse it. googletag.cmd.push(function() googletag.display(div-gpt-ad-1472832551951-0) ) Its a sad truthsome trucking companies would rather spend their money on the latest technological bells and whistles to avoid expensive accidents than invest in qualified, well-trained drivers. Sure, crash warning alert systems, anti-rollover systems, and speed limiting and monitoring technologies are great steps toward an accident-free highway, but it shouldnt come at the expense of forgetting the fundamentalsgreat drivers.Truckers are mora than just warm bodies behind the wheelthey are skilled professionals that are tasked with making key decisions on the road, ensuring that precious cargo arrives on time and in tact. Man y smaller companies are more apt to recognize the value of driver training, which might be why their accident rates are often far lower than the big companiesBottom line Poorly trained drivers are a bad investment. Sure, it may be a quick way for companies to divert their cash into other areas, but anything that puts the safety of truckersand their fellow drivers on the roadat risk is a bad idea. Proper training will help save lives and make the roads safer for everyone. Whats more important and valuable than that?

Sleep App 4 Of The Best To Help You Catch Those Zzzs

Sleep App 4 Of The Best To Help You Catch Those Zzzs Youve probably already heard and been alarmed by the scary statistics that show just how many of ussuffer from sleep disordersorchoose to stay up far too late.As a result, lots of women have been looking for ways to improve their own sleep cycle.Of course, one of the major culprits causing our collective lack of rest is the blue light emanating from all of the devices we seem to have permanently glued to our hands. But what if you wanted to use your device to actually help you get to sleep (or to have better sleep) instead? Whether you need an alarm clock or some ambient sounds to help you get more shuteye, here are four of the best sleep apps available right now.1. Sleep Cycle alarm clockThe Sleep Cycle alarm clock app tracks your movements in order to determine where you are in your 90-minute sleep cycles. This can either be done by using your microphone or by using the phone accelerometer a device in your phone that measures m ovement or vibrations which requires you to place the phone on your mattress. (Safety note do NOT place your phone beneath your pillow or under a thick mattress.)When it reaches your chosen alarm time, the app begins to gently wake you during the lightest sleep state of your last sleep cycle. Its called a wake up leiter and it lasts about 30 minutes in order to rouse you as gently as possible.The Sleep Cycle app also features two different snooze options the intelligent snooze, which allows you to snooze through your wake up phase or a more traditional regular snooze, which lets you choose to snooze for one to 20 minutes, as many times you like. It also works in airplane mode, if youre concerned about a late-night call or text disturbing you when youre asleep.Available in the App Store and on Google Play.2. Relax MelodiesIf you need a few gentle sounds to lull you to sleep, you may want to give this app a try. Inspired after one of the creators suffered insomnia due to tinnitus, th e app allows users to create and add their own soundscapes to the apps guided meditations. It draws from more than 100 different relaxing sounds, from white noise to soothing melodies. You can either opt to listen to your mix all night, or you can set the timer to end at a specific time. If you struggle with sleep apnea or are a light sleeper, this is a good iPhone app for you to try.Available for iPhone and Android.3. Sleep CalculatorThis one isnt exactly an app, but it is a personal favorite. I first heard about this website from a guest on the Another Round podcast and it has been a lifesaver. Basically, you just decide when you want to sleep and when you want to wake , and the Sleep Calculator tells you the optimal time to go to bed in order to wake between one of your 90-minute sleep cycles. This way, you rely less on your alarm clock and you feel more rested when you wake up.The goal is to departure trying to fall asleep at least 15 minutes before your record bedtime, as it ta kes the average person that long to fall asleep. It has definitely helped me determine an appropriate bedtime for myself on multiple occasions and definitely improved my sleep quality.Available online.4. Sleep Better Sleep TrackerThis tracking app helps you determine which waking activities affect the quality of your sleep. One of the many health and fitness-related apps created by Runtastic, the app not only tracks your sleep, but features a smart alarm, keeps track of which daily habits impact your sleep and reviews your sleep statistics to make sure that youre getting enough rest.However, my favorite feature by far is the Dream Notes, which allows you to keep up with your dreams. As a person with an active imagination who tends to have her fair share of nightmares, this helps me out a lot when Im trying to remember what dream symbols to look up the next morning.Available in the App Store and on Google Play.Bonus tip if you have bad dreams as often as I do, dream dictionaries are a must. They help me determine what my sleeping brain is trying to suss out, and turn say, a terrifying nightmare about all of my teeth falling out into much-less-scary warnings about the perils of burnout. Its definitely easier to get back to sleep when you have even a vague understanding of what your subconscious is trying to unpack.So, if youre interested in improving your sleep quality, head to the app store ASAP. With each sleep app, youll be able to better understand your sleep cycle and finally get a good nights sleep.Sweet dreams--Lauren McEwen is an Atlanta-based freelancer and the social media manager for Hermione Granger and the Quarter Life Crisis.