Paralegal Jobs
Many paralegals find work to be rewarding and interesting. Paralegals come from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences. For example, some recent college graduates work as paralegals as they seek to learn whether working as a lawyer would be for them. Other recent college graduates work as paralegals temporarily to earn money and build their resumes. Law firms also employ paralegal veterans who have made a career of the profession. Approximately 70 percent of paralegals work for law firms. The remainder often works for corporate legal departments or the government. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, paralegal employment is expected to grow “much faster than average” through 2014, as employers attempt to save on costs. Paralegals will be given work traditionally assigned to lawyers. The paralegals with the best chance of receiving a paralegal job will have experience and a degree.
…continue reading Paralegal Jobs
How to Make a Student Resume
As most job seekers know, there are two basic types of resumes: chronological and functional. Students, with few exceptions, should always use functional resume. It is much easier to highlight one’s skills and related experience on a functional résumé. Chronological résumés are better for older workers who can list their employment histories and experiences in order, starting with the most recent.
Students, who usually do not have lots of work experience, do not have long employment histories to list. Even if students do have work experience and a long employment history, a chronological resume filled with odd jobs like babysitting and lifeguarding will not be as impressive to potential employers. Students should focus on using what experience they do have from all areas of their lives to create focused and tailored functional resume.
…continue reading How to Make a Student Resume
America’s Job Bank
The recent closure of America’s Job Bank has prompted some confusion and question about job banks and job search services in general. Job banks are tools used by job seekers to find employment listings online. The convenience of the online search allows job seekers to spend less time rummaging through want ads and more time updating resumes or tailoring their cover letters to specific employers. Job banks have become very popular in recent years as technology becomes an increasingly valuable tool to employers and employees alike. In fact, almost three in four employees are now hired via an online job bank and this number is only expected to increase. Employers have dedicated more resources in recent years to online recruiting and posting open positions in job banks, which can be accessed via newspapers like ChicagoTribune or through Internet sites like Employmentspot.com.
…continue reading America’s Job Bank
How to Get One of the Open Positions within a Company
Many people assume that the job they have currently will not be the job they have when they retire. Many employees assume that they will be promoted within a company or take a more lucrative or challenging position outside of it.
One of the easiest ways to find a better job is to look around you at one of the open positions within your current company. Employers often like to fill open positions with current employees for several reasons. First, open positions can be expensive to fill. Advertising the position or paying for a headhunter may be an expense employers do not want to pay. Second, employees within a company have a known history. It is easier to ask an employee’s supervisor about his or her employment history than to conduct a background check upon a potential candidate whom no one knows. Finally, training new people to fill open positions may also be expensive and time consuming. It is much easier to adapt someone who already knows company policy and standards into an open position than it is to train an outsider from scratch.
…continue reading How to Get One of the Open Positions within a Company
Job Offer
There are several different appropriate ways to accept or decline a job offer, but there are also a number of ways that are not appropriate.
While it is not common for a company to rescind its job offer to a new hire, it is also not unheard of. You do not want to lose the job offer, and more importantly, you want to start off on the right foot at your new company.
When you get a job offer, keep these tips in mind so that you do not do or say the wrong thing.
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Employment Search
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Employment Tips Get your dream jobChances are your first job will not be your dream job, but one of many as you work your way to the top. Know what your career goals are and talk to other professionals so that you know what steps to take to obtain your dream job.
more tips
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Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
How to deal with interview stress
Picture This
You can make your dream a reality. Use your imagination to stay calm during a job interview.
Visualization is a relaxation technique in which you create a mental image of a stressful or challenging situation. Then you imagine yourself succeeding in the situation. By doing so, you're mentally preparing to handle the event in real life.
You can practice visualization in the days, hours or even minutes before an interview. Simply close your eyes and breathe deeply. Picture yourself greeting the interviewer confidently and answering tough questions with ease.
Practice succeeding in your imagination, and soon you'll be doing it in reality.
Relax
A relaxed job candidate is a confident job candidate.
Show the interviewer that you're calm, composed and in command during an interview. He's likely to assume that you'll be rock-solid on the job too.
Use these tips to stay relaxed during an interview:
- Breathing deeply and slowly (and quietly, of course).
- Sit up straight and don't cross your legs or arms.
- Speak slowly and pause for breath often.
- Keeps your hands and jaw relaxed; no clenching.
- Smile -- it really is contagious!
Pause, Don't Panic
In every interview, there comes a moment that doesn't go according to plan. There's an awkward silence. You stumble over your words. You flub a tough question.
Don't panic. Now's the time to put your relaxation skills into overdrive.
It's much easier to control fear and panic as it starts to build than to calm yourself down once they've begun to spiral out of control.
When you feel yourself starting to panic and lose focus, pause. Tell yourself silently that you can do this. Take a deep breath. Refocus. And then resume interviewing.
A quick ten-second pause can be all you need to regain your composure and get back in control. And the interviewer likely won't even notice.An Interview Strategy: Telling Stories
 A Job Interview Is Not an Interrogation |
Conversation Wins the Job
Competency-based interviews, as opposed to traditional interviews, have become more common today. In a traditional interview, the interviewer will ask you questions focused on whether you have the skills and knowledge needed to do the job. A competency-based interview goes further by asking you additional questions about your character and personal attributes that can better determine whether you fit their corporate culture. These are called "behavioral competencies."
A competency-based interviewer will spend about half the interview on your job skills, and about half on your behavioral competencies. He or she will be looking for evidence of how you have acted in real situations in the past. So having your stories ready to go, and discussing them during a conversation between two equals, plays very well for this type of interviewll notice that some feed you lists of interview questions that you should learn answers to. But an interview is not an interrogation; it's a conversation. Thus, I believe the best way to prepare for an interview is to come armed with a multitude of small stories about both your business and personal life.Conversation Wins the Job
Competency-based interviews, as opposed to traditional interviews, have become more common today. In a traditional interview, the interviewer will ask you questions focused on whether you have the skills and knowledge needed to do the job. A competency-based interview goes further by asking you additional questions about your character and personal attributes that can better determine whether you fit their corporate culture. These are called "behavioral competencies."
A competency-based interviewer will spend about half the interview on your job skills, and about half on your behavioral competencies. He or she will be looking for evidence of how you have acted in real situations in the past. So having your stories ready to go, and discussing them during a conversation between two equals, plays very well for this type of interviewFriday, November 2, 2007
Employment Tips
Receive helpful hints, tips, and advice on what not to do when seeking employment.5 Tips on What Not to Do When Seeking Employmentby Jay Crawford Have you ever been unemployed? If not, chances are you will be in your lifetime. 1 - Don't have a proper Mindset!Whatever you call it being laid off, fired, terminated or just making a career change it all means the same. Keep a level head and get your act together. Most people have lost a job, or will, as companies go through buyouts, competitive mergers, divestitures, reductions in force, hostile takeovers, rightsizing, downsizing, restructuring or become an alleged victim of executive misappropriation such as Enron, Tyco, Adelphia and Security Trust. If you haven't had the composure or opportunity to talk with your former employer on severance pay, or extending medical benefits do so in a timely fashion in a professional manner. File for unemployment compensation. The sooner you can accept the situation you are in the sooner you can move forward. Keep a sense of humor. If you can show that you can produce results that can fit employer's needs you will be a desirable candidate for a position. 2 - Don't be prepared to deal with Pressure!If you are financially independent then you probably don't need a job anyway. While you are employed don't live beyond your financial means. When you get a raise and you automatically step up you life styles spending you haven't financially gained a thing. Credit cards can be the source of all financial evil but, they are nice to fall back on when you can't get a loan because you are not employed. 3 - Don't be prepared before you start looking for employment!There are different strokes for different folks when talking about effective ways to land your dream job. No single approach is guaranteed for any one job seeker but, it will be a full time job. You will need a full time office. Don't procrastinate. The ball is in your court. You are selling yourself. Think positive and get organized. 4 - Don't forget your options!It may take a while to find the opportunity you want. Consider a part time job/self employment, working on a trial basis, or a temporary agency while you continue your job search. Give thought to broaden the scope of your employment search. You can apply for different titles than you have been. You can commute further than you originally wanted to. It might be feasible to consider relocation if you haven't already. 5 - Don't fail to sharpen your job search skills!Once you have gathered the proper tools, you will need to conduct research, properly prepare correspondence, have resumes that are tailored to specific job opportunities and requirements, excellent telephone skills and proper interviewing characteristics on the telephone and in person. Jay has written a book entitled What Not to Do When Seeking Employment which is a one of a kind source elaborating on the above items, and highlighting over 180 Don'ts of looking for, or keeping, a position. It is based on actual experience of the author's nearly 40 years of employment and unemployment. The book also reveals the unpublished business realities of some small, middle and large businesses from both the job seeker's and employer's views. The author is an independent security consultant. Jay also conducts searches for employers for specific management security positions. He may be reached at jbcconsultant@aol |
Employment Tips
Receive helpful hints, tips, and advice on what not to do when seeking employment.5 Tips on What Not to Do When Seeking Employmentby Jay Crawford Have you ever been unemployed? If not, chances are you will be in your lifetime. 1 - Don't have a proper Mindset!Whatever you call it being laid off, fired, terminated or just making a career change it all means the same. Keep a level head and get your act together. Most people have lost a job, or will, as companies go through buyouts, competitive mergers, divestitures, reductions in force, hostile takeovers, rightsizing, downsizing, restructuring or become an alleged victim of executive misappropriation such as Enron, Tyco, Adelphia and Security Trust. If you haven't had the composure or opportunity to talk with your former employer on severance pay, or extending medical benefits do so in a timely fashion in a professional manner. File for unemployment compensation. The sooner you can accept the situation you are in the sooner you can move forward. Keep a sense of humor. If you can show that you can produce results that can fit employer's needs you will be a desirable candidate for a position. 2 - Don't be prepared to deal with Pressure!If you are financially independent then you probably don't need a job anyway. While you are employed don't live beyond your financial means. When you get a raise and you automatically step up you life styles spending you haven't financially gained a thing. Credit cards can be the source of all financial evil but, they are nice to fall back on when you can't get a loan because you are not employed. 3 - Don't be prepared before you start looking for employment!There are different strokes for different folks when talking about effective ways to land your dream job. No single approach is guaranteed for any one job seeker but, it will be a full time job. You will need a full time office. Don't procrastinate. The ball is in your court. You are selling yourself. Think positive and get organized. 4 - Don't forget your options!It may take a while to find the opportunity you want. Consider a part time job/self employment, working on a trial basis, or a temporary agency while you continue your job search. Give thought to broaden the scope of your employment search. You can apply for different titles than you have been. You can commute further than you originally wanted to. It might be feasible to consider relocation if you haven't already. 5 - Don't fail to sharpen your job search skills!Once you have gathered the proper tools, you will need to conduct research, properly prepare correspondence, have resumes that are tailored to specific job opportunities and requirements, excellent telephone skills and proper interviewing characteristics on the telephone and in person. Jay has written a book entitled What Not to Do When Seeking Employment which is a one of a kind source elaborating on the above items, and highlighting over 180 Don'ts of looking for, or keeping, a position. It is based on actual experience of the author's nearly 40 years of employment and unemployment. The book also reveals the unpublished business realities of some small, middle and large businesses from both the job seeker's and employer's views. The author is an independent security consultant. Jay also conducts searches for employers for specific management security positions. He may be reached at jbcconsultant@aol |
Articles for legal job seekers
Raising Expectations Will Help Land That Raise
When it comes to negotiating for salary, women fall far short of the accomplishments made by men. Several studies have outlined the disparity and some of the root causes.
5 Reasons You're Not Getting Better Assignments
Who or what is to blame if you are not getting the assignments you want and think you deserve? What happens to paralegals who can't get promoted? Or even better, are there promotions for paralegals?
Creating Achievement Oriented Resumes
As you gain substantial experience in the field, you are going to want to convey more than job duties. The most compelling resume you can write is an achievement oriented resume.
17 Ways to Just Say No - Job Articles
I have listed seventeen ways here to say "no". Don't let me put the words in your mouth. Take the ones you like, change them around and you use the words that are comfortable for you.
Who's Your Daddy? Looking for a Family Atmosphere at Work
When workers describe a family atmosphere, they are generally talking about fun, togetherness, closeness, trust, and friendships. The phrase "family atmosphere" generally applies to a small firm or business work place.
Four Reasons Why Legal Professionals Succeed or Fail
These simple but highly effective strategies can help you take advantage of the marketing potential of your plan and turn your program into a roaring success.
The Boss Question - Am I Doing a Good Job
I thinks it's a good idea to ask the Boss Question several times throughout the year as the boss' expectations can change and we need to always be moving forward together on the same wave length.
When it's Time to Change - 5 Steps to Reinvent Your Work
Feeling overwhelmed and behind? Complaining of boredom? Wishing for another assignment, boss or career option?
Combination Resume
A Combination Resume will allow you to highlight your impressive accomplishments and grab the reader's interest right at the beginning while also providing the chronological work history employers are looking for.
Crisis Management
Crisis Management, for the most part is when a deadline has snuck up behind you and robbed you of all choice. And crisis management, for the most part, is poor time management.
Dress for Success
"The first rule of dress is common sense," not everybody has common sense about what to wear. In fact, many job seekers unknowingly dress for failure. They do so because they make one or more of four suicidal mistakes.
Choosing Email Names Wisely
While you're pretty much stuck with the name your parents chose for you, you can choose your own unique email name. Perhaps this accounts for some of the many creative and colorful email names I've seen on resumes since I've worked for Davidson Staffing.
Time Management - Five Ways to NOT Get Promoted
Time Management has a lot more to do with "investing" our time wisely rather than just "spending it."
What Is Your Greatest Weakness? - Job Interview Questions
The fastest way to make a good interview go bad is to avoid questions posed by the hiring manager. The one question candidates love to avoid is, "What is your greatest weakness?"
Asking Questions During a Job Interview - Make a Lasting Impression
In a job market where you may be among five other stellar candidates, it is essential to use every opportunity to make a lasting impression.
Job Interviewing Tips
We've compiled some great tips on resumes and interviewing, which we hope you will find helpful in landing your ideal position!
Legal Resume Tips
Our resume tips come directly from our professional legal recruiters, who see countless numbers of resumes (good and bad) every day.
Interviewable Resumes - Creating a Resume
It is rumored that the only word William Shakespeare wrote on his resume was "Available." We'll probably never know if that is true.
Creating Proper Short Citations
In a legal brief, the first instance of a legal authority cited should be in the Long Cite format. In the remainder of the brief, it will mostly likely be abbreviated in a Short Cite format.
Stabilize Stress - Job Related Stress
There are some who would say, "there's good stress and then there's bad stress." That's sort of like saying, "there are good heart attacks and then there are bad heart attacks."
Timeslips Hidden Treasure #10 - Fixing Balances
Have you ever used Timeslips to review a client and noticed that their Accounts Receivable or Client Funds don't match the total in Billing Assistant?
Time Thieves - Time Management Articles
Every day, eleven time thieves gang up on you and work to take some of that precious time away from productive use. Let me introduce you to this inconsiderate troupe.
Legal Job Articles for Employers
When it comes to negotiating for salary, women fall far short of the accomplishments made by men. Several studies have outlined the disparity and some of the root causes.
5 Reasons You're Not Getting Better Assignments
Who or what is to blame if you are not getting the assignments you want and think you deserve? What happens to paralegals who can't get promoted? Or even better, are there promotions for paralegals?
Creating Achievement Oriented Resumes
As you gain substantial experience in the field, you are going to want to convey more than job duties. The most compelling resume you can write is an achievement oriented resume.
17 Ways to Just Say No - Job Articles
I have listed seventeen ways here to say "no". Don't let me put the words in your mouth. Take the ones you like, change them around and you use the words that are comfortable for you.
Who's Your Daddy? Looking for a Family Atmosphere at Work
When workers describe a family atmosphere, they are generally talking about fun, togetherness, closeness, trust, and friendships. The phrase "family atmosphere" generally applies to a small firm or business work place.
Four Reasons Why Legal Professionals Succeed or Fail
These simple but highly effective strategies can help you take advantage of the marketing potential of your plan and turn your program into a roaring success.
The Boss Question - Am I Doing a Good Job
I thinks it's a good idea to ask the Boss Question several times throughout the year as the boss' expectations can change and we need to always be moving forward together on the same wave length.
When it's Time to Change - 5 Steps to Reinvent Your Work
Feeling overwhelmed and behind? Complaining of boredom? Wishing for another assignment, boss or career option?
Combination Resume
A Combination Resume will allow you to highlight your impressive accomplishments and grab the reader's interest right at the beginning while also providing the chronological work history employers are looking for.
Crisis Management
Crisis Management, for the most part is when a deadline has snuck up behind you and robbed you of all choice. And crisis management, for the most part, is poor time management.
Dress for Success
"The first rule of dress is common sense," not everybody has common sense about what to wear. In fact, many job seekers unknowingly dress for failure. They do so because they make one or more of four suicidal mistakes.
Choosing Email Names Wisely
While you're pretty much stuck with the name your parents chose for you, you can choose your own unique email name. Perhaps this accounts for some of the many creative and colorful email names I've seen on resumes since I've worked for Davidson Staffing.
Time Management - Five Ways to NOT Get Promoted
Time Management has a lot more to do with "investing" our time wisely rather than just "spending it."
What Is Your Greatest Weakness? - Job Interview Questions
The fastest way to make a good interview go bad is to avoid questions posed by the hiring manager. The one question candidates love to avoid is, "What is your greatest weakness?"
Asking Questions During a Job Interview - Make a Lasting Impression
In a job market where you may be among five other stellar candidates, it is essential to use every opportunity to make a lasting impression.
Job Interviewing Tips
We've compiled some great tips on resumes and interviewing, which we hope you will find helpful in landing your ideal position!
Legal Resume Tips
Our resume tips come directly from our professional legal recruiters, who see countless numbers of resumes (good and bad) every day.
Interviewable Resumes - Creating a Resume
It is rumored that the only word William Shakespeare wrote on his resume was "Available." We'll probably never know if that is true.
Creating Proper Short Citations
In a legal brief, the first instance of a legal authority cited should be in the Long Cite format. In the remainder of the brief, it will mostly likely be abbreviated in a Short Cite format.
Stabilize Stress - Job Related Stress
There are some who would say, "there's good stress and then there's bad stress." That's sort of like saying, "there are good heart attacks and then there are bad heart attacks."
Timeslips Hidden Treasure #10 - Fixing Balances
Have you ever used Timeslips to review a client and noticed that their Accounts Receivable or Client Funds don't match the total in Billing Assistant?
Time Thieves - Time Management Articles
Every day, eleven time thieves gang up on you and work to take some of that precious time away from productive use. Let me introduce you to this inconsiderate troupe.
Legal Job Articles for Employers
Monday, October 22, 2007
Job Interview Questions
Be Ready to Answer the Top 10 Job Interview Questions
by Linda Matias
GREAT INTERVIEWS GET THE JOB
It can be easy to convince ourselves that the job interview doesn't matter so much, as long as our resume is outstanding, our dress is impeccably professional, and that we are nice people. After all, nice people do win in the end, don't they? Unfortunately, this couldn't be further from the truth. Even though the resume, attire, and likeability factor all play a part in an employer's decision to hire someone, the answers that you provide to the questions during the interview will demonstrate what the employer is most interested in: your confidence, skills, and knowledge of the job.
THE TOP 10 INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
Your best weapon to mastering the job interview is to practice, practice, practice your answers to the most commonly asked questions by employers. The most certain way to sabotage your chances to win over a potential employer is to try and wing the interview. Your answers can appear aimless and without direction, making you look unprepared or worse, unqualified.
Don't risk the future of your career by flying by the seat of your pants. Prepare yourself by developing answers to the most commonly asked questions:
1. Tell Me a Little Something About Yourself.
This is probably one of the most dreaded questions of all time. We quiver and sweat in our seats wondering what the employer really wants to know. Hey, relax! For starters, this is a great opportunity for you to sell yourself to the employer. Talk about your key accomplishments and strengths and how these factors will benefit the employer in the desired position. Write down ahead of time what you plan to say; perfect it; then practice it every chance you get.
2. Why Do You Want to Leave Your Current Job?
This question is basically a wolf in sheep's clothing. It appears harmless enough, but it can damage your potential in a heartbeat if you're not careful. By all means, keep your answers to this question as positive as possible. Above all, do not dwell on how much you hate your current boss! The interviewer wants to hire a team player to the position, not a negative and vindictive hater.
3. Are You Still Employed and If Not, Why Not?
If you are, great, but if you aren't, you can still use your answer to this question to shine a light on your positive features. For example, if you were laid off or terminated, focus less on the actual termination and more on what you learned from the whole process. You'll look mature and wise in the employer's eyes!
4. Do You Have Any Budgeting Experience?
If you haven't, be honest; but you can answer in a way that shows that you have had some exposure to adhering to a budget - on a project, for example. If you do have budgeting experience, discuss your fiscal responsibility.
5. Have You Ever Managed Anyone?
This question is most important to those who are seeking a supervisory type of position. If you have managerial experience, elaborate on how many people you have supervised and what their positions were in the spectrum of the organizational chart. However, if you haven't had direct managerial practice, talk up how much you were a part of the decision process of a team project, or how you organized volunteers for a fundraiser.
6. What Are Your Strengths as an Employee?
To adequately answer this question, you need to be aware of the strengths you possess in the following areas: personality, experience, and skills. Once that information is known, match your strengths to the requirements of the position for which you are interviewing.
7. What Are Your Weaknesses?
Obviously, no one likes to admit that they have any weaknesses, especially in front of a potential employer. So what do you do? You can provide ONE trait about yourself that is the least important to the position. Refrain from canned responses such as you are a perfectionist or a workaholic.
8. Discuss How You Make Important Decisions.
If you are interviewing for a supervisory role, you definitely want to come across as someone who is able to ask for input from others, yet is comfortable making the final decisions. Also, consider the type of position and company. For example, is it a budgetary role at a financial institution? In that case, you probably will want to emphasize that you exercise great care and caution when making big decisions.
9. Where Do You Want to Be Five Years From Now?
Suffice it to say, do not answer this question with "Retired." Keep your answers positive and simple, with just a tinge of ambition. Think along the lines of a "motivated" versus "rat race" mentality.
10. What Have Been the Biggest Accomplishments of Your Career so Far?
Focus on accomplishments that directly relate to the open position. Discuss the challenge you were presented with, your actions, and the end result. Did you streamline processes? Devise a way to increase customer satisfaction? Were you recognized by management for your efforts? The way you answer this question will distinguish you from other applicants since your answer will require you to go beyond the basic job responsibilities.
A FINAL NOTE
As you can see, the interview is more than just showing up on time in the right clothes. It is your best and only opportunity to convince an employer that he or she should hire you. If you were selected for an interview, consider yourself lucky because you are halfway to the finish line. Make sure you are prepared with relevant and well-thought-out answers to bring in a home run interview.
by Linda Matias
GREAT INTERVIEWS GET THE JOB
It can be easy to convince ourselves that the job interview doesn't matter so much, as long as our resume is outstanding, our dress is impeccably professional, and that we are nice people. After all, nice people do win in the end, don't they? Unfortunately, this couldn't be further from the truth. Even though the resume, attire, and likeability factor all play a part in an employer's decision to hire someone, the answers that you provide to the questions during the interview will demonstrate what the employer is most interested in: your confidence, skills, and knowledge of the job.
THE TOP 10 INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
Your best weapon to mastering the job interview is to practice, practice, practice your answers to the most commonly asked questions by employers. The most certain way to sabotage your chances to win over a potential employer is to try and wing the interview. Your answers can appear aimless and without direction, making you look unprepared or worse, unqualified.
Don't risk the future of your career by flying by the seat of your pants. Prepare yourself by developing answers to the most commonly asked questions:
1. Tell Me a Little Something About Yourself.
This is probably one of the most dreaded questions of all time. We quiver and sweat in our seats wondering what the employer really wants to know. Hey, relax! For starters, this is a great opportunity for you to sell yourself to the employer. Talk about your key accomplishments and strengths and how these factors will benefit the employer in the desired position. Write down ahead of time what you plan to say; perfect it; then practice it every chance you get.
2. Why Do You Want to Leave Your Current Job?
This question is basically a wolf in sheep's clothing. It appears harmless enough, but it can damage your potential in a heartbeat if you're not careful. By all means, keep your answers to this question as positive as possible. Above all, do not dwell on how much you hate your current boss! The interviewer wants to hire a team player to the position, not a negative and vindictive hater.
3. Are You Still Employed and If Not, Why Not?
If you are, great, but if you aren't, you can still use your answer to this question to shine a light on your positive features. For example, if you were laid off or terminated, focus less on the actual termination and more on what you learned from the whole process. You'll look mature and wise in the employer's eyes!
4. Do You Have Any Budgeting Experience?
If you haven't, be honest; but you can answer in a way that shows that you have had some exposure to adhering to a budget - on a project, for example. If you do have budgeting experience, discuss your fiscal responsibility.
5. Have You Ever Managed Anyone?
This question is most important to those who are seeking a supervisory type of position. If you have managerial experience, elaborate on how many people you have supervised and what their positions were in the spectrum of the organizational chart. However, if you haven't had direct managerial practice, talk up how much you were a part of the decision process of a team project, or how you organized volunteers for a fundraiser.
6. What Are Your Strengths as an Employee?
To adequately answer this question, you need to be aware of the strengths you possess in the following areas: personality, experience, and skills. Once that information is known, match your strengths to the requirements of the position for which you are interviewing.
7. What Are Your Weaknesses?
Obviously, no one likes to admit that they have any weaknesses, especially in front of a potential employer. So what do you do? You can provide ONE trait about yourself that is the least important to the position. Refrain from canned responses such as you are a perfectionist or a workaholic.
8. Discuss How You Make Important Decisions.
If you are interviewing for a supervisory role, you definitely want to come across as someone who is able to ask for input from others, yet is comfortable making the final decisions. Also, consider the type of position and company. For example, is it a budgetary role at a financial institution? In that case, you probably will want to emphasize that you exercise great care and caution when making big decisions.
9. Where Do You Want to Be Five Years From Now?
Suffice it to say, do not answer this question with "Retired." Keep your answers positive and simple, with just a tinge of ambition. Think along the lines of a "motivated" versus "rat race" mentality.
10. What Have Been the Biggest Accomplishments of Your Career so Far?
Focus on accomplishments that directly relate to the open position. Discuss the challenge you were presented with, your actions, and the end result. Did you streamline processes? Devise a way to increase customer satisfaction? Were you recognized by management for your efforts? The way you answer this question will distinguish you from other applicants since your answer will require you to go beyond the basic job responsibilities.
A FINAL NOTE
As you can see, the interview is more than just showing up on time in the right clothes. It is your best and only opportunity to convince an employer that he or she should hire you. If you were selected for an interview, consider yourself lucky because you are halfway to the finish line. Make sure you are prepared with relevant and well-thought-out answers to bring in a home run interview.
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