How to Sell Yourself Effectively in an Interview

How to Sell Yourself Effectively in an Interview It is easy to have a casual attitude towards interviews, particularly if you have attended many in the past. However, you may find this isn’t working anymore. Why? The jobs market has changed drastically since the recession forcing recruitment to take a new form. Of course, CVs are still the backbone of any job application, but there are also ways in which to stand out amongst other candidates when it comes to your interview. First impressions count and you will get a very small window to show off what you can offer. This is why it’s important now more than ever to learn how to ‘sell yourself’ as effectively as you can. Think of it as if you were selling a product to a customer in a store. Remember to keep in mind what you are selling, who you are selling to, and what the unique selling point is. What are you selling? Remember that in this situation it is yourself that is the product up for grabs. You want to highlight your strengths to maximise the conversion rate, like you would do if you were selling an item on eBay. So, how do you make yourself look as good as possible? Firstly ensure that you have the correct qualifications needed for the position. It is true that more employers are looking for people with experience, but for many academic careers, a minimum educational level is a must. If you don’t have the formal qualifications to argue that you’re knowledgeable on a topic, why do you think you’d be good for this position? Make sure you have adequate experience to make up for this. Alternatively, turn to the internet. There is a wealth of free information online, so although you may not have the means to attend an education establishment, it doesn’t mean you can’t advance your knowledge. In terms of experience, get out there and get some! It’s important to bear in mind that employers will consider your past performances as an indication of your potential future accomplishments. Phil McCabe of the Forum of Private Business lobby group has stated that the education system doesn’t produce the right level of work-ready young people. More than one million 16-24 year olds are now unemployed in Britain and study after study has shown that employers would rather hire someone with some work experience under their belts, than a degree. If you’re new to the jobs market, try some unpaid work experience. The fact that you have sacrificed your time and money to advance your career prospects speaks volumes to an employer. They don’t always want the finished package. They want someone who will develop and grow within a company. If this is you, state it explicitly in an interview. The employer will be impressed at your straightforward approach and willingness to progress. What’s most important to a company is proven results. Whether you get this from a previous job or from an unpaid internship, it doesn’t matter. Better yourself, not just for the interview, but for you career in the long term. Who are you selling to? Make sure you research the market you are looking to enter. The majority of interviews fails due to a lack of preparation or because of nerves. Kill two birds with one stone here by over-preparing. If you are well researched, you will come across as more confident. Also think about how you match up against their criteria? Is it a small business? If so, they may want someone who can multi-task and take on more responsibilities from the beginning. If there is a minimum requirement for the position, then it would be necessary to make sure you pay attention. Recruiters prefer when their instructions are followed. Saying this, if you feel you have ways to make up for a lack of experience, for example, make this clear in your covering letter, and it’s worth a shot. One way to stand out in your interview is through questions. Look through the job description and other company literature to find relevant questions you could ask. This shows enthusiasm and confidence. If you ask about the company’s plans, it shows you are thinking about long term plans. Furthermore, asking questions in reference to their website, or business strategy, or press they have received, is evidence that you’ve done your home, and makes a fantastic first impression. You’d be amazed how many people don’t research prior to interviews. Make sure you’re not one of them. What’s the USP? Put yourself in the position of the interviewee. What is it that you offer that someone else can’t? They might see a large number of candidates in one day, so find a way to be memorable, whilst professional. When discussing experience, you don’t always have to reference an employment example. Perhaps an unusual hobby of yours has given you some desirable skills for the job. There are three Ps to think about when it comes to your USP: Performance (what have you achieved so far in your career?), Potential (what are you capable of in the future?), and Perseverance (enthusiasm can speak volumes). Go through these prior to the interview and think of evidence where you have shown these traits. If you have any documentation or a portfolio to back it up, always bring it with you. But most of all, relax and be yourself. Just because the situation is formal, doesn’t mean you can’t be cheerful. Most people are so nervous, showing your smiley bubbly side could be the easy solutions to stand out amongst the crowds. Guest post written by Bev James from www.the-coaching-academy.com.

Do It NOW Get Your Finances In Order

Do It NOW Get Your Finances In Order There is no time like the present for getting your finances in order. Dont know where your money went? Weve all been there. Too often, financial health is limited to administering an emergency band aid. However, long term financial stability can only be created through sensible, long term planning. Here are a few tips to get you on the way. 1. Create a financial plan: This is your starting point. You must know what your eventual goals are and where you are heading. Create a realistic plan to achieve your aims and make sure that you insert plenty of milestones along the way. In fact, you should review your financial plan on a weekly basis to make sure you’re on track. 2. Audit your current finances: It is also important to know exactly where you stand financially at the moment. Make sure that you review all your accounts, savings plans and investments to get a clear picture of your finances. Take a close look at your outgoings and work out where you can cut waste. You will be surprised how much you can save. 3. Get yourself a credit report: This is an important part of auditing your finances. A credit report will give you an idea of whether you can expect to borrow significant amounts of money from lenders. As such, it is an important element of your financial planning. You can obtain a credit report free from a registered credit expert such as Experian, as recommended by Virgin Money. 4. Set up direct debits: One of the keys to smooth finances is to allow them run as smoothly as possible. Put systems in place and set up arrangements to enable your financial transactions to be processed automatically. First and foremost, use direct debits. Not only will it be a weight of your mind, but it will ensure payments are made on time, which in turn will boost your credit report. 5. Monitor accounts daily: Once you have your payment systems in place, it is still a good idea to monitor your accounts on a daily basis, just to make sure that nothing has been missed and you aren’t being incorrectly charged. It will also give you a justifiable feeling of control over your money. 6. Try to save 10% of your income: This is a good bench mark if you want to achieve your financial goals. If you can save at least 10% of your income for savings, whether they are short or long-term, then you will likely find yourself in a position to build a solid foundation for your financial growth. 7. Create multiple income streams: Have a careful think about how you can increase your income beyond your salary. There are numerous options, some of which require little time investment. For example, if you have spare space at home or in your parking area, why not rent it out? There are also numerous freelance jobs that you can do online if you have the requisite skills. Think creatively and cash in. 8. Keep an eye on the financial media: Be proactive in monitoring financial trends. You don’t need to be a financial expert to be aware of whether shares are rising and falling and in which direction interest rates are moving. You just need to make time in order to do it. Ladies, there is no better time to start than NOW. The sooner you start, the sooner you arrive at complete financial wellness.  All you need to do is follow these practical tips consistently, and maybe think twice about the next pair of shoes thats calling your name. Good luck!

5 Ways You Can Kill Laziness Today - Classy Career Girl

5 Ways You Can Kill Laziness Today Laziness is a difficult rut to get out of, there’s no doubt about it. Sometimes, you might imagine what consistent productivity looks likeâ€"but your network television shows pull you right back into the same habit. The good news is, laziness is just that: a habit. And fortunately, by using these five helpful tips, you can kill laziness in yourself as painlessly as possible.   5 Ways You Can Kill Laziness Today 1. Remove Distractions Distractions are often your Achille’s heel that is contributing to your laziness. First, think about what passive activities you spend the most time on: television, video games, your smartphone, the internet, social media, etc. Honestly consider how many hours these actions consume your life each day (if you have an iPhone, you can see exactly how much time you spend on your phone, right down to the app go into Settings, tap Battery, and tap on the clock icon under Battery Usage). For most people, they take up several hours. If this is the case for you, do yourself a favor and remove all these guilty-pleasures from your environment. Instead, allow them to reward you after you work. Also, think about other activities that could disrupt a conducive atmosphere for you. Are you truly lazy, or just overwhelmed? If you’re too absorbed with the idea of entertaining your partner, your kids, your friends, your family members, and your pets, how can you ever devote time to taking care of you? To overcome this, try creating a space in your home that is only for you. Make it a decluttered area that will motivate youâ€"a place where you want to be productive, not feel like you have to work. 2. Think Positively Your mind can easily be filled with negative thoughts. Guilt and self-doubt tend to plague people who are lazy. After all, if you notoriously do nothing all day, what do you have to show for your lifeâ€"right? No. Remove those thoughts now. If you want to kill laziness, also kill the poor self-image you’ve created for yourself. Remind yourself that you can change your life at any moment, so why not start here and now? In addition to removing those negative emotions, you’ve probably trained your brain to automatically think about procrastinating any task. Maybe you believe you can’t change that about yourself. However, despite that self-doubt that still weighs you down every now and then, procrastination is just a habit, too. If you’ve created this habit, you can kill itâ€"and you can ultimately kill laziness, as well. Throw out your cleverly-designed excuses. Stop thinking you can push this off until tomorrow, or start that task in a few hours. It won’t happen until you take action. And to take action, you must think positively. Reinforce the idea that you are competent, capable, and willing. Focus on the reward of finally achieving your goals. Your self-esteem will rise exponentially, and you’ll be in a cycle of positivity. [RELATED: Sit Up Straight and Relax! Productivity Tips for Digital Nomads] 3. Organize Your Day This one might seem obvious, but it can truly be difficult for some people. Taking action like this can feel like a massive step. However, organizing your day can be essential to killing your laziness. Set aside the first moments of your dayâ€"or the night beforeâ€"to prepare for everything ahead of you. Consider using a planner, journal, dry erase board, or electronic calendar to keep a visual of your daily activities. Ideally, you should instill a method that can break down each day by the hour. Include your appointments, important phone calls, errands, and even habitual activities like cleaning and meal prep in your schedule. If you feel too overwhelmed by this, repeat Step 2, and give yourself a breakâ€"without distractions. Organizing your day will help you strategize how you spend your time, and it best prepares you for success in the long run. Imagine being able to eliminate the excuse of forgetting something from your repertoire. And the more productive you are, the more organizing helps you prepare for time that you could potentially reward yourself with in the future. 4. Break Up Large Tasks Want to trick your mind into thinking you’re more successful than you actually are? Try breaking large tasks down into smaller ones. Sure, by now you’ve organized all that you have on your agenda for the day. But sometimes, even the most mundane tasks can seem hard to do. If this is your scenario, breaking up your large tasks will kill laziness in a heartbeat. The more tasks you accomplishâ€"even the little onesâ€"the more you’ll want to do. It’s inevitable. This type of motivation easily translates to productivity, and we all know productivity is the antithesis of laziness. 5. Give Yourself Deadlines Sometimes, when you’re first getting started with the productivity grind, a specific deadline isn’t enough to motivate you. Procrastination, laziness’s ugly cousin, can easily creep up on you. If you have had the habit of putting tasks off until the last moment, giving deadlines for yourself is especially key. This goes hand-in-hand with organizing your day. When planning, you should not only consider when a task must be done but also if you have flexibility in your calendar to get it done early. If possible, you might try giving yourself a three-hour window before a finished activity. It would be well worth having something done early instead of late. And if you establish the habit of procrastinating until your due date instead of the task’s due date, you would have all of your goals completed every time. Just make sure to be as generous as possible when allotting timeframes for yourself. If there isn’t high pressure in completing all of your asks, you have much better odds of accomplishing them instead of fearfully tossing them aside. While the idea of killing your laziness appears to be a process, it doesn’t have to be a huge ordeal. All it really takes is a determined state of mind and some reinforced healthy habits. Preparation is most important, as it helps ensure that your goals go from unattainable to suddenly within reach. Remember to believe in yourself during each step of the way, for soon you will be achieving everything you hope to imagine.

Alternative Graduate Job Formula - Part 2

Alternative Graduate Job Formula - Part 2 Part 2 â€" Alternative Graduate Job Formula In Part 1 I spoke of the Internship Formula. In this part I propose an Alternative Graduate Job Formula, similar to that constituted by Dr. Paul Redmond (Graduate Job Formula). If the statistics are to be believed, then the top 4 audit firms employ 90% of their graduates from those that have done an internship with them. I know of some of the Big 6 Energy companies who take on their interns into the graduate schemes. My point is, the key ingredient in getting a Graduate Job is Work Experience or Internship, a parameter that is used in the original Graduate Job Formula as well. My proposal for an Alternative Graduate Job Formula is:-  G = Q + WE + AM where, G = Graduate Job   Q = Qualifications WE = Work experience (or internship) AM = Asset Marketing (you are the asset) You can read the full analysis by clicking on the download sign  {filelink=7} . To summarize, I believe my proposal of an Alternative Graduate Job Formula is practical and usable by students. To put value on the parameters is quite difficult but it mimics the conditions and recruitment of graduates in the market. There can be no direct ‘safe’ graduate job formula, without doing an internship. And this is my key point: too much importance is given to careers in the final year of university, when clearly, internships are taking the forefront. There has to be a behavioural change in university management and students towards understanding that career skills and talks need to be introduced to students from the first year onwards. Please feel free to amend/critique the work. Drop a comment and I will surely look into it. 0

3 Surprising Ways LinkedIn Hurts Your Personal Brand - Executive Career Brandâ„¢

3 Surprising Ways Hurts Your Personal Brand

Join our Leading With Happiness seminar in Copenhagen - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

Join our Leading With Happiness seminar in Copenhagen - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog Studies clearly show that a manager?s behavior has a huge influence on happiness at work. Good leaders motivate and energize their employees and create a level of happiness that make employees go the extra mile for the workplace and the customers. Bad managers on the other hand spread frustration and stress all around them. This Leading with Happiness seminar is based on the newest research and knowledge about Happiness at Work. It will be inspiring and with useful tools. There is a constant?shift between presentation, videos, reflection, dialog and exercises. As a leader you will also get both the knowledge and tools you need to make your people happy at work. And it doesn?t take much. Happiness at work is not about raises, bonuses, perks and promotions ? it comes from simple, effective actions that any leader ought to know and do. When where Wednesday November 21st, 2018 from 9:00 ? 16:00 in Copenhagen. Tickets See the full agenda and sign uo here. 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

Writing a Resume Skills and Abilities

Writing a Resume Skills and AbilitiesWriting a resume can be a challenge, but if you know what to put on yours, it can be easy. It's important to know what kind of work experience you have before you begin writing your resume. You need to make sure that your resume is well-organized and well-written.Being organized is key. When you've been organizing your life for awhile, you know what to do. You know what things you should put on your resume. It doesn't matter what it is that you're trying to get out of your resume. The more organized you are, the better it will be for you.Organizing your life is the right thing to do if you want to get a job. It's what will help you achieve everything that you want in life. After you start following a good routine, it won't be difficult for you to follow when you need to look up things or even just write a quick note to a friend.Being organized helps you when you are trying to get a job and you need to get into writing a resume skills and abilities . If you're like most people, you will not be an ideal candidate when a company goes looking for an applicant with different experience. Because you're not used to being organized, you're likely to leave things off your resume. You also might leave things off of your resume that could be very important. Since they are not important to you, you're not going to include them on your resume.That means that you could get hired over another person who has been looking for work for a while and who is applying for a job with a company. So, if you don't have the organizational skills to follow what needs to be on your resume, then you may not get hired. In addition, your resume might not match up with the qualifications that you will be submitting when you apply for a job. With this in mind, you want to have the right information on your resume and your writing skills.This means that you will need to write the right things on your resume skills and abilities. Instead of writing it all in one big block of text, it is better to separate the sections into smaller paragraphs. The paragraphs could contain one or two sentences to get the point across and to be organized on the inside.The structure on the resume shouldn't be anything more than the writing skills that you possess. When writing a resume, it is best to write it in such a way that you can reread it when you are having a difficult time and that you will be able to remember the information that you wrote. Keep your resume organized so that you can easily get into writing your resume.If you are a writer and you haven't written anything on your resume before, then you should seriously consider looking at how you can organize your writing skills and abilities. If you need help with writing a resume, then find a writing coach who can help you organize the information that you put on your resume. The coach can give you tips on what to put on your resume and what to keep off.