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How to Answer 'What are your weaknesses?'
Tweet Share on Facebook January 31, 2011 Comment (10)“So, what’s your biggest weakness?”
If you’re job-searching, you’re probably prepared to hear this question, but you might not be prepared for interviewers who increasingly refuse to accept old clichés like “I work too hard” or “I’m a perfectionist.”
Since most career guides recommend using the transparent strategy of turning a strength into a weakness, interviewers have caught on to the tactic. They may push back for another answer, one that isn’t an obvious positive in disguise.
To ward off those cliché answers, some interviewers will even hide the question in different wording. Rather than asking, “What are your weaknesses?” they might ask, “What’s an area where you’re working to improve?” Or you might hear, “If I called your last manager and asked her what areas you could improve in, what would she say?”
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Surefire Shortcuts to the Unemployment Line
Tweet Share on Facebook January 28, 2011 CommentWith just one-third of unemployed job seekers feeling certain they could find a job matched to their experience and compensation (according to the Glassdoor.com Quarterly Employment Confidence Survey), it makes sense to think carefully about whether we’re treading on thin ice at work. Certain actions will keep you employed, like meeting performance goals and staying up-to-date with your boss’s needs, while others will do just the opposite.
Here are a few actions to avoid if you want to stay out of the unemployment line:
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The Benefits of Thinking Like a Beginner
Tweet Share on Facebook January 27, 2011 Comment (2)Like most people, you’re likely to find yourself stuck from time to time. Really stuck. The kind of stuck where you’re mired down with mud flying from spinning wheels that are only digging you in deeper. Sometimes it happens in your career, sometimes in other aspects of your life, and occasionally everything bogs down all at once.
These times of high-intensity stuckness are no fun. They’re filled with frustration and anxiety that builds as your wheels spin and you sink deeper. But if you look back on these moments later, you’re likely to see at least one positive result.
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How to Set Yourself Up for Promotion
Tweet Share on Facebook January 27, 2011 CommentWhen are you next up for promotion?
LinkedIn released interesting data recently about the best months of the year to get a promotion. In the United States, the most popular months are January, June, and July. Since June and July are right around the corner, now’s a good time to think about how to set yourself up for good news.
Of course, a promotion isn’t automatic. You have to prove that you’re a problem-solver who is ready to take on more responsibilities, and that you've worked hard to deserve that next step.
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5 Job-Hunting Ideas You Haven’t Tried
Tweet Share on Facebook January 26, 2011 Comment (10)One of the most frustrating aspects of job hunting is believing you’re doing everything you can and still finding yourself out of work. That’s why it’s empowering to realize you haven’t tried everything, and that new, assertive approaches will help you expand your network and land a job.
Here are five action items to help job seekers land an opportunity:
1. Seek speaking opportunities. Even if you’re unemployed, you’re likely an expert in some subject, so you should be able to identify organizations interested in hearing you speak. Start locally by finding the Kiwanis and Chamber of Commerce in your area. Identify local chapters of your profession’s organizations. Join, attend regular meetings, and volunteer to share what you know about topics that interest the membership.
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Tell a Story That Will Get You Hired
Tweet Share on Facebook January 25, 2011 CommentGreat stories draw us in. They help us become fully engaged in a topic. They include important context and background so we better appreciate what happens at the end. And best of all, a great story is often shared with others.
But many of us struggle telling stories, especially when the topic is our life and our career. Learning to do this well can positively affect the outcome of an important job interview.
So what supports a great story? And how do you deliver your story so people sit up and nod approvingly?
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Career Lessons Inspired By “The Fighter”
Tweet Share on Facebook January 25, 2011 Comment (2)Nominated for six Golden Globe awards and likely to get several Oscars nods later this week, The Fighter is a brisk-paced movie about Micky Ward, the one-time boxing champion.
Actor Mark Wahlberg plays Ward in the lead role; Christian Bale steals the show as the boxer's colorful brother Dickie.
Between knockouts, greed, and drugs, The Fighter offers several important career lessons:
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The 10 Most Common Job Interview Questions
Tweet Share on Facebook January 24, 2011 Comment (10)The absolute best thing you can do to prepare for a job interview is to practice your answers to the questions you’re most likely to be asked.
Saying your answers out loud over and over—or even writing them down, which might ingrain them more deeply in your brain—will significantly improve how well you perform when you’re sitting in that interview chair.
Here are the 10 questions you’re most likely to be asked in a job interview:
1. Tell me about yourself. (No idea how to answer this? See these suggestions.)
2. What interests you about this opening? (Or why do you want to work for us?)
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How to Work with a Bad Boss
Tweet Share on Facebook January 21, 2011 Comment (14)At some point in our careers, we all face having to work for a bad boss.
Unfortunately, just because we think they’re bad doesn’t mean everyone else does. No matter how much they frustrate us, bad bosses don’t always get called out and replacing them can be difficult. That means it’s important to learn how to work for them.
Here are six types of bad bosses and tips for working with them:
The Unorganized Boss: This boss can’t keep data and information flow straight, much less organize the people who come up with that data. This means you’ll have to manage the flow—or at least the part of the flow that applies to you. Consider keeping e-mail strings, documenting notes from meetings, and being ready to take on extra administration responsibilities to help things move smoothly.
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How Perfectionism Hurts Your Career
Tweet Share on Facebook January 20, 2011 Comment (9)One of the most common obstacles to success is our own quest for perfection. As a recovering—and oft-relapsing—perfectionist myself, I know all too well the allure of seeking out that elusive 100 percent performance.
If you have perfectionist tendencies, you probably see perfection as a worthy goal. But in reality, it’s quite the opposite. That quest for perfection is actually a waste of your time and energy, and it limits your potential.
