How to Answer Why Do You Want This Job in an Interview

How to Answer Why Do You Want This Job in an Interview So why do you want this job?  Answering that question should be really easy! Often the answers are: Well, I want a job I want to work I want to pay the mortgage/rent…. I want a promotion, it’s a bigger job I hate the job I’m in, I need to do something different My family are moving so I need to change jobs I got made redundant I’m a bit bored I like the sound of it I could go on. The difficulty with all of those answers is that they may well be true and they may well explain why you have applied for a new job but they do not tell the interviewer any good reason why you should have the job. When you are going for an interview or applying for a job you need to give the interview compelling reasons for giving you the job and that starts with the basic question:  Why do you want it? So how do you give them that compelling reason? By treating this question as an opportunity for your sales pitch. By thinking about what it is that the interviewer wants in a candidate and what it is that they need to hear. Ever been turned down for a job because you did not sound very enthusiastic? Been told that they were not sure if you really wanted it?  It is actually a pathetic bit of feedback to give someone. Surely the correct logic is that they offer and if you don’t want it, you turn it down. If you are the best person for the job they should offer, but, it happens, so you need to make sure that it does not apply to you. This is your chance to sound enthusiastic, if not actually passionate, but how do you do that without sounding gushing and false? Here are 4 key steps to selling yourself into that job: When you are asked about why you have applied for this role, why you want it etc… start with: Step 1: ‘This is a great company /organisation because…….’  Everyone likes to be flattered, so tell them why you think they are a good company, what it is you like about the company…. Step 2: Describe the challenges of the role, even if it is a job that is pretty routine. What are the issues they face  in getting someone to do the role well? Step 3: Tell them the things that float your boat, the things you have just been doing, the challenges you really enjoy and give some brief examples. Step 4: Think about why they might not want to hire you and refute their logic. So if I was going for a job in my local Co-op shop I might say: I think the Co-op is a great organisation, I admire their ethical stance and I was very impressed when they had no issues over horse meat. That’s the sort of company I’d like to be in. I know you need staff who can work shifts, who are good with customers and who will make sure that the shelves are kept stocked and tidy. I really enjoy working with customers, helping them find things, explaining the difference between products and I hate untidy shops. It’s really important to me to be polite and friendly, when I worked in the garage I tried to get every customer to smile before they left!   It has been a while since I have done shop work but I don’t think you lose the passion to please the customer and make sure they always come back â€" I haven’t. Remember this is your sales pitch and this is where you can bring together your knowledge of them and your enthusiasm. It is all about why they are great to work for not why you need the job. RELATED: How to Sell Yourself Effectively in an Interview

Survey Reveals Job Seekers Unprepared to Take Advantage of Employment Market Opportunities

Survey Reveals Job Seekers Unprepared to Take Advantage of Employment Market Opportunities Do you think you have what it takes to nab a job right after college? According to a recent study, only 7 percent of hiring managers report that “nearly all” or “most” job seekers have the right combination of skills and traits to fill open positions. The 2014 Job Preparedness Indicator, conducted online by DeVry University on behalf of the Career Advisory Board, explores this issue and highlights gaps where job applicants lack the skills and traits hiring managers view as most important for entry-, mid- and senior-level employees Greatest Gap at Entry Level The greatest gap between what hiring managers are looking for and what candidates are showcasing occurs at the entry level, where candidates are not showcasing adaptability and written communication skills. These skills are considered most desirable by hiring managers, but are often the least commonly reflected skills in entry-level candidates. Job Seekers Should do Their Homework In addition to honing the most critical skills and attributes, candidates should gain a better understanding of the open position and organization. Hiring managers also advise job seekers to improve their conversation ability and professionalism. Many Paths to Success When asked how candidates should develop these critical skills, hiring managers continue to value formal education, but say alternative paths to skill acquisition are making their way into the mainstream. For instance, 87 percent said they are at least “somewhat likely” to consider micro-credentials, or specialized certificates awarded by reputable educational or business institutions as proof of skill mastery. Attitude is Everything At the entry level, attitude outweighs tangible skills; a good attitude is deemed most important to hiring managers once job seekers get to the interviewing phase. Hiring managers report attributes like strong work ethic and self-motivation as differentiators between candidates who will succeed and those who won’t. Finding an entry-level position can be a challenge for recent college graduates, but the process can be made easier with the right preparation, skills and attitude. To read the full Job Preparedness Indicator research report and expert commentary on solutions for closing the gaps between job seeker skills and hiring managers’ expectations, please visit www.careeradvisoryboard.org. Alexandra Levit is a Career Advisory Board member whose goal it is to help people succeed in meaningful jobs, and to build relationships between organizations and top talent. Career Advisory Board was established by DeVry University and is comprised of leading representatives from business and academia, and recognized career experts who deliver valuable insights on today’s most important career trends and provide actionable advice for job seekers.

From Reality Shame to your Dream Life

From Reality Shame” to your Dream Life There’s a bit of an epidemic happening right now! I’m calling it “reality shame.” Can you relate? Someone asks how things are going and what you’ve been up to and you kind of shrink back and beat around the bush because you have absolutely nothing exciting to share? And it feels awful! It’s always a bit of a painful wake-up call when we realize we are genuinely not excited about our day to day life! And then you wonder how you got here. Another year has passed in your life. Life is just whizzing by. Have you felt that? You know you want more out of life but don’t know where to start and how to change the situation? Let’s start by creating a bucket list to guide your life dreams and career ambitions. In case you aren’t sure, a “bucket list” is a list of things you want to accomplish in your lifetime. These are the big goals, the lofty life dreams, the stuff you might think is a little crazy or out there but would love to try. What topics appear on bucket list of life dreams? Not achieving our goals or fulfilling our dreams is often because we don’t actually know what our dream is. You need to have a vision. A clear and detailed understanding of where you’re heading and what you want to do once   you get there. The next big question: how do you go about ticking off what’s there? You know that dreams can be powerful drivers, so look to your dreams for the passion and commitment to move to the next level in your career, relationship, business or life in general. Figure out what you need to reach these bucket list goals. Set a plan. Create your road map and retro-engineer your path to achieve those goals and live a happier life. Remember that goals have to be attainable for you to actually achieve them. A plan is great, but you have to break it into increments of progress. Often we think we can only live our dream lifestyles when we’ve reached our big goals, but I don’t believe that to be true. We can start living our dream life now. We just need to think about the small things (and the big things) that could help us live our dream life this year. Maybe you really want to be a writer? That doesn’t mean you have to get an English-major degree right now or write your best-selling novel tomorrow. You can start planning the small stepping stones that are going to get you that end result. Who should you reach out to? What books should you start reading? What leisure activities will help cultivate that dream in your daily life? Where can you start writing for free? Who can you help rewrite a paper/essay for practice and good ol’ word-to-mouth recommendation? So in order for that list not to be overwhelming start small and work your way up. Your first project doesn’t have to be a “game changer”, rather a small step towards the right direction. Start where you are and do what you can with what you have. Without an end point to reach for, you may find yourself meandering through the field of life, picking daisies and absorbing the sunshineâ€"which is perfectly fine if that’s all you want! When you want more, though, you have to plan, you have to bring what you need into your life to go for the gold. Ask yourself these questions: What are my bucket list goals? Do I know what it takes to get there? Do I have the resources to reach them now? What do I need to bring into my life to be aligned with meeting my goals? Can I set small, achievable steps to reaching these goals? I’m sure you’ve read enough about SMART goals and other productivity hacks (here’s a great reminder ), but without the first step â€" of dreaming big â€" nothing is going to get you there.

Make Apology When Necessary - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Make Apology When Necessary - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career When you need to make an apology for something: Take action sooner rather than later. Don’t avoid and skirt the issue (the way politicians do when they routinely refer to their mistakes as “oversights”). Think through what you want to say. Phrase it carefully, write it down, and rehearse it. Plan where, when, and how you’ll say it. Be genuine and sincere when you express regret. Take responsibility. Don’t try to justify, find a scapegoat,or shift culpability. Explain the actions to be taken going forward to prevent a repeated incident. Explain the change that you will make to remedy the wrong: “Here’s what I’m doing. . . .” Make amends and reparations, and make the situation right. Explain the likely penalty if you don’t carry out your commitment.

A Career Change, From Sales to Propellers with Mike Martin - Career Pivot

A Career Change, From Sales to Propellers with Mike Martin - Career Pivot Episode 24 â€"Mike Martin talks about his career pivots and his current position as a Drone Pilot Instructor Description: Mike Martin made a career pivot after 30 years in industrial sales, first as a volunteer instructor and substitute teacher. Mike realized that instructing had a very fulfilling feel to it. Night college courses in teaching seemed the next logical step. This eventually became full-time aviation school at a college in Killeen, Texas, then two years of rail operations, instructing train operators on the new light rail extensions on the Harris County Metro line. Wanting very much to use his pilot experience and passion for aviation, Mike joined Dart Drones in 2016 as a commercial drone pilot instructor. Dart is growing, and Mike is also helping Dart develop specialized curriculum aimed at target industries, and he even got to write a blog piece on the FAA knowledge test given to pilot candidates. Mike is very happy now, and says he has found a good place, and the future looks bright. Dart Drones has been on Shark Tank. Please see the link below. Download Link |iTunes|Stitcher Radio|Google Podcast|Podbean|TuneIn|Overcast Key Takeaways: [:56] Marc reads a listener review from M11395 on iTunes, and invites listeners to write their own reviews. [3:16] Mike’s early influence was wanting to do anything big, noisy, and loud, and usually something moving. He wavered between train engineer and pilot. He took flying lessons as a teen, hoping to fly commercially, but that didn’t happen. [4:22] Mike went into industrial sales after a series of warehouse jobs that paid for his flying lessons. He found he was good with parts. His cousin suggested he should sell parts, instead of warehousing them. He opened a dialog with the CEO of a parts company he respected, and was offered a job in their electrical parts company. [6:13] In the late 80’s, purchasing became automated, competition was tougher, decision makers became hard to reach, and commissions were cut. When expenses reached income, it was time for a new career. Mike enjoyed his time in sales, until it was no longer sustainable. He wishes he had focused more on aviation. [7:49] Mike’s present employer, Dart Drones of Scranton, Penn., was represented on Shark Tank by CEO Abby Speicher. She got $300K from Mark Cuban for 10% of the company. She will use it to build the curriculum into more specialized areas, such as fire departments, and search and rescue. [8:22] Besides training classes with Dart Drones, Mike also has an agreement with another company, Drone Ascent, for on-call commercial assignments as an operator. [9:14] Mike’s first pivot came at a moment of clarity doing volunteer work at a school science olympiad, teaching the students meteorology. That led him to substitute teaching, and he went back to school for a certificate â€" during a big teacher layoff. He applied his certificate towards a bachelor’s degree in aviation, and worked at an airport. [12:42] Lacking flight hours, Mike looked at other transportation, and found an opening for train operators in Houston, passed the test, and aced the interview. He was hired, and sent to train operator school. Then he tested and burned in trains, and trained rail operators for two years on the new lines, until they opened, before returning to Austin. [16:42] Mike found a lot of activity in the drone industry, and found a place there, training people for FAA drone operator registration. These are drones weighing more than 250 grams, and less than 50 lbs. [17:23] Mike learned from trains, that he could take on something big, with great responsibility involved, and train someone new, in a matter of hours, to running it up and down the line in a competent way. [19:16] Mike’s pivots were all about piloting, which applied to driving a train. He took his piloting skills and applied them to the rail industry, and then added his training skills, and applied them with his pilot skills, to the drone industry. [20:20] Mike needed flying hours to fly drones and train others on a prosumer drone. So he bought a drone and put in 25 hours. He got the job at Dart Drones, after impressing the CEO by talking about the science olympiad, and the need for more females in technology. [23:01] Mike gives his advice to listeners. Don’t give up your dreams. One avenue might not be your thing, but you might find another avenue, like the training part of drones. [25:34] Marc’s Notes: Mike is a really interesting guy, and his journey has taken a lot of twists and turns. Mike is very persistent, and has a very supportive spouse. Do not discount either of those attributes. Mentioned in This Episode: Careerpivot.com Contact Marc, and ask questions at: Careerpivot.com/contact-me Mike’s email: MPM660@gmail.com DartDrones on Shark Tank Article on TechCrunch Mike Martin’s post about driving on the Houston Metro Line Take a moment â€" go to iTunes, Stitcher, or Google Play. Give this podcast a review and subscribe! If you’re not sure how to leave a review, please go to CareerPivot.com/review, and read the detailed instructions there. Marc Miller Like what you just read? Share it with your friends using the buttons above. Like What You Read? Get Career Pivot Insights! Check out the Repurpose Your Career Podcast Do You Need Help With ...

Get References Before You Need Them

Get References Before You Need Them Get References Before You Need Them Employment References / Job Search Strong references can be the difference between getting a “thanks for your interest” email and getting  a job offer. That’s why it’s essential to have your references in place before you begin looking for a new job. I’ll never forget a call I had with one of a candidate’s references when I was working as a recruiter. The candidate looked great on paper. She presented herself well during an in-person interview. I was eager to talk to her references. The first person I contacted was a former employer. His response to my inquiry was, “yes, she’s great, when she bothers to show up.” Not what I was expecting. Obviously, she wasn’t hired. You can avoid being blindsided by a poor reference by carefully preparing in advance. Before the Job Search Always develop your list of references before you begin interviewing. It’s not always easy to contact people on your time table and you don’t want to be left scrambling. Make a list of former managers and colleagues. Contact each of them and ask permission to use them as a job reference. Give them an overview of the types of jobs you are targeting. You may find that the former boss who you had a great relationship with is unable to help due to HR restrictions. Past colleagues may decline without explanation. It happens. The important thing is to have a list of people that you can count on to provide stellar recommendations. Before the Reference Check It’s also a good idea to give your references a head-up when you are asked for references. Provide details about the job and some idea of what you are looking for. For example, the last time I provided a reference for a friend, she asked me to focus on her ability to build relationships. This helped me prepare examples that demonstrated that ability. She got the job. While email is a convenient way to communicate, a brief phone call with your reference is even better. Ask them to let you know once they have been contacted. Follow Up Realize that it sometimes takes a while for employers to contact your reference and arrange a convenient time to talk. If you don’t hear anything from your references in ten days it’s fine to follow up. Just make sure to respect their time. While most people are happy to help you don’t want to become annoying. You may need them again in the future. Even if you’re hired for this job, you won’t be there forever. Always, always, always remember to than everyone who’s provided you with a reference. Even if you don’t get the job. It’s their effort, not the outcome, which you should be grateful for. If you do get the job, be sure to thank them for their part in your success. If you’re ready to invest in your career success visit our  Start Here  page to learn more about working with  Annette Richmond, a certified resume writer, certified LinkedIn Profile writer, and career consultant

Are Resume Writing Classes Worth It?

Are Resume Writing Classes Worth It?If you are searching for a Georgia job, your resume is probably the most important document you'll ever produce. In order to get a Georgia job interview and get hired, your resume needs to look professional, colorful, and interesting. Because it's your first impression with the potential employer, hiring a professional writer is the best way to make sure your resume is a clear reflection of who you are and what you can offer the company.In order to find a good job in the 21st century, a great resume needs to be well-written. The internet has opened up many opportunities for those with computer skills, but not everyone has access to them. It's possible to teach yourself how to write a resume using simple outline techniques that can save you hundreds of dollars by taking advantage of Georgia resume writing classes. While you don't have to take these classes if you are more than willing to learn how to write a great resume on your own, you should cons ider taking a class in order to improve your resume writing skills.A Georgia resume writing class will expose you to professional writers who are highly qualified to write professional resumes. To help you pick which classes are worth your time, go online and do some research. Look for a variety of different resume writing classes, including:Georgia's unemployment rate has been dropping, and the number of people looking for jobs is increasing every day. If you want to secure a job, it is essential that you be able to stand out from the competition. That means learning how to write a great Georgia resume.Writing a resume should not be taken lightly. If you don't know how to write a decent one, you may only be wasting your time. A Georgia resume writing class can give you the knowledge and experience you need to impress the hiring manager and land a good job. You can be one of the many thousands of newly-hired professionals, or you can take the steps necessary to start making money as soon as possible.Regardless, of whether you are currently unemployed or looking for a new and better job, if you are familiar with the basics of resume writing and good school career, you should consider enrolling in a Georgia resume writing class. Students enrolled in a Georgia resume writing class will become more adept at writing a resume, gaining a competitive edge.Taking a Georgia resume writing class is the perfect way to learn how to write a great resume, especially if you are looking for a job in Paulding County. When you enroll in a Georgia resume writing class, you will learn to structure your resume in such a way that makes it easy for an employer to skim. The professor will show you how to write effective sample resumes, and give you tips for making a resume stand out in the crowd.A good resume helps you get hired. Therefore, it is necessary that you make it look good. By taking a resume writing class, you will learn how to write a professionally-looking resume that has a high chance of getting you the job you want.