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Wednesday, December 29, 2010

How to Answer the ‘Tell Me About Yourself’ Interview Question by Lee E Miller

The following is a great article for those going out for job interviews. Enjoy!


How to Answer the ‘Tell Me About Yourself’ Interview Question

Don’t be afraid of this question; instead use it as an opportunity to position yourself for success.

Great article by By Lee E. Miller
When I was a human resources executive doing hiring interviews, I almost always began my interviews with candidates by requesting, “Tell me about yourself.” I did that for a number of reasons, the most important of which was to see how the candidates handled themselves in an unstructured situation.
I wanted to see how articulate they were, how confident they were and generally what type of impression they would make on the people with whom they came into contact on the job.
I also wanted to get a sense of what they thought was important.
Most candidates find this question to be a particularly difficult one to answer. That is a misplaced view. This question offers an opportunity to describe yourself positively and focus the interview on your strengths. Be prepared to deal with it. These days, it’s unavoidable. Like me, most interviewers start off their interviews with this question. A lot of interviewers open with it as an icebreaker or because they're still getting organized, but they all use it to get a sense of whom you are.
The Wrong Response
There are many ways to respond to this question correctly and just one wrong way: by asking, “What do you want to know?” That tells me you have not prepared properly for the interview and are likely to be equally unprepared on the job. You need to develop a good answer to this question, practice it and be able to deliver it with poise and confidence.
The Right Response
To help you prepare, I spoke to a number of career coaches on how best to respond when faced with this question. Heed the career advice that follows to ace this opener:
The consensus of the coaches with whom I spoke:
  • Focus on what most interests the interviewer
  • Highlight your most important accomplishments
Focus on What Interests the Interviewer
According to Jane Cranston, a career coach from New York, “The biggest mistake people being interviewed make is thinking the interviewer really wants to know about them as a person.
They start saying things like, 'Well, I was born in Hoboken, and when I was three we moved …’ Wrong. The interviewer wants to know that you can do the job, that you fit into the team, what you have accomplished in your prior positions and how can you help the organization.”
Nancy Fox, of Fox Coaching Associates, agrees. She notes that “many candidates, unprepared for the question, skewer themselves by rambling, recapping their life story, delving into ancient work history or personal matters.” She recommends starting with your most recent employment and explaining why you are well qualified for the position. According to Fox, the key to all successful interviewing is to match your qualifications to what the interviewer is looking for. “In other words, you want to be selling what the buyer is buying.”
Think of your response as a movie preview, says Melanie Szlucha, a coach with Red Inc. “The movie preview always relates to the movie you're about to see. You never see a movie preview for an animated flick when you're there to see a slasher movie. So the ‘tell me about yourself” answer needs to directly fit the concerns of your prospective employer.”
Previews are also short but show clips of the movie that people would want to see more of later. They provide enough information about the movie so that you could ask intelligent questions about what the movie is about. Hiring managers don't want to look unprepared by reading your resume in front of you, so Szlucha advises that you “provide them some topics to ask you more questions about.”
Highlight Your Most Important Accomplishments
Greg Maka, managing director at 24/7 Marketing, advises job seekers to "tell a memorable story about your attributes.” For example, if you tell an interviewer that people describe you as tenacious, provide a brief story that shows how you have been tenacious in achieving your goals. “Stories are powerful and are what people remember most,” he said.
One great example is that of Fran Capo, a comedienne who bills herself as “the world’s fastest-talking female.” She offers the following advice: “Whenever I go on auditions or interviews, I have a "set" opening I use. ... I tell the interviewer what I do in one sentence and then say, ‘And I also happen to be the Guinness Book of World Records’ fastest-talking female.’ Then I elaborate.” According to Capo, the main thing in anything you do is to be memorable, in a good way. Your goal when you answer the ‘tell me about yourself’ question is to find a way stand out from everyone else.

Maureen Anderson, host of "The Career Clinic" radio show, stresses the importance of keeping your answer short: “The employer wants to know a little bit about you to begin with — not your life story. Just offer up two or three things that are interesting — and useful. You should take about a minute to answer this question.”
And, Be Brief
To make sure it is succinct and covers what you want it to cover, she suggests that you “write your answer out before the interview, practice it, time it and rehearse it until it sounds natural. Then practice it some more. The goal is to tell the employer enough to pique their interest, not so much that they wonder if they’d ever be able to shut you up during a coffee break at the office.”
Rather than dread this question, a well-prepared candidate should welcome this inquiry. Properly answered, this question puts the candidate in the driver's seat. It gives her an opportunity to sell herself. It allows her to set the tone and direction for the rest of the interview, setting her up to answer the questions she most wants to answer.

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Kitchen Composter

Introducing our very own kitchen composter!

NOW, YOU can recycle your food waste from your kitchen and produce compost that YOU can use for your own garden. Please refer to the picture below;

 Just load your food waste into our machine and in a couple of weeks you get natural compost! This is the first of it's kind in Malaysia and we are proud to bring it to your kitchen.

If YOU are interested to DISCOVER how YOU can recycle your food waste, contact us NOW at 0129197340 or email me at amirul@compostech.com.my so that I can email to you the brochure and give you more info.

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Why are profits important to businesses in the private sector?

Profits is important for all businesses regardless in private or public sector. This is because business by nature is about providing a solution or a product that can solve a problem for a profit. That is the very reason of doing business. 

I have been doing business for the past 8 years and believe me you need to ensure that your business is generating profit at some point in time. If not than chances are you are just doing charity work. 

Anyways if you want more, go to my blog at http://amiruliskandar.blogspot.com or get a copy of my ebook on business at http://www.passion2income.com

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

What is habit and how does it get established?

According to wikipedia, habits are routines of behavior that are repeated regularly and tend to occur subconsciously, without one's directly thinking consciously about them.

Normally a habit is established from doing something on a regular basis and repeating the action regularly. People say that you just need to repeat doing something for 21 days and it will automatically become a habit.

For example, let's say you don't like to shower in the morning. You start doing it for a few weeks it becomes a habit. No matter where you are you won't shower in the morning or you will feel uncomfortable to do so.

Another example would be, if you love to talk on your cell phone while you're driving. At first you might feel it is wrong but as you start to pick up your phone and talk every single time you are driving it becomes a habit. Eventually you will do it without giving it a second thought.

Hence a habit is something that you need to be mindful of. It is not just limited to your actions but also to how you think. This is very critical as if you do not form the right thinking habits you will never be successful. You are what you think.

For example, without realizing it you might be someone with the habit of thinking negative things about everything. Sometimes you don't realize it but you are doing it all the time because to you it is the way you see things. Hence you need to change. One way to change a habit or your thinking habit is to create goals that you can change. I would recommend an attitude goal card with a simple goal that you can push yourself. It does not have to be complicated. It could be as simple as stating on the card, "I am a positive person!". Put the card in your wallet and every time you read the card you are creating new habits. Try it out for the next 21 days, I can GUARANTEE YOU that it can change your life!