Self Describing Skills - Key Strengths
|
You need to be the best you can at describing your best qualities; particularly your key strengths. In my coaching practice I generally, at some point, ask my client: "What are you good at?" purely as a means to establish if they have already thought through this most important question.
Some have, but more often they haven't and the answer usually involves lots of head-scratching, umms and arrhs and then quite often a monologue on what they're NOT good at!!
Your answer to this should be your key strengths statement which we talked about in personal marketing on my website - let me remind you.
A "Key Strengths" statement is a summary of your most powerful skills and attributes.
The Key Strengths statement
- Highlights your most important skills and abilities
- Differentiates you from others
- Avoids generalisations
- Provides examples of your achievements
- Spoken naturally should take no more than two minutes
Of course at interview, the question may take many different forms:
"What are your main strengths?"
"why should we hire you?"
"what do you think makes you the best candidate?"
"convince me you're the right person for us"
"how do your skills match our particular needs?"
As with all your Presentation Statements it should be so well rehearsed that it sounds completely spontaneous.
This example I've given you here should get you thinking so give your Key Strengths statement some thought now.
"I have very good communication skills; I work well either leading or being part of a team and I am self-motivated and capable of working on several tasks at once.
As a leader of small teams I involve people in the decisions so that they feel involved and ensure they have the opportunity to contribute to tasks facing the team. I manage the information, plan and organise and make the decisions as required.
With my strong communication skills, I have been able to motivate the staff to higher standards of performance meaning we have also helped our profits figures through increased sales and tighter cost-control.
Alongside this I have encouraged innovation and my team has produced several very good ideas for new products, services and markets. As an example the new widget has taken off in Eastern Europe and is contributing 7% of profits in less than 18 months.
Most importantly I actively seek to develop members of my team for their own careers sake but also for the future of the business itself. This means I also look for personal development opportunities to ensure my skills are kept up to date."
If you refer to the sample CVs and resumes page on my website, sample resume #1 is for a Chief Engineer. The Key Strengths statement from him might go like this:
"I have very good communication skills and work across all departments to ensure that issues are identified and practical solutions are prepared. Coupled with my project management skills and my hands-on leadership style I am able to consistently deliver and commission projects on time and to budget.
I am focused on internal and external customer's needs, rather than purely functional needs and I apply specialist skills in continuous improvement and world class manufacturing to increase efficiency, reduce waste and losses due to downtime.
As Chief Engineer I have initiated and managed strategic change programmes and implemented effective quality improvement programs all the way through to successful local level implementation. This has led to savings of £750k per annum and helps to maintain the position and financial strength of my employer".
These key strengths statements naturally answer many of the interviewers questions whilst being reassuring in content. You will find though, that they will create new questions for the interviewer, so be aware that you must be able to substantiate everything you claim.
Try working on your own statement using your own words and skills, blending them together to create a strong "key strengths" statement to meet your needs.
You'll be surprised how often you use this one!!
With over 25 years running businesses; as a Career Coach and Consultant in many sectors; Peter Fisher is well placed to guide job seekers through the steps needed in order to achieve that all important new position.
He has personally coached thousands of individuals to career success.
His distillation of these years of experience with all the essential facts and actions you must complete in order to achieve your own success is outstanding. He is very clear that you shouldn't be misled into thinking of "acing interviews" or "finessing" your way into a business; the most sustainable and fulfilling roles are gained through understanding your own specific needs and creating your strategy accordingly. For specific guidance on how you might produce your own Key Strengths statement go to http://www.your-career-change.com/key-strengths.html
You can learn more about his dynamic and comprehensive approach to career change, with every page dedicated to helping serious career changers if you go to http://www.your-career-change.com/index.html
|
|
|
How To Make Money As A Reflexologist
Being a reflexologist is one of the top five career choices in the field of holistic health. The trend shows that more and more people...(related: Employment)
Surviving Unemployment Through Emotional Damage Control
Looking for work is a roller-coaster ride: high with elation when you think you've found a great position, low with discouragement when you realize that someone else was offered a job you wanted.Most of the time, you fall somewhere in between, your mood cycling from cautious optimism to keen disappointment. You try to conceal the inner turmoil, turning a brave face to the world, trying to convince everyone that you are "just fine."For the sake of your health and your sanity, try these approaches:1. Identify someone who is willing to be a sounding board for you: your significant other, a fellow job seeker, a career counselor, a good friend. Explain that you need some...(related: Employment)
Don?t Discount The Temporary Position Interview
If you think, 'it's just an interview for a temp job -- no big deal,' that's where you're mistaken. Some wonderful opportunities, networking connections and careers have resulted from temporary positions.Temporary assignments today run the gamut from receptionist to CEO and beyond. And since an agency is usually the first contact with the company, much of the marketing and negotiations have been done for you.And if you believe 'but the interview is set up and all I have to do i...(related: Employment)
Advantages Of Mobile Oil Changes; A Potential Small Business For You?
Mobile oil change and mobile lubes are great for fleet operators to insure equipment lasts as long as possible. A mobile van equipped with lubrication equipment and on site oil change components can provide such services to fleet owners. It also can be a business opportunity, oil change franchise or small business for someone wanting to achieve their American Dream.Think about it a simple oil change is a necessity but it can also be an interesting way to enter the arena of franchise business opportunities; of course this would on...(related: Employment)
Using Freelance Websites To Telecommute
How is your job hunting going? Have you had problems finding legitimate jobs? I don't know if you've ever thought about using freelance websites to obtain work at home, but this should be something you look into. It...(related: Employment)
Why You Need To Be An Intrapreneur
When a client asks me if I think he or she is a good candidate for starting a new business, I ask several questions (see our free assessment, "Are You an Entrepreneur?"). But the truth of the matter ...(related: Employment)
Who Should Write Your Resume?
This is a question we get a lot. It seems rather easy to do it yourself if you have access to a word processing program and printer and feel comfortable writing your job history.I always wrote my own resumes over the years, for 10 successful job changes up the career ladder, as well as in 4 different states. Inherently I knew a few things about resumes ? number one being to write each resume to fit the specific job and employer. I rarely wrote what I call a "generic" resume. One tim...(related: Employment)
Get Off Your Butt And Out Of The Rut
It's amazing to see so many people who are prepared to sacrifice their lives for the sake of their careers.I'm sure you know of someone like that. They get up at the crack of dawn, drag their weary bodies out of the house and head off for another exciting day at work. Ten or twelve hours later they head home totally exhausted with all their energy sapped from their body.They might make the effort to find out how the rest of their family's day has been, even read their children a bed-time story. Finally after having something to eat, taking a hot shower or bath, they then veg out on the couch. They immerse themselves in the newspaper (again) or watch the news or some mindless television show (if they don't fall asleep beforehand).And this is a common scen...(related: Employment)
How To Terminate An Employee And Live To Tell The Tale
1. Employee Backdrop in AustraliaThe whole arena of Industrial Relations and the interaction between employer and employee is conducted within the complex framework of various statutes, state and federal, regulations and rulings and common law. Unlike 'tort' law (a civil wrong such as negligence) the practice of Industrial Relations has many interlocking precepts and req...(related: Employment)
7 Steps To Interviews That Win The Job
These days, interviews don't come easily. When you get The Call, make the most of your time -- and go for it!1. Investigate the company's culture, markets, and finances. But resist the temptation to show off what you've researched: "I just read that you're about to embark on a new product line") unless you have a question directly related to your career.2. Look like you belong. Learn the company's dress code and err o...(related: Employment)
Resume Tips To Take You From Sahm To Wahm
When looking for a telecommuting position, it is very important to have your resume in tip-top shape. This is often the only thing that a potential employer has to base a hiring decision on since they most likely will not be interviewing you in person, your resume has to make that great first impression for you.When your resume comes across the fax line or is opened in an email, it needs to be presented as professionally as possible. Besides the obvious typos and misuse of words, your resume needs to behighly organized and make a great impression as quickly as it reaches your potential employershands. With some organizational skills and a little work your resume can be the one that stands out.Where should you start, I would suggest starting with a list of your skills. Most people would probably not start in that manner but I ...(related: Employment)
site-map - Copyright © 2007 | Contact Webmaster | All Rights Reserved | Free Articles and Information | Employment