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Here is the Secret to Acing Your Interview

May 24, 2013 | Author: Arleen Bradley

May 24, 2013

PAR stories help you win the job.

There is a secret to acing your interview. It’s what will set you apart from your competition. The secret is in your PAR stories.

PAR is an acronym for Problem, Action and Result. A PAR story is a problem you encountered in your previous job, the action you took to solve it and the results. PAR stories answer behavioral questions like, tell me a time when and how would you handle this situation.

How to create your PAR story.

Problem: Briefly describe the situation in a couple of sentences. Action: Explain what you did to solve the problem. If you were a part of a team, highlight your actions. Results: Show the results of your actions. Achievements expressed as dollars or percentages are more powerful than simply stating the facts.

Here is an example of a PAR story:

Problem: the postage rates were rising quickly and the company was looking for ways to reduce postage expenses. Knowing that postage costs would continue to increase, something had to be done to keep expenses down. They couldn’t stop all mailings, so a solution was needed. There were three schedules involved. Some families needed more than one schedule.

Action: I took a look at the mailing list and found that some households were getting up to 6 schedules each in their own envelope and postage. I consolidated the schedules onto one sheet of paper and mailed one piece of paper to each household. Households with email access were sent the schedule by email.

Result: By consolidating the schedules and mailing only one schedule per household and emailing to others, the savings were about 30%. The information was delivered using fewer envelopes, paper, and postage. The manager was happy to have the information distributed using fewer resources.

This story demonstrates a claim on the resume of process improvement and costs savings. Describing the situation and the results of the action taken by the employee, the interviewer understood how this person can save money in a similar situation. Henry Ford said, “You can’t build a reputation on what you’re going to do.” PAR stories confirm your value to your prospective employer.

Take some time to look at your career and develop PAR stories that validate claims you have made on your resume. In doing so, you describe your unique selling proposition to confirm that you are the best candidate for the position.

Have a job by Labor Day

May 22, 2013 | Author: Arleen Bradley

Win a job and a trophy when you join with others.

May 22, 2013

Finally after the long winter, Memorial Day is here! It’s the unofficial start of summer. And it’s an exciting season for the job searcher. It’s the best time to look for a job. And here is why:

• Many job searchers take the summer off

o There’s less competition for you

• It’s the barbecue, graduation and wedding season

o The parties are excellent networking opportunities

o The bride and groom usually invite people from work

• People are in vacation mode

o The hiring managers may be answering their own phones because the gatekeepers are on vacation

o They may be available to meet for informational interviews

• Perfect weather for meeting people

o People enjoy eating lunch in a park rather than at their desk may be more receptive to a little conversation

o Helping a neighbor with a project can lead to a new contact

o Whether you coach or play summer sports, you will meet plenty of people

• Companies need superior talent all year round

o Beat the competition by being flexible and patient with the interview process

• Some companies hire temporary help for the summer

o It may turn into a permanent job

o Add more connections to your network

• The fiscal years ends/begins July 1 in some organizations

o They have to hire before they lose the position

o They will hire as soon as the new fiscal year starts

• People are more relaxed

o They are more willing to engage in conversation

• Opportunity for outdoor exercise

o It will help you relieve stress

o It will boost your mood

o You will look and feel better

Why not keep up your job search during the summer? You may find a winning team to help you get your next job.

Employed again: but at what sacrifice?

May 20, 2013 | Author: Arleen Bradley

May 20, 2013

This was once an accepted practice.

You want a job. You want to be working earning your paycheck. It’s been a long road.

But what are you willing to sacrifice to get that job? Are you willing to give up your time, money, commute, job title, or industry? How about your ethics?

Are you willing to go to unscrupulous lengths to get the job, such as lying about your skills and experience?

What about which companies you will work for? Will you work for a company that:

Hires only part-time people, so they don’t have to pay benefits
Levies sanctions against whistle blowers
Causes damage to the environment
Violates human rights
Takes advantage of the people and environment of third world countries
Lies to consumers and government
Allows greed and corruption at the c level
Works with suppliers that do any of the above

Of course, this is only a partial listing of unethical business practices. There are varying types and levels of dishonorable activities that companies use in the name of the bottom line.

Where will you draw the line when it comes to disreputable actions? Is the prestige of the company and product more important than you values? How far will you dig to find what’s actually going on in the company?

I would love to hear your comments on these questions?

Employed again: but at what sacrifice?

May 20, 2013 | Author: Arleen Bradley

May 20, 2013

You want a job. You want to be working earning your paycheck. It’s been a long road.

But what are you willing to sacrifice to get that job? Are you willing to give up your time, money, commute, job title, or industry? How about your

This was once an accepted practice.

ethics?

Are you willing to go to unscrupulous lengths to get the job, such as lying about your skills and experience?

What about which companies you will work for? Will you work for a company that:

· Hires only part-time people, so they don’t have to pay benefits

· Levies sanctions against whistleblowers

· Causes damage to the environment

· Violates human rights

· Takes advantage of the people and environment of third world countries

· Lies to consumers and government

· Allows greed and corruption at the c level

· Works with suppliers that do any of the above

Of course, this is only a partial listing of unethical business practices. There are varying types and levels of dishonorable activities that companies use in the name of the bottom line.

I would love to hear your comments on these questions?

If you are in transition and don’t know what you want to do for a living, here’s an easy way to find out.

May 17, 2013 | Author: Arleen Bradley

Finding my next career when I don't know what I want

Listing what you liked and disliked about your former jobs will help find your new job.

May 17, 2013

When people find out you are in transition, they ask you what you are looking for, but you don’t have an answer. You have worked at a number of jobs. There are things you liked and disliked about each one. Now you are in transition but don’t know what you want to do. The only thing you do know is what you don’t want to do. You’re looking for something in a haystack, but don’t know what it is.

How do you decide what you want to do? The best thing to do is to contact a career coach to help you figure out what you want. The career coach is trained to help you assess your personal and employment needs to decide on a new career.

The career coach can recommend a career assessment and interpret the results. Then help you create a résumé and a cover letter to submit for positions you find that match your interests.

You can do this on your own if you want to try it out before hiring a coach. On a sheet of paper, draw a line down the middle. In one column, list all the things you have done that you enjoyed doing. The other column is for all the things you hated doing and never want to do again.

After you have finished, go through the list while looking for common threads in both columns. Do you see a pattern developing? Helping people, working with numbers, being creative, working with pets or maybe doing repetitive tasks are some things you could find.

The website http://www.mynextmove.org/ has three options for you: “I want to be a…”, “I’ll know it when I see it.”, and “I’m not really sure.” Select the option that best suits you and enter keywords in the box to see what your choices are.

When you click on a career you are interested in, you will find the skills, knowledge, education, abilities, and the personality you need for the career. Additionally, you will find the prospects of the career including estimated salary.

Sample all three options. Insert the keywords that match your interests and look at the results. Explore the outcomes to see what interests you.

Whether your job has been off-shored, out-sourced, or just doesn’t interest you anymore, there are ways to find your new career. My best advice is obtaining the assistance of a professional career coach trained in career exploration. If you want to try it yourself first, information you obtain at http://www.mynextmove.org/ will surely get you started.

Arleen Bradley Career Coaching

Here is the Secret to Acing Your Interview

Have a job by Labor Day

Employed again: but at what sacrifice?

Employed again: but at what sacrifice?

If you are in transition and don’t know what you want to do for a living, here’s an easy way to find out.

Career Coach

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