The Ultimate Interview Question #JobSearch

The Ultimate Interview Question #JobSearch On LinkedIn there is an article proposing the ultimate interview question.  I dont agree with the author. Spoiler alert: he says the ultimate interview question is What did you learn last week?  The author makes a case for this being the ultimate question but Im guessing he is someone who really values learning and curiousity both great things.  My experience, though, is that most interviewers arent even close to ready to ask that question, much less understand great answers to the question. If I were to interview someone right now, I would ask questions about their skillset (we are a technical company and I need to know you have the breadth/depth of skills for the job) and experience and results (if its a sales role, I need to know youve been a rainmaker).  My series of questions, and their answers and attitudes, will hopefully help me understand if this person has integrity, will fit into my culture, and of course able to do the job. But none of the questions I ask would be the ultimate interview question. Most of these questions will sound run-of-the-mill and boring. The ultimate interview question, I think, will be the one that the job seeker asks. You see, Ive got my list of questions Im going to ask the final 10, or 5, or 2 candidates and after a while all the answers will sound the same. Once I get it down to the best of my list, you will all be admirable.  Each of you will have your own strengths, and some weaknesses, but overall, any of you might be the right hire. If you really want to knock my socks off, and show me that you CARE, and WANT this job, then dont wait for me to ask the ultimate interview question.  You should bring your own question.  Show me that youve done your research.  Show me that you understand my company, customers, competition, challenges, etc.  Show me, with your question(s), that you are a smart thinker, and anxious to attack some problems. I want to hire someone who is, as my college programming professor said, high speed, low drag.  That means they arent going to sit around waiting for me to give them direction.  Show me that you are ready to take initiative, and you dont need me to hand feed you your tasks. Having laid that foundation, what are some great questions you could ask in an interview?  Im not sure there is one question that will show all of those things it will depend on the company, industry, culture, and how the interview is going (and how interested/engaged the interviewers are) but what are some ideas of questions you might ask to position yourself as the right person to hire? The Ultimate Interview Question #JobSearch On LinkedIn there is an article proposing the ultimate interview question.  I dont agree with the author. Spoiler alert: he says the ultimate interview question is What did you learn last week?  The author makes a case for this being the ultimate question but Im guessing he is someone who really values learning and curiousity both great things.  My experience, though, is that most interviewers arent even close to ready to ask that question, much less understand great answers to the question. If I were to interview someone right now, I would ask questions about their skillset (we are a technical company and I need to know you have the breadth/depth of skills for the job) and experience and results (if its a sales role, I need to know youve been a rainmaker).  My series of questions, and their answers and attitudes, will hopefully help me understand if this person has integrity, will fit into my culture, and of course able to do the job. But none of the questions I ask would be the ultimate interview question. Most of these questions will sound run-of-the-mill and boring. The ultimate interview question, I think, will be the one that the job seeker asks. You see, Ive got my list of questions Im going to ask the final 10, or 5, or 2 candidates and after a while all the answers will sound the same. Once I get it down to the best of my list, you will all be admirable.  Each of you will have your own strengths, and some weaknesses, but overall, any of you might be the right hire. If you really want to knock my socks off, and show me that you CARE, and WANT this job, then dont wait for me to ask the ultimate interview question.  You should bring your own question.  Show me that youve done your research.  Show me that you understand my company, customers, competition, challenges, etc.  Show me, with your question(s), that you are a smart thinker, and anxious to attack some problems. I want to hire someone who is, as my college programming professor said, high speed, low drag.  That means they arent going to sit around waiting for me to give them direction.  Show me that you are ready to take initiative, and you dont need me to hand feed you your tasks. Having laid that foundation, what are some great questions you could ask in an interview?  Im not sure there is one question that will show all of those things it will depend on the company, industry, culture, and how the interview is going (and how interested/engaged the interviewers are) but what are some ideas of questions you might ask to position yourself as the right person to hire?

Do You Need a Company or Product to Brand Yourself - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Do You Need a Company or Product to Brand Yourself - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZJvfyQhCrM] Subscribe to my podcast series Personal branding is starting to be discussed more and more in the blogosphere and in the real world, which is awesome, but I think some of the messages out there are misleading. The latest threat to this topic comes from a Mediabistro event starring Gary Vaynerchuk, Loren Feldman and Julia Allison. Gary, as we all know, is known for Wine Library TV, a video podcast series that has attracted a vast audience, and has therefore promoted his products and overall Wine Library corporate brand. Loren Feldman, owner of 1938 Media, is a video producer for companies and a puppitier. He has used his controversial and transparent personal brand in support of his corporate brand. Julia Allison is known for being known. She is famous for a collection of videos starring herself. Do you need a company or product to brand yourself? Loren feels you do and I disagree wholeheartedly. Aside from explaining that we are all brands because we are being constantly judged and always have to market ourselves, the other really important point is that you represent your company. Each and every employee counts, has a voice and can build or destroy a corporate brand. People can completely seperate themselves from a company and a product by becoming the product or company. For instance, if youre an actor, you are what movie directors are purchasing. They dont get anything else besides YOU (by way of your reputation). Product Brand Corporate Brand Personal Brand I dont have a company right now. I have a series of products that support my personal brand. The majority of people know me as the personal branding expert, before they mention my blog or magazine. This may change over time because certain people may be exposed to my book or blog before they know about me personally. Those products will be their first impression of me, so they will label me as Dan Schawbel the author or Dan Schawbel the blogger. Do you benefit from aligning yourself with a company or product? Yes, you most definitely do! A personal brand cannot scale. Sure you can use your name as your companies name, such as what Tom Peters has done, but he has an entire team to assist him. As a company grows, it has to hire more and more people to support it. When you are just starting out in your career, a big brand name company can help build your personal brand. For instance, if you worked at Nike or Gillette, then people will have more respect for you out of their trust with those brands. When it comes to products, if you have a book, or a blog, or a magazine or a clothing line, then you have a stronger reach. If a product brand is successful, the personal brand and corporate brand achieves the same fate. In this way, success is interchangeable and all brands benefit. This can also happen in the reverse, of course. A company will allow you to scale and a product will allow people to touch you. Its what you do that makes you who you are! Every time you meet a new person, you introduce yourself and they likewise, they introduce themself to you. After that quick exchange of names, the next question that always comes up is so what do you do or what do you do for work or what classes are you taking or what do you do for fun on weekends. All the responses are geared towards the activities you participate in. All conversations start out this way and the beginning of each conversation is your first impression, therefore what you do makes you who you are and how you project that to the other person, makes you memorable. The point here is that everyone needs to keep busy, in order to have a response and seem interesting to others.

Personal Branding Interview Lisa Takeuchi Cullen - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Personal Branding Interview Lisa Takeuchi Cullen - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Today, I spoke with Lisa Takeuchi Cullen, who is an ex-Time journalist and is in the process of establishing a new blog and personal website.   Lisa talks about how print is on its way out and why its not smart to be a journalist in this day in age.   This is an interesting take from a past insider at a major media outlet and I think its a rude awakening for that entire industry. Lisa, the last few posts on your Time blog talk about you leaving the company.   How are you able to remain so transparent and why are you OK with telling people youre leaving? Dan, I guess Im not sure I understand the question. Why wouldnt I be okay with telling people Im leaving? Work in Progress was a blog about jobs, careers and, often, my own work. So my departure seemed relevant, particularly in the wake of the blood bath that was the American job market. Didnt it? Why should anyone leave their job now?   What are the pros and cons? I can only answer this from my perspective. I volunteered for the buyout at my company because a) my industry is dying and I wanted to get off the ship; b) Id already survived five layoffs, and I figured my number will soon be up anyway; c) all the cool kids were doing it, and Im a follower; d) after 16 years of journalism, I want to try my hand at something new, like professional Dumpster diving; e) I was sick of the cafeteria food. On the downside, its the worst job market ever in the history of mankind, to hear tell on the news. On the upside, were all in it together. What did you learn from being a journalist for so many years?   What tips would you give to aspiring journalists? What are you talking about? Theres no future in journalism. I would tell aspiring journalists to go learn a real trade, like plumbing. Seriously, I had a fantastic run and I wouldnt trade my experiences for a pile of money. The best thing about being a journalist is it gives you an excuse to be curious. About anything. And then to go satisfy that curiosity. I would tell aspiring journalists to leave all that J-school garbage behind. Its a brave new world for the field, and they can find a place in it; just not at the old venues. What is your vision for the future of media?   Do you think it rests with blogs and online sites?   Will print cease to exist in 5 years? Dude, I dont have a crystal ball. But, sure, yes, the future of journalism is online. I dont know if, say, TIME magazine will be around in five years, but I knew my job as a staff writer there would not. How have you built your personal brand as a journalist? I have a plan. 1. Get hired on The View and start spouting contrarian opinions on news events. 2. Appear on Page Six twice a month wearing nothing but a feather boa and a monkey. 3. Go to rehab. 4. Write a memoir. I dont know, man. Theres probably a magic formula involving blogs and TV appearances and a carefully marketed book. If I were advising an earnest young somebody, thats probably the three-pronged approach Id recommend. Me, Im just a tired mom trying to change careers in the midst of a screeching, howling recession. Lisa Takeuchi Cullen will be launching her new website, lisacullen.com on March 16th and her new blog at TrueSlant.com, which is a new aggregator of topical blogs by journalists and writers.   Before this, she was a New York-based staff writer at Time. She wrote about workplace, business and society trends for the magazine and Time.com. Some of those trends included snooping bosses, teen interns and cubicles of the future.   Cullen joined the magazine in 2001 as a Tokyo correspondent. Born and raised in Kobeâ€"a harbor city known for beer-fed beef and one heck of an earthquakeâ€"she returned to her home country to write about women who fetishize black U.S. servicemen in Okinawa, Asias plastic surgery phenomenon, and Japans pop-star machinery.

How to Handle a Case Job Interview

How to Handle a Case Job Interview Job candidates seeking positions in management consulting firms or investment banking companies are increasingly facing what is known as “the case interview”. In these special job interviews, job seekers are asked to apply their skills to provide possible solutions to a real business challenge.If you have such an interview coming up or have done them in the past, here are some great ways to handle it.What the Case Interview Will Be TestingIn a case interview, you will be expected to prove your abilities to analyze and solve problems while showing your ability to apply logic and strategy.At the same time, the case interview is used when companies are looking to assess your creative thinking, listening skills, level of common sense, and overall comfort with having your ideas openly interpreted or discussed with a professional demeanor.Finally, from time to time, you will be asked to present a case that assists with a past, present, or future issue the company will need you to work on.Before the Case InterviewBefore even thinking of how to present your case, you must first understand the company’s mission, product, services, and ideally, prior case studies that may appear online or in public media. The Internet and social media have made it fairly convenient to research a company’s financial strength, leadership, and previous success stories with problems the company solved.Get to know how it all works now, and worked in the past. When you have all this down, and you have created the case which companies may give you before the interview, be sure to practice, practice, and practice some more.Research online articles about other cases and interviews. Make yourself an expert on the topic, if not sick talking about it. You want to be that person in a case interview who is calm and cool under pressure.The Day of the InterviewMake sure you are well-rested. No caffeine, coffee, stimulants, or anti-stimulants that alter your emotions and ability to think clearly. Practice one more time and make sure all is in order. Remember some case interviews have been as short as 15 minutes and as long as 4 hours. You will need your strength.During the Case InterviewThe company is going to judge you on your answers. Therefore, you must project clear thoughts, a practical judgment of the case itself, and do so professionally. A great way to approach the case interview when it starts:Ask questions to clarify the issues at hand, if you are unsure Point out your underlying thoughts and assumptions on the issue Do not ramble. Summarize specific findings. Provide recommendations Outline your steps with expected resultsMost importantly, job seekers in a case interview are expected to have an enjoyable and effective discussion. Obviously, you do not work for the company, yet, so you cannot have the perfect answer. However, you must display your logic and thought processes for the case interview is supposed to be a test of a real case dialogue.More to Do During the InterviewListening skills takes more than just not talking and putting on your best listening face. Take notes, write questions down, develop a hypothesis, and compose your thoughts. You want to structure an analysis into a logical story and walk the interviewer through your assumptions and thinking.Engage the interviewers in conversation. Never panic if you do not like their responses (that’s why no caffeine beforehand). You want to show your ability to think outside the box and prioritize issues or objectives.The Case Interview QuestionsDuring the case interview, you will hear questions focused on the following:Market numbers case Problem case Business operations case Business strategy case Resume case based on your own business experience Logic case to test your IQ Never be afraid to give a wrong answerWhen You Are Done PresentingDo not panic if the interviewers sit in silence, or if you take a moment to collect your thoughts before hearing more questions. You want to show you are calm and take the time to think before speaking. Do not avoid talking for several minutes, as it will make the silence awkward.And Never Forget the Classic Interview TipsYou have to display confidence in your case interview. Show enthusiasm, keep eye contact, and project confidence. These are just the classic interview tips you hear all the time and they still apply in a case interview.

How Top Resume Writing Services Can Help You Win the Job Interview

How Top Resume Writing Services Can Help You Win the Job InterviewTo bring a 'winning' resume to the attention of employers, top resume writing services will gather your resume in a bid to make it more interesting and increase your chances of being selected. They are trained to achieve this and they know the requirements for each position that you want to apply for.However, there are many people who have made the mistake of trying to write their own resume. Their resume may look unique, but in reality, it is not. These employers will pick the best ones in a short time span if they get only a glimpse of the resume.In order to avoid this from happening, it is recommended that you hire top resume writing services. This is an expensive option, but it is worth every penny you will spend. These professionals know what employers expect. They are trained to gather all the required details to be included in a resume so that they can be competitive.It is important to pay attention to this sinc e it will determine what is written on your resume and what is ignored or left out. Employers want to know about the employer, their skills, education, work experience, etc. This should be clearly highlighted as an essential part of the resume.Another important detail that should be included is whether you are applying for a permanent position or for a temporary one. Some companies give preference to people who apply for the permanent job rather than those who have just started working at a specific company. It is best to note whether you are applying for a permanent or temporary job before you hire a top resume writing service.Other important details that should be included in your resume are your education and experience. Most top resume writing services will collect all these details before compiling your resume. These details help the professional to write the most appropriate resume for you.These details include how long you have been working at a particular company, your recen t employment history, skills that you use in your job, if you have any certifications and much more. These details help employers assess the value of your skill set in the same way that the information contained in a resume can. The more information contained in the resume, the better the chances of being selected by the company.A resume is supposed to give you a good first impression during the job interview. Top resume writing services ensure that this does not happen to you. It is always better to let the professionals do the job rather than giving too many details and putting too much emphasis on the work experience section.

This is the best thing said about happiness by anyone ever - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

This is the best thing said about happiness by anyone ever - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog As far as Im concerned, this is the greatest thing said about happiness by anyone ever: This is the true joy in life, being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one. Being a force of nature instead of a feverish, selfish little clod of ailments and grievances, complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy. I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community and as long as I live, it is my privilege to do for it what I can. I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work, the more I live. I rejoice in life for its own sake. Life is no brief candle to me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for the moment and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations. George Bernard Shaw Thanks for visiting my blog. If you're new here, you should check out this list of my 10 most popular articles. And if you want more great tips and ideas you should check out our newsletter about happiness at work. It's great and it's free :-)Share this:LinkedInFacebookTwitterRedditPinterest Related

3 Effective Tips for Simplifying Your Professional Life

3 Effective Tips for Simplifying Your Professional Life It often seems that our professional lives run away from us and end up being vastly out of control. In fact, it would be hard to argue that this wasn’t the norm experienced by the vast majority of professionals in the world today, including employees and employers alike, and spanning all industries. When you’re working hard â€" and particularly in the fast-paced and hyper-connected modern business environment that we all find ourselves operating in â€" tasks just add up, things seem to go wrong, and issues build up at a rapidly accelerated rate. Things become too chaotic â€" or, in other words â€" things become too complex. And, as the authors of the hit productivity book, The One Thing, point out, your success in business is influenced to a large degree by your ability to focus your energies on core goals, rather than having to put out fires everywhere, all the time. Bearing that in mind, here are some tips for simplifying your professional life. Use scheduler services to organise meetings without fuss Organising meetings, booking rooms, and ensuring that important discussions are had at the right time, and at the right place, with the right people â€" in a way that creates the right impression â€" is a major element of virtually all forms of business today. The thing is, the process of organising all of this can quickly become chaotic, wildly complex, and may take a lot more time and energy out of your day than you would otherwise like to spare. Room scheduler services exist, in large part, to help take care of this task for you and free up some of that priceless time and energy for you to spend elsewhere. Timeblock your day as much as possible for essential tasks, and say “no” wherever possible Whenever a survey is done of the success secrets of influential figures in business, a recurring theme emerges. All of these people are very good at setting aside significant chunks of time during their day to devote to a particular, pressing issue, and they’re all very good at saying “no” to things of lower importance. In fact, a quote attributed to Warren Buffet states that “the difference between successful people and really successful people is that really successful people say no to almost everything”. Focus on your top priorities for the day, and schedule a substantial block of time for them. To the greatest extent that you’re able to, say “no” to less pressing tasks. Keep your to-dos organised with the help of a task and project management system You simply cannot expect to remain on top of things if you don’t have an effective system for gathering today and weighing the importance of your to-dos, as well as managing your projects. Doing it all on the fly is untenable â€" you’ll constantly be playing catch-up and the chaos will likely overwhelm you. David Allen has created the “Getting Things Done” method, which is famously used by high-ranking business professionals all around the world. Adopt that, or an equally effective task management system, to really get a handle on things.