Job Interview Questions and Answers - "Describe Your Greatest Achievement"

By Adwoa Jones 

Job interview questions like "describe your greatest achievement" give you the opportunity to provide an answer that truly showcases your expertise, experience, knowledge and skills.

These types of interview questions give you the leverage to legitimately brag about what you are capable of doing and demonstrate why you are the best applicant for the job.

Most job seekers are prepared for some variation of this question but don't take a strategic approach to answering this question. For example, they are usually ready to answer this question with one of their many accomplishments but rarely do they take the time to make sure it's a relevant example.

Here are a few tips to ensure your answer to this question has the greatest impact in the job interview.

First, be sure you have reviewed the job description thoroughly to get a clear understanding of what your job responsibilities are going to be. You have to know the job inside out so you know what type of "achievements" they will be most impressed by.

Next, make a list of your past accomplishments and achievements. Now, which ones do you believe they would be most interested in hearing about? If you are interviewing for a job that requires client interaction, you may want to pick one of your accomplishments where you provided outstanding customer service to a major client that resulted in you getting an award.

Be sure to prepare a detailed story and example in advance that you can use in the job interview to describe your achievement in a compelling and interesting way that would get them excited to hire you for the job.

Finally, finish off your answer with a statement that brings focus to what you can do for them if they hired you for the job. You see, your greatest achievement isn't just about what you have accomplished in the past.

You should position it as a preview of what you can do in the future. Once you have demonstrated your potential, you should be ready to say "when you hire me for this job, I will be able to accomplish the same thing in this role by..."

Think about it, if you can achieve these results in your previous jobs, what Hiring Manager wouldn't want to bring you on to accomplish a similar result in their company? Exactly.

Job interview answers must be strategic so you can position yourself ahead of everyone else.

By the way, do you want advanced strategies on how to answer ANY job interview question confidently with ease and clarity? If so, click here for my free video course: Free Job Interview Strategies

Or download a free copy of my ebook "Irresistible Interviews: The Secret To Transform Yourself Into The Confident, Capable And Credible Job Seeker That Every Hiring Manager Is Desperately Looking For!" here: Free Job Interview Secrets Ebook [http://www.irresistibleinterviews.com]

Adwoa M. Jones is a former HR Manager and Founder of Crystal Clear Interviews, the #1 Job Interview Coaching Program teaching talented professional women how to get hired...in ANY job interview...in ANY economy!

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Adwoa_Jones/1198284

Checklist for Discovering Your Perfect Job

By Stephen Hager 

Are you unhappy, despondent or fearful about your career situation? Perhaps you are employed and dislike going to work because of a deteriorating relationship or maybe your work is no longer fun and rewarding. You may be asking yourself: "What went wrong?" "Is something wrong with me?" "What are the lessons learned?" "How can I get out of this mess and move my life forward?"

The major reasons why most people are unhappy in their career situation are:

1. Relationship conflict with one or more people at work
2. Feeling unfulfilled and totally out-of-sync with the work
3. Stressful work environment and intolerable management philosophy
4. Unemployed or fearful their job is at risk

The common themes for the first three reasons involve "misalignment" with people, work activities and the work environment. If you can relate to one or more of these alignment issues, there are practical neuroscience solutions for you to put to work almost immediately. The reason for termination or being at risk for it may be misalignment as well.

Checklist for Discovering Your Perfect Job

Once you complete the following homework, you can align how your brain is wired and what makes you tick with the career, job, people and work environment that will naturally support your passions, strengths and values. You are only 48 hours away from getting your internal GPS calibrated for career and life success.

√ Where does your passion lie? This is a "free association" exercise to identify the subjects that interest you and what you really enjoy doing. A trusted friend who knows you well and has a spontaneous and fun-loving nature may be the catalyst to get you through this exercise quickly. Ask your friend to guide the discussion and take notes. Place two categories on the top of your flip chart or white board: SUBJECTS and ACTIVITIES. Use colored markers and work toward identifying single key words to describe your passions in each column. Go as fast as you can and feel free to jump around. When you reach the point where new ideas come slowly, usually within 10-20 minutes, STOP. Take a short break and come back to look for trends and themes. Summarize and record your work for additional homework and future reference.

Follow-up homework:

Subjects you are passionate about represent potential career categories. List the careers that align with your passions. Think about and record potential organizations that may be your future employer. Being self-employed or a "contract employee" may emerge as an option along with traditional employment. Then, identify the associated knowledge and experience you possess in the potential career fields.

Activities you enjoy doing are your skill sets and competencies. They will align with specific job descriptions. Now take each activity and decide which sensory (Visual, Kinesthetic and Auditory) and cognitive (Sequential and Global) "signatures" they contain. These are your neuroscience brain strengths that accompany knowledge and passion. They describe how you like to learn, think, work, communicate, solve problems and make decisions. Brainpower is the strength category most neglected by employees and employers alike. Use your brainpower strengths as a competitive differentiator. Most importantly, using your brain strengths on a daily basis is the key to fun, engagement and productivity. This may be why you have been unhappy in past jobs.

√ What are your highest and most important values? This is a second-round free association exercise with your friend who helped you previously. Do it as soon as possible to keep the momentum going. Use the same protocol as the first exercise except the two categories at the top of your flip chart or white board are VALUES and ENVIRONMENT. Make this a lively, fun and interactive conversation. Start naming key words of important values that come to mind, like "friendship," "collaboration," "service," "learning," "excitement," "money," "competition." There are no rules or right or wrong answers. You can go back and forth naming values and environment in any order you want. Examples of ENVIRONMENT key words are "friendly," "structured," "casual," "competitive," "non-competitive," "kind," "communicative," "caring," "demanding" and so forth. As a quality control check, match up your list of key words for VALUES with key words for ENVIRONMENT. There should be one or more congruent environments for each value.This exercise is an "insurance policy" to select the right organizational environment in which you can thrive and grow.

Follow-up homework:

Organize your list of values and environments as a guide to assess future employment opportunities. Review your list occasionally to see if your values have changed and if your job environment is holding up to your expectations.

Do research to determine if the companies you are considering embrace your values and have consistent supporting environments. You will ultimately experience problems if your values are substantially higher or lower than the organization's.

√ Who are the people with whom you most enjoy interacting? Do you prefer communicating with people who learn and pay attention to Auditory input (listening and asking questions), Visual input (seeing and observing to understand) or Kinesthetic input (moving, touching and hands-on activities). Do you relate best to people who strongly prefer to process information in Sequential ways (logical, orderly, realistic, data, accurate), Global ways (big picture, open-ended, possibilities, and options), or a near equal combination of both? Reflection on your preferences will reveal why you have rapport with some people and challenging relationships with others. All successful communications involve aligning "transmitting styles" with "receiving styles."

In summary, practical neuroscience provides the breakthrough insights and solutions that finally give you a straight and direct pathway to the career and job you can be excited about each workday morning. It's all about aligning your brain strengths, passions, knowledge and values with your work and the people with whom you interact.

Stephen Hager is a lifelong learner, scientist, author, speaker and teacher. Along with Deanna Phelps, he is the co-creator of brain-based human development products. Their goal is to help people live better and more peaceful lives through the "power within." Since 1992, Deanna and Stephen have been developing practical neuroscience solutions for better communications, clearer thinking, faster learning, higher productivity, stress management and creative problem solving. Everything they have learned from 20 years of research and working with people is incorporated in the comprehensive and individualized Brain PathWays 14-page report. For a daily dose of practical neuroscience tips, visit http://www.brainpathways.net and sign up for Free Daily Messages From Your Brain.

Please feel free to share this article as long as the author resource information is included. ©2011 The Hadron Group, Inc. All rights reserved

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Stephen_Hager/692012

Social Work Employment Possibilities and Career Job Positions

By Dee Cohen 

A degree in social work can allow you to find a job where you can help fight against your community's most demanding issues. Issues such as substance abuse, poverty, health care, hunger, violent crimes, and politics are a few of the areas in which this industry connects to the community and its needs. For those searching for employment in social work, there are many different paths to choose from.

To be a social worker, you have to be willing to devote life and career to helping people live better lives. You will also be speaking out for underrepresented societies and trying to change poor social conditions. Working in this field, you will develop relationships from individuals to communities, all the while inspiring them to solve problems like drug abuse, domestic violence, and substandard housing. Some people are more involved in focusing on personal development issues and less community oriented. Both are important for changes in the quality of life.

In order to make a difference in your community, you don't have to have a degree and so many people do that through volunteer work, starting foundations and local support. However, if you wish to work in an official capacity, it helps to have advanced training to achieve this. The benefit of having a degree in social work is that you can work in a wide variety of areas. Some career paths you can choose from include being an administrator of a non-profit organization, individual and family counseling, parole worker, school social worker, childcare worker, community organizer, trauma counselor, and abuse specialist. There are also teaching options and working in private practice.

Social workers often work in environments like hospitals, prisons, and schools. They conduct research, counsel teens, children, and families, as well as handle casework for the elderly and orphans. Depending on the field you choose, you can make often between thirty thousand and fifty thousand a year. Most people are employed with agencies and other organizations. Private practice can be a way to supplement one's income and often pays more per hour than one's job.

To obtain a legitimate career in this field, you are required to at least have a BSW (Bachelor's of Social Work) degree. You will have to devote at least four years of study and perform field work. Many continue on to get the msw degree and state license to open up more job opportunities.

Get Fulfilled Through A Career As A Social Worker

Learn more about Top MSW Programs and Average Social Worker Salary numbers.

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Dee_Cohen/3101