I
cannot explain my over-two-year-absence from blogging except to say that
I've moved many mountains, lived several lives, became my own super hero, aged
a chunk, ran more, biked more, lifted more, became more real, came to grips
with my limitations, sang more, danced more, feared more, studied more,
accepted more, listened to the only person who matters more (!), chilled and
relaxed more, and.... became a thoroughly happy coach and survivor on the other
end.
And....now
that we have that out of the way, let's resume--
How
about our next competency? I can clearly explain to employers what I
do well and enjoy - Hmmm......
The
first step to explaining to others what you do well and enjoy is to take stock
of your motivated skills. Motivated skills are defined as those skills you totally delight in using, and are
highly proficient in. Are your
planning and organizing skills those you love to use in a job setting and have
a great deal of proficiency in using?
There
are three categories of skills employers will want to know about during an
interview.
The
first is called strengths-based
skills. Examples of these are the
following:
§ What makes a good day for you?
§ What activities come naturally to
you?
§ What does success mean to you?
Employers
are looking for your natural
strengths; what you love to do.
The
second category has to do with your job-related
skills; your qualifications and accomplishments related to the job you are
seeking.
For
example, “I can coach and mentor, with significant job placement success. My
most recent client was offered a job with four times the salary in his current
position.”
The
third category has to do with your behavior
in certain situations. These kind of
questions asked during an interview have to do with situations you’ve experienced
in previous positions and how you handled them.
Past behavior is a great predictor for future behavior, and employers
feel this is a great way to find out if you might be a good “fit” in their
organization.
For
example, “tell me about to time when you encountered conflict in a group.” The
best way to approach preparing for these kinds of questions is to use the STAR
approach:
§ S=
situation T=
task A=
action R=
result
Briefly
mention the situation
“My
team’s deadline was quickly approaching, and our project was nowhere near
completion.”
Then
briefly mention the tasks involved
“We
needed to write a proposal to develop a new product, and everyone needed to be
on board.”
Now
state the action you took
“As
team leader, I facilitated every meeting, listened to everyone’s concerns and
ideas, and worked toward consensus on the best proposal.”
Lastly,
briefly talk about the results
“As a
result, we worked through our differences, the proposal was submitted on time,
and it was approved!”
Tackling
behavioral questions takes a lot of preparation. Put together 3-5 “power stories” of
situations you’ve encountered at work using the STAR formula in order to
smoothly explain when asked in an interview situation.
Each
story should be able to be told in 2-4 minutes, with the emphasis on your results.
Working
with a career coach, you’ll be able to assess your motivated skills, your
work-related qualifications and accomplishments, and get assistance crafting
your STAR stories.
Everyone
has the ability, with coaching, to recognize and articulate what they do
well and are passionate about. Enlist the help of a friendly career coach
to work through how you'll explain these skills to employers, focusing intently
on how they connect to the job you're hoping to nail.
For additional information about assessing your skills, try some of the assessments and resources at CareerOneStop: http://www.careeronestop.org/ExploreCareers/SelfAssessments/FindAssessments.aspx
