Five ways to improve your interview technique

Becoming an exceptional candidate is something you can do; it's just that most people don't take the trouble. In my experience, most interviews don't go that well; most people are bad at them. The truth is that many recruiters are actually not particularly good at interviewing either nor particularly effective. So, if you prepare properly and are a good interviewee, the odds can be stacked in your favor. 

To put in a good performance think about planning, practice and positive psychology. An interview is an audition. You need to project yourself as the sort of the person the interviewer wants to hire; as someone they want on the team. 

Just checking out a company website is not enough 
It's not just a question of researching the organisation. You need to understand your interviewer and why they are hiring. One way or another they are seeking a resource as a solution to an identified problem. Just checking out their website, report and accounts is not enough. 

Work on understanding the organisational need and how you can add value. Look at the challenges and opportunities they face and work out how to show that your experience and expertise are relevant. Explore their market, competitors and the changes taking place in the industry. 

Use your network to find information about the interviewer and his preferences, the company and its culture. Use LinkedIn and Zoom Info to gather all the intelligence you can.

Focus more on delivery rather than giving off-the-cuff replies 
Rehearse your presentation. I don't necessarily mean being word perfect. I'm talking about what you say when anyone asks you what you do, why you left, what you have achieved and so on. Can you talk about yourself comfortably, with confidence, concisely with clarity? Practice so that you have the right words, don't get flustered, talk at the right pace and, crucially, know when to stop. Remember the need for consistency between words and body language. 

In an interview you have to know your CV by heart. None of it pops into your head at the last minute; you know what you are going to say and what spin you are going to put on it. A good interviewee has learned his or her lines in advance and is focusing much more on delivery than on off-the-cuff replies. 

It's not a solo performance: aim for a 50/50 dialogue 
What you really need to do, though, is to make the interview interactive. People trained in interview techniques are told to use the 70/30 rule. That is to say the interviewer aims to talk for about 30% of the time allotted and the candidate talks 70% of the time, in response. 

The smart candidate actually wants a 50/50 dialogue. You should aim for a conversation, directed along the lines you prefer – whereby you can play to your strengths. The interviewer can only go with what you give them. This is best illustrated by using the "what was your biggest business mistake?" question. Do you really want to tell them your biggest mistake? Really? You decide. 

You are aiming for positive interaction. Make it easy for the interviewer by saying "have I told you all you need to know on that subject? Can I give you more detail?" Build rapport, find some common ground. But remember it's not a monologue, you are both actors in the interview and it is a dialogue, a conversation, not a solo performance.

A positive outlook is crucial 
Henry Ford famously said "If you think you can do a thing or think you can't do a thing, you're right". You're motivated, you've done the prep and have the drive to succeed so visualize success. 

Whether you call it confidence, self-esteem or self-belief, to shine at interview you need to show that you will make a good employee. Show that you are good at interacting and reading your situation, good at selling yourself and your ideas. Practicing your interview technique will make it so much easier to shine. There's no need to be nervous if you believe you are a good candidate for the role. If you believe you can do it, then you can do it. You know it because you have prepared, practiced and are ready to show what you can do.

Review and follow up 

After the interview send a letter. Thank them for seeing you. Reiterate how interested you are in them and the role. Review the key points of the interview when you discussed challenges and opportunities and outline how you can help them meet those. 

12 Most Convincing Actions that Get Senior Management to Listen

Here is your goal! You want to come across as totally knowledgeable about the content, confident and credible. You are presenting to upper management, investors, the Board or key customers. Here’s what your audience is looking, and not looking, for.

1. Don’t waste their time

Don’t read the agenda to them. An executive once told me, “I don’t need to listen to someone going through an agenda. He just wasted a minute of the ten minutes he has.” Instead, spend time telling them things they do not know. Look at your content and cut to what your audience already knows. Finally, don’t tell them everything you know or everything you have done. Once again, they don’t want or need to hear and respond to it. What they do want to know is just enough in order to decide on the decision you are recommending.

2. Provide an executive summary

Start by sharing the key messages of your presentation right up front. They don’t want to listen for ten minutes until you get to the punch line.

Here are two examples of executive summaries:

Strategy Recommendation Executive Summary Example

Project Update Executive Summary Example

3. Don’t show many slides (if any!)

If you do show slides, create images that capture your messages. If you read the slides, you’re done for.

4. Make time for your listeners to ask questions

Don’t talk so fast and plan to share so much data that your listeners cannot ask questions. Give them time during the talk as well as at the end.

5. If you are explaining a product or an idea, show or demo it if you can

Seeing it is better than only hearing about it. That’s why companies give out samples.

6. Keep the jargon out of the talk — unless they use it themselves

It’s your job to translate the jargon into everyday language so that everyone in your audience understands.

7. Pause between your sentences

Speak calmly, yet energetically. Don’t bore your audience with your voice. Don’t create a 15-minute talk and try to fit it into a 10-minute slot. Talking fast is not the solution.

8. Look at each person

It’s supposed to be a conversation. End each sentence looking at someone, not at the paper or the slide. If it’s part of the culture and appropriate in the setting, before you begin your talk and you are meeting people, shake hands firmly and look at the person when you shake hands.

9. Answer questions truthfully and concisely

If you don’t know, don’t try to fake it! One strategy is to say, “That number is not on the tip of my tongue; let me get the figure to you later on today.”

10. If someone disagrees, get curious

Ask a question. Request more information. “Will you say some more about how you see this situation?” Or, “I did not consider this perspective. Let’s talk about it.” Be careful not to put someone down when he or she disagrees with you. Do a practice run. Find a colleague to be really argumentative and practice how to handle the situation.

11. Be shorter than the time allotted, rather than longer

Save time for comments and questions. For a 20-minute slot, only talk 10-15 minutes.

12. Be yourself

Film yourself and look at your behaviors. Then get rid of the bad habits such as holding your hands in front of you or saying “um.” Keep the good habits, such as pausing between sentences and speaking only about the details your audience needs to know.

These are not difficult behaviors to learn. You just have to practice them before you get up in front of an audience of executives. There are two pieces to a presentation: content and delivery. Prepare the content early enough that you have time to practice delivery; then rehearse, rehearse, rehearse. To add the frosting on the cake of your presentation rehearsal, find someone to ask you all the tough questions. The more you rehearse to sound confident and credible with your presentation, the more you will get your audience to sit up and listen. I challenge you to rehearse 3-4 times for the next important presentation.

12 Most Powerful Ways To Build Instant Influence

We’ve all heard, “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.” But I disagree.

Its not about who you know. It’s really about who knows you. Just because you’ve met someone, doesn’t mean they’ll help you get into the job you want, or refer you to the sale you need. It takes more than a decent handshake to build good rapport with someone.

In order to get ahead, you need to build good relationships with people. However, I am not a big believer in trying to push an agenda with people I’ve just met. I’d much rather build a real, sustainable friendship with them before asking for anything in return.

All friendships start with someone liking you. So here are the 12 most powerful ways to make people like you:

1. Be happy about who you are

In psychology, it is a well known fact that you can’t give what you don’t have. The best way to get someone to like you, is to make sure you like yourself first! When you like who you are and where you’re going, you are much more likely to maintain a good attitude, which will lead to friendships.

2. Have a good attitude

No one likes to be around someone who has a sour attitude. No one. So make sure that you don’t have a sour attitude! Attitudes are contagious, so be sure to infect people with a good one!

3. Dress well

We have definitely come a long way from judging a book by its cover in the past several years, but it is still important to present yourself well! You have less than five seconds to make a good first impression, so obviously appearance plays a large part in this. If you come in to meet with greasy hair, a wrinkled white t-shirt and dirt-stained jeans, you’re going to give a totally different vibe than someone who comes in with neat hair, a nicely ironed white t-shirt, and clean jeans.

4. Look for a way to compliment them

As soon as you meet someone, search for something you genuinely like about them. It can be as specific as their shoes, nail polish, hair, or as broad as the way they carry themselves! The key here is that you absolutely must be genuine. If you pay people fake compliments, they’ll treat you as if you paid them in monopoly money. You should also do this within the first 15 seconds of meeting them.

5. Look for something they obviously care about

Item #5 piggybacks slightly on #4. If you want to get bonus points for your compliment, try to pick something out that your new friend cares deeply about. For a mother, you may compliment her little girl’s dress. For a young woman, it may be the red streak in her hair. For a young man, it may be how physically fit he is.

6. Give them your full attention

Make your interaction completely and fully about your new friend. Embrace the mantra, “it’s not about me” and make it, “it’s all about you.” In the busy world we live in, we are all constantly competing for attention from 100 different things at once. It could be a phone call, a Twitter update, or a Facebook “like.” When we give our new friend our full attention, it will be attention they may not be used to getting. This can win you major points.

7. Ask the right questions

When we meet new people, we have to take part in the dreaded “small talk” until you either find common ground, or get bored and move on. If you take just this one piece of advice, you’ll never fear small talk again. The trick to getting past small talk is asking the right questions. You need to ask questions that demand explanations. These types of questions start with words like: Who? What? When? Why? Where? How? These words open up the need for explanation and thus conversation is born. Avoid all “yes” or “no” questions.

8. Listen with the intent of listening

Most people participate in conversation through listening with the intent to talk again. Have you ever been talking to someone and after you spoke, you totally forgot what they said seconds before? That’s because you were focused on talking. Everyone wants someone to listen. Learning how to listen with the intent of listening will enable you to focus fully on the other person. A good way to start is by asking questions that require deeper answers or stories.

9. Find a way to encourage

Everyone feels overworked, overstressed, and underpaid. Everyone also loves to receive encouragement. If, during your conversation, you can find a way to encourage your new friend, they will love you for it. It could be as simple as bragging about their great sense of style.

10. Smile

In order to build friendships, you must be approachable. In order to be approachable, you must send out open body language. The easiest way to send out open body language is by smiling often. Every time you make eye contact with someone, smile. Smiles are an easy way to brighten someone’s day, and sometimes all you have to do is smile at the right people.

11. Watch your hands

Your hands can send all kinds of messages to those around you. For example, when someone is being honest with you, they will often show you their palms more often. However, when someone has their hands in their pocket, or has their arms crossed, they are effectively saying, “I don’t want to be here, talking to you.”

12. Remember their name

This is one of the most overlooked, and underutilized skills that can help you build friendships with others. Always remember your new friend’s name. It was the first word they learned as a child and it is the most important word in that person’s world. A nice trick to remembering peoples’ names is to make a conscious effort to say their name three times in the first 60 seconds of meeting them.

10 things not to say in a job interview

With the jobs market more competitive than ever it can be hard work just to get an interview, so once you're actually in front of potential employers you don't want to ruin your prospects with an ill-chosen comment. 

Sadly, some job hunters still do speak before they think. Corinne Mills, managing director of Personal Career Management says she can recall many instances of interviewees saying the wrong thing. "I remember when one man was asked why he wanted the job, he replied, 'Because my mum thought it was a good idea'," she says. 

She adds that some job hunters have also been known to say they've applied for a job "because it will pay the rent while I look for a job I really want to do", and a common response to a question about what candidates like to do in their spare time is "go to the pub". 

Richard Nott, website director at CWjobs, says candidates should avoid discussing religion and politics. "Employers like people who can talk passionately about their own interests as it helps them to get to know you as a person. But we would always advise against sharing your views on these two topics without knowing if the interviewer shares that point of view." 

We asked Nott, Mills and Nik Pratap of Hayes Senior Finance for their list of the top things to avoid saying at a job interview: 

1 "Sorry I'm late." It goes without saying that punctuality is key. Your interviewer doesn't want you to arrive for work 20 minutes late every morning. 

2 "What's your annual leave and sickness policy?" It doesn't look good if, before you've even been hired, you're planning your absence from the company. 

3 "I'll just take this call." Mills says a large number of candidates think it is OK to take telephone calls, texts etc during an interview. It isn't. 

4 When asked, "Where do you see yourself in five years?" never say, "Doing your job." As much as this might be a genuine answer, Nott says candidates should "try to build a response around the experience they would like to have gained and the level of responsibility they'd like to have, rather than threatening the interviewer's job." 

5 "My previous employer sucked." No matter how mind-numbingly boring those roles might have been, "speaking badly of a previous employer is not only unprofessional, but also reflects on your character," Pratap says. Your new employer will contact your former employer for references following an interview, so it's never wise to burn your bridges. 

6 "You make widgets? I thought you made cricket bats." Failing to research your prospective employer fully is a big faux pas. "Saying you've looked at their website is only marginally better – employers expect far more research," Mills explains. 

7 "Bloody hell." Never swear in your interview. It can happen, especially if your interviewer is themselves prolific with the profanities, but don't let them set the standard of the interview and remain professional at all times. 

8 "I was very good at sorting out PEBs by using ARCs." Don't fall into the industry jargon of your previous employer or assume the interviewer knows anything about your experience, Pratap advises. Instead, speak clearly about your skills and experience to avoid any confusion or misunderstanding. 

9 "Do I really have to wear that uniform?" Any criticism of staff uniform will go down like a lead balloon. Do you think your interviewer enjoyed wearing that fluorescent green ensemble when they performed your role? 

10 When asked, "What do you expect to enjoy most about this role?" never reply with any of the following: the perks, the pay, lunchtimes, my co-workers or the holidays, Nott says.

Top 10 questions to ask in job interviews

Although job interviews often feel like an interrogation, they're meant to be a conversation between you and a potential employer. Asking plenty of questions during a job interview can not only help you build a dialogue, but it can also help you evaluate if the job is right for you. 

Before you pick and choose from the following top 10, be sure to consider the culture of the organisation and the interviewer doing the selecting. Adopt the right tone and convey a positive attitude – you want to ensure this opportunity works for you, not against you. 

• What are the most enjoyable and the least enjoyable aspects of the role? This can show that you like to know what sort of challenge you are going to face and that you like to get properly prepared for it, all in the expectation of being able to rise to it. 

• You mentioned there will be a lot of presenting/researching/liaising; what do your most successful people find satisfying about this part of the role? This question can serve two purpose; it demonstrates your listening skills and associates you with being successful in the role and finding it satisfying. 

• What types of training opportunities do you offer? This is a classic question – it highlights that you're keen to advance your skills and add further value to the organisation. 

• Is there scope for promotion in the future? This is another classic question. In a similar vein, it emphasizes a determination to make progress and over the long term. 

• Can you tell me how the role relates to the overall structure of the organisation? With this question you're drawing attention to a preference for teamwork. It looks as though you want to know where you would fit in and how your contribution would affect the rest of the company. 

• How would you describe the work culture here? This signals that you want to operate at your optimum and understand that for this you require a positive environment. This indicates you're a good self-manager who is aware of how to get the best out of yourself. 

• In what way is performance measured and reviewed? This question flags up that you appreciate the importance of delivering real results. You will be seen as someone who understands the value of commitment, reliability and returns. 

• What are the most important issues that you think your organisation will face? or • You have recently introduced a new product/service/division/project; how will this benefit the organisation? 
These variations both show that you are interested in the job and employer behind it too. It will be apparent you have done some research, done some thinking, and are now eager to hear their analysis. 

• May I tell you a little more about my particular interest in communicating with clients/developing new ideas/implementing better systems? This is a cheeky and obvious way of getting permission to blow your own trumpet but then that's what this interview is all about. 

• Do you have any doubts about whether I am suited to this position? This is a rather more brazen way of emphasizing some of your strengths. It suggests you are open to constructive criticism and willing to learn from the experience of others. It also gives you a real chance to address any weaknesses the interviewee may think you have. Finally, it allows you to finish on a high, re-stating why you think you are the right person. 

12 Most Savvy Ways to Get Ahead

Blatant, persistent self-promotion puts people off. And it’s never a smart approach for people who want to advance professionally. But in a job market as competitive as it is today, sitting back will get you nowhere — literally.

So, how to strike a balance between boasting shamelessly and saying nothing? Doing these 12 things will keep you connected and ready to seize opportunities, like a pro!

1. Blog

Blogging is such a great way to show your expertise and ability to write, think and analyze. Current and potential employers desperately seek these skills. Demonstrating you have them can boost your career prospects.

2. Keep your LinkedIn profile smart and snappy

It’s a powerful platform if you take advantage of it. More than 8 in 10 big companies use the site to recruit, new research shows. Prune words or phrases that are overused or vague. Make the effort to make your profile work for you.

3. Say yes…

…to a project at work that involves getting to know people, products or processes you don’t know already. Opportunities often come from within the same organization. Doing this will give you new skills and increased visibility to managers and colleagues who might not know about you.

4. Read

Stay current with your industry, and the changes and trends in it. Reading articles and blog posts will expose you to important developments and can reveal new work-related prospects or clients.

5. Congratulate peers

When you see a colleague get promoted, publish something, change jobs or do something else pretty neat, send an email, a Tweet or note by LinkedIn. Reach out and congratulate them. If you do this actively, you will find this leads to amazing referrals and connections to draw on later.

6. Volunteer

Do more of what you really love to do as a volunteer. Think of it as strategic volunteering. My background is in in journalism. So I have volunteered by giving presentations to nonprofits about media relations, by mentoring the CEO of a start-up company about marketing and by guiding a journal-writing session for clients served by a nonprofit whose mission I love.

7. Meet to eat

Keith Ferrazzi, master networker, shows in his best-seller “Never Eat Alone” how to connect with people and build a network without becoming a jerk. You can’t make those connections and relationships with your head stuck in your cubicle. If you’re in a lunchtime rut, this is the time to reach out to new contacts and head out of the office.

8. Invest in yourself

A college Master’s degree is worth $1.3 million more in lifetime earnings than a high school diploma. It’s not easy to go back to school after you’re already working, but it’s never too late to do it. I’m back in school in my mid-40s.

9. Join

Be selective, but join groups that will deepen your professional knowledge. Often, through such memberships, you’ll get to take advantage of professional development. You’re also bound to make relevant connections in your field.

10. Pay it forward

Offering help, even when there is no clear return, pays off. Maybe not right away. And, maybe, not in an obvious way. But by reaching out and offering support to a colleague or mentoring a newbie, you’ll cement a bond you can call on if you ever need a favor from that contact. Sometimes, it just helps the person seeking help. That’s okay, too.

11. Connect virtually

Stay open to the prospect of learning through, and with, people you meet on social media sites. You’ll discover people who have some of the same interests you do, which is helpful if your company or market is small. Mine these relationships and give back online, as well. Doing so will offer rich lessons you might not have learned otherwise.

12. Stay curious

This is helpful, of course, in arenas outside the professional realm. But it’s also a good reminder to keep learning, questioning and growing. My mom used to tell us that the only people who get bored were those who let themselves get bored. Seek, explore, do!

Staying on top of your game, professionally, is not easy. It takes attention and work. But it’s critical in keeping your skills and contacts fresh, and in letting colleagues, managers and potential employers know about you and your work.

12 Most Marvelous Assets You Can Offer Your Company

All we are talking about here are people. People with skill sets, mindsets and varied attributes and abilities — every generation shares them. At the core, despite these generational “categories,” there are some attributes which are “gen”-less. Companies need to identify the specific skills they need to succeed and make judgments based on that, people need to highlight their own skills instead of focusing on their age groups and “Gen Traits”. Regardless of your age, your experience, your status, there are attributes that equal success.

If you show these qualities, you will break the mold. 

Break the mold: here are the 12 Most Marvelous Assets You Can Offer Your Company regardless of age:

1. Be adaptable and manage change

Change is one of the most difficult things for anyone to deal with. When you respond well to change, keep an open mind and embrace the possibilities, you empower yourself with a quality of great value. In contrast, many people resist change, create conflict and struggle. This doesn’t help an organization move forward. We are living in a time of change, one where the ability to adapt, learn new ways and work with your organization in the direction it is going is key. If you’re committed to this, you’re ahead of the game!

2. Recognize that you are always learning

It does not matter what profession you are in, how many degrees you have or how long you have done something for. There is always something new to learn. You would be surprised (or perhaps not) at how many people think they “know” everything — or are afraid they will look bad if they come across something they don’t know. If you look at life through these eyes, you commit yourself to being stunted. Recognize that you have no way of knowing what others know, that you cannot possibly have learned everything. People who take this approach position themselves to be “always evolving.” People who evolve and who learn willingly are fantastic to work with and can view the world as a fresh and interesting place. Note: saying you “like to learn” is not the same as recognizing you are always learning. Be the person who is always open to possibility, approaching life knowing there is always something to learn.

3. Never say “I know”

Oftentimes, when people ask for help they get an answer and respond with “I know.” It is far more admirable and appreciated to hear someone say, “Oh, cool — I thought it might be something like that” or “Thank you, I was missing that piece to the puzzle” than to hear the words “I know.” If you knew, then it’s likely someone wouldn’t have been explaining it to you. It is okay not to know everything (see point #2). People who ask questions and find positive ways of acknowledging that they just learned something are rare. Admit when you don’t know and ask for help. If you can master this, you will always be well-received in a team, and your general demeanor changes from one of defense to one of collaboration. Collaboration is essential. Companies need team players.

4. Be resourceful and investigative

My last two points covered the benefit of knowing you are always learning and responding to feedback or instruction. Those highlight what qualities are appreciated when you ask for help or receive guidance. Being resourceful and investigative in your approach to work and trying to find answers for yourself before you take up another person’s time is also important. We all have tools , references, experiences we can pull from to try and find answers. Resourceful people make it their business to learn what their resources are, and tend to be far more efficient because of it. They do not try to skip steps by asking others things they could have easily done themselves. Before they waste others time, they do everything they can to find a solution.

If you are resourceful and investigate things before you draw conclusions people will stand up and take notice. Beyond that, being resourceful and investigative will allow you to uncover more possibilities, offer solutions and leads to innovation — another extremely powerful asset driving growth. Think for yourself. Put a resourceful person on a desert island, they will find a way to survive. Put five people who are not resourceful on the same island, they might die asking each other what to do.

5. Be motivated and determined — give it your all

No matter where you are in life, no matter what you do, be committed to give it your all. Too many people waste company time and money doing a job at half steam. Some people think a position is just a stepping stone, so they focus on where they are going instead of what they need to do now. This is a huge mistake. Those who are motivated and determined to do their very best take pride in their work and it is evident — they bring it full force, surpassing expectations, setting goals, they “find a way.” People with dedication bring profit. Companies today suffer from the problem of disengaged employees, anyone who is willing to give it their all is treasured.

6. Value others time, treat everyone with the same importance

People who respect others, who can see the value in every human being around them are not only the most pleasant to work with but are the ones who are likely to drive success based on their ability to collaborate, encourage, motivate and make people feel good. Too many people walk around thinking the whole world revolves around them. People who respect other’s are like a breath of fresh air in a polluted world. This quality benefits everyone in meetings, in the day to day workings of any position, and with clients. Be prepared, bring your game, respect others — this means a lot.

7. Keep the big picture in mind, do not lose focus

Before you react to anything nurture the process in yourself to ask what the big picture looks like. A process that doesn’t make sense to you might have factors contributing to it that are beyond your current line of vision. People who do this when they see conflict, when they hear about change, or when they have an objection can come through things positively, act based on objectives and accomplish goals. Try and put yourself in another’s shoes, see things from different points of view. When things happen to people who are able to step back and see the big picture, it allows them to always move in the right direction and not get hung up on the little things. This also allows people to identify areas of improvement, or new opportunities. If you have this ability you will always accomplish the goals you are working towards. It’s a tremendous asset.

8. Be a strong communicator

Communicating means listening too. Take the time to listen, observe body language and truly be present in your communications. When something bothers you, when you see something that you question — do exactly that, ask questions, listen, explore possibilities by interacting with the people around you. If you have something on your mind, communicate it clearly, don’t make people read between lines. If there is a problem, speak up. If you have an idea, share it. Someone who truly communicates well is precious. The ability to truly communicate is easily one of the greatest assets for any position.

9. Be the smile

It is not easy staying positive. We face constant challenges in our daily environments: change, difficult clients, technical difficulties, underlying personal issues, general frustrations. We choose how we respond. It is very easy to jump on a bandwagon of frustration or complaint. When this happens, what we really need is some light in our day. Being that light, whether it be with a smile, by working on solutions, or having a positive word to turn things around is arguably one of the biggest gifts you can give. People who can respond positively keep things moving forward. Be the ray of light, it takes work, but it is well worth it.

10. Be reliable

Reliability is essential for anyone who is part of a team, who has a job to do. Showing up, doing what you said you would do, being present consistently — both physically and mentally makes a difference. We have all worked somewhere where we have experienced people who are consistently absent, or who say they will do something and don’t. Being accountable for yourself, taking pride in being reliable is an asset that is recognized and appreciated by employers, team members and clients. Being reliable does not mean being superhuman — everyone gets sick, everyone gets too busy to finish something on schedule. It happens. Being reliable is about self management, about keeping people up to date on your current status, about recognizing that people are relying on you and being there.

11. Be appropriate and professional

Corporations lean more and more towards providing liberal environments that foster growth and development in their employees — at least this is what we hope for. As human beings, we “make” our corporations, we are the workings that create what is within the culture. Those who recognize how to behave, how to treat others with respect, how to live within a culture nurture positive environments, encourage stability and foster the ability for growth. We are each responsible for our part in a company’s success.

“Unprofessional behavior” is not limited to people “just leaving college”, it’s seen at all ages, at all levels of success and in all fields. No matter how good your work is, no matter how brilliant you are, professionalism is necessary in all work environments. It’s not measured by a degree or list of accomplishments. It’s the ability to navigate waters without ever stepping on others toes, being diplomatic, being level headed and keeping that smile even when debating a difficult issue. It’s also about keeping “personal” and “emotional” out of the equation; Knowing your place and respecting the role you have, as well as the roles others have to play. If you do not conduct yourself in a professional manner, it makes working with you very difficult. There’s always a professional way to handle something. People who master this are well respected, will advance in their careers and are strong assets to their companies and peers.

12. Know yourself

You should be able to identify for yourself all of your greatest strengths and your greatest weaknesses. Many people feel they have a great deal of self knowledge — yet real self knowledge is one of the hardest things to truly have. It is difficult because it involves examining what is wrong with you, nobody wants to look at that. This knowledge is valuable, hard to come by and should be sought after and appreciated — not dreaded. It’s okay not to be perfect, “nobody is perfect.”

Bite the bullet, ask people around you to share with you where they think you can improve. Don’t be defensive, listen and understand it. If you do not understand or see these qualities, start paying attention, seek this information from multiple sources. Ask the question, “How could I be a bigger asset, what can I do to improve?” A good manager should be a guide in sharing both your strengths and challenges with you.Feedback from others is the greatest gift we can receive, be it negative or positive — it is all important. It allows you to work better in teams, understand what support you need, understand where you can excel. In knowing yourself, you become a better more balanced person.

People who have true self knowledge are the strongest assets to a company because they will position themselves to do their best work, and work through tough spots with a positive approach, constantly developing, growing and providing value for their organization and those around them. The 12 most marvelous assets you can offer your company do not come with age, they come with approach, focus and character. No matter where you are in life or what you are doing if you have these you will be at an advantage.

Putting people in “boxes” and making judgments on age, generational groups or experience alone will only foster a rigid organization that will struggle as the world changes around them. Companies that will succeed today will be the ones that recognize the top qualities individuals can bring and not fall into the trap of stereotyping and discrimination. They will be the ones that will offer people the opportunity to evolve and grow with the company. They will see these core qualities as assets. The individuals and leaders who provide the above will break the mold and flourish.

Let’s start thinking and acting above all the “noise” and focus on the true value and strengths of talent in the workplace today.

Job interview advice: best blogs of 2013

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