What Do You Think is Your Greatest Weakness

What Do You Think is Your Greatest WeaknessWhat is Your Greatest Weakness?What Do You Think is Your Greatest WeaknessThe recent blog post, 5 Really Stupid Questions from Interviewers, elicited several comments about that oft-asked and much-hated interview question What do you think is your greatest weakness? Heres my advice on how to answer.First, ignore the conventional advice to state a weakness thats really a positive job attribute, such as, Im a workaholic and I spend too many hours at work. Interviewers have been hearing that for years, and they see right through it.And the truth is, they really dont care what your weaknesses are. They care about how you handle the question and what your response indicates about you.The trick to answering this question is to identify a new skill youre learning or planning to develop something that is only a weakness because you havent yet mastered it.Heres a five-step response strategy for this questionHighlight your strengths for the position.M ention a new skill or area in which you are not yet as strong as youd like to be (dont use the word weakness.).Outline what youre doing to master the new skill and overcome your so-called weakness.Describe how this new skill will improve your value to the company.schliff with a question that will redirect the interview back to your real strengths.Heres a fill-in-the-blanks template to help you start formulating your responseWhile there are several strengths I bring to this position, including _______, _______, and _______, I would like to improve my knowledge of _______. In fact, I have been involved in _______ and _______ in an effort to master these skills. I feel this is important because it will allow me to deliver added results in the areas of _______.Heres how this example might sound if you were seeking a position in sales or customer serviceWhile there are several strengths I bring to this position, including a consistent record of being one of the top three performers in my previous position, strong industry knowledge, and outstanding interpersonal skills, I would like to improve my knowledge of geschftsleben finance. In fact, I have been taking courses in business economics and finance at the Institute of Advanced Training in an effort to master these skills. I feel this is important because it will allow me to directly relate the sales of products and services to a customers return-on-investment, and to recommend department cost-saving initiatives. Would you like me to elaborate on these ideas?Did you notice the question at the end? Asking a question will make the interview more conversational, help you gain more control, and keep the interview from becoming an interrogation.

dont use a functional resume

dont use a functional resume dont use a functional resume A reader writesIn your 7 Things To Leave Off a Resume article, you mentioned picking between chronological and functional resumes. Can you comment on why hiring managers prefer one over the other?When I apply to jobs that are outside my field, I generally submit a combination functional-chronological resume so the company can landsee how my skills can be transferred to the new field/position but still see my employment history. Do you think this is effective, or am I hurting my chances?It sounds like youre using a chronological resume (one that lists your job history by position, with dates, so that its clear what you were doing when), with the addition of a functional summary. I think thats fine its when someone excludes the chronology altogether that I (and many other hiring managers) see a red flag.For people who dont know, a functional resume just lists skills and abilities, without including a chronological job history. Many hiring managers, me included, hate them.Generally, the first thing I think when I see them is, What is this candidate trying to hide? Thats because people tend to use functional resumes when theyre trying to hide an employment gap, or job-hopping, or outdated skills (because it matters if your Web design experience is from 10 years ago or one year ago), or other things Id rather know about. And if I do remain interested in the candidate, the first thing Im going to do when I talk to them is ask them to walk me through their job history, with dates and its going to annoy me that I have to, and if I have other good candidates I may not even bother.So never use just a functional resume. But what youre talking about chronological plus should be just fine.

Business Letter Salutation Examples

Business Letter Salutation ExamplesBusiness Letter Salutation ExamplesWhen youare writing a business letter, its important to include an appropriate salutation at the beginning. This is true whether you send your homilie via email or through the mail. Using an appropriate greeting sets the tone for your letter and shows the recipient that you understand basic rules of business etiquette. While a simple Hi, Hello, or even Hey is appropriate in casual correspondence, a mora formal salutation is appropriate when you are emailing about a business-related matter, such as acover letter,letter of recommendation, orinquiry letter. The following is a list of letter salutation examples that are appropriate for business and employment-related correspondence. Later, well explain how to select and format a salutation, as well as how to address a letter to someone whose anthroponym you do not know. Business Letter Salutation Examples Dear Mr. SmithDear Mr. and Mrs. SmithDear Mr. White and Ms. SmithDear Dr. SmithDear Judge SmithDear Ms. JonesDear Jane DoeDear Dr. HavenDear Dr. and Mrs. HavenDear First Name (if you know the person well) All of these salutations begin with the word dear. While you can simply start a letter with the persons name, that can be misinterpreted as abrupt or even rude. Its always safe to begin your salutation with the word dear in a business letter. One exception is when you use the general salutation To Whom It May Concern, but more on that in a moment. When You Dont Have a Contact Person If you dont have a contact person at the organization, you can either leave off the salutation and start with the first paragraph of your letter or use ageneral salutation such as To Whom It May Concern. However, before using a general salutation (or leaving off a salutation), do your best to try to find out the name of the person you are contacting.If you are applying or inquiring about a joband the hiring managers name is not included on the job listing, y ou might look up the title of the employer or hiring manager on the company website. If there is a contact number, you might also call and ask an administrative assistant for the name of the hiring manager. If you are sendinga different type of letter, you can still look up the persons name on the company website, or speak to an administrative assistant or contact at the company for the name of the person you are trying to reach. General Salutations for Business Letters Dear Hiring ManagerTo Whom It May ConcernDear Human Resources ManagerDear Sir or Madam Guidelines for Names and Titles The salutation should typically use the persons last name, along with a Mr. or Ms. In general, avoid using Mrs. or Miss unless you are certain of how a female recipient wants to be addressed. When in doubt, default to using Ms. If you are writing to someone who has a doctorate or medical degree, use the abbreviated form Dr. However, for other titles (such as professor, judge, rabbi, etc.), wr ite out the full title and capitalize it. For example, your salutation in a letter to a judge would be, Dear Judge Barnard. Or, if your correspondence was with a rabbi, you might write, Dear Rabbi Williams. When your letter is to more than one person, write out all of their names separately, separating them with commas. For example, Dear Mr. Hobbes, Ms. Luxe, and Mr. Hopman. For married couples, if one person in the couple has changed his or her name, you only need to use the last name once. For instance, Dear Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Sometimes a persons gender is unclear from a name names like Corey or Blake are both common womens and mens names. If that is the case, do some investigating to determine gender by searching on LinkedIn or a company website. But if it remains ambiguous, simply write out the persons full name, dropping the title. For example, Dear Corey Meyer. How to Format a Letter Greeting Follow the salutation with a colon or comma, a space, and then start the first paragraph of your letter. Using a colon is the more formal option. For example Dear Mr. Smith First paragraph of letter. Spellcheck Names Finally, before sending a business letter, make absolutely sure that you have spelled the persons name correctly. Double-check the spelling on the company website or on LinkedIn. Consider asking a trusted friend to proofread your message before you send it, paying particular attention to the spelling of names. Key Takeaways KEEP THINGS FORMAL When writing business correspondence, always begin your message with a formal rather than a casual salutation Dear Mr. Jones as opposed to Hi. Dear should always proceed the recipients name, except for occasions where you cannot find contact information and need to use To Whom It May Concern.KNOW YOUR RECIPIENT If you have doubts about your recipients name, gender, or professional title, research this information by looking at their LinkedIn account or their companys website. Alternatively, it is also fin e to call their employers HR department or reception desk and ask for this information.SPELLCHECK Confirm that you have used the correct spelling of your correspondents name by double-checking its spelling on social media sites or company webpages.