Thursday, May 28, 2020

Seven signs youre overthinking your interview

Seven signs you’re overthinking your interview by Amber Rolfe Unfortunately, overanalysing interviews usually comes with the territory…But reading into every single detail and convincing yourself it didn’t go well doesn’t have to be the process you follow every time. Adjusting your mindset could be the best way to deal with interview stress, and help keep your anxieties at bay after the big day.To make sure you’re not misreading the situation, here are seven signs you’re overthinking you’re interview (and how to stop):You’re overanalysing your wordingNewsflash: words aren’t everything.It can be all too easy to spend the aftermath of your interview overthinking the way you articulated your answers, but trust us. In 99% of cases, they probably weren’t expressed anywhere near as badly as you’re remembering them.And, as long as you got the overall point across, it’s doubtful that the interviewer will immediately dismiss your application over a slightly flimsy answer about spreadsheets.Because being prepa red, well-informed, and sure of your abilities is far more important than the way you word an answer.  You’re worried about how short your interview wasAs much as it might seem like it, an interview running short doesn’t necessarily mean bad news.It might just mean that your prospective employer has gathered all the information they need about you within a short space of time â€" which could actually turn out to be a really positive sign.Also, as they’ve already seen your CV and know what you’re capable of, an interview is often more of a test of character. And with your interviewer’s time often at a premium, their decision to keep things short and sweet most likely won’t be any reflection of your performance whatsoever.  You’re reading between the linesIf you leave an interview trying to decipher hidden messages you’re convinced the interviewer was subtly trying to say â€" you’re probably overthinking the situation.For example, just because they said they have a f ew more candidates to interview, that doesn’t mean they aren’t impressed. In most cases, the questions or remarks an interviewer makes aren’t intended to be negative â€" and they’re probably just trying to keep you informed.So instead of trying to read between the lines, always attempt to take the situation at face value.Six annoying things recruiters sayYou’re jumping to conclusionsWhether it’s assuming you’ve been rejected, or thinking you’ve got the job, you should always try not to jump to any set-in-stone conclusions after an interview.Not only will it risk disappointment if the decision isn’t what you expected, it could also mean you lose out on the job if you’ve dismissed it too soon. So, always keep an open mind, and you’ll leave yourself with the most possible options for any situation.This means not giving up on your search, but not giving up on the job you interviewed for either. Remember: interview patience is a virtue…You can’t see the positive s  Although you shouldn’t forget all about an interview after it’s over, you also shouldn’t let it take over your life.If you’re dwelling on things you might’ve done wrong, or being overly negative because you’re not convinced you made the right impression, you’ll only be making things worse for any interviews you have coming up â€" not to mention wasting an opportunity to learn and grow.Instead of beating yourself up, learn from your mistakes, and be constructive with your self-criticism. Just because the glass is half-full for your last interview, it doesn’t mean it can’t be refilled.  You can’t let the little things goWhether it’s that you thought you talked too much, you didn’t talk enough, or your handshake wasn’t as firm it could’ve been, the little things just aren’t worth stressing about in the long run.The interview’s over, and you can’t turn back time to change anything now â€" so why worry? Instead, direct your energy onto writing a follo w-up email, work on your interview technique for next time, and put all of that positive energy back in to your job search.After all, the interviewer probably isn’t going to remember any tiny slip-ups you’ve undoubtedly escalated in your mind. So why should you?Post interview checklistYou’re stressing about next stepsIf you haven’t been given an idea of what the next steps are after your interview, it doesn’t mean you need to go into panic-mode.Leaving on a note like ‘we’re still working on next steps’ or ‘we’ll let you know when we know more’ can often make you feel slightly unsure of where you stand. But in most cases, the interviewer is genuinely being honest with you â€" next steps can’t always be decided there and then.Always end your interview by asking when you’re likely to hear back (and follow-up afterwards) â€" then you can take comfort in the knowledge that the ball will well and truly be in their court.  Still unsure of how to put your post-inte rview worry to rest? Here’s our useful guide on what to do after a job interview  Still searching for your perfect position? View all available vacancies nowFind a job What Where Search JobsSign up for more Career AdviceSign up for moreCareer Advice Please enter a valid email addressmessage hereBy clicking Submit you agree to the terms and conditions applicable to our service and acknowledge that your personal data will be used in accordance with our privacy policy and you will receive emails and communications about jobs and career related topics. Interview Techniques Job interview tips

Monday, May 25, 2020

Financial Institutions Building Trust via Customer Service Marketing

Financial Institutions Building Trust via Customer Service Marketing What makes marketing financial institutions very different today than ten years ago?   Trust. Ten years ago, trust was assumed.   The stock market was booming,successful dot-coms were popping up everywhere and jobs were plentiful. But then September 11th happened.   And  the dot-com “burst.” And lets not forget about the stock market crash, the fall of Lehman Brothers, government bailouts, the real estate market hitting an all-time low and the highest unemployment rate in decades. Today, trust is non-existent. Marketers who focus on regaining trust will make it into the next era.   Companies- especially financial institutions- will start earning trust by reaching their customers exactly when and where they need something. Simply put, that means better customer service.   But today’s definition of superb customer service goes beyond, “thank you for your business ma’am.”   Customers today expect instant gratification.   Customers want to be seen as individuals.   And today’s customers have bigger problems to solve and bigger voices than ever before. Old Components of Great “Customer Service Marketing” for Financial Institutions A friendly smile and a thank you. A fancy lobby, suits nylons. A call center. Great interest rates. Online banking, conveniently located ATM’s and longer hours of operation. New Components of Great “Customer Service Marketing” for Financial Institutions A totally awesome iPhone app. A response from a real person when tweeting a complaint about the financial institution. Listening to the blogosphere and making adjustments. Creating financial products that offer value, rather than offer high interest rates. A customizable online banking interface that allows the customer to create a budget, track investments, create a plan to payoff debt, get financial education and earn rewards that are relevant to their situation. My online marketing business card says, “get into your customers hands” (yes, it’s a sassy play on another common phrase). Today, customer service marketing is about getting in your customers hands-meaning getting into their iPhone, Blackberry, text messages, emails and social media networks-at the right moment.   It’s about paying attention to individual needs and providing ways to solve their financial problems. It’s easy for consumers to blame large financial institutions for the economic downturn.   Smart financial marketers should accept this and turn their focus on regaining trust.   Financial institutions in particular should change their definition of “customer service marketing” and prove that they can once again be trusted by providing instant,   applicable and individualized customer service beyond high interest rates. What do you wish your financial institutions would do differently?   Do you trust financial institutions?   What would make you trust them more?

Thursday, May 21, 2020

How to Fight the Urge to Slack Off

How to Fight the Urge to Slack Off Can you imagine how much less guilt and frustration you would feel if you could somehow make yourself do the things you don’t want to do? Put simply, sometimes its just  really hard to motivate yourself. If only  there were  some fail-proof techniques to make yourself get up and get going! While this doesnt exist (*tear*), there are still some things you can do to increase your chances at being productive! Scientific solutions to get you motivated As it happens, there are numerous scientific techniques that can make you work over the holidays. Situated amongst your hormones, neurons and taste buds are specific ‘on’ switches that need to be stimulated. Smiling everyday does wonders for the body, reversing the cause-effect sequences that these elements usually share. Smiling can help reduce anxiety levels and by feeling more relaxed, you’ll find it much easier to jump back into work. Body language techniques Likewise, a more expansive use of your body language can change the way you feel. If smiling alone isn’t helping, then check your posture: sitting up straight with your shoulders confidently pulled back can increase testosterone and decrease stress hormone levels. If you’re on your own, you can even stand up and imitate Superman by putting your hands on your hips and thrusting your chest out. Being a (wo)man of steel certainly helps if you want to work  when everyone else is having time off.   Manage your workload Before you start working, take a few minutes to break down your schedule into small bites. Once you do, it’s much easier to find your flow â€" so find the easiest task to start with, and you should soon find your rhythm. Also, remember why you are working in the first place. If you put aside some time to note down why your work is important, and people that it will affect, you can refer to it every time you hit a lull. Reward yourself Remember you’re allowed to relax during the holiday season, especially if you have a lot on your plate. Give yourself treats as incentives to complete your work, and the dopamine levels you evoke will feel fantastic. The sooner you get started, the quicker you can hit the couch and join the holiday masses. This article has been inspired by  an infographic by our friends over at  NetCredit!

Sunday, May 17, 2020

Four Steps To Finding Good Car Insurance

Four Steps To Finding Good Car Insurance Owning a car is as exciting as owning a house of your own, but it comes with great responsibility and bills as well. Insurance is one of the major costs you will have to incur, as long as you own a car. You will have a myriad of options to choose from, and this can be very confusing especially because of the similarities that they carry. To help you find good car insurance, below are some helpful tips; Decide how much coverage you need This is an important step to consider before starting to sort through all the options available to you. Remember that it is all up to you to decide the amount of car insurance liability you can handle, so it is advisable to purchase coverage affordable to you. Also, remember that having a cheap option among the options available to you does not mean that it is what you need. Maybe the costliest option you have is what you will need. Don’t compare your needs with those of other people either, just make sure that what you go for suits your needs best. Compare your options Presented with several car insurance quotes, you have to weigh your options first. Prices are highly determined by risk, and quotes for a similar coverage may differ. For instance, there are companies who use insurance score to establish the likelihood of a claim to be filed by a policyholder. Also, other insurers draw these conclusions based on the type of car and how much it would cost to repair it in case of an accident. You will also likely pay a higher price if the rates of car accidents in your area is higher-than-average. Ask other car owners to recommend you Another easy way to find good car insurance is through recommendations. You likely have a family member or friend who owns a car. They are in a better position to recommend you to a good insurance company. Also after getting recommendations from other car owners, remember to do your own research because you want to ensure all your needs are catered for. Research thoroughly Research is also one good way to find yourself a trusted car insurance company. Get online and go through car insurance websites. If you can find any reviews from other customers, then make sure to go through them because they are one way to find out information about a particular prospect. Go through any potential insurer’s website and read all the terms and conditions before agreeing with them. Also, ask to speak to a representative and be sure to ask them any questions you may be having. Through proper research, you will be able to insure your car with Balsiger Insurance, which is one of the best car insurance companies there is. Bottom line… A good name or popularity is just not good enough to make an insurance company good enough for you. You ought to put your needs first then do your homework to ensure that your prospect is going to suit those needs. Remember that insurance is all about risks and any insurer will want minimal risks.

Thursday, May 14, 2020

How to Transition from A Remote Freelancer Position to A Leadership Role CareerMetis.com

How to Transition from A Remote Freelancer Position to A Leadership Role â€" CareerMetis.com There are so many fantastic benefits to working from homebut what happens when you’ve decided that enough is enough?When you want to make the change from home to the office but not only this, you want to go into a managerial or leadership role, the odds can be stacked against you.evalBecoming a manager is not just about the lucrative paycheck, it but it’s also about making the decision that you would like more responsibility. It’s a way to advance your career but it’s also about ensuring you are ready for the responsibility.And when you work at home, in a potentially isolated situation, you may very well find that you suffer a few shocks to the system. What can you do to ensure that you get back to the office adequately, but also be ready for a leadership role?Testing The Waters Back In The OfficeIt may be unrealistic to go from remote working to a leadership role. After all, you are someone who had to get used to your own company and now you are asking that you lead a group of people.Instead, it may not be so straightforward. You may actually have to go back and test the waters, not just in terms of the responsibility that you will be tasked with, but also so make sure that the office fits your personality.If you’ve been working at home for so long coming back to the office environment can be quite a jolt. Working up the career ladder gives you time and space to manage your trajectory. There are numerous career choices that can help you to navigate the ladder effectively, such as public administration careers, which can give you some responsibility. This will show the manager your abilities in the office environment rather than being tucked away at home.Utilizing Your Transferable SkillsTransferable skills are one of the most important aspects of proving your abilities. Working from home is a unique scenario for many companies. If you’ve been a freelancer you’ve had to take charge of so many different aspects of your career. As well as this, youâ €™ve had to self motivate, as well as deal with various aspects of finances, dealing with clients, as well as hitting deadlines.evalYour palate is incredibly diverse, especially in comparison to the average worker who’s looking to nab a middle manager role. You have to play up your transferable skills. In their eyes, you may not be able to display that you’ve been in charge of things but what you can highlight is how you facilitated change for yourself and learned new ways of working to improve productivity. These are all components that are at the forefront of any manager’s mind.Going Beyond Your Job RoleThe quest for new skills and informationis an important trait of any leader. As someone who has worked at home as a freelancer looking to go into a leadership role, you are able to play up the fact that you’ve been in charge of so many different components.As a manager, it’s likely you’ll have less leisure time which is part and parcel of the freelance lifestyle, and if you can highlight these skills it shows that you are ready to step up to the plate. You need to look at your own skills and see what can be transferred in terms of leadership. Have you been a mentor to someone?If you have, this is is a fantastic skill to highlight because you’ve had a hand in developing someone from the ground up.Establish Your Worth Within The BusinessevalIf you have been working at home but employed in a company it’s now time to show them what you are worth. You could ask employers for feedback so you know their opinions of you. If the outcome isn’t what you expect, you are able to develop the skills before you decide to ask for a shot at the title.Establishing your worth within the business is about highlighting your accomplishments and commitment to the businessbut you also need to provide concrete numbers to back up your claims. If you don’t have the opportunity to find this information out in your role you have to make yourself stand out in other ways .Creating work that you are proud of and feel is of note is always worth highlighting. Keeping a running record of your achievements will be an important factor at this juncture.Whether you have been a freelancer or you are looking to progress further up in your current organization, stepping up to the plate to become a manager isn’t something you should take lightly. We all like the idea of more responsibility but when we work remotely we may very well be at a disadvantage.We don’t have the opportunity to see what others are doing within the business to further their own career paths. This is one of the disadvantages of being a remote worker but if you feel out of the loop then it’s time to start planning your trajectory.

Sunday, May 10, 2020

5 Questions You Can Expect at an Interview for a Teaching Job - Margaret Buj - Interview Coach

5 Questions You Can Expect at an Interview for a Teaching Job School teachers are in high demand these days, especially with so many jobs for science teachers opening up in the recent years. It is a noble profession and, in the UK, the earning potential is excellent. However, everyone must go through a few hurdles first to secure a job, with the interview being the most important one of those hurdles. If you are looking to work as a teacher, then you will find the following interview questions and the suggested answers helpful. Q1. Why do You Want to Work in this School? The is an obvious question, as it basically tests whether or not the candidate has done his/her homework regarding the school’s history, background, and mode of operations. Avoid generic answers and focus on making it related to how the school in question works specifically and how some parts of the curriculum appeals to you. Q2. What do You Think a Student Looks for in a Teacher? Here, they are asking you to highlight the key attributes of the ideal teacher from the point of view of the students. You need to focus on a few important keywords here, such as fairness, reliability, passion for the subject, communication skills, ability to explain, creativity, and sense of humour. Q3. Evaluate the Class You Just Took Aspiring teachers are often asked to take a class in the school that they are applying to and while that itself can be quite a difficult task, given that you don’t know the students or anything about them, the real test is when the interviewers ask you to evaluate your own class. Don’t be afraid to criticise yourself, but have confidence in the parts you did actually manage to cover well enough. Try to remember a few of the attending students’ names as well. Q4. Any Question that’s Specific to Something Mentioned on Your Resume Be honest about what you put on your resume because if there’s something that stands out, the interviewers may ask you about it in intricate detail. Make no mistake, standing out is a great way to get the job, but make sure that you remember everything well enough to answer questions about it. Q5. If You are Not Selected, What Would We be Missing Out On? Plain and simple, this is a question through which the interviewers give the candidates a chance to “sell” themselves. While the question might seem a bit intimidating, it is the perfect opportunity to tell them the best bits about you. It is advised that you prepare your pros in advance and practice speaking about them to others. There are, of course, plenty of other questions you may have to face in order to crack an interview, but these five are the most common ones that appear in school teacher job interviews. They might put it in different words, but they are basically asking the same questions and now you know how to answer them.

Friday, May 8, 2020

Science Resume Writing - How to Write Your Science Resume With No Hassles

Science Resume Writing - How to Write Your Science Resume With No HasslesScience resume writing covers a broad spectrum of topics, but as a result, there are still tons of applicants who are unsure about which topic they should select from. To make sure that you are on the right track in your quest to create a well-rounded science resume, you need to understand the criteria to consider while writing a science resume.All science topics are not equally important. Some topics are more appropriate for certain degree programs and career paths. These topics can include but are not limited to scientific research, inventing new technologies, studying the interactions between humans and the environment, making the world a better place through scientific research, or even doing scientific experiments. To see the overall theme of the science resume writing process, you should look at the job requirements and the educational requirements for each different category of science resume writing.Now it is time to focus on a single scientific topic or subtopic. It is important to make sure that you have done the groundwork so that you are able to write a compelling science resume that is also unique and attractive. Be sure to research and read about this topic. Conducting an online search on the topic will make it a lot easier to do so because you will be able to find various literature that covers this topic. Be sure to take your time when researching the topic and be sure to make sure that you cover all bases before actually writing your science resume.Check your scientific background and make sure that you have considered all aspects that are important for your career. You may not always remember everything but the first thing that comes to mind is your personal skills and experience. Be sure to find out what qualities you have as a science professional. If you think that you would be happy with a doctorate but you don't think that you have the background and education that w ould make it possible for you to obtain a doctorate degree, you can always acquire a master's degree.In addition to this, you should also consider how you would fit into the human resource areas of your particular company. Ensure that you cover all pertinent aspects of your resume. Having read several academic papers and applying the criteria that have been mentioned above, you should have discovered the best way to complete your science resume. In fact, you can always get help from someone who is already qualified and experienced in the field of science.Be sure to always keep in mind that you are going to be writing your science resume for a job interview or at the high level of your position. Remember that this is a job application and you have to create a convincing and polished science resume. Ensure that your science resume writing will not only impress your potential employer but also build your credibility. Also, you should ensure that your science resume writing will not onl y impress your potential employer but also build your credibility.Finally, always try to apply the principles of science resume writing in your science resume writing. You must always keep in mind that what is required to write a scientific resume is related to the topic that you want to focus on. Use specific keywords so that you can gain attention and therefore get noticed. Always remember that what is necessary to be able to write a science resume is already covered by science resume writing principles.