Advancing Your Career

Everyone needs opportunities to advance their career. Working longer or harder at a day to day job will not make you wealthy or famous. It is how your skills serve the company’s needs that create opportunities.

How can you advance the company goals this year? What opportunities do you see? What projects need your skills?

Usually you will have to sell yourself or interview for opportunities. The biggest mistake is thinking of your own needs, not the benefit to the customer. 

Here are some interview questions and there meanings from 

Ramit Sethi’s blog. 

Question #1: What’s your biggest weakness?

What they’re really asking: What are you doing to improve yourself?

Question #2: Where do you see yourself in X years?

What they’re really asking: Are you just going to jump ship once a better opportunity comes along? (Hiring is expensive, the company wants to keep you)

Question #3: Can you tell me about your work history?

What they’re really asking: What are your strengths and how have you grown? (What wins have you got as a result.)

Question #4: Why should we hire you?

What they’re really asking: What value are you going to offer?

Remember it is about the company. Put yourself in the manager’s position, and reframe your answers to how you can help them.

Worked with a manager who hired talented, overqualified people for his openings. Did not matter only about the current opening. It was important to him these people worked with him in his company, even though they would soon be working for other managers. He had the vision to know even though he would have to hire again, he was advancing the company’s future by hiring great people.