The unemployment rate is at the highest it has been since the great depression. Your talents are the strongest assets you have. Continuing to increase your talents and add to your repertoire of skills it vital today.
Change is a part of life and it builds resilience and develops an appreciation for your strengths. The more open you stay to accepting change and shaping your response the more likely you will meet and exceed your vision of success.
Many people have a hard time talking about themselves and their talents. Learning to share your talents without boasting in a job interview is an essential skill to master. The ability to showcase your talents in an interview could be the tipping point and convincing the recruiter and hiring manager that you are the perfect candidate for the job.
1. Keep your resume updated:
Pinterest has many great examples of updating your resume and what keywords to use that will showcase and highlight your talents best. Be sure to read the previous blog post about writing a resume for tips on how to update yours.
When you go into the interview, be prepared. Make sure you have done your due diligence on the company, look at their website, check out their social media learn about who they are and what they do. Have examples of stories you can share in the interview prepared in your mind.
2. Talk about your talents will benefit the company:
We all get nervous when we go into a job interview. That is normal. First, you made it to the interview because there was something in your resume that attracted that potential employer to you.
Do not just talk about your skills, but highlight how they will benefit the company. Instead of saying that you have ‘problem-solving skills’ share in a story, an example of how use used that talent and expound on how that talent will benefit the company.
For example, if you say “I am a fast learner” be sure to have state an experience where you had to learn fast on the job and how that will benefit the company you are interviewing with.
3. Use examples from the current job or past jobs:
Storytelling is a way to make an impact. Illustrate what the challenge was and how your skills helped resolve it.
Indeed.com had a great article about using the STAR Method. Star stands for Situation, Task, Action, and Result. This method illustrates what makes you unique. Articulate your skills and expertise as well as what you bring to the organization.
For example: If I was asked to tell about a successful project, I might use the Business of the Week as an example. This program highlights through a variety of marketing channels a different chamber member each week. Some of the skills this project allowed me to utilize are problem solving, creativity, and it increased community awareness to both the organization and the members.
4. Showcase your soft skills:
Soft skills include integrity, dependability, effective communication, teamwork, creativity, problem-solving, critical thinking, organization, adaptability, willingness to learn. These skills are complementary to technical skills. Technical skills are easier to teach than soft skills. Pay attention to body language, make eye contact. Keep your examples/stories short.
Leadership skills are learned and need to be practiced. Showcasing your soft skills is critical to potential employers because it shows initiative.
For example, I might be asked to describe how I managed people or a team. I would describe a time when I was a supervisor, I had 18 people on 3 different teams. One of the teams did not work well together and they constantly complained about one other. One of the complaints was that some of the team members did not like the music another team member listened to. After listening to the team member’s grievance, the solution was to have all team members use headphones, keeping the low so they did not disturb those around them. The skills used were: active listening and problem-solving.
5. Practice Interview Questions:
Ask your references/mentors, trusted people who are your cheerleaders to help you prepare for the interview.
6. Build your Confidence:
Build your confidence and become comfortable with discussing your accomplishments with others without boasting. Confidence is your belief in your abilities and being able to share that belief in yourself with others through word and performance.
You are unique, you have talents, experiences, and skills that add value to your current job and will be an asset to future jobs.
References
Chamorro-Premuzic, T. (2017, December 28). How to highlight your talents in a job interview without showing off. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2017/12/how-to-highlight-your-talents-in-a-job-interview-without-showing-off
Daniels, A. (2020, May 20). How to best showcase your skills in an interview. Retrieved from https://www.alexanderdanielsglobal.com/how-to-showcase-your-skills-in-an-interview/
Interview question: “What skills would you bring to the job?” | Indeed.com. (2020, March 26). Retrieved from https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/interviewing/interview-question-skills-to-bring-the-job
Prossack, A. (2019, February 23). 3 ways to highlight your skills in a job interview. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/ashiraprossack1/2019/02/23/highlight-skills-job-interview/#6b52cc621b4f