7 Personal Things to Keep to Yourself in a Job Interview

7 Personal Things to Keep to Yourself in a Job Interview7 Personal Things to Keep to Yourself in a Job InterviewSo before you have your next job vorstellungsgesprch, brush up on these seven personal things youll want to keep to yourself in a job interview1. Your Relationship positionWhether you are recently engaged (or recently divorced), your relationship status should be strictly private. Employers arent legally allowed to ask you if youre married or not, but if youre wearing an engagement or wedding ring, that will give him a clue.But dont feel the need to offer any information about your relationship (e.g., Were getting married in October) or even the gender of your partner, since some employers might unfortunately have a bias. Keep in mind that someemployers will ask illegal interview questions, but you dont have to answer them.2. Your Financial SituationMost people work because they want to contribute to society- and they also want to earn a paycheck, too. That doesnt mean that you have to disclose to a potential boss that youre behind on the bills and you need this job ASAP. So avoid any questions that delve into your financial history.Remember, even an employer asking you what kind of car you drive or where you live can give him an idea of how much you have in the bank, so try to avoid those kinds of questions, too.3. Your Political ViewsThe presidential election is coming up, and hey, everyone has an opinion on the candidates, right? Thats all fine and good, but you should really try to keep your thoughts to yourself. You never know if the hiring manager is a diehard fan of the candidate you despise, or could hold your views against you, costing you the job.4. Your Family (Or Family Plans)You love your family, so it makes sense that you would want to talk about them. Bringing them up during an interview can be like walking on quicksand, though. Your potential boss might think that children are a distraction, and that youll probably miss a lot of days o f work if your kiddos get sick and need to stay home.You might have to mention them, though, especially if you took time off from working to stay home and take care of them, causing an employment gap on your resume. If you do mention them, keep your information short and to the point, and always steer the conversation back to your skills and qualifications, so that a potential employer knows that youre serious about the position.5. Your ReligionSure, its 2016, but there are still plenty of people who have religious biases. No one is saying that you should have to hide your religion, but you also dont have to put it on display during a job interview, either. So if you wear a cross or a Star of David, you might want to tuck it under your shirt, so that it stays where it matters most- close to your heart.6. Your ExtracurricularsBosses dont want to hear how busy you are managing your childs soccer league and volunteering as the Room Parent. They want to know that your top priority is yo ur job.So, if youre interviewing for a flexible job, you dont have to say that the reason you want one is because your social calendar is full with all of your kids activities and you need to squeeze in work around all of your preexisting commitments. You can state instead that you want the work-life balance that comes with flexible work- and no more.7. Your Feelings on Former BossesYes, you absolutely loathed your former micromanaging boss, but your boss-to-be doesnt need to know that. Why? Well, you never know if the two of them know each other (and if youre interviewing in the same career field, chances are that they do). Plus, it doesnt look professional to badmouth old bosses and colleagues it actually looks worse for you than it does for them, even if they were the most horrible people on the planet.Keep in mind that you will probably be asked about your former boss as part of your job interview, so be prepared to mention something (anything) positive about him or her, and don t blame the reason for leaving your last job on them. Youll save face, and it will put you in a more favorable light with your interviewer.During a job interview, you have to be careful not to let your guard down and start talking about topics that can negatively impact the impression youve made on the hiring manager. Stick to the questions being asked of you, and keep the personal things to yourself.Readers, have you ever started talking about any of the above-mentioned topics in a job interview? Did it impact it positively or negatively? Let us know in the comments below

Theres A Solution to Your Age Discrimination Problem

Theres A Solution to Your Age Discrimination ProblemTheres A Solution to Your Age Discrimination ProblemI just had an interview and I thought the conversation went pretty well. But when we both stood up at the end, I could see upside-down on my resume on his desk that he wrote 55 in a big circle. I welches so shocked I didnt know what to do, and now I dont expect Ill be hearing from them.That was pretty blatant. Usually hiring managers are more savvy about finding out what your age is, then using it as a way to keep you out. What strikes me about the scenario above is age was the most memorable point for the hiring manager. What if you left him with something else to remember?Winning at job search requires that you distinguish yourself, first from the masses, then from the short list of qualified candidates. Everyone on the short list is faced with the same standard questions So, tell me about yourself. Walk me through your resume. Whats your greatest weakness? When you study the Int ernet, practice your answers, and deliver those answers in your interview congratulations you look exactly like everybody else.Instead of asking the Internet the best answers to the most common interview questions, devote that same time and energy to real research. You already know you need to research the organization. I hope youre not limiting yourself to the about us and company history pages, but have taken a deep dive into the companys social media platforms. Beyond that, youve heard that you also need to research the person. Usually that translates into finding out where they went to school or what activities or organizations theyre involved in, so that you can identify some point of commonality. Instead, lets shift that personal research into something real that you can use in your interview.Put Yourself In The Hiring Managers PlaceThe hiring manager has a job to get done every day. And she needs to add a person to her team you or someone else in order to do it. A gap exis ts. Perhaps the team is strained now and someones overloaded, or some critical task is not getting done well and customers are feeling it. There is some issue that the hiring manager needs solved. Put yourself in the hiring managers place by considering whats keeping the person up at night. Unless a person is physically ill, the cause of most peoples sleeplessness is stress. What are they worried about? What do they fear could happen? What do they fear is not going to happen?Think Of A TheoryThis is where your real company research comes in. Use what you find out from social media or Google news to build a working theory. Your theory doesnt have to be 100% correct. It only has to be reasonable, something that demonstrates the thought you put into it.For example, theyre interviewing you for the role of ausverkauf Manager. You asked the Internet and found out the organization is expanding into the Midwest. Your theory is they need to assign a Sales Manager in the Midwest because a key competitor has just emerged there.The hiring manager knows that she still has to make quota regardless of the evolving competitive landscape. She has to get a team into the Midwest, and she needs a leader who can hit the ground running so that this team can deliver immediately, continually increase the revenue they generate, and outpace the competitor. This all needs to happen without negatively impacting the existing customer base.Flip The ScriptYouve adopted the hiring managers perspective, reasonably theorized the business problems shes likely facing right now, and youre about to bring this knowledge into your interview. Your goals are to distinguish yourself from the other candidates on the short list, and to make yourself memorable. The way to not achieve that is to answer the tell me about yourself question, stop talking, and wait for her next question.Youre in a conversation. Conversations go back and forth. Theres always a volley and you have to keep the ball up in the air from your side. Therefore, your approach in this and every interview is to answer the question, then ask a question of your own.Heres how that soundszu sich So, tell me about yourself.YOU You know, Im so glad to be in this conversation with you today, because its clear from the ad you need someone who can really guide your team in best practices in consultative selling, which is exactly what Ive been doing for the last 10 years. Thats why Im eager to dive deeper into the conversation today. I was actually thinking about something that I have a question about.herbei Sure.YOU Your particular division is about to expand into the Midwest, right?HER We are. Thats projected for next quarter.YOU (Even though you may already know the answer to your next question) Whats the reason for breaking into that particular frontier?HER Globex just launched there and we want to make sure we have significant presence there as well.YOU Ahhh, how long ago did they open the market?HER About 6 months ago. YOU So is the idea with this Sales Manager role to be able to whip up a team to, basically, deliver almost immediately, and then over-deliver as far as revenue performance?HER In an ideal world, that is what we need.YOU You know, when I was at Initech 2 years ago, it was a very similar scene And you proceed to illustrate how you provided leadership and delivered the type of success the hiring manager is looking for right now.Isnt that a lot more interesting than just walking her through your resume? The hiring manager is a lot less concerned with your age when you demonstrate that youre very concerned with solving the problem thats on her plate right now. And you dont just talk about how youve led teams to meet and exceed sales quotas. Rather, you demonstrate that youve done that exact thing in your recent professional history. Thats what distinguishes you from the other candidates, and thats what shell remember.A new survey just out says a candidate over age of 50 takes 20% longer to get hired than someone in the age 41-45 bracket. But that doesnt have to be you. Theres a cheat sheet and video training on how highly-qualified jobseekers age 50+ land the right job and right salary in 8 weeks or less. Find out the specific steps former jobseekers ages 54, 56, and 57 did to go from job searching to job found

7 Reasons You Should Always Speak Up at Work - The Muse

7 Reasons You Should Always Speak Up at Work - The Muse7 Reasons You Should Always Speak Up at WorkIn the professional world, opinions can be dangerous. Holding a controversial opinion can damage yur reputation stating an opinion that contradicts your boss can leave you vulnerable voicing your opinion at the wrong time can make you appear foolish. The old adage attributed to Abraham Lincoln goes, Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt, and in the realm of business, that seems to be the truth.However, unternehmensverbund your opinions back can actually be mora damaging than speaking them. In fact, opinions are what fuel momentum- all ideas, plans, and decisions begin and end with opinions, and if you consistently refrain from voicing yours, youll be doing both your employer and your career a disservice.1. Youll Appear More ConfidentConfidence is never a bad thing to have. In a job interview, it can make you seem like a more appealing c andidate. In a deal negotiation, it can make you seem like more of an authority. In a meeting, it can make you look like a more important player. Speaking your opinion openly makes you appear more confident, and that effect actually increases depending on the degree of controversy associated with that opinion. For example, if you strongly disagree with everyone else in the room, youll appear more confident than if you go the safe route and openly agree. That confidence will build over time and help propel your career forward.2. You Never Know What Could ChangeA common reason for employees holding their opinions back is a belief that those opinions dont matter- that they wont be listened to, or they wont be acted upon. For example, if a worker is concerned with the effects of a new operations policy, he or she may refuse to voice his or her opinion under the impression that the policy wont change, regardless of circumstances. However, there is no guarantee that your opinion will be i gnored or cast aside. If you speak up, your voice might make the difference, but if you hold back, youll never know what positive outcomes you could be missing out on.3. Youll Drive DiscussionEven if your opinion isnt taken into serious consideration, the fact that you brought it up can still drive a meaningful discussion. For example, if you offer a possible solution in a group meeting, the group may collectively decide that your idea isnt worth pursuing. However, even so, your opinion could generate some alternative lines of thinking and new perspectives that keep the conversation moving forward. Ultimately, discussion leads to results, and the more opinions there are to feed that discussion, the faster and more efficiently youll eventually get to those results.4. If Youre Wrong, Youll Learn WhyLets say you arent sure that your opinion is valid, or that you know for a fact that theres something off with it. This could be an indication that your opinion isnt grounded or isnt releva nt, or it could just be your psyche messing with you. If you want to find out, you have to voice your opinion. If your instincts are right and there is something wrong about your opinion- such as a false assumption or incorrect data- the other people around you will let you know. You wont appear foolish instead, the situation becomes a genuine learning experience and you can walk away the wiser.5. You Could Be the Voice of the MajoritySometimes, workers are intimidated to voice their opinions because they feel like theyre the only ones who feel a certain way. For example, if youre sitting in a meeting listening to your boss talk about a new marketing approach and youre concerned that the approach will be ineffective, you might clam up if you feel like the only one of a dissenting mind. However, everybody else in the meeting could be thinking the very same thing. If you voice your opinion, you could give a voice to everyone else. You may have more support than you realize.6. The Risk s Are LowMost of us have a tendency to imagine worst-case scenarios when faced with an intimidating prospect. When you imagine voicing your opinion, you could envision yourself getting fired or humiliated in front of the entire company. In reality, these possible outcomes are extremely rare- the risks of making your opinion known are much lower than they might seem. If your workplace culture is the type that would support firing an employee because he or she voiced an opinion, you probably shouldnt be working there anyway.7. Regretting Action Is Better Than Regretting InactionThis is a fundamental principle to remember in many areas of your life. Its possible that you voice your opinion and live to regret it, but its also possible that you keep your mouth shut and regret not saying anything. Ultimately, our regrets of inaction are much more severe than our regrets of action, meaning keeping your mouth shut is actually the more likely regret of the two. Take a chance- youll feel good about it, even if it doesnt turn out how you intended.Breaking past that intimidation barrier can be tough, especially if youre used to holding onto your opinions, but its vital that you practice regularly speaking your mind in your career. Be mindful of the appropriate times and places to speak your opinion, but never be afraid to let your true feelings be known.More From Inc.Mark Cuban How Youll Know Youre Ready to Launch7 Harsh Truths That Will Make You a Better Entrepreneur37 Secrets Only Successful People KnowPhoto of a microphone courtesy of Shutterstock.