How To Answer Tricky Interview Questions

You may think all interview questions are tricky and I guess you might have a point.

The more preparation you can do in advance of the interview the better, however, sometimes you will just get a call from a recruiter in an agency and have to answer some quick questions over the phone.

A top tip to help you in this situation is to collate together all of the job adverts that you have applied for, there should be some key themes appear - are they looking for someone who can generate x amount of revenue or are they looking for a team player, someone who can make a difference or even a person who can hit the ground running?

Using the key themes that you identify think back over your career and reflect on when you have done these things.  What examples can you come up with to help you demonstrate that you can do what they are looking for.  These don't need to be current and might be a while ago.  Taking some time out to prepare in this way means you will be better prepared, sound and also feel more confident.

For more tips on how to answer tricky interview questions and how to win at an assessment centre why not come along here next week.  I will be speaking on Tuesday on these topics.

Is There More To Life Than Shoes?

For the last 3 years or so I have been thinking about, pondering, looking at it written on my to do list, but not actually doing anything about setting up a networking group.  Then last year, someone I met mentioned More To Life Than Shoes, and hey presto I met Nadia Finer, creator and all round good egg.

http://www.moretolifethanshoes/

All of the things I would have wanted to do Nadia had already put in place, and on top of that she had not just a great brand, but a fantastic one.

I have already done a lot of work with women wanting to change direction, swop jobs, start up businesses and generally make a change in their lives so this was a really exiciting opportunity for me to become the Leader of a Peterborough Group.

My group has been running since November, we meet here.

Each meeting has a topic, last night was around self confidence.  I have met some old friends and also met some new people as well.  Why not join us?  Our next meeting is Monday the 23rd of April.  If you would like to find out more, give me a call.

Book your seat here.

Last Week & The Weekend

A busy week last week. The highlight of which, was the fact that we eventually undertook the first Mentor Training Programme for the Peterborough branch of Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development.

A BIG THANK YOU to Joss Anderson who did a fantastic job of facilitating us all and managing to keep us focussed.  Everyone gave really positive feedback.

The plan this afternoon is for me to complete the administration of the programme so all mentors and mentees can get cracking with their first meetings.

We all had a lovely weekend of sun, sea, sand but not sangria, just a dead seagull, that one labrador managed to sniff out on Brancaster beach.

We had a lovely picnic here, and then managed a little shop followed by a quick half a pint sat outside in the sunshine here before heading home.

PS if you are wondering why it is so cold today, it is my fault, I mentioned to several people last week that winter had passed and spring was here.

Using Social Media To Look For A Job

Really interesting afternoon last Thursday when I was an expert on the Guardian Live Q&A.

I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed myself and never has two hours gone by so quickly. 

I'm used to working with clients face to face or over the phone so working in a different medium...a chat room added another dimension.

If you are looking for your next job you might find some of the comments made by the panel of use. 

Here is the link to the Q&A

In The Press Today

Lovely feature in the Evening Telegraph tonight, the web version doesn't show the photo of me, (which is huge).  There should have been two pictures but we couldn't locate the jpeg version of the second picture in time for the print deadline so I guess they just enlarged the one photo they had...how embarrassing!

http://www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk/news/et-business/business-news/helping_city_women_beat_the_recession_1_3400336

If you'd like to find out more about More To Life Than Shoes drop me a line or give me a call.  I hope you can join me?

Dog Shows, Networking & Crufts

Today we went here.


http://www.showground.org.uk/

What can I say?

If you had of asked me this time last year if I would be showing a dog at a county show, (well I didn’t actually, her owner did, she is just fostered by me). I would have laughed.

How I came to look after her, and how I entered up being there today is far too long a story for a blog.

One word just about sums it up though – networking. Oh and staying in touch with people. The power of contact, of knowing someone, of information sharing, is, I think nearly as strong as the waves in the sea. The power to make things happen is there if you focus on it, get organised and try it.

Stuff just happens, some stuff you ask for and other things occur just by co-incidence. Here is what I got through networking co-incidence.

So we didn’t qualify for Crufts, she came fifth, (we had to be in the first three). However, her brother romped home with a straight first and I await news if he gets best in show!

To take her mind off today’s events and to cheer her up, I have just left her watching this on her lap top in the kennel!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4d-og0lKeso

Enjoy your networking.

Ten Years On

This week has been the tenth anniversary of September the 11th. It will always remain one of those days that sit in your memory bank of what you were doing when it happened. A bit like when Kennedy got shot (I wasn’t born!) or when Elvis died, (I was on holiday in North Wales!).

On September the 11th ten years ago I was leaving a large organisation I had worked in for fifteen years. I was being made redundant and I’d loved the various jobs I’d had over the years. I was sad at leaving, but really sad about the fact that I was leaving behind the team of people and colleagues I had worked with, laughed with and on occasions cried with.

I was apprehensive, unsure and despite having a few ideas, not one hundred percent sure what the future would hold for me.

Wind the clock on 10 years and I’m amazingly celebrating ten years of being in business and ten years of People Potential. I can’t quite believe that!
What were you doing 10 years ago?