Global Breaking News - Friday, May 3, 2024

 "Back to the Basics = 기본[원점, 초심]으로 돌아가다"
"Chance favors only the prepared mind = 기회는 준비된 자에게만 온다"
누구에게나 기회는 찾아옵니다. 하지만, 주어진 기회를 최대한 유리하게 활용하는 것은
오직 준비된 자에게만 주어지는 보상입니다. 그게 면접이든 무엇인든 늘 초심을 잃지 않고
삶의 매 순간을 "일기일회(一期一會 / 단 한 번의 기회, 단 한 번의 만남)"로 여긴다면
여러분은 이미 충분한 보상을 받은 삶을 살게 될 것입니다.

1. Dress appropriately = 적합한 의상의 착용
2. Arrive in good time = 시간에 맞춰 일찍 도착
3. Body language = 몸짓 언어의 활용
4. Expect the unexpected = 의외의 질문을 예상
5. Ask questions = 질문하기

면접의 모든 답은 반드시 아래의 사항을 고려하여 준비되어야 합니다.
[나를 표현하라! / 비전과 가능성을 제시하라! / 나를 선택하게 하라!]

A. Effective Action Verbs
면접에서 중요한 것은 영향력이 있는 행동으로 나타난 효과적인 동사의 적절한 사용입니다.
두루뭉술하고 구체적이지 못한 통상적인 표준문구와 같은 답은 피하셔야 합니다.

1. broaden = (영향권이[을]) 넓어지다[넓히다]    
Broadened target audience to include corporate travel managers, meeting planners, and consumers.

2. broker = 증권 중개인으로 역할을 하다; (특히 국가 간의 협상을) 중개하다  
Brokered US Treasury and European fixed-income cash, futures, and options, calculated risk, and executed trades
on multiple trading platforms.

3. bring = 가져다[제공해] 주다; 야기하다, 가져오다  
Brought strong management discipline and Asian-market expertise to role as board director who assumes
operational oversight in absence of COO.

4. build = 만들어 내다, 창조[개발]하다 
Built and implemented employee-owned development matrix for all management and call-center staff;
selected, trained, and tested employee base to support continued educational and career objectives.

B. 인터뷰 필수 표현
누구나 다 알고 사용하는 말이지만, 누구나 쉽게 그 표현을 하지는 못합니다.
주어진 시간 안에 적절한 경구(警句) 또는 간단명료한 표현을 통한 의사 전달이 매우 중요합니다.

08. 저는 우선 그들의 행동 동기를 파악하려고 합니다.
The first thing I try to find out is what makes them tick.

C. 핵심 Q&A

008 - What are your strengths & weaknesses?

TIPS: Strengths "vs" Weaknesses

Strengths
• They want to ensure that your strengths are in line with the skill set required for the role.
• They are checking whether you’re self-aware and able to speak about yourself with confidence.
• They are testing for qualities and experience that set you apart from the competition.
• They may be looking to assess your communication skills.
• They want to see how you think on the spot.

Weaknesses
This is not the place to admit your biggest flaws. It’s also not the time to pretend you don’t have any development
areas – it would make you look either conceited or as though you can’t evaluate your own performance. So how
should you handle this type of question? The main thing is to admit that you have areas to develop, whilst showing
that you are already working on them and giving examples of the progress you have made.

BEST ANSWER:
* In your answers, you must include:

1. Strengths
Knowledge-Based Skills
Skills gained through education and experience, such as computer skills, languages, industry knowledge,
social media skills, qualifications, training and technical skills.

Transferable Skills
These are skills that you carry with you from job to job, such as communication skills, people skills,
analytical skills, problem-solving and planning skills.

Personal Traits
These are innate qualities that sell you as a person as well as an employee, e.g. dependability, flexibility,
adaptability and being a team player.

2. Weaknesses
(A) Your weakness
Briefly describe a real weakness that wouldn’t be a major handicap on the job

(B) How you are already working on it
(B) is the critical component. Discuss your proactive efforts to improve. This shows that you are self-aware,
have a drive to be your best, and that the weakness will not slow you down.

<<< Strengths >>>
1. I am highly adaptable to change. During my internship a new payroll system was introduced, and other members of staff were unhappy about it. I taught myself the system in my own personal time and was then able to train others how to use it.
-> This answer succinctly states what the strength is, before reinforcing it with an anecdotal example from
a previous role. The example highlights how the candidate's strength yielded benefits for their employer.

2. I have excellent interpersonal skills and excel in dealing with clients. In my last job, a customer was very unhappy when a delivery of a sample product was not made on time, which meant that the customer lost out on making a sale. I went out of my way to listen actively to the customer's concerns, apologised, and made sure that I understood everything that was wrong. I then presented a solution by calling other clients to see if they had any spare samples, which I volunteered to deliver to the customer the following day.
-> This answer provides a step-by-step breakdown of a time when the candidate used their interpersonal skills
to help a customer. It also gives the impression that the candidate cares about greatly their job.

3. I’ve always considered myself to have a very strong work ethic. I am committed to doing whatever it takes to meet deadlines. As part of a work placement I was working with a customer who had my team on a strict deadline. For reasons beyond my control, there was some confusion in the delivery of crucial documents, which didn’t get to our office until late on the afternoon before the deadline. Rather than go home, I volunteered to stay late and finish everything, ensuring that the deadline was met, and that the work was of a very good standard.
-> This answer does not simply make a general statement about being a hard worker, but again backs up
its assertion with a clearly explained example.

4. I’m a problem solver.  I love taking a problem and looking at it from every angle.  I enjoy work that challenges me and pushes me to think outside the box.  I enjoy situations where I am allowed to work with other people to come up with creative solutions.   At my last company we were asked to come up with ways to increase our work flow without decreasing our accuracy.  By really analyzing what every department was doing and finding ways to work together more efficiently, I was able to not only streamline the process, but made it possible for us to beat our previous deadline by three days with a superior product as an end result.

5. I’ve always been known for my work ethic.  I am committed to meeting deadlines and taking responsibility for the quality of my performance.  A few months ago I was working with a client who had us on a tight deadline.  There was a mix-up in the delivery of some key paperwork and it didn’t get to our office until closing the night before the deadline.  Rather than go home and ignore the problem, I stayed late and finished the project, making sure that our deadline was not only met, but that the report was accurate.

6. I’m a people person.  As a customer service rep for the past five years, I’ve learned how to deal with a wide variety of personalities.  I enjoy handling tough cases as it gives me a chance to problem solve.  I enjoy interacting with the public and love doing outreach.  Two summers ago I was lucky enough to be a part of the Black Friday crew.  A lot of other employees found it stressful and didn’t enjoy it but I really found that I loved the excitement and the rush of having so many people come through so quickly.  Not only was I constantly engaged, but I was able to provide one on one shopping assistance to a few last minute gift buyers.  Not only did I have a great time but my team had the highest receipts for the entire weekend!  It felt great.

<<< Weaknesses >>>
1. I'm impatient with people who don't work at the same pace as me but I'm learning to manage this. I make sure that they have the right resources for the job, I follow up to see that they are on track and I step in and help when needed.

2. I can procrastinate, I am aware of this and make sure I answer my emails and messages straight away.
I update my calendar as soon as I have a new task or appointment, this really helps.
-> A good guide is to acknowledge one or two weaknesses, describe the efforts made to overcome these and
end your story on a positive note.

3. I've been reluctant to delegate. I have had to re-evaluate this as it was creating a big workload for me. I assign each person a specific, manageable task and then follow up regularly to see that it is being done properly, this seems to work well.

4. I can be a bit aggressive in reaching my goals.

5. At times I can get too involved in other people's problems, trying to help them.
-> This approach, making a weakness sound like a strength, can be successful but interviewers are usually
alert to candidates trying to do this. It is much better to talk about a true weakness that you are aware of and
that you are taking practical steps to improve on.

6. I think one area I could work on is my delegation skills. I am always so concerned about everything being done right and on time that I can get stuck in that mentality of “If you want it done right, do it yourself." Unfortunately, that’s not always possible and I’ve realized that I can slow things down if I am too controlling. I learned this recently when given the opportunity to manage the department’s summer interns. I had never managed direct reports before, so this was a hugely educational experience in many different ways. It definitely taught me how to delegate and my manager noticed the difference in my management style at the end of the summer. I know that I can benefit from additional development in this area, so I signed up for a management skills training course and am always looking for opportunities to manage projects for our group.

7. Sometimes I can be a bit too honest when I provide feedback to coworkers. My personality is naturally very straightforward and to the point, and most of my colleagues really value that, but I have learned that there are times on the job when more diplomacy is required. I took a training class on conflict management and it really opened my eyes to the need to communicate differently with different people. So now I am much better at providing constructive feedback, even if it doesn’t always come naturally.

8. Honestly, I would say that public speaking is an area that I could work on. I tend to get nervous when asked to present to a large group of people. In small team meetings, I’m the first one to stand up and present. But put me in front of a big group and I can get flustered. I actually spoke to my manager about this and we set it as one of my development goals for this year. I took an internal presentation skills class and attended some meetings of Toastmasters, a networking group for people who want to practice public speaking. With some practice, I started to feel more comfortable. Last month, I even volunteered to represent our team at a division-wide town hall. I only had to present for 10 minutes, but I did it and got great feedback! It was actually kind of fun, so I plan on continuing to seek out opportunities to improve in this area.



* List of Strengths and Weaknesses *