Presenting You

Nothing is more important in career development, internships, and the workplace than knowing who you are and presenting that image. This includes talking about strengths and weaknesses, experiences, achievements, and yes even connections.  Anyone trying to achieve anything in life needs to have these tricks tucked in your mind ready to be used on the spot. Here are a few tips to get you started.

1. Talk the Talk - Knowing what words to say for listing strengths and weaknesses is important, but so is knowing how to sell it. Simply saying I am a good leader but I have a tendency to be overbearing is not a good indication of your qualities nor does it reflect knowing who you truly are. Elaborate on strengths with positive reinforcement to show how you excel at that trait and use it to your advantage. Pointing out your weakness and areas of improvement shows that you acknowledge you aren't perfect. But take it a step further and express how you plan to work on transforming your weaknesses into strengths. This shows that you are adaptable and willing to work hard to better yourself.

2. STAR - this acronym is your new best friend during interviews and when dealing with reflection. This helps provide quick answers that are thought out dealing with behavioral questions or an experience. It is also a good tool to reflect on your own qualities and see how you handle situations at work.

• Situation: The interviewer wants you to present a recent challenge and situation in which you found yourself.
• Task: What did you have to achieve? The interviewer will be looking to see what you were trying to achieve from the situation.
• Action: What did you do? The interviewer will be looking for information on what you did, why you did it and what were the alternatives.
• Results: What was the outcome of your actions? What did you achieve through your actions and did you meet your objectives. What did you learn from this experience and have you used this learning since?

3. Know Yourself - Ever walked into a class where a teacher asks what your goals are in 5 years or plans for the future? Chances are if you are like me then most of the time you came up with a confused look wondering why you need to worry about that right now. But now it is crunch time, time finally answer those questions. Set up goals that are achievable and realistic. Interviewers and employers don't want to hear about unreachable fantasies. Be respectful of their time and know where you want to go. Having clear goals will help your interviewer or boss know how to place you best within the organization. Knowing what you want out of your future will help improve chances to reach these goals.