Category Archives: Professional Development

Professional career development and growth starts with improving one’s skills and getting the right training. The following diagrams will help you grow professionally – from writing a great email, passing the interview to improving your skills.

How to pass a job interview

Here are the key interview preparation steps. This will help you pass the interview: 1. Research the company you are applying to. 2. Practice answers to most frequently asked questions. 3. Know your resume and your past experience well and be able to present impact of what you’ve done in the past, 4. Practice charm. The below diagram depicts some of the steps to ensure you pass the interview

You need to present your best self in an interview and increase your chances of employment: Conduct research. Dress appropriately. Bring a notepad, and copies of your resume. Be prepared for hard questions (don’t give a generic I am a perfectionist answer when asked about your weaknesses). Prepare your questions as it shows your interest and what you care about. Use facts and figures to show your achievements. All of this will help you pass the interview. The diagram below summarizes steps on how to pass a job interview.

Behavioral Questions Examples

These are frequently asked behavioral interview questions and sample answers. Remember that the interviewer is trying to understand not only how successfully you solved issues but also the approaches and skills you used to do so. Tell me about a time when you handled a challenging issue. Tell me when you made a mistake and what did you do about it.

Behavioral questions help interviewer learn how you would respond to a specific situation in a workplace, and how you would solve issues to achieve results.

Business Meeting Etiquette

Follow these rules for proper business meeting etiquette: Be punctual. Dress professionally. Come prepared. Speak loud enough. Actively listen. Participate. Follow the agenda. Ask questions at the right time.

Whether they are recurring or one-off meetings, everyone ishould follow proper business etiquette guidelines. Before the meeting, it is important to have everything organized so you don’t waste anyone’s time. Setting an agenda is the first step.

Cognitive biases

What are the different cognitive biases and how do they affect us and cloud our decision making. Anchoring bias, confirmation bias, overconfidence, information bias, placebo effect, recency and other types of biases

Cognitive biases include anchoring bias, confirmation bias, overconfidence, information bias, placebo effect, recency and other types of biases

How to end an email

What is the best ending for an email? Select your sign-off or ending. Sign-offs are expected when ending a formal email. Theses include a polite and respectful closing such as Regards, Sincerely, Thanks or Stay Safe (a common closing used during the covid crisis). It is always best to write out full words in a formal closing of your email.

Some say what works best is Warmest Regards or Thanks is a lot better than the more formal Regards or Sincerely. Best practice to end your email is to include in your signature, which is automatically ended in your email by your email tool.

How to create a good resume

Creating a good resume requires one to think about their audience. It is best to keep resumes to the point, provide impact such as figures and benefits, list key skills, dates, and positions. Using acronyms, especially when applying for a different industry, is not a good practice as it may allienate the reader.

Creating good resume starts with good and consistent formatting. Presentation is key as many jobs require individuals to create visually appealing documents and presentations; so how can one be hired, even they cant even format their resume properly.