Category: How to’s

How to Answer “What are you best at?”

Here’s another question that stumps many job-seekers. What are you best at? Most people underestimate themselves and think they’re not the good at anything, others have trouble figuring out what to say to an interviewer.

Trust yourself, you are the best at something and it doesn’t have to be work related. Let’s say you’re the best at reading books. Talk about how you’ve read forty books in a year and took notes.

You can even say you’re best at singing or doing makeup.

You don’t have to be the best in the world but rather best within your group of friends. If an interviewer asks “Are you the best in the nation at X?” Don’t say “yes” because that’s a straight up lie and you’ll come off as arrogant. There’s always someone better and more experienced than you, but out of all your friends and family you are best at X.

How do you figure out what you’re best at? As with any common interview question, you must prepare an answer ahead of time.

The two “I’s”

  • Identify a skill
  • Illustrate a story

Tell the interviewer what you can do and what you’ve already done.

For example, I’m the best at having infinite patience because I work at a swim school teaching young children.

So I’ve identified a skill, patience.

Now let’s illustrate my story.

One of our students, I’ll call him Sam, was very reluctant to get in the pool by himself. Sam had been with us for three weeks and he wasn’t making any progress.

At this point, I’ve already tried everything. I bribed him with stickers, toys, swim rings, none of which worked. But then I had an idea. Why not play a game? So I made a ring toss game with the toys we had and showed Sam how much fun I had. After a few games, Sam started smiling again and decided to hop into the pool.

Practice your story

Every skill needs to be sharpened and I’d suggest doing the following exercise:

  • Record yourself telling your story.
  • Transcribe it faithfully word-for-word. This includes “umms”
  • Edit it as if it were a paper.
  • Rerecord the polished version.
  • Repeat if necessary.

How to Answer “Tell Me About Yourself” in an Interview

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“So tell me about yourself.” This is a common question that stumps job-seekers. It’s a simple question but deceptively complicated because it’s vague and most people don’t take the time to define themselves.

Continue reading How to Answer “Tell Me About Yourself” in an Interview

Telling Your “Hero’s Story” Increases Hireability

Employers want to get to know you and how you’re able to handle pressure and problem-solving. The whole purpose of an interview is to meet and greet future employees. Interviewers are not out there to trip you and ask tricky questions.

If during an interview you’re asked, “Give an example of how you’ve_______ in your current work.” I’ve been asked how I’ve taken the initiative, handled an emergency situation, or how I solved a problem. Continue reading Telling Your “Hero’s Story” Increases Hireability

How to Create a Customer Service Training Manual

I’m in the process of creating a training manual for a family-owned business called Glockstore. I’ve researched the business and looked through their reviews on Facebook and they could use some help in creating more consistent and courteous customer service, according to many of their customers.

First step, I researched Glockstore and took a look at their website and social media reviews. Many customers left one-star reviews and they all pertained to poor customer service.

Then, I put together a step-by-step manual on how to improve customer service. Choose a few of the reviews and turn it into a case study and provide examples of solutions. Having a written down, easy to follow guide creates more consistency in your team and they’ll know what the business expects from them.

I drew inspiration from Disney theme parks and how they always have top-of-the-line customer service even when their guests are irrational. Disney has achieved this consistency by following a well-tested training manual.

I’ve made a similar training manual for a swim school that I work for. You can find it under the “Portfolio” page.

Without further ado, here is a draft of my customer service guide for Glockstore.

How to Land a Job Without a Degree

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You can get a job without a degree by creating a value proposition and pitching it to your future employer. A value proposition is basically a work project that a business will find valuable and improve by implementing it.

The truth is employers don’t give a crap about your credentials, internships, degrees, and community service, or Greek life. It doesn’t tell them how you’re valuable to them. Instead, it says, “Thousands of other people have similar resumes and I’m just another cookie cutter, but hire me anyway because I graduated just like everyone else.” Continue reading How to Land a Job Without a Degree

How to Solve Valencia College’s Parking Shortage

Photo by Omer Rana on Unsplash

I returned to college for a day to sit in on a lecture from my economics professor, Jack Chambless. It felt a bit strange to be back on campus but I was greeted warmly by my professor. Today’s lecture was about government interference in the free market and supply and demand, but I’ll just focus on supply and demand.

Valencia College experiences a shortage of available parking spots and right now it costs nothing to park. Professor Chambless proposed a plan that would help solve this problem. Continue reading How to Solve Valencia College’s Parking Shortage

The Babylon Bee Copywriting: How to Write Clickbait

The Babylon Bee is the funniest satire site. They’ve mastered the art of clickbait headlines and seamlessly tying together politics, current events, and Christianity.

“New Libertarian Convert Asks Ron Paul Into His Heart”

This headline is one of my favorites. It’s hilarious, relevant, and clever. Libertarians revere Ron Paul so much that to outsiders it looks as if we’re worshipping him. Most people who use social media, only feel compelled to read an article if the headline grabs their attention. First impressions are everything for clickbait. Continue reading The Babylon Bee Copywriting: How to Write Clickbait