"WELCOME OBJECTIONS"

Learn to Accept Objections as a Challenge Which, When Handled Correctly, Will benefit you and Your Prospect.

- The salesperson should welcome objections and not be taken personally

- The most difficult prospect to handle is one who says “no” and gives no reason

- Objections give you an opportunity to present more information about the product to the customer.

What is an objection and how do you handle the objection?

Objection is honest reasons a customer has for not making a purchase. 

TYPES OF OBJECTIONS 

1-Product or service objection. 2-Objection to the salesperson or to the company.3-Don't want to make a decision. 4-Price objection: Encompasses several forms of economic excuses and it is simple for the buyer to say. When buyer asks for the price?? Say that it is risky to discuss the product's price until it can be compared to the product's benefits. Once you convey the benefits, price becomes a secondary factor which usually can be dealt with successfully. 5- No need objection.6- Hidden Objection-- The salesperson must ask questions and carefully listen in order to smoke out the prospect's real objection. 

Other Classifications 
1-Major or minor objection. 2-Practical or psychological objection. 3-Practical (overt). 4-Psychological (hidden).

Some General Tips for Handling Objections 

1-Keep the buyers attitude toward your product positive. 2-Let buyers know you are on their side. 3-Help with objections. 4-If you get no response, give a multiple choice question to display an attitude of genuine caring. 5-Your goal is to help your prospect realistically examine reasons for and against buying now. 6-The main thing is not to be satisfied with a false objection or stall. 7-Bring out any or all of your main selling benefits now and keep on selling. 

A Negotiating Strategy for Handling Buyers’ Concerns (5 steps)

1-Listen Carefully 

-Hear the Prospect Out

2-Confirm Your Understanding of the Objection -Validate the Problem
-Clarify and Classify
-Use confirmation questions
- Ask if there is anything else
- Try to distinguish between genuine objections and excuses

3- Acknowledge their Point of View -That is a logical question
-Restate or rephrase in your own words
-Use words such as, “I understand how you feel”
-Prepare the prospect for your answer

4-Select a specific technique Base your decision on: -The prospect's behavioral style
-Phase of the interview
-The prospect's mood
-The number of times that this objection came up
-The type of objection

5-Answer the objection -Confirm with the buyer that you have answered the objection
-Attempt to Close
-Continue the Presentation If You do Not Succeed 

Specific Techniques for Handling Objections 
1-Product comparison1- Compare advantages and disadvantages
2- When the prospect is mentally comparing the present product or a competing product with your product, you may make a complete comparison of the two

2-Case history or testimonial - Describe the experience of a customer whose situation is similar to that of the prospect 


3- Demonstration 1- One of the most convincing ways to overcome buyer resistance and specific objections.
2- Sometimes a second demonstration is needed to overcome buyer skepticism. 


4-Guarantees or warranty 1- Removes resistance by reassuring that the purchase will not result in a loss.
2- Guarantees must: be meaningful - provide for recourse on the part of the customer 


5-Cost of delaying 1- The prospect wants to wait a while before making a final decision.
2- Use pencil and paper to show that delaying the purchase is expensive.


6-Boomerang
1-The objection comes back to the customer as a selling point.
2-Do not sound like you are trying to outwit the customer.
3-Use a friendly, helpful tone of voice.

7- Direct Denial
1- Considered a high risk method of handling buyer resistance. Use it with care.
2- If the buyer resistance is not valid, there may be no other option than to refute it by providing accurate information.

8- Indirect Denial 1- Acknowledge that the prospect is at least partially correct.
2- It initially appears as agreement with the customer's objection but moves into denial of the fundamental issue.
3- If done in a natural, conversational way the salesperson will not offend the prospect.
4- Rephrase or have the prospect rephrase
5- Blame yourself
6- Give the facts that answer the objection 

The most difficult objection type is price objection and When Dealing with Price Resistance 

DO
- Add value with a cluster of satisfactions.
- Point out the relationship between price and quality.
- Explain the difference between price and cost.
- Employ the Presumption of Exclusivity
1- Stress your product's exclusive features
2- Identify extras that only come from you
3- Sell quality, exclusivity and differential features
- Sell Down
1- All prospects have a buying range
2- Show the best first and then let the prospect reduce price by removing features or lowering quality 

DON'T 
- Apologize for the price.
- Make price the focal point of your sales presentation.
- Become demanding
- Become defensive
- Become hostile

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"The Eight Secrets of Successful Public Speaking"

1. Define the purpose of your presentation before doing anything else. 

2. Spend plenty of time preparing your talk so it will be effective.

3. Hook the attention of your listeners early in a speech so they will listen to the rest of it.

4. Tell the audience why you’re speaking to them at the beginning, the middle, and the end of your talk.

5. Overcome stage fright by making it work for you.

6. Use stories and anecdotes to bring your talk to life.

7. Evaluate each talk you give so you can constantly improve your skills.

8. Never stop practicing.

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"How Do You Go About Making Important Decisions?"

What Do interviewers Want to Hear?
Before you get the interview, you have some sense of the culture of the company you’re interested in working for. So shade your answer to match it.

For example, if you want to work for a financial services company, you probably don’t want to portray yourself as a manager who makes decisions based on gut feelings rather than hard data. Similarly, if you’re auditioning to be an air traffic controller, it’s best not to admit that you like to sleep on things before making up your mind.

Think in terms of the interviewer’s main concerns: 
Will you need to be analytical? Creative? Willing to call on the expertise of others?
If you are bucking for a management position, you’ll also want to take this opportunity to convince the interviewer that your relationship skills have made you management material . . . or at least set you on the way to achieving that goal.
You might say something like this:

“When I’m faced with an important decision, I ask the advice of others. I try to consider everything. But ultimately, I’m the one who decides. I guess that’s why they say, ‘It’s lonely at the top.’The higher you go in management, the more responsibility you have and the more decisions you have to make by yourself.”

Although this is a nice general answer, you may run into an interviewer who decides to probe to see if the “rubber meets the road,” following up with something like, “Okay, tell me about the last important decision you had to make, how you went about making it, and the results you achieved.” Can you match in particulars the nice general answer given above? Or do you inadvertently show you do things completely differently (better or worse) than you just said you did?

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"Why Are You Applying for a Job in a Field Other Than Your Major?"

What Do interviewers Want to Hear?

Life doesn’t always turn out according to our plans. Especially when we’re young, changes in direction are common. Changes are hard enough to live through without getting grilled about them.

When the interviewer asks about one of your 180-degree turns, you need to respond. If you’re applying for a retail management position and your degree is in geology, there’s a good chance that you’ll be asked this question; it’s not the first time this employer has encountered someone like you.

In today’s job market, changing careers is common, and there’s nothing unique about going into a field other than the one you majored in. So what do you do? You know you’ve piqued the employer’s interest enough to get an interview, right? So relax and answer the question. 

Keep it brief and positive: You’ve reexamined your career goals. You enjoy customer contact, the competitive nature of sales, and the varied management responsibilities required in retail, and you’ve decided it’s the career you want to pursue. And, oh yeah (perhaps with a sheepish grin), Then it may be a good idea to pause and ask, “Have I answered your question?” Give the interviewer an opportunity to express concerns about your qualifications. If he has any, be prepared to explain how the skills required in your degree field transfer to the field in which you’re seeking employment. You can use the same strategy with your prior work experience. Are there particular things a geologist must learn that directly translate into retail management? Particular skills? I don’t know, but you certainly better be ready to talk about them. Just because many students who major in more esoteric areas are, by definition, ill-prepared for some specific jobs, and just because many people now change jobs, careers, and even industries more and more, does not mean that many interviewers will not make you sell them on how your learning will benefit them.

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"Leadership And Management"

Leadership is about inspiring others and doing the right thing. Leaders make change happen, but their values remain steady and unchanging. Most leaders not only have a long-term perspective on goals, but they also have innovative ways of achieving their goals. 

What are the qualities of good leaders? What makes them successful? 
1- Successful leaders are able to influence others & inspire a workforce, a team, or a nation to achieve goals.
2- Leaders can see beyond themselves and beyond the task at hand to look at achieving long-term goals by utilizing their strengths combined with the strengths of others. 
3- Effective leaders are able to manage relationships with others and create positive outcomes. 
4- Leaders learn from failure and have a steadfastness of purpose that keeps them focused on a goal or objective in spite of near term setbacks or adverse conditions. 
5- Leaders are able to energize those around them in order to create desired results without compromising their ethical standards.

LEADERSHIP VERSUS MANAGEMENT

"Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things". —Peter F. Drucker

Leaders may be managers, but not all managers are leaders. So just what are the differences?
While managers tend to have their eyes on the bottom line, leaders are more often looking toward the horizon, trying to find new opportunities for growth and development. Managers are often responsible for executing the task at hand, not thinking of future goals. Managers are responsible for maintaining, but leaders look to innovate.Managers may involve employees in their activities, but often on a “need to know” basis while Leaders work to inspire those around them by trying to help others gain personal growth and development from their activities and by turning weaknesses into strengths. Companies that have “leader-managers” throughout the corporate hierarchy are the most successful.

ROLES OF MANAGERS 
Management is often expressed as the process of achieving an organization’s objectives through guiding development, maintenance, and allocating resources. The primary roles of managers are planning, organizing, leading, and controlling. 
1- Planning

"The very essence of leadership is that you have to have vision. You can’t blow an uncertain trumpet." —Theodore M. Hesburgh 

Planning is the process of determining a course of action for future conditions and events with the goal of achieving the company’s objectives. Effective planning is necessary for any business or organization that wants to avoid costly mistakes. There are 4 types of planning that are associated with management: strategic, tactical, operational, and contingency planning. 
- Strategic planning involves creating long-range goals and determining the resources required for achieving these goals. Strategic planning is the most far-reaching level of planning and involves plans with time frames from 1 to 5 years. Essential to the notion of strategic planning is that it involves an assessment and consideration of the organization’s external environment, and that the organization is adaptive to these outside, noncontrollable variables, adjusting and possibly redirecting its strategy to account for this changing environment.- Tactical planning denotes the implementation of the activities defined by the strategic plans. Generally, tactical planning involves shorter-range plans with time frames of less than one year.
Operational planning involves the creation of specific methods, standards, and procedures for different functional areas of an organization. In addition, the organization chooses specific work targets and assigns employees to teams to carry out plans. 
- Contingency planning involves the creation of alternative courses of action for unusual or crisis situations. For example, realizing the impact of terrorism on businesses in the wake of September 11, 2001, many companies have developed contingency plans to respond to potential terrorism events.
2- Organizing
This management role involves blending human and capital resources in a formal structure. The manager will divide and classify work by determining which specific tasks need to be carried out in order to accomplish a set of objectives. 
3- Leading 

The goal of leading is to guide and motivate employees in order to accomplish organizational objectives. This role involves explaining procedures, issuing directives, and ensuring that any mistakes are corrected. 
4- Controlling
Controlling allows a manager to measure how closely an organization is adhering to its set goals. It is also a process that provides feedback for future planning.

LEADERSHIP STYLES 
"Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it." —Dwight D. Eisenhower

The predominant leadership styles—autocratic, democratic, and laissez-faire—have many variations. We can compare and contrast the effectiveness of each of these styles as it affects employee performance.

Autocratic Leadership
This style is both directive and controlling. The leader will make all decisions without consulting employees and will also dictate employee roles. The autocratic style of leadership limits employee freedom of expression and participation in the decision-making process. It may result in alienating employees from leadership and will not serve to create trust between managers and subordinates. Further, creative minds cannot flourish under autocratic leadership. Autocratic leadership may best be used when companies are managing less experienced employees.

Democratic Leadership
This style is centered on employee participation and involves decision making by consensus and consultation. This often leads to empowerment of employees because it gives them a sense of responsibility for the decisions made by management. This can also be a very effective form of management when employees offer a different perspective than the manager. Democratic leadership may best be used when working with highly skilled and experienced employees. One of the downsides of democratic leadership is that it may lead to endless meetings and therefore create frustration among employees if used for every decision made by a company. Democratic leadership is not a good idea in situations when the business is facing a crisis situation such as bankruptcy. 

Laissez-Faire Leadership
"Delegating work works, provided the one delegating works, too." —Robert Half
This form of leadership requires extensive communication by management with employees. It is the style that makes employees responsible for most of the decisions that are made, and in which they are minimally supervised. Employees are responsible for motivating and managing themselves on a daily basis under this leadership style. Laissez-faire leadership may best be used when employees are educated, knowledgeable, and self-motivated. Laissez-faire leadership is not a good idea in situations where employees feel insecure about the manager’s lack of availability or the manager is using the employees to cover for his or her inability to carry out his or her own work. This type of situation can create resentment and result in an unhealthy work environment. 

Transformational and Transactional Leadership
Transformational Leadership. Leaders who have a clear vision and are able to articulate it effectively to others often characterize this style of leadership. Transformational leaders look beyond themselves in order to work for the greater good of everyone. This type of leader will bring others into the decision-making process and will allow those around them opportunity to learn and grow as individuals. They seek out different perspectives when trying to solve a problem and are able to instill pride into those who work under them. Transformational leaders spend time coaching their employees and learning from them as well.
Transactional Leadership. This style is characterized by centralized control over employees. The transactional leader will control outcomes and strive for behavioral compliance. Employees under a transactional leader are motivated by the transactional leader’s praise, reward, and promise. They may also be corrected by the leader’s negative feedback, threats, or disciplinary action.

"The most effective leadership style is using a combination of styles." 

Leaders should know when it is best to be autocratic and when to be democratic. They can also be transformational and transactional at the same time; these are not mutually exclusive styles and in fact can complement one another extremely well.

LEADERSHIP AND MOTIVATION 
- An important role for a leader is motivating employees to do the best job possible. There are many ways a leader can motivate employees, and many of them do not require additional monetary compensation.

- Sometimes motivation is brought about through creative means. 

- Open communication is also a key to motivating employees. 
- When employees feel that they will be listened to and managers openly discuss matters with employees, a trusting relationship is created. 
- Another method to motivate is to ensure that employees are matched up with the right job. It is the leader’s job to learn what employees’ abilities and preferences are and match them accordingly to tasks that utilize their skills and when possible match with their preferences.
- If a leader is a good role model, showing enthusiasm for his or her work and pride in the company, this will positively affect employee motivation.

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"What Motivates You?"

Employers are looking for people who are keen to make a difference to their organisation. So if you aren’t terribly motivated by work and the only thing that keeps you going is the thought of leaving your workplace at the end of the day, keep that to yourself. 

One trick is to say that you are motivated when you get to use the kinds of skills that the employer is looking for. For instance, if the employer requires someone with customer service skills, then – hey presto – it may be wise to say something along the lines of:

"I really enjoy spending time with people and get a buzz out of dealing with customers and sorting out their problems. I hate it when I feel that I’m not doing my best on behalf of customers". 

Other good answers include:

1- Recognition: While many interviewers consider it gauche to say that you are motivated by money, you can say that you like to have your good work recognized by your boss, peers, or clients.

2- Making a difference: Especially in the charity or non-profit sector, saying that you are motivated by the pursuit of the organisation’s goals is a good idea.

3- Challenge: Another good answer is to say that you enjoy getting fully caught up in solving problems and getting to the bottom of difficult situations.

4- Self-development: Employers like candidates who want to further their own learning and development. Do bear in mind the nature of the role that you are applying for, though. A management training scheme is likely to provide you with much more by way of development opportunities than, say, an office data entry job.

5- Money: Only when going for a sales job should you talk about the fact that you are motivated by financial reward. In fact, many sales people are suspicious of candidates who say that they are not motivated by money and the luxuries that money can allow you to buy.

Don’t just memorise one of these answers by heart. Take a moment to figure out what really motivates you – you’ll sound much more genuine.

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"The Difference Between Creativity And Innovation"

There is a huge confusion about the difference between creativity, innovation.
so let us first start with definitions of Creativity and Innovation: 

“Creativity is the capability or act of conceiving something original or unusual.” 

“Innovation is the implementation of something new.”

“Creativity is thinking up new things. Innovation is doing new things.” 

“Creativity = Ideas but Innovation = Ideas + Action”

“Creativity is the ability to combine ideas in a unique way”  

“Innovation is conversion of new knowledge into new product”

If you have a brainstorm meeting and dream up dozens of new ideas then you have displayed creativity but there is no innovation until something gets implemented. Somebody has to take a risk and deliver something for a creative idea to be turned into an innovation.

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"What Are Your Strengths And Weakness as an Employee?"

What Are Your Strengths as an Employee?

What Do They Want to Hear?

key strategy is to first uncover your interviewer's greatest wants and needs before you answer questions from your analysis of the job advert, you can work out the key skills and characteristics that the employer is looking for. Paraphrasing a few of these back to the employer is an effective way to answer this question. When paraphrasing key skills and characteristics, make sure to change the wording slightly – simply repeating them verbatim will make you sound like a mindless parrot. 


Prior to any interview, you should have a list mentally prepared of your greatest strengths. You should also have, a specific example or two, which illustrates each strength, an example chosen from your most recent and most impressive achievements. Then, once you uncover your interviewer's greatest wants and needs, you can choose those achievements from your list that best match up.As a general guideline, the 10 most desirable traits that all employers love to see in their employees are:1. A proven track record as an achiever...especially if your achievements match up with the employer's greatest wants and needs.2. Intelligence...management "savvy".3. Honesty...integrity...a decent human being.4. Good fit with corporate culture...someone to feel comfortable with...a team player who meshes well with interviewer's team.5. Likeability...positive attitude...sense of humor.6. Good communication skills.7. Dedication...willingness to walk the extra mile to achieve excellence.8. Definiteness of purpose...clear goals.9. Enthusiasm...high level of motivation.10. Confident...healthy...a leader.
A couple of examples:
[1] As an office manager with Global Gadgets, I have excellent organisation skills and really good attention to detail – I’m not the sort of person who does things by halves. I also believe that I have good communication skills in dealing with not only external customers but also all members of the internal team – from the senior managers to the junior researchers. [2] I have been told that I’m a very good manager. My team tells me that I give them a lot of freedom in how to do their work, which they really appreciate. They also say that I’m really enthusiastic, so when we’re faced with too much work, they tell me that my manner really helps to keep them motivated and calm. My boss also tells me that I’m very innovative in terms of finding new ways of working that cut out inefficiency. 

Have an example up your sleeve to justify each of your alleged strengths. An interviewer can easily ask you, Why do you believe those are your strengths?
For example, the Global Gadgets manager mentioned earlier in this section may go on to reply: As just one example, our company moved offices recently. I had to co-ordinate the entire move and make sure that our server and all of the computers were set up correctly in the new office. At the same time, I dealt with all of our staff and customers to ensure that day-to-day business was not at all disrupted.

Try to sound confident without sounding over-confident or arrogant. If you’re worried about sounding over-confident, use phrases such as I’ve been told that I am . . . and I believe that I am . . . rather than just saying I am. . . .

What’s your greatest weakness?

Variations
1- If You Could Change One Thing About Your Personality Just By Snapping Your Fingers, What Would It Be and Why? 
2- Tell me about the one thing in your life you’re proudest of.3- Tell me about the worst decision you ever made.4- Tell me about the one thing in your life you’re most ashamed of.

What Do They Want to Hear?An answer most interviewers would fine acceptable would reveal a weakness that you’ve already corrected or, in a slight redirection of the question, a mistake you made in a previous job and the lesson(s) you learned from it. In both cases, you would be turning a negative question into a positive response. - This is an eliminator question, designed to shorten the candidate list. Any admission of a weakness or fault will earn you an “A” for honesty, but an “F” for the interview.  
That you have weaknesses (of course you do!) but none that are lethal. Conventional career advice has been to cite a weakness that you can easily show is really a strength: “You know, sir, I just work too hard. I have to take more time off than just Sunday from 5 to 7.”

PASSABLE ANSWER: Disguise a strength as a weakness.Example: “I sometimes push my people too hard. I like to work with a sense of urgency and everyone is not always on the same wavelength.”Drawback of This strategy is that it's so widely used, it is transparent to any experienced interviewer.BEST ANSWER: 

“Nobody's perfect, but based on what you've told me about this position, I believe I' d make an outstanding match. I know that when I hire people, I look for two things most of all. Do they have the qualifications to do the job well, and the motivation to do it well? Everything in my background shows I have both the qualifications and a strong desire to achieve excellence in whatever I take on. So I can say in all honesty that I see nothing that would cause you even a small concern about my ability or my strongdesire to perform this job with excellence.”

Alternate strategy (if you don't yet know enough about the position to talk about such a perfect fit):Instead of confessing a weakness, describe what you like most and like least, making sure that what you like most matches up with the most important qualification for success in the position, and what you like least is not essential.Example: 

“If given a choice, I like to spend as much time as possible in front of my prospects selling, as opposed to shuffling paperwork back at the office. Of course, I long ago learned the importance of filing paperwork properly, and I do it conscientiously. But what I really love to do is sell"

Example (For one thing in your life that ashamed of):
“You know, I really can’t think of anything. I would add that as a general management principle, I have found that the best way to avoid regrets is to avoid causing them in the first place. I practice one habit that helps me a great deal in this regard. At the end of each day, I mentally review the day’s events and conversations to take a second look at the people and developments I’m involved with and do a double check of what they’re likely to be feeling. Sometimes I’ll see things that do need more follow-up, whether a pat on the back, or maybe a five minute chat in someone’s office to make sure we’re clear on things…whatever.”

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"The Importance Of Cover Letter"

Why Cover Letters Are Important?
The cover letter is your first opportunity to engage a prospective employer. It is a key marketing tool to convince the employer to take the time to look at your resume.The primary purpose is to get an interview and The second purpose is to communicate “the intangibles” not readily apparent from the factual content of your resume.It should be written in a tone that is direct, unassuming, and conveys enthusiasm. Your cover letter must contain and convey your personal brand message so that hiring managers are compelled to contact you.

How to Make Your Cover Letter Really Work? 
1- Make it different and unique (BRAND).
2- Provide specific ways you might be able to help the prospective employer.3- Tell an interesting, compelling story that makes employers want to read further.4- Be sure it contains the “wow” factor.5- Persuade employers that you are the best candidate for the position.

What Makes a Successful Cover Letter

1- Attract the reader to read your resume.
2- Summarizes your major achievements in brief statements that make an impact.
3- Shows you will be an asset to prospective employers and will be able to improve their businesses grow and/or meet their challenges.
4- Compels employers to call you in for an interview. 

How To Write A Cover Letter?
Your cover letter should be one page with approximately 4 to 6 paragraphs. The first few sentences should entice the reader with your general qualifications right up front (a benefit-driven statement), indicate what type of position you are applying for, and explain why you would be an asset to the firm.
The middle paragraphs substantiate why you are a qualified applicant for this particular position and summarize some heavy-hitter achievements you have already accomplished as proof.
The last paragraph states your call to action, what you plan to do next or want the reader to do.

"Personal branding is critical in today’s world of work. Knowing your personal brand, developing it, and using it is a trade secret that will greatly increase your odds of getting hired." 

Personal branding is an essential career and reputation management marketing tool that creates a successful, credible identity so that hiring managers who view your brand know your value proposition and your return on their investment and seek you out.

THE BENEFITS OF PERSONAL BRANDING
1- Make readers want to read your resume and call you in for an interview.
2- Helping you sell yourself to prospective employers and increase your earning potential.
3- Employers will immediately know what position you are seeking and what distinguishes you from the competition.
4- It helps to establish you as an expert in your own professional niche and build a solid reputation in your field.
5- When you brand yourself, you make it clear to employers that you can help them solve their problems, meet their challenges, increase their bottom line.
EXAMPLE:
"As a marketing specialist, I develop and launch innovative new products and brands for new untapped target markets of forward-thinking companies so they can dramatically increase their revenues through my visionary creativity."

THE 5 CRITICAL COMPONENTS OF PERSONAL BRANDING 
1- Assets/features: (Qualities, Attributes, Skills that can be valuable to employer)
2- Benefits: (the ways in which your features help employers)
3- Competitive edge: (Unique strengths of you that make you stand out from others in your profession)
4- Value proposition: The total worth of all of the benefits you can offer an employer in exchange for salary by way of promised deliverables backed by matching achievements. (Obviously, employers want the value of all the benefits you offer to be higher than the cost of paying you.)
5- Return on investment (ROI): A measurement of your contributions (expected future value) to an employer. You can get this number by dividing the amount of money you have saved or earned (or a similar measurement appropriate to your field) for your employers by the cost of hiring you. (Naturally, prospective employers want this number to be high.)

A WINNING COVER LETTER FORMULA

Now that you have developed your first cover letter paragraph to attract and spark the interest of your prospective employers, think in terms of this sequence for the remainder of your cover letter: 

1- The first paragraph attracts your audience via your personal brand message or other “wow” factor.
2- The second paragraph explains what you have to offer through your matching qualifications and value proposition.
3- The third paragraph validates your value proposition describing your related achievements.
4- The fourth (optional) paragraph sparks additional interest via a related story or eye-opening comment.
5- The fifth paragraph summarizes the letter and closes with a statement of interest and a call to action.

FIRST PARAGRAPH EXAMPLES:
"I believe my [broad experience/professional skill set/background/other: ___] in all [phases/aspects] of ___ [area or industry] coupled with my [master’s/ bachelor’s/ associate degree in __ (major) or other feature: ___] uniquely qualifies me for a ___ [job title or type of] position in your [firm/company/organization]. I am enclosing my resume for your consideration." 

"As a successful ____ [type of] [executive/manager/professional], I bring to your organization more than ____ [number] years of progressively responsible experience in ___, _____, and ____ [areas of expertise] for the ___ [type of] industry. My expertise lies in____ and ___ [competitive edge knowledge]. My resume is enclosed for your consideration." 

"Working within the___ [which?] industry to [sell/promote/provide/other: ___] beneficial [products/programs/projects/services/other: ____] is my passion. Throughout my career, building outstanding _____ [what?] and securing ____ [what?] have been major sources of challenge and [achievement /satisfaction /reward/other:____] for me. My enclosed resume details my career thus far." 

"With more than ___ [number] years of____ [type of] experience and a consistent track record of [increasing profitability/improving service/decreasing costs/other: ___], I am confident that I can do the same for ____ [whom or what?] at____ [prospective employer]. A ____ [asset], I have ____[accomplishment]. As such, I am enclosing my resume for your review."

SECOND PARAGRAPH EXAMPLES
"I am experienced in ____, ____, and ___ [doing what?] for my employers. I believe my _____ [type of] expertise, _____ [skill or attribute] abilities, and ____ [type of] skills are a perfect combination for a(n) ____ [type of] professional. I am confident that the enthusiasm and experience I can bring to your organization will prove to be assets in achieving your firm’s goals as they have been for others." 

"In addition to my expertise in ____, ____, and ___ [areas of expertise], I am actively involved in ____ [what area?] as well as ____ [what area?]. I am committed to [embracing modern technological improvements for ___ (area)/other: _____] while ____ [doing what?]." 

"Complementing my ability to ____ [do what?] and effectively_____ [do what?] are equally strong qualifications in ____,_____, _____, and ___ [areas of expertise]. I am able to provide strategic direction with appropriate tactical action plans to meet those needs while responding to the constantly changing demands of the _____ [type of] industry."

" Throughout the past ____ [number] years, I have been [actively/heavily] involved in the [strategic/tactical/other:__] planning required to align ____ [type of] initiatives with budget dollars in the support of [business/mission-critical/other: ___] needs for ____ [whom or what?]. I have established a reputation built on _______ [type of] excellence through the delivery of [innovative/practical/costeffective/ other: ____] solutions that [increase efficiency/boost performance/elevate revenues/other:___]. Prior to this, I spent [a number of/______ (number)] years working as a(n) _____ [job title]." 

THIRD PARAGRAPH EXAMPLES
" I have a proven track record of [increasing sales and profits/elevating profits/decreasing costs/streamlining operations/ increasing productivity/other: ____]. Notable achievements include ____, ____, ___, and _______ [your most significant accomplishments]. Please see the attached resume for details."

"Throughout my career, I have consistently demonstrated my ability to ______ [benefit or value provided] by ______ [skills] to ensure attainment of goals. I have gained a solid reputation for_______ and _____ [personal attributes or areas of expertise] resulting in______ [what ROI?] for my employers." 

"Currently as ___ [job title] of ______ [employer name], I have taken [the company/  my department/other: ___] from ____ [dollar amount, percentage, or other measurement] to___ [dollar amount, percentage, or other measurement] in [annual sales/market share/other:___].  I also have received [awards/ promotions/ commendations/other: ____] for______ [primary achievements]." 

"A sample of my achievements in _____ [areas of expertise] include
● Earning ___ [what?] from ___ [whom?], honoring my ____ [achievement honored].
● Overseeing _____ [whom or what?], resulting in______ [benefits].
● Developing ____ [what?] that identified and resolved ___ [employer/industry issues].
● Managing_____ [what?], _____ [benefit to past employer].
● Initiating____ [what?] to ____ [benefit]." 

"I offer a brief overview of my expertise and invite you to peruse my resume, which provides more in-depth information:
● History of undertaking challenging ____ [type of] assignments, including_____, ____, and ____ [what?]. I have repeatedly been sought out to undertake these and other [projects/events/ other: ___] due to my ____ [features], which ______ [benefit], and my ability to______ [value proposition].
● Instinctive knowledge and ability to___ [skills] and to implement _ [what?].
● Vital ability to ____ [area of expertise] and to_______ [area of expertise].
● Excellent ______ [type of] qualifications include ____ and ____ [what degrees, certifications, software, or special knowledge?], which I have found invaluable when combined with my_____ and ___ [features]."

FOURTH PARAGRAPH EXAMPLE
"Consistently Achieve _____ [what?] There can be only one reason for these results: a consuming passion for ______ [your field]! Working within the____ [which?] industry and with individuals to [sell/promote/educate/other: ____] on a beneficial [mission/product/program/project/goal/other:______]—this has been my [lifeblood/passion/interest/ other:____]." 

" My search for companies who share my passion for success put ___ [prospective employer] at the top of my list. Here’s why: As the ____ [job title] of a successful company, I took it as job number one to_____ [do what?]. And because nobody told me it couldn’t be done, I made it happen. Now that________ [separation circumstances], I want that dream to come true again, this time in a partnership with ____ [prospective empployer]. I would never make such a bold suggestion if I couldn’t offer a strong return on investment for both of us." 

CLOSING PARAGRAPH EXAMPLE
"I believe ______ [prospective employer] will benefit from my ______ [type of] approach to [operational excellence/enhancing the bottom line/improving productivity/other: ______]. I look forward to speaking with you soon to discuss how my expertise can bring immediate and lasting results to your company. I will contact you soon to set up an interview, or you may contact me at ______ [phone number]." 

"Thank you for your time and consideration, [Mr./Ms.] ____ [hiring manager’s last name]. I look forward to the possibility of discussing the opportunity of contributing my ______ [benefits] to your highly [innovative /motivated /productive/other: _____] team. May I hear from you soon? "

"I am excited by the prospect of an opportunity to work with ____ [prospective employer]. I would like to meet with you to discuss my ____[type of] qualifications in more detail and would appreciate a personal interview. I will [call/email] you next week to follow up." 

"I would welcome the chance to meet with you to discuss ______’s [prospective employer] business needs and my qualifications in more detail. I am confident that I can deliver results similar to those described above for your firm and look forward to a personal interview. Please call me at _______ [phone number] or email me at ________ [email address] at your earliest convenience for a mutual return on investment."

What to Do and What Not to Do in a Cover Letter? 

Don’t:
1- Copy generic statements.
2- Bore your reader with job description information they are already aware of.
3- Replicate the information contained in your resume.
4- Send out broadcast cover letters if you can help it.
Do:
1- Write compelling, marketing-savvy statements that make readers take notice.
2- Back up your outlandish, head-turning statements with achievement facts.
3- Make promises you can keep.
4- Determine what your possible return on investment is to prospective employers.
5- Conduct company research so that you can obtain the name, title, and company name and address of your targeted employers.
6- Show how you are a match for a position opening by including all of the requirements in the original job posting and noting your expertise and qualifications in these areas.

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"Tell Me About Yourself ?"

This is probably the single most popular question that interviewers use for opening an interview. But don’t take the question as an invitation to recount your entire life’s history. And if you’re unprepared for such an open ended prelude to the series of standard questions about your skills, background, and aspirations you’ve been expecting, it can stop you dead and earn you an immediate one-way ticket out of the interview.

Why is this question a favorite of so many interviewers? 

Many consider it a nice ice-breaker, giving them a chance to gauge initial chemistry, get a little insight into the cipher sitting before them (that would be you), and force you to do all the talking, for at least a couple of minutes.

- If you are prepared, you know this can be your golden opportunity to provide an answer that demonstrates four of the traits every interviewer is desperately searching for: intelligence, enthusiasm, confidence, and dependability.


Remember: NEVER memorize  the answer word for word. It’s important to remember that the interviewer  is not asking you to present a perfect essay, just to talk, person  to person.



What Do They Want to Hear?

It should take you no more than 2 minutes to recite an answer that features the following information:

1- Brief introduction.

2- Focus on What Interests the Interviewer

3- Key accomplishments.

4- Key strengths demonstrated by these accomplishments.

5- Importance of these strengths and accomplishments to the prospective employer.

6- Where and how you see yourself developing in the position for which you’re applying (tempered with the right amount of self-deprecating humor and modesty).

The recommended, correct way to answer the “tell me about yourself” question is by utilizing a three-part:

Part one will consist of a one-sentence statement of your career history,Here is an example:

"I am a management consultant with 12 years’ experience gained across industries and sectors ranging from financial services and retail to petrochemicals and media."

Part two consists of a one or two sentence summary of a single career accomplishment that you are especially proud of and one that can reasonably be expected to capture the potential employer’s attention. Here is an example:

"I am responsible for business development activities and last year sold projects totalling £400,000 to clients. On a day-to- day basis, I also manage a team of up to 8 consultants and junior consultants. But more than being a good consultant, I like to think of myself as a fair and democratic person as I try hard to listen to my clients as well as my team."

Part three
It needs to be a one or two sentence summary of specifically what you want to do in your next career move AND it must be relevant to the position being sought. Here is an example:

"For the next step in my career, I would like to find myself as a direct employee of a small to medium sized firm (or large sized firm) that is looking to hire a Business Development Manager so I can continue growing my career by getting exposure to different areas of business. As the firm’s business needs grow, I would love to apply my past team project management skills to managing the members of a small, growing team.”

Put all parts together:

"I am a management consultant with 12 years’ experience gained across industries and sectors ranging from financial services and retail to petrochemicals and media. I am responsible for business development activities and last year sold projects totalling £400,000 to clients. On a day-to- day basis, I also manage a team of up to eight consultants and junior consultants. But more than being a good consultant, I like to think of myself as a fair and democratic person as I try hard to listen to my clients as well as my team, For the next step in my career, I would like to find myself as a direct employee of a small to medium sized firm that is looking to hire a Business Development Manager so I can continue growing my career by getting exposure to different areas of business. As the firm’s business needs grow, I would love to apply my past team project management skills to managing the members of a small, growing team."

Other type of questions that more aggressive and have the same target:

1- What makes you special (unique, different)?
2- What 5 adjectives describe you best?
3- Rate yourself on a scale of 1 to 10.
4- How would you describe your character (Personality)?
5- Why should I hire you?
6- Why should I consider you a strong candidate for this position?
7- What’s better about you than the other candidates I’m interviewing?
8- What can you do for us that someone else can’t?

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"How to Ace Any Interview"

Relax
Try to enjoy yourself. Imagine that the interviewer is a sports star, famous author, or movie celebrity you’ve always admired. (Try to overlook the middle-aged paunch or glaring bald spot.)

Keep Smiling
No, not a fake grin. Just maintain a pleasant, relaxed smile that is, hopefully, a by-product of your involvement in an interesting conversation. Put yourself in the interviewer’s place "Who wouldn’t want to work with such an agreeable person?"

Be Enthusiastic
Be enthusiastic about the position, your accomplishments, and what you know about the company.

Be Honest
Lying about even the smallest or least important details could be grounds for immediate dismissal.

Make Lots of Eye Contact
Have you ever known someone who wouldn’t look you in the eye? After a while, you probably started to wonder what that person had to hide. You don’t want your interviewer wondering anything of the sort. So meet his or her eyes while you’re shaking hands, then frequently throughout the interview. But don’t stare, unrelenting eye contact is as bad as none at all.

Remain Positive 
As we’ll see when we discuss questions about your previous jobs, you must learn to put a positive spin on everything, but especially loaded issues, such as your reason for leaving a job, troubled relations with your superiors, or the lack of required qualifications.

Don’t Let an Unskilled Interviewer Trip You Up
Make sure the preparation you’ve spent so much time on comes shining through, especially when a manager throws you a curve. If need be, your advance preparation should give you the power to take control of the interview, allowing you to emphasize the many ways in which you will benefit the prospective employer.

Turn weaknesses into strengths

Never talk for more than 2 minutes straight

Never speak badly of past supervisors or employers

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"Interview Skills"

‘‘There are just too many interviewing books and training tools available that teach people the right things to say. After a while, all their responses start sounding the same, and interviewers don’t feel like, I’m actually getting to know the real person,’’

What is an interview?

An interview is a face-to-face meeting for the purposes of consultation. In other words, it is a discussion between two or more people for one reason or another.

Employers have to make their decision based on three areas relevant to any job:
1- Your qualifications and skills – what you know and what you can do;
2- Your experience and work background – where you have been and what you have done;
3- Your personality and character – who you are and how you behave.

Types of Interview:

One-to-one: 
- Probably easier to build rapport with the interviewer
- Could be one of a series of interviews as different specialists take turns to assess you
- Likely to be quite specific and focused as the interviewer could be directly involved in your future work

Panel: 

- More challenging than one-to-one
- Could involve facing between 3 to 6 interviewers & The Director of the organization may be present together with the H.R Manager.
- Popular with large organisations

Group: 

- Consists of several applicants answering questions either individually or as part of the group
- Could be given a topic to discuss as a group
- Could be asked to make a presentation either as a group or individually

Competency based
- Increasingly used by organisations which look at key skills and qualities such as communication, problem solving and team work
- Questions based on providing examples of how you possess these skills and competencies
- Could involve detailed and persistent questioning – be prepared to be challenged

Assessment centre
- Multi-disciplinary method of assessing applicants
- Could involve up to 2 days of intensive interviewing, testing and exercises
- Could expect to experience all the above types of interview

You need to prepare for the interview, because if you fail to prepare, you are preparing to fail. Whoever makes the best impression at the interview gets the job.

1- PREPARE FOR YOUR INTERVIEW

- You need to check the company website and look at any company literature (if there is any) to find out as much as you can about the organisation.

- A valuable tool you need to prepare is a statement about yourself so you can answer the key question which is often asked "Tell me about your self ?"

- Analysing the job "The job description": Underline the words which mention the main activities of the job,

Make notes to show how you have gained experience of all these activities

- Dress for impress: Your visual appearance is very important and you want to make the right impression. Looking good will also boost your confidence.

2- BEFORE THE INTERVIEW

- Take with you copies of any documents sent with your application (CV, Cover letter), The letter inviting you to come for interview which confirms the address and telephone number (if there was no letter, take a note of these details), Notepad and pen to make notes during the interview and record the names of people you met, Any company brochure which you will have studied before the interview.

- BE ON TIME: You will have confirmed in writing the date & time of the appointment, so they know to expect you. About 10 minutes is perfect as this gives you time to freshen up, calm yourself, perhaps with deep breathing exercises and to take the opportunity to get a ‘feel’ of the place.

- Be pleasant to the receptionist, turn off your mobile phone when you arrive.

3- DURING THE INTERVIEW

- The interview is designed to find out whether you are the best person to do the job. this is the time that show your skills, abilities , activities and experience that match to the job description to the interviewer.
- Some important tips for you in any interview:

1-Give a firm but gentle handshake when you meet your interviewer2- Sit when invited to do so3- Make direct eye contact 4- Remember to smile. 

From the moment you meet, your communication with the interviewer forms part of the decision-making as to whether to recruit you; in fact most decisions are made within the first three minutes!
So, you need to be aware of both your verbal and non-verbal communication skills

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Verbal communication- Show genuine interest in the position
- Listen and answer the questions asked
- Never argue a point
- If you do not understand or hear a question, ask for it to be repeated
- Do not interrupt
- Appear at ease with other people
- Initiate conversation 

Non-verbal communicationAppearance and mannerisms are VERY important – think of body language and facial expressions
- Put anything you are carrying on the floor
- Rest your hands in your lap
- Nod your head to show you are listening
- Do not fidget
- Be serious but do not forget to smile

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DEALING WITH CORE QUESTIONS:

- Employers are looking for someone to do the job well, not for problem people. Your role is to persuade them that you are the answer to their problem, so it is important to: Look enthusiastic, Emphasise your strengths and achievements, Play down your weaknesses, Smile now and then.
- Always listen carefully to the questions to avoid misunderstandings.
- Questions about your interests are designed to find out the sort of person you are:
Active or passive (player or observer) - Active in solo or team activities - An outdoor type - Mechanically minded - Intellectual.
- Interviewers will be taking notes or marking you evaluating you on all or any of the following:
Appearance - Ability to express yourself - Achievements and experience - Education and training - Work history - Performance in present job – Aptitudes – Personality.

- For first jobbers:

1- Tell me about your school/college.
2- Did you have a good attendance record? 3- Which subjects do you feel you could have passed, given the opportunity? 4- Did you do as well in A levels as you expected? 5- Why did you decide to do business studies for BTEC?
6- What special projects did you undertake at school? 7- Did you consider applying for Youth Training? 8- What do you really want to do in life? 9- Do you see your hobbies/interests/sport as separate from work or connected with it?
10- What was involved in your Saturday job with Safeway? 11- Do you live with your parents? 12- Do you have any brothers or sisters? 13- Are they older or younger than you? 14- Do your parents work? What do they do? 15- Are you ambitious? 16- Do you plan to continue your education later on? 17- Have you considered a vocational course?

- Graduates

1- Why did you choose your degree subject? 
2- Why did you prefer Reading when you had an offer from Cambridge? 
3- What aspects of your course are most relevant to this job? 
4- What experience did you gain from your vacation work or course? 
5- Were you prominent in any university activity or society? Which? 
- Some employers see politically committed candidates as potential troublemakers. Too much interest in sport may be interpreted as a lack of dedication to the job, but on the positive side, builds leadership and teamwork skills. Always emphasize the positive aspects. 
6- Which of your existing skills do you think will be useful if you come to work for us? 
7- Why have you applied to this company? 
- Here is your chance to praise the company and demonstrate what you have learned about it: it seems to be the best, the leader, most reputable, expanding, a good employer, offer outstanding research facilities, etc. 
8- What do you know about this industry/profession? 
9- What do you want to be doing in five years’ time? 
- You should have achieved appropriate professional qualifications, deserving of promotion, as well as considerable experience. You look for advancement in your chosen career. 
10- Tell me about yourself. 
- Have a short presentation already prepared which you can memorise, so it comes across as spontaneous. Emphasise your sound education, skills, and how they integrate with your leisure activities and career aspirations. 
11- What are your strengths? 
12- What are your weaknesses? 
- Turn past weaknesses into present strengths. ‘I used to...but I realised that...and so I...." 
13- Describe a tricky situation where, with hindsight, you should have acted differently. 
- Have a story ready. If you admit to a mistake, follow this by showing how you remedied it, and present the incident as a learning opportunity from which you have benefited. 
14- Describe a difficult situation which you consider you handled well. 
15- What are your greatest achievements? 

- Job changers:
1- Why do you wish to leave your present job?
2- What exactly do you do?
3- What have you achieved in this job?
4- What have you learned from this job?
5- Why have you stayed so long in each job?
6- Why have you changed jobs so often?
7- What was your attendance record in your last job?
8- Did you get promoted in your last job?
9- Why did you leave your last job?
10- Are you computer literate?
11- Do you write your own letters/reports/agreements/ press releases?
12- Can you handle figures? Prepare budgets? Work out commission?
13- What training have you had since starting work?
14- Did you ever disagree with your manager?
15- How did you resolve the disagreement?
16- What was the worst situation you faced?
17- How did you deal with it?
18- What has been your greatest achievement at work so far?
19- What do you dislike doing most at work?

- Career Movers:

1- Why are you planning to leave your organisation? Is there no scope for promotion? 2- What has been your experience of managing staff? 3- How do you react to working under pressure? 4- Are you able to undertake travel abroad at short notice? 5- What size budgets are you used to handling? 6- What control did you have over your department’s expenditure? 7- Did you engage your own staff? 8- What motivates you? - They want to know how important status, power, money and achievements are to you. 9- Are you good at motivating others? 10- What have you achieved in your present job?

At The End of The Interview:

- Having told you about the job, outlined the terms and conditions, the interviewer will ask if you have any questions.
- You may have no questions at all, so instead of a bald ‘No’ which may sound like lack of interest, say that the information already provided covers everything you can think of at present.
If you can manage a question or two, it looks better, and shows you have been taking notice.
- Select questions with care. If yours all centre on salary, perks and holidays, it looks as though they are all you care about. The employer wants someone dedicated to the job in the first instance, not to the benefits. These questions can be raised once you have an offer if the interviewer has not dealt with them.
Questions everyone should feel free to ask: 1- When can I expect to hear from you again?
2- How soon do you expect to make a decision?
3- When would I be expected to start, in the event of an offer?
4- I have two weeks’ holiday arranged in September. Would this be any problem?
5- Is there a probationary period before a job is firm?
6- Would any offer be subject to satisfactory references? To any other condition?
- If a whole new employment area is being opened up, you can ask about training, but training questions are best avoided if you have presented yourself as skilled and experienced in the particular field. Anyone recruited as a trainee will have a programme prepared for them. If relocation is on the cards, you could raise the issue:
1- There are rumours of relocation following the takeover. Have they any foundation?
2-Will the company have a relocation package to assist with the move? — This should come up when a job offer is made.
3- Does the company expect to expand in this country or abroad?
4- Could you tell me a little about what personal development you support for your employees?

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- The most common reasons for failure at interview:1. Arriving at the interview unprepared for what is to follow.2. Having a bad appearance or negative attitude to the interview.3. Not showing any enthusiasm for the work.4. Not seeming to understand the requirements of the job properly.5. Not answering the questions fully and giving answers that are too short.6. Not being clear about their skills and abilities.7. Seeming overly concerned with what they can get from the job rather than conveying exactly what they are offering.8. Using pretentious language instead of normal speech.

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