TIP of the Week

 

 

Your Body Language

According to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, 80 percent of what you communicate is in your body language. Your actions will speak well for you, if during a job interview, you lean in slightly towards the speaker and nod your head to show you are really engaged.    

TIP of the Week - It's so simple.

 

 

          Smile

 

It seems so simple, but nerves can get the best of us at job interview time. Don’t forget to smile when you are greeting anyone you meet on interview day. Be sincere and engage your whole face and eyes in your smile. 

How do you present your strengths in a job interview?

If you are responding to a friend's question, listing your strengths might be easy. When you are vying for the position of your dreams, it can feel like the make or break moment in your job interview. If you’ve been working with a good recruiter who really knows you and knows the position and the company, you can discuss with him or her where your strengths actually fit the needs of the position. From there, you just need to talk confidently about what makes you such a great fit. 

Still, you first have to think a bit about what your strengths are, and how you can focus your answer so that what you say resonates in the mind of the interviewer. So what are your strengths?  Here are a few ideas on how to define them.

First, list the ones that come to mind, and when you do, think of an example to illustrate each one. For instance (strength) “My real strength is my attention to detail.” (Example) “That’s probably why I am always asked to review the project plans to see if anything has been overlooked.”

If you need more ideas, think about what your bosses and co-workers rely on you for, or the complimentary things they say about you or your work. Some examples could make you realize that you are: always on time to meetings, very deadline oriented, have a can-do attitude, work well under pressure, have great follow through or follow-up skills.  

Once you’ve have a handful of strengths, pick two or three and concentrate on how you will present them.

To be safe, do the same thing for your weaknesses. Let’s face it, those are just the few things we can do better if we just give them a bit of attention. You probably only have two, so then you’re done. Just paint them in the best light possible.

We’d like to know, have you ever really defined your strengths? How have they helped you get a job?

 

Tell me a little about yourself. 

What to say to the interviewer.

There you are. You arrived perfectly on time for the job interview. You are seated in front of the hiring manager. The two of you just chatted about the weather and the traffic. Here it comes; the first real question. “Tell me a little about yourself”.  It may sound like a casual question, but you know it isn’t. If you’ve anticipated it, maybe you still worry about what you’ve chosen to say. If you haven’t anticipated it, you haven’t been realistic about how to prepare for an interview.

How should you answer that question? What should you talk about?  How long should you talk? If you aren’t certain, here are some ideas.

1.      We hate to start with “don’t”, but because talking about yourself is so natural, we want to caution you. Please, don’t focus on personal details like, where you grew up or your family/children etc.

2.      Do focus on your professional experience. Highlight your successes. It’s a perfect opportunity to mention accreditations, exams and the types of experience you have, such as specific projects, modeling, management and programming.

3.      If you have them, it’s a great idea to include mention of examples of how you brought value to your employers. Some good examples would be to talk about the money you saved them or perhaps models you’ve developed. 

4.      Talk about the strengths and traits you have that relate to qualifications for this position.  

5.      Talk about your current situation, specifically about why this position attracted you in relationship to your goals.  

Your answer should take only a few minutes. It should be a summary, so the interviewer can ask about the details he or she is interested in. Talking too long leaves the interviewer out of the conversation. You need to do enough talking to demonstrate you can be articulate and focused, but not so long-winded that you talk yourself right out of the running.   

We’d like to hear your experiences with this question? Have you ever answered it in a way that you got you the job? Or maybe you learned the hard way what not to say? 

 

 

 

 Making Eye Contact

 

Job interviews make even the most confident of us nervous.

When you arrive, everything is unfamiliar. You naturally are curious about the office surroundings and want to take it all in. You might be so preoccupied that it's easy to forget the first, most basic communication skill- making eye contact.

 

The ability to immediately make and hold eye contact with the interviewer is an act of communication that speaks louder than words. 

 



Why You Should Work With A Recruiter

    

There are many reasons for actuarial job seekers to work with a recruiter, but one of the most compelling is that many actuarial jobs never make it to the hiring company’s website or the job boards. The reason is that downsized human resource departments and overloaded hiring managers don’t have time to wade through piles of resumes. They want a few solid, highly-screened, pre-qualified candidates to consider. That’s exactly why they establish a relationship with a recruiter that they can trust.

Reputable recruiters who have taken the time to foster strong relationships with client companies have the inside track when it comes to knowing about these unadvertised positions. The candidates they submit for the positions benefit because they are pre-qualified and are being submitted by a trusted source.

              

Another reason actuaries are wise to work with a recruiter is because recruiters have insider information about the company’s culture and aspects of the job that just can’t be found in a job description. It works much the same when it comes to the candidate’s situation.  Actuarial recruiters, who take time to know and personally interview their candidates, are then able to present the candidate’s skills and strengths beyond what the resume shows.  

               

Some candidates mistakenly think that if an employer has to pay a recruiting fee, it will reduce the compensation package. In reality, the opposite is more often true because the recruiter knows the industry and company pay scales, and can advocate and negotiate on the candidate’s behalf.

Good relationships are worth the time they take.  Reputable recruiters take time to know you and never submit your resume without your permission. It’s smart to establish a relationship with a recruiter, so that when the time comes to make a move, you have an insider and advocate you know and trust in your corner.  

How can you tell if you are earning what you are worth?

How do you know if you are earning what you really deserve? If you do happen to know what other actuaries make, how do you evaluate your skills in comparison to theirs? How can you measure your own skills against a parallel position in another company, or in another location?  Our 2012 Actuarial Salary Survey is a good place to start.

You can also look at industry job postings to get some sense of where you fall in terms of compensation, but scanning job postings isn’t enough. They don’t tell you what other skills a company values, or what talents and traits make you more desirable to them than you may realize.

Getting a birds-eye view of the marketplace is difficult to do from your desk. Getting a true, unbiased evaluation of the special skills and talents you bring to the table is even more difficult. Seeing yourself from the hiring manger’s perspective is almost impossible.

Very often, actuaries neglect to recognize that the success of a career could actually hinge on traits and talents that are beyond what they can put on a resume. Failure to recognize and promote those traits poses the risk of being paid less. 

A focused career plan needs the perspective of an actuarial industry insider. Having an ongoing relationship with a reputable recruiter gives you the edge. Their client relationships open doors and allow them to present your expertise and your talents beyond what the hiring manger could know from a resume. Choosing the right recruiter is one of the most valuable career moves you can make.