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Spin
Yourself
by ResumeEdge.com
The Net's Premier Resume Writing and Editing Service.
We
spin ourselves all the time-to find a date or a mate, to make a
good impression on our elders, to join a club or society.
Spinning merely involves presenting those aspects of ourselves
that are likely to be appealing to others. It is not enough to
come off this way or that way. You take control of the message
you convey to the interviewer. The clearer the spin, the sharper
is the appeal.
All you must do, then, is figure out how to use your
self-knowledge and company knowledge to market yourself. Skip
the tag line, but do formulate a coherent message about
yourself. This is the message that you want to reemphasize
throughout the interview as you answer a variety of questions.
Using the information that you gathered from the exercises in
Know Yourself, make a list of your transferable skills, your
inherent qualities, and your personality traits that would be
relevant to this job.
Brainstorm what you offer the position. Suzanne's list
follows.
| Experience-based
Skills |
Transferable Skills |
Personal Qualities |
| HTML Coding |
Project Management |
Dependable |
| Vendor Relations |
Clear Communication |
Accessible |
| Client Relations |
Writing |
Focused |
| Product Development |
Organization |
Flexible |
| Quality Assurance
Practices |
Team Leadership |
Initiative |
| Web Writing |
Negotiation |
Creative |
| |
Problem-solving |
Fast Learner |
Take
a careful look at your list to determine which of the skills and
qualities seem most relevant to the position you are seeking.
For the consultant position that Suzanne is seeking, client
relations and quality assurance practices seem most relevant
from the experience-based skills category. Each of the skill
from the transferable skills category is relevant, so she
chooses to emphasize negotiation, problem-solving, project
management, and writing. She anticipates that the personal
qualities required for this position include creativity,
dependability, initiative, and flexibility.
Generate
concise anecdotes. Once you have created a short-list of
skills and qualities that you offer the company, compile a set
of stories and facts that illustrate your unique abilities. When
doing so, remember a few guidelines:
-
Your
goal is to convince the interviewer that you are right for
the job.
-
Be
specific.
-
Highlight
information readily understood as transferable.
-
Accentuate
accomplishments.
-
Connect
your past experience to the position you seek.
-
Reveal
your values.
-
Remember
your audience and their values.
-
Keep
your presentation under two minutes.
Identify
your basic message. With her skill profile, knowledge of the
employer and job, and these guidelines in mind, Suzanne might
develop an overall interview message like the following.
"I will bring to this consultancy position a combination of
skills and qualities that I am confident would make me a
valuable contributor to the company. In my previous position as
a Project Manager, I spearheaded the development of multi-media
projects that exceeded the expectations of our clients. I could
not succeed without my teams. Although my teams and I faced
multiple obstacles, I used my problem-solving skills and
judgment to overcome barriers in a way that satisfied the
interests of our clients, my company, and my teams. I was able
to gain the trust and confidence of the team members. My
communication and negotiation skills enabled me to lead frazzled
and sometimes antagonistic teams of people to work together in a
focused and productive way. Since this pressure-cooker
experience, I have gained licensure as a court mediator, and I
have a master's degree in conflict resolution.
"In addition to my ability to mobilize teams by overcoming
conflict and confusion, my company made use of my organizational
skills and my self-initiative. I was able to work with a minimum
of supervision, but consulted the company directors when I
needed their input, guidance, or support. Since I was
responsible for creating the concepts and content of the
projects that I managed, my self-direction enabled me to balance
multiple responsibilities while still carving out time to
generate winning ideas and write content."
Identify
the bottom line. Knowing that she wants to communicate her
basic message throughout the interview, Suzanne then clarifies
the core of what she has to offer:
"I offer your company and this position effective
negotiation and communication abilities, creative problem
solving and project management skills, inner drive and
initiative, and strong writing skills. My colleagues here would
find me dependable and flexible."
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