Based on the results of the ISAT, you're... a COMMANDER.
Focused and driven, COMMANDERS know how to take charge. Not afraid of responsibility, they thrive on being the leader of an initiative and delivering results. Take a look at the following grid to learn more about your professional strengths as they relate to the other three Interaction Styles:
Interaction Style Assessment | Work It Daily
Every Interaction Style is valuable in the workplace. However, the key to being successful on-the-job and as part of a work team is to understand your Interaction Style so that you can A) choose a role on the team that leverages your style's strengths, and B) understand the other styles on your team so you can communicate with them effectively.
Often when a person is unhappy in their current career, much of the trouble can be linked to their Interaction Style. Some foe the following challenges are examples of Interaction Style-related problems:
Having a manager who's style is the polar opposite of your own, leading to miscommunication and frustration on a daily basis.
Having co-workers who don't appreciate your Interaction Style and who do not respect your opinions.
Having a job that doesn't allow you to communicate in a manner that makes you feel happy and fulfilled.
Having a job that doesn't promote or value your particular Interaction Style.
What many people forget is that there are four different Interaction Styles. That means, at any given time, as much as 75% of the population could be thrown off by your style and unable to relate to you very well. Thus, it's important that we take note of how our Interaction Style can be misinterpreted by others in the workplace (especially, those with a style that is opposite of your own), so that we can work hard to minimize conflict and breakdowns in communication on-the-job. Take a look at the grid below to see how you might be mis-perceived by others:
Interaction Style Assessment | Work It Daily
OUCH! The information above isn't fun to read, but we must remember that our strengths are our weaknesses too. Your Interaction Style serves you well. You wouldn't have developed it over the years if you didn't find it effective. Yet, we must also recognize that choosing to be one style means having qualities that won't always be appreciate by others. How do we minimize any negative effects from our Interaction Style? We choose careers, manages and companies to work for that embrace and leverage our unique style. Here is a chart that can help you see how to assess what kind of job will suit you best:
Interaction Style Grid | Work It Daily
Can you see how your style impacts your ability to be happy on-the-job? Think of the one job in your past that you hated the most. Do you now have some insight as to why it wasn't a match for you?
In summary, Interaction Styles impact our ability to achieve goals in two ways. First, the Interaction Styles of others have a direct impact on our perception of our career situation. You must make sure you recognize how people perceive things differently, based on their own Interaction Style. Secondly, each Interaction Style has both strengths and weaknesses. Recognizing how they impact your ability to succeed can help you remove the roadblock holding you back from the personal and professional satisfaction you seek. Thus, the more you strive to understand and appreciate all the Interaction Styles, the easier it will be to find ways to work with them. leverage your won strengths as much as you can while working to minimize the impact of your weaknesses and your career will go to new heights!
The leaves are changing, the kids are back in school, and that familiar chill is in the air. You think it's the perfect time to look for a job, and it is! But are your job search fears preventing you from making that leap?
It's not uncommon to feel lost when embarking on your job search journey. After all, school teaches us everything except how to get a job. What should you put on your resume? What questions should you ask in an interview? How can you stand out in the hiring process when there's so much competition?
Are you feeling spooked yet?
Believe it or not, there's no need to be afraid of the job search process! You can land your dream job with the right tools and strategy. You can find a job that won't give you nightmares. Here are three spooky secrets every job seeker should know as they look for a job this fall.
1. An Effective Job Search Starts With An Interview Bucket List
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Despite your fears, you've decided to take the plunge and look for a new job. You might be asking yourself, "Where do I start?" The answer is simple: start by creating an interview bucket list.
An interview bucket list is a list of 10-20 companies you'd love to work for. Are you passionate about a company's products or services? Do you feel connected to its mission? Can you relate to its values and beliefs as an organization? If you answer "yes" to any of these questions, that company probably belongs on your interview bucket list.
Once you create an interview bucket list, you'll be able to conduct a targeted job search, one with direction and a foundation upon which everything else will be built. An interview bucket list helps you focus your job search and networking strategies on the right opportunities, making it easier to get your foot in the door at one of your dream companies.
2. Your Job Application Needs To Disrupt Hiring Managers
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In order to stand out in the hiring process, you need to disrupt recruiters and hiring managers. You accomplish this by doing two things: optimizing your resume and writing a disruptive cover letter.
A well-optimized resume includes keywords from the job description. This ensures your resume gets past the ATS and into the hands of the hiring manager. Once it's in front of the hiring manager, it needs to grab and keep their attention. Quantifying your work experience—adding numbers to your bullet points—will make you stand out from other applicants. Hiring managers will want to know more about you and your accomplishments, and that's how you land a phone interview.
Before that, though, a hiring manager will read your cover letter. To disrupt them, you need to write a disruptive cover letter (obviously!). A disruptive cover letter gives you the opportunity to tell a story about why you feel connected to the company you're applying for. It's that storytelling aspect that will stand out to hiring managers and compel them to pick up the phone and give you a call.
3. Employers Hire You Based On 3 Things
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You can't get hired unless you know what employers are assessing you on in the interview process. While your skills and expertise matter, companies actually hire for three things: personality, aptitude, and experience (in that order).
Most job seekers don't realize how important it is to demonstrate their personality, aptitude, and experience in an interview. You could have the right experience for a job, but if the hiring manager doesn't think your personality is a good fit for the company culture, you probably won't get a job offer.
Make sure you demonstrate your soft skills and learn how to answer behavioral interview questions to prove you're the best candidate for the job you're applying for, not just the most qualified.
Want To Learn More Job Search Secrets?
As you look for a job this fall, it might be helpful to know some more spooky secrets so you can get over your job search fears and finally take control of your career.
We know the job search process can be scary. However, it's important to get clear on what you want to do next and focus on conducting a strategic job search, or what we refer to at Work It DAILY as job shopping. This is the only way to effectively market yourself to employers. If they can't see exactly where and how you add value, then that's going to decrease your chances of landing the job.
The competition is fierce, and there are a lot of factors that are out of your control. But the one factor you can control is your job search strategy, the tools and tactics you use to land a job.
If you want to learn the secrets to conducting a strategic job search, sign up for our Job Search Bootcamp, a two-hour, on-demand video workshop that comes with a free workbook.
In this video workshop, you'll learn:
How to use backchanneling to get directly to hiring managers.
The secret to using a connection story to stand out against the competition.
How social media can be your secret weapon to get job interviews.
The resume format that is getting job seekers more job interviews.