Interviews are uncomfortable, weird, and awkward. Related: PROVEN: 5 Ways To Land An Interview With Limited Experience You put on a smile and a happy face pretending like you’re having a conversation with your best friend, all the while participating in a process that could determine rather or not you get to eat, buy clothes, and keep a roof over your head. It’s a mystery to me why someone thought that it would be a good idea to put two total strangers into a room and have one interrogate the other. Who in their right mind thought of this? How about a date before heading to second base? Nonetheless, it is what it is. The one interview question most people say they have the hardest time answering is: “Tell me about yourself.” This is typically the first question that’s always asked in an interview. This question is asked because it sets the tone of ‘Brand You.’ It lets the interviewer know who you are, what you’re about, and what motivates you. This question is important because the interviewer will use it as a control mechanism to determine your truthfulness and consistency in the way you answer the upcoming questions. Here is an example of how you would answer this question:

College isn’t for everyone, and it’s about time we come to terms with this fact. Related: 3 Reasons No Experience Will Land You That Dream Job Despite having made the Dean’s List, I dropped out of college after my freshmen year. I didn’t feel comfortable with the debt I was incurring, and I didn’t feel confident that college was adequately preparing me for my future. After dropping out of college, I made a series of unconventional choices that allowed me to flourish in my career with job opportunities at top firms, including a Fortune 10 telecom. My story goes against conventional wisdom that states that you must have a college degree in order to earn a reasonable wage. The ability to obtain a high paying job without a college degree is more possible now than ever before. The reason for this is simple. Being ‘smart’ has been de-valued in exchange for being skilled. Back in the day skilled laborers were paid very well. One man’s income could support an entire family of five. This was Employment 1.0. Then, the Baby Boomers came along and they flooded college classrooms. White collar careers began booming. This was Employment 2.0. Today, we have a generation of Gen Xer’s and Millennials who are caught in a unique moment in history in which knowledge obtained in college has become less valuable. Employers today need employees with technical skills. Enter Employment 3.0. A college education provides students with knowledge, but it rarely provides students with skills. This has led to the largest skills gap in human history, which provides a great segway into how to get a high paying job without a college degree:

Job interviews have never worried me. It’s actually something I’m really good at. In fact, I’ve never been turned down for a job I interviewed for and I’ve always walked out with a compensation package better than what I hoped for. Related: Here’s What You Say When An Interviewer Says, ‘Tell Me About Yourself’ I guess that means I’m doing something right.

The average raise an employee can expect to earn is between 1 - 10% with an average annual increase of 2.5 - 3%. Related: 3 Ways To Get Noticed, Get A Promotion, And Get A RAISE! This is pretty lousy, and doesn’t take into account an employee’s experience, years of service, or market factors such as the average compensation for an employee based on salaries from other companies in the area. Many people bust their butt hoping to earn a raise or a promotion from their existing job only to be told that “there isn’t money available in the budget, but that HR has has kept the request on file.” This is code language for, “We value your work, but we’re not willing to put our money where our mouth is because we foolishly think you’re replaceable, and we’re going to end on a positive note in hopes that you don’t quit and force us to have to hire someone else and pay them more.” The unfortunate reality of raises is that, in most cases, the only way to get a raise is to find a new job. Employers that are looking to hire are motivated to exceed the existing salary of a prospect when they are deficient in a certain sector of their business. In a fit of desperation, they are likely to pay more to secure talent, especially if it means their competitor will be one man down. One of the big problems that people make when switching companies is accepting compensation that’s equal to or lesser than what they previously earned. You should never take a new job and accept the same or less compensation than what you previously earned. This is especially true if you’ve worked at your previous company for 3-5 years and are in a career field that’s in high demand. Just based on the amount of years you worked alone; inflation, demand and other market factors would have guaranteed you deserve an increase in pay. One way you can avoid the guessing game of what you should request at your next job is to do a salary analysis at salary.com, payscale.com and/or glassdoor.com. All of these services offer a free salary analysis and it can make the world of difference in determining your true earning potential. These service are also great, because they take into account your years of experience, title, roles and responsibilities and they also take into account the average reported salaries of others in your field and in your area. Performing a salary analysis can become a powerful weapon when negotiating your salary for a raise at your existing job or a new job because it validates your requested salary based on several factors. The shocking thing that most employees don’t know is that employers conduct these same analysis before even putting up a position for hire. Thanks to the Internet, the employee is now empowered with the same information as the employer. Power to the people! This post was originally published at an earlier date.