How to Answer Interview Questions About Your Work Style

How to Answer Interview Questions About Your Work StyleHow to Answer Interview Questions About Your Work StyleWhile thisopen-ended questionmight seem vague, it allows you to showyourself in a positive light. In your response, you can strategically highlight how your work style is a good fit for the company at hand. What the Interviewer Really Wants to Know This question helps interviewers decide whether you will fit in well with thecompany cultureand the requirements of the job. For instance, if you require complete silence and focus to work, but the office has a bustling, collaborative atmosphere (and an open floor plan), you might not be a strong fit. How to Answer Interview Questions About Your Work Style When answering this question, it is important to keep the particular job in mind. Avoid clichs (like hard worker and good communication skills) and focus on specific elements of your work style that fitwith the position and company. 059 Watch Now 4 Tips for Answering Que stions About Work Style This question is far easier to answer if youdosome researchbefore the job interview. Analyze the job listing tomatch your qualifications with their requirements, and prepare answers that show how your work style makes you the best candidate for the job. Then, go a little further. Review the companys website, media kit (almost always available on their site), and social media presence to learn which qualities are most valued at the organization. Most employers have a strong idea of the kind of partie wholl succeed on their team, whether its someone willing to do whatever it takes or a worker wholl build lasting relationships. Its also important to be honest, while still highlighting the positive. Dont claim to be a perfectionist if youre a big-picture person instead, emphasize your vision and commitment to quality. Examples of the Best Answers My work style is extremely flexible- working on so many different projects requires me to be adaptive. In general , I try to work on one project at a time, working as quickly, but efficiently, as possible to achieve the best results. All of my projects require collaboration, so I use the team environment to check for errors. I am a perfectionist and a driven worker, and I think my clear communication skills allow me to bring out the best in any team, in any project. ExpandWhy It Works This answer establishes the candidates preferred work style (one project at a time) while also highlighting other key workplace skills, such as flexibility and collaboration. Unless the job description specifically called for multitasking, this response ticks off a lot of positive in-demand qualities for candidates. I am extremely dependable. I have rarely missed a days work, and am known for coming in early and staying late to finish important tasks and achieve results. This dependability extends to my collaborative work as well. I always meet deadlines and help my teammates to meet theirs as well. For example, o n my last project a teammate welches struggling to complete his assignment for the team, and I stayed late every day that week to help him not only complete his assignment, but exceed our initial estimatedturnaroundtime for the project. ExpandWhy It Works This answer gets its power from the examples provided. Hiring managers value employees who show willingness to go the extra mile and support co-workers. Ialwayskeep on top of my projects. Owing to my organizational skills and efficiency, I can successfullyjuggle multiple projects at once. While I complete most of my work independently, I greatly value input and will consult with team members to ensure were all on the same track. I also appreciate checking in regularly with my boss to update her on my progress and ask about any issues that have arisen. This open communication helps me complete tasks efficiently and accurately. ExpandWhy It Works This answer highlights the candidates strengths and shows a flexible nature. Tips for Giving the Best Answer Think Through Your Work StyleDo you work fast? Enjoy collaboration? Try to do your hardest project in the early morning? Have a preferred way of engaging with your manager? These are all things you can discuss in your answer. Be BriefYou cant mention every aspect of your work style in your response, most likely, so focus on the elements that demonstrate your best qualities and fit with the job at hand. Give ExamplesConsider including a brief example that emphasizes your work style. For example, mention a time when your efficiency andability to multitask helped you complete an assignment a week beforethedeadline. Be HonestIf you truly cant work when your desk ispiledupwithdocuments, be upfront. But do try to be cautious about any overly firm statements about your work environment needs. If youre still not sure how to frame your response, consider focusing on one of these areas Speed and accuracy If you work quickly and efficiently, you might mention this in y our answer, especially if the job requires meeting tight deadlines. However, its important to impress the interviewer with your competency and accuracy, rather than just your speed. If you say you work at a fast and steady pace, emphasize the strategies you use to avoid making mistakes.Structuring your day You may want to focus on how you organize your day. Do you prefer to do your most difficult tasks in the morning? Do you prefer to focus on one assignment at a time, or multitask? You might also mention how many hours you typically work. If you are someone who always goes above and beyond, and stays late to complete tasks, say so. Working alone or in collaboration The employer might want to know whether you prefer to work solo or collaboratively. Think carefully about the job before answering this question. Most jobs require at least some collaboration, so even if you prefer towork alone, emphasize that you value others input.Taking direction Another important element of your work style is how you like to communicate with your boss. Do you prefer to beguided, or do you like to be given a task and left alone to complete it? Thinking about your ideal relationship with your employer will help both you and the interviewer decide whether you area good fit for the job. Your communication style If this job requires constant communication, you might want to emphasize how you communicate with employers, staff, and clients throughout the workday. Do you prefer tocommunicatebyemail, phone conversations, or face-to-face meetings? Again, think about what this job requires before you answer. Most jobs will require a combination of communication tactics. What Not to Do GiveOverly Specific, Rigid ResponsesUnless you can very precisely nail down both the company and the interviewers preferred work style, its best not to be too definitive. If you say, I work best alone and the manager wants a team player, youll have automatically disqualified yourself. UseClichsDuring int erviews, everyone is a hard worker, detail-oriented, and a team player. Its fine to claim these traits for yourself, but since these words and phrases are uttered so frequently, back them up with examples ifyouusethem. Be Dishonest or Fail to Answer the QuestionsWhile you do not want to be too specific and make yourself seem rigid, its also unwise to be so vague in your response that the interviewer doesnt get a sense of you as an employee. We all have preferences when it comes to our workplace. This is your moment to share yours. If you truly dislike morning meetings, or have some other quirk, itmaybeworthmentioning it in your response. Possible Follow-Up Questions Whats your work philosophy?What type of work environment do you prefer?How would you handle a hostile work environment?How would you handle it if you were working on a project with someone who had a very different work style to you?How do you like to work with managers?Whats your preferred communication style? Key Ta keaways DO RESEARCH The more you know about the companys work environment and style, the more youll be able to tailor your response to show that youd easily fit in.BE HONEST If you have one condition that must be met in order for you to work efficiently, its reasonable to mention it. For example, if you tend to have lots of questions at the start of a project, you might want to mention that.BEYOND CLICHS Examples are always more meaningful than a long string of descriptors (like hard worker) that hiring managers hear all the time in interviews.

We bring holiday stress upon ourselves, survey finds

We bring holiday stress upon ourselves, survey findsWe bring holiday stress upon ourselves, survey findsAmericans are pushed to the brink with holiday stress, overwhelmed by financial concerns, family events, gift shopping, and just trying to balance it all like so many spinning plates.Some of the pain is self-inflicted 1 in 4 say theyve taken on more than they can realistically get done, shows a new survey byVitalsmarts, a leadership training company.Ready to dropThe top 5 holiday causes of stress were found to be56% Keeping up with, well, everyone, from activities to expectations50% Money, or lack thereof46% Shopping.33% Family events26% Maintaining physical healthfruchtwein of us struggle to keep up with the schedules and pressures of non-holiday life, says Justin Hale, co-creator of Getting Things Done Training by VitalSmarts. When you pile on additional commitments and double your to-do list, your stress levels grow exponentially.Cant say noAs stressed as we say we are, it migh t not hurt if some of us slowed down a little. A fair number of respondents suffered from all-or-nothing attitudes when it came to holiday activities, which only contributed to the stress.27% percent never declined an invitation for a party or event10% say they had no rules for their health or diet during the holidays, with 44% figuring that theyd start dieting or eating healthy in January.10% said they drink to excess and always needed a designated driver after a holiday party.29% cant stick to a budget during the holidays and rely on a credit card.Nearly 60 percent of people dont have clear lists of their commitments and its hard to renegotiate commitments you dont remember making or dont keep track of, Hale said.It looks like there are a few areas we can help ourselves cut back to make the season happier instead of stuffing our gullets with as much food, alcohol, social events, and credit card debt as humanly possible. Slow holidays movement, anyone?

CX Designer Job Description

CX Designer Job DescriptionCX Designer Job DescriptionInterested in becoming - or hiring - a CX designer? Heres the scoop on this emerging role.User experience (UX) isnt just a buzzword its a priority for more and more companies. And the UX designer role is only growing in demand. But research for ur Creative gruppe of the Future program shows theres another creative position thats emerging as a business must-have customer experience designer or CX designer for short.A CX designer is responsible for creating satisfying or compelling experiences for users of a product, with a focus on reshaping the customer experience to maximize conversions. These individuals must have an expert understanding of touchpoints across the entire customer journey.Denis Dyli is the founder of Pivofy, a digital agency that specializes in designing and developing e-commerce websites. He has more than eight years of UX and user interface (UI) design and development experience, and most recently delved into customer experience design. We chatted with him about what it takes to be a CX designer and how managers can recruit the right talent for this role.What does your role as a CX designer entail?My main job is to design blueprints - including wireframes, roadmaps, workflows, personas and scenarios - of websites that have an enhanced customer experience and higher results on metrics such as conversion rates and customer engagement. I analyze the audience, customer behavior and what things affect their decision-making, and then build around ansicht key metrics. In a few words, I am a designer that solves problems.What path did you take to become a CX designer?I started my career as a developer. It is interesting because most of the people I know try to move from design to development. I did the opposite. And the reason was because I started seeing development as more mechanical than creative. I found out that most issues can be solved before the development starts, and was very enthusi astic about handling projects in the early stages. For a while, I was doing UX, UI and development. Being a developer is a huge plus for me because I know the potential and limits of applying technology.What hard and soft skills do you use regularly?Besides being creative, I have to listen carefully to the problems our clients are facing. Most of the time, issues get identified after long discussions about whole project workflows. We cant isolate problems and solve them separately. Instead, we have to see the big picture. Communication is as important as the ability to use UX and UI tools.What tools and platforms do you use in your job?Mostly, I use the Adobe Creative Suite (Dreamweaver, Fireworks, Illustrator, and Photoshop). Recently, I am using a tool named UxPin, which allows me to create creative dynamic models for web and mobile.Whats the best part of the CX designer job?First, when you present a new effective and creative idea to the client and you get the wow response. Secon d, when the idea is applied and you see significant results, like higher conversion rates and customer engagement or longer time spent on the site.Whats the most challenging aspect of the role?There are certain practices that work very well for certain industries and others that dont. As an example, in the apparel industry, professional photos and good reviews are essential to improve conversion rates because the shopping process is mostly visual. In the auto parts industry, these two elements have minimal effect. What really matters here is the ability to easily find the exact part for a specific car. If the searching workflow and functionality are simple and precise, you have more chances to earn that customer. So, the most challenging aspect of my job is to identify the best practices of the particular industry and product early on the discovery phase.Any last tips for CX designers?You have to stay up to date with the most recent design and technology trends. It is also important to follow the leaders of UX and UI blogs to see what is new out there. Last but not least, keep apprised of updates from popular web giants such as Google, Facebook and Amazon. They do tons of research, tests and analyses when they update their platforms. Try to understand why they do what they do and then apply these practices in your future projects.Are you hiring creative professionals? We can help Learn more about all of our creative staffing solutions.