If you don’t know where you are going, any road will take you there! Try to take control of your career. Don’t let circumstances sweep you in a direction that has not been thought through. “Measure twice, cut once.” Once you’ve made a decision, it’s hard to change it. Think carefully!
Small and beautiful! Small companies often offer roles that are more polyvalent as opposed to being a “small cog in a big wheel”.
Learning for life! Times are changing and qualifications gained early in life often need updating or complimenting with something more modern later on. We can now all expect, at some point in our lives, to requalify and/or change career.
Work preserves! We are living much longer. Retiring at 60 years old is no longer an option for many people. Whether we like it or not working up until we are 70 years is going to become the new reality.
Blow your own trumpet! From the moment you start a new job, note what you have done and your achievements. We all tend to get swept away with the daily grind and often forget achievements. Others will also forget what you have done well. You need to know and blow your own trumpet when it’s necessary during end of year evaluations etc. Nobody will do it for you.
Those that write, read twice! Always be careful about what you write. What is written can never go away. What is said can be forgotten, deformed and denied.
There are only 3 interview questions! As mentioned in other articles interview questions only cover three real questions: Can you do the job? Do I like you? Will you stay?
Personality tests. Your audience is the interviewer. Do as many personality tests as you can to learn more about yourself. Most tests are free and often suggest suitable careers for your personality type. These tests will help you to answer typical interview questions covering your strong and weak points.
Storytelling “I believe it is the easiest thing in the world to tell a story; And the hardest is to be a fine storyteller.” At interview try to turn your experiences into a story. Run it by others before you use it in an interview situation. Very often, without knowing it, you may be using negative words or phrases. It is often not what you say but how you say it.
If you’re not part of the solution, you are part of the problem. Don’t just complain about problems that you see. Do something to solve them. Be proactive.
If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. Keep working hard and trying to succeed, even if you fail at first.
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If you are used to working in international environments, speak English & French, are eligible to work in France, and are on the job market, please email your CV to recruitment@smartsteps.fr We would love to hear from you.