- Tell Me About Yourself. …
- How Does This Position Compare to Others You Are Applying For? …
- What Are Your Biggest Strengths and Weaknesses? …
- Why Do You Want To Work Here? …
- Why Are You Leaving Your Current Job? …
- What Are You Most Proud of In Your Career?
(MoneyWatch) COMMENTARY One of the very first things youre typically asked in a job interview is to “tell me a little about yourself.” Dont fall into the trap of thinking of this as a softball or warm-up question designed to ease you into the interview.
Sure, some interviewers might pose the question to help you loosen up, but if you waste too much time telling the hiring manager where, say, you grew up, youve squandered a golden opportunity to score interview points. Indeed, it might be one of the most important questions youre asked.
The Personal Branding Blog has a specific set of recommendations for how to deal with this starter question. In particular, you should formulate a three-part answer to this question:
1. Give a one-sentence statement that summarizes your career history. Be brief — just paint a broad picture of your experiences.
2. Give a short highlight of a key career accomplishment. This is not the time to talk about all of your experiences or accomplishments; pick a good one and explain it in a sentence or two.
3. Give a short summary of where you would like to take your career next. And this is critical: It must be relevant to the position you are seeking.
This might be a different way to answer this classic interview opener than you have previously used, but it can make all the difference. Not only does it provide an opportunity early in the interview for you to tell your career story and to stay in control of the narrative, but it demonstrates that you are focused, professional, and sharp.
For more details, be sure to read the complete post at the Personal Branding Blog.
View all articles by Dave Johnson on CBS MoneyWatch » Dave Johnson is editor of eHow Tech and author of three dozen books, including the best-selling How to Do Everything with Your Digital Camera. Dave has previously worked at Microsoft and has written about technology for a long list of magazines that include PC World and Wired. Thanks for reading CBS NEWS. Create your free account or log in for more features. Please enter email address to continue Please enter valid email address to continue View CBS News In
Softball Player interview questions
“Tell us a little about yourself.”
This is a classic first question asked during an interview. Depending on how you answer, you can score some points right up front and set the stage for success.
“What are your biggest strengths and weaknesses?”
You may be asked about your strengths and weaknesses in one question, or it may be broken down into two. In the event that you’re asked about both at the same time, discuss your weaknesses first, so you can end on a positive note.
This is a loaded question and a nasty little game that you will probably lose if you answer first. So, do not answer it. Instead, say something like, thats a tough question. Can you tell me the range for this position? In most cases, the interviewer, taken off guard, will tell you. If not, say that it can depend on the details of the job. Then give a wide range.
The key is to show that the mentoring of a co-worker was first a higher priority than the task you had at hand (remember, you want to show that you focus on highest priority tasks first). Then, describe in detail how you helped them not only complete the task but learn to do it on their own. You want to teach them HOW to fish and not to simply fish for them.
You can reference many different areas here when discussing a story of where you won in competition: Work experience (ideal), sports, clubs, classes, projects.
Ideally, you want to take on the role youre interviewing for, but you want to be flexible with your responsibilities As Softball Coach if there are any changes.
Understand that companies invest a lot of money into hiring the right staff. You want to emphasize that you are in it for the long run and you want to develop a career there and that its not just a “5 month stepping stone” type of a job. You should be thinking how youre going to grow with that company. After all, dont you want to invest your energy and time with a company that is going to continue to be successful and one that will help you grow?
Softball is the perfect balance of an individual and team sport. No one person can be successful alone, and every individual has a job to do to make it work.
It also helps them to invest emotionally, shows them that their opinions and feelings matter, AND enables the girls to ‘think like a coach’ which can often help them in understanding why things are the way they are.
We also believe that while kids should remain coach-able, and open to their coaches advice and opinions and respectful – the kids should also be included in the TEAM PLAN. And just as players and parents grow – coaches can grow too by offering their players an opportunity to so to speak review their performance as coaches, and give their input into what can help solidify and improve the team.
Largely, when it comes to team dynamics and culture – it is the adults (parents and coaches) who have the most input. They are the ones who have the complaints (often passing them onto their children), who air their grievances, and who are spring-loaded to shout “FOUL” if they feel their daughter has been slighted in any way. The coaches are the ones empowered with the final decision-making.
News flash. When you have a bunch of girls and parents trying to come together, there are often a lot of things going on underneath the surface that coaches and team admins don’t know about.
FAQ
What are some questions to ask about softball?
What are good interview questions to ask a coach?
- “If you had a choice between two superpowers, being invisible or flying, which would you choose?” …
- “What was the last gift you gave someone?” …
- “How many square feet of pizza are eaten in the U.S. each year?” …
- “If you could compare yourself with any animal, which would it be and why?”
What are some curveball interview questions?
- What’s your experience as a coach? …
- Why do you want to coach our team? …
- What do you know about our team? …
- Why did you become a coach? …
- What qualities do you have that will help you be successful? …
- What adversities have you faced as a coach?
