All about education

As a member of the 125-year-old distinguished Regis University, the online MBA program draws upon the schools’ world-class teaching expertise. One, which has led the U.S. News & World Report, to rank it a Top Tier Western University for the past 11 consecutive years.

The university is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA), which count prestigious Jesuit schools such as Georgetown, Boston College, Fordham University, and the University of San Francisco, as members.

Online Regis University is the largest multimedia-based MBA program in the country today. All of this is due to the university’s ability to utilize the most modern technologies and software, to bring its excellent teaching methods, materials, and faculty expertise to the net.

The online Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree program seeks to educate students about the domestic and international business environments, identify the elements that influence the dynamics, as it provides students the strategies, skills, and tools; they will need to make intelligent decisions.

The Regis MBA curriculum, with its 11 courses is certainly reflective of the program objectives. Each of these courses is structured to complement the knowledge gained from the preceding courses.

The Regis University online MBA degree curriculum, accomplishes this aim, with the use of four course levels.

The first course is appropriately called the FOUNDATION COURSE, and is a required course for all MBA students.

Essentials of Business Development I & II

At the end of these two foundation courses, the student will have an enhanced grasp of basic business concepts & principles, statistical modeling macro and microeconomics, business financials, cash flow and management, through lectures and case studies.

The second level is composed of CORE COURSES. These are required courses for all MBA students and the course emphasizes the use of critical business skills.

The Economics of Management

At the end of this course, the student will have the improved ability to utilize methods, concepts and models both quantitatively and qualitatively, from a managerial perspective.

Ethical and Legal Environment of Business

This course focuses on the ethical strategies the MBA student can utilize when confronted by issues for the public’s good. Such issues as labor laws, product liability, public issues management and administrative procedures, are covered.

The EMPHASIS COURSE is the third level course. There are seven courses for each MBA program and they are more generally known as degree -specific courses.

These course titles are revealing of subject’s focus.

·    Issues in International Business

·    Financial Decision Making

·    Marketing Management

·    Electronic Business Systems

·    Managing Change

·    Managerial Leadership

·    Innovations in Operations

Strategies in a Global Environment

This is the last level, called the CAPSTONE COURSE, and is required of all MBA students. By the end of this course the MBA student will have superior management skills to identify and critically examine how international economic, political, business and financial factors, affect the long-range plans of the company.

In short, a Regis University online MBA degree, will improve the graduate’s ability to become an outstanding leader, enjoy career advancement, income and personal satisfaction.

When asked, “If you could wish for one thing only, what would that wish be?” almost everyone; from beauty pagent contestants, to politicians, to religious leaders, to children, to the average person on the street states, “Peace On Earth” or “An end to all wars”. Those wishes, while exemplary, are meaningless. As long as humans exist there will never be peace on earth.

Throughout the history of humankind there has never been peace on earth. Cavemen fought other cavemen over territory, food and even women. Cain killed Abel over God’s respect. Gabriel blew down the walls of Jericho. America fought the Revolutionary War for freedom and brother fought against brother in our Civil War for more freedom. There have always been wars and there will always be wars.

As long as humans can think, there will be wars. Wars over such concepts as freedom, honor, dignity, etc.. Wars over territory, greed, power, prejudice, etc.. War is a part of human nature. For example, every human being is prejudiced. If they don’t like some race, nationality or religion, they don’t like short or tall or fat or skinny or smart or not smart or loud or quiet people. Some people don’t like children, some people don’t like old people, some people don’t like people with pets, or people that play their music too loud, or bad drivers, or people that believe in God or people that don’t believe in God. What is right and proper to some people can be wrong or even enraging to other people.

Religion can not stop wars, in fact many wars are fought over religion (Note: I believe that religion is used as an excuse for war not the real reason for war.). Christians fought against Muslims during the Crusades, Many Muslims want death for all non believers. The Catholic Church killed heretics during the Inquisition. The Nazis killed millions of Jews and then started killing Catholics. The Russians under Stalin killed anyone even remotly religious. Protestants killed other Protestants for being the wrong type of Protestant. Muslims killed Muslims for being the wrong type of Muslim. Don’t forget about Atheists (I believe that Atheism is also a religion, it is a religion of non belief.), Stalin was an Atheist and wanted to get rid of all religion. Most of China’s leaders are Atheists and have jailed and killed huge numbers of religious people. History is rife with various types of religious battles.

The main reason for war, however, is the lust for power. The power to make others do and believe as you do and believe, the power to make other people render unto you what you believe is rightfully yours, the power to make other people treat you as you believe you should be treated, the power to gain what you want (ie: money, love, respect, etc.), the power to punish others for doing things that you don’t believe they should do, the power to keep other from having things or thoughts that you don’t have. In other words, the power to be, in some ways God, to make everyone else in your image with you as their ruler.

As long as people have the ability to think, there will be greed, envy, prejudice and anger. As long as those things exist, there will be wars. Most people believe, either religiously or secularly, in the rules set down in the Ten Commandments, but very few people can follow those rules all of the time because our ability to think causes us to want. Wanting causes us to break some or all of the rules. Humans are not perfect. If they were they would not be human.

If you are a university or college student, you probably make a lot of notes when you are attending classes or reading your text books.  Then later you review the notes you made when you are preparing for exams.

You may have wondered if there a right way or a wrong way to take notes.  Does one method of note-taking work better than another?

There is probably no one way that works best for all people in all situations, since everyone’s brain is so unique.

The main problem with taking notes the traditional way is that this is a very passive process.  Simply taking notes does not get the brain very involved in interacting with the information.  If you can get your brain to get more actively involved in organizing the new material you will remember it better.

If you are strong in visual learning, you can benefit from making notes that include lots of graphs and drawings, even cartoons!  If you are very high in auditory skills and weak in the visual area you will do better by tape-recording all the notes you need to remember.

The following technique for note-taking is particularly effective for people who are highly visual.  This method of making notes is sometimes called “mind-mapping” or making a “learning map”.

Although it takes some practice to use mind-mapping effectively, most people who use it find they can retain and remember far more information with a lot less work.

The essence of the learning-map (also known as “memory-map”, or “mind-map”) technique is quite simple.  You will need a blank piece of paper, the larger the better.  You will need at least one pen, more if you want to use a variety of colors.

You will be trying to fill the entire page with your notes, so it is important to keep the size of your writing quite small.  With practice you should be better able to judge what size of writing will work effectively.

As you listen to the lecturer, or read the article you are studying, decide what you think the central theme is.  For example, you might be listening to a lecture where you decide the central theme seems to be, “Conditions in Europe on the eve of World War 2”

Or you might be listening to a talk that has a central theme of “Strategies that plants use to survive winter”

Once you have decided what the central theme is, jot down the words in the center of the page, and draw a circle around the main theme.  Don’t try to write down a sentence or a paragraph–just get down enough of the key words that will bring the ideas back into you mind.

Keep listening or reading, watching for the first main sub-theme.

When you come across the first major sub-theme, pick a spot on the page to jot down a few key words that sum up the sub-theme.  Draw a circle around the sub-theme words, and then join your sub-theme circle to the main theme circle with a line.

Each time you come across a new major sub-theme, write down a few key words to summarize the new idea, and draw a circle around those words.  Then draw a line to join the sub-theme circle to the main idea circle in the center of the page.  Eventually you will have a circle in the center with several spokes radiating from it.

The lines or spokes don’t have to be straight, and they can be of any length required.  The “circles” don’t have to be circles; they can be squares, triangles, or oval squiggles if you prefer.  You can use different colors to help you organize the ideas better.

As the speaker or writer continues to present his ideas, you will find that some of the ideas being presented are additional supporting details that clarify or illustrate one of the sub-themes you have already identified.  In this case you will write these “sub-sub-themes” down using just a few words, enclose them in a circle or squiggle, and link them to their sub-theme with a line.

Eventually your sub-theme circles may have many spokes radiating from them as the author or lecturer continues to present his ideas.  At a glance you will be able to take in the dominant themes of the talk and the underlying organizational structure of the ideas.

If you happen to have any ideas of your own while you are reading or listening to the lecture, jot them down as well.  This shows you have your brain actively interacting with the material.

When you make a mind map or a learning map of all your notes, you create a very visual document that differs a lot from traditional methods of making notes for class.

People who learn very well visually will particularly benefit from the way that learning maps clearly show the relationships between main themes, sub-themes and supporting facts and ideas.

Try this method and see if this is the note-taking technique that works best for you!

The University of Maryland University College offers an online Master of Business Administration degree. Named one of the “Top 20 Cyber Universities” worldwide by Forbes magazine, the MBA program is fully accredited by the Commission of Higher Education of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools.

The program is designed to integrate into students’ lives and to be applicable to their current job situations right from the start. Its accelerated pace is helpful in allowing students to utilize what they have learned in the program as quickly as possible in their work environment. The courses are designed to explore management and organization processes and apply them to a global business environment.

The MBA program is 43 credits and consists of a 1-credit foundation course and seven 6-credit seminars. Each seminar is 14 weeks long. Students have 3 weeks off between each seminar. Students are grouped into a cohort of about 30 students who stay together during the duration of the MBA program. A facilitator is assigned to each cohort.

The seminars required to complete the online MBA program are: MBA Fundamentals (1 credit); The Role of Managers and Organizations in Society (6 credits); The Dynamics of Individuals and Groups in Work Organizations (6 credits); The Marketing of New Ideas (6 credits); Technology and Operations Management (6 credits); Economics of Management Decisions (6 credits); Organizations and the External Environment (6 credits); and Strategic Action Planning/Elective Component (6 credits). In addition all students are required to complete a noncredit course, Introduction to Graduate Library Research Skills, within their first 6 credits of study.

The seminars are taught by experts in the field. The faculty members all have extensive professional and management experience. In addition, more than 89 percent of them hold a doctorate degree. Students also have a facilitator assigned to them who will stay with them throughout the entire program.

U of MD University College MBA program has a streamlined general admissions process that can be completed online. Admission into their online MBA program does not require the completion of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT). There are also no residency requirements.

To apply, prospective students need to complete the online application for admission, send in the application fee, and write a personal statement. Once the application is received, applicants will receive further instructions on submitting their transcripts and other pertinent information. The status of an application can be tracked online.

Upon completion of U of MD University College MBA program students have the option of continuing on to earn a dual degree. During any point of the MBA program students may inform the college that they are interested in pursuing a second degree in the following areas: Master of International Management; Master of Science in E-Commerce; Master of Science in Health Care Administration; or Master of Science in Management. Students have a full seven years from the date of completion of the first graduate course to complete their dual degree.

You want to go back to school and continue your education. Perhaps you’d like to earn your first degree or ou’d like to earn a new degree in a different field. You’ve been dreaming of that degree but haven’t dared believe your dream can come true because you think you are too old.

You aren’t. It really is that simple. I don’t care what your age is, as an experienced college-level educator I can assure you that you are not too old, because there are many nontraditional students on college campuses today (and likely some of those are older than you are), your life experience gives you many advantages over more traditional students, and with the growing nontraditional population many colleges have programs and services especially tailored for the nontraditional student.

I went back to school in my 30s and today I teach college. Yes, I have many traditional students in my classroom but every semester I have a large percentage of nontraditional students as well. I have studens in their late 20s as well as 30s, 40s, 50s, and up. I have students who have retired from one career and are looking to move into another. I have students whose children (or grandchildren) have left the nest so they are looking to enter a new stage in their life.

I also have many students balancing school with work and family. I have students who are the traditional age but are in nontraditional circumstances including children and family, work and military service, as well as sports and other activities. You are a unique person, but your situation is not as unique as you might think.

In many ways, your age, or rather your life experience, will be a tremendous asset for your return to school. Nontraditional students understand much better than traditional students how to manage their time and prioritize tasks. In addition, nontraditional students are often much more motivated and goal-oriented than their more traditional counterparts. Finally, your life experience also gives you a great deal of knowledge and experience to fall back on or pull from when it comes to understanding, applying, or adapting the new knowledge you gain through college. I regularly see my nontraditional students outperform traditional students in many ways, but it ultimately comes down to a maturity of thinking and reasoning that can only come with growing up. I know when I returned to college as a student after working for a number of years that I did much better in the classroom and also handled my work load much better than I did when I was a more traditional student.

Today colleges recognize they have a changing student population and offer classes in a variety of formats including on campus, off campus, televised, and internet as well as a range of schedules including days, nights, weekends, and accelerated. In addition, there are now support services available for students who fall outside the traditional student role. Many financial aid and scholarship programs also exist specifically for the nontraditional student.

In the end, it really comes down to your own gut feeling. Do you really want that degree? Are you ready to change your life? You can do it and there will be help and support available for you. Don’t use your age as an excuse not to pursue your dream.

Attending classes online is the smart way for busy people to earn degrees to advance in their present career or furthering their education. The University of Phoenix Online has earned its reputation as the premier provider of E-distant learning degree programs and courses, and is the nation’s largest accredited private university.

The University of Phoenix online program offers students the opportunity to achieve: Bachelors, Master’s and Doctorate level degrees in the areas of: Business, Information Systems, Education, Nursing, and Technology at their own pace and from the comfort of home.

The Master of Business Administration program or MBA Online Degree Program offered by the University of Phoenix is designed to enable a student taking management courses, to gain or advance the skills needed to function effectively within an organization. Through specialized coursework developed to build and enhance these skills, students will create and defend solutions for problems in crisis management, profitable growth opportunities, and changes in leadership. Throughout the course of this program students will gain the knowledge and experience to turn volatile -situations into well-managed problems. Students will have the chance to apply different tools and concepts towards achieving this, as well as analyzing a variety of alternate solutions to common problems in management. Students will select a course of action for solving situations, and then defend their choice.

The Master of Business Program at the University of Phoenix employs the use of problem-based learning, where students can polish their problem-solving skills, as well as improve their communication, creativity, information processing, and critical thinking skills. Student progress is assessed by the student’s ability to demonstrate effectively through classroom presentations: their skills in problem-solving, communication, and critical thinking.

Students are grouped together in ‘learning teams’. These learning teams will apply the principles of ‘benchmarking’ throughout the course to research the most creative solutions to any given problem. This gives a learner a broader selection of alternatives for solving problems.

The MBA Degree Program offered by the University of Phoenix consists of 39 credit hours and includes 3 proficiency courses. These are (MBA501, MBA502, MBA503) which may be satisfied through an undergraduate business degree, undergraduate coursework, or graduate coursework. Students may also waive 9 additional credits through graduate courses and may even qualify for a 21-hour residency. Ask your UOP Online Education Counselor, for more details about this waiver and residency, if you think you may qualify.

Adult education involves the training and development of adult individuals in certain vocations or subjects for a variety of reasons. Adult education is not the same as the traditional education of young individuals due to the methods that are employed in order to capitalize on the accumulated knowledge and life experience of the adult individual. Because of these factors, adults can use what they know to add depth to their educational experience, and have a better understanding of how to apply it to their current life situations. Though often done in the workplace as training and development, or in a classroom setting for continuing education or basic education, it is becoming more and more common to see enrollment in online adult education programs. This method of training is a valid and convenient way for individuals to improve job skills, complete their educations, and stay in touch with new advances in vocational fields.

Often, employed adults enroll in adult education courses in order to reinforce knowledge in a career field, gain new skills for promotion or a new job, or to fulfill requirements set upon them by employers or licensing bodies. Online adult education programs give adults the opportunity to remain employed full time while fulfilling these professional requirements or learning new skills for career opportunities at their own pace and leisure, without having to commute to a classroom. This method of continuing education is especially helpful for those with family commitments in addition to job obligations.

There are other reasons that adult individuals might take advantage of online adult education programs. For example, an individual might find that dropping out of high school and not earning his diploma was not the best decision and has had trouble keeping stable employment. In this case, he is able to enroll in an online General Educational Development (GED) program, which will help him to fulfill the requirements he needs to get his high school equivalency. With a high school diploma, an individual can go on to college and earn a college degree, which will give him many more professional opportunities. Individuals can also learn basic computer operation skills, which will enable them to take on more job responsibilities.

Another type of adult education program available online is that kind which provides instruction in ESL (English as a second language). This is particularly useful for individuals that are new to the United States. They can learn the English language in a relatively short period of time, which will give them the ability to apply for jobs and function and communicate in American society, as well as study for the test to grant American citizenship.

For individuals that work in professions that require certifications or licenses in order to remain employed in that field, online adult education programs are very valuable from a time and convenience standpoint. This form of continuing education is often required by either the law or by an individual’s employer in order to develop and maintain skills that are applicable to the vocation. This type of training also helps individuals remain current on advances or improvements within a field. Such types of certification and training include computer programming, management training, and equipment and procedural training for lab technicians and other medical professions, equipment operators, or engineers. Higher-level professionals such as pharmacists, educators, physicians, and nurses are also often required or encouraged to take part in some type of continuing education. This guarantees that a certain level of competence is maintained and that a professional’s knowledge is always tested in a given field of practice. Having the opportunity to complete this instruction in an online adult education program is very helpful to professionals that have very busy work and family schedules, because they can take advantage of the flexibility of the approach, and do class work in their spare time.

Adult education gives many different types of individuals the opportunity for self-improvement and career advancement. Whether an individual is seeking to earn his high school diploma for more lucrative job opportunities, or for a new resident of the United States looking to learn the English language so that he can gain employment and become a part of the American culture, or for an employed individual who is required to renew a license or gain additional training for his job, adult education is a powerful tool. And taking advantage of the many online adult education programs helps people fulfill their professional requirements while not sacrificing their current way of life.

Adult education involves the training and development of adult individuals in certain vocations or subjects for a variety of reasons. Adult education is not the same as the traditional education of young individuals due to the methods that are employed in order to capitalize on the accumulated knowledge and life experience of the adult individual. Because of these factors, adults can use what they know to add depth to their educational experience, and have a better understanding of how to apply it to their current life situations. Though often done in the workplace as training and development, or in a classroom setting for continuing education or basic education, it is becoming more and more common to see enrollment in online adult education programs. This method of training is a valid and convenient way for individuals to improve job skills, complete their educations, and stay in touch with new advances in vocational fields.

Often, employed adults enroll in adult education courses in order to reinforce knowledge in a career field, gain new skills for promotion or a new job, or to fulfill requirements set upon them by employers or licensing bodies. Online adult education programs give adults the opportunity to remain employed full time while fulfilling these professional requirements or learning new skills for career opportunities at their own pace and leisure, without having to commute to a classroom. This method of continuing education is especially helpful for those with family commitments in addition to job obligations.

There are other reasons that adult individuals might take advantage of online adult education programs. For example, an individual might find that dropping out of high school and not earning his diploma was not the best decision and has had trouble keeping stable employment. In this case, he is able to enroll in an online General Educational Development (GED) program, which will help him to fulfill the requirements he needs to get his high school equivalency. With a high school diploma, an individual can go on to college and earn a college degree, which will give him many more professional opportunities. Individuals can also learn basic computer operation skills, which will enable them to take on more job responsibilities.

Another type of adult education program available online is that kind which provides instruction in ESL (English as a second language). This is particularly useful for individuals that are new to the United States. They can learn the English language in a relatively short period of time, which will give them the ability to apply for jobs and function and communicate in American society, as well as study for the test to grant American citizenship.

For individuals that work in professions that require certifications or licenses in order to remain employed in that field, online adult education programs are very valuable from a time and convenience standpoint. This form of continuing education is often required by either the law or by an individual’s employer in order to develop and maintain skills that are applicable to the vocation. This type of training also helps individuals remain current on advances or improvements within a field. Such types of certification and training include computer programming, management training, and equipment and procedural training for lab technicians and other medical professions, equipment operators, or engineers. Higher-level professionals such as pharmacists, educators, physicians, and nurses are also often required or encouraged to take part in some type of continuing education. This guarantees that a certain level of competence is maintained and that a professional’s knowledge is always tested in a given field of practice. Having the opportunity to complete this instruction in an online adult education program is very helpful to professionals that have very busy work and family schedules, because they can take advantage of the flexibility of the approach, and do class work in their spare time.

Adult education gives many different types of individuals the opportunity for self-improvement and career advancement. Whether an individual is seeking to earn his high school diploma for more lucrative job opportunities, or for a new resident of the United States looking to learn the English language so that he can gain employment and become a part of the American culture, or for an employed individual who is required to renew a license or gain additional training for his job, adult education is a powerful tool. And taking advantage of the many online adult education programs helps people fulfill their professional requirements while not sacrificing their current way of life.

Adult continuing education is very practical. Seniors have several advantages over children.

* Better memory (truly!)
* Experience
* Fewer distractions

————-
Better memory
————-

Doctors thought that you couldn’t grow new brain cells, so as old cells died you became more stupid. They now know that the more adult continuing education, the more new brain cells you get. You can even delay Alzheimer’s disease by keeping your brain active.

But old people keep forgetting things! That’s true, because what you remember best are startling, new, shocking things. To an old person it’s a case of “been there, done that”. Nothing is new or shocking.

However, you often have to learn boring things, and there you have an advantage. Seniors trounced the kids in a test of memorizing meaningless words. My book about exams will show you how to make your adult continuing education more exciting, which cuts kid’s advantage over your memory.

———-
Experience
———-

You learn from the known to the unknown. So it’s logical that the more experience you have, the more you can think “yes… that’s right… it’s just like…” I am 65 years old now and I can say that my adult continuing education keeps getting easier because there are always relevant things in my experience.

————
Distractions
————

You may have distractions at work still, but let’s face it, are they really as obsessive as your teenage interests? You aren’t going to have to choose between going out on a date and doing some study. You might have to choose between having a nap and study, but my book about exams shows a way round that problem. I’m using it right now!

—–
Exams
—–

Just as your three advantages apply to study, they apply to exams. Were you sick with nerves in your school exams? Your life-career depended on your performance. Now it would be nice to pass, but your experience tells you that you will survive failure, and land on your feet again…so less nerves.

Unless children have wealthy or helpful parents they can’t afford resources that you can afford. For instance, they can afford my free report on writing essays, but not my eBook about passing exams. If you live in a country with timed local phone calls, kids may not be able to do much research on the internet because it costs too much.

There are ways to become a lightning calculator and ways to develop a super memory, and you can afford them all. If you want to learn a language you can probably even afford to get a “superlearning” course that teaches you the language in only fifteen hours.

——————————
Why Adult Continuing Education
——————————

All right, you have advantages, but why should you bother with adult continuing education?
* Prevents brain deterioration
* Retraining for a new job
* Self employment

I’ve already covered the effect of study on the brain. You get new brain cells.

In modern times you can only expect to keep one job for a short time. You are going to need to retrain for your next job.

Self-employment. You can’t be sacked if you are self-employed, but you can go broke. It is best to develop your home business part-time until it is earning you twice as much as your job. Then if you are retrenched from your job you won’t care.

Then you won’t need to worry about adult continuing education any more will you? Oops… you will need to keep learning even more when you have your own business. For instance, you are going to have to learn book-keeping unless you can afford an accountant to do the work. If you have to employ people, you will need to learn the laws that apply.

———————
How should you learn?
———————

I prefer to use a correspondence coursefor my adult continuing education, but the big advantage of attending classes is that you can get your questions answered instantly.

My book about exams shows you how to find answers on the internet. You will probably find lots of eBooks about what you want to learn. But will I ever see what I buy on the internet? …you may ask.

Think about it. How much more does it cost an eBook vendor to supply 100 eBooks than it costs for one? That’s right… nothing! If it costs me nothing to supply an eBook, why should I try to rob you? I keep buying new eBooks myself and have never failed to get what I paid for. You can definitely get an adult continuing education online.

A job interview is stressful. The person who hasn’t made a lot of changes isn’t practiced at what is involved (nor should they want to be), and the person who has made a lot of changes doesn’t have any idea as to what’s involved either, or they wouldn’t be making so many changes!

Preparing for the interview de-stresses the situation considerably. Yet, 78% of all candidates – regardless of the level for which they are interviewing – wing it! And frequently cause themselves to be weeded out in the process.

Like so much of the interview, seemingly innocent questions can trip you up. You think you are answering them in a way that puts you in the best light, but you’d be surprised at how many people completely miss the boat. Merely to hope an interview has a positive result is not enough. That’s basically forfeiting your ability to drive up the percentage of a positive outcome.

For instance, in response to the question, “Why do you want to work here?” some people will say things such as:

“I’ve worked in this industry for 15 years and been very successful. I feel I can make a difference in your organization. I have a proven track record of leadership. I’ve read in the paper that your company is having some problems, and with my experience as a Director of XXXXX, I can help straighten those out.”

That answer may sound good and appear to suffice, but on a scale of 1 – 10, it ranks about a 4!

Why? The answer shows no research, no thought, no consideration. It sounds stock and could suffice for any number of companies. Overall, unimpressive.

In my experience as a recruiter, I’ve found that while mid level management tends to UNDERanswer the question, upper level management will often OVERanswer the question. One group doesn’t provide enough information because of a limited lack of experience. The other group has been around, worked their way up the ladder in more than one company, and in their attempt to sound thoughtful, intelligent, and wise, end up saying very little at all.

Let’s look closer.

WHY DO YOU WANT TO WORK HERE?
Here’s where you get to show off your research. Tell the interviewer what you’ve learned about the company, and why it’s appealing to you. SPECIFICS are the key here.

Relate those specific examples from your experience to what you’ve learned about the company, their focus, and their market. Look to your personality and what motivates you and how that relates to any details you learned from the ad, your recruiter, your friend who referred you, or from where you learned of this opportunity.

For instance, perhaps their ad stated that they were looking to establish a marketing department from ground up. If you thrive on growth, challenges, making things happen – there’s your answer – along with examples of how you have grown, established, or done market research in a parallel situation.

And you might ask, “What if it’s not a high profile company? What if it’s on the small side and local?” Right. Not every company is the size of General Electric or even a regional public powerhouse that you can look up in Dun & Bradstreet.

But most librarians are more than willing to help you find any information that might be present in any of their research books. Local newspapers may have done stories on the company, and the library would have those too. And these days, most companies have a website.

Share what you can do and why you feel you can make a contribution and benefit the company. This question is about how YOU can benefit the company, not how the company can benefit YOU.

TELL ME ABOUT YOURSELF
Some interviews are lost right at this point. This is not an invitation to go on ad nauseum about everything that has happened to you since you were five years old or since your first job out of college. Nor is it the time to shrug your shoulders and give an unplanned, one-sentence answer.

Some people, especially those who haven’t prepared and have a tendency to talk when they get nervous, find themselves rambling. Put together a nice little 2 – 3 minute verbal bio about your career, your qualifications, and why you are interested. Know what you’re going to say in advance.

A FEW POINTS TO REMEMBER
In recruiting we used to say, “‘A’ candidates for ‘A’ companies, ‘B’ candidates for ‘B’ companies and ‘C’ candidates for ‘C’ companies,” and a ‘B’ candidate is not only some one who’s talents and track record is only so-so, it’s also an ‘A’ candidate whose poor interviewing skills MAKE him a ‘B.’

Knowing who you are, what you want, what you have to offer and what you’ve accomplished – and having it all on the tip of your tongue – can make or break you for a job offer – not just for your perfect job, but sometimes for even finding ANY job.

Being able to sell yourself, your skills, how you can benefit a potential company and then being able to close the deal necessitates taking the time to research and learn the company. It means knowing yourself well enough that you can apply aspects of your capabilities to the individual facts and details of that INDIVIDUAL company – and that you can do it smoothly without groping for words or just winging it.

And last, but not least, the words of Peter Handal of Dale Carnegie Training, echo the importance of interview preparation, including what strikes most people as silly – role playing. But as he said, “you only have one chance to make a really good impression,” and if you don’t take it seriously enough to study and thoroughly prepare, someone else will, and that’s the person who will get the job!

Do your homework before EVERY interview! There’s no chance to make a second good impression!