Whether you’re a finalist candidate or waiting for a promotion, there’s one word that will determine your ability to get the job or move up in the organization. Assuming you’re competent, are a compatible fit in the organization and have the necessary skills and ability to do the job… the key word is: JUDGMENT.
Good judgment over time will accelerate your career goals. Poor judgment will hinder or prevent your career movement. Judgment usually is determined by the experiences you’ve had in the past. applied to the issues or decisions needed now or in the future. All the decisions you make, whether big or small, will determine your results because the judgments you make affect the results you achieve.
As you move further up the organization, judgment becomes a more and more important factor to your success. The judgments that are made by the president of an organization will greatly affect the success of an organization over time. The judgments you make in your current job will affect how you’re perceived and how your performance is judged.
So, how can you build the “judgment factor” into your interview so you have an edge? Simple. Build it into the response to questions you know will be asked. All interviews will ask the question, in one-way or another: “What did you do?”, “How did you do it?”, “What were the results?” Since the interviewer is working off of your resume, these questions will reflect past experiences. Here’s an example of a question and a potential answer:
Q – “How did you achieve the 10% increase in sales when you worked for the XYZ Company?”
A – “We were experiencing flat revenues over the past 3 years in 80% of our product lines within our major markets. After analyzing the markets, products, customers and competition, I made the judgment call to market the higher volume, higher priced products with a special campaign in the major markets that were lagging. I also had a contingency plan to make up for any shortfall.”
This response does three things:
- It shows an understanding and practical approach to a problem that was preventing results
- It demonstrates a business approach to a problem based on facts and analysis. A good approach in the mind of a hiring manager.
- It not only displays sound judgment, but also shows an alternative contingency, just in case the initial judgment doesn’t work out… which is a judgment in and of itself.
Having good sound judgment is one of the key ingredients to a successful interview and career. Understanding how to communicate and demonstrate that judgment will differentiate you from all other candidates. Go and do good things.
For a FREE review of your resume send it to: wkaufmann44@gmail.com