Beyond the Office Leadership Lessons That Apply to Your Next Interview - Margaret Buj - Interview Coach

Beyond the Office Leadership Lessons That Apply to Your Next Interview - Margaret Buj - Interview Coach Leadership skills are widely demanded across all industries and employee levels. Some leadership skills include inspiring teams, clear communication, creativity and empowerment. You don’t need to be an expert in all these areas because there are a variety of leadership styles that work in different environments. Identify what your leadership strengths are and market those skills on a resume or in an interview. Don’t know where to start? Some leadership lessons can be learned from real life situations such as road trips. Lesson 1: Formulate a Plan Jumping into a road trip blindly doesn’t always go well. Many people map a route to their destination with bathroom breaks, gas stops and meals. This requires an analysis of a variety of different internal and external factors that impact the time it takes to reach an endpoint. Staying aware of these factors can reduce risks and foster focus. Formulating a plan applies this to interview preparation. First, read the job description you applied for to refresh your memory. Identifying any documents or tangible items that you can bring to the interview, selecting an outfit that speaks to your personality and researching the company can lead to a smoother interview. These preparation tasks often speak to your work ethic and leadership capabilities more than a resume can. Lesson 2: Embrace Inclusivity Many people argue the most impactful road trips are ones that take you outside your comfort zone. For example, immersing yourself in different cultures. Experiencing a new way of doing things can foster creativity and engagement. Both of these factors are heavily sought out by some recruiters. It’s likely an interviewer will ask you a behavior based question such as “Tell me a time you worked on a team.” Questions like these are great opportunities to showcase your leadership skills. Telling a story of a time you worked on a cultural diverse team can reveal your openness and ability to work well with others. Some leaders of today found embracing cultural diversity decreases turnover and sometimes results in higher profit. Use your interview to display leadership skills to help land your next job. Formulating a plan and embracing inclusivity are just two of many leadership lessons learned from road trips. Check out this CarRentals infographic for more! .