In the continuing series of outlining the details of the TODAY acronym method, this email brings us to A for Achievements. The previous letters in the acronym were:

T-Teamwork O-Overcoming Obstacles D-Duties of your past positions

At first glance, the sound bites you think of for Achievements can seem very similar to what you developed for Overcoming Obstacles--and thats OK. Remember that the key to the acronym is to use it as a tool to remember topics to discuss on a job interview. Preparing what youre going to talk about on an interviewer in advance empowers you to succeed instead of feeling like a sitting duck wondering what they could possibly ask.

Achievements are a place for you to brag about things you have done exceptionally well. Perhaps you joined Toastmasters and over the course of 3 years, and many speeches, achieved an advanced ranking. Maybe you took a year off to ride your bike across the country. It can be the fact that you managed to save enough money to buy a house before you reached the age of 30. Or you can even discuss your pride from quitting smoking, or finally figuring out a home filing system that works for your family.

The goal here is to provide an employer with an idea of what you value; what goals you set for yourself that you have been able to achieve. What things in life are important to you, and how did you plan to achieve them?

When developing your sound bite you should structure it to start talking about your goal, and then the specific steps you took to achieve it. You can also add any obstacles you overcame along the way. The employer will see your pride, and get a feeling of who you are as a person and your work ethic.

Red Inc. Melanie Szlucha