What it takes to be Successful in Business: An in-depth analysis

What it takes to be Successful in Business
An in- depth analysis
Valerie Henderson

Henderson: What It Takes To Be Business Successful 1
Success in the business realm can mean a certain level of social status that is reached
or the achievement of a personal goal. To be successful in business there are many
“items” that one must acquire. Education gives a businessperson the background to
become successful. Experience that you gain, how you build your resumé,, how you
preform your interview with, the mentor you chose to follow, and the quality of work that
you leave as your business imprint are all “items” that a person need to acquire to become
successful.
“The whole object of education is…to develop the mind,” Sherwood Anderson. As
children education is one of the first things that we are exposed to on a daily basis outside
of our immediately family. Education helps an individual create real life skills that are
applicable to real life situations, learning is a continuous exercise that will not cease in a
human’s lifetime, and education gives a person the confidence and know- how to be able
to go in to the “real world” and become that successful person.
Even throughout the carious levels of education, we as students are always learning
life- applicable skills. Beginning in day care and preschool the manifestation are being
further developed in person-to-person conduct.
Productive Parenting is a trusted group composed of the founders (Emily Rempe &
Susan Dineen), activity contributors, and advisory board members who are primarily
early childhood experts. Productive parenting compiled a list of 45 valuable life skills
that children develop in their first educational experience.

Concept development listening, problem solving, and trust are all qualities children
develop at this age and must retain and fine-tune to eventually become successful in
business. Concept development is expanding on something a child already knows so that
the general idea can be introduced. This is important in business because at one point in
time everything tangible was a concept in a mind that needed to be developed into a
vision.
Listening is not just being able to understand words but also the language that is being
spoken and how (sounds, rhythm, and pitch) the language is being spoken. Listening is a
skill that many adults claim to have mastered but in reality are only performing only one-
third of what listening actually entails. If a person in a business cannot listen to others it
will be very difficult for them to thrive in everyday life let alone a professional
environment.
Problem Solving is acquired at a very early stage and is the ability to find a solution
to a mental or physical question. Many times employers will have pre-employment
screening, which is a generalized questionnaire to ensure the applicant is competent of
the minimal job duties. The higher up the “professional ladder” one is situated the larger
the problems and the more people will be affected by the results of their problem solving
skills.

Trust, by definition trust is the belief that people you will be in contact with will be
reliable. Trust is what some people may consider the most important skill whether that is
personal or professional. To be successful in business one will need both aspects to trust
others in their environment. A boss will have someone, he trusts and views as possibly
successful with perform tasks that will prove whether or not the employee can be trusted,
it is crucial that for professional progress people be trusted at work. Also, you must gain
the trust of your customers and stockholders. In business, there are partners and other
various “relationships” that must maintain a high level of trust. Children learn that they
must trust people at an early age. Trust takes time and effort to build but only seconds to
destroy.
Using language to communicate and learn from others is an important life skill and
valuable to learn if someone plans on being successful in business. Language is the basis
of all communication and is the primary instrument of thought. When children are able
to communicate they are able to talk about their thoughts, feelings, and experiences. In
the business world the smallest ideas and thoughts could have the potential to bring in
gross revenue of the upwards of millions depending on what type of company a person
works. Using language to communicate involves understanding and using language and
symbols in a meaningful way. It allows the members of a conversation to consider
purpose and context. Exploring, comprehending, and responding to thoughts and ideas
and experiences can help budding adolescents create their personality. Language and
communication is important for four main reasons. The first reason is to understand the
relationship of language to personal identity and the formation of interpersonal

relationships and the extension of experiences. Also it is important for a successful
businessperson to reflect on thoughts, actions and contributions to society, which allows
them to be able to communicate in multiple contexts. Recognizing the importance of
communication as the basis for further learning and understanding communication, as
both content and context for conceptual understanding of values can be the basis in which
a successful businessperson makes their ethical decisions. The most important skill that is
learned based off of communication is establishing relationships with family members,
peers, and friends. When relationships with these groups of people are made in business
there will be a need for the understanding of how cooperate in group settings for one to
become successful.
Cooperation is an essential skill acquired by children that is applicable in any
workplace, as without it nothing would ever get done with out tons of arguments from
every individual with different opinions. Employees need to collaborate and work
together so that they are able to decide how to approach a task and to ensure that
everyone knows what their role is. It is essential that there must be compromise and
cooperation, because otherwise everything else would descend into chaos and an
uncontrollable argument, with everyone trying to get their point across, shouting
increasingly louder to be heard. Cooperation allows a workplace and or business to
function much more effectively, as everyone can be focused on working together to
achieve the same goal.

The size of a company no matter how big or small a company is, without any form of
cooperation it is unlikely to survive. A successful company requires all of its employees
to know what their roles are and trust that those roles, which have been delegated, are
completed in a sufficient and timely matter. There has to be communication and a sense
of togetherness between different sections of the company, because if they all try to work
with out speaking or coordinating then problems will probably arise. Without
communication and cooperation on important matters, confusion can spring up and will
happen, making it difficult for everyone working for that particular company to continue
producing high -quality work.
Cooperation can be difficult to reachwithin a company, especially with those higher up
the “company ladder”, where competition is common. Personalities tend to get in the
way of cooperation, as everyone wants to make their impression more outstanding than
others on the company and be rewarded for showing creativity. If the company is going
to expand, increase its profits, launch a new product and make a name for itself, there
will have to be a degree of cooperation. Without cooperation, no decisions would ever be
seriously made, which would result in the company ending in a failing fireball.
Even those lower down the chain of command in the office have to find a way to
cooperate, though, since without cooperation, nobody would take on their share of the
workload, which would lead to arguments and nothing much being accomplished.
Whether in an office, factory or shop, employees have to be able to cooperate with one
another so that whatever the tasks they have are; they are completed to a high standard

and on time. Those at the top of a company need to be able to cooperate with those at the
bottom and vice-versa, as everyone ought to be working towards the same objectives.
98% of the people that are successful in business must continue their education through
junior high and in to the very social realm of high school. High school is usually one
extreme or the other for teenagers as far as self- confidence and social interaction.
However, the things that remain constant in high school are life skills that are fine- tuned.
Critical thinking and creative thinking are both skills that become apparent during the
early adolescents stages of a child but, by the time students enter high school the classes
that they are allowed to take are being to become more diverse and more based on “What
Interests The Student?”
Creative thinking is simply the ability to create ideas in your mind that may or may not
be actually possibly creative thinking is normally assumed to be a branch from the
imagination that appears in young children. Most educators believe that if a child is very
imaginative during their younger years than it is safe to say that they will be a great
creative thinker. Creative thinking allows for people to go through anticipation, problem
solving, opportunity identification, problem avoidance, and reaction. When girls are little
they imagine their wedding and most women 9 times out of 10 will take from that
imagination they have been dreaming of all of their life some real world aspects and
actually infuse them into her big day, this is a type of creative thinking. Anticipation is
also something that girls and boys creative think about when children grow up they
imagine what they can or want to be. Many times their ideas are quite far fetched but

there are those who go through with their ideas and plan their whole lives around them.
Such as Michael Jordan, he wanted to be a basketball player when he grew up and it is
safe to say that he could just be a good basketball player, but Michael Jordan wanted to
be the best and now a person cannot mention basketball with out needing to throw his
name into the conversation. From a business perspective a person who is able to think
creatively will most likely be able to identify opportunities easier then someone who is
not as creative. These past weeks have been filled with the NCAA tournament and all the
other tournaments for basketball players. Adidas decided to creatively take advantage of
another person’s downfall, when Kevin Ware gruesomely broke his leg in front of
America watching Adidas jumped at the chance to capitalize. Not even the next day they
had in their online stores and all around the tournament shirts that had Kevin Ware’s
number and the phrase “Rise to the Occasion.” Mr. Ware received nothing from this but
Adidas did rise to the occasion. When growing up there was an art teacher named Mrs.
Martin, Mrs. Martin taught her art students how to avoid problems by using creative
thinking. There was a child one day who was painting and this child knocked over her
paint on to her clean white sheet of paper. The child yelled for the teacher to come quick
and Mrs. Martin ran over because of how distraught this young girl was, the teacher
looked down at the paper and turned the blue pile of paint into a river. The girl smiled
and asked the teacher what she had done and Mrs. Martin said, “Make your mistakes a
happy one.” Creative thinking is an applied skill that is learned through trial and error but
there is actually a creative thinking process.

To think creatively one must first determine their goal. The goal does not have to be
an exact goal but rather a generally direction that the outcome must head. Sometimes
during the creative thinking process it is very possible that the “thinker” may take a step
back and re-evaluate what direction their idea is headed in.The second step is actually the
thinking portion. Creative thinking requires many ideas that circle around the presumed
goal. The thought behind having many ideas up front is that you can save on back
tracking later. The more ideas that are present the more information is available for a
complete solution to reveal itself. The third step is to prioritize what exactly is important.
The fourth step is making a plan of action and setting the course in which your creative
boat will sail. This step is where the multitude of ideas comes in to play so that in this
step a person will not have to back track for lack of information of ideas. The fifth and
final step is like all processes; assess and review the results. Creative writing leads to
critical thinking and though this is a life skill that is needed it might not always be
positive.
Humans are critical by nature just plain and simple. People that are viewing another
person’s creative thinking may not have a suggestion for the “thinker” to correct their
process but they will definitely step up and let the “thinker” know that what they did was
not up to their liking. This typical human thought process and action actually defers the
whole process of creative thinking and depending on how detrimental the criticism is will
actually completely halt creative thinking in some “thinkers” lives. Critical thinking is
thinking logically with clarity and precision, using an approach that is accurate, and
focusing on information that is relevant.

Business critical thinking is the capacity to make timely, effective and well-reasoned
decisions. It is absolutely essential for executive leadership and managerial success.
Strong critical thinking at every organizational level results in accurate problem
identification and sensible problem resolution. That translates into better customer
service, greater productivity, and a healthier bottom line. Whether working in teams or
individually, employees who are willing and able to analyze, interpret, explain, infer and
evaluate information, proposals, ideas, plans and options are vital assets to their
organizations. Without these talented people at every level, businesses fail.
Over the years the lack of critical thinking and not using an accurate approach has
destroyed companies; on the other hand the implementation of critical thinking combined
with an accurate approach has made companies and people who they are today. In the
1970’s Schlitz was the 2nd
best beer in America and they decided that they were going to
take competition with Budweiser. Robert Uhlein Jr., who was the head of Schlitz brewing
at the time, decided that he would cut cost in the ingredients and shorten the brewing
process from 40 days to 15 days. Barley was replaced with corn syrup and the product hit
the shelves. Schlitz had founded its company off of the premises that it was the most
carefully brewed beer in the world and that quote was used as their slogan. When the
reinvented product was released the initial profit did well because people were so excited
to taste the beer; contraire to the initial expectations consumers found that the beer was
not the same tasting beer they had originally fell in love with. By 1981 the company was
shut down and 10 million cans of beer had to be recalled. Mr. Uhlein did not take into

account the information that was relevant in making his business decision. Had he
stopped and thought with clarity he would have obviously seen their slogan explains what
type of product people are anticipating and that second rate ingredients were not going to
cut it.
Now sometimes when business think critical there are positive business outcomes in
1981 Universal Studios was filming a new box office hit and was looking for permission
to us M&Ms in their production. Mars declined the offer. Hershey decided that their new
product called Reese’s Pieces would be a wonderful substitution and it was also a way to
get their new product out. The impact of this decision was phenomenal, the film that was
being filmed was E.T. and the Reese’s Pieces were needed so that Elliot, the boy who
befriends the alien, to lure E.T. in to his house to safety. Hershey released a statement
saying that without the movie deal the advertising of that magnitude would have cost
them $15-20 million (Ramsey, 2009).
Dr. Shu Ching Yang and Dr. Wen Chaun Lin are both published authors who
collaborate in March of 2004 for the Journal of Instructional Psychology to perform a
study on high school students based on their critical and creative thinking.The present
study, anchored in Sternberg's theory of mental self-government and Jung's theory of
personality types, serves to lend partial support to the evidence of the relationships of
thinking styles to personality types. It was found that the two constructs from the two
theories strongly related as significant relationships were identified between particular
thinking styles and certain personality traits. This indicates that the genesis of thinking

styles may partially be explained by the nature of the relationship between thinking styles
and personality types. This study could actually be of great use when a person is trying
to hire successful business people if their personal does not show creative or critical
thinking aspects its very assumable that they will also preform as a bland worker maybe
they’ll complete their tasks but the innovativeness will be minimal (Yang & Lin, 2004).
When students have surpassed the primary and secondary education levels they then
continue to college. Dr. Jeanny Liu and Dr. Deborah Olson are both Associate Professors
with in the College of Business and Public Administration at University of La Verne, and
they had a case study over the different skills that teachers are beginning to implement in
the collegiate levels to better prepare them for real world scenarios. In recent years,
students have shown that they have an extreme issues with translating the textbook
concepts into real- world applications that can allow them to grow and mature in the
professional realm. Dr. Liu and Dr. Olson decided that they would implement the
Experiential Learning Theory (ELT) which is an established approach that includes
holistic and integrative learning approaches that help the student learn and retain what
they have learned for the years to come. They noted that the common forms of
experiential learning include case studies, computer simulations, and service learning
projects, travel study courses, internships, and real- life consulting projects.
The to doctors ranked the approaches based on increasing levels of cognitive
complexity which is where the student can asses how complex the problems they are
facing are, these problems are based on the course goals. For instance, in Dr. Liu’s

Principles of Marketingthe course goals are to develop an awareness of the product to
customer/consumer. Her course also showed them by hands on simulation experience
how to develop efficient strategies to market good and how to implement current
technologies into a business that might not necessarily have them. Every course that the
two Doctors created had the primary goal of facilitating student development. The real
world skill that was focused upon were the ability to ask clear and meaningful questions,
this skill can be developed and refined during the types of programs these teachers have
implemented. They felt that in order for their students to be effective that they would be
given real scenarios that caused them to interact with business leaders. The students were
required to prepare for their meetings by developing list of questions that they may have
about the business. The students also had to do a plethora of background research so that
they would not be going into these executive meetings blind. Dr. Olson feels that it is
important that professors encourage students to ask and reflect questions based on the
course goals.
There were several contributions to students’ development included, the ability to
retract information directly from the source via business leaders that enabled the students
to understand that in the real world data will not just be handed to them and that it will
require research. When new information emerges that information will need to be joined
with the information that the leaders of the business already know. After the meetings
with the executives the students were given constructive feedback in “real time” which
basically means that in the actual meetings the leaders told them the students which ideas

could be used for profit or adjustments and the ones that could not or would not be used
how they can change.
Education is the framework to which students can be able to go out into the real world
and be successful in business. Just because a person doesn’t have all of the previous
mentioned qualities that are attained from newborn through college experiences does not
mean that the will not be successful however if too many of these items are lacking it will
be very hard for them to assimilate into the professional world. Not only does education
open you up to real life and simulated experiences it will give you the tools that you need
to actually go out and get a job.
There are many types of experiences and aspiring businessperson may encounter on the
path to become successfully employed at the job of their dream. The different types of
experiences other than employment that a person may encounter are volunteer
opportunities, internships, and job shadowing. Volunteer opportunities can be a
multitude of different experiences but one thing that remains the same is that the person
is doing work on behalf of otherpeople’s benefits’ and for no pay. Volunteer work is
important from a business perspective because it shows what type of person you are to
potential employers. Employers want people who are going to do the right thing
naturally. If you are constantly giving back to the community it shows that you honestly
feel that making the community a better place is of great importance to you. Employers
will feel that someone who cares about the community and the environment that
surrounds them will be someone who is most likely trustworthy and respectful of the

integrity and policies set in place by the business. Volunteer work also can allow an
individual to seek other routes of their intended field that they might not have noticed
were a viable option before. Because volunteer work is relatively risk- free there is not
much that can happen if you decide that what you are doing doesn’t interest you (Ellis,
2009). Volunteering can lead you to a paying job--by providing contacts, references, and
something tangible to show on your resume. For new graduates, volunteering can place
you a notch above your fellow students who may only be able to show prospective
employers that they studied in the classroom and held minimum-wage summer jobs.
Volunteer work will demonstrate that you have practical skills, can function in a work
environment, and care about your community.
Businesses and firms offer internships to students or recent graduates by a firm to
work an extended and/ or set period of time. Internships provide four features to the
recent or anticipated graduate; gain real-world experience, set yourself apart, continue
your learning, and test the water. Most employers looking for full-time candidates prefer
students who have had some real-world experience. They look for candidates who have
worked in their industry or one that requires a similar skill set. There are few ways to
gain real-world experience through the classroom an internship will supplement your
education with on-the-job experience. Setting yourself apart comes with the territory; to
be able to set yourself apart depends on the other candidates and the type of internship
that you will be working. When a student finishes their internship they are able to speak
more knowledgeably on the field that they have invested their time. Internships offer you
education enrichment as you apply the knowledge you gain in classes. Also, most

internships offer additional training and learning experiences. Students may find that
they understand concepts taught in class much more easily after completing an internship.
Internships are great for employers as they offer a chance to evaluate potential full-time
candidates over a period of several weeks. The same luxury of evaluating an employer
over a span of time is afforded to interns. Internships can be a great opportunity to
adjust career-planning goals. There may be a great interest in the field in which you
interned, that you want to work in a similar position, or that you are entirely disinterested
in an industry and/or employer.  
Job shadowing is becoming increasingly popular as an option for employers, college
students, and recent graduates. Job shadowing also helps with on the job learning, career
development, and leadership intervention to correct or fine tune mistakes that are being
made by management. Shadowing involves working with another employee who might
have a different job in hand, might have something to teach, or can help the person
shadowing him or her to learn new aspects related to the job, organization, certain
behaviors or competencies. Organizations have found that this is extremely helpful when
implementing this into their business practices. There are several different applications
that job shadowing can be used for such as new job training, career development,
developing expertise, and leadership development. During new job training the individual
may be asked to shadow the current person in their position for couple of days to months
to get a good idea of the new role and also understand the exactly what happens and
when it is supposed to happen without really taking up the responsibility. Career
development with multiple options available for somebody to grow in an organization,

job shadowing can help to get a better sense of options available and the required
competencies for the same. An employee may shadow senior employees in various
positions/function to appreciate and get a fair idea about what it takes to build a career
there. Developing expertise is just transmitting knowledge from someone else’s prior
knowledge. Organizations use job shadowing as an effective tool for leadership
development. Aspiring leaders are given opportunities to share senior leaders and learn
from them. It effectively complements classroom learning and aspiring leaders get first
hand idea about what is takes to be a leader. Job Shadowing helps both parties to learn
and exchange ideas. It helps in networking, exploring opportunities, feed- backing, and
collaboration with different departments (St. Catherine's University, 2013).
Sometimes when a person job shadows that person that they may be viewing and
learning from can become their mentor. Even if the person doesn’t become their mentor
someone striving to become successful in business should really think long and hard
about finding a mentor in the field they wish to enter. A mentor is someone that has a
more profound knowledge in life or certain areas of life and is able to help someone
realize and utilize their full potential. Mentors can come at any time of the day or any
time in a person’s life that is why it is also good for your networking skills to be sharp.
Choosing the right mentor is very important. If you try and make a mentor out of
someone that is not trying to help you in all ways that are possible it is likely that he or
she can discourage you from where you want to be professionally. However, if you get
someone who is invested into you more than on a professional level in the beginning it is
possible that they feel compromised when it comes to criticism or trying to correct

mistakes that are being made. It is completely appropriate further down the line for you
and your mentor to have a bond because of course you will be gracious of all the things
they have taught. When looking for a mentor there are several routes to look; family and
friends are great mentors as long as they feel comfortable in their boundaries and can
correct things without feeling that the criticism is taking away from the personal
relationship, many times we do not even think twice about how many people we actually
know therefore looking in our extended families is very helpful, if you know someone
who is great at what they do it is possible that you feel impulsive to meet them and then a
complete stranger become your mentor. Choosing a mentor does not happen overnight
and it shouldn’t happen overnight unless you use a firm who specializes in mentors who
are paid for their knowledge (Inc., 2009).
Mentors are important for several reasons they can give you encouragement, reduce
mistakes, eliminate your weaknesses, they can bring out the best in you and expose your
strengths, and they shouldn’t be afraid to tell you the truth. The bond that you and your
mentor should be creating is a special bond to say the least especially since the success
you plan to have in business is directly correlated with them. The mentor you establish
should be able to encourage you to go the extra mile when you feel as if you cannot go
on. Your mentor should be able to help go through the negatives that you will certainly
face going through your first few years n the professional realm. A good mentor is also a
great motivator and they should be able to keep you on the correct path. Also, because a
mentor has been where you are at they see everything in a different perspective maybe
one that you have not thought about. In business or even in life, there are only two ways

to gain wisdom: learn from your mistakes or learn from others’ failures. What is amazing
about having a mentor is that you do not need to fail to learn and gain wisdom. A good
mentor will show you that his failures are enough for you to avoid mistakes. However, it
takes a lot of introspection on your part to fully absorb the depth of failure. The toughest
part of mentoring is when a mentor attempts to cut off bad habits that could have negative
influence on your business. In fact, it is never an easy job telling people about their
weaknesses nor is it easy for someone to just surrender himself and admit his
weaknesses. In all cases, mentoring is not an easy job because people may become
offended and are likely not to like their mentors. Your friends will see who you are, a
product of your past, but your mentor sees a different you, a person that will become a
success. This is only possible, though, when you have fully removed your weaknesses
and have decided to step up to the challenge and become a success. This is the primary
goal of every mentor: to unravel your full potentials. Every person has a potential to
become the person he dreams to be, but it takes a lifetime to train somebody to unravel
someone’s potentials. A good mentor is the right person who can transform you to be the
best person in your field, in business and in life. He has the ability to unlock your talents
and skills and convert them into essential qualities necessary in life and in business. One
of the hardest aspects of mentoring is telling the truth because it may hurt the individual
that is being mentored. For the most part, we always want to hear good things, but a
mentor will tell you things that are not so pleasing to hear. If your friends are used to
telling you good things just to please you, your mentor will be honest with you and tell
you the reality of things. As a learner, it is important that a not-so-pleasing truth is better

than a lifetime of regrets(Powell, 2010). Having a mentor looks great on your resumé as
well.
A resumé is in my personal opinion the second most important thing to education that
will prepare someone for being successful in business. Your resume is basically a
snapshot of your professional and educational experiences along with achievement and
personal contact information. A resume is a summary of your experiences and skills
relevant to the field of work you are entering. It highlights your accomplishments to
show a potential employer that you are qualified for the work you want. It is not a
biography of everything you have done. Its purpose is to get you an interview.A resume
can reflect more than just your paid work experience. Current students, in particular,
should consider including the details of your more important extracurricular, volunteer
and leadership experiences.According to Rockport Institute there are actually six other
reasons people may have a resume other than getting that one job they have been
dreaming of since they were a small child. “ To pass the employer's screening process
(requisite educational level, number years' experience, etc.), to give basic facts which
might favorably influence the employer (companies worked for, political affiliations,
racial minority, etc.). To provide contact information: an up-to-date address and a
telephone number (a telephone number which will always be answered during business
hours). To establish you as a professional person with high standards and excellent
writing skills, based on the fact that the resume is so well done (clear, well-organized,
well-written, well-designed, of the highest professional grades of printing and paper). For
persons in the art, advertising, marketing, or writing professions, the resume can serve as

a sample of their skills. To have something to give to potential employers, your job-
hunting contacts and professional references, to provide background information, to give
out in "informational interviews" with the request for a critique (a concrete creative way
to cultivate the support of this new person), to send a contact as an excuse for follow-up
contact, and to keep in your briefcase to give to people you meet casually - as another
form of "business card." To use as a covering piece or addendum to another form of job
application, as part of a grant or contract proposal, as an accompaniment to graduate
school or other application and lastly, to put in an employer's personnel file. To help you
clarify your direction, qualifications, and strengths, boost your confidence, or to start the
process of committing to a job or career change (Lore, 2012).”
This year in Dr. Reginald Bell’s class one of the assignments that was given to the
students of his Business Communications class was to revamp their resumes. Many of the
students realized that their resumes they have presenting to companies probably looked
really crappy. The following information is based off of the in class information and
PowerPoint that was given to the students via eCourses. The first information that was
given to the students were to analyze, compose, and evaluate the resume that they already
have typed and see if it answers fundamental questions and points. The students were
asked to analyze their goals and the needs that potential employers may need from you.
Student were advised to compose targeted resumes and cover letters so that the two will
highlight your strengths and after you have composed you need to evaluate your
employment materials to ensure they are effective and professional. There are three types
of resumes that people can choose to base their resumes off of. A chronological resume is

the most noticeable format that there is available and it is basically where work history is
in order starting with most recent. A functional resume is made to highlight someone that
has many skills that qualify but maybe lacks in job experience. A combined resume,
which is not as common, uses work experience, which is categorized by the skills that
you have attained. The format that you choose is a guideline for how the resume should
look but what’s more important is the content that lies within.
The beginning of any resume is the header section; in an effective header the
information should be easy to find and not cluttered. You name firstly should be larger
than the other text in the header but should not be half the size of your page. Your email
address should be on the header as well but the email you choose should be professional
not the email you choose when you were 13 and in love with a boy band or a supermodel.
A phone number with a greeting on the voicemail is also encouraged and you’re complete
mailing address. There are three types of summary statements.A summary statement in
general is a summary of why the potential employer should hire you and depending on
the type of resume format you have chose. There is an objective summary statement,
which is a general statement on what you can do and provide for the potential company.
When you introduce your summary based on qualification it is simply a very descriptive
of skills as opposed to the professional profile summary, which is an intricate description
of what work experience you have. Following your summary education experience, work
experiences, and skills attained will follow. Your potential employer will not spend days
and hours going over your resume that is why it is important for it to be clear and
concise. It is important to make sure you do not lie to your future employer so that they

do not find out you’re a liar and so that they do not hire a person who is not qualified,
either way lying will catch up with you in reference to your resume. When an employer
feels that you are qualified he or she will then call you to come in for an interview.
When you are called for an interview most people become excited and then
feel that this is an incredible daunting hour of their life. Job interviews can make people
very nervous because they want the job and nobody likes to look bad in front of potential
employers. An interview is usually a meeting between a potential employee and a hiring
manager. The hiring manager will usually ask several questions pertaining to the person’s
resume, experience, and scenario questions that might happen in the job. There are
usually multiple people interviewing for the same job. The hiring managers job is to
narrow the perspective job seekers and pick the most qualified person. There are certain
things that a person can do to prepare for a job interview. A purpose will be successful in
a job interview if they prepare by analyzing what the job they want entails this can also
include researching the company and what they do and what products they offer to the
public. Many people are often great people and have wonderful resumes that are full of
work experience but they get caught up on the interview portion when it comes to first
impressions. There are many people who do not know how to dress. When dressing for
an interview it is important to understand what and what not to wear. Dressing for
success’ Allison Doyle wrote a guide on how to dress for an interview. Ms. Doyle states
that it is imperative that you dress your absolute best. Women’s interview attire consists
of Solid color, conservative suit, coordinated blouse, moderate shoes, limited jewelry,
neat, professional hairstyle, with tan hosiery, sparse make-up and perfume, and

manicured nails. Bringing a portfolio or briefcase is recommended. It is suggested that
men wear solid colored suits, white long sleeved button down shirt, conservative ties,
dark socks with professional shoes, limited jewelry, neat and professional hairstyles, and
light after shave is recommended. When walking into an interview it is important to give
off confidence but not cockiness. The potential employer wants to know that you can
handle what is given to you in aspect to your potential job but does not want to feel that
your attitude will not allow you to start from the bottom of the ladder. You should always
try to smile and keep a positive outlook during your interview. If what you are hearing
something that doesn’t sound good to you don’t frown and look disgruntled, just keep a
slight smile on your face until it is time for you to say something. Keeping eye contact
with your interviewer is very important, especially when one of you is speaking to the
other. If you are looking around the room or at the items on the interviewer’s desk, you
will appear uninterested. Just imagine what you would be thinking if you were speaking
to him and he was looking all over the room. You would probably think that you already
lost the interview. Body language also tells a lot about a person. People who fidget a lot
show lack of confidence, if you cross your arms it looks as if you are not open to ideas or
conversations, and lastly do not shrug your shoulders when asked a question that you are
unsure of. Take a second to think of your response. Shrugging your shoulders gives the
impression that you don’t know the answer. An interview is a great way to show your
potential employer what your resume cannot show. Landing an interview in a good job
can pave the way for you to be successful in business.
I would like to take the time out and point out that there are people in this world who
did not receive traditional education that I spoke of in the beginning of this paper. There

have also been people who did not work their way up the ladder, and there are many
people who rose like a Phoenix out of their own ashes of defeat and became multi-
millionaires with an astonishing amount of success that happened during their business
life; those are the anomalies. Many people in the world wwill wait for things to be
handed to them because of how they think they should be treated and what they feel is
owed to them; there are also people who go out there and take what they want and work
hard for what they are deserved. To be successful in business it doesn’t happen over night
it starts within your self and make sure that the proper steps are done. Education, gaining
experience, your resume, your mentor, and your interview are all things that you can take
control of and make your destiny a successful one.
References
Alberta Education. (2007). Guiding Principles, Key Learning Skills, Curriculum Integration.
Kindergarten- 3rd Grade. Alberta: Alberta Education.

Ellis, S. J. (2009). Volunteering to Explore Career Possibilities. Retrieved April 19, 2013, from
Service Leader: Where the study and practice of volunteerism meet:
http://www.serviceleader.org/volunteers/career
Inc. (2009). Leadership and Mentoring. Retrieved April 19, 2013, from Business Guides:
http://www.inc.com/guides/how-to-find-a-business-mentor_pagen_2.html
Lore, N. A. (2012). Resume Help Guide. Retrieved April 19, 2013, from RockPort Institute:
http://www.rockportinstitute.com/resumes
Olson, D., & Liu, J. (2008). Putting Business Students in the Shoes of an Executive: An
Applied Learning Approach to Developing Decision Making Skills. InSight: A Journal
of Scholarly Teaching , 14-27.
Powell, A. (2010). Having a Mentor. Retrieved April 19, 2013, from Your Successful Coach:
http://www.annettapowellonline.com/five-good-reasons-for-having-a-mentor
Ramsey, S. (2009). Increasing Critical Thinking in the Workplace. (T. Watson, Ed.) San
Antonio, Texas, United States of America: Pearson.
Rempe, E., & Dineen, S. (2013). Skills Learned. Retrieved April 1, 2013, from Early
Childhood SKills Activity Category:
http://education.alberta.ca/media/656614/learning.pdf
St. Catherine's University. (2013). Job Shadow. Retrieved April 21, 2013, from Career
Services: http://minerva.stkate.edu/careers.nsf/pages/shadow
Wilkinson, M. (2011, January 30). The Importance of cooperation in the workplace.
Retrieved April 16, 2013, from Helium: Jobs & Other:
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workplace
Yang, S. C., & Lin, W. C. (2004). The Relationship among Creative, Critical Thinking and
Thinking Styles in Taiwan High School Students. Journal of Instructional Psychology,
31 (1), 33-45.

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