Winning Tips For Your Interview Checklist - Pathfinder Careers

Winning Tips For Your Interview Checklist - Pathfinder Careers Winning Tips For Your Interview Checklist Congratulations! You just got the call for an interview. In all of the accompanying excitement and bustle, many people don’t do a good job on focusing what they need to do in advance of the interview. Preparation in advance will lead to CONFIDENCE in the interview. I guarantee it! Coming up with a standardized interview checklist is a good way to make sure you stay on track, are fully prepared and organized, and are ready to present yourself in the best light possible. Here are some tips to make yourself stand out on your big day: Attire/ Appearance: 1) Dress conservatively. Solid, muted colors are best for most interviews, unless, of course, you are applying for a highly creative field where colorful attire might play well with your audience. 2) Dress one step above your career position. Know the corporate culture where you are going, and wear clothing styled above the norm for every day office work there. This will subliminally communicate respect and professionalism to the interviewer. Remember, you might be able to wear shorts once you get the job, but you can never go back from first impressions! Don’t cut yourself out of the running by wearing inappropriate attire. 3) Leave the bling and the perfume / cologne at home. These might be part of your personal ‘signature’ look or aura, but in an interview, these two areas can end up being downright distracting. 4) Conduct an image audit. Are your shoes scuffed? Nails clean and clipped? Facial hair trimmed or shaved? Do you have good breath? Attention to the small details can improve your self image and your interview confidence. Take off any politically-motivated buttons or pins, and don’t use a portfolio that has any stickers on it that could be misconstrued against you. Preparation: 1) Bring the full contact information of the interviewer. One time in a million, an accident can happen to you enroute to an interview. If you can do so (safely), call the interviewer as a courtesy to let them know that you had a flat tire, etc. just so you don’t leave them hanging. 2) Arrive early. Use Mapquest or another mapping feature to get a precise location on your interview destination. Budget plenty of time for traffic tie-ups. Bring enough change for parking meters if you need to use one. I always suggest arriving 15-20 minutes early to your parking spot, and spend five minutes ‘staging’ yourself before arriving ten minutes prior to your interview at the destination company. 3) Key materials to bring: The resume you submitted to the company, your cover letter, a list of references, notepad /portfolio, two pens, copy of the job description, a business card (if you have one), relevant work samples, and any background research you’ve been able to dig up. 4) Research the target company. A friend of mine actually brings a three-ring binder of her research on a company. She uses one of the clear-sleeve ones and drops a big copy of the interviewing company’s logo in the front, so it stands out. So now, she is walking into an interview with a big book on that company, and that always perks up the attention of the interviewers! They want to know what that notebook is all about. By spending the time on this research process, you are not only a subject matter expert on their company, but also the target position. Knowledge is extremely powerful and confidence-building. 5) TURN OFF YOUR PHONE! It is always an expectation that you should have turned off your phone, but we are all human and forget from time to time before going into an important appointment. But nothing can put interviewer’s teeth on edge than a candidate’s phone going off in the middle of the interview. 6) No food, drink, or gum. Eat or drink something before or after the interview, but never during. (Yes, I have actually seen someone bring a sandwich to an interview… we were all aghast!) This boycott includes not bringing a soda drink to the waiting room. If you are offered water, you can accept; some people get so nervous that they get dry mouth during interviews and need a drink of water. If the employer offers, it is fine to accept this. But be careful about fidgeting with the glass on the table during the interview. And if you have bad breath, chew the gum on the way to the interview, then remove it before entering the building. In the interview: 1) Smile and make eye contact. That directly communicates confidence and enthusiasm. Let’s put it this way- would you want to hire someone who couldn’t look you in the eye? 2) Break the ice. The most awkward phase of the interview is the beginning. They don’t know you and you don’t know them. Generally, you’ll be ushered into a room and asked to take a seat. Break the ice by saying something like,”Oh, is this the ‘hot seat’? Is all warmed up for me? I’m ready!!” which usually elicits a laugh and starts things flowing, breaking the stiffness of the moment. 3) Write down the names of your interviewer(s). You’ll need that information to refer to them later during the interview (nothing communicates confidence if you use that person’s name when addressing them), and also for your follow up thank you note either mailed or emailed to EACH interviewer. 4) Ask questions back. Many times, interviewers will ask you at some point whether you have any questions. You ABSOLUTELY need to have some questions prepared in advance. I recommend having at least 10 things to ask (both generic and company-specific) because sometimes things get covered in the interview, so you’ll need some backup. Smart questions to ask include: a. What are some of the biggest challenges that your company is facing, and why? b. If you could name some of the top successes that have happened in the last two years, what would those be? c. What types of professional development does your company offer? d. If I were hired tomorrow, what are the top five things I’d need to know to hit the ground running? e. Based on your observations in the interview today, do you have any concerns about hiring me? f. When can I expect to hear back? (Asking permission for a follow up is an important tool!) 5) Thank the interviewer(s) at the end. Showing appreciation goes a long way! Keeping focused on the goal and then working through these details can help you have a successful interview!

Career Direction Whats Your Pot of Gold - Hallie Crawford

Career Direction What’s Your Pot of Gold Through my work, I’ve encountered many people who struggle with their career direction, and I believe there are even more of them out there. These people spend years bouncing from job to job or industry to industry. Some try to learn from past experience, and that’s a good thing. But where they falter is that they didn’t take the needed self-reflective time and space in the beginning to evaluate what they really wanted. They didn’t define what their pot of gold at the end of the rainbow looks like. That pot of gold is your vision. “If you dont know where you are going, you will probably end up somewhere else.” Lawrence J. Peter I know this seems obvious. But I can’t tell you how many people understand it rationally, yet respond emotionally. Tanya, for instance, had three jobs in six years. She kept having problems at work and was let go each time. It was obvious the jobs were not a fit and that she had no vision for what she wanted instead. How do you create a vision? For starters, what gets you excited or elicits an emotional response? Is it working with children, being a writer, managing people? Is it something you’ve wanted to do from an early age? Or something you’ve just discovered? Vision is that answer that pops into your head without thought when the above question is asked. It’s a big picture sort of thing. And it is absolutely necessary to develop such a vision for what you want in a dream job. A job that is rewarding for the rest of your life. You probably wouldn’t choose a partner or spouse based on two weeks of dating, so why would you choose a career that quickly? In both instances, taking time to think things through usually results in better outcomes. In a nutshell: Most of success is knowing where you want to go in the first place from a visionary point of view. is a certified career coach and founder of HallieCrawford.com. Her team of coaches helps people find their dream job and make it a reality. She is regularly featured as an expert in the media including the Wall Street Journal, CNN, and US News World Report. Visit her website at  www.HallieCrawford.com  for more information about her teams career coaching services and to sign up for a complimentary consultation. Schedule a free consult with HallieCrawford.com today

Resume Writing Tips For Business Owners

Resume Writing Tips For Business OwnersDid you know that some very successful people seem to have memorized the resume writing tips in a big book? Why don't you try reading one and see how effective it is to become successful as a business owner or to be successful as a business owner in general?The things that they're saying are not from a copy editor. They're just repeating what they've seen, experienced, read, and know about their job as an editor. You can use these resume writing tips to impress your future employer in much the same way that you can use a list of business skills to impress your employer.It's always a good idea to be prepared, so make sure that you include all of the important information about yourself in your job description. This will help you impress your prospective employer by giving them a clear picture of who you are and what you are capable of doing.By including your business skills and the things that you're capable of doing, you are showing them that yo u have what it takes to succeed in whatever field you are considering working in. By mentioning the things that you are good at as well as the things that you are not good at, you're giving them a little bit of a glimpse into your personality.No matter how good you are at writing, no matter how intelligent you are, no matter how quick and easy to get along with you are, or no matter how much experience you have in whatever field you're considering working in, you're not going to be able to make a difference to the hiring manager if you lack the necessary skills that will allow you to be hired. You need to be able to prove to them that you're the person they need in order to make a difference.One of the resume writing tips that they are using for business owners is to remind them that you're still working on your resume. Yes, your resume still needs some polishing up, but that's because your business skills and the skills that you know from your experiences will still be important to the company that you're considering working for.If you put yourself in the shoes of a potential employer, it's easy to appreciate the fact that the skills that you have that are better than the skills that they already have aren't going to do you any good when it comes to the actual interview. A copy editor's resume writing tips will work for your business, but they won't be able to do anything for you unless you put some work into them yourself.

How to Use Keywords on Your LinkedIn Profile (Examples) - ZipJob

How to Use Keywords on Your LinkedIn Profile (Examples) Spread the loveJob-seekers have more career tools at their disposal than at any time in history. From job search sites to social media, there are a host of innovative resources available. Take LinkedIn, for example. This social media platform has exploded in popularity in recent years â€" and employers have taken note.Today, many hiring managers actively look to a candidate’s LinkedIn profile during their evaluation process. What you may not know, however, is that LinkedIn can also provide a way for recruiters and others to discover your talents. In fact, when you properly keyword optimize your LinkedIn profile, you can exponentially increase those discovery odds.Why Keyword Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile?If you’ve ever explored how search engines find the sites you want, then you already know a little bit about search engine optimization. Company websites, blogs, and other online forums rely on SEO to help users locate their sites.Since  there is no LinkedIn keyword tool you ne ed to roll up your sleeves and get to work on finding relevant keywords employers are searching for.When you run a search using Google, Bing, or another engine, you’re provided with site suggestions based on the keywords you used. You can use that to your advantage and draw more attention to your LinkedIn page.If you learn how to keyword optimize your LinkedIn profile page, you can help those search engines find you. When users enter the keywords that you’ve included within your profile content, search engines will include your page in the results.That can provide an opportunity for job recruiters and headhunters to find your page. And that could translate into job offers that you might not otherwise receive.(Here is a good post we wrote on how to find recruiters on LinekdIn)Techniques You Can Use to Keyword Optimize Your LinkedIn ProfileThe good news is that you can keyword optimize your LinkedIn profile with little effort. We’ve compiled some of the best techniques you can u se to ensure that your page has the SEO it needs.For example:Carefully Select the Best KeywordsBefore you begin, take time to consider the type of keywords that you should be using. Imagine that you were looking for someone with your skills and experience.What words would you type into a search engine to find that person? Chances are that those are the same words that others will be using to find you. Find those words, and you’ve found your keywords!Naturally, you want to be selective about the keywords that you use, since keyword-stuffing can weaken your optimization efforts.Identify the most likely words and phrases associated with your skill set or position, to ensure that your optimization is as targeted as possible. Then strategically place those keywords within your content.Use the Keywords in Your Professional HeadlineOne key area where you should focus your attention is the professional headline. On LinkedIn, that headline is your best opportunity to brand yourself.It’s also a perfect place to begin your effort to keyword optimize your LinkedIn profile. After all, this headline ranks highly in the site’s own indexing system. You can use up to 120 characters for your headline, so use some of those keywords to bolster your optimization.Instead of using “Sales Manager for Dynamic Sales Inc” as your headline, try the following keyword-friendly approach.Marketing Manager. Sales Strategy Leadership. Training Program Development. Advertising and Marketing Revenue Growth.Include Keywords in the SummaryYour summary is another area of consideration. While it is not a main target for indexing, you should still include the main keywords. Be careful not to just copy your resume summary, though.Your LinkedIn profile summary should be unique and stand on its own merits. Here’s an example:In my role as a Marketing Director, I’ve been tasked with satisfying the needs of customers, stakeholders, and relevant team members. To do that, I have worked to creat e new marketing strategies that increased revenues by 31% in the last two years alone. That effort was bolstered by training program development, sales strategy leadership, and innovative mentoring and brand development programs that helped us to capture an additional 12% of our market.Get Endorsements for Your Skills and ExpertiseYou should also use keywords in your Skills and Expertise area. However, to get the most impact out of these keywords, you will need endorsements. Without those endorsements, this section of your profile will be less influential. With them, however, you can get the most bang for your SEO effort.You should actively seek endorsements for those skills and areas of expertise from your connections, to ensure maximum SEO benefit. Recommendations matter!Don’t Forget Keywords in Your Job TitleIf you’re used to listing your job title in the most direct manner possible, it’s time for a change. On LinkedIn, the index focuses on things like your job title. As a result, you should focus on using keywords in that job title area to ensure that you get the most benefit from that text.As a rule, though, you want to leave the actual job title intact. Just add keywords to the text to help you keyword optimize your LinkedIn profile.Let’s look at our marketing director example again. Ordinarily, most people would list that job title using only those words. You can bolster it with keywords, and help to make it more searchable for others”Marketing Director Advertising and Marketing Revenue Growth, Sales StrategyThe title can be up to 100 characters in length, providing plenty of space for you to squeeze a few relevant keywords into the mix.Keyword Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile, and Enhance Your Job Prospects!When you keyword optimize your LinkedIn profile, you do more than just make your profile easier for recruiters and others to find. You also add valuable content that better showcases your skill set and areas of expertise.That can be a real benefit when hiring managers look at your page too. The fact is that keyword optimization of your profile can only help in your job search efforts. How to Use Keywords on Your LinkedIn Profile (Examples) Spread the loveJob-seekers have more career tools at their disposal than at any time in history. From job search sites to social media, there are a host of innovative resources available. Take LinkedIn, for example. This social media platform has exploded in popularity in recent years â€" and employers have taken note.Today, many hiring managers actively look to a candidate’s LinkedIn profile during their evaluation process. What you may not know, however, is that LinkedIn can also provide a way for recruiters and others to discover your talents. In fact, when you properly keyword optimize your LinkedIn profile, you can exponentially increase those discovery odds.Why Keyword Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile?If you’ve ever explored how search engines find the sites you want, then you already know a little bit about search engine optimization. Company websites, blogs, and other online forums rely on SEO to help users locate their sites.Since  there is no LinkedIn keyword tool you ne ed to roll up your sleeves and get to work on finding relevant keywords employers are searching for.When you run a search using Google, Bing, or another engine, you’re provided with site suggestions based on the keywords you used. You can use that to your advantage and draw more attention to your LinkedIn page.If you learn how to keyword optimize your LinkedIn profile page, you can help those search engines find you. When users enter the keywords that you’ve included within your profile content, search engines will include your page in the results.That can provide an opportunity for job recruiters and headhunters to find your page. And that could translate into job offers that you might not otherwise receive.(Here is a good post we wrote on how to find recruiters on LinekdIn)Techniques You Can Use to Keyword Optimize Your LinkedIn ProfileThe good news is that you can keyword optimize your LinkedIn profile with little effort. We’ve compiled some of the best techniques you can u se to ensure that your page has the SEO it needs.For example:Carefully Select the Best KeywordsBefore you begin, take time to consider the type of keywords that you should be using. Imagine that you were looking for someone with your skills and experience.What words would you type into a search engine to find that person? Chances are that those are the same words that others will be using to find you. Find those words, and you’ve found your keywords!Naturally, you want to be selective about the keywords that you use, since keyword-stuffing can weaken your optimization efforts.Identify the most likely words and phrases associated with your skill set or position, to ensure that your optimization is as targeted as possible. Then strategically place those keywords within your content.Use the Keywords in Your Professional HeadlineOne key area where you should focus your attention is the professional headline. On LinkedIn, that headline is your best opportunity to brand yourself.It’s also a perfect place to begin your effort to keyword optimize your LinkedIn profile. After all, this headline ranks highly in the site’s own indexing system. You can use up to 120 characters for your headline, so use some of those keywords to bolster your optimization.Instead of using “Sales Manager for Dynamic Sales Inc” as your headline, try the following keyword-friendly approach.Marketing Manager. Sales Strategy Leadership. Training Program Development. Advertising and Marketing Revenue Growth.Include Keywords in the SummaryYour summary is another area of consideration. While it is not a main target for indexing, you should still include the main keywords. Be careful not to just copy your resume summary, though.Your LinkedIn profile summary should be unique and stand on its own merits. Here’s an example:In my role as a Marketing Director, I’ve been tasked with satisfying the needs of customers, stakeholders, and relevant team members. To do that, I have worked to creat e new marketing strategies that increased revenues by 31% in the last two years alone. That effort was bolstered by training program development, sales strategy leadership, and innovative mentoring and brand development programs that helped us to capture an additional 12% of our market.Get Endorsements for Your Skills and ExpertiseYou should also use keywords in your Skills and Expertise area. However, to get the most impact out of these keywords, you will need endorsements. Without those endorsements, this section of your profile will be less influential. With them, however, you can get the most bang for your SEO effort.You should actively seek endorsements for those skills and areas of expertise from your connections, to ensure maximum SEO benefit. Recommendations matter!Don’t Forget Keywords in Your Job TitleIf you’re used to listing your job title in the most direct manner possible, it’s time for a change. On LinkedIn, the index focuses on things like your job title. As a result, you should focus on using keywords in that job title area to ensure that you get the most benefit from that text.As a rule, though, you want to leave the actual job title intact. Just add keywords to the text to help you keyword optimize your LinkedIn profile.Let’s look at our marketing director example again. Ordinarily, most people would list that job title using only those words. You can bolster it with keywords, and help to make it more searchable for others”Marketing Director Advertising and Marketing Revenue Growth, Sales StrategyThe title can be up to 100 characters in length, providing plenty of space for you to squeeze a few relevant keywords into the mix.Keyword Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile, and Enhance Your Job Prospects!When you keyword optimize your LinkedIn profile, you do more than just make your profile easier for recruiters and others to find. You also add valuable content that better showcases your skill set and areas of expertise.That can be a real benefit when hiring managers look at your page too. The fact is that keyword optimization of your profile can only help in your job search efforts.

5 Truths You Must Know For Your Executive Job Search - Work It Daily

5 Truths You Must Know For Your Executive Job Search - Work It Daily With 15 years of executive recruiting and over five years of coaching job seekers around the world, I've worked with executives at all levels, in all kinds of industriesâ€"from big bank CEOs, CTOs of companies with hundreds of thousands of SKUs, VPs, Directors, and all kinds of executives in every area of the company (finance, operations, sales, marketing, customer support, IT, etc.). RELATED: Need job search tips? Watch these tutorials! What I have found is that as experienced, competent and even innovative as executives are in the job, there’s a lot you typically don’t know about getting a job, especially one that fits you and offers you what you deserve. That's one of the reasons statistics say you will spend one month in the job search for every $10,000 you earn. I wouldn't want to wait that long, and I suspect you don't, either. [Download a Free Executive Job Search report] Here are five Executive Job Search Truths you must know in order to be successful in your executive job search and in your career: 1. You Must MARKET Yourself With Your Resume It’s not enough to have the title. You have to market yourself as well as you’d market a product of your company. They need to know why they need you and why you are the solution they need. The way to do this is to create a resume that ‘sells’ you. Highlight what you’ve done to help companies succeed. 2. You Must AGGRESSIVELY REACH OUT To Others At this stage of the game, you probably have quite an extensive network. Let every person in your network know you're lookingâ€"everyone you’ve ever worked with (over, under, or side-by-side) and even every one you know socially. You never know where a good job lead will come from. Also reach out to executive recruiters. They won’t know you’re looking until you tell them, and they may easily know about a perfect-fit job for you. Send them your resume. 3. You Must LEARN TO WRITE AN INTERESTING, COMPELLING COVER LETTER You probably hate writing cover lettersâ€"everyone does. However, they are worth the time and effort you put into them. This is a valuable opportunity to set a bias in your favor BEFORE they see your resume. It’s much better to have someone with a positive mindset reading your resume instead of someone with a negative or even neutral one. [Get this free report on How to Write a Job-Winning Cover Letter] 4. You Must PRACTICE Before Your Interviews Even though executives typically are wonderful at speaking about their product at their company in their area of expertise, they are not as good at speaking about themselvesâ€"so, when they get into interview situations, it doesn’t go as well as it should. The way to combat this is to practice answering interview questions. At your level, you may want to invest in an interview coach, but you can also practice with a trusted friend or even in a mirror. Put as much effort into preparing for this interview as you would into preparing for an important company presentation or a board meetingâ€"especially one that would involve a transition. In this case, you are the transition. 5. You Must Keep Your MENTAL GAME Positive A job search can be difficult at every level. There will be some rejectionâ€"it’s built into the process. But in order to get hired, you must present an image of positive confidence. So… Don’t say negative things to yourself that you wouldn’t say to a member of your team. Put up notes reminding you of who you are and what you’ve done (in your car, on your bathroom mirror, in your books, on your computer, etc.). Use neuro-linguistic programming (in other words, talk to yourself in positive, direct, and forward-looking ways) to help yourself achieve your potential. For additional ideas and tips, Download a Free Guide to Getting an Executive Job. Related Posts How To Manage Without Being Mean (Is It Possible To Not Be Pushy?) 5 Things To Consider Before You Take That Management Job #1 Key To Becoming An Effective Leader Disclosure: This post is sponsored by a Work It Daily-approved expert. You can learn more about expert posts here. Photo Credit: Shutterstock Have you joined our career growth club?Join Us Today!

This Zodiac Sign Produces the Most Billionaires - Fairygodboss

This Zodiac Sign Produces the Most Billionaires - Fairygodboss While hard work, keen intelligence, and strategic career moves can certainly up your chances of gaining personal wealth, the factor that separates comfortably upper-middle-class professionals from billionaire one-percenters often comes down to plain old luck. Coming up with the right idea at the right time, scoring the right investors at a crucial juncture, taking your company public in an auspicious market, and (of course) having the fortune of being born into an already-affluent family represent influences that cant be replicated by nose-to-the-grindstone effort.But according to a recent UK study, the season of your birth could also sway your likelihood of striking serious pay-offs.Readers Digest reports that career site Adview surveyed the billionaires listed in the Fortune 400 to determine their dates of birth and their consequent zodiac signs, in an attempt to ascertain a connection between when youre born and your c hances of entering the super-rich echelon.According to their findings, individuals born in the late summer may have an edge over other billionaire hopefuls 28 billionaires on the Fortune 400 list were Leos.Leo, a fire sign, counts among its characteristic personality traits a penchant for leadership. Leos are self-confident, energetic, outgoing and socially capable, and very aware of the way theyre perceived by others. Its easy to see how these qualities relate to strong geschftliches miteinander acumen and a proactive attitude toward advancement, both of which can contribute to career success and financial gain.In second place, youll find Tauruses, with 24 billionaires on the list in this zodiac group. Rounding out the top three are Libras, with 23 Fortune 400 billionaires.But, of course, one zodiac sign had to claim the bottom spot on the billionaires list. Only 12 billionaires on the Fortune 400 list identify as Aries (born between March 20 and April 20).While horoscopes arent an chored in scientific fact (so dont let this get you down, Aries folks), the personality traits associated with specific signs can be valuable indicators for earning potential in the future.

What You Must Know About Reseme

What You Must Know About Reseme How to Get Started with Reseme? When youve completed the resume, you must get started getting ready for the chance of an interview. Then once you complete the completely free questionnaire, the rest is simply putting the puzzle together. You will likely miss certain errors so run a spell check and request help from family and friends members. Understanding how to tailor your resume will obviously offer you an advantage. The sphere of information technology gets more important each day. You also have to chat about past experience. The medical industry can be quite competitive. Distinct kinds of work in the food service industry require resumes with a lot of the exact saatkorn skills. The Benefits of Reseme Its possible to use our resume building software to produce your own from scratch. Should you do, begin with the most recent first. If a resume service doesnt provide a telephone number, then its likely that you wont get very personable service and you need to just look elsewhere. If youre sending your resume out and receiving no responses then theres a very good chance youre not sending out a quality resume. In the end, the checking of spelling and grammar is a crucial part of the resume process. Hence, you ought to use abbreviations only if theyre part of the anthroponym like J.C. Penny for instance. Below, you will discover a list of resume examples that may aid you with your work search. Keep in mind, resumes are formal documents that need a formal manner of writing. They can be used for a variety of reasons, but most often they are used to secure new employment. They may be organized in different ways. Possessing a strong resume will permit you find numerous great jobs. Transportation jobs involve a great deal of responsibility and your resume will want to reflect you can deal with that. 1 advantage for employers to internet resumes is the considerable cost saving in comparison to traditional hiri ng methods. You may also fax your resume to your possible employer too. What You Must Know About Reseme On the reverse side, however, a resume possessing font thats too large may convey that the person writing is attempting to stretch out or exaggerate limited abilities, limited expertise, or a limited quantity of computer ink. For this reason, you must continue to keep your resume layout simple so that it can be readily read by machines. To be able to type up a good resume you first need to understand the fundamental components a resume is composed of. There are lots of free resume templates readily available on the web but sometimes it can be quite tricky to select the best one that is most suited to you. What About Reseme? Perhaps while looking for examples you noticed poor samples all around the internet. What you exclude is at least as crucial as what you include. Therefore, our aim is to offer you the very best tools you have to succeed. When youve reviewed resumes i n your field, peruse resumes across fields to know how to vary the usage of action verbs and receive a feel for what makes an effective accomplishment statement.