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Writing A CV? Ask Yourself These 4 Questions!

Posted by | September 29, 2015 | Article University

Advice after advice you are told that you need to a CV that markets and sells you to the employer? You are also told that CV presentation is what will either keep the employer or recruiter glued to read on or discourage him or her from reading on. So how do you come up with a marketable CV?

Florence Mukunya, a Professional CV Writer at Corporate Staffing Services says a marketable CV should demonstrate how suitable you are for the job in the few seconds a recruiter browses through. A good CV should communicate what job you are suited for in only one glance.

In order to achieve this, your work experience (which is the most important to employers when hiring) should be very clear. But that is not all, once the recruiter has seen that you have the experience, other sections of your CV are next in the evaluation process. This means that your entire CV should be without mistakes or misleading information.

So, how do you ensure that your CV is too good for the recruiter to resist? Ask yourself these questions.

4 Questions You Need To Ask Yourself When Writing A CV?

1. Did I include my contact details?
One of the reasons well qualified job candidates are not called for interviews is because they didn’t leave their contact details, and if they did, they are usually out of reach.

“You come across candidates who are well qualified for a position, they have the experience and the skills needed but you can’t contact them because they didn’t leave their numbers. It’s very disappointing,” says Justus Ng’etich, a Recruitment Manager at Corporate Staffing Services.

When writing a CV, you must remember to include your working phone number(s) and email address. Not one of the two, both.

2. Are my duties & responsibilities for each position clear?
A big No when writing a CV is using paragraphs to explain your duties and responsibilities for previous roles – truth is – no recruiter will take time to read in between. Just like job adverts usually list responsibilities required for the job, make sure that your duties are in bullet form and that they are in short clear sentences.

Avoid being too wordy, recruiters appreciate brief and to the point information. You will explain further during the interview.

3. Is the information in my CV relevant for the jobs I want
A marketable CV demands that the information provided shows what you can do and what you cannot. It is your expertise in a document. For this reason, every single thing you write in your CV, from personal details to hobbies, must be meaningful and important for jobs you will be applying to.

Watching movies, swimming and travelling are good hobbies, but they do not add any value for that banking job.

4. Is my CV grammatically correct?
Setting your computer to UK English or using the Auto Correct feature in your Ms Word program when writing a CV does not mean your document will be free of errors. Words such as too, to and two are grammatically correct but when used wrongly, it becomes a mistake.

Humans are prone to error and anyone can make a grammatical mistake, but if done repeatedly, including detail oriented as a skill will not work out well.

Writing a CV that sells you to the employer or recruiters does not have to be complicated and tedious; just make sure you have important information at your fingertips.

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5 Sure Ways To Beat Unemployment In Nigeria

Posted by | September 16, 2015 | Article University

Are you still unemployed after tarmacking for what seems like forever? The job search can be a hustle and if you let it, it could drain you and cause you to doubt whatever skills that you have. Unknown to many job seekers, there is a way that you can beat unemployment and secure yourself a job

According to Muthoni Ndegwa, a Client Relations Manager at Corporate Staffing Services, it is possible to increase your chances of getting a job by not always focusing on the traditional job searching techniques.

Want To Beat Unemployment? Here Is What To Do

1. Use the internet wisely
Using the internet is something you do day in day out. The question here is, do you use it correctly? The internet is a place where vast opportunities exist, you just have to know where to look for them.

Did you know that there are jobs available online? If you are tired of the hustle and are looking to get a job, maybe it is time for you to stop chatting on Facebook and start actively job searching and networking online.

2. Improve your skills
Have you been thinking that the skills you have are not enough for the competitive Nigerian Job Market? You should stop procrastinating and work on improving your skills.

If you feel like you need to go back to school, then that is what you need to do. There is power in empowerment. Do what you must, to boost your confidence.

3. Practice your interview skills
Most job seekers usually fail when it comes to their interviewing skills. To ensure that you get that job that you were fortunate to be called to interview for, practice all the time, whether it is with friends or with professionals.

Apart from preparing for your next interview, the practicing will give your confidence a boost and you will find that interviews will become easier.

4. Improve your CV
The CV is an important document that introduces you to potential employers. What does your CV say about you? Make sure that the document that you are using is updated and does not contain irrelevancies.

Ask a friend to go through your CV and help you edit it to make it more presentable. In a case where you want a more polished one, you may opt to secure the services of professionals.

5. Never give up
The most important thing is to never quit. It does not matter how hard the search is or how long you have been searching, giving up should never be an option.

Wishing you all the best in your job search.

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Interview Tips: What Are Your Achievements?

Posted by | September 6, 2015 | Article University

By Jane Okoth

You did the hard work by ensuring that you were invited for a job interview. It is not yet over until you figure out how to nail the interview so as to be a step closer to the job.

Let us pick a common but tricky interview question and the best way to handle it; what are your achievements?

Whether you a fresh graduate or a professional with years of working experience, it is always important to have an achievement.

In this question, the interviewer wants to know what you were able to accomplish in your current or previous position.

So how do you handle the question?

The best way to go about it is to talk about something you did over and above the employer’s expectation.

Confine yourself to the job you are being interviewed for by giving an example of something you accomplished which helped the company to succeed.

Assuming you worked as an administration assistant at Xyz Company, stating that your achievements included maintaining office files will only count as a job description.

Another mistake job seekers make is counting their educational experience as an achievement.

No matter how proud you are having an MBA; it does not count as an achievement. A significant number of applicants have an MBA so possessing it is hardly going to make you stand out.

However, if you were able to accomplish something that benefited the company, that would count as an achievement.

Here is a related sample of an achievement.

During my tenure as administration assistant, i always ensured the proper running of processes which enabled other departments to operate smoothly.

Communication was a major challenge in the company. To counter this, i ensured the proper flow of communication which enabled other departments to perform better, resulting in the company making huge profits.

It is also always recommended to give figures or statements that are quantifiable and believable.

Still on the administration assistant job, we can come up with a sample achievement in terms of figures.

As an administration assistant in a local law firm, i noticed that a lot of important files were misplaced or damaged permanently because of poor storage.

I was then able to introduce and create an organized  system which enabled the company to adopt an efficient record keeping system. This resulted in the law firm having more satisfied clients.

The above two samples are perfect examples of achievements which are actually believable.

If you are able to structure your achievements in the best way possible, chances are that you will convince the interviewer to consider you.

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Best Interview Answer “Why Do You Want To Change Careers?”

Posted by | August 31, 2015 | Article University

By Selipha Kihagi

Once you have gone through all the pointers necessary when making a career change, it is important that you consider what you will say about the change in a job interview. Being sure about the decision to change careers is one thing, but convincing new employers why it’s another story.

Potential employers will want to know why you decided to change your career path before they hire you, and if you have made such a move before, then it’s even more important that you have a good explanation.

So, what do you say when the interviewer asks the career change question?

How To Answer; Why Do You Want To Change Careers?

According to Melody Mwendwa, a Professional Interview Coach at Corporate Staffing Services, this question should not be hard to answer if you are sure of what you want and believe the job you are interviewing for is what you are looking for.

“Your answer should focus on the transferrable skills you have. Ask yourself, what skills do you possess from your previous job that will be valuable in this new role? Once you are able to identify the key skills, tie them to your career goals and passion for this new job,” says Melody.

She adds that employers will only hire you if they are convinced that your intended move will be of benefit to their company, not because you think it is right for you. This means that what you say in response to this question should address how your skills, passion and career goals relate to the open position.

If you are now moving into Accounting, an example of a good answer would be; “I have always been passionate about numbers and after doing research and talking to successful people in this field, I believe my analytical skills as well as my uptake of CPA classes will enable me to do well in this job. I have also volunteered in the Accounting department at XYZ organization and found the job fulfilling.”

Depending on what your driving force for this new career is, the answer you give should be focused on demonstrating your current expertise and what you are willing to do to become a good fit for the position.

Avoid quoting boredom or salary as the reason you are leaving your former career, even if this happens to be true. Also do not say you are trying your luck in a new career or you think the new move is best for you, this only puts you across as being unsure of what you want in life.

Your answer must demonstrate that you took time in making the decision.

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How To Find A Job That Matches Your Skills

Posted by | August 28, 2015 | Article University

By Sera Kazungu

“I find it challenging in my job search to match my skills to a job that I want to apply for. How do I know that my skills match the job?” Asks Matthias Kuria via email.

This is a concern among many job seekers in today’s Nigerian job market. It is important to note that your skills are able to help you land a job that you have been longing to have. To do this, you have to know what skills are.

According to Melody Mwendwa, a Professional CV Writer and Career Advisor at Corporate Staffing Services, skills are developed through interests, work, volunteer activities and trainings. They vary from Entry level to Managerial.

“It is important to note that skills go hand in hand with competencies. The skills you learn are what enable you to perform tasks,” she says.

How To Find A Job With Your Skills

1. Analyze a job
You should carefully go through a job advert before deciding on whether to apply for it or not. Different jobs have different skill sets. For example, while a Managerial job will require leadership skills, an entry level job may not.
You should ensure that you meet at least 70% of the skills required for the job to know that you stand a chance of qualifying for it.

2. Identify the skills that you have
To be able to use your skills to get a job, you need to know what your skills are. This will enable you to identify those jobs that you qualify for and those that you do not.

The best way to identify the skills that you have is by focusing on those that you can prove. For a skill to be valid to potential employers, you must have used it at some point. For example, if you say you have good organizational skills, there must be something that you have achieved that clearly shows that.

3. Identify what you are good at
The key to having skills that are marketable to potential employers is choosing what you are good at. Knowing this will help you do what you enjoy doing and you are more likely to succeed at it.

It is important to work on those skills so that they may grow and open up new job opportunities for you in the future.
Your skills are valuable assets in any job search process. Do not take any skill that you have learnt for granted.

Wishing you the very best in your search.

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Best Interview Answer : What Can You Offer Us That Others Cannot?

Posted by | August 17, 2015 | Article University

By Selipha Kihagi

When going through some of the questions you can come across in your next interview, it is important that you understand what the employer or interview is look for in each question. For every question, there is what is expected as the appropriate answer and the inappropriate one that will cost you the job.

The question we are focusing on this week is; What can you offer us that others cannot? Before you start crafting your answer to this question, it is best that you start by understanding the intentions of the interviewer.

Answering What Can You Offer Us That Others Cannot

You need to know what information and traits the interviewer or employer is looking for by asking this question. Employers want to know why hiring you instead of the other applicants will be a game changer for the company, your value to the company.

In addition to value, most employers will ask this question because they want to identify with your confidence when addressing various situations. They will also want to know how well you prepared for the interview and see if you are indeed serious about the position or it’s just a passing moment for you.

How well you know yourself and understand your strengths will also be under review here, so do your research well and know what to say. There is no right or wrong answer because we all have traits that differentiate us, but keep your answer focused on your training, past experience, skills and your contribution to a company in the past.

Best Answer To The Question

When answering, you can choose to take one of these two approaches to describe yourself depending on what you are good at.

When quoting an achievement from your past experience, you can say;

“I believe my experience in this field and desire to always succeed at anything I commit myself to sets me apart. In my last position, I was able to convince a reluctant team to implement a new monitoring system that improved transparency by 32%. It did take long, but finally my persistence paid off.”

You could also approach it by focusing on your unique skill or skills you’ve been able to perfect.

“In addition to my drive and willingness to succeed in anything I set myself to achieve, I am a motivated individual who will do whatever I can to find a solution to any problems I come across, and I believe this persistence will come in handy in the job.”

Whatever your best skills are or how you decide to go about this question, remember not to sell yourself short and be confident when giving the answer. Let the interviewer know you mean what you are saying.

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Top 5 Mistakes Nigerian Job Seekers MUST Avoid

Posted by | August 11, 2015 | Article University

By Sera Kazungu

Job searching is a technique that requires mastering, persistence and a lot of determination. Recently, I met a young man who told me that he had been job searching for 5 straight years and had come out empty. He then decided to stop job searching all together because of the frustration.

Are you a fresh job job seeker who has started feeling the frustration of not getting that dream job? Perhaps, you are approaching the job search all wrong.

Here is a list of common job searching mistakes that you need to avoid.

Top Mistakes That Job Seekers Make

1. Aimlessly looking for jobs
The truth of the matter is that everything you do needs to have a focus. To find a job that is just right for you requires that you plan ahead. Do not just look for any job as most job seekers do, look for ones that you actually qualify for.
Writing down a list of jobs will help you have more of a focus. You will use it as a checklist for jobs before you apply for them.

2. Not customizing your CV
The CV is the single most important document to have when you are looking for a job. The mistakes you can make on the CV are many, but none so bad as having a CV that does not do your experience any justice.

A CV needs to speak to a potential employer and tell them how good you are at what you do. Strive to tailor your CV specifically for that job that you are looking for. It could mean the difference in your job search.

3. Having too high expectations
The problem with new job seekers is that they are always too ambitious. In order to hope for a job, you need to keep your expectations to a minimum. The job market has a world of opportunities, but you have to be willing to start somewhere.

Big jobs and salaries will come to you sooner or later. For now, keep your search simple and open, do not be too choosy .

4. Forwarding the same applications to different companies
Sometimes, when you are sending multiple applications, you may be tempted to forward the same application to different companies over and over again. This is a wrong thing to do.

When making applications, keep each application as unique from the other as possible. It is unprofessional to keep forwarding the same applications over and over again. It speaks to the lack of seriousness of a candidate to employers.

5. Not networking
In the Nigerian job market today, it is all about networking. You need you to identify networking opportunities and effectively utilize them. Identify people who have a pull in the job market and can ask as a referral when the time comes.

Do not be content with just sending out online applications. Getting out there to job search is also a great way to network as you get to meet many people, some of whom may be valuable in your search.

Do any of the mistakes apply to you? Change your job searching technique today and you just might land that dream job.

Wishing you the very best in your job search.

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6 Things You Must Do Before Sending Out Your Job Application

Posted by | August 10, 2015 | Article University

By Selipha Kihagi

Getting a job in Nigeria is as hard as it comes, so when you get one that you are well qualified for, you might rush into sending your CV and Cover Letter without much consideration for other factors. These factors could influence how the employer or recruiting officer vets you for the position.

For this reason, if you want a successful application, it is important that you take into consideration a few things before you attach your CV and Cover Letter and hit that send button or click on the Apply button.

What you must do before sending out your application

1. Tailor your CV and Cover Letter to suit the position
Yes, you are well qualified for the position but does your CV confirm that fact? Most job seekers are missing out on jobs because what they believe are their qualifications is not being communicated in their documents.

Remember the employer will judge your suitability depending on what you present to them, so make sure it’s appropriate to the job and company.

2. Search yourself your Google
Your online presence is a key determinant to your employer. While not all employers may turn to Google to consider you for the position, the majority number of them will take the time to see what they can find about you online.

Why? For one, it is an easier way to confirm that you are who you say you are, as the search will bring out your Facebook profile, Twitter, LinkedIn and any other publications you may have done online so make sure you control what others can find. Take advantage of this by putting all your profiles up to date and professional.

3. Do some research on the company
This is not the research before a job interview, No! This research entails you looking at their office location and culture, check out their turn over rates and try and find out what people are saying about the company.

Do not be quick to apply for an opening just because it’s available, be sure it is the kind of company you would want to work for and the position is appropriate for your career growth.

4. Check out for careless mistakes
This is where you go through your documents to ensure there is not typo because sometimes missing out on a letter can communicate something totally different. Do not assume that the spell check on your 2013 Ms word will do it for you, if you have used spell check with new smartphones you know they can embarrass you easily.

Look out for simple errors yourself to make sure it is without mistakes.

5. Find out the recruiting manager’s name

Knowing who the application is going to will give you an edge over other applicants. Why? Because everyone likes being addressed by their name or at least their gender. No one likes to be mistaken for someone else or generalised – even you. So, try and find out the name and use it in the salutations.

You might not always be successful on this one, but it won’t hurt that you tried.

6. Consider what you want to say in the email
Some people will apply to jobs by just uploading their CV and Cover Letter and including the most inappropriate of subjects. If a job ad gives you what to include in the subject line, then do exactly that and if they don’t, let the person receiving the mail know the position you are applying for.

Also, do not say dear sir or dear madam if you are not sure who will read it, instead just say Good Morning or afternoon. It’s more kind and relative.

When applying for jobs, there is a very small window allowed for mistakes, sometimes there is not even one. So, be very careful.

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6 Changes You Should Make In Your Job Search

Posted by | August 9, 2015 | Article University

Source: US News

It’s harder than ever to land a good job. So if you’re unemployed and searching for one, you’re probably frustrated.
While employers cite many reasons why finding the right talent is nearly impossible, you can only control what you are doing (and not doing) to get on an their radar.

Here Are A Few Things You Should Do Differently To Get More Interviews

1. Cut the time you spend on job boards.
If you’re like most job seekers, you rely heavily on job boards and LinkedIn job postings as your primary sources to uncover job opportunities. This reactive approach is unlikely to result in an interview, because most employers rely on referrals to fill jobs with external candidates.

In reality, the majority of jobs are filled with internal candidates, and even if these positions were advertised, you wouldn’t stand a chance.

Job postings are great for mining information on the specific skills required for jobs. Postings can also help you identify potential employers (and competitors) who are known to hire for the types of jobs you are interested in. Once you’ve identified these companies, you can begin to find people you know or should know who work inside the company. This is how referrals happen.

2.Understand how recruiters work
Use recruiters, either working inside a company’s human resources department or a third party that’s contracted to source talent. Both work for the company, which means they are not going to work on your behalf. When recruiters are interested in you, it may be due to the fact you have a specific skill set and/or significant experience they are looking for.

The best way to use recruiters is to be very clear about the roles you want. It is up to you to notify recruiters if you see a job you are interested in, and you must take the reins to follow up and stay in touch with them.
You shouldn’t pay a fee nor lose part of your salary to recruiters. Employers with job openings pay recruiters. If you should encounter someone asking for money to place you, beware.

3.Network the right way
Time after time, job seekers express disappointment after attempts to network. Most, if not all, give up and resort back to searching posted jobs. It’s up to you to build meaningful relationships with new contacts in your desired field, and that takes time.

Networking is not broadcasting impersonal pleas for help to everyone you know. Networking is about learning about industry trends, new up and coming technology and hot skills in demand. Networking is reconnecting with past colleagues to learn what they are doing now. Networking is about sharing what you’ve learned and offering help. Networking is about giving and not expecting anything in return. Most eager job seekers don’t have the patience for this, but it works. It just takes time.

4.Don’t ignore social media
Depending on your generation, you may either be underutilizing social networks or oversharing on them. If you haven’t reached out to your friends on Facebook, you are missing out on a huge opportunity. More people use Facebook (67 percent) to search for a job than LinkedIn (40 percent), according to Jobvite’s 2015 Job Seeker Nation study. Another way to take advantage of Facebook is by “liking” company career pages or groups and participating in discussions.

Twitter is also a lesser-used platform for job seekers, which is unfortunate, because it is so much easier to interact with people you aren’t connected to. Search Twitter accounts for companies you are interested in working for. Also search for and follow people who work in those companies. Keep an eye out for Twitter chats and online events hosted by employers.

Before you become active on any social network, familiarize yourself with the privacy settings to make sure you know which updates you share with the public. And while you’re at it, evaluate all your past updates and photos to confirm they are positive and clean.

5.Learn about and join online talent communities
In case you haven’t seen or heard about talent communities, these are interactive, two-way streams of communication between employers and people interested in working for those companies. Talent communities exist on employer career pages, LinkedIn groups, Twitter and Facebook, and they help answer questions and provide more insight on a company.

For the employer, these communities become a goldmine of potential talent to reach out to when a new opportunity opens. Rather than posting the job, recruiters can search their community discussions to find candidates.

6.Learn from others
There are online networking groups for job seekers. These groups offer  the opportunity to learn from other job seekers’, fill the void of information on what to expect and serve as relationship-building resources. Groups also offer mental support and encouragement.

Learn by reading advice from a variety of career experts to get alternative perspectives on how to handle situations and navigate your job search. There is no shortage of help for your job search, as long as you are seeking knowledge. And don’t forget: A good attitude helps, too.

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Top Secrets To Passing Any Job Interview

Posted by | August 4, 2015 | Article University

By Perminus Wainaina

In the last six years as a recruiter I have interviewed over 7,000 candidates. I have had a chance to interview entry level candidates, supervisors and CEO’s. When it comes to professions, I have interviewed across the board including accountants, sales, HR, IT, procurement, admin and technical professions.

Interviewing is a task that I enjoy as I get to meet many candidates and somehow impact their career.

For any position that we are recruiting on behalf of an employer we usually invite 10 to 15 candidates for a preliminary interview and recommend at least five candidates for the next stage with the client.

The Common mistakes I have identified with candidates during interviews regardless of position include lack of preparedness, poor presentation skills, poor self confidence, and a lack of understanding of the role. Recruiters and employers use interviews to gauge your skills, enthusiasm and whether you are a good fit for the organization.

While mistakes do happen in an interview and that there’s no such thing as a perfect candidate, it is important to do your part and minimize on the errors.

One of the secret to passing a job interview is to understand the role. And how do you do this?

It is as simple as going through the job description and understanding it from an employer’s perspective.

 

Nowadays, interviewing has shifted from the common interview questions like tell me about your five year plans to your competency i.e. what skills and qualities do you posses that make you an ideal candidate for the job. But you shouldn’t stop at understanding the job description. You have to look at the company vis a vis the industry, regulations, suppliers, clients and everything else that makes a company run smoothly. Be an all rounder.

Character is key when it comes to your career. I have met very good candidates who have the right skills and industry knowledge but have a problem moving up the career ladder because of their character.

Beyond qualifications and skills, employers are interested in what you believe in as an individual. Are you a person of integrity? Can you work under minimal supervision? Can you be entrusted with company assets? What will your previous employer say about you? No serious employer will employ you without conducting proper reference checks.

Another big concern with employers is on the soft skills. We often read news stories about how employers feel that applicants who’ve left school, college or university lack the ‘soft skills’ they want. Wikipedia defines soft skills as the cluster of personality traits, social graces, communication, language, personal habits, interpersonal skills, managing people, leadership, etc

These skills are transferable skills, so they can be used in many different types of jobs. They are personal qualities and attitudes that can help you to work well with others and make a positive contribution to organizations you work for.

Employers are aware that technical skills can be taught more easily than soft skills, which tend to be either personal characteristics or skills that have been fine-tuned over a period of time.

Sometime it’s not easy to change a person’s characteristics or belief. Employers also expect you to posses certain soft skills depending on your level and area of training. It is highly unlikely that you will be considered as a potential candidate if you don’t demonstrate such soft skills.

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Best Interview Answer : “Why Do You Want To Work For This Company?”

Posted by | July 29, 2015 | Article University

By Selipha Kihagi

This question may come out as simple when asked during the interview and like any job seeker, the first thing that comes to mind would lie in the lines of ‘because you have an opening and I want a job’. However, no employer will take you seriously if you give such an answer, meaning you will have to think about the next thing you say very carefully.

Why? The hiring company or recruiting personnel wants an answer that shows you took the time to think about where you would want to grow your career and did not just wake up and send random applications to open jobs.

So, how best do you answer this question?

Despite how you choose to go about answering this question, the research you will have done on the company during preparation will come in handy to impress the hiring company. For a good answer, consider these approaches;

1. Impress with your knowledge about the company’s history

This is where you tell the interviewer a story of how you have seen the company grow and change over the years and offer a comment on what you think about the transitioning. Talk about how you first heard of the company and what you think about it now.

Showing you appreciate the journey organizations take to grow and have something to say about it makes the interviewer want to hire you.

2. Be unique in your answer

Your answer to this question should be unique for every interview you go to. This means that you should pick on something the company does different from others in its field that you feel strongly towards. It could be their office culture, dress code or even activities that you have an opinion about and believe makes better employees.

3. Talk about the future of the company

This has a similar result to addressing the company’s history, only you will now be giving your opinion on the road you think the company should take in it’s growth and your willingness to become part of that journey.

Through this, the employer will know that not only are you concerned about the company’s future but are also enthusiastic enough to want to contribute in the growth.

That said, a good answer should be something like, “During my research on the company, I was impressed on the future projects you have planned.(name one you were really interested in). I was also impressed by the current financial statement and culture of the organization. This is what I have been looking for, a company where my education, skills and experience can be of use.”

However you decide to answer this question, remember to demonstrate that you took time to identify with the company before applying.

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5 Tips for Responding to Negative Feedback at Work

Posted by | July 29, 2015 | Article University

Source: US News

If you’re struggling to absorb negative feedback from your manager, ask to take some time to process the information. Then be sure to follow up with her.

Ever felt caught off guard when your boss gave you some critical feedback? If you’re like a lot of people, negative feedback can be rough to hear, and you might get defensive and shut down. But those reactions, while understandable, won’t serve you nearly as well as responding calmly and professionally – even in the face of the toughest feedback.

How To Be Calm, Professional And Open To Discussion

1. Get it clear in your head that feedback is something that will help you

Think about what would happen if your employer never gave you feedback: You’d stagnate in your job instead of growing professionally, and you’d be less likely to get better at what you do. You could become totally unaware of serious issues that could impact your career progression or reputation and even get you fired in some cases.

In fact, the more you can train yourself to actively want feedback – to seek it out and to welcome it when it comes – the better you’re likely to do in your career, and the more people will probably like working with you.

2. Don’t react right away

Too often, people’s first instinct when hearing critical feedback is to defend themselves – to explain why their manager’s assessment is wrong or why there were extenuating circumstances or simply to disagree.

It’s certainly possible that your manager is wrong or that special circumstances were in play – but it’s not helpful to leap straight there. If you do, you’ll make it harder for yourself to truly hear and process the feedback, and you’re more likely to come across as defensive rather than open to input. Instead, focus at first on just listening.

3. Actively show that you’re open to the feedback

Giving critical feedback is hard, and many managers are nervous when they do it. The more you show that you are open to the conversation, the easier it will go for both of you – and the more likely you are to draw out additional useful information.

If you simply absorb the input in silence, your manager might not have any idea what you’re thinking or whether you’re angry or upset or you disagree. Instead, try saying something like: “I really appreciate you telling me this. I didn’t realize this was a problem, and I’m grateful that you raised it.”

4. Share relevant information

At this point, you might realize you have information that your manager doesn’t, which might impact her assessment if she knew it. It’s reasonable to mention, for example, that the reason a report was late was because you were waiting on information from someone who was out sick, or that you didn’t put as much energy into project X because the CEO told you to focus exclusively on project Y.

Most managers want to know that kind of thing, and it’s fine to say: “You’re right that I didn’t put a lot of energy into project X. I had thought that project Y was a higher priority and so I was keeping my focus there. Was that the wrong call to make?”

5. Ask for time to process the feedback if you need to

Sometimes it’s tough to absorb critical feedback on the spot or to figure out how you want to respond. If that’s the case, it’s fine to say something like: “I really appreciate you telling me this. Would it be OK if I took some time to think about this and then circled back to you in a few days with my thoughts?”

Of course, then make sure that you really do circle back. At that point, the onus will be on you to raise the topic again. If you don’t, you’ll look like you’re shirking a tough conversation or not taking it seriously.

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