Question 1

As an 18 year old , what is some advice you’d give yourself at my age?

Accepted Answer

Hi. I'm not even pronounced the name Akhen. As 18 years old, you wanted to know
 some advice
 that you can give yourself. So I would say being confident, trying until you
 succeed,
 having a daily disciplined habit, at least like one hour studying whatever you
 knew to
 you or meeting people, networking. So main thing is daily habits which will
 suck for success.
 You need to have daily habits. You need to do networking, build your networking
 in a very good
 manner so they can support you on a need basis. And be confident. Don't rely on
 external validation.
 People will say anything, but you need to be confident and keep moving until
 you succeed.
 Keep trying. If you fail, take it as a challenge. Learn from it. Keep
 proceeding.
 And progress is happiness and progress is success.

Question 2

Whats a piece of advice you can give to immigrant job seekers in the current market?

Accepted Answer

A piece of advice for immigrant job seekers in the current market is to make
 sure that
 your LinkedIn profile is updated and it reflects your skills and your
 credentials accurately.
 That's a big one.
 Secondly, expand your professional network as much as possible.
 LinkedIn, again, is a great vehicle, but even otherwise attending industry
 events, professional
 events within your area and just reaching out to people and making those
 connections,
 especially in the industry that you want to work in and people whose career
 path that
 you're impressed with.
 If you can reach out to them and connect with them, definitely helps.
 Thirdly, also reach out to your peers in the market.
 What I mean by that is people who are at your stage in their careers, that also
 helps.

Question 3

What is your advice for executive leaders stepping in a new company on ways to gain confidence and demontrate progress to C-level quickly?

Accepted Answer

What I like to do coming in as a new sea level is create a document that kind
 of answers all the questions everybody has creates a little layer of safety and
 trust.
 So what I include in this is things like what guides me, how I lead, how I
 handle conflict, how I measure success, how we stay accountable as an org, my
 communication expectations, and then some more fun things like my philosophies
 rules I live by.
 And then any interesting stories that you might have about yourself career
 highlights hobbies, that sort of thing.
 And then I think the big thing that sets the tone for everybody is what they
 can expect from you.
 So really let them know what your goals are for yourself, what you want to
 achieve, and what you want the team to achieve in your first 30, 60, 90 days.
 I think that really sets you off on the right foot and helps you get to a point
 of trust quickly.

Question 4

What advice would you give to someone who is actively developing themselves toward the goal of obtaining a C-suite position?

Accepted Answer

If you want to reach the C-suite, you need to start showing up like a leader
 now.
 So that means looking beyond your day-to-day tasks and really understanding the
 business
 as a whole, how it makes money, what challenges it's facing, and where it's
 trying to go next.
 Because when you can connect the work that you do with the company's long-term
 goals,
 you stop being just an employee and start becoming someone who thinks and
 operates like an executive.
 And it's that shift in mindset that often gets you noticed at that level,
 especially when applied consistently.
 So good luck.

Question 5

What's the worst career advice you ever received?

Accepted Answer

Years ago, one of the first companies that I worked for changed its business
 model, so for a financial reason, they decided to outsource the entire IT
 department had to be closed, I was part of the team, we had four amazing
 professionals.
 So I was, because I needed to leave the company and I was already investing my
 time in teaching, so I wanted to question why professional abilities that was
 painful, unexpected and so on.
 And my direct manager, who knew me well, immediately, just reminded me that you
 are capable and knew whose opinion matters.
 So I want to say the truth is, the heroes of our life appear in the hardest
 moments of our lives, new your weaknesses, honor your strengths and always stay
 close to the environment that are positive, ethical and supportive. Thank you.

Question 6

How canyou move past feeling stuck mid-career  because you don’t have a degree? I’m currently working in the field with almost 7 years of experience.

Accepted Answer

So you're not missing a degree.
 You just need a plan for translating your experience
 into skills that employers are asking for.
 So pick it up you job posts that you'd like,
 grab the top tools and skills that they repeat,
 and then mirror that language in your resume and LinkedIn.
 On top of that, add credibility to your bio
 such as a certification or even a short LinkedIn post
 that positions you as a thought leader in your field.
 You can even add a recommendation
 from a manager or a client,
 but you put all of that together
 and you have a personal value proposition
 that you can use across all mediums,
 whether it's your resume, your LinkedIn profile,
 or even in conversations.
 And this way, if the question about a degree comes up,
 just own it, say I don't have a degree,
 but what I do have is seven years of X, Y, and Z,
 And here's how I'll add value in the first quarter.
 You got this.

Question 7

How should I answer “Why should we hire you”?

Accepted Answer

Why should we hire you?
 Great question.
 I'd answer it two ways.
 One, make sure they know that you have a lot of passion
 and enthusiasm for the job opportunity.
 Secondly, take specific job requirements
 and make sure they align to your skills and experience
 and highlight why you are uniquely qualified
 to take on this role, this endeavor.
 Be enthusiastic, be passionate,
 and be uniquely qualified.
 That's why you should be hired.
 Thank you.
 [ Silence ]

Question 8

How do you answer “What’s your biggest weakness” in an interview?

Accepted Answer

So this question is really all about self awareness.
 Do we understand our limitations
 and how are we going to overcome them
 or how are we overcoming them actively?
 People generally tend to give a lot
 of cookie cutter and cliche responses to this question
 because we're trying to play it safe.
 But that's actually a missed opportunity
 and it's also going to have a negative consequence
 of appearing to dodge the question.
 So instead, we want to draw from our experiences
 and be able to give a really authentic answer.
 So in my case, I talked about how I had a very junior mindset
 going into a very senior role
 and because of which I would stack up my day
 with a whole lot of tactical work.
 And because of this, I was slowing down my dream tremendously.
 But once I was given the feedback,
 I talk about how I changed my mindset to work
 on the top two to three things
 and re-prioritize and focus my time
 on the things that the executive team really cared about,
 the things that mattered the most to customers.
 But because of this, I was able to show that I'm adaptable.
 I have that maturity to be able to groom myself
 into a more senior role and also be able to manage
 and prioritize my time effectively
 so that I can actually help my team move quickly
 and make decisions faster.

Question 9

How should I answer “Tell me about yourself” in an interview?

Accepted Answer

If you've ever blown down the moments an interviewer said, "Tell me about
 yourself,"
 this video is for you, because that question is no small talk. It's actually
 your first audition.
 Well, here's the thing. Most people treat these like a biography. They start
 from their primary
 school, rumble through every job they've ever had, and basically read their CV
 out loud.
 Here's what they're actually asking you. Why should we hire you? And can you
 communicate clearly?
 That's it, three things. One, all you are professionally. Two, why you bring to
 the table.
 Three, why you're here speaking to them specifically. And there you have it.
 That's your answer. Clean,
 confidence, and connected to the role. You're not telling your life story. You
're sharing your
 value story in a way that is relevant to the role. That's the kind of move that
 makes you
 record out leaning and say, "Okay!" This person gets it. So, create your value
 story and practice it out loud.

Question 10

Help mentees get to know you

Accepted Answer

- Hi, my name is Mindy Singleton.
 I'm Vice President, Technology Manager
 for End User Computing with Science Band Corporation.
 I have 28 years of fintech experience,
 and I look forward to connecting with you.