High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: 6 Steps to Prepare for a Job Interview

This is our weekly roundup of some of the best career-related articles, interviews, blogs, etc., we've read during the week. We share them so you have some great resources to prepare you for the coming week. Enjoy!

• 6 Steps to Prepare for a Job Interview: "Before the interview, research competitors, financial performance, culture, management style and who your colleagues may be. Thanks to the Internet, you can uncover a treasure trove of information about companies and people."
• Young Job Seekers and Inexperience: "Inexperience is an asset and will allow you to think in original, unconventional ways."
• How the Most Successful People Ask Questions: "Asking questions not only keeps you engaged, it allows you to contribute to the conversation and learn something new."
• 5 Overlooked Habits of Great Leaders: "The primary reason great leaders lead themselves first is their unwavering commitment to being the best version of themselves. Their passion to be great in every situation and at all times comes long before they gain recognition, titles or positions."
• 5 Ways to Make Your Company's Hiring Process More Fair: "Diversity is important in the workplace because it builds a company with a unique dynamic and a strong ability to adapt."

Managing Ego in the Workplace

An individual’s ego can help in creating confidence, drive, and a healthy self-esteem; however, an over-inflated ego can cause issues in the workplace. Organizations with executives, managers, and/or team leaders who have problematic egos may experience low employee morale, limited creativity, and high employee turnover.

To understand how ego can impact you professionally, take an honest look at yourself to determine whether your ego has ever limited your success.

Signs that ego is getting in the way of workplace success:

• Needing to feel superior or self-important with other colleagues
• Desiring to always be the center of attention
• Seeking credit for every accomplishment or task
• Needing to dominate conversations and meetings
• Avoiding responsibility for errors
• Encountering difficulties working on a team
• Finding it difficult to listen to others
• Resisting other opinions or ideas
• Frequently using “I” instead of “we” when discussing work projects, ideas, etc.
• Viewing colleagues as competition
• Reacting defensively to constructive criticism
• Boosting self-importance by frequently putting down others’ ideas

Dealing professionally with large egos


It takes patience and creativity to work with individuals who have large egos, but it is possible. Following are some tips that may help.

Avoid arguments and competitive exchanges, which tend to be unproductive. Instead, if an issue can’t be discussed calmly, consider involving someone within your organization who can help facilitate the discussion and who has the power to move matters forward.

Recognize strengths in the other person and ask for his/her expertise in areas where those strengths come into play.

Look for ways in which differing strengths can complement each another.

Don’t be bullied. Speak up in a professional manner.

Most importantly, remember, another person’s unprofessionalism can make your professionalism, integrity, and humility shine.

Appreciating Cultural Differences in the Workplace

In today’s global workplace, you will most likely come into contact with people of various cultural backgrounds—whether co-workers, customers, or suppliers. As you encounter multicultural work environments or situations, it is important to be respectful and open to understanding the cultural differences of the individuals you meet. The following tips will help you do so:

Respect and value individual perspectives: Cultural differences or not, it is simply a good idea to respect other individuals. When working with someone from a different cultural background, assume he or she may have different ideas and approaches than you. Prepare for this by reminding yourself to be respectful and open to the value and unique perspective this person brings to the workplace.
Get cultured: Educate yourself about the culture of a co-worker, client, or supplier, particularly if you have regular business interactions with this person. You may discover a host of things—from what certain gestures communicate, like a bowed head or type of handshake, to what religious holidays are commonly celebrated.
Pronounce names correctly: Even if you’re unfamiliar with how to pronounce the names of people you meet from various cultural backgrounds, take the time to learn. This will be viewed and appreciated as a sign of respect.
Ask for clarification: Communication can be a challenge when certain words or phrases don’t translate well or take on a different meaning in one culture versus another. Strong accents can also be a barrier to clear communication. Don’t be afraid to ask for clarification if you don’t understand something, and encourage others to do so with you. And remember to steer clear of slang terms and industry jargon.
Avoid over-stereotyping: Although stereotypes can help provide a general idea about a culture, you should take the time to get to know each person as an individual.
Avoid using cultural jokes: It is best to avoid using any cultural jokes, as there is a great risk that the joke could come off as offensive.