{"id":74154,"date":"2015-05-12T10:00:35","date_gmt":"2015-05-12T15:00:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/?p=74154"},"modified":"2015-05-12T09:52:48","modified_gmt":"2015-05-12T14:52:48","slug":"turning-disaster-into-brownie-points","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/?p=74154","title":{"rendered":"Turning Disaster into Brownie Points"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Rossy Mendez, former Head Editor,\u00a0INALJ Puerto Rico<\/a>
\npreviously published 6\/11\/14<\/em><\/p>\n

Turning Disaster into Brownie Points<\/span><\/h3>\n

\"Rossy_Mendez\"<\/a>Like many people I have had my share of crappy jobs. I have worked in places where people\u00a0lacked ethics, in places where I have questioned my sanity and lost my dignity, places where I\u00a0spent many afternoons in tears and my bills was the only reason I went to work.<\/p>\n

Then there were places that lacked organization, places where the to-do list was so long it\u00a0could outlive any pension plan available. These were the \u201clearning opportunities.\u201d I cannot say\u00a0that I always saw disaster as opportunity. It is hard to see the benefit of performing three jobs\u00a0while getting paid the salary of one or in taking initiatives to fix things that are so incredibly\u00a0disorganized that not doing so would result in the collapse of the institution. I never understood\u00a0the value in going above my pay grade without any recognition until I learned to use these\u00a0battle stories as examples of my awesomeness.<\/p>\n

In the last couple of cover letters and interviews I have found myself telling battle stories like\u00a0a camp counselor around a bonfire and what I have noticed is that employers value these\u00a0experiences. During a recent interview I was asked to tell an experience so challenging that\u00a0made me want to give up. The question caught me a little off guard; how could I tell a story\u00a0without trashing my previous employer? I decided to tell the story with tact emphasizing\u00a0that the situation was the result of many factors including my own lack of experience. I also\u00a0explained the steps I took to resolve the problem. I emphasized that the situation was a\u00a0learning opportunity and related it to how that experience could prepare me for the position\u00a0to which I was applying. Later on I was told that my answer to the question was one of the best\u00a0that the interviewer had heard. I realized that disasters were not only learning opportunities\u00a0but examples of my ability to deal with challenging situations.<\/p>\n

Thus I offer a few disasters stories that can be turned into brownie points.<\/p>\n

1. Performing several jobs with the salary of one-<\/strong> this disaster story can be used for\u00a0applying to management or hybrid positions. In the case of management, the story\u00a0shows that you have a general understanding of the goals of an organization and that\u00a0you are willing to work hard to achieve them. For hybrid positions the story shows that\u00a0you can learn quickly and multi-task.<\/p>\n

2. Starting a project with little upper management support-<\/strong> this disaster involves\u00a0projects where upper level management is not involved due to lack of interest or\u00a0even resistance. If as a result of the project you were able to get funding or convince\u00a0management to implement a new measure this story can be a real winner. The story\u00a0demonstrates your ability to communicate effectively and be steadfast in achieving your\u00a0goals.<\/p>\n

3. Making a major mistake at work-<\/strong>Believe it or not this disaster can be used to your\u00a0advantage. While you definitely should not bring it up for no reason, if asked, you\u00a0should admit that you made a mistake and discuss how you went about fixing it. If your\u00a0mistake resulted in a great new initiative or the implementation of a new procedure\u00a0even better!<\/p>\n

4. Difficult co-worker\/boss-<\/strong> telling a story about how you dealt with a difficult person\u00a0can be a good indication not only of how you deal with people but also how handle\u00a0unpleasant situations. This can demonstrate that you are able to separate your\u00a0emotions and be a team-player, that you are a good problem-solver and that you\u00a0respect other perspectives.<\/p>\n

There are many other disasters that can be turned into positive experiences. When\u00a0faced with interview questions that address challenges be prepared to use these stories\u00a0as a way to demonstrate your skills and great personality. Do not be afraid to admit\u00a0failures as long as you can demonstrate how you have learned from them and used\u00a0them for major accomplishments. Remember that while you can discuss difficult aspects\u00a0of your position you should not talk negatively about your co-workers or organization.\u00a0Simply present these as challenges and mention how they help you grow as a person.\u00a0You do not want to come across as bitter or someone that is a quitter. Always see a\u00a0silver lining in your misery and go ahead and turn disasters into brownie points for your\u00a0next job!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Rossy Mendez, former Head Editor,\u00a0INALJ Puerto Rico previously published 6\/11\/14 Turning Disaster into Brownie Points Like many people I have had my share of crappy jobs. I have worked in places where people\u00a0lacked ethics, in places where I have questioned my sanity and lost my dignity, places where I\u00a0spent many afternoons in tears and…<\/p>\n

Read more \u2192<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":56978,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[145],"tags":[69,3592,6294,4420,3674,6295,5915,6296],"class_list":["post-74154","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","tag-article","tag-blog","tag-crappy-jobs","tag-disaster","tag-inalj-puerto-rico","tag-learning-opportunities","tag-rossy-mendez","tag-turning-disasters-into-brownie-points"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/Rossy_Mendez.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1WoMK-ji2","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74154","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=74154"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74154\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/56978"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=74154"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=74154"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=74154"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}