There are however some side-effects associated with this technique: no further recollection of who you are, who your friends are (this could be an advantage), where you live, and in certain instances what a resume is (a major advantage)

There were some standout comments and inspiring stories. It wasn’t easy to choose all the winners, and I needed to reread some of the comments a few times but here is the list of winners in random order:

Israel
Hayim
Gavriel
Yonatan
Julie

Again, thank you all for entering, it was a pleasure to read your comments, and they’ll stay right here for others to enjoy.

Gavriel- always go into an interview with an idea of what the market salary is for the position you’re interviewing for but NEVER be the first to give out a number; it’s the easiest way for the company to reject you, for all the reasons you mentioned. Just say you’re “flexible and that it won’t be a problem.” You want to remove that hiring obstacle (make it a non-issue) until it’s your decision to put it back (or not) once they finally make an offer.

It would be great if your site could give some tips on handling this sticky (not much to negotiate) issue. Should one just ask for a competitive and fair offer (which usually it is not), make a wild guess, or turn the question around on the interviewer? Getting in indication from the placement agency is helpful, but often not possible. Some companies left me speechless by proudly suggesting they were doing me a favor by offering 1/2 (or less) what I’d earned in the past. The problem is risking (burying) one’s chances by throwing out such a low estimate.

Another reader sent in a reply: “That’s the most stupid question I’ve ever seen.”

But, seriously, people sometimes seem to forget that often there’s a person behind each email.

A good rule of thumb when dealing with an email sent specifically to you is to consider how you would act if the person were standing in front of you.

For example, in “real life”, if someone came up to you and offered you a job lead which you didn’t feel was worth following up, you wouldn’t simply turn your back on them and walk away without even thanking them for their efforts.

Likewise, make an effort to reply to emails in a considerate manner; it simply gives people a good impression of you, which can’t hurt in the long run.

I’m conscientious, industrious, and intelligent, always striving to excel at work.

I’m particularly good at multi-tasking and event planning. I’ve successfully hosted quite a few major events for the organizations I work for.

I’m a natural leader, willing to take responsibilities and make quick decisions in response to unexpected changes.

I’m also a easy-going, flexible and optimistic person. I’ve got lots of friends and go well with both my colleagues and my supervisor.

Hope I can win this book to help me further improve myself and advance faster in my career. Thank you for hosting the contest!

It is important that when assessing your own strengths you also take into consideration the environment/marketplace you are in. Many of your strengths might not be as differentiating or important when moving to a different country (or different marketplace) and other skills/experiences might become strengths in this new environment. It can all be relative depending on the marketplace you are in, being able to identify your “relative strengths”.

When I moved to Israel 2 years ago I came with 11 years of experience in consumer products so that was definitely the place to first explore, and since the last 6 years were in brand management it seemed natural to look for the same job but in a different country. However even though brand management was my strength I had many weaknesses when comparing myself to a local brand manager such as language, culture, knowledge of local consumer and distribution channels, which can all be learned however it was still a disadvantage vs. locals.

After long analysis and introspection I realized that I possessed many other skills that might not have been relevant while being in America but became significantly more important when comparing myself to marketers in Israel. Suddenly having overseas experience, several languages, different cultural/international background, experience at international companies and other qualities became much more important and differentiating in the marketplace and it was then a matter of finding the right job/position/company where those strengths are valued/needed. A global marketing position at a consumer product company seems to fit very well with both my regular as well as my “relative” strengths.

In summary, it is important that when assessing ones strengths, you take into consideration the environment and marketplace you are in and try to find your “relative” strengths as well which should be the most differentiating and useful ones.

- Robin