Step into my office

In all of the interviews I’ve conducted or attended, the same questions are always asked… “tell us a little bit about yourself”… “name some of your skills” or “tell us your best and worst quality” or “what’s your experience with [insert software here]”…etc. Then you get hit with the big one - “What do you bring to the table that makes you stand out?” This is it. The money question (literally). This is what separates you from the rest of the other potential candidates who just spit out the same pre-loaded answers that you did. Unlike the others, this is probably one of the most important questions. Why? Because no boss wants 10 people sitting around a conference table that think exactly the same. And they’re listening real good to what you’re about to say. Because if you continue to be like everybody else, the inevitable answer to the above question will be “nothing”. If you bring nothing to the table that’s different from the person sitting next to you, you have officially rendered yourself useless. This can apply to work, socially, with friendships, business partnerships, or even your own relationship. Two Alpha’s will always conflict. There needs to be a push and a pull, a ying and a yang. It’s called balance. Someone who’s loud and energetic, and one who’s a little more laid back. In my experience, that’s what makes for the best relationships. Everyone in the van can’t be the one who clips the wires to the explosives and saves the day. Otherwise, if you’re surrounded by a copy of yourself, it gets very boring and will make for a never ending competition. (Plus, you’ll probably spend so much time arguing over who actually gets to cut the wires and save the day that you may end up with a much bigger problem) But, maybe that’s just me. Not saying I don’t love sharing the same interests and experiences with most people, but I like uniqueness. Differences. It’s what makes life interesting. I love appreciating things about someone else that maybe I’m not into…it just enhances my knowledge, and who doesn’t love learning something new! It expands your intellect. Gives you more to talk about. Who knows? It might pique your interest and you may develop a new hobby, sport, or even career! You may realize it’s something that you’ve never considered giving a shot. Differences are what attracted me to my husband…major differences. We’re polar opposites who went to different schools, worked in different fields, had different friends and interests entirely, even listened to different music. Every single thing was different, and we didn’t know each other from a hole in the wall…that’s what we loved. Which one are you? Are you the hothead, or laid back? Explosive and the one who flies off the handle, or the logical one who sits back and thinks everything through? I’m sure we share a few characteristics of each; for there isn’t one set way to be. There’s a great balance to this world we live in, and if you give it a chance, sometimes you end up surprising yourself ♛