A time in which I had to operate outside of my comfort zone was when I first began my internship in a private banking department at a bank last summer. It was my first real exposure to that type of industry and at first it was extremely difficult for me because I was not experienced in that environment. As the internship progressed, however, I was able to embrace the experience and take each new day as a learning experience that was going to help me in my career in the long run. This internship gave me the skills I need to succeed.
I was able to learn and observe the way that others worked and how they had become successful in the banking industry. I learned how to network and how to interact with people on a different level than I had experienced in the past. The importance of being efficient, thorough and determined became evident to me during my time there, especially learning how to do things right the first time so that you do not have to waste time fixing things. Customer service and good co-worker relations are also skills that I have learned by being outside of my comfort zone.
By embracing the experiences and the situations I have grown as a person and as an employee. For me, this internship was the one time that I felt truly outside of my comfort zone and yet it was the experience that has helped shape me as a person and as a worker. I have gained a work ethic that I did not have before this experience and that work ethic will follow me into this position. I look to gain new qualities and skills, while contributing my own skills to the position with your company. What is your definition of success?
Give an example of a past success and describe the steps you took to achieve it. My own personal definition of success is achieving one’s own personal goals with honesty, integrity, and hard work. An example of a past success that I am proud of is when I earned the Chess Cup because of my success in chess tournaments that I participated in. This was a situation where I had to work very hard in order to get to a point where I was able to achieve my goal of earning this cup in chess but in the end, all of my hard work was rewarded by achieving my goal.
The first step that I needed to take in order to achieve this success was gaining the self-confidence that was required. I learned that if you do not believe in yourself and your own abilities then you are not going to be able to be successful in anything you do. By practicing and continuing to grow in the sport I was able to advance my skills and get better in competitions than I had been in the past. By changing my attitude and acquiring more self-confidence in my talents I was able to contribute more.
I feel this is an important lesson in anything in life, particularly in a career. The ability to set a goal for one’s self and then take the necessary steps to make that goal a reality are all part of the person that I am and skills that I possess. When I set a goal for myself in chess and dedicated myself to the hard work and determination that success required I was able to achieve it. These are all strengths I can contribute as an employee.