Finding employment is an active process, especially if you are new to the country. It begins by positioning yourself by becoming aware of the cultures and companies with openings, and positioning yourself well for the opportunity. But also it is important to know your strengths and weaknesses.

Now it is time for a personal assessment. Grab a pen and a notebook. On one page you will list your personal strengths and on the next you will list your weaknesses.

Now go back to your list and next to each strength, write a sentence or two on how that strength has been applied to your career and work experiences. Brainstorm how you might discuss these experiences, and  your strengths with potential employers.

As you did with your strengths, perform the same task with your weaknesses. Brainstorm and plan how you can discuss your weaknesses and how they have presented themselves in your work. Also consider how you can discuss the way you overcome or compensate for your weaknesses.

Turn your weaknesses into strengths, plan and prepare ahead of time so you can show your prospective employers that while you are aware of your weaknesses, the company will benefit from your strengths and your adaptability.

Practice talking about your strengths, weaknesses and relevant experiences.

If it has been a while since you have interviewed with anyone, practice ahead of time with  friends or family members. Ask them to give you feedback on your answers.

Visualize your interview ahead of time. Visualizing is a tool Olympic athletes use to achieve their high levels of success. You can use it too, to visualize a successful interview. Imagine the interviewer asking questions and imagine your answers.

Imagine the interview from beginning to end and imagine walking away with a job offer.