Archive for September, 2011
Thursday, September 29th, 2011
For job seekers, interviews are surely the causes of anxiety. In order to get an offer, the interviewee says the best right things and tries to impress the employers because there are a number of applicants for the position.
A bad handshake, a tie that’s too bright, not in contact of eyes, speaking in confusion are minor things that may cause a problem for you. Is it a positive point or not, that’s a separate discussion. In the competitive market of today, employers want to have the best candidate not only in term of behavior or professional appearance but also in facing the unusual behaviors or questions. That’s why the employer may ask unusual questions during the interview.
It does not mean to say that they are trying to make your life difficult but they only desire to discover the strongest candidate for the position. In order to find the best candidate they don’t stick to the usual questions. You might hear, “How would you describe software or a tree? These types of questions can confuse job seekers.
Job seekers constantly want to know: Why did they ask an unusual questions and how to answer such questions.
Interviewer asks such questions because he wants to see “how you handle the pressure and reason out the answer”. So think about the techniques and different ways that you can use to satisfy the interviewer. You would not be in a habit of doing all these but you have to prove that you are willing to try and you have the power to do it.
Here we are going to tackle that how to handle the impossible interview questions:
We have met many hiring managers to know the answers of such questions and why they ask such unreasonable question? They told that even they don’t know the answer of these questions. They just ask such type of questions to observe the problem-solving ability and logic of the candidate. And the candidate who answers the question precisely will be successful to get the goal.
“What is the worst interview question in your opinion or ever asked to you?” is another unusual question asked by the interviewers. With all these questions they actually want to analyse that how much ability a candidate has to handle the unusual situations or questions. Hiring managers considers this question a good test for the candidate applying for a sales person.
So it is advised to answer the questions to your best. Employers want to know that you have the abilities to face and handle the unusual situation.
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Career Planning, Interview Preparation | No Comments »
Thursday, September 29th, 2011
As a matter of fact, most of the job seekers do not get a job in spite of a lot of Job opportunities. So it is advised to discover your strengths, Prepare yourself for the interview and never limit your search to larger firms and never give up. Following are some skills that will help you to remove your odds and hunt the job.
Discover your strengths
Discover your strengths and learn how to talk about them in your discussion. Employers always estimate future successes by past achievements. Think about your experience in terms of achieved goals, learned lessons and your abilities. Your achievements will expose the best of your skills.
Prepare your best resume
Many of the companies rely on computerized resumes data bases. Your resume should be scanned into an electronic data base instead of screening by a person. Build a compatible electronic database resume that may be recognized by scanning programs.
Plan your interview
Plan your interview very carefully. Show your full etiquettes and confidence during interview. Shake hands with your interviewer, make eye contact and have smile on your face. Show your courteous and friendly nature and ease with you and your situation.
You also need to explain your skills, achievements, abilities and ambitions. Emphasize on the abilities that you think can add value to the employer. Describe your credits like increasing sales, improving quality or reducing costs, if you have.
Never end the interview with usual statement like “I would like to hear soon from you”. Instead say goodbye with the statement that I shall keep posting the major developments about my job search.
Networking is important
Create a network of your colleagues and friends who may help you or may recommend you to another. This is the single important task that will allow you to tell your story to people who have the power to hire you.
Don’t limit your search to larger firms
The times have gone when good opportunities are only offered by larger firms. Nowadays many of the jobs are created by small and medium firms. As a matter of fact, it is easy to get hired by the small companies. Applicants usually don’t apply in small companies that they pay less and provide fewer benefits but not always. Your achievements at a small firm can translate into a better job at a larger company.
Don’t limit your search to your hometown
Many people limit their job search by refusing jobs that are outside their hometown. The ratio of unemployment remains high in metropolitan cities and moving is the only way to advance.
Make the job hunting a commitment for you. You need to search for the job actively. Maximum search for job will provide you a better chance to get hired. No doubt that job hunting is a psychological challenge. You will have to face setbacks and rejections. You may be discouraged or may be tempted to quit in the job search. But don’t lose heart. There are many jobs that can pay well. You can a get a good job if you keep searching and don’t give up.
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Career Planning, Interview Preparation | No Comments »
Monday, September 26th, 2011
The key to a successful performance review is that it should be a continuing process to assess the satisfaction of the employee and employer as well. Below are five action steps to take for your next performance review.
Does your work contribute in the success of the company?
Everyone wants to do significant work. Doing a meaningful work is a part of employee’s responsibility and taking a meaningful work is the responsibility of the management. If you are working in a firm where goals and tasks are not important then you have done a mistake in choosing the firm. It also means that you have chosen a job where you cannot make a difference or show your skills. If you feel that you are doing a meaningless work or don’t feel any worth of your work in the future, talk to your seniors about changing your tasks.
Do you understand the necessary steps to be successful at the company?
Every company has its own policy that you have to follow. These policies are usually called the culture fit. Most of these policies are unwritten and practically all are about behavior of the employee.
Your personality and behavior are two different things. You cannot change your personality but better managing your behavior is your ability.. To have a success at workplace you should be aggressive, quick and unsentimental with your co workers. But if you are doing a job in which you have to deal with customers then you need to be concerned, a listener and a problem-solver. At some places you need to be obedient with your seniors. Understand the culture of your workplace.
Is your work and workplace part of your career plan?
This point specifically relates to you. Your work and workplace should be a part of your career plan. You and your manager should understand your career plan to ensure your job is preservative to your career plan and contains the challenges you need to move to the next level.
Do you receive the training to maintain success?
This is for management. You need training to learn, grow and be successful at every stage. Your training does not mean to know that where the things are but it is about knowing how to use all the tools according to the strategy of the company, from hardware to the policy of the company. If there’s no training, you should ask for it and be sure that it connects you and your manager to a more successful career.
Do you receive continuous feedback to improve your work?
Monitoring the work and management must be undertaken by you and your manager. You should know that where do you stand; this means a regular dialogue with your manager. If you receive any negative review never be surprised. You should be constructive and constant with your feedback.
To ensure that your review is transformative, make sure that you cover the above points in your review. These points will ensure employee as well as management satisfaction.
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Career Development, Career Planning | No Comments »
Friday, September 23rd, 2011
A better designed resume never faces the danger of disappearing. You should better prepare your resume for online profile. When you apply for a job, many of the employers check your status online.
When you post your resume or profile somewhere online, you only intend to get noticed by a good recruiter for the job that suits you best. Once your resume is posted, it requires having the attention of the recruiter with data points that emphasize your effectiveness and success in jobs. Your profile should be so effective that it should scream “Hire Me”“Consider me for this Job”. You have to focus on the specific things that will get you examined, noticed and hired. Here are some important steps that may help you to get the attention of the employer
- Carefully study the descriptions of the job for which you intend to apply. Read the description of the job and learn the terminology used in the ad. List the terminologies; prioritize them by the level of their petition. Line by line review all the terminologies and be able to discuss why you list them one over the other and what priorities are.
- You have studied all the words that are used by recruiters. Make a list of the 20 most commonly used words in the description of the job. This is an important step. Your selected words will appeal the recruiter to search for you, when you want them to find you.
- Now take a list in your hand and make sure that you are using each of those keywords at least twice in your profile. But the language you are using in your profile should be flowing and graceful. It should have a professional tone rather than stuffing the profile with key words. If your resume has such kind of impression, you are going to get ignored.
- Search for services that match to the job use in your profile. Also look if your profile matches you to the job that you want. If it doesn’t match, tweak it and watch what happens. Good profiles are tested again and again and you learn the scope in the market.
Be attentive to the current job description and job title. It is about, how the recruiter will think about your resume, not how you or your colleagues think about it. You may also search for the resumes of other people with the same job title and examine how they’ve described their experience and job description. Many of the companies have distinctive and unique names for their jobs. The better of you for what they are looking for, will help you for better approach.
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Thursday, September 22nd, 2011
Making new friends is not the primary goal of going to work but surely it is one place where you make friends. Keeping a good working relationship with your co-workers is an important part of job success and satisfaction. So here are some tips for setting up good relationships with your co-workers.
Act like Yourself
Always show that you have your own personality. Everyone has its own opinion just like you, so feel free to show your different opinion but in a respectful manner. As a matter of fact the opinion differences often cause healthy conversations and debates that can have clear effects in relationships. But keep in mind that you need to be willing and open to accept the constructive criticism and ideas from your co-workers.
Be honest in your abilities and skills rather than claiming for some work that you cannot do. Handle all the workers and employers according to their weaknesses and strengths. And also let your strengths to shine and show that you are a team player.
Show a Sense of Humor
Show your sense of humor. Everyone likes to have a good laugh, so don’t feel afraid to show your humorous side. But be careful to avoid jokes that might be unpleasant or hurt to your co-workers. Adopt a way that will make someone laugh without teasing his/hers feelings.
Stay Neutral
Avoid to be caught up in office gossip and other rumors. Always behave as neutral. Once gossips starts in office, you cannot avoid getting caught up in office gossip with a positive appearance.
Show Responsibility
The people who demonstrate responsibility are liked and respected by everyone. If any task is given to you by a specific time, be sure to achieve this goal. When working on projects, also make sure that you are performing your duties with full attention, and remain productive. Simply, your colleagues and co-workers will take more interest in you even on your personal levels if you show yourself as an asset in the workplace.
Be Available
Always work with the tag “available”. With easy approach, people will be able to take steps to get you know. Generosity is the one way to become more approachable. Whenever possible, also be generous with your time. A time is a great gift that you can give your co-workers. There will be a time when you will see that time returned to you outside of the workplace.
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Organizational Development, Organizational Learning | No Comments »
Wednesday, September 21st, 2011
Many of the job seekers apply to hundreds of jobs and don’t receive even an email to acknowledge the receipt of the resume. Some do not receive a call from employers after an interview. In this situation, job seekers get confused that why don’t they get a call from employers.
It’s them, not you
Over the past few years the number of applicants have increased. The increasing quantity of resumes and applicants is one of the main reasons that keep the hiring managers choosing best candidate among the applicants. According to estimation hiring managers are receiving 10 times the amount of resumes as compared to the past. It is difficult to respond to each application or resume. So it is a foolish thing to expect to hear from every company in which you’ve applied for. The positions are usually filled and the manager shift to other work.
Follow up
If a hiring manager shows a little interest in your skills and indicates that he will contact you in few days and you don’t receive any call, you should follow up with him. There is a possibility that the process is taking much time than your expectations. Keep in mind that the hiring manager or HR professional is not there only to find the perfect candidate but he has to perform day-to-day duties as well, which can be the reason of delay for the hiring process.
Review your CV
But in case, if you are continuously applying for jobs and do not hear anything back, take a look at your CV. Your resume should have something notable that will become the reason to make you different in the competition. A survey is conducted in 2010, according to that survey 38 percent of hiring managers said that reviewing a resume, they spend less than a minute; 18 percent of the hiring managers spend less than 30 seconds. So on average, you’ve got just 25-55 seconds to have the attention of the hiring manager. So if you don’t receive a call from the hiring managers, means it is the time to review your resume.
Customize your cover letter
Not customizing the resume or cover letter can be another reason for not hearing from employers. When you tell people that you’ll take any job that comes your way, employers may think you’ll leave them when you will have a better chance. Employers never want to hire someone who will leave them in short period . Be sure that you apply for the jobs that fit your skill set. If you are trying to change your career and your resume doesn’t have a related experience, a cover letter can do that. You should design your resume in the way that each hiring manager should think that you are the best fit for the job.
Other Reasons
But in case if you are receiving call for interview but not hearing after the interview. It could be how you interview. Dressing inappropriately, appearing arrogant or disinterested, chewing gum or not giving precise answers are the common interview mistakes. Are you practicing before the interview? How is your attitude? Be positive and polite in the interview even if you have a negative experience with an employer; better prepare and practice your questions, and be professional in your behavior.
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Tuesday, September 20th, 2011
Losing a job can be a result of not agreeing with your seniors or in the form of a group dismissing or for any other reason. Whatever the reason is, this phase is never easy to face. For many of the people this will be a life-altering event.
Losing a job means losing your income and self fulfillments that you were fulfilling through your job. So it is very natural to feel sad, even some people take it as their failure in their professional life. But one may also follow the ways that will minimize the stress and depression that make a person depressed continuously.
Many of the experts are of the view that “It is very natural to have negative feelings after losing the job. Such kind of negativity can have a striking impact on the outcome.” We can also explain it in the way that negativity seeds negativity but at the same time maintaining a hopeful attitude with full struggle increases the chances of a positive outcome.
The following tips can help the people who are struggling as a consequence of losing a job.
Don’t panic. The much panic you will have, it will make the situation worse. Moderation is the best way on your way. You may lose a number of good opportunities in the panic period. Keep in mind that no opportunity will wait for you; it is you who will have to struggle to have a better opportunity.
Don’t let negative emotions consume you. After being fired bitterness, anger and sadness are general emotions, but continuously staying on negative feelings may ruin your good opportunities. Use your positive energy in discovering the new opportunities.
Don’t isolate yourself. It is good if you give a little time to yourself to reflect on the past but keep in mind that your connection with your family friends and colleagues are important. These contacts can provide you an emotional support; don’t sacrifice your important connections.
Think outside the box: Many of the people feel satisfied for what they had done before or what they know in their professional life. If you have a new opportunity, take it. Taking a new opportunity might be a good idea to undertake an unfamiliar Profession even if initially it makes you confused.
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Thursday, September 15th, 2011
There is a descending stress on pays everywhere. The scope for having a pay raise seems narrow. If you have a good job and have made yourself crucial for your organization, you should not be frightened to ask for healthier credit of your contribution.
For their particular occupation, some people are already getting more than the average. If you are proving yourself, you should not be afraid to ask for more.
Pay raises are hard to achieve. However, there are two chief ways to have an increase in your salary. The first is to look for another job with high wages and the second is by representing that you are doing best and far more than your contract specification.
To keep an experienced employee many of the companies can spend a bit of extra money, although you may be fobbed off at first with tales that the firm is over its annual budget already. This can be a little risky. But if you use a new job offer as a negotiation tool you must be getting ready to leave, so if you are just attracted by the money and are not certain that you want the new job then you should not think about it. On the other hand if your existing boss rejects your request and you still stay there then you will have to work in a much weaker position in the company.
If you wish to request for a pay raise on the back of presentation it requires a proper planning. Make a list of your present responsibilities, workload, achievements and all other positive features you have carried to the job. Request your boss for a personal word. When your boss calls you in, say thanks for time and then come to the point. Speak how much you enjoyed the job and shortly go through your successes. And finally let him know your current responsibilities. Success will fall on the way you move toward your boss. Come across as confident, without being overconfident, In case if your request is rejected at first, look for arranging at the time of your position reviewed. Keep in mind that many bosses are not suspected to pay you any extra incentive only for doing your job well.
Do proper preparation for the meeting. Clearly state your arguments and in brief remain them within a business perspective. Your boss has no concern with your personal problems such as your electricity bill is enormous or you have to pay a large amount for your family medical.
Search for the on going rate of pay for the kind of work you are doing and benefits are offered by other companies. You may ask friends and associates doing the same work. Also consider if you have any agreement with your company. The salary negotiation may also depend on your contract.
Asking for a raise in salary is not an easy work. But if you are prepared in your arguments and focused well, you will have a better chance of success.
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Career Planning | No Comments »
Monday, September 12th, 2011
If you have made your decision to work abroad, here are some tips that maybe helpful to you.
Evaluate your interest and skills
Take a close look at your abilities and skills. Consider what your interests and strengths are. In short take your time to evaluate yourself. Also consider the language, living environment and culture of your country because the culture of the country where you are planning to move to can affect your quality of life. You have to mold yourself according to that culture, once you move there. Take a careful decision that what is the best region or country for you to apply for.
Rewrite your CV
Rewrite your CV and use the format of the country in which you intend to perform your duties. The CV styles vary from country to country so changing the format style is vitally important. Same of your personal information may also vary from country to country eg. family circumstances or religious affiliation, residential status. If you are confused about anything, you should consult a local career development professional for proper guidance. You may also search for local job websites. These sites may provide you an insight into general labour market and CV formats.
Establish your network
Try to establish better contacts in the country in which you plan to work. Networking is one of the powerful tools in a job search. Networking will not only be useful in your job searching but it will also develop a solid pool of your colleagues and friends. This networking may help you to relocate and settle in your new location. You can tap into numerous online networks. Try to use online forums for networking via Yahoo Groups, Facebook and LinkedIn.
Research the location
Research the location carefully you plan to live in. Discover the area in which you intend to live including housing, transport, economic and political situation; anything that will give insight into the local community. And if you are planning to get settled abroad with family, surely research neighborhoods, childcare, medical services, schools, extra-curricular activities and any other regularly used services by your family.
Know the employment conditions fully
Make sure that you completely understand the employment conditions of the workplace and the country you intend to work. The conditions of employment can vary extensively from what you think so it is better to know all these before you start the work.
Some of the varying conditions according to the specific workplace and country are; leave entitlements, the hours of work, dress code, work tasks, and office culture. You may know the general information of employment conditions from country’s own department of labour. You may also take help from your networks to help you to educate about local employment conditions.
Take your time to settle before starting the job
If possible take a short period of time to get settled before starting your work. Two to three weeks are ideal but if it seems impossible, take at least a week to get yourself familiarized. Approaching a new job is difficult, especially if you are struggling to find somewhere to live or are unsure of your environment. So take your time to get settled.
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Friday, September 9th, 2011
The benefits of a promotion are usually understood by most of us. The promotion is a positive sign and implies that we are moving forward and not stuck at one point. This is why doing nothing indicates that in fact you are falling behind and finally your skills will become outdated. And when you are outdated you are put back and others speculate that soon the company will get rid of you.
There are different strategies that can be implemented to make yourself more profitable and marketable within your organization. All these strategies are easy to put into practice and we are not going to share anything completely new or unique. The only hard part is to recognize the area for improvement, and creating a positive change in your skills.
Be Visible and confident
When you are inquired to attend a conference, put in an appearance and do your part. You should behave in a way that others should see you performing your duties. Others should see that you are eager to do your part.
If you have a team work and your team is working on the weekends, you should make yourself available as well and participate fully. In other words, you must be available at your organization whenever required for work. This tip can move you quickly to the front line.
Determine the Priority Work
This is a fact that the routine work of you can be done by anyone who is earning least amount of salary. If you classify work as checking email, you have an average mindset. No doubt that reviewing the email is significant, and we must check it everyday but doing a lot of work and remaining busy at work will not set you apart from the rest of the people.
For example, if you receive 55 emails, per day. From those receiving emails, you decide the most important five. You need to know and assess that which ones hold action items that must be done. You should work on those five items rest of the day. The other 50 emails can be delayed on another day. Actually, these can be ignored altogether. You should plan your day for doing and completing the meaningful work. Do all the things possible to pass on low-level tasks, or those 50 other emails.
Avoid the insignificant possessions
Stay focused on what is the most important. Avoid insignificant behavior like “Sir I can’t work or share my room with Irfan. He is moody”. Keep in mind that no one cares if Irfan or someone else is moody. They have hired you to have the positive results and they have no concern with the ease you wish to have at your workplace.
Keep in mind that you are appointed to bring the best results and you must have the skills to handle the diverse personalities. You must be ready to face the people who will complain and tell you why stuff can’t be done. Try to avoid this problem. Capture a big picture viewpoint. You were assigned objectives, a particular result and a deadline. In spite of the insignificant stuff that surfaces, complete the work done. Nothing else matters, in the end.
The above three points can make a big difference in making your career. Remember that your small thinking will lead you to small results. Take a full responsibility for your future, and avoid getting swamped down by the material that doesn’t matter.
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