Job Interview Success

Job Interview Success: 6 Tips To Get You The Job You Want

In the current economic climate, we find ourselves with millions of highly intelligent, overqualified job seekers around the world fighting for the same jobs. Millions of Curriculums Vitae’s emailed every day, followed by millions of phone calls, followed by millions of interviews, followed by rejection and disappointment.

In today’s competitive job market, it seems that intelligence, great qualifications, or even a burning desire are not enough to get you the job you want any more. At any given time, thousands of people just as clever as you, just as experienced and hard working are applying for the same position as you, so how are you going to stand out from the rest and get the job you want?
If you’ve made it to the interview room, then you have done something right. You have got something: a final chance to impress, influence and persuade so you can get what you want. Here, Anna Aparicio, top Irish NLP Life Coach and Confidence Expert, shares her proven tips on how to knock the socks off your interviewer and get that job offer, fast:
1. BELIEVE IN YOURSELF
Believe that you are the best candidate for the job. Hoping, wishing, or even badly wanting it is not enough, and it may even go against you. Just as it happens when looking for love, giving out a vibe of neediness, may put your interviewers right off.
They are not going to offer you the job because you need it, or hope to get it. The job will be offered to the person who gets to them; the person who makes the best, most impactful and lasting impression; that person they can vividly imagine working with; hat person they can see themselves dealing with day in and day out, that sounds good to them, and that when they think about you, they get a good feeling.
Remember that there are lots of other jobs out there for you and that it may take some time to find your ideal job. However, it is up to you to walk into that interview with a sense of self-belief and confidence that will simply knock your interviewer’s socks off.
2. KNOW WHAT YOU ARE SELLING
You are not selling your CV, your new suit or how nice a person you are. You are selling feelings! Remember that your interviewer is only human. And most decisions we make as humans are not based on logic, but on feelings. You have to realise that the interview is not really about you, it’s about your interviewer. As well as how well you match your talents, experience and skills to the job, the company and people in it, you also have to focus on making your interviewer feel good. When people feel good around you, they are more likely to like you and promote you.
What simple things can you do to help your interviewer be at ease and feel good around you? Look your very best on the day. Dress professionally. Smile, give a firm handshake – without squeezing! and keep eye contact with your interviewer throughout the interview. Also, be aware of your body language.
3. DO YOUR RESEARCH
This may seem pretty obvious, but I am always surprised to hear human resources staff at the companies I work with complain about interviewees lack of preparation. Knowing the name of the company you are applying for and kind of liking what they do is not going to cut it!
Research the company. Become curious and genuinely interested in what they do, how they do it, their mission, their people learn as much as you can about what is most important to the company you are applying to work for. If you are applying for a position you have no previous experience on, it may be a good idea to speak to someone who is already doing that job, or has done it before. Spend some time with them, ask some good questions, and learn!
Also, know yourself, your strengths and weaknesses and how they’ll affect that particular job. Remember, for every weakness you mention, buffer it up with two strengths!
4. REHEARSE!
I am stunned when I speak to personal clients who have job interviews coming up and they tell me they haven’t rehearsed.
Imagine being an actor and showing up to film without knowing your lines. No matter how good you think you are, you are bound to mess up.
Certain questions are to be expected at your interview. For example, the infamous where do you see yourself in five years time?, what are your strengths and weaknesses? or do you have any questions?
Know your answers to these and other potential questions, give specific examples and avoid going off subject. Answer questions confidently and in a way that presupposes you are the right person for the job.
5. BE ON TOP FORM ON THE DAY
You may be thinking this is easier said than done, especially if your upcoming interview is your fiftieth so far.
Well, this may be your fiftieth lucky interview! The more confident and relaxed you are, the better you will perform.
It helps to run through the interview in your mind before it happens. Imagine being already there. Imagine things going perfectly, exactly the way you want them to go. See what you’ll see, hear what you’ll hear, and feel how good it feels knowing you did your best and that you made a great impression.
Make sure you eat healthily the day before your interview, and sleep well. Avoid simple carbohydrates, sugary foods and caffeine as they play havoc with energy levels and mental clarity. Drink plenty of water and do a few breathing exercises. It’ll help you relax, be more aware and in control of things.
6. ASK QUESTIONS
A lot of companies are looking for more than just someone who can do the job. They are looking for proactive people with a personality and vision.
Show the type of person you are and how interested you are in the job by asking questions regarding growth and opportunities.
Think about what you would be looking for if this was your company or you were the interviewer. By imagining what you would expect, you can put yourself in a more resourceful mindset.
After the interview, wait a week or so and if you haven’t heard from your interviewer, contact him and get some feedback. This is a way of reminding them of you, and also of finding out useful information you can use to get the job you want!

Interview with R. Gopalakrishnan Director at tata sons

The Top 10 Regrets in Life By Those About to Die

The Top 10 Regrets in Life By Those About to Die

1. “Never pursuing dreams and aspirations”

The number one regret we found that people have on their death beds is that they were never brave enough to pursue their dreams, but settled for what others expected of them. When they look back at their lives, they tend to recall their unreached goals and aspirations. They are often haunted by decisions that resulted in the lives they ended up with.
While you still have a lot of years to live, be sure to make some time for reaching your dreams. Start working toward your goals now; don’t keep putting things off until it’s too late.

2. “I worked too much and never made time for my family”

Excessive dedication to work causes a person to spend less time with their loved ones. Parents can even miss out on the lives of their children, because they spent their best years pursuing careers and making money.
Everybody needs to work to generate income, and money is necessary to sustain our lifestyles. But don’t ever sacrifice your family time just to make more money. It would do you good to determine what is really important. Do away with unnecessary expenses and things that only crowd your life – this will make room for improved relationships and better lifestyle choices.

3. “I should have made more time for my friends”

When health and youth have faded, people realize what are truly valuable – they find that all their income and achievements amount to nothing in the end. What really matters in those last few moments are the people who are dear to them. At that time, they tend to miss their friends.
It’s so easy to get lost in the daily grind that you forget to take care of your relationships. If you don’t intentionally stay in touch, you may lose contact with your friends through the years.

4. “I should have said ‘I Love You’ a lot more”

The importance of love becomes more pronounced towards the end of life. At this time, unreturned of love will also be more painful.
It can be hard to tell someone that you love them, especially if you fear rejection. But not being able to express those feelings will leave an unsettled need in you, and possibly affect all future relationships. If you are afraid of getting hurt, remember that it’s better to make your love known than to spend the rest of your life dwelling on what could have been.

5. “I should have spoken my mind instead of holding back and resenting things”

A lot of people choose not to confront those who offend them, thinking that this would keep things civil. In truth, suppressing anger breeds bitterness, which leads to various diseases. Harboring bitterness also makes you emotionally crippled and prevents you from fulfilling your true potential.
If you want to have healthy relationships, honesty and confrontation are necessary. The common misconception about confrontation is that it creates division. In reality, if it’s done kindly and constructively, confrontation deepens mutual respect and understanding. When you express negative emotions properly, it also allows you to let go of the resentment so you don’t have to carry it for the rest of your life.

6. “I should have been the bigger person and resolved my conflicts”

A lot of times, death beds and funerals are more miserable because of broken relationships that were never restored. Relationships are ruined when misunderstandings are not dealt with immediately; this may result in a lifetime of hostility.
Conflicts are a part of life; you can’t avoid them, but you should never let your anger last for more than a day. Choose to forgive. Right the wrongs that you can, while you can.

7. “I wish I had children”

As people age, they often feel lonely and long for the company of their sons and daughters. Those who never had children often have regrets about having no one to comfort them or inherit their legacy.
With today’s modern thinking, kids may be viewed as inconveniences or hindrances to pursuing your goals. But keep in mind that your children will be the ones to show you love when you are old. They will also be the ones to whom you will entrust everything you’ve worked hard for after you’re gone.

8. “I should have saved more money for my retirement”

Failing to plan for the retirement years leaves people destitute in their old age. When that happens, their last moments on earth can be very difficult and miserable.
While you are young, you might not yet grasp the reality of retirement, but it’s important to make a plan for yourself. Be careful not to spend too much on things you think you need now; think about providing a comfortable life for yourself in the future.

9. “Not having the courage to live truthfully”

Looking back, people would wonder whether things would have been better if they were truly honest about who they really are. They think about the distress they caused themselves and others by pretending to be someone they’re not. You will naturally have concerns about whether people would reject you or accept you if you came clean; you might find it easier to compromise yourself just to be liked or loved. There are some situations when things need to be kept hidden, but honesty is generally admired. If you are reviled for who you really are, then that’s how you can determine the people who really love you. If you don’t yet have the courage to be truthful to others, you can start being truthful to yourself.

10. “Happiness is always a choice, I wish I knew that earlier”

People rarely realize that they can choose to be happy. It’s so easy to play the victim of circumstance and prevent yourself from moving on in your life. You tend to settle for mediocrity because it’s familiar; you pretend to be content because you’re too afraid to explore.
Make a choice to have a happy life. Be unafraid of change, and don’t worry about what others think of you. Learn to relax and appreciate the good things.

Social media for recruitment

Social media for recruitment

 

Gone are the days when companies had to hunt for prospective employees on traditional channels like employment exchanges or classified advertisements. An approach more direct and focused has emerged with the ever-expanding reach of social media. Looking for a sales rep? Go find him on a common interest group on Facebook. Looking for a leadership coach? Hunt for interesting tweets to find the person behind the one-line wit. Social media helps you find prospective employees.

“We believe that social networking is really just the Web becoming a tool that fosters more interaction. The future likely includes more rich media on any device (and employees will have many) allowing people to communicate, share and digest more information any time they want and about virtually every aspect of their lives. The most effective use of social media as a tool is not merely for marketing, public relations or even for just effective customer support but as a means to connect directly and engage with current and prospective employees,” says Aadil Bandukwala, India - talent acquisition advisor, social media and community professional, Dell India.

How would one compare it against traditional tools of recruitment? “Traditional tools of recruitment enabled leaders to rely on their gut instinct when making hiring decisions and whether they liked someone personally was a major influence. The traditional hiring metrics, including quality of the cover letter and interview, compete in importance with the personal preferences of the hiring manager. The employers base hiring preferences on the applicant’s personality, sometimes even more than on the hard skills an applicant brings to the table. The social media is a more targeted approach. It helps you focus on the things that actually matters while in a job. Though it limits the gut instinct recruitment of instinctive leaders,” says Urvashi Bahuguna Sahay, founder and CEO, Excluzen.

Then, there are also those who feel that comparing social media to traditional media is like comparing apples and oranges. “How many candidates do you have in your database? Whatever the number is, it doesn't come close to how many potential candidates are on Facebook and Linkedin. Hence, traditional tools cannot be compared to the social media tools as it is always better to have a integrated 360 degree approach and evolve, adapt and change to newer ways,” says T Muralidharan, managing director, TMIe2EAcademy.

That said, social media has its own set of challenges. Certain precautions must be taken when recruiting through social media. “An organisation needs to take utmost care when its employees engage on its behalf on social media platforms. An organisation needs to ‘empower’ its employees to make sure that both from a recruiting perspective and from a candidate’s experience touch point, the end-to-end process is seamless and delivers on the set expectations. To ‘empower’ its employees, an organisation needs to do two things:

• Have a social media strategy in place so that the designated individuals have a ground to fall back on and revert to. Invest in training its employees on different social media platforms. Says Bandukwala, “At Dell, we have a social media university that renders certifications across different platforms to employees once they complete their training. This way, employees are confident of what and how they need to communicate across social media and tailor specific messages relevant to their target audiences.”

• Have a social media policy in place – You want your employees to essentially use social media the right away – thereby it is imperative that a social media policy be in place that tells employees that they need to respect privacy, protect information and follow the law. Based on the organisational culture, dynamics and people policy, a social media policy can be rolled out which employees can be encouraged to follow,” adds Bandukwala.

Further adding to the list of precautions is Muralidharan, who feels, “The HR should be careful while scanning and recruiting on social media. They should understand that social media websites are basically meant to socialise with peer groups and should understand how to collect the resume details of the candidate on social networking websites. The recent case in US where companies started asking Facebook user ids and passwords from prospective employees created a rage and a negative impact on such companies. The human resource should not dig deep into social media profiles of the candidates while hiring but can use to cross-check for the authenticity of the profile. The HR should also keep in mind that simultaneously the candidate is visiting the company profile and also the HR profile, observing their qualifications, achievements before attending an interview, which is challenging for an HR, if he doesn't know much about the candidate.”

Final word of advice to social media tappers? Know what you are getting into. Create the right image. And trust your instinct with people!

Bad vaastu of rupee symbol caused its fall: Expert

Bad vaastu of rupee symbol caused its fall: Expert

--Hindustan Times

An inauspicious symbol is behind the fall of the Indian rupee and a slump in the economy, claims a vaastu shastra expert in Guwahati.
According to vaastu consultant Rajkumar Jhanjhari, 50, the lower horizontal line of the symbol has 'slit the throat' of the Indian rupee leading to its slide. Dharmalingam Udaya Kumar, assistant professor in the design department of IIT-Guwahati, had designed the rupee symbol in 2010. They symbol was incorporated in currency notes of 10, 100, 500 and 1000 from January and in notes of 20 and 50 from April this year.
The symbol is a combination of the Devanagari "?" (ra) and the Latin R without its vertical bar. The designer's concept note had explained that two parallel lines at the top represent the Tricolour and depict an equality sign symbolising the nation's desire to reduce economic disparity.
"The rupee has depreciated 23% against the dollar in the last one year. When I wrote to the Prime Minister on December 12 last year, a dollar fetched Rs. 48-49 compared to Rs. 56 today,"Jhanjhari told HT.
Copies of the letter were also couriered to the finance minister and the Reserve Bank of India arguing how tweaking the symbol would boost the economy.
"India managed to withstand a severe global slump in 2009, before the symbol came up. One must ask why our growth rate is taking a beating now before rubbishing pleas for changing the symbol,"said Jhanjhari.
He added that he has suggested changes besides exploring new vaastu-compliant designs.
Frankly, I don't know what to say. My design has already been implemented. If at all, the government has to take a call on this,"Udaya Kumar said.

8 Rules For Creating A Passionate Work Culture BY Paul Alofs 

 

Several years ago I was in the Thomson Building in Toronto. I went down the hall to the small kitchen to get myself a cup of coffee. Ken Thomson was there, making himself some instant soup. At the time, he was the ninth-richest man in the world, worth approximately $19.6 billion. Enough, certainly, to afford a nice lunch. I looked at the soup he was stirring. “It suits me just fine,” he said, smiling.

Thomson understood value. Neighbors reported seeing him leave his local grocery store with jumbo packages of tissues that were on sale. He bought off-the-rack suits and had his old shoes resoled. Yet he had no difficulty paying almost $76 million for a painting (for Peter Paul Rubens’s Massacre of the Innocents, in 2002). He sought value, whether it was in business, art, or groceries.

In 1976, Thomson inherited a $500-million business empire that was built on newspapers, publishing, travel agencies, and oil. By the time he died, in 2006, his empire had grown to $25 billion.

He left both a financial legacy and an art legacy, but his most lasting legacy might be the culture he created. Geoffrey Beattie, who worked closely with him, said that Ken wasn’t a business genius. His success came from being a principled investor and from surrounding himself with good people and staying loyal to them. In return he earned their loyalty.

For the long-term viability of any enterprise, Thomson understood that you needed a viable corporate culture. It, too, had to be long-term. So he cultivated good people and kept them. Thomson worked with honest and competent business managers and gave them his long-term commitment and support. From these modest principles, an empire grew.

Thomson created a culture that extended out from him and has lived after him. Here are eight rules for creating the right conditions for a culture that reflects your creed:

1. Hire the right people

Hire for passion and commitment first, experience second, and credentials third. There is no shortage of impressive CVs out there, but you should try to find people who are interested in the same things you are. You don’t want to be simply a stepping stone on an employee’s journey toward his or her own (very different) passion. Asking the right questions is key: What do you love about your chosen career? What inspires you? What courses in school did you dread? You want to get a sense of what the potential employee believes.

2. Communicate

Once you have the right people, you need to sit down regularly with them and discuss what is going well and what isn’t. It’s critical to take note of your victories, but it’s just as important to analyze your losses. A fertile culture is one that recognizes when things don’t work and adjusts to rectify the problem. As well, people need to feel safe and trusted, to understand that they can speak freely without fear of repercussion.

The art of communication tends to put the stress on talking, but listening is equally important. Great cultures grow around people who listen, not just to each other or to their clients and stakeholders. It’s also important to listen to what’s happening outside your walls. What is the market saying? What is the zeitgeist? What developments, trends, and calamities are going on?

3. Tend to the weeds

A culture of passion capital can be compromised by the wrong people. One of the most destructive corporate weeds is the whiner. Whiners aren’t necessarily public with their complaints. They don’t stand up in meetings and articulate everything they think is wrong with the company. Instead, they move through the organization, speaking privately, sowing doubt, strangling passion. Sometimes this is simply the nature of the beast: they whined at their last job and will whine at the next. Sometimes these people simply aren’t a good fit. Your passion isn’t theirs. Constructive criticism is healthy, but relentless complaining is toxic. Identify these people and replace them.

4. Work hard, play hard

To obtain passion capital requires a work ethic. It’s easy to do what you love. In the global economy we can measure who has a superior work ethic, who is leading in productivity. Not many industries these days thrive on a forty-hour work week. A culture where everyone understands that long hours are sometimes required will work if this sacrifice is recognized and rewarded.

5. Be ambitious

“Make no little plans: they have no magic to stir men’s blood.” These words were uttered by Daniel Burnham, the Chicago architect whose vision recreated the city after the great fire of 1871. The result of his ambition is an extraordinary American city that still has the magic to stir men’s blood. Ambition is sometimes seen as a negative these days, but without it we would stagnate. You need a culture that supports big steps and powerful beliefs. You can see these qualities in cities that have transformed themselves. Cities are the most visible examples of successful and failed cultures. Bilbao and Barcelona did so and became the envy of the world and prime tourist destinations. Pittsburgh reinvented itself when the steel industry withered. But Detroit wasn’t able to do the same when the auto industry took a dive.

6. Celebrate differences 

When choosing students for a program, most universities consider more than just marks. If you had a dozen straight-A students who were from the same socio-economic background and the same geographical area, you might not get much in the way of interesting debate or interaction. Great cultures are built on a diversity of background, experience, and interests. These differences generate energy, which is critical to any enterprise.

7. Create the space 

Years ago, scientists working in laboratories were often in underground bunkers and rarely saw their colleagues; secrecy was prized. Now innovation is prized. In cutting-edge research and academic buildings, architects try to promote as much interaction as possible. They design spaces where people from different disciplines will come together, whether in workspace or in common leisure space. Their reasoning is simple: it is this interaction that helps breed revolutionary ideas. Creative and engineering chat over coffee. HR and marketing bump into one another in the fitness center. Culture is made in the physical space. Look at your space and ask, “Does it promote interaction and connectivity?”

8. Take the long view 

If your culture is dependent on this quarter’s earnings or this month’s sales targets, then it is handicapped by short-term thinking. Passion capitalists take the long view. We tend to overestimate what we can do in a year, but underestimate what we can do in five years. The culture needs to look ahead, not just in months but in years and even decades.

The writer Arthur Koestler said that a writer’s ambition should be to trade a hundred contemporary readers for ten readers in ten years’ time and for one reader in a hundred years’ time. Lasting influence is better than a burst of fame. Keep an eye on the long view.

Excerpted from Passion Capital: The World's Most Valuable Asset © 2012 by Paul Alofs. Published by Signal, a division of Random House of Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.

 

 

Incremental Innovation versus Destructive Innovation

Design–>Measure–> Analyse–> Improve–> Control

•Define business problem

•Measure process (Y) performance

•Analyze the root causes (X’s) of the problem

•Improve, implement new solution

•Deliver Y performance over time

This system helps to REDUCE Costs, REDUCE ERRORS; FIRST TIME RIGHT METHOD

Innovation Pyramid

Incremental Innovation——>Micro level—> Continuous improvement at process level over cost, time and quality

Differential Innovation——-> Mini Level —> Continuous Product Development through unique USP, product features.

Breakthrough Innovation—-> Mega Level—> Business Process Innovation through a game changing patent-able concept, blue ocean strategy

Incremental innovation is promoted through the above mentioned DMAIC Approach done on a continuous basis.

More performance driven than innovation driven

For companies to focus on profitability and productivity, Six Sigma elements are viable. To sustain the profitability, focus shift has to happen in the area of growth and innovation through disruptive change

Even Companies like GE, Motorola (pioneers of Six Sigma) have resorted to the BLUE SKY APPROACH to innovate into a white space for sustained development.

GE: Imagination At Work