Find your personal goal

If you know what you want to do in life, what’s your purpose of living; life will not only be easier for you, but also meaningful and worth. Most of us live life without any goal and thus life turns out to be frustrating. Talk to yourself, find out your dreams and aspirations and what you want to do in this life. Then work towards achieving your goal. Set small goals before reaching the final one. With sheer dedication and passion work towards the goal, it will also boost your confidence and self esteem.

Prioritize your wants

Many times we want everything and get nothing, it’s because we fail to prioritize our wants and ignore what we actually value. Know yourself, know what is your priority – money or success, family or spirituality? It will help you to set your personal goals and categorize your priorities in order.

Know your passion

Know what you are passionate about, what makes you happy and what you never deny to do. Try to make your passion your profession; then work will never seem to be a load and stress. If you love your job, life will be easier and happier.

Meditate everyday

Sit alone quietly and meditate every day, it will help you to talk to your inner self. Don’t think about anything while meditating, you can chant too. Listen to your inner voice.

Know what you are good at

Knowing your strengths will help you to enhance them and utilize. Honor your strengths and enhance them.

Help others

Serve the society, it will not only help you to evolve as a better human but also soothe you from within. Help others as per your own capacity. In this way you will be more humble, honest, helpful and loved by all. Tomorrow others may help you back.

This is where this blog post figures in. The 3Cs (creative, commitment, and confidence) that we are going to discuss in this article will help you convey the message an interviewer wants to hear from an interviewee.

3 Cs of job interview

Be creative

You should be creative in your approach. Do not just give a rotten answer to each of the question asked. It sounds boring, it looks mechanical, and no one wants a non-creative, mechanical person because they already have more powerful machines to do the job.

Do not deliver a premeditated answer. Take a chance, offer something innovative. This will impress your interviewer.

Commitment

The second C of job interview is commitment. Convey your interviewer your desire to stay with his company as long as things does not fall apart. Tell him that you are not the “job hopper” kind and believe in staying with a company and delivering result. Your interviewer needs to know whether you will go out of your way to solve a customer’s problem or not. Tell them you will do it. This will put the interviewer at ease, and he will lower his guard, which will provide you entry into his organization.

Confidence

You do not have anything, if you do not have confidence to move ahead, despite all the odds. No product is perfect. Your interviewer, who is also your prospective employer, knows this, and you should also know this. And if you have the guts to sell the product, despite its several short coming then are in the team.

Show your employer your level of confidence and belief in what you do. Do not shy away from this.

This brings us to the end of 3Cs of a job interview. In the next article will see what the 3 Es of a job interview are, and how each one of them will help you crack a job interview.

Guide to a perfect speech generation:

Map the audience

Find out whom you are going to deliver your speech to, how old they are, and which part of the country they are from. The better you analyze your audience, the easier it will be for you to prepare the speech. It will help you to develop the perfect style, set the mood, and connect with the audience by including relevant jargons. Most importantly, it will help you to pick up the apt topic, as per the interest of the audience. It must add value to their lives whether by solving a problem or setting new goals and vision. Develop an emotional connect with the audience.

Pick a relevant topic

Topic should relate to the audience. Don’t pick up a topic you are not comfortable with. You can turn spontaneous only when you have some command on the topic. Pick up a topic of interest. It can be an outcome of your personal life, general topic, current topic, or a browsed topic from Internet, magazines and newspapers. Unless you are passionate about the topic, don’t pick it up.

Set the objective and time frame

Every communication has a set objective. Speech is not an exception either. Set specific objective like what you want to achieve or want the audience to do. It will help you develop the structure of the speech, limit the content, streamline your thoughts, and march towards a desired outcome. Make important points and elaborate them, but don’t stretch too far. Too much elaboration bore the audience.

Use your imagination and build story

Hues of imagination instill life into a speech. Stretch your imagination and let it fly high. Grab attention of the audience right from the beginning. Use vivid examples while explaining the points you put across. Talk about personal experiences. Make it dramatic and personalized.

Relax and speak

Don’t appear as if you are rushing. Relax while you speak. Don’t talk in too high pitch. Don’t get too nervous, little bit of fear is okay. If initially you are to scared start practicing in front of family, friends, and mirror.

Last but not the least, enjoy!

Confidence oozes when you enjoy the session. It shouldn’t seem like a burden but an enjoyable activity. Make eye contact to appear confident and bold. Be yourself. Don’t get tempted to be like someone else.

And soon you’ll find you are the master of speech delivery.

A group discussion typically works in three phases –

• Introduction
• Body of the GD
• Conclusion

Introduction and conclusion of the GD are the most important phases, as these phases help impressing the examiner.

Introduction stage of GD is your opportunity to write your destiny. This is your first chance to impress the examiner. While you initiate the discussion you not only grab the opportunity to speak first, but you equally draw attention of the examiner and other candidates. First impression lasts for long. If you can kick-off with a good start (on basis of content, logic and your communication skill), the ball is already in your court. Don’t get numb or stuck soon after the introduction, it shows you started with a bang just for the sake of drawing attention. Maintain your participation throughout and make sure you are heard. On the other hand don’t jump into the well and start before others; if you are not confident about the topic. A hollow start brings negative marks. You are supposed to put things in the right perspective of framework. Some handy points which can help you to try a good start are –

• Definition of the topic in hand
• Related quotes
• Questions
• Shock statement
• Facts and figures (along with credible source)
• Short story
• General statement

Conclusion stage of GD is equally important. Every GD is summarized. Summarize what the group has discussed during GD, in a nutshell. It could be a conclusion either in favour or against the given topic. While concluding don’t raise new points again, avoid putting personal opinion or perceptions, avoid rigidity towards one aspect, keep your views short and crisp, don’t add anything new apart from the already discussed points.

Examiner not only pays attention towards your spoken words; but also sees through your personality traits and non-verbal communication aspects like –

• Ability to work in team
• Reasoning ability
• Communication skill
• Leadership skill
• Persuasion skill
• Assertiveness yet humbleness
• Pro-active attitude
• Flexibility
• Creativity
• Independent thinking process
• Time management
• Body language
• Patience and tolerance

When these things are taken care of, a big win is not far from you.

As much as 58% Americans do not believe that the economy is going to improve in coming year — 33% thinks it will stay all the same, but 25% fears the worse has yet to come. 10% of the respondents said they are not sure of the state of the economic affair in the United States. And only 32% showed confidence in the recovery. (See picture)

If we alter the timeline a bit then the figure is even more disheartening. Almost 80% (combined) of Americans believe the economy will not improve in the next six months — 50% believe the economy will not change in the next 6 months, whereas, 29% fear the worse may happen.

It is on the administration and regulator to falsify the belief of more than 50% of Americans. They need to work hard to prove the skeptic wrong.

In which group I fall?

Well, I am an optimist.

Plan, Plan, and Plan

Planning is important. It takes the surprise factor and blind spot out of the equation. Review the list of common questions asked in an interview, and prepare an answer for each one of them. Do not mug up. Just make yourself comfortable with the questions. During the planning process also find a way out to blunt the ruthless edge of your negative characteristics. Do not make it look like your biggest asset, but soften its edge and make it look less damaging.

Look uber-cool

Well, I do not intend to suggest that you should take in all those garbage being consumed by teenagers in the name of fashion and “walking ahead of time”. All I want to suggest is to look up-to-date and in the know of things that matter to the job you are being interviewed for.

When I say up-to-date I also mean up-to-date in your appearance. I know it was not the first thing you expected to read when you wake up in the morning, but it important. You will not like to look like a black sheep among all the white clones. Dress as the way people younger to your dress, at least for the interview. It will convey the person on the other side of the table that you may be chronologically from different group, but your psychosocial make is same as his own.

Tell them you will learn

Do not flinch if you are faced with a question that you do not know answer of, or if you have asked about a technology which you have never heard of. Tell your interviewer that you are unaware of thing in question, but you will learn it sooner than expected, and if you are promised the job, you can start learning right from today. This will tell your interviewer, how much keen you are for the job, and how much time you are willing to devote for that. The interviewer will not pass unimpressed.

What else do you think is necessary to excel in an interview? Use the comment box and send in your suggestions.

2009 recorded a negative growth of 2%, which is unprecedented, to touch $209.6 billion mark. The travel sector saw a drop of 5% to $79.8 billion, while, growth rate of e-commerce retail (non-travel) remained flat to $129.8 billion. For retail e-commerce, the no-growth year of 2009 has been preceded by a year of single digit growth (6% in 2008), which was the lowest growth rate for the segment on record. On an average this sector had an annual growth of around 20%.

But the good news is that the US consumer has shown some confidence in e-commerce in last two months (November and December) of 2009, which gave the segment a respective year-on-year growth of 3% to $12 billion and 5% to $17 billion.

4 ways to build the writing prompt list

1. Know yourself. Ask questions about your religious beliefs, your political opinion, your view of your community, and your stance on the social and economic issues confronting your community. Ask questions about your views on your community, culture, government’s policy, medical policy, etc. The idea behind this exercise is to look inside yourself and find what you are and what you believe in.
2. See the world around you. A good writer is one who observes his surroundings. One who remains absorbed in oneself all the time can be anything but a writer. See how people around you interact, how they react in certain condition. What are their inhibitions, what they are afraid of doing, how strongly they cling to their belief, and what makes them stay together.
3. Notice the nature. Have you seen that little green-colored insect that stays on the flower? Have you seen what the shape of the cloud was today? The point is to get close to nature and observe its beauty. It has motivated many and will not fail to motivate you as well.
4. Take to people. Ask as many questions as you want. Get as close to people near you as you can. Know about them. Ask about their daily life, their fears, their hopes, their dreams, their ambitions, their aspirations, etc., and you will get enough material to write upon.

There are many more things that can help you build your own list, but the things that I have talked about here will help you regardless of the genre you write in.

So for starters, what is cold calling?  Well put simply it’s literally calling companies you would be interested in working for, to inquire about jobs.  Most of the time these companies don’t have any open positions listed, but that does not mean that there are no positions available.  A company doesn’t always get around to announcing a job opening straight away.  By calling before the position is announced, you put yourself into the running before anyone else is even considered.

Beware that in most cases your call may be met with negativity.  The person you are calling oftentimes has an unwillingness to comply with anything you have to say.  This is usually just because they are busy, and see your call as an inconvenience.  But don’t get down on yourself for this.  Stay positive and recognize that the negativity from them is not personal, and has nothing to do with you.  Continue your inquiry, stay polite and courteous, and if there really is no chance of an available job, just move to your next possibility.

Remember to stay positive, and keep trying.  Oftentimes you can end up on a call back list for potential employees when a position does become available.  It’s always good to have on file that you were interested in working for them before a job was vacant.

I bet each one of us has faced this situation once or more in our career, but some of us go through this many times in their career, and more often than most of us. I think I know why they go through such ordeal every time they are in there for the interview, and thus I am writing this post. I believe this guide will help them do away with interview syndrome, once and for all.

How to remain confident in an interview

• Do not lie: The major reason why people feel less confident during interview than they actually are because of the lie they tell to the interviewer and the lie they wrote in the résumé. There is no point in lying because even if you get the job by lying, you will not be able to do justice to the work assigned to it, therefore, you will provide poor work, which will translate into bad review followed by firing. Now, what’s better: no job, or a résumé with a small black spot?
• Reach the venue 30 minutes in advance: Not everyone lies in the interview, but most of us are susceptible to another flaw, which is equally harmful. Always reach your the interview venue 30 minutes in advance and familiarize yourself with the surrounding, so that you can feel at home.
• Research the company: You are expected to know a bit about the company you are into. The knowledge shows your interest in the work, and the absence of it suggests that the company you are in at that point of time is just one of the many companies where you just dropped in with a hope to get hired. No one likes to have discarded employee.
• Know your stuff: If you do not know your stuff then you should not go to the interview table. Your interviewer is your prospective employer, so he will ask you all sorts of questions related to the work you will handle in his company. If you fumble in answering to his satisfaction, consider the interview over, and do not wait for any call because there will be no call.
• Be yourself: I will not ask you to put a broad grin or ear-to-ear smile on your face, and I will also not ask you to sit too straight and crush the interviewer’s hand with the sheer power of your palm just to say how confident you are. By doing all this, you will sound nothing but just an idiot who does not know manners. Hence, I will suggest you to forget what you have learned from the success coaches and be yourself. Do not try to be anyone, you will never succeed. Oscar Wilde once said, “Be yourself, everyone else is taken.”

So be conscious about everything you’re doing as you walk through the door.  When your interview begins, think about the facial expression you have.  The first thing an interviewer wants to see, is a confident positive person walking through their door.  Does your face reflect confidence, and a positive attitude?  Exactly what you should be asking yourself.  Stand up straight, reflect good posture, and smile politely.  But don’t appear overconfident, remember you don’t have the job yet, and overconfidence can be just as bad as negative body language.

From the successful entrance, make sure to shake hands with ever interviewer present.  If you’re being interviewed by a panel, or just one person, make sure to walk over to them and give a good firm handshake.  A firm handshake is important, as it shows confidence and also the ability to lead.  You’re unafraid when you give someone a firm handshake, and up for the challenge.  Make that clear by speaking through your body.

From there make sure to keep up that good posture when you sit down.  Respond positively to every question, keeping your confident and courteous demeanor no matter the topic.  Also remember to use hand gestures casually when speaking.  By using hand gestures you show a calmness during your speech that will resonate on the interviewer.  Don’t get excessive with your hand motions, but tracing a few shapes to illustrate an idea is always good.

Answer questions by leaning forward slightly, to show genuine interest and consideration in the question, and your answer.  Don’t forget to also keep your voice at a higher decibel.  You want to be heard, but you don’t have to shout.  Being too loud makes you look overconfident, and that never plays well.  Speak so all can hear you, but don’t hurt their ears.

Finally, shake hands with everyone once the interview is over, and thank them for the opportunity.  Then, keeping your posture straight, and your disposition positive and courteous, leave the room the same way you came.  If you pull off all of these factors correctly, your body language will have been pretty much impeccable.  Letting your body speak with you could even just be that edge you need to land that job.

-Make sure your speech shows your confidence.  Flow as if it’s only conversation, but show your command of the presentation that you are making.  By making this feel like conversation but showing your command, you gain more positive attention.

-Don’t make a speech where your audience is left asking, but why do I care?  You only have a short amount of time, but make sure you instill a good understanding of your points.  Make sure why your presentation matters to them, comes across.

-Familiarize yourself with your speech so that you know your facts in and out.  The worst thing you could possibly do in that short amount of time, is rambling.  Don’t fumble for words, or your speech will suffer as a result.

-This is more of an informal presentation, so do be friendly.  The elevator speech is more of an informal  presentation, but don’t lose your professionalism in the process.

-Try to stick to more listener friendly language, explaining things simply and completely.  Rather than going for big vivid descriptions, as you just don’t have the time for a speech like that.

-Finally, try to project your  passion and belief for what you are presenting.  If you don’t have any, find some or your speech will fail.  A good aura stemming from a belief in which you’re talking about will radiate on your audience.  So make sure you believe in what you are saying.

You need confidence in an IT interview, while this is true of any interview, for IT it’s especially important.  Information technology is a field that’s in constant flux, so your confidence in your ability to keep on top of that ever changing mountain is vital.  Part of IT is having very good organizational skills, so show that by having prepared questions with you at the interview.  Also, take a few notes about the important aspects of the job, and the answers to your questions.  This will show that you have a real interest in what’s going on, and the position available.

Be prepared for the questions you are going to be asked, and make sure you don’t fumble for an answer.  You should be expected to be asked basic questions about basic computer networking, as well as the more advanced.  So make sure you know your stuff, and that all of your knowledge is absolutely current.  Nothing will look worse than struggling to answer a question, or having an answer that’s out of date.

Finally, make sure you develop good informed questions, that are specific to the company to which you are applying.  Try a few challenging ones specific to the field, or discussing new technology, or techniques.  Anything that helps you look informed, as well as interested in the company.  You want to appear interested in working for this employer, and you want to showcase your knowledge and value.  Good questions do that better than you would believe.

Know that writing an article will give you an opportunity to showcase your expertise in your chosen industry.  This will allow you to gain recognition from sources that you otherwise may have been unavailable to, and it’s a fantastic way to get your name out there.  But make sure you know your stuff, because writing an article will also expose any lacking knowledge that you just don’t have.  Nothing looks worse than when you’re supposed to be writing an informative article when you’re not an expert in the points you’re trying to get across.

So first choose a concept that you want to focus on for an article.  Just one, so that you’ll find it easy to stay on topic and not get away from the point of the piece.  Then focus on writing an informative article, in your unique voice, displaying your unique expertise.  Remember that you have something worthwhile to say, that’s why you’re writing in the first place.  Carry through that confidence into your words and formulate something you would want to read.

From there, just use the typical writing guidelines to improve your article.  In editing ensure that all of your sentences are concise and make a good point.  Make sure you stay on topic, and make sure your article isn’t too long.  You want people to be able to take something from what you’ve written.  The only way to do that is to edit your piece successfully so that the end product is a concise informative article.

Record what you do and eliminate unnecessary things

In order to take time out from your daily schedule, you need to figure out how you spend your day. Start with recording everything that you do in your daily life. Once you have a complete list of things that you do in any day of the week, start striking out the thing you can do without. You will be amazed to see how much time you wasted in idle talks, and television watching. These things are important, but when done in excess, they can kill your productivity.

Cut on rests

One needs to work hard, if one wants to achieve something. You need to cut on sleeping, and lunchtime rests to take time out to write. You can use this time to write down the thoughts that come to you, or even use this time to develop your story.

Write while you travel

Well, this is not always possible to write when you are going from one place to another, but you can always use this time to write down the key points, which you can further develop at your leisure.

Talk to your family and ask for support

Take your family in confidence and speak your mind, tonight on the dinner table. Tell them what you are planning to do. Ask your partner, or parents to look after your kids at least once a week, so that you can have some free time to write. If you have grownup kids then ask them to do the house works once a week to help you in taking time out to write.

With your cover letter there are a few guidelines you want to follow.  First, stay on topic, an employer only really cares about what you can offer them, and how your experience and past qualities applies to them.  You want to personalize the letter, never send a form cover letter as these can be easily spotted, and your lack of a personal touch will reflect negatively upon yourself.  If you won’t put in the time and effort to write a good cover letter, how much time and effort are you going to put into the job once you are hired?

Never forget that the goal of a cover letter is to introduce yourself and then sell yourself and your unique abilities to the company with which you are applying.  Your cover letter is practically an interview in itself, and you should treat it as such.  Really sell yourself as the best candidate for the job, even if you yourself feel yourself to be under qualified.  Never suggest that you feel that way however, nor should you defend your lack of experience in any way, as that will make you seem to lack confidence in your abilities, and you’ll appear on the defensive about the likelihood that you’ll get the job, and that’s never good.

Express the interests you have in the company that you’re applying to, and outline why you would like to work for them.  Give specific reasons tailored to the company.  But make sure always that your cover letter is in a business tone, shy away from using any humor as that usually doesn’t come off well, and make sure that there are absolutely no grammar mistakes.  Grammar or spelling mistakes are horrifically bad for the first impression of the company you are applying to, and will be a red flag to any employer that you don’t double check your work.