Category — Career Express

This is a guest post by Avadhut Nigudkar from Finance Walk. To guest post on this blog, check guest post page.

If you’re looking for a job and don’t want to lose even a chance to meet your prospective interviewer, I suggest you go and meet small business owners, who can give you the job that you want.

For you and the interviewer (in this case, the business owner) the interview will not be a formal one. It will be a “chat over a cup of coffee or breakfast”.

The small business owners are highly focused on their products and services. They want to produce and sell the product first and recruiting is not their main focus and so, they may not have a dedicated Human Resources person or department. The business owners themselves may not be trained in interviewing skills and have no idea of conducting interviews.

What you can expect

First of all, don’t expect the interviewer/owner will be on time. He may have different tasks to do and the interview may not be a priority for him.

Be punctual and show that you are serious about this job. Expect a number of questions from him, like:

• Tell me about yourself
• Run me through your CV.
• What are your strengths and weaknesses?
• Why do you want this job?
• Why do you want to leave the current job?
• What makes you different?

If you have prepared well for the above questions then you can face the interview confidently.

Interviewer is not HR person here and so, he is totally unaware of how he is conducting the interview. So, you can take initiative and lead the interview.

What you can do

1. You should be prepared and confident to lead the interview. Treat this as an opportunity and prepare well.
2. If the interviewer is not well prepared, you should take the lead and ask all the information about the job and the company.
3. Ask the required details about the interviewer and the company. The interviewer will go on and on and tell you all the required information.
4. The interviewer will tell you about the company, how it started, their future plans and about the job that you are applying for. This gives you time and opportunity to settle down and build rapport.
5. Tell the interviewer the research you’ve done about the company and how much you know about the company. Impress the interviewer with this information.
6. When the interviewer is going through your CV, he will go through the jobs you’ve done and the skills you’ve acquired. Provide relevant details and your key achievements in each job.    After this, the interviewer will ask you whether you want to ask anything or need any more details about the job. Take initiative, and ask relevant questions like “What kind of projects I will be working on”, or, “What are company’s values and vision”. These questions show that you are interested in the job and want to think of long term.
7. If the interviewer doesn’t mention about the next step, take initiative and ask him when can you expect a call/ email from him. Ask him what would be the next step—job offer or second interview.

Show your confidence no matter what type of interview you’re attending. You can highlight your key achievements with highlighter pen and explain them in detail when the opportunity arises.

Give good examples of what you’ve done—don’t wait to be asked!

So, next time someone from a small or medium sized company wants to meet you over a cup of coffee, say yes, prepare well and give the interview confidently.

I’m sure it’ll be a WIN- WIN opportunity.

About author: Avadhut Nigudkar is a Career Coach and founder of FinanceWalk.
He writes on Career Selection, Attitude building, Personal Branding, Job Search, Resume Building, Networking and Interviews

Are you one of those employees who are not happy with your career growth?

When I say career growth, I mean appreciation, job satisfaction and of course a well deserved promotion.

Before you shift to clueless mode and conclude that nothing can be done and it’s all because of office politics or your bad luck, I request you to listen to me because I want to help you. I would like you to try below 10 simple actions which might (I am sure they will) make a difference to your career growth.

Here I go.

1. Be Result-Oriented – Efforts are noticed, but results are rewarded. If you think that only putting lots of efforts will get you promoted, you are wrong. Efforts will surely move forward in the race but what matters is the right result. Always start with small and then achieve success in parts. Join the working parts and create the working model.
2. Adopt to Single-Tasking – This point greatly influences your time management aspect as well. Finish what you started instead of parallel working.
3. Be Proactive – Don’t wait others to come and tell you what to do. Instead, ask them ad get yourself involved.
4. Don’t be afraid of making mistakes – Try to learn from them. But make sure that you don’t repeat the mistakes. Repeating the mistakes make you appear dumb.
5. Commit to what you promise – Else don’t promise.
6. Increase your influence in the team -  Communicate effectively.
7. Stay away from negative people. Learn more about how to handle negative people.
8. Go to the extra mile – Don’t hesitate to attempt the new work. This is where you grow. But make sure that you take calculated risk.
9. Develop a sense of humor- Skip this point if you already have one
10. Practice above actions for at least 2 months for seeing a change in your career. Of course, by then you would not like to discontinue them since you would have gathered additional praise, rewards and a well deserved promotion

Sounds good? I want to hear from you. Drop me a line about your results.

We all are living in a world where complex tasks need to be done to make life simple. It’s all about simplifying the user experience and making life more comfortable. I hope I don’t need to give examples of such tasks since the list seems to be enormous in length and it applies to anything which involves creation, service or support.

Having said that, whatever may be the the nature of tasks and whatever the level of automation applied, there is a human hand/mind that actually drives these tasks ahead and only few people manage to achieve tremendous amount of success in tasks compared to others who often miss deadlines, produce poor quality results.

Why do some people perform more better than others? Is brilliance is the only factor that drives them to succeed? Two people can be equally brilliant but when it comes to productivity one may outperform the other. Why is this? There is something else that separates them from crowd, puts them on top performers list.

And that is ‘single-tasking’. Doing one thing at a time and doing it perfectly.

Single tasking might sound a strange or difficult word in this modern era where people are flooded with multiple tasks and carry the burden of simultaneous tasks.

Let me break the myths about multi-tasking. The myth that multi-tasking people are more productive. It’s wrong. They are busy, but not productive. Being busy is not same as being productive. Because, efforts are not rewarded, results are. A busy person may be putting lots of efforts without the results.

You see, when you do multiple tasks at a time,  you divide your time instead of devoting your time. That means the level of concentration needed for fulfilling the task is reduced. If your concentration/observation is low, means poor quality results. In fact, you may not achieve anything at all since you put yourself under pressure to complete the tasks. Remember, fulfilling the task is important, not just completing. Fulfillment is completing the task by dedicating quality time for it and finishing with devotion.

In multi-tasking, you create a pressure on yourself by which you are forced to attend multiple requirements that are crying for your attention. You will not be able to complete them in a satisfactory manner since your time and concentration divided. You spread yourself too thin.

By being a multi-tasking person, you miss the joy of working. You miss to see the details. You miss the joy of fulfillment.

How to improve productivity with single-tasking? What is the key for productivity improvement?

It’s Simple. Attend one task at a time. If you were assigned multiple tasks, make a list and prioritize them in order. Don’t try to work simultaneously.

If you feel you are overloaded with tasks, make sure that you say ‘No’ to some of them. Your reputation is built by the quality of work you do , not by the amount of tasks you accepted (with no results or improper results).

Involve in one task at a time and give each task complete attention and finish it to utmost satisfaction.

I can assure that this productivity improvement technique gives you a great feeling of accomplishment, peace of mind and a stress-free work life.

I want you to try this productivity improvement technique and let me know the outcome.

You might be interested in reading related articles on my blog.

10 Tips for Achieving Great Success in Your Job

25 Tips for Becoming Super-Performer in Your Job

Without any doubt, a job interview is most important meeting/discussion in one’s professional life and succeeding in an interview depends on lot of factors, not necessarily only upon the skill set of the person attending the interview. The aim of this article is to unearth the untold secrets for succeeding in any interview and provide a comprehensive guide on how to answer interview questions. Just hang on.

I gathered and organized these tips from my experiences as an interview candidate and as an interviewer

I am sure after reading these interview tips, you will find yourself in a better position as far as succeeding in the job interview.

No, I am not discussing about reaching in time or dress code, instead I share practical and in-depth how to answer interview questions tips which are relevant to you most as an interview candidate.

To begin with, most candidates often prepare only in technical aspects (or the subject that they are working currently), but neglect the other very important areas which actually determines their success at an interview. Surprised? What are those areas then? Let me tell you right away. Follow these 10 tips and let me know about your outcome in the next interview.

Note that, what most interviewers check in the interview is whether the candidate has a positive attitude, willingness to take initiatives and honest in his actions. It’s surprising that most people focus on their technical skills and neglect the very important ‘Life Skills’.Here are the 10 points.

Prepare well about your subject as well about surrounding area. Brush up your knowledge about previous experience as well

You are called for the interview for a particular skill, however, interviewer might (and he will) ask questions regarding other areas as well which indirectly related to your main skill including the details or projects about your previous or earlier companies. It is expected that you understand the big picture not just your role. End to end knowledge is what differentiate you from the rest of the crowd.
So put your heart and brain and learn about the big picture. Brush up your knowledge about previous experiences as well.

Don’t be an answering machine, instead answer naturally

Be a natural communicator filled with expressions, passion for subject and support your answers with related gestures. Don’t give answers like an answering machine which pops out answer for every interview question. It may sound too mechanical.Be yourself. Let the interview know who you are. Don’t pretend to be someone else and convince the interviewer. Be yourself and speak as if you are speaking to a friend who has few questions about your work and professional life. Setting this in mind, calms you down and makes you feel relaxed and you would be surely in better position to face the questions and give the right answers.

Speak Less Say More

You need not speak more while answering but speak less and say more. Answer to the point and give more opportunity to the interviewer to speak. Upon his further inquiry, you can always elaborate or extend your to-the-point answer.

Never Answer in a Hurry

An interview is scheduled exclusively for you,so why give answers in hurry? Let the interviewer ask his questions completely. Take your time to understand what the interviewer wants from you. The more you listen to his questions; you will understand what to answer. Right answers fetch more marks than long answers.

Speak about your achievements, not assignments

Always emphasize on your achievements, not on assignments. Tell the interviewer about the significant goals you achieved, difference you made to the team, awards you won and the appreciations you received.

Keep eye contact

It’s very important to keep eye contact with the interviewer. It shows your confidence and involvement in the whole process.

Explain in simple way – Don’t complicate things

Remember my friend; it is easy to be simple. Explain in simple way regarding the work that you are doing. Always start with larger picture by giving overall idea of the work you are involved with and then go on explaining as per interviewer’s inquiries. Don’t say everything at one shot in which case interviewer will be left with lots of confusions rather than questions.

Dress code doesn’t matter, but your body language does

Let’s break some old rules. Time has evolved, so is dress code. Now-a-days dress code switched to casual mode I don’t suggest you to wear Tie or blazers unless it is stated in the interview letter   However there is no harm at all if you wear a formal dress.

But, your body language matters. A positive and confident body language converts the interview into a successful meeting.

Convert interview into a discussion

Try to keep the interview process similar to a discussion where two people discuss rather than one person interrogates the other.

Don’t jump to any conclusion about interview result during the interview, just participate

Jumping to interview result conclusion during the interview can be fatal. It will pull you off from the focus and you may not be able to answer remaining questions properly. Hence, just concentrate on now and do you part.

I hope you liked the article and the interview tips, please share this with your friends and colleagues using the below social sharing options.

I also want your feedback on this article. Just leave a comment with your feedback. You may even add few valuable points from your side.

You may also want to checkout few related articles

10 Tips for Achieving Great Success in Your Job

25 Tips to Make You a Super-Performer at Your Job

Success and happiness in our life depends on our completed and fulfilled tasks.

A task becomes an achievement only when it is completed. Completed and fulfilled tasks can result in profits, sales, recognition, satisfaction, happiness and peace of mind.

The reason I wrote this post was to encourage you to complete your pending tasks.

What can be categorized as pending tasks? Any task which are pending from long time which you felt it could have done. I am not only referring to tasks related to your career, also to your dreams and passions as well. What is that you always wanted to do but couldn’t due to some reason? I know it’s late but still can you give a second try? Did you dreamt of becoming a musician or a photographer? You were quite passionate about it but somehow couldn’t nourish your skills it and make it big due to your other preferences. Can you re-attempt it now?

It is time to try again by rekindling your passion. I am sure over the time you have gathered (knowingly or unknowingly) more information about your passion or dream.

How to get started with your pending tasks?

First of all, take a small notepad (I call it as Task Pad) and start writing down all the activities, tasks which you were interested or supposed to do but you couldn’t. It’s not important why you did not do it but it’s important that you can still do it.

Once the list is ready, prioritize the list and start working on the task with highest priority. Remember, there is no hurry this time since there is no deadline (since you already missed it? ). Start working with complete attention to the task. Attend one task at a time.

Break the task itself into mini tasks and attend them one by one. Example, you always wanted to learn music but never made a serious attempt. Try now with full attention. Find a music school nearby and surrender yourself to the magic of music.  Once you get started, you will be surprised to see that this task was so easy. Only obstacle for this was you never initiated it.

Never underestimate the power of trying. Keep making efforts.

It is better to be late than never.

You have been working since quite long time in your job career. You feel that you are quite good in work. How ever, you are not getting expected promotion or raise or sometimes even recognition. What could be the reason?

[Read more →]

The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary – Donald Kindall

Top ten tips for professional growth

What is professional growth? How to enjoy your work and advance in your career? What are the actions you need to take? Here are the Ten sure shot tips. Read on.

Growth is something which you compare you with yourself over the period of time. Have you found a difference in yourself in terms of the results you achieved. Have you noticed more maturity in your working style compared to your earlier days. Have you constantly being looked as a valuable employee? Professional growth is all about maturing the way you function to achieve organization goals. Why it is so important? Because when you grow professionally, you actually grow personally as well. I have clubbed below points for your reference and you can apply them to your current job. Note that these are not rules but are the series of steps which will lead you for personal growth and eventually turn you into a great employee.

1. If you are a new joiner to an organization, everything is new to you including the environment, people, practices, culture. Once your introduction or induction program, its time to you to start participating. Here are 3 important actions you need to take to get familiar with new organization. Speak, Ask and Discuss. Follow these actions and you will come to know about the working atmosphere. Know who your supervisor is and speak with him on day-1 about your roles and responsibilities. Please don’t leave any communication gap else it would create a not so good first impression.
2. One of the important practices that put you in right place in the professional career is your punctuality and regularity. I feel punctuality is more important than regularity. Be on time at your work. It makes you available and approachable and gives a good boost to your career.

3. Learning is one of the most important aspects of one’s professional career. Learning is a skill in itself. One has to apply different techniques while learning different aspects. For example, if one is learning a CAD Software such as AutoCAD or ProEngineer or Data warehousing Tools as part of project training, what he needs to observe is the various menus and options and screens. He should note down the menu hierarchies and screen pop ups, because CAD and DWH works on manus not by programming. On the other hand if one is learning a new programming language, he needs to understand various programming constructs, practice them and read the code snippet and understand those. Use Google to learn about code snippets. Be smart learner not slow learner. Treat Google as your personal tutor. Believe me its more powerful than you think. I have learnt many skills by watching you tube videos alone.  Thanks to Google. While you learn, maintain a nice large sized diary which can accommodate your notes. Avoid using small notebooks which you may end up replacing quite often and may lose as well.

4. Dress well and look well groomed.

5. Be a team player and don’t indulge in office politics. I have seen this happening in various organizations. Let me tell you guys, doing tricky politics can get you temporary high but over the time it’s the work and attitude that wins the race. Politics will bite you back over the time.

6. Communicate your achievements. Don’t just work and wait for rewards. It doesn’t get you much mileage. You need to make sure that your achievements are seen by proper people. To make this happen, use communication/presentation tools such as emails and conducting a presentation of your work and speaking in meetings about your work. Remember, no work is small work. Every work is important as it could have a great value in terms of dependency.

7. Speak up in meetings. Top management likes the people who speak and communicate. When I say speak, it doesn’t mean that start complaining about things. Yes if its genuine issue, approach your supervisor and ask for a resolution. In meetings, you should speak about the issues you are facing while working on the project or extracts about a client interaction details or anything related to project. Message here is don’t keep quite. Keeping quite puts you last in the race no matter how hard you working.

8. Respect your organizational values. Don’t speak badly about the company. It’s the place which is earning you bread and butter. Every organization will have its own merits and demerits. What’s important to you is how good your team is because you will be working in teams.

9. Take ownership of tasks.This is the most important I must say in achieving professional growth. When you take ownership of some piece of work, it generates interest within you. This interest fuels your ability to work upon the task. It puts you into an important position in the race and when you complete your owned work, it generates a wonderful peace within you. Taking ownership will lead you to way to leadership.

10. Never stop learning. You need to upgrade yourself constantly. It could be your technical skills or management skills or certifications. I give you an example here. If you are a web programmer with loads of experience in ASP programming, you should definitely upgrade yourself to .NET platform, because technologies are rapidly changing. Software product companies are releasing new features more rapidly than ever before. Growth of social networking and Artificial intelligence applications demand much latest tools and skills to be used while developing. So keep an eye on trends and upgrade your skills. How to upgrade? Find a tutor nearby or just login to you tube and find a video and switch on your speaker and take a notepad in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other and start learning.