Sunday, August 31, 2008
Friday, August 29, 2008
No Job Seeker wants to be asked about...
clipped from www.kalaajkal.comEmployer and interviewers expect you to answer tough question during interviews. Take a few minutes to brainstorm on how you might elaborate on the following answers. The answers you give to these questions that will be asked during your interview will be very important in your career prospects.
Suppose you were asked these questions right now. Could you give a good answer? If not, study, study, study.
1. "Can you explain why you've been out of work so long?"
Mothers usually have an easier time with this one than others do because the reason for long unemployment can almost always be related to raising the family. However, if you were just traveling or not looking for work very much, it's more difficult.
"I felt that before I settled into a career job I had better get some personal travel out of the way. So, I traveled all over the country as a sort of self-education. The travel bug is out of my system and I'm ready to start on that career."
"I held many jobs before this long period of having no job. I decided I didn't want to settle for just any job again, so I pretty much stopped looking while I identified what I really wanted to do as a career. I am convinced working for you fits my career plans very well."
2. "Do you know anything about our company?"
Hopefully, you will have done some homework and will know something about the company, but if you don't, you should be prepared to say something other than "no", and indicate interest in knowing "more". Highlight their services, products and or revenues.
"Not as much as I would like to. I understand that you are a very large firm, which indicates success and advancement potential. Where are your plants located besides here?"
"Well, you certainly have a reputation for being a leading force in the local economy."
3. "I've interviewed several people with more experience than you. Why should I hire you instead of them?"
This question can appear in many different forms (as can most of the others). Beware of passing judgment on others because you don't know them and you might be starting an argument, at least in the employer's mind. Also, steer clear of answering from a selfish point of view. Instead, refer to the job candidate you do know (you), and give some indication of what the employer stands to gain by hiring you.
"I can't speak for the others, but I can for myself. I can assure you that I always learn new assignments very rapidly, and I think that may have the advantage of not having to unlearn someone else's way of doing things before learning how to do them your way."
"I'm sure it would be very hard for you to find someone who could beat my eagerness and capacity for work."
Tip: Don't concern yourself with trying to memorize each answer to every possible interview question. Each answer you give will be unique to you. Use these questions as a guide for your practice sessions with your team members.
Have a family member or close friend sit down with you and "grill" you with each of these questions. You can not simply read these questions to yourself or study them alone. You must participate in multiple mock interview sessions with someone acting as the interviewer.
If possible, have these sessions audio or video taped so that you can hear and/or see answers that you stumble over or questions that you do not clearly respond to. Also, with video, you will notice certain gestures and body language that might be distracting to the interviewer that you might not notice by practicing alone.
REMEMBER: The interviewer is not just listening for how you answer the question but also, how you present your case and the image you project.
Brian Stephenson is the author of, "Job Search Boot Camp", the most hard-hitting, step-by-step job search course that takes each student by the hand and shows them how to beat the odds and have great interviews that lead to job offers. Also, imagine if you could create powerful resumes that get results, stunning cover letters that command interviews, and winning interview thank you letters that get you hired? Consider for a moment what is possible for you if you had access to these forbidden secrets. For more information on the Job Search Boot Camp course, visit http://www.JobSearchBootCamp.com
How to Remove Vista and install Windows XP
clipped from www.removevista.com
Remove Vista and install another operating system (e.g. XP)
In this case you only have installed Windows Vista on your computer, or you've bought a new computer with Vista already installed on it. When some of your hardware or software may not function properly under Vista, you might want to remove it, and install e.g. XP instead.
Don't forget to make a backup as there are some risks with removing Vista!
This is what you need:
- Windows XP installation CD
- MS Dos environment boot disk (more info)
This is what you should do:
1. Start your computer with the Windows XP installation CD in your CDROM drive (note: you may have to change your BIOS settings to give priority to loading your CDROM drive instead of your hard drive!)
2. In the setup type R to repair an existing installation
3. Enter "fixboot C:\" (where C:\ is your Vista root, replace C with any other letter if applicable)
4. Enter "fixmbr C:\"
5. Enter "EXIT"
6. Then close the Windows XP setup and restart your computer with the bootable floppy or CD
7. At the command prompt type format C:\ (note: all data on C:\ will be removed, so make sure you've made a backup before doing this!)
8. Now restart your computer with the Windows XP installation CD in your CDROM drive
9. Install Windows XP as usual
This should remove your Windows Vista installation and make XP the default operating system.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Dealing with Ambiguity
clipped from www.mftrou.comManaging Ambiguity - dealing successfully with uncertain situations
| Managing ambiguity or uncertainty is a key life skill...
|   Mftrou recommends the audiobook 'Getting Things Done' |
Our ability to deal effectively with uncertain situations or "managing ambiguity" is a life skill that is gaining recognition, mostly stemming from Daniel Goleman's work on Emotional Intelligence. Let's take a look at what managing ambiguity is all about.
Go Ask A Fortune-Teller
Every second of every day, someone, somewhere will be moving house, switching careers, or dealing with some other significant life change. Even fortune-tellers can't predict how things are going to turn out, so you have to get comfortable with not knowing precisely what is going to happen. That's managing ambiguity!
Handle challenges better by keeping your thinking crystal-clear
The problem is when we get anxious our ability to think clearly gets worse. So the key is to manage anxiety levels and have loads of spare mental capacity to deal with the unexpected.
Take a moment to consider this relationship;
ANXIETY = IMPORTANCE x UNCERTAINTY
Both of these are likely to give us more anxiety.
The toughest combination is when something is both important and uncertain. Will I sell my house? Am I going to be made redundant? We need to lower our anxiety levels wherever possible by taking a good hard look at the importance and uncertainty associated with the challenge.
Assessing the challenge
The level of importance is something that you and only you can determine. Take a moment to stop and think – do I really, truly care about this? On a scale of 1-10, is this life threateningly important (10) or something altogether more trivial (1)? Sometimes we lose perspective on what is actually important to us, and inadvertently fuel our own anxiety. What you think may be an 8 is actually a 4 when you take time to think clearly about it.
What's the outcome?
A situation is uncertain when there are a multitude of outcomes, not all of them desirable. Build up your tolerance for ambiguity by remembering that even in the toughest situation, there are always two sound principles you can rely on.
Principle 1 – you can always control your response to a situation. Your reaction is your choice.
Principle 2 – recognising what you can and can't control will increase the likelihood of a successful outcome and lower your anxiety.
Think clearly about each of the possible outcomes? List all of them, even the scary ones that only crop up in the dead of the night. So you are made redundant – there is plenty you can do to make the most of that situation. Maybe the cheque will fund that teaching qualification you've always dreamt of?
Sort it out or fugeddaboudit
Take each outcome in turn and figure out how likely it is to happen, and what you can actively do to influence it. When you're done, you'll have a comprehensive action plan, bettering your chance of success. So even if the worst thing does happen, you've already done something to lessen the impact and know what you can do next.
And for all the things you can't control or influence, forget them. Write them down and then scrunch up the paper and throw it away. At some point you have to let go.
Challengers Ready!
Managing ambiguity can be learned and improved with practice. Be more successful and rise to the challenge by;
• Understanding the relationship between anxiety, importance and uncertainty.
• Managing your anxiety and increasing your spare capacity by learning relaxation techniques.
• Deepening your understanding by using the clear thinking approach with a colleague, partner or friend.
Managed well, uncertainty can be exciting rather than frightening. Keep your thinking clear and ambiguity can be your friend.
By Lyndsay Swinton
Owner, Management for the Rest of Us
www.mftrou.com
Citation Information: Swinton, Lyndsay. "Managing Ambiguity - dealing successfully with uncertain situations." Mftrou.com. 13 September 2005. < http://www.mftrou.com/managing-ambiguity.html >.
Further Resources: Download Motivation At Work Hypnosis mp3
