Freecoolstuffs

Basics of Communications

noreply@blogger.com (freecoolstuffs) — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 07:44:00 +0000

Main stages of recruitment

noreply@blogger.com (freecoolstuffs) — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 09:46:00 +0000

The main stages of Recruitment are identified in the below flow chart

Identify Vacancy
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Prepare Job Description and person Specification
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Advertise
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Managing the Response
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Short-listing
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References
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Arrange Interviews
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Conduct The Interview
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Decision Making
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Convey The Decision
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Appointment Action

Recruitment and Selection

noreply@blogger.com (freecoolstuffs) — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 09:38:00 +0000

Checklist: Recruitment and Selection

Staffing Action For:

Name of position

Before You Recruit

o Review the organization’s recruitment and selection policy and/or practices

o Review the strategic and operational plans to determine if the position should be filled

o Confirm that funding exists to recruit for and staff the position

o Obtain the necessary approvals to staff the position

o Develop a job description if the position is new

o Review and update the job description for an existing position

o Decide on the type of employment (full-time; part-time; permanent; contract; short-term; etc)

o Identify constraints that will have an impact on the staffing process (need someone soon; specialized skills; supply/demand, etc)

Establish the recruitment and selection criteria

o Develop recruitment and selection criteria based on the job description

o Establish the minimum qualification for the position

o Review all recruitment and selection criteria to ensure they are job-related and measurable

o Ensure that all recruitment and selection criteria comply with Human Rights Legislation

Recruitment process

o Determine the best method for recruiting for the position

o Draft the job announcement using the job description, minimum qualifications and selection criteria

o Include the following in the job announcement:

o Application deadline

o Request for references

o Start date

o Salary range

o Contact information

o Format for submission

o Ensure that the job announcement complies with Human Rights Legislation

Selection process

Before the Interview:

o Plan the interview process:

o Number of rounds of interviews

o Number of interviewers

o Length of the interview

o Location of the interview

o Date of the interviews

o Any materials the candidate should bring to the interview

o Ask colleagues to sit on the interview panel

o Give the interview panel the logistical information about the interviews

o Develop the interview questions

o Prepare an interview rating guide

o Develop a reference check guide

o Prepare a reference release form

o Ensure that the interview questions, reference questions and other selection criteria comply with Human Rights Legislation

o Prescreen applications using the selection criteria

o Set up the interviews with the selected candidates

o Forward the applications of those candidates being interviewed to the interview panel

o Forward the interview questions and interview rating guide to the interview panel

o Meet with the interview panel to brief them on the interview process

Conduct the Interview

o Review the candidate’s application before each interview

o Welcome the candidate to the interview

o Introduce the interview panel

o Explain the interview process

o Rate the candidate’s responses to the questions

o Give the candidate an opportunity to ask questions

o Close the interview by explaining the next step and thanking the candidate for coming to the interview

o Ensure that the discussion and the note taking during the interview complies with Human Rights Legislation

After the Interview

o Finalize your interview notes

Select the right candidate

o Use other selection methods as appropriate

o Telephone the references

o Use the reference checking guide to document the conversation

o Ensure that the discussion and the note taking during the reference check complies with Human Rights Legislation

Conclude the staffing process

o Make your decision and review it

o Make a verbal offer of the position to the selected candidate

o Follow-up the verbal offer in writing

o Prepare the job contract and have it signed before the new staff member starts work

o Send out rejection letters to the other candidates that were interviewed

o Set up a competition file

o Complete the paperwork necessary for the new staff member to start work

Role of HR Executive is Undergoing Big Changes

noreply@blogger.com (freecoolstuffs) — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 06:56:00 +0000

Human-resource management is undergoing a massive transformation that will change career paths in as-yet uncertain ways. Employers are placing greater emphasis on business acumen and are automating and outsourcing many administrative functions, which will force many HR professionals to demonstrate new skills and compete for new, sometimes unfamiliar roles.

Job titles and functions will likely remain in flux for some time, say business leaders, academics, HR consultants and HR professionals. But they say that some of the standard niches -- such as HR generalist and benefits specialist -- will become less common and less important, giving way over time to new ones such as HR financial analyst.

Those who aspire to leadership roles within the profession will have to become more strategic, more proactive and more involved in the overall business of their employer, say the experts.

But there is an upside to this upheaval: HR people who develop business competencies and embrace the new roles -- in the process redefining themselves and their profession -- can aspire to greater and much more rewarding careers than were possible for HR people a generation ago.

"HR is dead. Long live HR," says David Ulrich, a professor of business administration at the University of Michigan. That's his way of saying that "the old HR" -- that which emphasizes expertise in transactions and paperwork -- "is dying in a sense." HR departments will be smaller, says Ulrich. "Some of HR will go away. Some of HR should go away."

In its place will rise a leaner, refocused cadre of professionals who put the business first and foremost. The most successful HR people will be those who "think from the outside in," according to Richard Beatty, an HR management professor at Rutgers University and the University of Michigan. "When we talk about being strategic, we mean thinking from the customer back to the organization."

In this new HR, professionals are expected to know the business well enough to align human capital with business needs, either developing the needed talent or going outside the organization to get it. HR is proactive. HR goes looking for problems to solve. HR doesn't just have a seat at the table; HR helps set the agenda.

What exactly will be the desirable HR jobs in the next decade and beyond? How does HR get there from here? And how can HR people obtain the education and training they need to secure and keep those jobs?

HR Jobs of the Future
Though the job picture is still developing, experts see several possible critical roles on the horizon for HR professionals. Among them:
• The CFO for HR. This number cruncher can apply the metrics to demonstrate the inherent economic value of HR and to analyze the cost-effectiveness of various practices HR proposes or implements: How much do certain employees contribute to the bottom line? How much does the right training help the business? Which functions or programs do not add value and should be eliminated?
• The internal consultant. This person helps spread HR competencies through the organization, empowering line managers to recruit, interview, hire and retain the talent that they need while counseling the managers on crucial legal and ethical matters such as disability and age discrimination laws.
• The talent manager. This person is responsible for finding, developing and keeping the best and the brightest workers to meet the needs of the organization. He or she will manage learning and succession planning, moving people through the talent pipeline.
• The vendor manager. He or she determines which functions can be handled better and less expensively outside the organization. This professional monitors quality and costs, stays on top of trends in this business, and maintains a close working relationship with outsourcing firms and other vendors.
• The self-service leader. This person works with internal- and outside-information-technology specialists to establish and run Web-based portals for many automated functions, such as benefits and pension administration, which employees can access from their desktop computers.

In these and other possible HR jobs of the future, HR leaders "have got to create a product at the right price and with certain characteristics that the buyer needs," says David Rhodes, a principal at consulting firm Towers Perrin. The product is the contribution of the workforce to specific business goals. The buyer is senior management.

Skills for Survival

"People are finally realizing that, to be successful in HR, you need more than HR knowledge," says Susan Meisinger, SPHR, president and CEO of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). The primary missing link, say Meisinger and other experts, is knowing business and its language.

"Get thee off to business school. Study finance," says Dave Kieffer, who heads Mercer Human Resource Consulting's human capital strategy practice. Once considered a bonus for an HR worker, business literacy will be a prerequisite for almost every desirable HR job, says Kieffer.

"There's a technical skill set and a strategic skill set that you're going to need to survive," agrees Rhodes. "You've got to be able to put forward a business case as strong as any other put before management."
"When you don't do business speak, you're immediately marginalized," says Michael J. Lotito, SPHR, a partner in the law firm Jackson Lewis and 2000 board chair of SHRM.

"For HR to make a breakthrough, it has to focus on cost," says Ed Jensen, an HR expert with the Accenture consulting firm. "If you can impact labor cost, you've made a real bottom-line impact. "You have to say: 'I'm reducing your business costs. I'm reducing your overtime because I'm scheduling people better.' There are all kinds of ways you can have a direct cause-and-effect impact, and you can go from there to a bigger, strategic role."

But Jensen concedes: "It's a fundamental shift in thinking" from traditional HR roles.

Bonnie Cundiff, an HR expert with consultant Watson Wyatt, agrees. "HR people have to be true believers" that the business comes ahead of advocacy for employees. "You have to be recognized first as a contributor to the business. "I may not like what I'm saying," she adds. But the business mindset "is not something that is just needed to win. It's needed to play" in the new world of HR.

The ultimate goal of this transformation of HR is "the integration of HR becoming good business people and business people becoming good HR people," says Cundiff. "I won't say it's an easy path. I do think it's an exciting path."

"You can't just raise your hand or go to another person in your organization and say: 'I'm your business partner,'" says Jensen. "You've got to bring something to the table. "There isn't some magical answer," he states. "It's basic stuff. Get smarter about what's going on around you. Mimic the HR consultants; what kinds of training and reading they do. Go out to lunch with other people in the organization -- not just HR people."

"Everybody should have a line of sight between their goals and those of the business," says Ulrich. "You have to know finance, market strategy, technology, staffing and training needs, managing change, managing culture. You have to develop credibility."

In some organizations, "it's going to be very difficult" persuading top management that you've ratcheted up your skills through business education and can take on new responsibilities, says Roger Herman, a business futurist and consultant with the Herman Group in Greensboro, N.C. "The process will take some time, some dedication."

"There's going to be a lot of HR people feeling like victims," says Ed Lawler, an author and director of the Center for Effective Organizations at the Marshall School of Business in Los Angeles. "The world is changing around them." Herman says HR professionals need to motivate themselves to keep up with changes in the profession, not waiting for their HR colleagues to join them: "Most of your peers will not do this. You are driving your own career. Do not depend on anyone else to drive your career."

In many organizations, the future of HR is up for grabs, says Philip D. Simshauser, president of DBM's Center for Executive Options, which offers executive coaching at several locations. "Fashion it. Create it."

Outsourcing Explosion

These changes will take place in different ways, and at different rates, in various organizations. However, they are being accelerated by the furious phenomenon of HR outsourcing, which was a roughly $60 billion business in 2001 and could soon top $100 billion per year, say industry insiders.
Simply put, the economies of scale allow an outside firm to do most transactional HR functions more cheaply than the organization itself. What started with a trickle in payroll outsourcing during the 1980s and 1990s has become a flood, with some large corporations moving toward "total HR outsourcing" to vendors such as Exult Inc. Exult has signed billions of dollars worth of long-term HR contracts with large multinational corporations and is being challenged by other aggressive outsourcing firms.

"The market is huge. And the market has not been fully understood," says Rohail Khan, North American COO for the e-peopleserve outsourcing firm. Business outsourcing "is where the Internet was five years ago."
Outsourcers, and many of their clients, say that the big upside of outsourcing routine HR functions is that it frees HR to do more strategic work within the organization. But taking advantage of that opportunity requires the right background. A master's degree in business administration is ideal, but an undergraduate business degree or community college courses can help, say the experts.

The goal is to be able to understand financial statements and gain insight about executive compensation issues -- the visible, marketable skills of the new HR. "It doesn't matter how you get there," says Rhodes of Towers Perrin.

While business knowledge is a significant way to advance the profession and the careers of individual professionals, certification programs can help as well, say many in the HR field. Many HR professionals, organizations and academics note that current HR professionals and young entrants can gain a competitive edge through certification.

"In a good economy or a bad economy, people look for ways to differentiate themselves," and one of the best is professional certification, says Cornelia Cont, director of the Human Resource Certification Institute (HRCI), an affiliate of SHRM.

Passing the PHR exam "is definitely a goal of mine," says Kiyoski "KC" Shinozaki, an HR generalist and assistant manager for accounting and administration with the NIKKEI Japanese business publishing group in New York. Shinozaki, 30, who needs about one more year of experience to take the exam, says that "having a recognizable certification will go a long way" toward helping him and others who hope to prosper in the new HR.

Shinozaki has a master's degree in HR management and has been taking accounting and finance courses to help him "translate HR into business." He says those courses had an additional, unexpected benefit: solid advice from his professors about how to build a career. "One of the lessons I learned is that HR can be reactive or proactive," he says, and he definitely favors the latter approach. "We need to change our thinking." Michigan professor Ulrich agrees.

"We have to shift the focus of HR away from training and process to the outcomes, away from a people function to an organization function. I'm not optimistic about all HR people" making that transition, he concedes.
Jobs will still be available for many who want to stay roughly where they are today, some experts say.

"HR professionals have to examine their own background and what they are comfortable doing," says SHRM's Meisinger. Regardless of whether they aspire to be on the cutting edge of human capital management or to remain in their current niche, "if they don't execute the basics of HR flawlessly, they won't succeed."

'Visit Your Customer'
In many cases, HR professionals will need to start small in their efforts to demonstrate hands-on competency in business matters. Advises Herman: "Go visit your customer" -- the line managers in your organization. "Spend a day shadowing your customer. What kinds of things are they dealing with? How can you help" measure and analyze how well employees are matched with the talent needs of these managers?

"Do this at several levels -- front-line supervisors; mid-level supervisors; senior management -- even if you're a fly on the wall. Then get a mentor at that higher level," suggests Herman. "Find out what they see as the challenges in five years." This internal consultant role could be the trickiest. Technology will enable line managers to lessen their dependence on HR departments by handling recruitment, salary reviews, succession planning and other functions at their computers, notes a new report, "2002 SHRM Workplace Forecast: A Strategic Outlook."

But working with line managers who welcome regular collaboration with seasoned HR professionals can be one of the most effective roles for HR in the coming decades, say the experts. That will be particularly true for HR professionals who can master the numbers, the holy grail of HR statistics demonstrating which practices generate profits.

"We are on the cusp of measuring things in human capital and human resources that have never been measured before," says Mercer's Kieffer. "People with a strong sense of empirical methods will distinguish themselves," he says.

"Top executives are going to be turning to HR" to set financial baselines for recruitment, training, turnover and the like -- not content to accept benchmarks or best practices from other organizations that might not apply equally in theirs, Kieffer says.

In many organizations, there will be a struggle to update the image of the HR profession and the practitioner. "To change your image, don't be afraid to take on a challenge," says attorney Lotito. Eventually, "you'll be invited to the table," he says, "and you can demonstrate your value to management once you're there."

"HR people need to be very savvy in terms of the relationships they strike up," says Lynda Ford of the Ford Group, an HR consulting firm in Lee Center, N.Y. "Build internal relationships" not only to learn the business but also to improve your image, she suggests.

"If you can push interviewing and hiring out to the line managers, that's great," says Ford. "Where the glory goes is not an issue," she says, because the line people you help will know the value of your contributions.
HR's image has been worse than it should be because "some HR people have continued to be bogged down in administration, preventing them from demonstrating the value they can provide," says Accenture's Jensen.

"Most HR organizations I know are still struggling with that."
But changing the image of HR does not require that HR abandon its roots, says Ulrich. "We need to quit lamenting our [administrative] heritage. We have a great heritage," he says. "We need to stop calling for action and just act. We're going to experiment. We're going to succeed. We're going to fail."

Despite all the growing pain, Ulrich concludes, "The future of HR is phenomenal."

Reliability on the outcome of Exit Interview

noreply@blogger.com (freecoolstuffs) — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 06:27:00 +0000

An exit interview is an entirely voluntary conversation.

HR dept. conducts exit interviews (also called exit surveys) to gather data for improving working conditions and retaining employees.

Success of an exit interview depends upon the approach taken by the HR who is conducting this interview

After the feedback form is filled the HR should have a very friendly approach towards the Ex-Employee and conduct this conversation tactfully. He should understand the nonverbal behavior, handle the communication problem with an employee who talks too little or too much etc. A Exit Interview should be taken atleast for min half hour.

For example, if you think that the employee is quitting due to a negative relationship with his or her supervisor, ask questions related to that problem. You can ask the employee to rate his or her experience, you can inquire about his or her relationship with coworkers, and you can request information about his or her department that you might not otherwise have known. While you shouldn't turn it into a fishing expedition or a manhunt for negative information, you should facilitate honest and open communication. Have a list of questions that you want to ask ready before the interview.

May be very few of the employees may not give proper feedback. But Exit Interview are very important

Based on the interview data, statics can be made quarterly to find out the attrition cause. Further steps can be taken to retain and handle the present employees. Infact Exit Interviews are must in IT and BPO Industries where the attrition rate is very high.

Nine Things You Should Never Say in an Interview!!

noreply@blogger.com (freecoolstuffs) — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 06:24:00 +0000

1. What does your company do?"

Ask questions that show you’re well informed and eager to work at the company, not those to which you should already know the answers, or that can be easily gleaned from the company's website or annual report.

2. "My salary requirements are very flexible."
Compensation is often the touchiest subject in an interview. Certainly you want to know what a company will pay, and interviewers want to know what you're willing to take. It’s a negotiation, not a game. When push comes to shove, you should be willing at least to give a range, even if you have to be broad and say, for example, “I’m looking for something between $30,000 and $60,000.”

But don’t pretend to be flexible when you aren’t. If you’re worried that your salary requirements are too high for the job, you may need to do some serious thinking about how low you're willing to go. Don't sell yourself short, but ask yourself how much you honestly think you’re worth. Do research about what similar jobs pay and what salaries are like in the region. If a company comes back with too low an offer, you can always try and negotiate up.

3. "It would be hella cool to get jiggy with this job."
Maybe that is how all of your friends talk (and it’s become a habit with you), but it’s not the way you should speak during a job interview. Using slang is a serious turnoff for interviewers. You may be articulate, intelligent, and confident, but like, you sure won’t sound that way.

4. "Bill Gates himself offered me a $100,000 bonus."
Don’t lie! You’ll be found out, and you’ll regret it. Someday when you least expect it, someone somewhere will discover that you didn’t really increase sales by 999 percent in six months. Interviewers know you’ll probably exaggerate a little to sell yourself; but don’t cross the line between exaggeration and out-and-out lying.

5. "In five years, I see myself on a boat in the Caribbean."
When interviewers ask you about long-term goals, they want an answer that relates to the company. Telling them that you really want to be living on a farm (unless you're applying for an agricultural job) isn’t going to convince them that you're an ambitious professional in your chosen field.

Even if you don't plan to stick around long, say something that reflects a commitment to the position and the company. This may seem to contradict the previous exhortation about lying, but try to think of it as a rhetorical question. You might still be at the same company in five years, right?

6. “Sorry, I don’t know how to do that.”
Rather than admitting that you don't have a specific skill, stress that you’re a fast learner and are excited about the possibility of acquiring new skills. Most companies would rather hire an enthusiastic, smart person who needs to be trained than someone who already has the required skills but isn’t as eager to learn.

7. “You see, I just went through a painful divorce. . . .”
Even if an interviewer starts getting personal, don’t follow suit. You may think you’re being open and honest, but you’re really just coming across as unprofessional, unfocused, and disrespectful. Keep it businesslike and polite.

8. “What can your company do for me?”
Interviewers hate arrogance and selfishness. They want to know why they should hire you. Stress the contributions you can make. Tell them about how your efforts helped previous employers. Don’t start asking about raises, bonuses, and promotions right away.

Remember, you’re the one being interviewed, and while you should use the opportunity to get your questions answered, you shouldn't make it seem as if you'll be doing them a favor if they hire you.

9. “I left my last job because my boss was a real jerk.”
Bad-mouthing your previous employer is possibly the dumbest thing you can do during an interview. Even if your last company was a chaotic hellhole, your boss was a monster, your coworkers were Martians, and you got paid in tin cans, say that you left to look for more responsibility, you wanted greater opportunity for advancement, or you were just ready for a change.

Interview Tips for Job Seekers

noreply@blogger.com (freecoolstuffs) — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 05:42:00 +0000

In a recruitment process, an interview is invariably one of the last but most crucial processes. It involves a one to one interaction of the candidates with the prospective employer. Besides giving the interviewer a chance to evaluate your strength and skill, it also gives you an opportunity to understand what to expect from the organization.

No matter how well qualified and articulate one is for a job, there is nothing to replace thorough preparation for the interview. Have a good grip of your strengths and weakness. Know what to talk at the interview and how to handle the situation, if things do not go as planned.

Planning a Strategy

The first step in preparing for an interview is to put together a strategy. Try and analyze that the interviewer would have already reviewed your resume, which provide the hard facts of your employment history and skills. You can make a good impression by reviewing how to bring forth your essential skills.

There is a need to portray sincerely and politely, though enthusiastically your knowledge about the organization and its mission. For instance, it would be good to know the names and positions of key people in the organization, its products/service and key business competitors.

PREPARATION FOR THE INTERVIEW

• Keep yourself calm. Often going well prepared is the best way to enhance your confidence.

• Know all about the company, its business. Research the company and interviewer if possible.

• Analyze why you want the job.

• What soft skills do you have to offer the organization? For instance the resume may have shown some concrete examples of skills as a team player, but you need to convince interviewer of your ability to fit within a team.

• Prepare questions you wish to ask about the job or organization.

• Line up reference in advance in case you are asked for them.

CHECK LIST

• Punctuality is of essence. Arrive well in time for the Appointment.

• Be positive to everyone that you meet at the office, it counts. Be aware of body language, vibes and reactions, as someone might be noticing them.

• Be personable yet professional in your conduct.

• Do not assume that the interviewer knows how to elicit the information he is looking for. Bring it out clearly.

• Answer all questions honestly but in the positive light.

• Take some time to formulate your answers before you speak.

GOLDEN RULES

Formal office dress Code Look Calm & Composed Read Newspaper Headlines Speak In a Clear Voice Carry Your Folder Sit Alert & Maintain Eye Contact Arrive Early May Accept the Cup Of Coffee Make A Natural Entry Go With an Open & Positive Mind

At the Interview

• Shake hands with the interviewer firmly.

• Appear confident.

• Remember the names of the interviewers.

• Make eye contact when you talk to people and be natural.

• Answer questions honestly. If you mentioned something on your resume, make sure you know about it. If you don’t know much, mention that you have not worked too much detail in the area.

• Ask the interviewers about the company. You are usually given time for this.

• Find out what the advertised job involves so it will enable you to make a fairly quick decision if you are made an offer.

• Thank the interviewers after the interview.

• If you have been interviewing at other companies, it is not unfair to ask when you can expect them to make a decision.

Choosing Appraisal Criteria

noreply@blogger.com (freecoolstuffs) — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 05:03:00 +0000

The appraisal should measure performance in accomplishing goals and plans as well as performance as a manager. No one wants a person in a managerial role appears to do everything right as a manager but who cannot turn in a good record of profit making, marketing, controllership, or whatever the area of responsibility may be. A “performer” in a managerial position who cannot operate effectively as a manager will not be able to satisfy the management of an organization. Some star performers may have succeeded through no fault of their own.

Performance in accomplishing goals:

In assessing performance, systems of appraising against verifiable pre-selected goals have extraordinary value. Given consistent, integrated, and understood planning designed to reach specific objectives, probably the best criteria of managerial performance relate to the ability to set goals intelligently, to plan programs that will accomplish those goals, and to succeed in achieving them. Those who have operated under some variation of this system often claim that these criteria are inadequate and that elements of luck or other factors beyond the manager’s control are taken into account when arriving at any appraisal. But, in too many cases, managers who achieve results owning to sheer luck are promoted, and others, who do not achieve expected results because of factors beyond their control, are blamed for failures. Thus, appraisal against verifiable objectives is, by itself, insufficient.

Performance as managers:

The system of measuring performance against pre-established objectives should be supplemented by an appraisal of a manager as a manager. Managers at any level also undertake non-managerial duties, and these cannot be overlooked. The primary purpose for which managers is hired and against which they should be measured. However, in their performances as mangers they should be appraised on the basis of how well they understand and undertake the managerial functions of planning, organizing, staffing, leading, and controlling. The standards to use in this area are the fundamentals of management, but first some traditional appraisal programs should be examined.

The problem of Management appraisal:

Managers have long been reluctant to appraise subordinates. However, in an activity as important as managing, there should be no reluctance to measure performance as accurately as possible. In almost all kinds of group enterprises whether in work or in play performance, is usually been rated in some way. Moreover, most people, and particularly people of ability, want to know how well they are doing.

It is difficult to believe that the controversy, the misgivings, and even the disillusionment that are still so widespread with respect to managerial performance appraisal have come from the practices of measuring and evaluating . Rather, it appears that they have arisen from the things measured, the standards used, and the way measurement is done.

Managers can understandably take exception, feel unhappy, or resist when they believe that they are evaluating, or being evaluated, inaccurately or against standards that are inapplicable, inadequate, or subjective. However, some light and hope have emerged in the past 30 years and offer promise of making evaluation effective. The interest in evaluating managers by comparing actual performance against present verifiable objectives or goals is a development of considerable potential.

Body Language to be followed while attending the Interview.

noreply@blogger.com (freecoolstuffs) — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 04:56:00 +0000

Body Language

Body language is fascinating. People rarely recognize how much information they give off and how noticeable it is to the human eye. Even to the untrained human eye. It is said that no less that 50 percent of information on a person’s character, impact and credibility is conveyed through no verbal communication.

The following list takes some common body postures and states the persons position.

Arms crossed: Defensive and cautious.

Resting chin on palm: Critical, cynical and negative towards the other person.

Dropping eyeglasses onto the lower bridge of the nose and peering over them: Causes negative reactions in others.

Slowly and deliberately taking off glasses and carefully cleaning the lens: The person wants to pause and think before raising opposition or asking for clarification.

Pinching bridge of the nose: Communicates great thought and concern.

Nose-rubbing or nose-touching: A sign of doubt, it often reveals a negative reaction.

Rubbing around ears: Performed while weighing an answer, commonly coupled with 'well, I don't know'.

Resting feet on a desk or chair: Gestures of territorial hegemony.

Swaying back: Weak ego.

Retracted shoulders: Suppressed anger.

Direct Eye Contact: Interested, likes you

Smiling Eyes: Is comfortable

Relaxed Brow: Comfortable

Limited or No Eye Contact : Lying, uninterested, too confined, uncomfortable, distracted

Tension in Brow : Confusion, tension, fear

Shoulders hunched forward : Lacking interest or feeling inferior

Rigid Body Posture : Anxious, uptight

Crossed arms : Can be just cold, protecting the body, or defensive

Tapping Fingers : Agitated, anxious, bored

Fidgeting with hands or objects (i.e., pen) : Bored or has something to say

Leaning forward : Interested

Fingers Interlocked placed behind the head leaving elbows open and armpits exposed : Very open to ideas, comfortable

Mirroring you : Likes you and wants to be friendly

Still : More interested in what you are saying than anything

Eyes open slightly more than usual: Gives people the impression that they are welcome.

Breath faster: Nervous or angry

Inhaling loudly and shortly: Wants to interrupt a speaking person

Loud sigh: Understand the thing that is being told.

Twisting the feet continuously : A person is nervous or concerned, but can also mean that a person is stressed or angry and that he don't want to show that to everybody.

Legs wide apart or Sitting straddle-legged: Shows that a person is feeling safe, and is self - confident. Can also show leadership.

A big smile that goes on longer and disappears slower.: Unreal or fake smile

Crossed legs with highest foot in the direction of the speaker.: Relaxed and self-confident and they are listening very carefully.

Rapidly nodding your head : Shows impatient and eager to add something to the conversation

Slowly nodding: Shows interest and that they are validating the comments of the interviewer, and this subtly encourages him to continue.

Dangling the loose shoe from the toes : Signals physical attraction

Rubbing your collar: Nerves

Adjusting your tie: Insecurity

Pressed Lips: Pressed lips convey disagreement and disapproval. It communicates a desire to end the discussion. A raised chin implies aggression that may be acted on if the conversation is not ended.

Pursed Lips: This is also a sign of disapproval. It indicates that the person has fixed views that cannot be changed. This usually reveals an arrogant and superficial character.

Biting the Lips: The person expresses embarrassment when he bites his lips. He also communicates a lack of self-confidence.

Reading Hand Signals:
People have been granted with two hands: the left and the right hand. The left has been dubbed as the "emotional hand” since an imaginary line can be drawn from the third finger leading directly to the heart. This is why the wedding ring is placed on this finger. The right hand, literally on the other hand. has been named the "proper hand” since it is with this hand that people communicate a blocking or stopping signal.

Open Hands: Open hands may be demonstrated by showing the palm of one’s hand, especially in a conversation or an argument.. This expresses a trust in other and an interest in their opinions. It also offers an opinion and invites the sharing of the other person’s view.

Covered Hands: This is expressed by raising the back of one or both hands against others. This indicates the setting up of barriers or the keeping of distance. It is an act of concealing feelings and covering insecurity

Clinging Hands: Those who cling to objects, such as handbags. files or tables. show a need for support. This action conveys confusion or insecurity. It expresses fear and difficulty in coping with the current situation.

Twisted Hands ( crossing both hands then clasping the palms together) : Expression of a complex personality. It may indicate a difficult emotional life. The way the palms are held together conveys a need to hide something.

Clasping the hands : indicates defence.

Shrugged shoulders: You can recognize stressed shoulders by the fact that they are a bit shrugged, which does make the head look smaller. The meaning of the signal comes from crouching in dangerous situations. The meaning of this posing depends on the combination. In combination with big eyes it means that someone is concerned about something that is going to happen. In combination with a face that is turned away it means that the person wants to be left alone. An introvert person has nearly always those stressed shoulders.

Difference in level of both shoulders: By most of the people the left and the right shoulder are of the same height. When they are not, it often means that someone is doubting about what he is going to do. With this movement we simulate (unconscious) that we are weighing the possibilities. Sometimes when someone makes this movement, his head will move a little like he is looking above.

Crossed arms: There are a lot of different explanations of the meaning of crossed arms. When someone has crossed arms and he is shaking his head it means that he does not agree with you. But he can also cross his arms when he is frightened, then his arms give him some protection. Another option is that he is feeling cold and he is trying to hold his body-warmth with him. When someone is sitting in a chair with his arms crossed, it indicates that the person is relaxed.

Making a fist from your hands: A fist is a sign for aggression. It comes from hitting someone. But it is seldom used with a threatening meaning. Most of the time it is used to indicate that you are angry or irritated.

Holding the hand before the mouth: Holding a hand before your mouth means that you are hiding something. In western countries it is impolite to belch or to hiccup. So someone can hold his hand before his mouth to hide that he is hiccupping. When someone puts his hand before his mouth when he is talking it indicates that he is saying something or has said something that he did not want to say.

Making the eyes look larger: The meaning of making the eyes look larger can be that someone is astonished. In that case he opens his mouth a little. It can also mean that he is happy or that he likes the thing that is talked about. And because it means that you like something, you can use it on purpose. It pleases people when you have your eyes opened a bit further. When people open their eyes a bit further it can also mean that they are unhappily surprised. Then they will frown their eyebrows.

Raising the eyebrows: Raising the eyebrows shortly means that people are surprised. They raise their eyebrows to allow them to look better. But it can also mean that somebody is looking at you, and that he likes you.

Raised forehead: A raised forehead often means that someone is remembering something he has seen. This often happens very quickly. It can also be a sign of a certain emotion. It is a biological reflex that you raise your forehead a little when you are crying so the tears can move easier.

Pursed lips: When somebody purses his lips it means that he has to make a decision and is thinking about that. Sometimes he also moves his lips, like he is saying the possibilities. When somebody purses his lips, he often looks a bit upward.

Firm Handshake: The strong, firm handshake usually is given by a person who is sure and confident of themselves.

Weak hand shake: People who give these types of handshakes are either nervous, shy, insecure, or afraid of interaction with other people.

Cleared your throat: Nervousness.

Bitten your fingernails: Nervousness.

Wring your hands: Nervousness.

Paced the floor: Nervousness.

A person is bouncing their legs and their arms are crossed over or their torso is slumped: Closed off

Appraised in Peanuts?

noreply@blogger.com (freecoolstuffs) — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 04:50:00 +0000

You've planned a family vacation! Down payment for a new car is on the cards, and a lot more hopes are riding from the annual performance review. Then suddenly you get a shock and receive nothing close to the generous hike that you had expected.

This happens in companies both big and small! For every one person who's thrilled about his or her review, there are many who feel shortchanged, unhappy or just livid at the way the review turns out. This situation is common across most companies, but no matter what, here are a few pointers on how to go about handling such a situation:

Take Some Time-out
Instead of reacting negatively in the heat of the moment, try and do an honest self-evaluation. Was your review really unfair or was it just a case of the truth hurting? Sort out things thoroughly and fix up a meeting with the person who assessed you to discuss the issue.

Facts First
Go through the review and ask your boss to explain each criticism. Make sure your boss gives you concrete instances of poor performance. This way, not only can you understand just where you've gone wrong, but it can also make things more difficult for your boss. If by chance, he's made unjust allegations, he has little to back up his stand.

Keep Defenses Ready
Collect evidence of your performance, including letters of appreciation, statistics relating to successful completion of projects, and value-addition on your part to the organization. A strongly-presented denial will only strengthen your argument. However, under no circumstances, should you discuss this report and seek help from your other colleagues.

Be Proactive
If the poor appraisal has been for some shortcomings on your part, discuss a plan with the boss to improve your performance. Keep a record of everything you do from then as evidence of the effort you've made to improve your work. Have regular meetings to keep your boss updated about your progress.

HR Predictions

noreply@blogger.com (freecoolstuffs) — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 04:44:00 +0000

The top 10 predictions in Workplace Flexibility, Global Business, Work and Society, Workforce Development, Definition of Jobs, and Strategic Role of HR.

Workplace Flexibility

1. Collaborative cultures will be the workplace model.
2. Creative employment contracts will support more time off, flexibility in hours and work location, technological job aids and more pay at risk with significant upside potential.
3. Company intranets will become a major tool for communication, training and benefits administration; HR will play a leading role in developing this important tool.
4. Intelligence through knowledge transfer capability will separate the best employees from the rest.
5. Employees will have more and more choices about work arrangements, allowing them to meet their individual needs.
6. Work hours scheduling will become less important as organizations focus on performance and results.
7. Company facilities will become Virtual through work-at- home, telecommuting and outsourcing.
8. The workweek will be less structured-employees will still work 40-plus hours, but at varied times and places other than the office.
9. Legislation will lead to greater portability of health, welfare and retirement benefits.
10. Free-lance teams of generic problem solvers will market themselves as alternatives to permanent workers or individual temps.

Global Business

11. The role of corporate HR will change to that of creator of overall values and direction, and will be implemented by local HR departments in different countries.
12. Technology, especially the Internet, will enable more businesses to enter the global marketplace.
13. HR professionals will have advanced acumen in international business practices, international labor laws, multicultural sensitivities and multiple languages.
14. HR professionals will need to be knowledgeable of other cultures, languages and business practices to help their companies find and enter more markets.
15. HR people will have to understand other cultures and help people work with, and transfer among, various cultures.
16. Mega global business alliances will grow in number and scope, requiring great finesse on the part of the HR professional.
17. There will be an explosive growth of companies doing business across borders, and it will be the most significant change for the economy in modern times.
18. Cultural understanding and sensitivity will become much more important for the HR professional of the future, whereas multiple language ability isn't going to become a necessary competency.
19. The continued emergence of a world marketplace will require development of an international workforce.
20. Small teams of HR professionals will focus on providing performance improvement consulting services to a variety of locations around the world.

Work and Society

21. Family and life interests will play a more prevalent role in people's lives and a greater factor in people's choices about work- there will be more of a "work to live" than a "live to work" mentality.
22. Employees will demand increases in workplace flexibility to pursue life interests.
23. Dual-career couples will refuse to make the sacrifices required today in their family lives and more people (not just women) will opt out of traditional careers.
24. Families will return to the center of society; work will serve as a source of cultural connections and peripheral friendships.
25. Workers will continue to struggle with their need for work/life balance, and it will get worse.
26. Integration of work with quality-of-life initiatives will create solutions to problems formerly seen as the responsibility of government.
27. Community involvement and social responsibility will become part of an organization's business vision.
28. "Cocooning" will become more popular as workers look to their homes for refuge from the pressures of a more competitive workplace and depersonalized society.
29. Just as defined-contribution plans have begun to take over from Social Security, companies will take on responsibility for elder care, long-term care and other social needs through cafeteria-style benefits programs.
30. Those people who refuse or are unable to adapt to new technologies will find they're working harder and accomplishing less.

Workforce Development

31. Lifelong learning will be a requirement.
32. The focus of training/learning activities will be on performance improvement and not just on skill building.
33. Employees with varied skills and competencies will be valued more highly than those with a depth of expertise in a single area.
34. Problem solving and decision-making will become a required curriculum with practical work problems as the training medium.
35. Training will be delivered "just in time," wherever people need it, using a variety of technologies.
36. Companies will demand constant personal growth, and employees will respond positively to higher expectations.
37. It will not be possible to survive in the workplace without basic computer skills.
38. People who can learn new skills/competencies quickly will be highly valued in a faster changing world.
39. Team projects and special assignments will be a major factor in personal development.
40. As the computer-savvy generation is more assimilated into the workforce, employees will become much more productive in complex tasks and less dependent on other people and departments.

Definition of Jobs

41. Organizations won't pay for the value of the job but for the value of the person.
42. Versatility will be the key factor in determining employee value with strategic thinking, leadership, problem solving, technology and people skills close behind.
43. Compensation systems will be linked to business outcomes.
44. All jobs will require higher levels of computer skills.
45. Positions will be organized in teams focused on a task, not organized around a hierarchy.
46. Positions will be defined by the competencies needed to be performed.
47. Employees will be more independent, moving from project to project within their organizations.
48. Many jobs will be redesigned to be much broader in scope, especially in management positions, resulting in leaner head counts.
49. Employees will be increasingly measured by how much value they contribute to the business, not by whether they fulfilled predetermined objectives.
50. Work will be more challenging, and jobs will become increasingly complex.
Strategic Role of HR
51. Successful HR departments will focus on organizational performance.HR's value will be to have the right people ready at the right time: recruiting leaders to join the company's mix of talent and keeping the "bench" full of enabled, competent workers.
52. The focus of the HR function will be human capital development and organizational productivity; HR may be renamed to reflect this.
53. HR will evolve from strategic business partnership to strategic business leadership (driving change and results, not just monitoring them).
54. A key HR role in the future will be multidisciplinary consulting around individual, team, business unit and corporate performance.
55. Managers will grow to depend more and more on HR professionals as they realize that good people management can be the strategic advantage in the next decade.
56. Leading change will become HR's greatest contribution to the corporation.
57. More and more businesses will use HR as a strategic partner.
58. HR will have a "seat at the table" as part of the top management team and report directly to the CEO in most companies.
59 . A key HR role will be managing increasingly scarce human and intellectual capital.

25 Most Difficult Interview Questions

noreply@blogger.com (freecoolstuffs) — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 04:26:00 +0000

1. Tell me about yourself.
Since this is often the opening question in an interview, be extracareful that you don't run off at the mouth. Keep your answer to a minute or two at most. Cover four topics: early years, education, work history, and recent career experience. Emphasize this last subject. Remember that this is likely to be a warm-up question. Don't waste your best points on it.

2. What do you know about our organization?
You should be able to discuss products or services, revenues, reputation, image, goals, problems, management style, people, history and philosophy. But don't act as if you know everything about the place. Let your answer show that you have taken the time to do some research, but don't overwhelm the interviewer, and make it clear that you wish to learn more.
You might start your answer in this manner: "In my job search, I've investigated a number of companies.
Yours is one of the few that interests me, for these reasons..."
Give your answer a positive tone. Don't say, "Well, everyone tells me that you're in all sorts of trouble, and that's why I'm here", even if that is why you're there.

3. Why do you want to work for us?
The deadliest answer you can give is "Because I like people." What else would you like-animals?
Here, and throughout the interview, a good answer comes from having done your homework so that you can speak in terms of the company's needs. You might say that your research has shown that the company is doing things you would like to be involved with, and that it's doing them in ways that greatly interest you. For example, if the organization is known for strong management, your answer should mention that fact and show that you would like to be a part of that team. If the company places a great deal of emphasis on research and development, emphasize the fact that you want to create new things and that you know this is a place in which such activity is encouraged. If the organization stresses financial controls, your answer should mention a reverence for numbers.
If you feel that you have to concoct an answer to this question - if, for example, the company stresses research, and you feel that you should mention it even though it really doesn't interest you- then you probably should not be taking that interview, because you probably shouldn't be considering a job with that organization.
Your homework should include learning enough about the company to avoid approaching places where you wouldn't be able -or wouldn't want- to function. Since most of us are poor liars, it's difficult to con anyone in an interview. But even if you should succeed at it, your prize is a job you don't really want.

4. What can you do for us that someone else can't?
Here you have every right, and perhaps an obligation, to toot your own horn and be a bit egotistical. Talk about your record of getting things done, and mention specifics from your resume or list of career accomplishments. Say that your skills and interests, combined with this history of getting results, make you valuable. Mention your ability to set priorities, identify problems, and use your experience and energy to solve them.

5. What do you find most attractive about this position? What seems least attractive about it?
List three or four attractive factors of the job, and mention a single, minor, unattractive item.

6. Why should we hire you?
Create your answer by thinking in terms of your ability, your experience, and your energy. (See question 4.)

7. What do you look for in a job?
Keep your answer oriented to opportunities at this organization. Talk about your desire to perform and be recognized for your contributions. Make your answer oriented toward opportunity rather than personal security.

8. Please give me your definition of [the position for which you are being interviewed].
Keep your answer brief and taskoriented. Think in in terms of responsibilities and accountability. Make sure that you really do understand what the position involves before you attempt an answer. If you are not certain. ask the interviewer; he or she may answer the question for you.

9. How long would it take you to make a meaningful contribution to our firm?
Be realistic. Say that, while you would expect to meet pressing demands and pull your own weight from the first day, it might take six months to a year before you could expect to know the organization and its needs well enough to make a major contribution.

10. How long would you stay with us?
Say that you are interested in a career with the organization, but admit that you would have to continue to feel challenged to remain with any organization. Think in terms of, "As long as we both feel achievement-oriented."

11. Your resume suggests that you may be over-qualified or too experienced for this position. What's Your opinion?
Emphasize your interest in establishing a long-term association with the organization, and say that you assume that if you perform well in his job, new opportunities will open up for you. Mention that a strong company needs a strong staff. Observe that experienced executives are always at a premium. Suggest that since you are so wellqualified, the employer will get a fast return on his investment. Say that a growing, energetic company can never have too much talent.

12. What is your management style?
You should know enough about the company's style to know that your management style will complement it. Possible styles include: task oriented (I'll enjoy problem-solving identifying what's wrong, choosing a solution and implementing it"), results-oriented ("Every management decision I make is determined by how it will affect the bottom line"), or even paternalistic ("I'm committed to taking care of my subordinates and pointing them in the right direction").
A participative style is currently quite popular: an open-door method of managing in which you get things done by motivating people and delegating responsibility.
As you consider this question, think about whether your style will let you work hatppily and effectively within the organization.

13. Are you a good manager? Can you give me some examples? Do you feel that you have top managerial potential?
Keep your answer achievement and ask-oriented. Rely on examples from your career to buttress your argument. Stress your experience and your energy.

14. What do you look for when You hire people?
Think in terms of skills. initiative, and the adaptability to be able to work comfortably and effectively with others. Mention that you like to hire people who appear capable of moving up in the organization.

15. Have you ever had to fire people? What were the reasons, and how did you handle the situation?
Admit that the situation was not easy, but say that it worked out well, both for the company and, you think, for the individual. Show that, like anyone else, you don't enjoy unpleasant tasks but that you can resolve them efficiently and -in the case of firing someone- humanely.

16. What do you think is the most difficult thing about being a manager or executive?
Mention planning, execution, and cost-control. The most difficult task is to motivate and manage employess to get something planned and completed on time and within the budget.

17. What important trends do you see in our industry?
Be prepared with two or three trends that illustrate how well you understand your industry. You might consider technological challenges or opportunities, economic conditions, or even regulatory demands as you collect your thoughts about the direction in which your business is heading.

18. Why are you leaving (did you leave) your present (last) job?
Be brief, to the point, and as honest as you can without hurting yourself. Refer back to the planning phase of your job search. where you considered this topic as you set your reference statements. If you were laid off in an across-the-board cutback, say so; otherwise, indicate that the move was your decision, the result of your action. Do not mention personality conflicts.
The interviewer may spend some time probing you on this issue, particularly if it is clear that you were terminated. The "We agreed to disagree" approach may be useful. Remember hat your references are likely to be checked, so don't concoct a story for an interview.

19. How do you feel about leaving all your benefits to find a new job?
Mention that you are concerned, naturally, but not panicked. You are willing to accept some risk to find the right job for yourself. Don't suggest that security might interest you more than getting the job done successfully.

20. In your current (last) position, what features do (did) you like the most? The least?
Be careful and be positive. Describe more features that you liked than disliked. Don't cite personality problems. If you make your last job sound terrible, an interviewer may wonder why you remained there until now.

21. What do you think of your boss?
Be as positive as you can. A potential boss is likely to wonder if you might talk about him in similar terms at some point in the future.

22. Why aren't you earning more at your age?
Say that this is one reason that you are conducting this job search. Don't be defensive.

23. What do you feel this position should pay?
Salary is a delicate topic. We suggest that you defer tying yourself to a precise figure for as long as you can do so politely. You might say, "I understand that the range for this job is between $______ and $______. That seems appropriate for the job as I understand it." You might answer the question with a question: "Perhaps you can help me on this one. Can you tell me if there is a range for similar jobs in the organization?"
Don't sell yourself short, but continue to stress the fact that the job itself is the most important thing in your mind. The interviewer may be trying to determine just how much you want the job. Don't leave the impression that money is the only thing that is important to you. Link questions of salary to the work itself.
But whenever possible, say as little as you can about salary until you reach the "final" stage of the interview process. At that point, you know that the company is genuinely interested in you and that it is likely to be flexible in salary negotiations.

24. What are your long-range goals?
Refer back to the planning phase of your job search. Don't answer, "I want the job you've advertised." Relate your goals to the company you are interviewing: 'in a firm like yours, I would like to..."

25. How successful do you you've been so far?
Say that, all-in-all, you're happy with the way your career has progressed so far. Given the normal ups and downs of life, you feel that you've done quite well and have no complaints.
Present a positive and confident picture of yourself, but don't overstate your case. An answer like, "Everything's wonderful! I can't think of a time when things were going better! I'm overjoyed!" is likely to make an interviewer wonder whether you're trying to fool him . . . or yourself. The most convincing confidence is usually quiet confidence.

How to format a hard drive

noreply@blogger.com (freecoolstuffs) — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 05:55:00 +0000

Do you have problems trying to format a hard drive? Well, the Windows operating system provides some good tools for doing this ... but many users still think that formatting a hard drive is a mystery.

Well, it doesn't have to be. This article will teach you the simple steps to format a hard drive. Whether you are using Windows or DOS, the process is not difficult.

So read on and learn the steps right now ...

Formatting A Secondary Hard Drive

Let's assume you have the Windows operating system (Windows 95/98 or later) and intend to format a secondary drive to create a new and blank hard disk. The process is pretty straightforward - here's what you do:

Double-click the My Computer icon.
Click on your secondary drive icon and select it. Then open the File menu and select the Format option.
Windows will display a window displaying the formatting options. Select the Format Type then enter a suitable disk label. If
If you wish to be able to boot from this second drive, make sure you check the Copy system files box.
Next, you simply click in Start. Windows will warn you that all data will be deleted - just confirm and say OK.

Voila! In a few minutes your secondary hard drive will have been formatted.

Formatting The Primary Hard Drive

If you want to format the primary (boot) hard drive, then you cannot do it in Windows. You need to use DOS - here are the steps:

Insert a bootable floppy disk into the A: drive. A bootable floppy is easily created in Windows - check this article to see how to do it.
Switch on the computer. After some clacking sounds, the screen will show the A:\ prompt.
Now type in the command cd c:\ to switch over to the C: drive.
Now you need to enter the command format c: \s. what does this do? Well, it formats the hard disk and transfers the appropriate system files to make it a startup disk.
After a few minutes, the format should be done. Enter the new volume label.
Now simply eject your startup floppy disk and restart the computer. The hard disk should now be able to boot to the C:\ prompt.

Conclusion

Hopefully, this article has taught you how to easily format a hard drive. As you can see, the process is not that difficult. Practise a few times and you'll get the hang of it. Good luck!

How to partition a hard drive using Windows XP

noreply@blogger.com (freecoolstuffs) — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 05:21:00 +0000

Do you need to know how to partition a hard drive using Windows XP? Well, help is here. Microsoft Windows XP can be used to partition and format a hard drive.

Why even bother to partition a hard drive using Windows XP? Well, the answer is pretty simple. If you choose to organize your hard disk data and applications into separate partitions, you will greatly simplify backups and also improve your computer's performance.

Step 1: Get The Tools You Need

There are several ways to partition a hard drive using Windows XP. If you're planning to partition a new and blank hard drive, then it is easy. Just use the Windows setup CD-ROM - it will list out options for partitioning your hard drive during installation.

However, what if you don't want to erase your existing data, or you want to do partitioning on an existing hard drive? Then you will need a partitioning utility such as Acronis Disk Director. The key benefit of this tools is that it allows you to change partition sizes and formats without the need to wipe out existing data.

Step 2: Defragment Your Existing Hard Drive

Let's assume we are planning to partition data on an existing hard disk. Before starting, we will want to make sure we run a Disk Defragmenter program. This optimizes the hard drive to prepare it for partitioning.

Step 3: Plan Your Partitions

Planning for your hard drive partitions is an important step. Do you want two partitions or three? Should they all be in NTFS or FAT32 format? Consider the size of the partitions too, and whether you plan to run different operating systems (e.g. Windows and Linux dual boot systems).

Step 4: Run The Partitioning Software

The next step in partitioning a hard drive using Windows XP is to run the partitioning software. In Acronis Disk Director, there are simple wizards to help you through the process. Make absolutely sure that you check (and double-check) the source and target partitions, as well as the partition sizes before confirming.

Step 5: Reboot The System

Rebooting the system is the last step in learning how to partition a hard drive using Windows XP. Once rebooted, you can do whatever you want to move data around this or that partition. You may need to specify new file locations for different applications. I like to store my operating system in one partition, while my personal files and data are stored on another partition.

Conclusion

I hope this tutorial has taught you the tricks for partitioning a hard drive using Windows XP. It's not that complicated a process - but you do need to be careful since your dealing with your critical data. If you don't want to mess with partitions, one other option is to buy a new hard disk and install it as a secondary drive. This is something I like to do since I also spread the risk of hard disk failure to two drives instead of one.

Tips for installing an old partition in a new hard drive

noreply@blogger.com (freecoolstuffs) — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 03:54:00 +0000

Having trouble installing an old partition in a new hard drive? I can understand your pain.

You sometimes need to carry all the installed programs, settings and files to a new hard drive. Though it seems a simple task, many complexities come in the way. You may end up having to do a fresh install of applications - not a good solution.

This article looks at some ways you can install an old partition in a new hard drive quickly and easily.

1. Select A Hard Disk Imaging Program

There are certain programs like Acronis True Image and Norton Ghost that support the copying of an entire partition to new location in a new hard drive. These are the kinds of programs you need. They copy the complete image of the partition to be installed in another drive.

2. Which One Is The Best?

Acronis True Image is, in my opinion, one of the best tools for installing an old partition in a new hard drive. You will have many registries, settings and things that you just can’t afford to miss with a change in hard drive. With Acronis True Image, you will be able to move the old hard disk partition, with all the registry keys. The entire image of the partition or partitions is copied with the image copying facility of the software.

The main screen in Acronis True Image

3. Take Some Precautions ...

One thing to keep in mind while using Acronis True Image is to copy your system files to new disk is to make the copy of the text file boot.ini, located at the root of your boot drive, be it floppy drive or C: drive. Make sure you copy this file into a floppy disk.

The boot.ini file can be located at the root of your C: drive after un-hiding the protected operating system files. This is only a precautionary step as Acronis True Image will copy the entire root files to the new hard disk and it will be readily bootable from your new drive.

Give the command:

a:\boot.ini c:\

to recovery console mode that comes up while you boot your system from a Windows CD.

The Create Backup Wizard in Acronis True Image

4. Plan Your New Hard Disk Setup

Before you copy your existing hardware setting to a new one, plan how the new disk partition should look like. Usually, you should ensure that the first partition in your new disk will have the exact capacity of your existing C: drive.

Conclusion

As you can see, there are products out there which support installing old partition in a new hard drive. However, I do always think that such tasks are pretty advanced in nature - don't try it if you do not have much experienced in hard disk partitioning and formatting.

Best methods to backup your hard drives

noreply@blogger.com (freecoolstuffs) — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 03:22:00 +0000

Do you have trouble thinking of the best methods to backup your hard drives?

Well, hard drive backup does make for an interesting topic – so that’s why this article is here.

In this article, we’ll look at three of the best methods to backup hard drives and give you peace of mind, knowing your precious data is safe and sound. Let's get started right away ...

Method 1: Create A Drive Image

The first approach to hard drive backup is to use a good backup software to create a disk image. Why is this one of the best methods to backup hard drives? Well, because it is a tried and tested method and all the big corporations use this approach as the standard.

A drive image is nothing but a detailed representation of every bit and byte in your hard disk. Once you create a drive image, you’re free to restore it to any hard drive you want. PC just crashed? No problem. Restore the drive image into a new hard drive. I like to create a drive image just after installing a clean version of Windows XP. This allows me to restore and revert to a clean hard disk image in case some virus or malware affects my PC.

Norton Ghost is one of the best products in the industry for creating a drive image. I’ve used it since the days of DOS, and it has proven time and again to be at the top of its game. The latest version supports Windows XP and incremental backups – meaning you can create on drive image snapshot and keep adding changes to it.

Acronis True Image is a competing product which has garnered many awards too. I haven’t tried it out, but I certainly will, since many people have raved about its performance and ease-of-use.

Method 2: Backup To Another Hard Drive, CD or DVD

Another ‘best method’ to backup hard drives is to use another hard drive. What do I mean by another hard drive? Well, you can simply copy your existing important data to another hard disk in desktop PC. Another approach is to get an external portable hard drive and copy your stuff there.

Of course, you should understand that there are risks. The second hard drive that you backup to may also fail. Some alternatives are to use CD and DVD media for backups as they are much less likely to fail compared to hard drives.

Method 3: Use An Online Backup Service

Using an online backup service is also fast becoming one of the best methods to backup hard drives. Essentially, these services allow you to store gigabytes of data online for a fee.

The huge advantage of online backup services is that they are resilient to disaster and theft. If you were to backup stuff on your own, then in the event of disaster or theft, you lose everything. Online backup services, however, have huge, clustered servers that are designed to withstand such calamities.

The downside of online backup services would be the cost. However, these are fast coming down.

Xdrive is a great online backup service, with the one of the most competitive rates around. It is extremely popular for storage of photos, music and videos amongst the younger crowd. Do check it out if you’re looking for an online solution to your backup problems.

Conclusion

Hopefully, this article has shown you the best methods to backup your hard drive. Try applying any one of the above methods the next time you feel you need to backup data. If you backup data in the above ways on a regular basis, I can guarantee you’ll have a much smoother computing experience.

Deleting an item without moving into Recycle Bin

noreply@blogger.com (freecoolstuffs) — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 07:47:00 +0000

You can set the settings as deleting an item without moving into recycle bin (like holding down the shift key when deleting).

Here are the simple steps:

Start Regedit
Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Explorer \ BitBucket
Set the key NukeOnDelete to 1

Not Displaying the Network Neighborhood

noreply@blogger.com (freecoolstuffs) — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 07:46:00 +0000

By editing the registry, you can remove Network Neighborhood icon from your desktop. Just follow the below steps:

Go to Start Button and open Run then type: regedit
Go to HKey_Current_User \ Software\ Microsoft \Windows \ Current Version \ Policies \ Explorer
Right click on the right panel and add a New / DWORD
Name it NoNetHood
Give it a value of 1

Now, when you Logoff or Reboot the computer, "Network Neighborhood" icon will not be there.

Disabling Find from the Start Menu

noreply@blogger.com (freecoolstuffs) — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 07:44:00 +0000

You can disable the Find option from the Start Menu:

Go to Start Button and open Run then type: regedit

Click on OK.

Go to HKey_Current_User \ Software\ Microsoft \Windows \ Current Version \ Policies \ Explorer

Right click on the right panel and add a New / DWORD

Name it NoFile

Give it a value of 1

Logoff or Reboot the computer

Disabling Run from the Start Menu

noreply@blogger.com (freecoolstuffs) — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 07:43:00 +0000

You can disable the Run option from the Start Menu:

Go to Start Button and open Run then type: regedit
Click on OK.
Go to HKey_Current_User \ Software\ Microsoft \Windows \ Current Version \ Policies \ Explorer
Right click on the right panel and add a New / DWORD
Name it NoRun
Give it a value of 1
Logoff or Reboot the computer

Hiding All Icons from the Desktop

noreply@blogger.com (freecoolstuffs) — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 07:25:00 +0000

To hide all icons from your desktop:

Go to Start Button and open Run then type: regedit
Click on OK
Go to HKey_Current_User \ Software\ Microsoft \Windows \ Current Version \ Policies \ Explorer
Right click on the right panel and add a New / DWORD
Name it NoDesktop
Give it a value of 1
Logoff or Reboot the computer

Now all icons are hidden on the desktop.

Disabling Drives in My Computer

noreply@blogger.com (freecoolstuffs) — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 07:24:00 +0000

You may turn off the display of local or networked drives when you click on My Computer:

Go to Start Button and open Run then type: regedit
Go to HKey_Current_User \ Software \ Microsoft \ Windows \ Current Version \ Policies \ Explorer
Add a New DWORD item and name it NoDrives
Give it a value of 3FFFFFF

Now when you click on My Computer, none of your drives will show.

Not Saving Setting on Exit

noreply@blogger.com (freecoolstuffs) — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 07:24:00 +0000

Go to Start Button and open Run then type: regedit
Go to HKey_Current_User \ Software\ Microsoft \Windows \ Current Version \ Policies \ Explorer
Right click on the right panel and add a New / DWORD
Name it NoSaveSettings
Give it a value of 1
Logoff or Reboot the computer.

Disabling My Computer

noreply@blogger.com (freecoolstuffs) — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 07:23:00 +0000

Sometimes you need to restrict what users can do on your computer, it might be beneficial to disable the ability to click on My Computer and have access to the drives, control panel etc.

To disable MYy Computer:

Start Regedit
Search for 20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D
This should bring you to the HKey_Classes_Root \ CLSID section
Delete the entire section.

Now when you click on My Computer, nothing will happen.

Note: Defore deleting it, keep a back up of the registry to enble it again.

Enhance your Internet connection

noreply@blogger.com (freecoolstuffs) — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 07:16:00 +0000

Microsoft Windows XP uses a variety of registry settings to control how fast data is passed to and from network interfaces, so tweaking these settings to more accurately reflect the capabilities of your connection is a good idea.

So, if you have a broadband internet connection, chances are there's a few things you could do to optimize its speed.

The TCP Optimizer is such a free, easy Windows program that provides an intuitive interface for tuning and optimizing your Internet connection. You can find more details and download it at the following location

http://www.speedguide.net/downloads.php