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Property Negotiation: Calm and prepared wins the deal

2015-06-27T15:11:00.000+05:30

Senior officials said they had found flagrant violations of building regulations in villages in Noida.

As home sales continue to look sluggish in many parts of the country, developers are becoming more open to a bit of creativity on their stated terms. How can you, as a buyer, put your best foot forward at the negotiation table? Above everything else, the Scout’s Motto holds true — Be Prepared.

You should be conversant with comparable sales in the project’s vicinity, and know how long it has been on the market. It is important to establish what the launch rates were, how they have moved since then and what the current demand for flats like yours is in the stated locality. You should also find out by word of mouth how much the developer is willing to negotiate.

If you are interested in an apartment but feel you cannot afford it at the quoted price, have no apprehension. Many sale prices today are quoted prices, and there is room to negotiate. While developers today are willing to relent off the radar, they are averse to reducing the official quoted price below a certain point. This is partially because they don’t want to advertise the fact that certain customers paid less than others. They are often likelier to offer freebies or incentives.

1. If possible, try to find a group of buyers and negotiate for a bulk discount n Keep in mind that that if you have the ability to pay a larger upfront amount, you have extra bargaining power

2. Ensure that you have obtained a pre-approved home loan based on your income. A pre-approval will show that you are serious. Let him know that you are pre-qualified for the amount you are offering.

3. If sales volumes have dropped and there are many unsold apartments in the vicinity, point this out to the developer and use the fact to your advantage.

4. If market prices have declined, a larger discount may be possible.

Making an offer

Submit an offer to purchase even if you are unsure whether the developer will accept the offer. Some developers will not begin negotiations until you make a firm offer.

The best strategy is to drive around the locality you are interested in and get the best prices from each developer. Then shorten the list to the options you are really interested in and go on a result-oriented, two-day property safari. Let each developer know that you are looking for the best project at the best price, and that you are definitely buying that weekend. Remember, without making a formal offer, there is really no way to know how low a developer will go on his price. While making your offer, volunteer information such as where you work and how much you earn to assure the developer that you can afford the property. Always offer to close the deal fast and make sure you mention this during the negotiation. Also ensure that you get the developer to commit first.

If the developer remains firm

Negotiate for what you estimate to be a realistic price. If the developer refuses, don’t be surprised if you hear back from him a few days later, willing to reconsider your offer. There is greater flexibility in negotiating the extras versus the base sales price. Without making an obvious display of satisfaction, convey that you need to look at your numbers before you take a decision.

Remember most developers hate to haggle, so gather all your negotiating points into a single offer and position it as a take-it-or-leave-it proposition. If the developer remains adamant and you cannot agree on a better price for a flat for which you have other options, walk away.

Note that here are many factors that will influence the developer’s lowest acceptable price. These include:

1. The prevailing market conditions

2. The developer’s financing pattern

3. Whether he is in a rush to sell or happy to wait for a higher offer

4. How much he paid for the land

If you think the price is far higher than current market prices, it is possible that the developer purchased the land during the market peak.

In such a case, he will remain inflexible on his rate since he will not want to sell at a loss.

Typical mistakes buyers make

1. Not spending enough time to understand the developer

2. Not negotiating in person

3. Making ridiculously low counter-offers

6. Making disparaging remarks about the project

Essential negotiation skills

A good negotiator:

1. Knows how to listen

2. Researches well to gets all the facts

3. Stays calm during negotiation

4. Takes notes and makes realistic offer

A good negotiator does not allow the desire to own a certain property to become obvious during the negotiation process. Finally, a good negotiator always never reveals weaknesses, plays his cards close to the chest and does not take anything for granted.

The author is the COO – Business & International Director, JLL India

Set Firefox to memory cache instead of disk

2015-06-22T22:11:00.000+05:30

There are several uses of doing this, firstly disk cache means lots of small small files writing/reading to HDD all time. This makes HDD to work all time and also constant head movement causes wear and tear, fragment etc. If SSD used it also reduces its life as in SSD no of write cycles is limited. Moving to memory cache only means RAM is used for cache purposes which is super fast and no problem of writes/reads as its fully made for that purpose.

1. Open up about:config (type it into the url bar)
2. Type browser.cache into the filter bar at the top.
3. Find browser.cache.disk.enable and set it to false (by double clicking on it).
4. Set browser.cache.memory.enable to true
5. Create a new preference by right clicking anywhere, hit New, and choose Integer.
6. Call the new preference browser.cache.memory.capacity and hit OK.
7. In the next window, where it asks for the number of kilobytes you want to assign to the cache, just enter -1 to tell Firefox to dynamically determine the cache size.

Downside is when browser is closed all cache contents lost so need to load the pages again bu if the internet is unlimited its always better to memory cache to reduce activity of HDD/SSD

Are you 18? Go through these financial dos and don'ts to secure your future

2015-05-23T15:13:00.000+05:30

You may not believe in the magic of numbers, but 18 casts a special spell. Straddling the confusing cleft between youth and childhood, the age marks an overnight Ascent to Adulthood. As a mint-fresh major, you flirt with the new-found freedom, but need to focus on studies.

You can now operate your own bank account — the credit cards begging your consumerist indulgence — but you don't have the money to splurge. You can get a driver's licence, but can't afford a car. The power and pelf seem within reach, and yet out of grasp. So, you decide to chill, putting off financial queries and worries till another day in employee paradise.

You are not wrong, but neither are you right. While you will fully deal with money and its intricacies once you start earning, the intervening 4-5 years—between 18 and 23—are a crucial learning period, a preparation for what lies ahead. However, most youngsters give it a miss. Little wonder then that India lurked at the bottom of the pack, ranking 15 among 16 countries in the Asia-Pacific region, according to the MasterCard's Index for Financial Literacy 2013 survey, held among 7,756 respondents in the age group of 18-64 years.

A weak foundation leads to flawed perceptions, faulty financial planning and wrong investments. So, it's a good time to start now. But don't plunge headlong into it, and neither should the parents insist on teaching it by force. "It should be considered a five-year plan, a slow learning process," says Jayant Pai, Mumbai-based financial planner. "One shouldn't try to drill too many concepts or start investing actively. The youth should just read and learn and indulge in simple financial tasks," he adds.

This, then, is the take-off point for our cover story. In the following pages, we shall explain how youngsters should initiate themselves into the seemingly complicated world of personal finance without being intimidated by it. There are, of course, many like Bengalurubased Saurabh Tomar and Harit Mehta from Chandigarh, who have already taken tentative steps. But there's more to money than making it. It's the management that separates the rich from poor, the adults from youth.

YOUR FINANCIAL RIGHTS & DUTIES

The most effective first step towards any journey is to know where you are. So begin by understanding your new financial status and all that you can do now that you are 18.

Taxation: You will be treated as an adult for all tax purposes, which means that your income will not be clubbed with your parents and, if it is above Rs 2.5 lakh a year, you will have to pay tax and file returns. If your parents gift you any money, it will be tax-free, but the income it earns beyond Rs 2.5 lakh will not be.

Banking: You can, of course, open an independent bank account and conduct all transactions, issue cheques, open fixed or recurring deposits, conduct Net banking and have your own credit card. However, refrain from taking any kind of credit or loan at this stage, unless it is for education.

Insurance: An 18-year-old can also buy an insurance policy in his name, though it is too early for most. "However, one should study the benefits of health insurance and buy it early because it is essential, the premium is low at this age, and it can save tax," says financial adviser Pankaaj Maalde.

Investing: You can even start investing, be it in the PPF or stocks and mutual funds, but first study the benefits and drawbacks of each.

It is also a good time to apply for the PAN (permanent account number) card and Aadhar card, along with your driver's licence, because these are used while opening a bank account, investing in stocks or mutual funds and filing tax returns.

WHERE SHOULD YOU START?

Isn't it enough to know what you can do? After all, you are studying and there's plenty of time to learn about personal finance, right? Wrong. This is the time—before you start working—to be introduced to money matters.

Here's what will ensure a good grounding.

Budgeting: You may not have too much money at this stage, but even if you get pocket money or are earning a little through freelancing, start budgeting. This is the most critical money management skill for later life and will help you if you are leaving house to pursue higher studies, be it in India or abroad.

It is just a record of incoming and outgoing money and the amount saved. Mohali-based Tarundeep Singh, 20, is already doing it. "I get a pocket money of Rs 3,000 a month and have fixed expenses like travel, food and entertainment. I spend about Rs 2,500 and save Rs 500 on an average every month," says the engineering student.

Budgeting is a simple exercise. Take a diary, use an Excel sheet or a budgeting app on your mobile phone, and keep a record of the money you have at the beginning of the month, the heads under which you spend, and how much you are left with at the end of the month. A good idea is to save first, 10-20% of the total amount.

Categorise your spending under two heads: essential (food, transport, phone and other bills) and discretionary (entertainment). If you feel you are spending too much under one head, you can make the necessary adjustments in the next month. Besides ensuring that you always have something saved for a rainy day, it will help you buy what you want in a systematic manner.

Framing goals: Instead of hankering for the things you desire or buying them erratically, learn to acquire these in a systematic manner. Set a goal, say, buying a PC or an audio system. Find out how much it costs and how much you will have to save every month, and you can calculate the time in which you can purchase it.

Alternatively, you can fix the tenure and find out how much you need to save every month. Instead of keeping the money at home or in the bank, opt for a simple instrument like a recurring deposit to make your money grow and it will take less time to buy it. Arushi Nayyar (see picture) is just 17, but has been a keen saver and goal-maker.

"When I was in class VI and got Rs 50 as pocket money, I saved most of it because we were planning to buy an almirah. My mother talked me out of it at the time, but now I have managed to save systematically and make my first big purchase—a range of hair products, worth Rs 2,000," says the Noida-based teenager.

Research, study, learn: If you are studying finance, you will imbibe the basic concepts, but if you aren't, it's best to familiarise yourself with these. "Understand terms like inflation, taxation, risk appetite, diversification, compounding, etc, since these will impact you as a working adult," says Pai.

If you don't know about inflation, you will not understand that the money you save for a goal 20 years away may not be enough by the time you reach it. This is because inflation reduces the value of money and you are able to buy much less with the same amount. For instance, an 8% inflation means that you will have to spend Rs 1.46 lakh in five years to buy the same thing that comes for Rs 1 lakh today.

Similarly, you will delude yourself into believing that you have a high earning or profits if you are not clear how taxation can eat into these. "Do your homework before you start working. Read articles on personal finance, research online, watch TV programmes, attend workshops or seminars," says Maalde.

The Internet is a good source of information, with various websites like Investopedia. com acting as financial dictionaries. Banks like the RBI also have interactive sites for educating youth. Harit (see picture), 19, is on the right track. "I am very keen to know about taxation and mutual funds, as well as the costs and benefits of various products," says the engineering student from Chandigarh. For this, he is planning to tap the Internet and his mother, who is a banker and can guide him suitably.

Assets & investments: To reach your goals faster, it is important to make your money work harder by investing it in growth instruments. However, it is better to first familiarise yourself with the asset classes. "Don't yearn for activity just yet. Learn how not to lose money, instead of making it grow. Do this by understanding financial products," says financial expert P.V. Subramanyam.

The broad segregation of asset classes is equity (stocks and mutual funds), debt (small saving and fixed income schemes like the fixed and recurring deposit, or PPF), gold and real estate. Know how and when to invest in each, the rate of return or how fast it will multiply your money, the risks involved, the fees and tax applicable on gains, the term of investment, and the way to redeem your investment. "Learn the financial math involved; how small amounts grow into a huge corpus, or how few products are actually needed to build a high-yield portfolio," says Subramanyam.

If you do have a regular source of money like monthly allowance or earnings through freelancing, start with simple investments. "The simpler the better. Begin with banking. Understand how a recurring deposit or even a sweep-in account will pay more at 8-9% than an ordinary savings account," says Pai. This is exactly what Harit did. He chose the fixed deposit to put the money that he earned through online freelancing, finally encashing it to buy a car.

It's also a good idea to start a PPF account in which you can separately invest up to Rs 1.5 lakh a year, instead of clubbing the contributions with that of a parent. It is, of course, not a good idea to try your hand at risky options like stocks, or the unfeasible ones like real estate, which require a large amount of money. Wait till you start earning before doing so.

HOW TO MAKE & MAXIMISE YOUR MONEY

Times have changed and a youngster no longer needs to be at the mercy of his monthly allowance. There are several options he can tap to swell the savings in his humble piggy bank.

Internet: Saurabh is 19 and has been earning for nearly four years now. "I've delved into online surveys, social media marketing, apps, blogging, and what you will. It helps me earn a cool Rs 10,000-15,000 a month," says the student of Media Studies.

Harit is as active. "I've always been interested in making money and got my first payout in class X. I do blogging and marketing, and create content for websites. At one time I was making $400-500 a month," he says. Little wonder then that he recently bought a car with his own money. "I had stopped to focus on my studies, but since I've exhausted my savings, I will have to get back on the Net again," he adds.

You too can earn a handsome package by creating content, marketing or blogging. Hobbies: If you are good at baking or photography or writing, leverage your talent to earn money. Advertise through social media like Facebook, approach publications, distribute pamphlets and make yourself known to earn on the side.

Part-time jobs: There are various part-time options you can look for on job search portals like Firstnaukri. com and Searchmycampus.com, which cater specially to college students. Such sites faciliate interactions between students and employers and you can find jobs based on your qualification, location, and preferred industry.

College activities: Sports or cultural fests are an easy way to supplement your allowance in college and university. "I made Rs 3,000 in a week by helping organise a football tournament," says Tarundeep. So did Kanav Gupta, a B.Com (honours) student at Delhi's Shri Ram College of Commerce, who made an easy Rs 1,000 at the college fest by selling passes.

Online sales: If you're no longer using your gym equipment, or the audio system seems oudated, or the books from previous semesters are gathering dust, just sell them. With websites like Quikr.com and OLX.in easing the task of selling unused household stuff, you can easily make a fast buck to add to your pocket money.

Stretch your money: While it's getting easier to make money and your parents are ready to fund most of your needs, it is a good idea to make your money go the extra mile. Do this by being a smart spender. Look for online discounts on food, movies and entertainment the next time you are out with friends. Zero in on special student discounts, if possible. Better still, bring down the cost drastically by partying at home.

Do not indulge in impulse purchases, especially involving gadgets that are likely to be upgraded in 3-6 months. Opt for used or outdated versions of smartphones and tabs that are still fully functional but come at much lower prices. Reduce your study costs by pooling in with your friends to buy expensive books, CDs or computer games. Sell them later and share the gains. These simple strategies will bring down your costs and help you save more for bigger goals.

Avoid credit cards: If you are truly keen about saving money, make sure you don't fall prey to the glamour of credit cards. Banks are likely to pursue you and tempt you with dreamy offers, but these are one of the most expensive forms of loan and are best avoided. Rolling over or paying the minimum amount is the surest way to fall into a debt trap. So, wait till you start working before buying the cards.

ROLE OF PARENTS

Parents play a crucial role in the transition process, not just by making the child sign various documents to pass on the savings or investments, but also by inculcating the right saving and investing habits. "They should involve the youth in financial discussions like budgeting and spending so that they are not only aware of how the household is run, but also know about the family's financial situation," says Subramanyam.

So if the child wants to study abroad and the parents can't afford it, they should not do so by mortgaging the house and risking their retirement. Instead, the child should be explained the financial situation and encouraged to take an education loan. It will not only reduce the parents' burden, but the repayment will make him responsible. "Similarly, if they can afford only education, not marriage, they should tell the child and help him start saving or investing towards it," says Maalde.

Remember, however, never to dictate to the child and force him to follow in your footsteps. "They are very resistant to being taught and are more likely to spend than save. Guide them and let them explore, not tell them what to do or where to invest," says Pai. Do this by explaining the various avenues of investment, their pros and cons.

Above all, show the child the benefits of saving. "Saving, not investing, is the best learning at this stage. Make them save 10-20% of the money they get and it will not only become a habit for life, but also help build a sizeable corpus by the time they start earning," says Maalde.

5 STEPS TO FINANCIAL AWARENESS

These will initiate you into personal finance and prepare you for life as a working adult.

Make a budget

Keep a monthly record of the money you get, spend and save. Slot your spending into two categories: mandatory (fees, bills, food, transport) and discretionary (entertainment, shopping). Keep separate money envelopes for each and stick to the limit. Try to save at least 10-20% of the amount. Use Excel sheet or free budgeting apps, such as Wally+ and Expensify, to be on track.

Frame goals

Consider this a practise run for bigger goals like buying a house or retirement later. Suppose you want to buy a laptop worth Rs 20,000. If you get Rs 5,000 as pocket money and save Rs 1,000 a month, put it in a recurring deposit (at 9%) and you can buy it in 18 months. Raise the sum to Rs 1,300 and pick it in 15 months. Do the calculations using RD or fixed deposit calculators on bank websites.

Pick up financial jargon

When you start working, you are likely to find yourself at sea if you don't know the financial concepts. So learn about inflation, diversification, taxation, debt, credit score, compounding, etc. Research on websites like Investopedia.com, Finance-glossary. com and Investinganswers.com/financial-dictionary. You can also read articles, watch TV and attend workshops.

Know your assets

Assets are instruments that can help your money grow instead of idling at home or in a bank account. These include deposits (recurring/ fixed), savings schemes, bonds, stocks, mutual funds, gold and real estate. But don't try to experiment at this age. Instead of investing, focus on saving. Research online about each of these assets so that by the time you are employed, you will have a clear idea about where you want to put your money.

Do simple tasks

Familiarise yourself with banking transactions, operating your own account, signing cheques, using debit cards and knowing the working of your parents' credit cards. If your parents make you sign documents for handing over investments when you turn 18, make sure you understand what these are, how much income you will get, and how much tax you will have to pay. If you are earning by freelancing, start filing your tax returns with the help of your parents or a financial consultant.

PARENTS, DON'T JUST PREACH

Take this short quiz to check if you are guiding your children and laying a sound financial foundation for them.

Source: Economic Times

To Create a New Habit, First Know You’re Going to Break It

2015-01-02T22:47:00.001+05:30

One of the key parts of building habits might be to know that you will not flawlessly create your habits.

I’ve been obsessed with thinking about, adjusting and building upon my habits for a long time now, and working on good habits is probably one of the things that’s helped me the most to make progress with my startup. In addition, it seems like habits are now becoming popular again. This is a great thing, and books like The Power of Habit are helping lots of people.

Perhaps one of the things that is rarely discussed with habits is failing with them. How do you keep going with building habits when you fail one day, or you have some kind of momentary setback?

I thought it might be useful for me to share my thoughts on habits, and particularly the aspect of failing with habits.

Building an awesome habit

There are the steps I’ve found that work best to create a new habit:

Start so small you “can’t fail” (more on the reality of that later)
Work on the small habit for as long as it takes to become a ritual (something you’re pulled towards rather than which requires willpower)
Make a very small addition to the habit, ideally anchored to an existing ritual

How I built my most rewarding habit

The habit I’m happiest with is my morning routine. It gives me a fantastic start to the day and lots of energy. To build it, I took the approach above of starting small and building on top.

I started my habit a few years ago when I was based in Birmingham in the UK. The first thing I started with was to go to the gym 2-3 times per week. That’s all my routine was for a long time. Once I had that habit ingrained, I expanded on it so that I would go swimming the other two days of the week, essentially meaning that I went to the gym every day at the same time. I’d go around 7:30, which meant I awoke at around 7 a.m.

Next, I gradually woke up earlier, first waking up at 6:45 for several weeks, and then 6:30. At the same time, I put in place my evening ritual of going for a walk, which helped me wind down and get to sleep early enough to then awake early. Eventually, I achieved the ability to wake up at 6 a.m. and do an hour of productive work before the gym. This precious early morning time for work when I was the freshest was one of the things that helped me get Buffer off the ground in the early days.

The next thing I made a real habit was to have breakfast after I returned from the gym. I then worked on making this full routine a habit for a number of months. I had times when I moved to a different country and had to work hard to get back to the routine after the initial disruption of settling in. It was whilst in Hong Kong that I achieved being very disciplined with this routine and wrote about it.

My morning routine

Today, I’ve built on top of this habit even further. Here’s what my morning routine looks like now:

I awake at 5:05am.
At 5:10, I meditate for 6 minutes.
I spend until 5:30 having a first breakfast: a bagel and a protein shake.
I do 90 minutes of productive work on a most important task from 5:30 until 7am.
At 7 a.m., I go to the gym. I do a weights session every morning (different muscle group each day).
I arrive home from the gym at 8:30 a.m. and have a second breakfast: chicken, 2 eggs and cottage cheese.

It may seem extremely regimented, and I guess perhaps it is. However, the important thing is the approach. You can start with one simple thing and then work on it over time. I’m now working to build around this current habit even more.

Failing while building your awesome habit

One of the most popular and simultaneously most controversial articles I’ve ever written is probably The Exercise Habit. It’s one that has been mentioned to me many times by people I’ve met to help with their startup challenges. I’ve been humbled to find out that a number of people have been inspired by the article to start a habit of daily exercise.

Whilst in Tel Aviv, I met Eytan Levit, a great startup founder who has since become a good friend. He told me he had read my article and was immediately driven to start a habit of daily exercise. I sat down and had coffee with him while he told me about his experience, and it was fascinating.

He told me that he did daily exercise for four days in a row, and he felt fantastic. He said he felt like he had more energy than ever before, and was ready to conquer the world. Then, on the fifth day Eytan struggled to get to the gym for whatever reason, and essentially the chain was broken. The most revelatory thing he said to me was that the reason he didn’t start the habit again was not that he didn’t enjoy the exercise or benefit greatly from doing it. The reason he failed to create the exercise habit was the feeling of disappointment of not getting to the gym on that fifth day.

Get ready and expect to break your habit

“I deal with procrastination by scheduling for it. I allow it. I expect it.” – Tim Ferriss

What I’ve realized is that one of the key parts of building habits might be to know that you will not flawlessly create your habits. You are going to break your habit at some point. You are going to fail that next day or next gym session sooner or later. The important thing is to avoid a feeling of guilt and disappointment, because that is what will probably stop you from getting up the next day and continuing with the routine.

In a similar way to how Tim Ferriss deals with procrastination, I believe we should not try so hard to avoid breaking our habits. We should instead be calm and expect to break them sometime, let it happen, then regroup and get ready to continue with the habit.

Perhaps we took too much on, and we cut back a little or try to add one less thing to our habit. Or maybe we just had a bad day. That’s fine, and a single failure shouldn’t stop our long-term success with building amazing habits.

Source: Buffer

6 Reasons You Didn’t Get the Job (That No One Will Ever Tell You)

2015-01-01T14:39:00.001+05:30

The way you speak can, surprisingly, be a huge indicator to your interviewer about whether you’re the right fit for the position

You dressed the part. You told engaging stories. You asked insightful questions. Frankly, you nailed the interview, but you didn’t get the job. What gives?

You can certainly try to ask for feedback after receiving a rejection, but most employers probably won’t say much. If they do, it’ll be something fairly generic, along the lines of “other qualified candidates.” That, of course, isn’t always the real reason—it’s just that the real reason might be a little too awkward to actually say to someone’s face.

So, what are some of these uncomfortable reasons for not selecting a particular job candidate? Read on for a list of commonly cited deal breakers that are pretty difficult for hiring mangers to admit to.

1. You Spoke Funny

Do you have a habit of making your statements sound like questions? Tend to speak in an overly casual or formal tone?

The way you speak can, surprisingly, be a huge indicator to your interviewer about whether you’re the right fit for the position. Maybe you sound too meek to manage a team of 10 or too aggressive to handle customer complaints. This might not be a fair assessment, but it happens all the time—so it’s definitely worth thinking about and practicing for as you’re doing mock interviews to prepare.

2. You, Um, Smelled Funny

And I don’t just mean that you didn’t shower. That could be it—or it could be that you overdid it on the cologne. Either way, you don’t want to be that interview candidate who overpowered the conversation with your aroma rather than your charisma.

To combat this, lay off the perfume and make sure your personal hygiene is top notch. Seriously, please don’t let this be the reason you didn’t get the job.

3. You Were Too Eager

Did you show up 45 minutes early to the interview? Did you offer to do the internship unpaid without being prompted? It’s good to be enthusiastic during your interview, but be careful not to be over the top. It can come off as a little much and, like the first example, even inconvenient for the hiring manager. Instead, show your excitement by being exceptionally well versed about the company and position. Top it off with a thank you note, and you’re all set.

4. You Were Too Arrogant

Don’t get me wrong: Confidence in an interview is essential, and apparently it’s even good to be a little narcissistic. But don’t step over the line toward being arrogant. This can really rub people the wrong way and make you seem a little hard to manage.

To make sure you’re not overdoing it, back up your claims and your skills with concrete stories, and show an openness to learn by asking thoughtful questions. And even if you think you have it in the bag, think twice before letting that show.

5. You Didn’t Pass the Airport Test

This reason might be the most awkward of them all: It’s possible that your interviewer just didn’t click with you. You’re not going to get along swimmingly with everyone, and most people are too polite to tell you if you didn’t with him or her.

That’s okay. The most you can do is try to be yourself. Do some mindfulness exercises before you head over to the interview, take a deep breath before you walk into the building, and relax. Don’t let people judge you based just on your nerves. Try to let your interviewer actually get to know you a bit.

6. You Weren’t the Internal Candidate They Wanted All Along

It’s a sad truth of job hunting: At many companies, hiring managers are required to do a few interviews before making a decision, even if they have a strong internal candidate that they probably knew from day one that they were going to hire. There’s pretty much no way to know when you’re interviewing for a position like this and, unfortunately, there’s almost nothing you can do. So, if you didn’t get the job, it could also very well be because it was impossible to get in the first place. Don’t get too hung up on it.

At the end of the day, there are some things you can control about the interview process (like showering and doing your company research), and then there are some things you can’t do anything about (like knowing your interviewer’s pet peeves ahead of time). So, do what you can and understand that interviewing is an incredibly subjective way to evaluate whether someone is a good fit for a position.

Source: Time

Job Opportunity as Analyst/Sr Analyst in Investment Operation with International Investment Bank (Day Shift)

2014-12-26T00:00:00.001+05:30

Hello All,
We've opportunities in investment operations (Corporate Actions(mandatory/Voluntary)) for Gurgaon(Haryana), India location for a leading International Investment Bank.

Qualification - Graduate with 2-3 Years of experience or Master in finance with 1-2 years of experience. Prior experience in corporate actions would be preferred.

Salary no bar for good candidates.
Day shift - 8:00 to 17:00 or 9:00to 18:00
No Cabs (Transport allowance will be paid)

Please send your resume/profiles on kymanoj@outlook.com
Please send ASAP.

Kind Regards,
Manoj K

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How To Answer Questions About Your Competition

2014-11-14T23:51:00.001+05:30

Your relationship between yourself and competitors is something you'll have to deal with. Even if you try to build a monopoly or be in a market with no competition, eventually you'll get asked who your competitors are. There's no way around this question. In fact, the worst response you can have is saying you don't have competitors. So, what do you do? While there are several ways to go with this question, there are certain guidelines you should follow.

If handled correctly, your customer won't think twice about other options and will sign on the dotted line. Fumble with your response or bash your rivals and it could end in a no sale or worse. Here's how to talk about your opponents in a way that's great for you and will also help you close the deal.

1. Don't talk bad about competition

There's a lot of risk when it comes to talking behind your competitors' backs. First off, you have to think about the impression it gives of to the potential client. If you're willing to talk behind the back of an adversary, would you be willing to talk behind that client's back as well? You'll notice in your life that the people who gossip the most to you about others also gossip behind your back as well. You are a reflection of your company, and that's not the reputation you want to portray.

The other risk is that the competition finds out about your comments and uses it to fuel its team. You see this all the time in movies and sports. One team calls out the other, and regrets it when the other team uses the trash talk as motivation. Creating an enemy is a great way to build energy and unity for your team, but you don't want your opponents using that strategy on you.

2. Focus on your strengths

Whenever I'm asked about our competition, I always start by saying with a couple facts I know about the company. I do this fast and don't dwell on it too much because it's important for the client to focus in on my company instead. After I do this, I immediately go into what I believe my company does better. For instance, whenever I'm in a sales meeting and am asked about competition, I always say we are the best at alumni engagement. It's not a cocky response or a putdown to my competition. It's just what I believe is the truth.

It also allows me to take the competition question and turn into a chance to promote my company without talking about others. Ask yourself what you believe your company does better than any competitor, and spend as much time proving that point. If you confidently state what makes you the best in your market, your customer will have less of a reason to consider other options.

3. Get personal

Clients like to do business with people they like. When there's interaction between you and the buyer, it creates a competitive advantage for you. When a prospect tells you that your competitor has a better product and is more affordable, it's easy to think it's time to pack up and leave. Instead, stay calm and focus on what you can win on. Often, this is your personal connection.

When I'm hit with this situation, I respond to the purchaser with the reasons I want to do business with them. Maybe it's because I think their problem is a perfect fit for my company, or that we are aligned in their vision and get along well. Regardless of the specifics, I always look to see what advantage I have from getting to know the customer. Work on getting along with your client, creating trust, and creating excitement. When your client realizes that by going to your competitor he'll lose you, it might just be what you need to close the deal.

Source: Inc

10 Reasons to Quit Your Job As Soon As You Possibly Can

2014-11-14T23:47:00.001+05:30

Not ready to go out on your own yet? Need to keep your full-time job? No problem--but make sure it's the right full-time job.

Quit your job to take a better paying position? Sure. Quit your job for a great opportunity? Definitely.

Quit your job to start your own business? Absolutely! (Keep in mind there are compelling reasons to hang on to your full-time job as long as you can while you get your business going. Also keep in mind you can start a company in just a few hours.)

But there are a lot more reasons to quit your job. And they all fall under one main category:

Life's too short.

Life's too short to go home every day feeling unfulfilled. Life's too short to work for a terrible boss. Life's too short to go home every day feeling taken for granted, feeling taken less than seriously, or feeling taken advantage of.

Life's too short to not be as happy as you can be.

Say your grown daughter called and said, "I hate my job. I'm bored, frustrated, and feel like I'm going nowhere." Wouldn't you tell her to look for another job?

Shouldn't you follow the same advice?

Here are reasons to stop being miserable and start looking for something better:

1. Your input is disregarded or even not wanted.

Everyone has ideas. And everyone loves when his or her ideas are taken seriously--and implemented. The feeling that you've contributed in a special way is incredibly gratifying.

But when your boss or company shoots down or even laughs at your ideas, it's not only insulting, it's demotivating. And pretty soon you stop caring.

Life's too short not to care.

2. You get criticized publicly.

We all need constructive feedback. We all need a little nudge. We all need to be told when we can do something better--and how to do it better.

But we need to be told those things in private.

Life's too short to walk around waiting for the next time you'll be criticized--and even humiliated--in front of other people.

3. You never hear the word thanks.

Everyone also needs praise. We all need to know when we do something well (and everyone, even poor performers, do some things well).

Life's too short not to be recognized for the contributions you make.

4. Your boss manages up, not down.

You know the type: As a leader she should focus her time and attention on her direct reports, but she spends all her time "following" her boss. It seems like your only job is to contribute to the greater glory--and advancement--of your boss.

A great boss knows that if her team succeeds--and each individual on that team succeeds--then she will succeed too.

Life's too short to spend your time developing your boss's career at the expense of your own.

5. You feel like you have no purpose.

Everyone likes to feel a part of something bigger. Everyone likes to feel he has an impact not just on results but also on the lives of other people.

Life's too short to go home every day feeling like you've worked, but you haven't accomplished anything meaningful.

6. You feel like a number.

Everyone is replaceable. Everyone, ultimately, works for a paycheck. But people also want to work for more than a paycheck. They want to work with people they respect and admire, and they want to be respected and admired in return.

If your boss doesn't occasionally stop for a quick discussion about family, an informal conversation to see if you need any help, or simply to say a kind word, then you're just a cog in a larger machine.

Life's too short to only be a cog in a larger machine.

7. You aren't even mildly excited to go to work.

Every job has its downsides. (I'm willing to bet even Richard Branson has to do a few things he doesn't enjoy.) But every job should also have some fun moments. Or exciting moments. Or challenging moments. Or some aspect that makes you think, "I'm looking forward to doingthat..."

Life's too short to spend only looking forward to quitting time.

8. You can't see a future.

Every job should lead to something: hopefully a promotion, but if not, the opportunity to take on additional responsibilities, learn new things, tackle new challenges. Tomorrow should have the potential to be different--in a good way--from today.

A decent boss works to improve the company's future. A good boss works to improve her employees' futures too, even if--especially if--that might mean some of those employees will eventually move on to bigger and better things.

Life's too short to live without hope.

9. No one has the same dreams as you.

Countless companies were started by two or more people who at one time worked together and realized they had complementary skills--and realized they wanted to carve out a new future together.

If you plan to be an entrepreneur, working for a big company first is one of the best things you can do: It's a risk-free environment where you can meet future colleagues and co-founders. Pick a dozen companies at random and you'll find at least a few that were founded by aspiring entrepreneurs who met as co-workers and went on to launch awesome startups together.

Life's too short to spend working with people who don't share your hopes, dreams, and passions.

10. You don't think you can do anything else.

That's the second-best reason of all to quit your job. I know what you're thinking: "I make too much in my current job; I'll never find something comparable." Or, "There just aren't any jobs where I live." Or, "I've put too much time into this company (or career or industry)."

Or, "I don't have what it takes to start my own business."

All those things are true--if you let them be true.

You can do something else. You can do lots of something "elses."

You just have to believe--and trust that your creativity, perseverance, and effort will take you to new, happier, and more fulfilling places. Thousands of people start their own businesses ever year. The only difference between you and them? They decided to take the chance. They decided to bet on themselves.

They decided that life's too short to just stay where they are instead of doing everything possible to live a better life.

Source: Inc.

6 INTERVIEW TYPES YOU MUST KNOW AS A CANDIDATE

2014-10-16T23:15:00.001+05:30

Before you go on your interview, you should realize there are several common types of job interviews. You will definitely want to inquire what type of job interview you will be going on beforehand so you can best prepare for it. Don’t be afraid to ask your recruiter what type of job interview will be conducted, as it serves both of you and the interviewer to know. In this article, I am going to discuss the six of the most common types of job interviews.

1) Traditional one on one job interview:

The traditional one on one interview is where you are interviewed by one representative of the company, most likely the manager of the postion you are applying for. Because you will be working with this person directly if you get the job, he/she will want to get a feel for who you are and if your skills match those of the job requirements.

You may be asked questions about the experience on your resume, what you can offer to the company or position. Many times the interviewer will ask you questions such as “Why would you be good for this job?” or “Tell me about yourself.” The one on one interview is by far, one of the most common types of job interviews.

2) Panel interview:

In a panel interview, you will be interviewed by a panel of interviewers. The panel may consist of different representatives of the company such as human resources, management, and employees. The reason why some companies conduct panel interviews is to save time or to get the collective opinion of panel regarding the candidate. Each member of the panel may be responsible for asking you questions that represent relevancy from their position.

3) Behavioral interview:

In a behavioral interview, the interviewer will ask you questions based on common situations of the job you are applying for. The logic behind the behavioral interview is that your future performance will be based on a past performance of a similar situation. You should expect questions that inquire about what you did when you were in XXX sitation and how did you dealt with it. In a behavioral interview, the interviewer wants to see how you deal with certain problems and what you do to solve them.

4) Group interview:

Many times companies will conduct a group interview to quickly prescreen candidates for the job opening as well as give the candidates the chance to quickly learn about the company to see if they want to work there. Many times, a group interview will begin with a short presentation about the company. After that, they may speak to each candidate individually and ask them a few questions.

One of the most important things the employer is observing during a group interview, is how you interact with the other candidates. Are you emerging as a leader or are you more likely to complete tasks that are asked of you? Neither is necessarily better than the other, it just depends on what type of personality works best for the position that needs to be filled.

5) Phone interview:

A phone interview may be for a position where the candidate is not local or for an initial prescreening call to see if they want to invite you in for an in-person interview. You may be asked typical questions or behavioral questions.

Most of the time you will schedule an appointment for a phone interview. If the interviewer calls unexpectedly, it’s ok to ask them politely to schedule an appointment. On a phone interview, make sure your call waiting is turned off, you are in a quiet room, and you are not eating, drinking or chewing gum.

6) Lunch interview:

Many times lunch interviews are conducted as a second interview. The company will invite you to lunch with additional members of the team to further get to know you and see how you fit in. This is a great time to ask any questions you may have about the company or postition as well, so make sure you prepare your questions in advance.

Although you are being treated to a meal, the interview is not about the food. Don’t order anything that is too expensive or messy to eat. Never take your leftovers home in a doggy bag either. You want to have your best table manners and be as neat as possible. You don’t need to offer to pay, it is never expected for a candidate to pay at a lunch interview.

Chew quietly and in small bites so you don’t get caught with a mouthful of food when the recruiter asks you a question.

So, now you have an idea of these six common types of job interviews. However, no matter what type of job interview you go on, always do your best to prepare for it the best you can ahead of time so you can do your best and show them the best of who you are.

How Goal Setting Can Help You Get More From Your Staff

2014-10-16T23:12:00.001+05:30

Helping your employees set goals for themselves can motivate and encourage productivity. Follow these tips to make your team more productive.

As a small-business owner, you'd probably do just about anything to help your businesses grow—work nights and weekends, give up your favorite, time-consuming hobby, even mortgage your house. But what about your employees?

To be an effective leader, it's important to know why your employees work for your company—why they show up every day and what they hope to get out of their employment with your company. Put another way, what's the one bullet point they'll put on their resume that shows their biggest achievement while working for you?

Knowing your “employees' bullet point” shouldn't just be a slogan but an ongoing management tool. The key is to make sure that your employees' personal goals match with your overall company objectives. When they're complementary, employees work hard and stick around. When they diverge, however, an employee’s performance can sink, and they may eventually leave the company.

Goal-Setting Tips

How can you discover each of your employees’ bullet-point goals and support their achievement of them? Start with this checklist:

1. Ask them for specifics. Get each employee to tell you their primary and secondary work goals. These should be two distinct objectives, which can be pursued simultaneously as long as they're complementary to each other. A secondary goal can also become a primary one over time.

2. Put a measurement on it. Progress toward achieving the bullet-point goal needs to be quantified by the employee and the company. If it's not measurable, the employee won't know when it's accomplished.

3. Be realistic. Ensure that the bullet-point objectives are realistically achievable inside the company in a time frame of less than two years. Each goal must have a set deadline.

4. Align their goals with company goals. Ensure that the employee’s bullet-point goal overlaps with your company strategy. Identify areas and time frames where they might diverge.

Bullet-point objectives are typically long-term goals—daily emergencies will distract employees from achieving these overall objectives. Weekly or monthly tracking of an employee's progress will ensure that your employees don’t stray too far from their goals. Many times after such a review, an employee will be forced to refocus on the bullet or the company, and they'll need to dedicate more resources toward its achievement. For reinforcement and support, bullet-point goals can be shared by employees in front of the entire company .

Tech Support

Goal-tracking software can help employees outline the steps and target deadlines they need to complete to achieve their bullet-point objectives. The software can also help inform the employee's manager what type of progress is being made and determine how each employee's goals fit into other employees’ objectives and overall business goals.

Here are a few software programs you might find useful:

Lifetick. This app allows users to build steps for each goal and review progress over time. It includes graphs and reports that quantify bullets. It's free for tracking up to four goals.
Mindbloom Life Game. This free tool helps users collaborate on goals and share results with friends on their smartphones. This gaming environment offers incentives for working toward established goals.
Joe's Goals. Add bullets and the things that need to be accomplished to a calendar, then check them off each day. This free app works well with positive goals to be achieved as well as negative goals to be avoided.

Goal setting isn't just for employees. It's good practice for business owners, too, to help you stay on track.

What's Your Face Telling Your Co-workers?

2014-10-16T23:10:00.001+05:30

We've all heard that people communicate more with body language than they do with the words they actually speak. But what about facial expressions? If you're careful not to slouch and cross your arms grumpily, can you convey negative feelings with the look on your face -- and not even know you're doing it?

(Photo Credit: Living in Monrovia/Flickr)

In short, of course. Acting coach John Sudol is the author of the book Acting: Face to Face, a manual for actors that Carol Kinsey Goman calls one of the best leadership books she's ever read. At Forbes, Sudol tells Goman that our faces can betray emotions we don't even have.

"How your face is structured (the static face) can be responsible for the appearance of emotion even when you’re not particularly feeling anything at all," Sudol says. "For some people, their face resembles an emotion. For example, a low brow, deep-set eyes or thin lips may look like anger. The pulling down of the corners of the lips might make a person appear to be sad. Arched eyebrows may be responsible for the skeptical look on your face. Or, the deep folds on the side of your nose makes you appear to be disapproving."

This "static face" is often formed by factors that are largely beyond our control -- age, emotional history, ethnicity, and so on.

So what can you do about it?

Step one is to figure out if your static face is sending the wrong signals. Sudol starts off with his clients by performing a face read, in which he tells them what their faces convey when they're not consciously making an expression. If you don't have access to an acting coach, the next best thing might be to ask a friend -- one whom you trust to be honest when it's in your best interests -- to look at your face at rest and tell you what your features convey.

Once you know what sort of impression you're giving off, you can practice making small changes that will convey a more positive impression, especially in job interviews or video conferences and the like. Best of all, when you're inclined to be negatively affected by someone else's facial expression, you'll remember that it might not have anything to do with the interaction you're having at the moment.

Sometimes, as our mothers warned us, people's faces just freeze that way.

ADVANCED INTERVIEWING TACTICS FOR YOUNGER JOB SEEKERS

2014-10-16T23:07:00.001+05:30

As a younger job seeker, if you want to interview at a higher level, you must approach your interactions with hiring managersin a methodical, mature manner. Part of this means understanding persuasion techniques as well as changing your pre-interviewing preparation habits.

Over the course of the next few articles, I’ll discuss some tactics that recent college graduates can implement to interview at a level that is above and beyond their peers.

Here is what our recruiters suggest:

1. Understand the difference between informative and emotional answers:

One of the biggest mistakes interviewers of all ages make is that they answer the questions with excessive facts, statistics or other forms of evidence. Despite their answers being comprehensive, they evoke little to no emotion in the interviewer and the hiring manager has trouble relating to that person.

By the close of an interview, the HR or recruitment head should be excited about either seeing you again or bringing you on board. Part of the way you evoke this excitement is through compelling opening and closing statements. When answering your questions, grab their attention right off the bat, then keep them listening.

Here’s a good example: If an interviewer asks, “Why do you want this job?” You can answer two ways:

a. I studied marketing and enjoy social media and it’s my strongest point.

b. Over any other activity I do, I am happiest when I am either writing or on social media or formulating websites. I think there is an art to marketing and I plan to attempt to perfect that art slowly, but surely.

By: Mark Taylor

2. Silence is not always a bad thing:

Some interviewers play their cards close to their chest. These hiring managers tend to remain silent during the majority of the conversation. The majority of their answers will be one or two words – a simple “yes” or “no.”

This results in the applicant feeling as if they have to continue monologuing which trips them up. Sooner or later, silence drives most interviewees nuts and, eventually erodes their performance.

If the interviewer is not talking, get them to speak. It’s as easy as engaging them with a basic question. Asking them an open-ended inquiry such as “What are your thoughts regarding this?” should warrant a comprehensive response.

The ideal interview should be you speaking 30 – 45% of the time. If you find yourself much higher than that, even things out. The worst thing young job seekers do is take their demeanor personally and detach from the conversation. Don’t detach, rather engage the other party.

3. Your iPhone is not your friend. Turn your phone and computers off for 20 mins:

every interview you go into should warrant your undivided attention; otherwise, your performance will significantly drop.

A study at the University of California, Irvine, found that people interrupted by e-mail reported significantly increased stress compared with those left to focus. Stress hormones have been shown to reduce short-term memory, said Gary Small, a psychiatrist at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Scientists say juggling email, phone calls and other incoming information can change how people think and behave. They say our ability to focus is being undermined by bursts of information.

While many people say multitasking makes them more productive, research shows otherwise. Heavy multitaskers actually have more trouble focusing and shutting out irrelevant information, scientists say, and they experience more stress.

Give your mind some time to think prior to running into an interview. This means cutting off all communication to the outside world.

In the End:

Demonstrate your strength as an interviewee both affirmatively and methodically. Stay away from the iPhone and try not to make sweeping assumptions regarding the actions of the recruiting managers.

5 Things Managers Should Never Say Aloud

2014-10-16T23:02:00.001+05:30

In a perfect world, supervisors would be cool under pressure and the perfect source of inspiration — and always say the right thing at exactly the right time.

But if you're in that type of role, you know that in reality, that usually doesn't happen. Management is chaotic. People — employees, managers, customers, and everyone in between — are unpredictable, situations escalate, and in the heat of the moment, it's easy to let something not so appropriate slip out, without even realizing it.

As a supervisor myself, I had plenty of those moments. And it usually wasn't until the end of the day that I'd realize, "I probably shouldn't have said that."

It's not just as simple as vowing not to say, "Hey, you suck!" to any of your employees. These are things that may seem like normal office chatter — but over time, can undermine your authority and effectiveness as a leader. Here are a few to watch out for.

1. "My Boss Has No Idea What She's Doing"

Just like your employees may occasionally get frustrated with you, there are probably times when you get frustrated with your boss. And since you mainly interact with your direct reports, it becomes easy to commiserate with them about your shared disdain for the higher-ups.

All of a sudden, passing an assignment from your boss to your team becomes, "I don't know why she wants you to do this, but here's what she wants," and announcing a confusing new team policy turns into, "I have no idea why she thinks this is a good idea, but here's the latest rule she dreamt up."

The thing is, when your team starts to sense that you don't have much confidence in your leaders, they'll follow suit and start to doubt, too. And employees who don't have buy-in to a company's mission or leadership often turn into dissatisfied, job-hunting employees.

It's fine to get frustrated with your boss — I assure you, everyone does. But it's not OK to share that with your team.

2. "Did You Hear About…"

The rumor mill is constantly running in the corporate world. Employees move from cube to cube, spreading (almost) unbelievable tales from last night's happy hour, whispers of possible promotions, and murmurs of impending layoffs. Every day, there's a terrible new policy supposedly about to be implemented or a boss from another department who really has it out for his team.

And as a manager, you should be the last person heard talking about those rumors — especially with the people who report to (and look up to) you. Not only will the rumor spread faster when it's heard from someone higher up the ladder, but you set an example to your team that gossip is acceptable—and even encouraged — in your office environment.

3. "That Client Drives Me Crazy!"

Your employee is getting chewed out by a client on the phone and asks you to step in. Your response? "Ugh, Rita again? I can't believe she thinks we're just going to drop everything to help her. She's one of our smallest clients!"

This kind of venting can almost serve as a connection between you and your employees. You all laugh at the client, commiserating with each other about how crazy and demanding and delusional she is. Every time the client's name is mentioned, you exchange a knowing glance and an eye roll. It's fun and it eases some of the frustration that you both feel from dealing with her.

But it also communicates that you don't take customer service seriously. That Rita is just "another client," who doesn't deserve your best service. By belittling the customer's issue, you're telling your employees that it's OK that they treat customers that way; that they shouldn't go out of their way to understand the problem or try to help.

As the leader, you should be the epitome of customer service — and be willing to do whatever you can to exemplify that to your employees and clients.

4. "He Really Messed This Up"

When a big project is in the works or a deadline is looming, tensions can get high in the office. So when someone throws a wrench in your work, it's easy to let out a big sigh of disappointment and focus the blame on him or her. "He can't do anything right," you say — to your boss, your direct reports, and anyone who will listen.

But unless you're addressing the source of the problem, your complaint is inappropriate. Whoever's at fault, it's your job to deal directly with him or her — or, if the culprit is in another department, bring it up with his or her supervisor. Otherwise, you're conveying to your team that you don't want to deal with the source of the issue — you just want to complain about it.

5. "I Hate My Job"

Being a manager is difficult. There's pressure on you from the higher-ups to push your team to achieve their goals, and pressure from your team to be an inspiring, lead-by-example boss. Add in the challenge of figuring out how to manage to a variety of personalities and working styles, and you get a job that can be incredibly frustrating.

Some days, you just need to vent. So you vent to your boss, your co-supervisors, and maybe even your direct report-turned-friend: "Being a manager is the worst!"

But broadcasting that you hate your job as a supervisor isn't going to help you in any department. Your boss may start to hesitate to recommend you for leadership projects and your team will doubt your ability and desire to lead. Think about it: Have you ever looked up to a manager who so obviously and vocally hates management?

Vent to your family or friends — or by all means, start searching for a job you love. But don't voice your career discontent in the workplace.

As a leader, you may not always know the right thing to say. But by eliminating these blatantly not-so-right phrases from your repertoire, you'll be way ahead of the game.

HOW TO PERFECT AN INTERVIEW

2014-10-12T06:16:00.001+05:30

Acing an interview is not an easy task. You’re trying to present yourself as the most desirable candidate and beat out all the rest. In addition to competing against a group of strangers, you also have to plead your case to a stranger. It seems the only known reliable factor of success is YOU.

Luckily with upfront preparations, real-time performance and a killer follow-through you can come out on top.

1) Preparation:

All it takes is a quick trip to Google to prepare for the inevitable portions of an interview. Role play with a friend the most frequently asked interview questions to practice your verbiage and composition. Just hearing yourself speak out loud can calm your nerves for the real thing.

2) Plan Backwards:

By: Elvira Leone

Make a list and use backwards planning to ensure that you arrive on time. The fundamentals of backwards planning lie in starting at your end goal (arriving at the interview), estimating the length of the tasks in between and then, time lining each step out. So, for example, if your interview is at 11:45am you’ll want to arrive fifteen minutes early (11:30). You should also allow for 10 minutes to park (11:20) and it should take you forty-five minutes in heavy traffic to get there (10:35), so plan on heading to your car at 10:30am.

Be sure to call the building’s front desk prior to your interview and ask for any parking recommendations. And anytime you can perform a drive-by dry run, do it! When it comes to arriving late to an interview, there really are no excuses.

3) Posture:

Your posture has an impact on people’s impression of you as it’s correlated to both confidence and being self-aware. Give yourself a posture check by rolling your shoulders back. Also, elongate your spine by picturing an imaginary string being tugged from the top of your head. In addition to great posture, equip your appearance with a clean smile, firm handshake and eye contact. Remember to nod during the speaker’s portion too, as a way to convey your active listening.

4) Positivity:

Interviewing requires a certain level of finesse. While your past job may have been miserable and former bosses might have been nightmares- spare your interviewer from any negative feelings. Instead, stay positive by highlighting lessons learned and perspectives gained.

5) Performance:

Do more than come equipped with your current resume. Come with a plan of attack for the position that you want. This will require some pre-interview research on your end, but the work will be worth it.

Interviewers are sure to be impressed by a candidate who takes the initiative to construct a plan of action for the desired position. Provide a bulleted one-page list detailing how you would tackle this job and highlight what unique attributes you would bring to the table, should the opportunity be extended.

6) Probe:

Don’t get up from your chair until you ask a question that comments on the company’s culture. Again, pre-interview preparations are required. Do your research and know what the company values. Use your interview as a chance to showcase your knowledge and dive deeper.

In addition to learning about the company’s culture, it’s also a good idea to brush on the company’s history, the CEO’s background as well as the background of the hiring manager that will be interviewing you. The more initiative you can show and knowledge you can display, the better chance you’ll have of coming off as a qualified and prepared candidate

7) Postpone:

As frustrating as it may be, postpone talks of salary negotiations and benefits. In the eyes of a hiring manager, these types of discussions should be held off until an offer has been extended or at least until the close of the second interview.

8) Postal:

Send a clean, handwritten thank you note expressing your gratitude for your interviewer’s time and consideration. Keep it short, sweet and above all, timely. Consider already having the card and stamp ready, so that after the interview all you’ll have to do is properly address your letter and drop it in the mail.

How do you prepare for a perfect interview? Share your tips in the comments below!

Author: Kelly Gregorio writes about employment trends and workplace tips while working at Advantage Capital Funds, a small business loan provider.

del.icio.us Tags: people,management,jobs,interview,pace,time,workplace,comments,perfect,trend,advantage,capital,funds,postpone,salary,hiring,manager,letter,postal,consideration,research,values,chance,knowledge,required,history,initiative,display

8 Reasons Why Nothing Ever Seems to Make You Happy

2014-10-11T18:57:00.001+05:30

“Money may not buy you happiness but happiness can help you get rich.” 

Do you sometimes feel like you should be happier?

From the outside you’re the picture of success, but on the inside you feel miserable, with happiness just out of reach.

You used to think that success would bring contentment, but now you’re filled with doubt.

Well, let’s change that. The following are some answers to why you are not happier even when everything in your life is running smoothly.

1. You’ve been sold someone else’s idea of happiness

• Do you already have a good car and want an even better one?
• Have you been thinking about joining an exclusive club?
• Have you been thinking about getting a more expensive house even though the one you have is perfectly fine?
• Do you have a great partner but you can’t stop criticizing all of their little flaws?

You likely want more because you’ve bought into Madison Avenue and Hollywood images of success, happiness and perfection.

Unfortunately, the goal of Madison Avenue and Hollywood movies is to sell the hope of happiness so that you open your wallet and buy.

Solution: Don’t be seduced by advertising and movie images of the good life. If you are not happy in the now, you need to discover the real reasons why you are not as happy as you want to be — before you acquire more money, status and stuff — and work to uncover what will make you feel good about yourself now.

2. You’re acting like you’re still in high school

• Do you ever compare yourself to the Joneses?
• Are you ever seduced into getting the fancier car, house or partner just because your peers did?

Wanting to keep up with the Joneses and feel like you are a member of the tribe is normal because love and belonging are hard-wired human needs.

You want to feel like you are part of the in-crowd; adult life is a grown-up version of high school after all. The only difference is that the characters have wrinkles, gray hair and a few extra pounds.

If everyone else is accumulating more and more, you feel pressured to keep up. If you don’t keep up, it can remind you of memories of rejection and humiliation from school. That’s one of the reasons why you feel the need to keep up with the Joneses.

Solution: Find a new tribe that’s not as focused on materialistic things and are more focused on making a difference in the world. Stop thinking about yourself, give back to the community and find a cause you are passionate about.

3. You have no clue how to connect deeply with people

• Do you feel lonely despite having lots of Facebook friends, LinkedIn connections and community acquaintances?
• Are you dying to have real friends you can share your deepest thoughts, feelings and fears with?

Realistically, most of your peers feel as lonely as you and they crave real heart-to-heart connections too. They are just waiting for someone else to start the vulnerable conversations.

Solution: Get together for coffee or lunch with an acquaintance you’ve always wanted to know better. Look for an opening to share your deepest thoughts. Ask questions such as, “What makes you happy? What are you afraid of? What are your goals? Why are these goals important to you?”

4. Your past demons are driving you

• Growing up, did anyone ever make you feel you were not enough?
• Do you feel like you are trying to prove something to someone?

Who are you trying to prove your worth to?

• Your mother?
• Your father?
• Your sister or brother?
• The bullies on the playground?
• The teacher that humiliated you?

Through your drive for success, you may be subconsciously trying to show them that you are enough and that you are somebody important. That’s because the #1 desire of human beings is…

… to be validated.

To feel that you are perfect just the way you are.

To feel worthy.

To feel good enough.

You may be unconsciously driven to accumulate more money, more status and more stuff in the name of showing those who have hurt you that, “Look, I’m enough, I’m somebody important.”

Solution: Understand where your drive for success comes from. If it comes from a part of you that feels like you are not enough, you can update that part with what you have accomplished and let it know that you are enough. When this part finally realized that you have been successful, it will give you permission to slow down and smell the roses.

5. You’re in emotional jail

Are you afraid of feeling like a wimp if you admit you need help?

The stigma attached to seeking professional help to improve emotional states prevents many from seeking help. “I’m not a wimp; I can deal with this.” So you deal with it by going along with Madison Avenue’s definition of happiness — buy more stuff. Or you deal with it by drinking too much or eating too much and numbing your true feelings.

But you’re only hurting yourself if you do this. When you fail to deal with your emotions, they can blow up as anger, irritability, anxiety, rage, hostility, depression, and numbness. And not dealing with your emotions can cause health issues such as cancer, heart disease, thyroid problems, obesity, and autoimmune diseases, and wreck your relationships and hold you back from living to your potential.

Solution: If you cannot cope with life and are severely depressed or addicted, please seek the help of a licensed mental health provider so you can go from dead to good. If you are psychologically stable and you want to go from good to great, a coach may be the better option for you.

Talk to a trusted friend or your doctor. Share what’s going on. They should know a coach, healer or therapist you can talk to.

6. Your addictions keep you stuck in misery

• Are you guilty of working, drinking, eating, gambling, shopping, or exercising too much?
• Do you ever feel angry, irritable, sad, anxious, depressed, or numb?
• Are you a perfectionist?

These addictions and feelings are more than likely protective mechanisms to help you avoid old painful memories and feelings of humiliation, rejection, unworthiness, and abandonment.

Could you also be hurting your partner, kids, parents, siblings, peers, or employees as a result of these addictions and feelings?

Solution: Find a coach or counselor that can help you get to the bottom of why you are miserably stuck in these less than desirable behaviors and feelings.

7. You believe happiness is always one more goal away

• “If I just make more money, I’ll be happy.”
• “If I just buy my dream home, I’ll be happy.”
• “If I just get a hot and sexy partner, I’ll be happy.”
• “If I just get rid of the last 15 pounds, I’ll be happy.”

You are fooling yourself if you keep thinking that the next monetary, status or material possession will finally be the ticket to joy.

You’ll get high temporarily and then go back to your old miserable state shortly thereafter. Then you’ll convince yourself that the goal wasn’t big enough. The next goal will finally be the golden ticket.

The Law of Paradoxical Intention says, “You must have goals, but your happiness cannot be tied to those goals. You must be happy first before you reach your goals.”

This means if you want something so badly, that wanting creates a negative vibration and so the Universe will give you the opposite of what you want. So if you think you will be happy as a result of reaching a goal, this law says you won’t get it because you’re trying too hard.

Solution: If you are not happy now on the journey to achieving your goals, look inward and ask yourself what events from the past are keeping you stuck from happiness today? Why do you need something outside of yourself to be happy?

8. You don’t love yourself unconditionally

“I love you so much … you are perfect just the way you are!” Can you look in the mirror and say this?

If you can’t love yourself, just know that this is a major root cause of misery for many.

Psychologist & Life Coach Wayne Dyer said:

“You will not attract into your life what you want, you will attract what you are.”

What you are is a function of what’s in your subconscious. Your subconscious is 90% responsible for what you attract into your life.

If your subconscious is full of negative chatter such as, “I’m a loser, I’m fat, I’ll never be as good as my brother”, these negative thoughts will emit negative energy.

Negative energy sucks the life out of people, and others will avoid you like the plague and you’ll end up alone and miserable in your old age, even if you have all the material trappings of success.

When you love yourself, the inner chatter will be positive and you will be happier. When you are happy, others will be drawn to you like bees to honey. Nothing is sexier than exuding unconditional self-love and confidence in a non-narcissistic way.

So how do you get rid of negative chatter and negative core beliefs such as, “I’m not lovable, I’m not worthy and I’m not enough,” so you can show up happy and sexy?

By accessing and healing negative memories at their source. These memories can be as minor as the bully that called you stupid or as major as emotional and physical abuse from caregivers.

Take yourself back into the painful memories and access those parts of you that hold feelings of shame, rejection, and worthlessness. These are the parts that hold you back from joy.

Tell those parts that you love them unconditionally. This is self-led re-parenting. When they feel love from you, they will delete the faulty beliefs they acquired from bad experiences and these parts will help you feel happy now because they no longer feel ashamed, rejected or worthless.

You can watch self-led re-parenting in the movies. The last 20 minutes of the movie The Kid with Bruce Willis demonstrates what I outlined above. The character played by Bruce Willis spent his whole life trying to forget his bad memories. Then his 8-year-old self shows up and Bruce heals that young part of himself through self-led re-parenting. He went back into the traumatic memories with his 8-year-old part and was able to give his younger part the love he needed that he never got when the original negative experiences occurred.

Bottom line:

If you are still miserable despite your successes, more than likely the burdens of the past are what make you feel like crap even though nothing seems to be wrong.

If you keep trying to push down old toxic memories, they will inevitably come back to haunt you and hold you back from authentic happiness (kind of like trying to make a beach ball disappear underwater).

When you feel good about yourself from the inside out, more money, status and stuff can be the icing on the happiness cake.

Are you happy now on the journey of living to your potential and making a difference? If not, what is keeping you stuck from being happy?

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Source: A2S

12 Habits of Extraordinarily Motivated People

2014-10-11T18:47:00.001+05:30

Highly successful people are extremely motivated to succeed. Learn their secrets and put them to work for you.

Extraordinarily motivated people are driven to go above and beyond; they are trusted by others, focused and have great confidence in their own abilities. They dream of endless possibilities, and tend to be extremely satisfied with their lives. They are more likely to receive a raise or a dream project, maintain longer relationships, and get promoted or recruited more than their unmotivated peers.

"The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential... These are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence." --Confucius

Seeking and achieving your dreams means you are really living your life. Ready to get motivated and become all you can be? Try some or all of these habits of extraordinarily motivated people and perhaps you too will find the courage to live a life of fulfilled dreams.

1. They're internally motivated.

It is their intrinsic desire to be their best selves and succeed that drives their motivation. They are internally driven--not pushed--toward new adventures, the unfolding journey, and the possible outcomes--they relish challenging themselves, learning, and exploring.

2. They don't waste time judging.

They objectively observe the successes and mistakes of others and learn from them instead of judging or comparing themselves. They don't waste their time with judgmental, gossipy people either.

3. They are humble.

They are willing to admit they made a mistake and apologize. They encourage feedback from others and use it to take steps in the right direction.

4. They look at the upside.

Instead of focusing on what's not working and bad experiences--which so many of us tend to do--they instead focus on what is working and their successes. If they find themselves overthinking a miscalculation, they automatically flip a switch and think about those things they did do right.

5. They are authentic.

They are true to themselves despite what others think--they don't live their lives solely to please others.

6. They push beyond their comfort zone.

Extraordinarily motivated people face discomfort head on--they never choose the easy route--to get what they want. They push themselves out of their comfort zone and get rid of those annoying internal voices that say, "You are limited in what you can do." They trust their abilities and know they will come out on top.

7. They continue to learn.

They read a lot and are brilliant observers--they are always watching and searching for new, more efficient, and faster ways to achieve. They understand that in order to grow as a person, they must always continue to learn.

8. They know what they want.

They have a clear vision of what they want their lives to look like and who they want to be. Their clarity comes with the wisdom to know what things to harness and what things to avoid. Their mottos are, "Never say never" and "Anything is possible."

9. They don't give up.

When they stumble over that proverbial bump in the road, they problem solve, come up with a plan, take action, and get past it. They understand that a sure way to lose a battle is to quit--which is not a part of their vocabulary or an option.

10. They don't blame others.

They never blame others for their failures. They understand that ultimately they alone are in charge of their actions and choices and no other.

11. They take time for themselves.

They know that in order to stay motivated and on top of their game, they have to carve out time for themselves. Rewards of time away from it all and taking care of themselves are more important to them than material possessions.

12. They surround themselves with motivators.

Their friends are those who are trustworthy, positive, supportive, and bring out the best in them unconditionally. Their friends help them take on the world side by side and, when needed, help them get back on their feet again.

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what question do you wish you had asked before taking your current job?

2014-10-10T00:12:00.001+05:30

What’s the one question you wish you had asked before accepting your current job?

Bonus points if you can phrase it in a way that would actually be reasonable to ask in an interview. (For example, you probably can’t ask, “Is the CEO an abusive tyrant who can’t keep an assistant longer than three months?” but you canask, “How long did the last few people in this position stay, and why did they move on?”)

While we’re at it, here are some good questions to ask to help you figure out if a job is going to be the right fit for you:

What type of person works really well with you? What type of person doesn’t mesh as well with your management style?
Same question as above, but about culture: How would you describe the culture here? What type of people tend to really thrive, and what types don’t do as well?
What do you expect to be the toughest part of this position?
What does a successful first year / first six months in the role look like? (Or, how will you measure the success of the person in this position in the first year?)
Why have the last few people in the job moved on from it?
Thinking back to people who have been in this position previously, what differentiated the ones who were good from the ones who were really great?

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Job | Recruitment Drive on 15th Oct 2014 in Lucknow (11:00am - 1:00pm)

2014-10-09T23:24:00.001+05:30

Job Synopsis

Recruitment Drive on 15th Oct 2014 in Lucknow (11:00am - 1:00pm)

Company:
XL Dynamics

Experience:
0 to 5 yrs

Salary:
INR 3,50,000 - 6,00,000 P.A

Location:
Navi Mumbai

Job Description

Your skill and experience will place you in key positions in our full-service Banking and Financial Services operation for Companies in the United States of America. You will be engaged in different phases of the life-cycle of mortgage transactions. You will be responsible for reviewing financial statement, configuring financial data and documents in the ERP system, performing various verifications to determine authenticity of data, detecting red-flags in financial documents, generating final agreements for execution. All aspects of the operations are backed with an independent quality control teams and will require you to consistently ensure delivery of high-quality work. Your positive attitude, discipline and hard work will enable you to span across different departments as well as progress to higher levels in the organization.

Salary:
INR 3,50,000 - 6,00,000 P.A

Role:
Analyst

Role Category:
Financial Services/Stock Broking

Industry Type:
Banking / Financial Services / Broking

Functional Area:
Financial Services, Banking, Investments, Insurance

Keywords:
Financial Analyst, Analyst

Desired Candidate Profile

Education:
(UG - B.Sc - Any Specialization, B.Com - Commerce, B.A - Any Specialization, B.B.A - Management, B.Ed - Education) OR (PG - MBA/PGDM - Finance, M.Sc - Any Specialization, M.A - Any Specialization, M.Com - Commerce, M.Ed - Education) AND (Doctorate - Doctorate Not Required)

Fresher Graduates/Results Awaited (2012-13 & 2013-14) can apply
Any other Graduate with minimum 0.6 months to 5 years of relevant experience can apply.
Any Post Graduate with 0 to 5 years of relevant experience
Openings are available for Day Shifts & Night Shifts (Day Shift timing - 9.00 AM to 6.00 PM & Night shift timing- 8.30 PM to 5.30 AM) [Please note that these are fixed shifts and we have no rotational shifts]
Must be self - managed, responsive, and dedicated to customer support.
Candidate must have good communication skills (both written & verbal) as well as good analytical skills
Candidate must have scored minimum 50% marks in 10th, 12th and Graduation.
Prior knowledge in finance/ mortgage is NOT required.
Candidates willing to relocate to Mumbai will only be considered.
Candidates from technical stream with highest education qualification as B.E/ B.Tech/ BCA/ BSc.IT/ MCA/ MSc.IT must not apply. CA's are also not eligible.
CTC OFFERED: 3.50 Lakhs to 6.00 Lakhs per annum ( Salary will not be a constraint for the right candidate )
Kindly find the details for the selection process
Date of Interview: 15th Oct 2014
Time: 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Location:

Jaipuria Institute of Management,

Shahid Path, Vineet Khand, Gomti Nagar, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh 226010
Please ensure that you carry the following when you come for the selection process:
1) Hard-Copy of your updated resume
2) 1 Recent Passport Size Photograph
3) 1 Pen for writing purpose
Looking forward to see you .
PS: All the required details are mentioned above. Calls will not be entertained. No Prior Appointment or Scheduling Needed. You may Directly WALKIN if you are interested or feel are suitable for the profile.In case you have any queries, please drop an email at resume@xldynamics.com
NOTE : Candidates who have already appeared for our selection process in the last 3 months are not eligible for this opening.
CAs (Chartered Accountants) are NOT eligible.
Candidates having their highest educational qualification in technical field are NOT eligible.
Please feel free to revert in case of any questions.

Company Profile

XL Dynamics

http://www.xldynamics.com

XL Dynamics India is a financial services company founded in 2002. We provide niche mortgage banking services with operations in India and USA. We are focused on providing the highest quality of financial services to the US financial markets that includes forward mortgages, reverse mortgages, warehouse operations and servicing operations. Being a technology savvy company, we have also developed our integrated technology platform to bring the best of the banking services and innovative financial products. Our experience in financial and banking industry with a blend of technology enables us to provide the most efficient and cost effective services to our customers. Our partner in US is into mortgage banking for 31 years, and is approved by leading financial agencies such as, FHA, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and Ginnie Mae

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Should Career Come Before Family?

2014-10-01T23:05:00.001+05:30

Early in my career, I was so driven to succeed, that I gave up TV. I thought that TV was a waste of time and that only lazy, average, and below average people watched it.

I didn’t just replace traditional TV with YouTube, Netflix, Hulu, or pirating movies on my laptop. I literally didn’t watch anything. Instead I read a whole bunch of business books like Good To Great, Influence, The Goal, The Essential Drucker, Made To Stick, Never Eat Alone, Linchpin, and Built To Last to try to get an edge in my career. But even reading started to feel like work. I stopped reading fiction even though I loved books like The Alchemist, The Time Keeper, The Way of the Peaceful Warrior, and The Celestine Prophecy.

Back then, I was single and single-minded. Today, I’m married with a kid. And I have no shame watching TV anymore. In fact, last Thursday, I watched a record 4 hours straight bundled up on the couch with my wife and I have no regrets. We watch Modern Family, Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal, and How To Get Away With Murder. In all honesty, I didn’t enjoy each show, but that didn’t matter. What mattered was that I was spending quality time with my family.

Presence > Paying A Lot

There are two ways to watch TV—passively and actively. I realized that my younger self hated passive TV. But it wasn’t just passive TV that I hated. I hated passive living. It’s not about what you do, it’s about how you do it. I can gain enjoyment from washing dishes, folding clothes, and gardening if I’m fully present.

As someone who wants to be a present partner and present parent, I realized that presence is more important than paying lots of money. What’s the point of paying thousands of dollars to fly my family to Disney Land if I’m checking my email every 20 minutes? Instead, a 20 minute walk around the neighborhood in which I’m fully engaged could mean just as much.

My wife and I don’t watch TV passively. We comment throughout the show. We laugh in each other’s arms. We make jokes from the show our own like “That’s what she said” from The Office. We put the TV on mute and talk to each other during commercials.

The younger half of my brain was like the news commentator who bashes the United States President for going on vacation and playing golf during a war. The other half of my brain was like a kid who finished their homework before sundown and simply wanted to play until the street lights came on.

We never judge a kid for how they chose to play as long as their work was done. But as adults, there is a sense that the work is never done. There is always more to do. And if we don’t do it, we will be behind some illusionary competitor who is an early bird and night owl and just works, works, works.

There is a time for everything—a time to be serious and a time to be childlike. As adults, we’ve forgotten that boundary. In the words of Beyonce and Jay-Z, “I want to be forever young.” I don’t want my childlike spirit to die in pursuit of society’s definition of success. Adulthood and the responsibility that comes with it doesn’t have to mean the death of who we really are.

Prioritizing The People I Love

Will I do that every Thursday? No. But last Thursday, I went to sleep with no guilt, regrets, or feeling of being behind. Are other people in my profession kicking my butt because they worked last Thursday night and I didn’t? Maybe? Maybe not? And guess what…I don’t care. What matters to me most is how my wife and daughter feel about my presence, not what the market thinks. If slow success or less success professionally is the price I have to pay for being a great partner and great parent, so be it.

The moment my daughter was born, I became the third most important person in my household. I thought that as a parent, I was supposed to tell her what to do, but I know who the real boss is now. No boss or client of mine can wake me up at 1am, 3am, and 5am crying and expect to get an immediate response from me. My priorities have changed, not by chance, but by choice.

My goal in life isn’t only to be a successful professional. I also want to be a successful partner and parent. And though my goal to be a successful professional came first in terms of sequence in my life, it doesn’t come first in terms of priorities. My first priority is my wife. My second priority is my daughter. And my third priority is my profession.

I encourage you to prioritize professional, parent, and partner in writing in the way I have above. I’m not suggesting that my order is the right order. It’s mine. What is yours? And do the people you love know your priorities. Them knowing will shape their expectations of you.There are many people who are extremely successful professionally, but suck as partners and parents. And there are many people who are great parents, but aren’t great professionals.

If your career is more important than your family, own it. Oftentimes, we say we’re working hard for our family, when in fact we’re doing it for ourselves. Our ambition and work tends to take us away from the people we say we love. Walter White, the chemistry professor turned meth dealer from Breaking Bad said it best when he told his wife “I did it for me,” as his empire started to collapse.

Does Career Success Alone Make A Successful Life?

There is an American narrative that suggests that if you succeed professionally, everybody will love you and your family will understand because your success will afford them a lifestyle they couldn’t otherwise have. I think that is why many people put their career ahead of family. In addition to that, I think we also want to have an individual sense of achievement whether we have a family or not.

I’m not the only one with this internal struggle. In an interview with David Bradley, Indra Nooyi, Chairman and CEO of PepsiCo and mother of two daughters shared her mommy guilt. Nooyi says "We plan our lives meticulously so we can be decent parents. But if you ask our daughters, I'm not sure they will say that I've been a good mom.” A few months ago, Mohamed El-Erian, former CEO of Pimco, left his position for part-time work after he received a letter from his 10-year old daughter that listed22 important events that he had missed due to work commitments that included her first day at school and first soccer match of the season to a parent-teacher meeting and a Halloween parade.

Given that these people are "successful," it’s easy to say that it’s easier for them to slow down because they’ve already made it, they have millions, and they are older. But the one thing they can never buy back are those moments and times with their family.

My Dad Growing With Each Kid

I am the oldest of three kids and I can attest that my father got better with each kid. With me, he was pretty absent because I was born during his rise to the top. With his second son who came 4 years later, he reached the top and felt he had more autonomy, so he started coming home earlier and getting involved on weekends. And with the third son who came 2 years after that, he had established himself professionally and started to slow down a little bit. He made it to every baseball game and soccer game he could.

Many people let what they do define who they are instead of letting who they are define what they do. But your day job is likely not your only job. We all have several roles. Everyone is someone’s son or daughter. Perhaps you are a brother or sister. A mentor or soccer coach. These roles don’t pay money, but they give us meaning. As Drake says in his song Trophies, “Ain’t no envelopes to open, I just do it cause I’m supposed to, and they don't have no award for that.” How much do these roles that don’t have money attached to them matter to you?

Hopefully the new and future working parents, myself included, can get off on the right foot with the first kid. If not your kids, then your partner. And if not your partner, then whatever other role is important to you outside of work.

Wishing you more happy hours,

Jullien Gordon
www.julliengordon.com
I'm a recovering workaholic helping people experience more happy hours while doing their Life's Work.

Procrastinating? 3 Ways to Find Motivation for Your Work

2014-10-01T22:54:00.001+05:30

Is the fire in the belly you once felt for your work a flickering flame? Are you avoiding the next task on your list? It can happen to all of us. It could be you need a change in career. More likely it could mean you've simply lost touch with what energizes you about your role now. I know the feeling. We all do on certain days. So what do you do?

Here are three ways I restore my passion for hard work. What are yours?

1. Think less about what you have to do and more about what you can make happen. On weekends, I take bizarre comfort in cleaning a room or sweeping the yard because I can tell my efforts yielded a clear and visible outcome. I stare for long minutes at the evidence I accomplished something visible. On the other hand, a day's work at the office can sometimes have an excruciatingly incremental quality. Maybe you tried and tried and nothing seems better or different. The hard work of progress at many jobs is scarcely evident and can wear you down unless you remember why you are grinding away at it in the first place. Worry less about what's in front of you and more about what the end result could be. Write down where you hope your efforts will lead you and post this thought in your field of vision. Sometimes, to get through the day, you need to take time to imagine where you you are headed. For me, possibility is a great motivator.

2. Give your purpose a pulse. When you need inspiration, think of how your work can positively affect any living being. What will your efforts do to make something - anything - on this planet a little better? Ask yourself: "At the end of the day, whose life is better for what I do?” My best days are when I am reminded I made a difference for someone - or even better, many people. Talk to customers or beneficiaries or colleagues whom you are serving - and listen to how your work matters. If you're not feeling it, commit a random act of kindness for a co-worker. For me, people are a great motivator.

3. Look for little, good moments. One night a few years ago, I was standing on a metro platform waiting for the train home and my head was a swirl of anxiety: When would all of my children be happy? When would everything at work go according to plan? When would I understand my place in the universe? As the train pulled up, I realized the answer was mostly likely never. What was I thinking? As a slow learner, I only came to this conclusion after a long day at the office -- and more than four decades of living. I have no idea why I was so late to the epiphany - or why it came on a crowded railway platform - but I felt infinitely better then and ever since. I don't dwell on what's not right but rather try to look for a few good moments every day. Maybe it's when something fantastic happened - but more likely it's because one small thing in a meeting felt right or someone made me laugh or the coffee was especially good that day. In my experience, joy at work is a series of tiny beautiful incidents, which you string together over time into a larger meaning. It's not a sustained experience of happy industry - but that's what can make the nice parts more exquisite. The trick is to see them and savor them. For me, perspective is the best motivator of all.

Please share how you find your fire on the tough days.

Photo: Yuganov Konstantin / Shutterstock

Job Opportunity in Information Technology in Gurgaon for fresher & Experienced[MNC]

2014-10-01T22:47:00.001+05:30

Dear Readers,

I’ve knowledge of few opening in information technology for multiple skills for experience holder candidates..

HTML/HTML5

JAVA

C++

Please forward your resume at kymanoj@live.com

Note: This is not job consultancy. Its individual offer.

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How to Spot A Bad Boss During A Job Interview

2014-10-01T22:37:00.001+05:30

Horrible bosses are too common in the workplace. In fact, one out of five workershave had a bad boss.

When searching for a new job, it’s important to find one you’ll enjoy and a boss who is a pleasure to work for. While it’s not always easy to have the best of both worlds, there are a few warning signs of a bad boss you can spot during a job interview:

1. They arrive late to the job interview without notice.

When a manager shows up late to an interview without informing you, you’re probably safe to assume he doesn’t value your time. Additionally, this behavior might be a sign the manager doesn’t enjoy his job.

2. They display poor body language.

Is the manager constantly watching the clock? Did they avoid making eye contact with you during the interview? This type of negative body language is a strong sign that the manager isn’t interested in performing the job interview.

3. They ask illegal interview questions.

If a manager asks questions about your religion, credit history, or marital status, it’s a good sign the manager isn’t trained on ethical interview practices.

4. They ask simple interview questions.

A good manager asks interview questions that challenge candidates to showcase their expertise. However, if the manager asks questions they could find answers to in your resume or cover letter, it’s a sign they’re not putting effort into learning about your experience.

5. They lack a clear vision for the company.

Does the manager have a difficult time explaining the company’s mission or culture? It could be a sign they don’t know what’s going on within their own company.

6. Their office is extremely disorganized.

Do you walk into the office and there are messy piles of papers left and right? Does everything just seem cluttered? If a manager can’t gain control of his office, it might be a sign he doesn’t have control of his team.

7. They won’t tell you why the last employee left.

During the job interview, it’s OK to ask about employee turnover. However, if the manager refuses to answer your question or makes a rude remark, it might be a sign that the company isn’t a good place to work for.

8. They can’t answer your questions about the position.

If you constantly stump the manager with questions about the position or company, it’s a good sign he's not very engaged with his work.

9. They display red flags of previous bosses you’ve had.

Although it’s important to go into each job interview with an open mind, you want to be aware of familiar characteristics of a bad boss.

For example, does the manager seem scatter-brained during the job interview? This characteristic might remind you of a previous boss you had who was disorganized and failed to lead your old team.

10. They can’t tell you how you’d fit into the organization.

If you ask the manager what goals they’d have for you once hired and they can’t provide a response, it’s a good sign that the position you applied for isn’t a priority for them.

What are some ways you’ve spotted a bad boss during a job interview?

Image Courtesy of Bigstock

About Heather R. Huhman:

Heather R. Huhman is a career expert, experienced hiring manager, and founder & president of Come Recommended, a content marketing and digital PR consultancy for job search and human resources technologies. She is also the instructor of Find Me A Job: How To Score A Job Before Your Friends, author of Lies, Damned Lies & Internships (2011) and #ENTRYLEVELtweet: Taking Your Career from Classroom to Cubicle (2010), and writes career and recruiting advice for numerous outlets. Follow Heather below to receive all her articles!

Six Toxic Beliefs That Will Ruin Your Career

2014-10-01T22:31:00.001+05:30

There is nothing wrong with making a mistake. It's what you say to yourself after you mess up that matters. Your self-talk (the thoughts you have about your feelings) can either magnify the negativity or help you turn that misstep into something productive.

Negative self-talk is unrealistic, unnecessary, and self-defeating. It sends you into a downward emotional spiral that is difficult to pull out of.

All self-talk is driven by important beliefs that you hold about yourself. It plays an understated but powerful role in success because it can both spur you forward to achieve your goals and hold you back.

As Henry Ford said, “He who believes he can and he who believes he cannot are both correct.”

TalentSmart has tested the emotional intelligence (EQ) of more than a million people and found that 90% of top performers are high in EQ. These successful, high EQ individuals possess an important skill—the ability to recognize and control negative self-talk so that it doesn't prevent them from reaching their full potential.

These successful people earn an average of $28,000 more annually than their low EQ peers, get promoted more often, and receive higher marks on performance evaluations. The link between EQ and earnings is so direct that every point increase in EQ adds $1,300 to an annual salary.

When it comes to self-talk, we've discovered six common, yet toxic, beliefs that hold people back more than any others. Be mindful of your tendencies to succumb to these beliefs, so that they don't derail your career:

Toxic Belief #1: Perfection = Success

Human beings, by our very nature, are fallible. When perfection is your goal, you're always left with a nagging sense of failure, and end up spending your time lamenting what you failed to accomplish, instead of enjoying what you were able to achieve.

Toxic Belief #2: My Destiny is Predetermined

Far too many people succumb to the highly irrational idea that they are destined to succeed or fail. Make no mistake about it, your destiny is in your own hands, and blaming multiple successes or failures on forces beyond your control is nothing more than a cop out. Sometimes life will deal you difficult cards to play, and others times you'll be holding aces. Your willingness to give your all in playing any hand you're holding determines your ultimate success or failure in life.

Toxic Belief #3: I “Always” or “Never” Do That

There isn't anything in life that you always or never do. You may do something a lot or not do something enough, but framing your behavior in terms of “always” or “never” is a form of self-pity. It makes you believe that you have no control of yourself and will never change. Don't succumb to it.

Toxic Belief #4: I Succeed When Others Approve of Me

Regardless of what people think of you at any particular moment, one thing is certain⎯you're never as good or bad as they say you are. It's impossible to turn off your reactions to what others think of you, but you can take people's opinions with a grain of salt. That way, no matter what people think about you, your self-worth comes only from within.

Toxic Belief #5: My Past = My Future

Repeated failures can erode your self-confidence and make it hard to believe you'll achieve a better outcome in the future. Most of the time, these failures result from taking risks and trying to achieve something that isn't easy. Just remember that success lies in your ability to rise in the face of failure. Anything worth achieving is going to require you to take some risks, and you can't allow failure to stop you from believing in your ability to succeed.

Toxic Belief #6: My Emotions = Reality

If you've read Emotional Intelligence 2.0, you know how to take an objective look at your feelings and separate fact from fiction. If not, you might want to read it. Otherwise, your emotions will continue to skew your sense of reality, making you vulnerable to the negative self-talk that can hold you back from achieving your full potential.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Travis Bradberry, Ph.D.

ARE YOU MAKING THESE 5 COMMON INTERVIEW MISTAKES? #WISDOMWEDNESDAY

2014-10-01T00:47:00.001+05:30

Interviewing for a new job is stressful, to say the least, and that goes for everyone involved.

Prospective employees come in with their game face on, dressed and ready to impress potential employers. Interviewing employers, on the other hand, are tasked with selecting an employee who may or may not actually live up to the personality that they interviewed – after all, some people interview well but aren’t actually good hires, and some people interview poorly even though they would actually end up being the best person for the job.

However there are some tell-tale things job-seekers do that turn off employers and could end up costing them the job before they even finish the interview.

1) Not making eye contact:

No matter how nervous you are, you have to look your interviewer in the eye, otherwise you’ll come across as someone who lacks confidence in yourself. Conveying confidence in yourself shows that you believe in what you’re saying and what you have to offer to the company, something that’s attractive to most if not all employers. After all, if you don’t believe in yourself and your abilities why should your potential employer?

2) Overuse of filler words:

Pausing to gather your thoughts and deliver a well-crafted answer to an interview question is one thing. Repeatedly using filler words such as “like”, “uh” or “um”, on the other hand, just makes you look unprofessional and unprepared. Most of us user filler words without even thinking about it, so you need to make a conscious effort to keep them out of your vocabulary while you’re communicating with the interviewer.

READ MORE: Do You Know How To Sell Yourself in a Job Interview?

3) Personal hygiene and appearance:

It should go without saying that having good personal hygiene is of the utmost importance during an interview (and during the work day!), however where some people unknowingly make a mistake is by wearing perfume or cologne too heavily – you don’t want to smell overpoweringly strong in either direction, whether it’s a good smell or a bad smell. This is also the time to wear more neutral, business appropriate attire in place of any flashy clothing items, and to keep makeup more natural looking.

READ MORE: How To Dress for Your Interview.

4) Crossing your arms:

Crossing your arms across your chest is a defense mechanism that we use to protect ourselves and, like the overuse of filler words, we often times don’t even realize that we’re doing it until after the fact. But crossing your arms also makes you look closed off and unapproachable – you want to make sure you come across as open and receptive during a job interview to give off a good impression. It’s important to sit with your hands open on the table or in your lap, which gives the appearance of being open and inviting to conversation.

5) Being too stoic:

While interviews are a serious meeting, you have to be able to show some personality as well. Coming across as someone with a bland personality often gives a negative impression, and an interview is a chance for them to get to know who you are and what characteristics you bring to the table. You need to make sure to be yourself and be as relaxed as possible in the interview.

The majority of employers can tell almost right away if someone is going to be a good fit for a job or not through body language and their overall approachability. After all, if you’ve made it to the interview then they’ve already read your resume and know your technical background; the interview is your chance to upsell yourself and all of your best qualities for the position.

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Author: Nancy Parker

How To Win At Work: Try This Business Philosophy On For Size

2014-09-28T00:14:00.001+05:30

Back in 1999, I was looking for a job. More to the point, I was looking to make a career transition into the copywriting field. The challenge? I had been working in the compliance department at an insurance firm! I had lots of personal experience in writing (books, novels, articles, etc.), but had no professional experience in the marketing arena. What were my chances?

I’ll tell you this: I am convinced that one phrase I uttered in my interview withMarsh & McLennan MMC +1.23% got me the job, despite my being a rookie. The interviewer – my future boss – asked me what my number one goal would be if I got the job. Without hesitation, I replied,

“My job is to make your job easier.”

A few days later, I was once again gainfully employed.

“My job is to make your job easier,” should not only be used in an interview, but also used as a lifelong career goal to reach success.

Why did this phrase have such a powerful impact? Because it communicated clearly that 100% of my energy, my attention, and my initiative would be focused on my boss, my job, and my company. Not on me. Not on furthering my career. Not on lining my pockets. Not on trumpeting my successes. My efforts would be the means to a specific end, and that end was making my boss’s day a breeze. Now that’s what it means to talk about benefits in an interview!

But I have to tell you something. I didn’t say this because it would “sound good” during the interview process. Believe me, people have a fantastic BS meter, and if you are just trying to be a “suck-up,” they will know it and show you to the door. I said this because it is truly my approach to my job.

You see, I didn’t forget about that statement when I left the interview. It continues to be my goal every day of my working career. It was my commitment when I worked in corporate, and it has been my guiding light in the ten years I have operated my own copywriting business.

Let’s take a closer look at the meat behind this simple phrase. If you say – to your boss if you are in corporate, or to your clients if you are self-employed – that “My job is to make your job easier,” here’s what it’s going to look like:

You are serious about deadlines, delivering on or before final due date.
You are fanatical about quality, refusing to give less than your best.
You will support a team effort, whether that involves internal or external people.
You communicate clearly and consistently, keeping all stakeholders “in the know.”
You act in a professional manner, even when other people don’t.
You are responsive to requests, never leaving someone hanging.
You stick to the budget, since no one likes surprises on the final invoice.

Think about it: wouldn’t you like to have all your employees and vendors act like that? You let people know what you need, and they go and do it. You don’t have to worry about quality, hound them to hit the deadline, or all the rest of it. It’s the human equivalent of “set it and forget it.”

You might say, “Wait a minute! If I’m always focused on making my boss’s or client’s job easier, what happens to my career?”

What happens to your career? It stays on the upward spiral! Trust me: when you prove that you are someone who is dedicated, professional, and responsive … someone who delivers high-quality services on time and on budget … you’re going to get the promotions. The salary. The recognition. The rewards. If there was ever a single goal that created a win-win situation, this is it!

So tell me – what’s your goal on the job?

Source: Paula Marolewski is a trainer in stress management tools and techniques. She offers practical, skill-based video tutorials through “Thrive Now!” (www.thrivenowseminars.com) to enable you to tackle stress, worry, and anxiety head on and reclaim your life.

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