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The Most Popular Interview Questions and Their Answers

2010-08-06T07:27:00.002-07:00

1. Tell me about yourself:

The most often asked question in interviews. You need to have a short statement prepared in you mind. Be careful that it does not sound rehearsed. Limit it to work-related items unless instructed otherwise. Talk about things you have done and jobs you have held that relate to the position you are interviewing for. Start with the item farthest back and work up to the present.

2. Why did you leave your last job?

Stay positive regardless of the circumstances. Never refer to a Major problem with management and never speak ill of supervisors, co-workers the organization. If you do, you will be the one looking bad. Keep smiling and talk about leaving for a positive reason such as an opportunity, a chance to do something special or other forward-looking reasons.

3. What experience do you have in this field?

Speak about specifics that relate to the position you are applying for . If you do not have specific experience, get as close as you can.

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Recent Job trends in USA

2010-07-19T07:23:00.001-07:00

It is illustrative to look at some actual numbers about the last half-decade or so of employment in the USA and to consider where they could be heading. Here is a chart of employment and population numbers from the Current Population Survey aggregate data, which shows the United States long term employment creation by decade. Jobs are constantly being created and destroyed in a dynamic economy emphasizing competition like the USA currently has. As a statistical matter, the low number of net jobs created in the decade 2000–2009 is due to a low number of new jobs created, not due to an especially higher than usual number of jobs destroyed (net jobs is new jobs created minus old jobs destroyed). For example, over the time period in that chart, large numbers of manufacturing jobs disappeared, like in textile production, both from improved automation and from offshoring of production. Thus was a trend observed even in 1987 and it has accelerated dramatically since, with many US communities dependent on textile manufacturing experiencing "severe hardships". But also during that time, a large number of service industry jobs have been created, such as in teaching, in prisons, in government, in hospitals, and in the computer industry, for an overall continued growth in employment. This reflects comparative advantage.

In the years 2008 and 2009, initial jobless claims in the USA moved up from the usual 350,000 or so initial jobless claims per week in previous years to more like 500,000 or so a week. This reflected a situation where there was only one new job created for about every six unemployed workers; in some industries the ratio was higher and in others it was lower. This is sometimes depicted as like the "stalling" of some jobs creation engine. This stalling metaphor reflects a political emphasis in a dynamic US economy on creating new jobs rather than preserving existing jobs. It can often be pointless to try to preserve some specific old jobs, as many specific jobs may gradually become obsolete from technological change, like replacing some bank tellers with ATMs. Other jobs may become unneeded from demographic trends, like an aging population purchasing less baby clothes and more hearing aids. This constant turnover in what jobs need to be done is part of the reason that the average person born in the later years of the US "baby boom" (1957 to 1964) held 10.8 jobs from age 18 to age 42, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor.

Finding employment in paying jobs in the USA during a recession has been likened to "a cruel game of musical chairs".
Source of this article is Companies Management

Ten Most Common Interview Questions and Their Answers

2010-07-12T00:01:00.000-07:00

1. Tell me about yourself:

2. Why did you leave your last job?

3. What experience do you have in this field?

Speak about specifics that relate to the position you are applying for . If you do not have specific experience, get as close as you can.

4. Do you consider yourself successful?

You should always answer yes and briefly explain why. A good explanation is that you have set goals, and you have met some and are on track to achieve the others.

5. What do co-workers say about you?

Be prepared with a quote o two from co-worker s. Either a specific statement or a para phase will work. Jill Clark, a co-worker at Smith Company, always said I was the hardest workers she had ever known. It is as powerful as Jill having said it at the interview he self.

6. What do you know about this organization?

This question is one reason to do some research on the organization before the interview. Find out where they have been and where they are going. What are the current issues and who are the major players?

7. What have you done to improve your knowledge in the last yea ?

Try to include improvement activities that relate to the job. A wide variety of activities can be mentioned as positive self-improvement. Have some good ones handy to mention.

8. Are you applying for other jobs?

Be honest but do not spend a lot of time in this area. Keep the focus on this job and what you can do for this organization. Anything else is a distraction.

9. Why do you want to work for this organization?

This may take some thought and certainly, should be based on the research you have done on the organization. Sincerity is extremely important here and will easily be sensed. Relate it to your long-term career goals.

10. Do you know anyone who works for us?

Be aware of the policy on relatives working for the organization. This can affect you answer even though they asked about friends not relatives. Be careful to mention a friend only if they are well thought of.

How to Get a Job?

2010-07-07T06:08:00.000-07:00

Young job seekers have always faced this dilemma. In today's shrinking job market, people with years of experience also struggle with it. Whether they face the reality of a layoff, or merely the threat of one, many older workers are trying to reinvent themselves in order to become marketable in a changed economy.

It’s funny that when people reach a certain age, such as after graduating college, they assume it’s time to go out and get a job. But like many things the masses do, just because everyone does it doesn’t mean it’s a good idea. In fact, if you’re reasonably intelligent, getting a job is one of the worst things you can do to support yourself. There are far better ways to make a living than selling yourself into indentured servitude.

Each time you look for jobs in the newspaper or hear friends discussing them, you will be working out your own suitability for that job. Whenever you write a job application (or attend an interview) you will be making an assessment of yourself and your potential.

The Two Toughest Things About Writing a Resume

2010-07-05T15:38:00.001-07:00

I've spent countless hours writing resumes over many years in my roles as a web/software developer and project manager. In that time I've discovered that there are two areas that cause me the most trouble. First is deciding where to start. Second is knowing when to stop.

When faced with a blank page it's easy to become a victim of analysis paralysis. You end up thinking about all of the things you could do rather than actually doing something. So my first piece of advice is to start writing. As ideas come in to your head, let them flow into your resume. At this point there is nothing that is wrong so just keep writing. Eventually you'll hit a point where you're out of ideas and you have nothing left to write. It is at this point that you should begin the editing process.

Knowing when to stop working on your resume is also a tough call. There always seems to be some portion that you can rewrite or some design phpect you can tweak. What you need to realize is that such continuous changes have diminishing returns and eventually are not worth doing. Save the file, close it, and start working on the actual process of landing interviews.

I think a professional resume should be like this:

Name

Street Address

City, State, Zip

E-Mail Address

Professional Profile

Type professional profile here.

Education

Name of Institution, 199X

Degree, Area of Degree

Concentration

Relevant Skills

• • •

Career Highlights

• Type highlight here.

Professional Experience

Name of Company Month and Year - Present

Job Title, Group (if applicable)

• Type responsibility here.

Name of Company Month and Year - Month and Year

Job Title, Group (if applicable)

• Type responsibility here.