Working Duke

Do not get stuck..Get upgraded..

2011-05-30T04:16:00.000-07:00

People sometimes do not realize the value of in house trainings.

If you were in a company no matter what your position is, somehow there should be a way for you to upgrade your skills.
You might wonder what is the need of such hassle when you think that you can do your job better than anyone and you have been efficient doing it. Chances are anyhow and anyway there is a better way of doing things.
Technology has been a part of our lives and surely plays a lot when it comes to our job. You may not realize but there could be a better approach to many of your task.
Better time management. better record keeping procedures. better conflict management. better way of using the software.better system. Better tools and methodologies.
All you need to do is seek for the part of which you think that there could be a better approach. Then search for a solution.perhaps a training or a new resource materials available out there could be the answer.Some companies offer in house training or search the web for the training that suits your schedule . This maybe a diversion from your normal working routine but it is the best way to keep you updated. This will help you grab a better perspective of things and the company to have a more efficient employee .It is essential that we keep paced with the technology otherwise we will be left behind.

9 Reasons why you should quit your job..

2011-04-27T00:18:00.000-07:00

There are a lot of reasons why you should quit your job apparently there are lots of reason you should stay..
But for me these top reasons that I could think of could say that you should be able to quit your job.

1. You are too rich to hold your present position as an employee.
You got lucky won a lottery, or got big time in one of your business and it pays a lot to give your time on managing your wealth rather than sticking to your present job.
2.You are too bored with your present job.
You might be surprised what people would do when they are bored. People will do lots of stupid things without thinking just too ease their boredom including dangerous acts just to excite themselves.

3.You have a job but you do not have a life.
I once asked a friend why did she quit a job that pays well and has a good career path prospect.
She replied: " There is too much overtime rendered in that work that you don't get a life ". Makes sense
work maybe a necessity but you got to have a work life balance.

4.You are highly unappreciated.If you feel that your efforts are not appraised even though you are a low profile type of person, You would want to be appreciated and be recognized for your contribution. Nevertheless , If you feel that you are confident enough , then seek an organization where you get what you deserve.

5.You got a better offer.You have no plans of leaving the company, the work is good and you are doing well. But wait, you are doing too well that other companies came knocking at your door.You could stay as and do what you had to or you explore other options where you get an offer that will make not only you but your family as well a little happier by having extra.

6.You are overqualified for the job. You felt that you could manage the whole team, Lead the way and ready for the big game. But wait, there is no slot available for higher position unless someone retire.Then why settle for being a sergeant when you could lead the whole company into the battlefield.

7.You lost your dignity as an employee.You are caught doing some illegal activity that compromises the image of the company. You can stay and face the consequence yet you lost all your dignity and the peoples respect around you or you could quit as a try to start again and hopefully not to screw up this time.

8.There is no growth with your present job.You have reached the position as a manager, But then next is the owners position for you are in a small company. The organization is simple and small.You felt like you could still achieve more. Then go for the big league.

9. The boat is sinking. Do not be left behind.They say that the captain is the last one to leave a sinking boat.In most cases you are not the captain, you one of the crew who did his best yet the boat kept on sinking. Maybe its time to consider other options a more stable one.

Been Here too long? Maybe Its time to get notice.

2011-04-08T05:51:00.000-07:00

Holding the same position for so long?

I have been in a team building meeting and here are some pointers that I picked up.
If you have been performing well doing the same job or job with the same capacity at the same position,
and got fed up why nobody in the management recognizes your contribution to the company.
Maybe its time to make some noise!
Patience is a virtue.. But even when waiting we loose our patience , or we just do not have the time to wait.
For those who are happy performing the same job till retirement,then theres no problem.
But for those who has a little bit of interest to gain a higher position then maybe you have to take some steps.
Brag about your accomplishments.
At a good timing where a manager can hear you, speak up and let the people know what you did.
Just be certain that those task are accredited mainly on your efforts rather than collective as a team.
and be careful not to exaggerate or twist some facts.
Entertain other opportunities.
Some of the companies doesn't realize the role of a dependable person unless he is leaving that way the management will realize the impact of your presence and offer something in exchange for your tenure.
The key is if you are waiting for so long and that you feel that its time to move to the next level. Break the silence, brag about what you have done and get noticed.

Take a vacation..

2011-03-18T07:47:00.000-07:00

After Working Hard 5 times a week 8 hours a day..

Its time to give yourself a reward, Take a day or two for a vacation. Go out of town, Go to the beach,
Read your books, watch some movies.
Yes, vacation is important to as a means of relieving stress.
Even computers need to be turned off or re started sometimes so does a human mind.
It may not mean alot. You may even leave some work behind and get some backlogs..
But still work will always be there and if you were not there then someone else will do it.
Then when you come back , Recharged full of energy and ready to face new challenges with
a lighter face and a lesser wrinkles.

Know the people you work with..

2011-02-25T06:22:00.000-08:00

Do you know the people you worked with?

Working 5 days a week, 8 hours a day.. 40 hours a week and you don't even know the person around you?
It always said that it is important to keep a professional relationship with those you work with.
But would it hurt if you know them a little more?
Get to know them.
Why?
The way I see it there is more advantage to it than disadvantage.
You could get a little assistance even if it is out of scope of your officemate and will be given out of good will.
You will get little favors.They get to stand up for you.
In short giving your working environment a little ease.
How do you do that?
Well get to know what they are into. The trends in the office.
If that doesn't fit to your character, Try short greetings and short conversations.
These things are not being taught but it is good to know that you have to be nice to your officemates for your own benefit.

Taking your work at home?

2011-02-01T05:40:00.000-08:00

Taking your work at home?

Many people experience this kind of problem. Some literally take their job at home and work on it. Bring files in soft and hard copy to work on all night. What about who don’t take the physical files home, don't bring or computer yet upon arriving home their mind is constantly working on the job they left behind.

Yes this is true. Some people may not bring their calculator and external disc drives home yet their mind is still occupied, and will not stop thinking about work. One thing I could suggest about this is to divert your attention, find a hobby that will completely occupy your time this hobby could be watching your favorite game on ESPN, play your x-box, do your garden, and do some oil painting, anything that catches your interest. Remember our mind needs to rest and relax in order to be effective the next day.

Most Common Interview Questions

2010-11-26T04:43:00.000-08:00

What are the most common interview questions?
Passing an Interview needs a lot of preparation and it is best to expect the worse and hope for the best.
Here are some of the most commonly asked interview questions to give you an idea how to answer them.
1.Why did you decide to apply for the position.
The Interviewer wants to ask whether your interest in the position is genuine and not just a matter of need for a job.
2.Why did you decide to apply with the company, What are your impression of the company.?
To correctly answer this, you must first research on the company's background ,profile, and size of operation, nature of business, It also asks you why did you choose to work this company instead of its competitors, If you cannot answer this, you might not get the job.
3.Why did you leave your last company?
This will give the interviewer an idea what would make you leave and the reasons that made you left, thus it is best to give a safe answer to this one, but not lying about the reason for there are background investigations that might contradict your first statement and make you loose your spot.In answering this question, be careful not to discredit your last company for it will give the interviewer the impression that you might do the same when you leave.
4.What are your strengths and weaknesses?
This is a trick question, Giving to much of your weakness might show your incapabilities,however this could be an opportunity to turn this around, you can tell some of your characteristics and make them appear as a weakness whereas it is really a strength, Either way, there is no wrong answer here,it is only a matter of knowing yourself and how much you want your company to expect from you.
5.What are your plans after the next five years?
It is best to think big, five years is a long time and companies would want to hire a future manager than an expert of the job working for the same job in the last five years.
These are just tips, the main goal is to be prepared for an interview, know your resume, your achievements and your job responsibilities from your past jobs.

Most Common Interview Questions

2010-11-24T04:30:00.001-08:00

New at work? Ask questions..

2010-11-03T06:45:00.000-07:00

What to do if you are new in a company?
Here are some tips to make you stay in a company productive at an early time.
If you are new to a company, It is quite difficult to start a work.Whatever your job is starting in a new company is quite a challenge.
If your work is based on factory that depends on a Technical ,and Skills oriented it is easy to observe and know the flow of the work.
To learn more about the factory where you are gonna be working in, just follow the material flow. It is the easiest way of knowing what your company is engage into -if you are in a manufacturing company.This way chances are you are going to be involved in one of the processes of producing a part of the whole product.But what about knowing more? Then ask questions.
When asking a question be careful not to sound too proud or to look like "Mr know it all" when giving your statements,and also try to keep your negative criticism to yourself and save if for a better time.Most of the skilled workers would not be cooperative about you asking a lot of questions , it gives them the idea that you are there to replace them rather than to help, but these will change once you learn to earn their trust, They will teach you the fastest ,most efficient at least for their level of experience in doing the specific job, also they will share valuable insights and safety precautionary measures that you should be aware of. Some of these are working guidelines that are not documented. The key is humility, of course it easy to teach a humble person than a guy who thinks he knows better than a man working years.
What about if your working environment is a desk,a computer and what you have is a theoretical example of many things but no actual practice? This is more difficult, you may find it hard to observe how things are done for they are not easily seen as every computer monitor shows a different view, application and some are complex numbers and diagrams. Where to start? The first thing to find is the Documents. Documents or department files are created a medium from one person to another to know what is going on inside your department or section. It may seemed complicated but at least it will give you an idea what the company is doing and what role you are going to play.When you are through with the documents, lots of questions will arise and you might want to clear them up. You will be surprised to find out how simple things are when they are explained to you by someone rather than reading them on text.Then again ask questions in a humble manner, do not be afraid to ask even the question whom anyone in the company would say "stupid question" because everyone knows the answer, yet it is better than committing a stupid mistake because of not asking anyone's help.

Career Shifting?

2010-10-25T07:00:00.000-07:00

Planning on doing a career Shifting?
Here are some things you should know and expect if you are planning to career shift.
What is career shifting?
Basically career shifting is deviating from your chosen job that you have been practicing over the years.
What makes people career shift varies for everyone. But one thing is true, the farther the job (the difference of nature from your expertise) is the more risk there is and chances of succeeding in career shift is minimal.
Before you decide on career shifting, There are things that you have to consider.
Like in any gamble, you must have mechanics to gear up towards another type of career.
If you are thinking of going in Sales, you have to consider your ability to communicate effectively, convince people and personal charisma.
If you are thinking on going into Freelancing, you must at least a pool of clients to whom you can get your contracts.
If you are consider going into Culinary arts, you must be prepared to take the challenges of being creative with your dishes.
If you are thinking you going into Information Technology coming from a non computer background, better be prepared to take trainings and lots of them.
You must also consider your personal limitations. Time.These are the time you have since shifting into a different career means going back to zero whereas your previous work experience may not have weight on the new one.Resources.These involves your financial capability to acquire full time trainings that could take months or even years,Your ability to learn new knowledge required by the field and to adapt to new working environment. If you are really planning to proceed with career shifting, These could require planning, on the other hand time is of the essence for the longer you wait, the chances are getting slimmer based on the competition, therefore the earlier you proceed the better. Know the field, the basic requirements, going to advance and gain sufficient skills to compete with other entry level applicants.If your chosen career requires lots of training then you better save up.If your chosen career requires improved communication skills the practice your tongue everyday.Career shifting does not happen overnight if it does then it is uncommon for everyone else, Preparation is the key to getting in your dream job.

Coming Home from a Contract Work

2010-10-16T07:00:00.000-07:00

Coming Home from a Contract Work.
Have you ever experienced working on a contract basis? or working on a contract basis offshore?
Are you an experienced offshore worker?
A person will not accept offshore work if it not that the work offers above average incentive.
Considering the difficulties that one has to bear working away from his love ones yet many people choose to take this chance.In exchange one has to enjoy a monthly salary that is equivalent to more than three times when working on his own country. With this amount, family back home may enjoy the perks of the having enough to spend and have a better quality of life.
If you are working offshore and sending almost every penny that you earn back home, then don't..
Chances are there not much left for savings..
If you are working on a contract basis which gives you a couple or more of months in
"out of contract" then you should consider saving while your on a contract.
Consider the following factor how long will it be till you can have another contract? In that case your savings must be equivalent or greater than your expenses during that period.During the period of which you are out of job (contract) there are personal investment or expenses that you have to satisfy that is additional training, working permit,licenses, certification and processing fees.These should be part of your savings.
If you are thinking that your family back home could save some for the rainy days. Think again.
It is better that you , the bread winner saving "some" every payday ,would be a lot easier since you know how hard it is to earn it.

Competition at work

2010-10-11T07:00:00.000-07:00

How do you handle work related competition?
We cannot deny that once in our career we will be obliged to take on a competition.
Competition is everywhere and is common among peers. Bear in mind that the it is natural and one should not hold grudges against the competition. It is better to concentrate one's effort on developing his own skills and talent. rather than putting ones effort to discredit on your competitor. Your competitor might have some skills that you do not possess same is true that you have some skills that you can used to edge your competition. Keep a clean competition and a clean conscience remember, it is how you play the game that matters rather winning the competition at a cost too great.

Don't be late..

2010-10-04T06:13:00.000-07:00

Ever wonder why other employees get promoted so quickly?
Why their salary increase is a little bit higher than usual?
It is because of the basic performance matrix that supervisors or other performance auditors check.
What does it mean? These are set of criteria which the company has set in order to rate the employees performance, different companies has different criteria, a service company has a different criteria from a car manufacturing company as well as the type of function that an employee performs. But what is common is reliability, this involves the number of absences in a year or a month depending on the period of assessment and the number of late.Of course your the department manager would not notice you being absent for a day, It is just your supervisor that will be concerned,but what about late? In other cases being late is even worse than absent. You get in the office attract unnecessary attention, apologize yet already getting that much attention from everyone. Being late once a month is acceptable but if you are late once every week you are considered tardy.These will reflect your matrix, your score cards. To avoid being late, back track your activities from the time you arrive at the office to your travel time and your daily morning routines.If you move slow in the morning then you'll have to wake up earlier, If you cant wake up earlier then sleep earlier, It is all in the process of adjusting your time to meet your grace period.If you end up shutting down the alarm clock after it rang and go back to sleep, then you should have another alarm clock that will ring five minutes later.This way when your first alarm ring, your mind will tell you that you still have a few minutes of nap yet it will anticipate the next ring,thus keeping you awake, before you know it, its automatic! even if the second alarm failed to ring at your expected time, you will wake up and get up because your mind is set up on hearing two alarm clocks in the morning.

Where to find jobs?

2010-09-29T07:01:00.000-07:00

Where to find your next job?
Based on my experience there are several ways to find your next job.
1. Newspaper and Magazine: This is the most typical and common way of searching your next job.
2. Internet: This is one of the fastest most convenient way of searching for a job and at the same time applying for it at an instant.
3. Job Fairs: Expect the long lines and crowd,tough competition but also expect an immediate interview and if you are lucky expect the job offer the same day!
4. TV and Radio programs: Usually they would announce vacancy and would tell you how to apply.
5.Family and Friends: Not many people realize this that referral is a very powerful tool. If you are friendly enough to chat with a friend whom you just bumped into, you might know that they have an opening at their company and would like to refer you. This is your chance jump ahead of the line of those walk in applicants and be entertained especially if your referrer is doing very well in the company.

Working abroad on a month to a year contract

2010-09-22T19:12:00.000-07:00

Working abroad

Working abroad or working offshore is never easy. If you are single, well this could lead to a better experience, on the other hand if you are in a relationship, this could turn into a turmoil if not handle well. If you have a family this could be the most difficult part. Especially when your job assignment leads to a month to a year. No matter what the case is, there are things that is common for both in a relationship or a family guy.

You must keep the communication line open. This will make your love ones feel that though you're far away, yet you're nearby and can easily be accessed and talk to any time.With the current technology at hand there is no excuse for you not to be reached anywhere you are. There are times that your love ones would want to talk to you about their happiness, sadness and just to feel that your presence, It best not to deny them of that pleasure cause you would want them to answer the phone anytime you call.

Do not forget that you went offshore for a work not a vacation. Most people tend to mix work with pleasure when away, thus leading to unnecessary pressure.

Divert your attention; it is wise to keep a journal of your stay to keep your mind busy or collect pictures or souvenirs, little things that will remind you of this experience or a gift to your family when you come home.

Every body loves a gift.

Socialize, If you have to work on a different country it is an opportunity to learn new things about their culture and society and meet new friends, but then again, This is just to keep you busy and also will allow you to share stories of your experience when your back home but remember your limitations after all you are a visitor.

The most difficult part of working away off shore is missing your love ones, that is why I laid out some things as some tips in case you ever had the chance to work abroad. I hope this will help you get over months of being away from home. Of course working with more than a year is another story.

It does not hurt to smile at work.

2010-09-17T04:00:00.000-07:00

Ever wonder why you don't have that much friends at work?
Why your network revolve only a few officemates?
Well if you are satisfied with what you have right now and never had the feeling of ever wondering why some of the people in the office has so many friends in different departments, that's fine,but if you'd like to.. then you should start smiling.
If you find it hard to greet in the morning when you came across with someone on your way to your work station.Then why not trying to smile instead, its not much but its much better than greeting someone with sarcasm,yet a more simple one is a little nod, just to acknowledge the presence of someone. You will see, it will all start with a smile, then you'd feel at ease and also it will give others the impression that you are a friendly guy and would also return the smile, and before you know it, another friend has been added to your network,of course getting through a conversation is another story

Things you must do before you leave your job

2010-09-13T07:00:00.000-07:00

You have carefully considered and the only option is to quit the job..
But wait,
Who is gonna do your job when you leave?
What are your pending transactions?
Normally since you are quitting your job, you would not care much what happen to the position and the responsibilities your leaving behind,But as an act of professionalism,you must care , a responsible person will make it sure that leaving will be as smooth as possible and that your unit or department's operation will not be hampered. After you left the company, it is not yet over, for what you did or how gracefully you left will be known to your new company with the process of background checking.So before you leave, make sure you leave properly.

How good is your future company?

2010-09-09T00:16:00.000-07:00

Can you tell how good the company is?

Normally if you are looking for a position in the company, there things that you need to do in order to meet the requirements for the position,

These are researching about the company: brief but important history of the company, size of its operation, network and affiliates, preparing for the interview and exam.

But how can you tell how good the company is during the application process?

Here are some pointers.

When you arrive at the company premises during your first interview, were you attended by the front liner instantly?
How many hours have you waited before being interviewed? Were you constantly updated are reminded in case that you have to wait?
Were you given directions regarding the recruitment process?
During the interview were you told what to expect of in terms of benefits a regular employee?

A good company is an organized company regardless of the size; the recruitment process is gives the applicant the first impression of the company and it is also a means of saying “go ahead invite your friends to join us”.

Lastly a good company will not let you wait to hear the bad news. Your time is important and no matter what the outcome of your application, the sooner you know it the better.

After all the only way to break a bad news is to do it quickly.

Taking out the routine on your job.

2010-09-07T21:56:00.000-07:00

Each day a man complains that he is doing almost the same thing for 10 years.

He said "I've been doing the same job since I started the company.."
Then I wondered.Did he ever tried changing his routine?
Taking new challenges?Asking his supervisor for a change of job function,
for additional responsibilities,taking risks?
I could say that there could be two reasons that I could come up why someone would be stock up with the same job for several years:
1.Satisfaction ? could be that you are satisfied with what you do and would plan of doing for more years.3
2.Afraid of taking risk?Of course additional work means additional responsibility and accountability.May be you are too afraid to take risk specially when you know the impact of responsibility to your career.
In that case.May be a little look within oneself would determine why we are where we are and no boss will ignore a potential leader however of a stubborn it may be.It pays to take a little risk from time to time.

Interview tips

2010-09-07T03:20:00.000-07:00

Here are some tips that would help an applicant for an interview.
1.Know the company.Before going on an interview it is important to at least know some things about the company. The products or services it provides. The company's goal and objectives. The number of employee and its operations.
2.Know your resume.It is a good habit to keep track of the details of your accomplishment and to memorize each detail with accuracy.During the interview, chances are questions will arise from what is written in your resume and it will help avoid an embarrassing situation where you can't remember details about yourself.
3. Expect the unexpected. There is always a big question in every interview.

Before Quitting a job..

2010-09-06T23:57:00.000-07:00

Based on my experiences,Quitting a job is never easy specially when your only source of income depends on it.

However, for some reason for those who wanted to quit your job, here are the some things that you might want to consider.
1. Reason for quitting. Obviously the main reason is you are no longer satisfied with your current job,but is this the only reason?or maybe quitting is not the only solution perhaps a change of attitude towards your work would do it.Take into consideration that during the process of applying for the next job interview, this question my come up "why did you quit your job?".
2. Are you prepared to quit? No matter how hard it has been for you with your present work, with your difficult boss, tiresome schedule, traffic and robotic routine, there is still the question, are you ready to quit? will your finance last until your next job?What will you do if you are unable to meet your expected deadline of acquiring the next job?
3. Is this the right time to quit?Consider your market value, if you think that your present job has not yet added years to your experience then maybe you should wait a little more.

Preparations for quitting a job.
If quitting a job is irrevocable then it does not hurt to be prepared for the worst.Save a lot and consider multiple options and different career paths.Also if you are able to find a new job without before quitting your present job, that could save you a lot of risk.If your company allows an indefinite leave or leave without pay, then utilize these breaks to find your new job.

What to expect of my blog.

2010-09-06T23:31:00.000-07:00

Hi guys,
To start with as my title goes, Working Duke implies, that I would be sharing thoughts and ideas mainly about , looking for work, working in a foreign country,work related issues and also the pain of the process of looking for work,interviews, examinations and asking for the right salary and getting started with the job.
Feel free to express your thoughts and opinion that will enrich our discussion and help our dear friends who are in need for pieces of advise and tips.

working duke