PC GEEKS

10 Tips for Interview Success

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 21:48:00 +0000

he first 30 seconds of a job interview are the most important - so if you want to be a cut above the rest you need to be on the ball. Rob Yeung, a business psychologist, maintains that an interview is all about the three Ps. "You need to prepare, you need to practise, and then, on the day, you need to perform."

Here are 10 tips for interview success.

1. First impressions count
Greet your interviewer with a smile and firm handshake. Give eye contact. Try to make small talk during the walk from the reception area to the interview room. Liz Anderson, a human resources manager says, "You have to sell yourself before you can sell anything else and the first 30 seconds are when the interviewer subconsciously makes decisions about whether they like you or not and whether you will fit into the team."

2. Be prepared
Re-read your CV and the job advert just before the interview. Do your research thoroughly: Look at the company Web site or obtain literature. You may be asked about the salary you are after so make sure you research that as well.

3. Don’t waffle
Answer questions properly - even if you need a few moments’ silence to collect your thoughts. Anderson advises, "It’s better to say you need a minute to think about your answer rather than speak instantly and regret it afterwards."

4. Why should they hire you?
Most job adverts will list qualities they’re looking for - a team worker, a good communicator – so it’s up to you to think of examples of how you can demonstrate these skills. Be ready to talk about your knowledge, experience, abilities and skills. Have at least three strong points about yourself that you can relate to the company and job on offer.

5. Be positive
Your interviewer will be thinking about what it would be like to work with you, so the last thing they’ll want to hear is you talking about your boss or current colleagues behind their back. Interviewers like to see someone who enjoys a challenge and is enthusiastic.

6. Remember your body language
It is not what you say, but how you say it. During the interview, do not fold your arms and lean back or look to the floor! Sit upright and try to maintain good eye contact. Use your hands and lean forward when making a point. Many people cannot think and control their body language at the same time, which is why you need to prepare.

7. Expect the unexpected
Your interviewer may try to catch you off guard: A survey by OfficeAngels has revealed that 90 per cent of employers ask 'killer' questions in interviews. It is impossible to plan for every difficult question, such as “How would your colleagues describe you?” but try to appear relaxed and in control. Ask the interviewer to repeat the question if necessary but do not evade it. Hopefully you will not befall the fate of those job candidates at B&Q who were asked to dance to “Blame it on the Boogie”!

8. Develop rapport
Show energy, a sense of humour and smile. Jean Smith, a social anthropologist says: "It's infectious, being positive and enthusiastic." Ask your interviewer questions about themselves and any issues the business is facing.

9. Clarify anything you are unsure of
If you are not certain what are meant by a particular question, ask for clarification. At the end, ask the interviewer if there is anything else he or she needs to know about. Do not be afraid to ask when you are likely to hear if you have been successful or not.

10. Remember your manners
It is better to choose than to be chosen. Tell the interviewer why you are interested in the company and job opportunity. Ask them for a business card and follow it up by sending a "thank-you" e-mail or letter, saying how much you enjoyed meeting them and how interested you are. Take the opportunity to detail the key advantages you bring.

By following the three Ps - prepare, practise and perform, you can turn yourself into a candidate who would not look out of place on “The Apprentice.”

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 18:07:00 +0000

Flash memory are widely available with reasonable prices , it available as iPOD , Memory sticks , Mobile phone cards and memory sticks .
One the most common problem for such hardware removing it after use on PC , which may cause damage of either data or flash itself if done in a wrong way .

For this issue , users usually use safely remove hardware from tray to remove it which unfortunately are not effective .

To avoid losing of date or flash memory itself i recommended using of one of the following tools

USB Ejector :
Small and effective tool to remove your flash memory smoothly ( you can even store it on your flash device )
EjectUSB :
l Portable and allows you to remove your device even if it undergo using by your system .

Test your connection speed

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 17:52:00 +0000

Testing of your connection speed is one of the most important issue , this can be accomplished with using of the following site

Test your connection speed

Which allows you to test both upload and download speed , i had tested mine go and test yours .

Open Multi Yahoo messenger without any 3rd party software

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 16:53:00 +0000

Many of us have more than account on Yahoo service , sometimes opening more than one account ( E-mail ) on Yahoo messenger is required .

In the following , i will show you how to allow open of several Yahoo messengers via editing fo registry ( note that wrong editing may destroy your Windows - so be careful )

From RUN type REGEDIT and press enter.
At left side panel go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER > Software > Yahoo > Pager > Test
Then add a new DWORD value at the right side ( Right click > New > DWORD Value )
Name it plural
Right click on it and select Modify
Change Value data from 0 to 1 and press OK
Exit Registry editor and enjoy multiple messenger .

To avoid registry damage use this key ( Download it , run it and enjoy )

How to write a self evaluation

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 15:18:00 +0000

How do you write a self-evaluation without sounding either pompous or self-effacing? And one that will still benefit you in your career? Be strategically honest. Use select facts to build the correct impression without saying anything untrue. This article will outline a systematic approach to showing how valuable you are as an employee.

Steps:

Look at the projects you have been working on. Using a spreadsheet program, type in the name of every successful project in column A. (If you don't have a spreadsheet program, you can follow these steps with a pen and paper.)

Go to column B,and write an action verb(s) that summarizes your contribution to the project. Examples:
1. "Created"
2. "Designed"
3. "Improved"
4. "Compiled"
5. "Completed on time" - can be used for a large and cumbersome project
6. "Increased efficiency"
Go to the right of that and write down the larger purpose of the project within the scope of the company. Examples:
1. "aid with next year's projections"
2. "satisfy customer request"
3. "analyze operations efficiency"
4. "bargaining tool"
5. "help colleague so they can do X and Y easier"
Go to the right of the purpose, write down the management's reaction to your work. Examples:
1. praise
2. bestow more responsibility
3. ask to continue/develop project due to usefulness
4. make managerial decision based on information you provided
Look at the third column, purpose. At this point, you can rearrange your list based on the purpose of the project. This will make it easier to transition from one project to the next when you put it into paragraph form. Group projects that have the same or similar purposes together.
Combine the four columns into coherent sentences and throw in transitions, such as:
1. similarly
2. therefore
3. furthermore
4. consequently
5. shortly after
Separate sentences into paragraphs by purpose so that each paragraph exemplifies how you've helped a particular aspect of the company. If you can get three paragraphs together, you have effectively helped the company with a great number of things and you are a very useful employee.
Start a new spreadsheet.
Go to the first column, write down any kind of education pertaining to work you received in the last year.
Go to the right, write one applicable thing from every learning experience. Example:
1. "importance of budgeting"
Continue to the next column by writing down what you learned from working at your job. Be specific. Examples:
1. "use filters in Quickbooks"
2. "effectively communicate with supervisor"
3. "keep track of deadlines with Outlook calendar"
Go to the right, write down how what you learned will improve performance at your job in the future.
1. "produce accurate reports quickly"
2. "guarantee project requirements are met"
3. "ensure timely completion"
Note, that as above, combine into coherent sentences. The result: you are motivated individual eager to gain new skills and improve efficiency. You should now have a solid, truthful and informative self-evaluation.
Usually, you will top it off by elaborating on areas you are planning to improve in. In order to do that, follow the steps for education in reverse. Put the effect you want to achieve first and steps you plan on taking to achieve it second. You can put the overall company purpose third, depending on your position in the company. If you are a cashier, the goal of getting to work on time is mostly personal (so that you don't get fired) and putting down that it will improve store efficiency is unwise in this section, even if appropriate in the first. Throw together a paragraph. You are now someone who recognizes his faults and works hard at them. Example:
1. Effect - "get to work on time"
2. Plan - "carpool with Jeff"
1. "Recognizing the importance of getting to work on time every day, I have arranged to carpool with a very punctual coworker, Jeff Marks, starting next week.

Tips :

Plan your next evaluation with your manager by setting specific goals and how you will be evaluated on those goals (metrics). Agree on how you will be rated depending on the results. That way, the evaluation will be pre-agreed.
Have at least quarterly meetings with your manager to discuss your progress and ask how you can improve. If appropriate, agree on new goals that you will put on your self-evaluation.
Do this with even the most minuscule achievements/plans and your self-evaluation will shine without resorting to lying, bragging, or humbling.
If you've been with the same organization for a long time, specify when you made your individual contributions so that your progress can be tracked.
Use the content regarding achievements, contributions and training to enhance and update your resume as it is often difficult to remember everything you've done.

Make your own portable Ubuntu Linux USB flash

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 13:40:00 +0000

Have you ever dreamed to have your own portable OS , this tutorial enables you to install, boot and run Ubuntu 7.10 (Gutsy Gibbon) from a USB flash drive. In addition to installing Ubuntu to a USB device and then booting Ubuntu from the emory stick , this tutorial will enable you to automatically save your changes and settings back to the thumb drive and further restore them on each boot using a second "casper-rw" persistent partition. The tutorial was written for those already familiar with working from Ubuntu or another Linux desktop environment. If you do not have access to or prefer not to use a Windows computer, this Ubuntu Linux on a stick tutorial is for you.

Ubuntu 7.10 takes slightly longer to boot than previous releases. However, once it's up and running, it performs much better than running from the Live CD.

USB Ubuntu 7.10 Essentials:

Ubuntu7.10 ISO
CD Burner
1GB USB flash drive (2GB+ recommended)
U710fix.tar

Ubuntu 7.10 USB installation tutorial:

Hint: You can drastically speed up the install by Copying and Pasting most commands into the terminal instead of manually typing them out. With the exception of replacing x with your drive letter.

Grab the Ubuntu 7.10 ISO and burn it to a CD
Insert the CD and your USB flash drive
Reboot your computer into Ubuntu from the Live CD
Open a terminal window and type sudo su
Type fdisk -l to list available drives/partitions. Note which device is your flash drive (example: /dev/sda) Throughout this tutorial, replace x with your flash drive letter. For example, if your flash drive is sdb, replace x with b.
Type umount /dev/sdx1
Type fdisk /dev/sdx

type p to show the existing partition and d to delete it
type p again to show any remaining partitions (if partitions exist, repeat the previous step)
type n to make a new partition
type p for primary partition
type 1 to make this the first partition
hit enter to use the default 1st cylinder
type +750M to set the partition size
type a to make this partition active
type 1 to select partition 1
type t to change the partition filesystem
type 6 to select the fat16 file system
type n to make another new partition
type p for primary partition
type 2 to make this the second partition
hit enter to use the default cylinder
hit enter again to use the default last cylinder
type w to write the new partition table

Type umount /dev/sdx1 to ensure the 1st partition is unmounted
Type mkfs.vfat -F 16 -n ubuntu710 /dev/sdx1 to format the first partition
Type umount /dev/sdx2 just to ensure the 2nd partition is unmounted
Type mkfs.ext2 -b 4096 -L casper-rw /dev/sdx2 to format the second partition
Remove and Re-insert your flash drive
Back at the terminal, type apt-get update
Type apt-get install syslinux mtools
Type syslinux -sf /dev/sdx1
Type cd /cdrom
Type cp -rf casper disctree dists install pics pool preseed .disk isolinux/* md5sum.txt README.diskdefines ubuntu.ico casper/vmlinuz casper/initrd.gz /media/ubuntu710/

Ignore any "cannot create symbolic link" errors

Type cd /home/ubuntu
Type wget ceasergeek.googlepages.com/U710fix.zip
Type unzip -o -d /media/ubuntu710/ U710fix.zip
Restart your computer, set your BIOS or Boot menu to boot from the USB device and reboot again.

You should now have a USB Ubuntu 7.10 Gutsy Gibbon flash drive that should automatically save your changes, restoring them on boot.

NOTE :

If your having trouble getting Ubuntu to boot, your memory stick may have a corrupted MBR. To repair the MBR of your USB device, at the terminal type sudo apt-get install lilo then type lilo -M /dev/sdx (replacing x with the letter of your flash device)

Linux is now a little easier with Wubi

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 12:18:00 +0000

There is much debate with Linux concerning it’s usability for common people. The install pretty much puts folks into 2 categories - the Linux sucks crowd and the Linux is awesome crowd. I would be in the Linux sucks crowd.

The reason Linux sucks is that nothing works easily and you have to relearn computing. I have things I want to do on the computer and configuring the computer is never on the list. Right from the install you will have problems and you’re only reasonable resolve is to go to forums and search. If you ask any uneducated questions they’ll tell you to read the manual and that you lack intelligence. The “manual” is a mind-boggling reference that is as loosely put together with non-descript terminology as the forums. It’s not that Linux itself sucks, it’s that it is a highly unfinished project. It works great once you jump through enough hoops to make it work. If you can get a piece of software to work in Linux, the performance gains will make you want to forget about Microsoft, even when you’re using Microsoft programs on Linux.

The first hurdle to Linux is the install. Wubi is the answer. Simply go to there website with a good Internet connection, download the installer, and let Wubi do the install for you. You no longer need to partition a drive to make room for Linux and risk losing your Windows install. Currently, the install I could get to work was Ubuntu, but their site claims to allow any other operating system to install with Wubi. No such luck when I tried.

Like all things Linux, there are thousands of options and they all have a different set of pluses and minuses. I’m not sure what they are for Ubuntu installed with Wubi yet. The most important note for truckers is that there is no easy install for aircards, however wifi did work well up the initial install. I tried to get my Verizon aircard to work by following numerous different tutorials, but after a few hours, I give!

I would recommend trying to get Linux going with Wubi simply because you should have an alternate operating system available. You can get Linux on a thumb drive or CD that requires no install, but they are slow and you’re not likely to use it enough to learn Linux. If you have it on your computer, you can get proficient enough with it to investigate problems. For example, if you’re computer will not boot in Windows, but it does boot fine in Linux, you know you have a serious Microsoft problem and that your hardware is working fine. You can also fix drive problems with Linux that you cannot with Windows. If you have a good repair person that knows Linux, he’ll cut you a break for already having Linux installed.

Wubi will give you all the basic programs you need like web browsers, a standard office suite, and some games. You don’t get an increase in connection speed of course, but your computer will operate so much faster that it will feel like the Web is moving quicker.

There are always risks when installing an operating system so make sure anything important is backed up, then start your Linux adventure. Like all things Linux, the names of everything are strange and it’s free.

Revo uninstaller ( Freeware )

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 18:21:00 +0000

Revo Uninstaller helps you to uninstall and remove unwanted programs installed on your computer even if you have problems uninstalling and cannot uninstall them from "Windows Add or Remove Programs" control panel applet.

Revo Uninstaller is much faster and more powerful alternative to "Windows Add or Remove Programs" applet!

With its advanced and fast algorithm, Revo Uninstaller analyzes an application's data before uninstall and scans after you uninstall an application. After the program's regular uninstaller runs, you can remove additional unnecessary files, folders and registry keys that are usually left over on your computer. Even if you have a broken installation, Revo Uninstaller scans for an application's data on your hard disk drives and in the Windows registry and shows all found files, folders and registry keys so you can delete them.

With its unique "Hunter mode", Revo Uninstaller offers you some simple, easy to use, but effective and powerful approaches to manage (uninstall, stop, delete, disable from auto starting) and to get information about your installed and/or running programs.

Revo Uninstaller gives you another 8 handy and powerful tools to clean up your system.

Here are the list of all of the tools and utilities that are included:

Auto Start Manager - stop programs that start automatically when Windows starts; Speed up loading of Windows!

Windows Tools Manager - handy and useful tools bundled with every version of Windows; Easily find useful system tools and options!

Junk Files Cleaner - find and remove unnecessary files from your computer; Free up disk space and delete data you do not need!

Browsers History Cleaner - erase the web site history, visited pages history and temporary internet files of Firefox, Internet Explorer, Netscape and Opera web browsers; Free up a lot of disk space by deleting temporary internet files like temporary saved videos, flash files, pictures etc!

Office History Cleaner - remove the history of most recently used files in MS Office; Remove your tracks by deleting the list of last opened MS Office documents!

Windows History Cleaner - remove the history of recently opened files, delete temporary files, remove usage tracks and other history items that are saved by Windows; Remove your tracks saved by windows for a lot of operations!

Unrecoverable Delete Tool - erase files and folders forever; Be sure that nobody could recover your files and folders after deleting!

Evidence Remover - make sure already deleted files, folders and other data are unrecoverable;

Download

Ubuntu Linux

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 15:34:00 +0000

Hey Guys , this time I got my hands on Ubuntu Linux.
Ubuntu Linux is the Best Desktop Solution from linux that I have ever seen. You can download Ubuntu Linux from www.ubuntu.com . Installation is very smooth - it boot into a live desktop before you start installation - from which you can check out most of the installed S/W. Even after you have started the Installation, it asks you very few questions - the keyboard type - region - how do you want to partition the hard drive - and finally users and password. The installation almost took an hour.

use the advanced functionality of some of the hardware for which proper Linux drivers were not released - you will have to enable restricted drivers. I will come to that later, but first the features that it comes loaded with - Open office Suit -for all your office documents, Firefox - Web Browsing, Evolution - email, Gimp - graphics editing, some games, and a few other standard programs. It comes integrated with Samba - and picks up any windows network in jiffy.
You should not have any problems again with your peripherals like printers and smart phones and cameras, if Ubuntu does not have a driver on it, it will try and search and download by itself. Only if you are using some very rare kind of hardware, is that you will run into trouble.
There is an interesting part in add remove programs under preferences - Restricted download and community maintained download. A lot of current applications and drivers that we use under Windows are copyrighted material. Like for example the DVD - decoding codecs or the MP3 codecs or some of the drivers for Nvidia Graphics. Since none of the copyright holders are willing give their stuff away for free - somebody sat and decompiled the windows version and wrote a new one for Linux. Once you enable the Restricted and community download - all this is available for automatic download and install.
And if you know how to play around with the configuration files - you can get a lot of other things to work - Like you can download WINE and install - which will allow you to run most of the standard windows programs on Linux (MS Office, Corel Draw, Adobe Photoshop, NFS), Get your multichannel sound working…

Try it out and leave me your comments…

What is Linux ?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 14:22:00 +0000

Linux (often pronounced LIH-nuhks with a short "i") is a Unix-like operating system that was designed to provide personal computer users a free or very low-cost operating system comparable to traditional and usually more expensive Unix systems. Linux has a reputation as a very efficient and fast-performing system. Linux's kernel (the central part of the operating system) was developed by Linus Torvalds at the University of Helsinki in Finland. To complete the operating system, Torvalds and other team members made use of system components developed by members of the Free Software Foundation for the GNU Project.

Linux is a remarkably complete operating system, including a graphical user interface, an X Window System, TCP/IP, the Emacseditor, and other components usually found in a comprehensive Unix system. Although copyrights are held by various creators of Linux's components, Linux is distributed using the Free Software Foundation's copyleftstipulations that mean any modified version that is redistributed must in turn be freely available.

Unlike Windows and other proprietary systems, Linux is publicly open and extendible by contributors. Because it conforms to the Portable Operating System Interface standard user and programming interfaces, developers can write programs that can be ported to other operating systems. Linux comes in versions for all the major microprocessor platforms including the Intel, PowerPC, Sparc, and Alpha platforms. It's also available on IBM's S/390. Linux is distributed commercially by a number of companies. A magazine, Linux Journal, is published as well as a number of books and pocket references.

Linux is sometimes suggested as a possible publicly-developed alternative to the desktop predominance of Microsoft Windows. Although Linux is popular among users already familiar with Unix, it remains far behind Windows in numbers of users. However, its use in the business enterprise is growing.

Linux is a contraction for Linus' Unix; the short i sound preferred by most (including Torvalds) derives from the Swedish pronunciation of Linus.