Learn to maintain a balance between Work and Family

Can you be a great leader and have a life, home, family too?

The answer is of course, an obvious yes. A mark of every great leader is that they know how to effectively divide their time, they know how to maintain a just work-home life balance.

Someone once said that time was like a suitcase, some can pack in more, while others just throw in whatever makes itself fit. A mark of a great leader is that they take the time to plan ahead for things that count, and are therefore able to keep up with both their commitments to their jobs as well as to their families.

A leader who has become great, did not manage to do so overnight. There has never been a great ‘overnight’ leader.

Great leaders have had to grow and mature to reach the stage they are at today. Had it not been for the years perhaps, of training and learning to dedicate time to that which counted, they may very well not be worthy of being called a ‘great leader’ today.

In short, yes, great leaders can have ‘a life’ too.

Talent counts more than knowledge in an interview

Facing an interview is more of a talent than knowledge, which can be acquired. While your knowledge, academics, and other qualifications play a major part in the hiring assessment, the appointment is still very much base on the judgment of the interviewer.

Interviewer decides whether to appoint you not only based on your credentials, but also on whether your persona will be healthy in their organisation. Often the interviewer’s go with their gut feelings on who will get the job offer. Try to speak what the interviewer wants to here. Go ahead and analyze the situation yourself before you are sitting in front of him!

During an interview, a highly nasty discussion can be on your previous job. Why are you leaving your present job? How do you evaluate your present organization? What do you think is an ideal working environment? Don’t look panicked when questioned on them. A fine way to deal with the most obvious question on why you are quitting your current job can be made comfortable if twisted to a group reason. Say a reason like, e.g., our department was consolidated or eliminated. This will save you from direct limelight of the issue. Be sure you don’t make stories. Act smart and prepare such answers in advance. Knowing the answer will make you comfortable in the uncomfortable situation also!

Have a positive attitude towards your present job. Don’t look annoyed while describing your previous organization. It can be a style of judgment that the recruiter is using to check your attitude. In reality you could be absolutely heart broken but hold your emotions. Be practical, the man you are talking to is not your girl friend that you can cry over all that went wrong. Take it all in the positive way.

To describe the best working condition according to you is just to know if you are mean for the organization. Don’t say people should be helpful, understanding and reliable. Talk from organization’s point of view. Say would be happy to work in a place where people are treated as fairly as possible. This is telling the recruiter how open you are to deal with tough situations. Interviewers need to be won over. They need to be convinced that you will be able to fix their troubles and help their company achieve its goals. One of the finest ways to answer interview questions is to use your career success stories. Career success stories are account of the crucial instant in your career when you conquered important challenges to succeed. These stories will create unforgettable impression of you.

In particular if you are interviewing for a new field or new job, make connection between your exceptional abilities and associated situations in the new field through the success you have achieved in the past.

Importance of Non Verbal Communication in an Interview

Whether you are in a social gathering or in an interview, the combination of verbal and non-verbal communication (gestures, postures and body language) is of utmost importance. On several occasions we tend to overlook the necessity of transmitting the right non-verbal signals and end up conveying wrong messages.

Employers always look at the candidate’s balance between non-verbal and verbal communication while conducting an interview. Certain non-verbal signals such as eye contact and overall body language are very important in their recruitment process. If they find a candidate constantly rolling his eyes or fidgeting, they immediately know that he’s lying.

For any recruiter it is crucial to keep in mind some of the basic non-verbal aspects:

1. Non-verbal first impression tools: The way you exchange cards, your handshake and eye contact – all create impact in the first few seconds of your interaction with the interviewers.

Also, pay attention to your attire and accessories as they too send quick non-verbal signals.

2. Posture: Although our sedentary lifestyles and constant use of technology gadgets have led to slouching and hunching for long hours, sitting/ standing upright during an interview signals – “I am confident” and “I am motivated to be with you”, signaling interest.

3. Fidgeting: Tapping your feet, drumming your fingers, doodling, touching your hair/ face – all conveys the same message “I would rather be somewhere else”. Instead minimise your body language gestures so that the interviewers can focus on your words and not get distracted by your non-verbal signals.

4. Physical space: People who are under-confident tend to shrink into their own bodies, reducing the space they take up physically and in the minds of their listeners. In an interview, sit confidently and use hand gesture

In case if any of the above non-verbal signal requirement is not met, the interviewer goes for cross-questioning rounds with the candidates. Over a period of time one can master the art of verbal communication. However, by putting the candidate in an uncomfortable zone through cross-questioning about past experience, recruiter can understand if the candidate is suited for the position. In several cases employers focus on the candidate’s overall presentation – starting from the time they enter the office premise to the time he leaves the recruiter’s room. Here, as the candidate remains unaware of their screening process to measure his non-verbal aptitude, employers end up getting valued information about him.

Though the weightage between verbal and non-verbal communication varies in different organizations, it is important to strike a balance between the two for a successful communication process. Companies are becoming more careful in their candidate selection process and even after recruitment the employees are provided with ongoing communication training to enhance the customer interaction level.

Ideal structure of performance appraisals in organizations

Performance appraisals can influence both employees and employers significantly. These ratings that decide who will be the next boss. Good performance ratings also go a long way in increasing the credibility of an organization and assuring employees that they will be treated fairly.

A well structured performance appraisal system gives the employee and employer a focused approach on deliverables and its measurements. Further, performance appraisal provides a scope to enhance the skills and competency of an employee through gap analysis and finds opportunity for recommendations to appropriate training and development programmes. The performance appraisal system also provides support and counseling interventions and is a platform for exchange of thoughts and ideas which adds to the enthusiasm and motivation of the employee, especially as in the spirit of belonging.

From an employee perspective, performance appraisal process presents a huge and equivalent opportunity to discuss performance and related issues as well as current and future prospects. Performance appraisal dialogue is the foundation on which the trust levels are established. Performance is directly linked to ones career prospects in an organization. Appraisals provide an opportunity to employees to discuss career prospects in terms of current and future.

Regular appraisals help employees understand their strengths and areas of improvement in order to achieve their career goals. The appraisal is also a platform for employees to share feedback about their manager and the organization. Performance appraisals help employees chart out their career path in consultation with their managers and optimise their goals in accordance with their skill sets and interest areas.

Each year’s performance appraisal is a step towards next year’s growth plan.

The organization must ensure that the appraisal framework designed promotes meritocracy with an open and a transparent approach and the employee too takes a balanced and a professional approach toward the same. Also, employees need to do enough of homework before getting into a discussion. Feedback during this process must be given and accepted to ensure that such contribution through this process not only impacts the employee but the organization at large. Hence, it is important that appraisers must have an ongoing training in the feedback process instead of just before the appraisal process.

Thus, performance appraisals help both employees and organizations and contribute to their growth and improvement in the long run.

6 Key Elements You Must Know While Writing Your Resume

A potential resume accentuates your achievements, your wok experience and educational qualifications along side escalating your expertise and dynamism. In today’s competitive world, even the best of educational qualification will not get you the job; you will have to persuade the recruiter during the interview. Your resume is a declaration of facts intended to highlight your exceptional combination of comprehension & talent to convince your employer.

1. Academic qualifications can build a striking resume. List them in reverse sequence, i.e., from most recent to least resent. If you are doing some part time or specialization at present, highlight it. Stating the year of graduation and post graduation is wise.

2. Accentuate your achievements. For successfully getting an interview call highlight all the reasons why must he call you in? It is your résumé’s crisp, attractive information that will persuade recruiter to call you for the interview. It’s the section to openly say why you are the best contender for this job!

3. State individually the Summer Training, Work Shops, Corporate Projects under taken. You must emphasize on all the areas clearly. Don’t mix them under one heading. Remember you will not assist the reader. He will read just as you have written. They will give you an edge if set correctly.

4. Glorifying your co-curricular achievements is a good step. This is one section where we must know how to restrict the information we are providing. Just don’t list all the little debate competitions you have attended. Just mention the prestigious ones where you have scored a good position. It can be in sports, arts, etc. this section will depict you as an all-rounder. When called for interview, remember carrying along all your certificates of achievement.

5. References will back bone your resume. Someone senior from the same organization or your previous job can refer you for the job. This section will give your recruiter a chance to find about you. Make sure you give the correct contact no. of the person(s) you are naming under reference section.

6. Providing correct Contact Information is a must. Contact Information will allow your recruiter to contact you for further after going through your resume. So must give correct and complete postal mailing address, e-mail address, permanent residence phone number, your mobile phone number, etc. Don’t change mobile phone numbers during this time. And keep checking your e- mails regularly.

Remember there is no worth of a general resume any more. The jobs today are specific and so must the résumé’s be. Make sure your resume is altered according to requirements of the job you are seeking.This is the first step for getting an interview call!

How to survive in the organization in slowdown?

How to survive in the organization in slowdown?

In times of economic slowdown, it is important to develop individual skills like ability to work in a global environment, flexibility, adaptability, relationship skills etc. to remain an inevitable organizational resource. The better the resource you are the longer you stay in the organization.

Organizations are looking to retain strong, versatile talent. So it’s important for each employee to continuously develop themselves making sure they stay relevant to the needs of the organization/market, and continue to add value. Make sure you have a great track record of delivery, be willing to go the extra mile, perhaps take on responsibilities that others may not want to do.

How companies can handle slowdown?

This will differ from company to company. Companies need to maintain laser focus on the needs of their customers, adapt their products and services to meet those customer needs, focus on retaining and developing their critical talent, be financially prudent, and show strong leadership.

How should companies motivate their employees?

People need transparency and honesty from their leadership, to engender a sense of trust. Make employees part of the solution for addressing the challenges. Communicate regularly to connect with them. Don’t make false promises. For most folks, sense of purpose and clarity of roles and responsibilities helps to keep them on track. In addition to this, employee engagement activities such as employee resource groups can be helpful.

The good and bad picture of iPhone 5

iPhone 5! It’s shiny. It looks yummy! It’s slimmer, sleeker, stronger, faster and taller than iPhone 4S. In sum, it’s a fantastic update of a device that is already very good. Lets talk about the good and bad picture of iPhone 5.

The good picture

1. iPhone 5 is lighter than iPhone 4S (Use of Aluminium)

The biggest change is the use of aluminium as the primary material instead of glass. This means iPhone 5 is sturdier and lighter than iPhone 4S. At the same time, it is also going to be a little less cold (figuratively) to the touch with the aluminum texture feeling smooth and assuring in the hand.

2. Better Hardware, Better Battery Life (A6 Processor, ARM Technology)

The hardware that powers iPhone 5 continues to be the best in its class. Apple is using A6 processor, a new chip, to power the phone. This chip is based on architecture developed by Apple using ARM technology.  ARM technology will give better performance as well as better battery life. 

3. Better Camera

The camera in iPhone 4S is very good. But Apple has improved it in iPhone 5 further, though it continues to sport the 8 megapixel tag. But megapixels don’t matter.

4. Support for 4G

iPhone 5 supports 4G.

The bad picture

1. No innovated software

Apple has not really innovated in terms of software and user interface (UI) in iOS after 2007. iOS 6, which powers iPhone 5, too brings nothing radically new to the table.

2. No innovated user-interface

In terms of user interface (UI), Windows Phone 8 looks to be miles ahead of iOS. Even Android Ice Cream Sandwich and Jelly Bean look better than iOS.

3. Apple Maps vs Google Maps

Apple Maps are no match for Google Maps. This means iPhone 5 is not going to help much for tasks like navigation and finding routes.

4. You won’t be able to charge it with the industry-standard chargers that use microUSB port.

5. iPhone 5 doesn’t support mass-storage mode, the easiest way to manage files on a smartphone or tablet.

6. The screen is not bigger. It is only longer. I don’t think it is going to make much difference when it comes to web browsing or media playback experience. The bigger Android phones are still better for these tasks.