Cv for Interviews

Posts Tagged ‘Boss’

There are two main types of skills, hard skills and soft skills. Hard
skills are tangible in the sense that these are things that you do like:
knowing how to operate different kinds of machinery, knowledge of a
specialized computer program, ability to type fast, skills on using
many types of tools, credentials regarding special crafts, etc. Soft
skills are skills that are rather abstract in nature like personal qualities.
This may include the following: being a good team player, having the
ability to work on your own, being enthusiastic or organized and
decisive.

The steps to follow:
Making a list of your previous jobs and experience acquired
First thing to do is to make a list of all the companies that you have
worked for and the things that you learned from these jobs. There will
be a lot of things to list and you should be careful not to forget even
the smallest things or activities that you were part of or organized. It
is also a good idea to list the volunteer activities that you participated
in.

Include a list of your hobbies
Although it might sound trivial at first, it is also very helpful to list all
your hobbies. There are a lot of abilities that your prospective
employer may get from your hobby list. This will also give an idea of
your personality. For example, if you were part of the school’s
debating team, then your employer may deduce that you have good
analytical skills. If you were a champion chess player, then your
employer will have the impression that you are good at making critical
decisions. Think of your daily routine and the things that you do and
often take for granted. Are you an organized person who always keeps
your things in proper order? Are you an extrovert that can easily make
friends in a matter of minutes? These may seem ordinary to normal
things to you, but your future boss might think otherwise.

You have been looking for a job and after being interviewed, you have more than one position to choose from. How do you decide which job offer to accept? The money being offered by one company looks tempting but there are things you like about all of them. Do not get hung up on money unless it is your only focus in life. Before making a decision, try comparing the companies against the points below.

First, you must know what your goals are and the things that are important to you. Once you have done your research and comparisons, you will have the tools you need to make the perfect decision. The job that most closely relates to the things most important to you will probably be your best choice.

Environment – Either prior to or following the interview, ask for a tour of the work place. While on the tour, consider things like noise levels and the general mood of the employees. Are the employees friendly and polite? What is the condition of the environment; clean or dirty? Are the employees allowed to add personal touches to their work space? Review the answers to these questions to decide if you could be productive in that work place.

Benefits – Does the company offer health care, when, and what is the cost and coverage? Do they offer a retirement plan? If so, do they match employee contributions? This is important when comparing overall earnings. If the position includes commission, what are the rates, incentives, and earning potential?

The Boss – In many instances, the person interviewing you will not be your boss. It is important to know who your boss will be and request to meet them. When you meet the person who will be your boss, take note of their attitude and use your instincts. What kind of vibes do you get from them? Do they seem respectful of others? Do they make eye contact and have a firm hand shake? Do they act too busy to be bothered? If you accept the position with the company, these are great questions to know the answers to. This boss could be your boss for a long time.

Is this job what you want? Is this job enabling you to do what you enjoy? Will this position cause any family conflicts? Weigh the pros and cons. If this job is not what you dream of doing, then consider the above factors before settling for less. Is taking this position going to be worth the money you will earn when you consider what you would be losing?

Searching for work can become an overwhelming chore. With all the competition doing lots commonly has to be coupled with value to reach a goal. Look at Target Employment for valuable suggestions as well as Target employment application. Having sound tips avoids wasting time searching for what may work in having to look at what does not. Getting reliable direction may enhance one’s odds in distancing yourself from the competition.

The job market is forever shifting and the people who are able to adapt the fastest often will be the ones that have the primary selection in the greatest opportunities. Through the accessibility of information and the advancements in technology, searching for work is not what it was.

The rules have changed in a huge way and now people must not only have the ability to provide a complete package of abilities and knowledge for the profession but have got to also learn added skills to even secure an job interview for the job you want.

Career advisers tell jobseekers to send a thank you note after an interview. To address the most frequently asked questions on how
and what to send in a thank you note, here are some give aways. Won’t the employer think that an applicant is desperate and a sissy
applicant if he sends a thank-you letter?

Of course not. Rarely does an employer not pleased to receive a thank-you letter. It is considered as a common way of showing
politeness, a gesture of courtesy, one way to outshine the rest of the interviewees, and a way to keep your name upfront.

Will it not jeopardize the possibility of getting the job? Not in most cases, but it could in some point of time. So why take the
chance? (so they ask) The answer: Most bosses wavers between the last two most promising applicants, a student and experienced officer
for example, after the final interview for a certain position. But when the boss gets a thank-you letter from the student, it made all the
difference. Because of that simple well mannered gesture, the student lands on the job.

Can it be handwritten or should it be typewritten?
Actually, it does not matter. What’s important is the thought of doing it. It must be tailored to your prospective company and the officer
who made the interview. Thus, respect is further established. However, if the company, interviewer or the position being applied
calls for a formal business letter, then do so. Mostly, a handwritten note is okay if the interviewer and the applicant have built rapport.
Will it be okay to e-mail the thank you note?

First thoughts indicate that this is a big NO. However, it depends on the company’s culture. If the people in the company use e-mail in all
of their communication and correspondence, then it should be acceptable. This will also apply if the company is into fast decision
making when hiring applicants. Always remember that even if e-mails fit in with the culture of the company, it’s still a better idea to follow
up the email with a hard copy of your thank you.

So you can just save yourself from trouble since “anything goes” right? NO. On the other side of the previous story, there are prospective
applicants who were almost on the verge of being hired but suddenly hit the skids after sending in a sloppy, ill-fixed thank you letters, with
many typographical errors and misspelled words. A part of having a good communication skill is being able to write effectively and
companies do not need employees who have to be taught simple writing skills.

Will a borrowed thank-you letter do?
Yes, borrowing is one thing. But make sure to look at the basic structure of the letter. Never plagiarize the whole letter as it may be
applicable to the one person but not for the other. Surely, there are employers who can distinguish a thank-you note that has been copied
or not.

If it was a panel interview should thank you letters be sent to all interviewers? Frankly, that’s the best. The same letter to each is as essential as
making one for each. All you have to do is edit some phrases for individuality in case the interviewers would bump in to each other and
compare the notes they received.

How soon should a thank-you note be sent?
The golden rule is to send thank you notes within 24 hours after the interview.

Will it still be okay to mail the thank you note if the hiring decision will be made sooner than when the mailed thank you note is received?
Come to think of it, if the mail is too pre-historic for the hiring decision makers, then find a much speedy way: it can be via e-mail, fax, express delivery or personal delivery. In fact, if you have hand
delivered the thank you note, it can leave a great impression. What if there’s already an offer before even sending the thank you notes?

It’s still better to send the thank you notes as this can be used to accept or decline the offer. This could also be a confirmation of your
agreement andor understanding of the offer they have given (salary, benefits, other compensation, starting date, vacations, etc.), this way
any discrepancies can be straightened out before even starting for the job.

Always find a way to make it as personalized as possible. Try to think out of the box, you may even adapt what you have observed the
interviewer has in the office during the interview. Sending an article that you think the interviewer could be interested in is also another
suggestion. Whatever method you use, make it fast and professional

What Do You Do When Your Printer Runs Out Of Ink And You Have A Rush Printing Job?

It is always a pain in the neck when you run out of ink while printing a very important document on a deadline. When everything fails, make sure you keep your cool and you know what to do next. Dont worry! Youll have that paper in your boss or professors desk in time even if you run out of ink.

Undoubtedly, computer parts and accessories cost a lot. And you usually dont realize when these parts would reach the end of their lifespan, so be sure you are prepared. Running out of ink is not a funny situation, not when you have a deadline for a paper. And buying a refill in the middle of the night is not exactly a fun thing to do. Now, youd probably ask, How do I keep my cool? Heres how: Know about ink refilling and do it yourself!

Ink refilling is popular nowadays, that it has even given birth to lots of ink-refilling stations. But that would mean another expense to you too, although it might be cheaper compared to buying a new ink cartridge. You can actually do the refilling yourself provided you have the materials and the knowledge how to do it.

Anybody who can read a manual would surely be able to get on with the task. Below is the list of what you should have and what you should do when refilling your own ink cartridge. Remember, keep your cool and dont panic!

A place with a close access to running water is the best place to do the refilling. This is so as not to smear ink on furniture, other things most especially important documents.
The amount of ink to be refilled varies on the size of the cartridge. The cartridge states how many milliliters (ml.) of ink it can hold.

In your ink-refilling kit, a syringe is provided to draw the ink (of any color) to refill the empty (or near empty) cartridge. Along with it are bottles of ink of different colors, a bottle of cleaning solution especially designed for the sensitive parts of the cartridge and a users manual. Refer to the manual on how to properly inject the ink to the cartridge.

To transfer the ink from the syringe into the cartridge, there must be a very tiny hole (the size of the tip of a ball point pen) poked on top of the cartridge, near the label. Insert the needle of the syringe and slowly, very slowly inject the ink into the cartridge. It is necessary to do this process very slowly so that the ink would not form foam and the bubbles would prevent it from printing.

The newly created holes need not be sealed after refilling, as it would look like the other breather holes on top of the cartridge.

Left over ink inside the syringe can be returned to its original bottle. The syringe must be properly washed before using for another color. It is also preferable to use different syringes for different colors.

To make sure ink is not dripping out of the sponge, turn the cartridge upside down. Replace the cartridge back in the printer cradle, totally cleaned up. Run test print to see changes and to clear and clean any printing problems.

Few important things to remember:
It would be best to refill a near-empty cartridge than a totally empty one as dried up ink might cause clogging.
It would be best to let refilled ink cartridge stand overnight to let the newly injected ink even out.

It would be best to poke a tiny hole on top of the cartridge with UTMOST care so as not to cause a crack which will completely make it useless. Even a very thin crack might cause the newly refilled ink to dry up no sooner that when you put it in.

It would be best to inspect the cartridges to be refilled because there are some ink cartridges that say Single Use Only, and refilling it might cause damage to the printer especially when the ink injected is not the same with the previous content of the cartridge. Worse, when found out, the one who refilled it (you or some commercial refilling station) could face charges.

It would be best to check the cartridge (especially the newer models) for the green chip that keeps track of the levels of the ink. Its memory can be reset so as to be able to check the level of the cartridge with the newly-injected ink or when it is necessary to refill again before it has completely run out of ink.

Are you fed up with the relentless monotony of your job? Fed up with working extra hours with no reward? Long to find something better, but not sure how?

Thousands of people every year are making the big decision to work for themselves to escape the tyranny of the 9 to 5 job and the rule of their boss. Many of these people have never worked for themselves before and are often moving in to a new and different areas of work.

Does this sound like the sort of thing that you’ve dreamed of but wouldn’t dare do? There are some simple steps that you can take to make your dream a reality.

Do a skills audit – consider what you are good at, what you are interested in, what your strengths are, what hobbies you enjoy. If you don’t come up with a long list, then ask your friends and family to help you. Are you a great salesman, or creative? Are you thorough with detail, or are you more of a big ideas person? This will help shape and form your ideas of what you might be able to do.

Do a needs audit – consider your current standard of living and how much you’d be prepared to compromise to live a different lifestyle, with only yourself as boss and being able to choose the hours that you work. Be honest with yourself, but also challenge yourself to consider other options. If you are prepared to make some sacrifices during the transition from employed to self-employed, you’re more likely to make a success of it.

Consider your support network – that is, who around you will be encouraging you and spurring you on when things get tough? Do you have friends and family who would be behind you. The one common theme in the stories of successful entrepreneurs is NOT their determination, creativity or financial acumen, but the fact that they ALL had someone who actually believed that they could achieve their dream. If you have just one person like this, who will encourage you, tell you that they know you can do it when everything and everyone else is waiting for you to fail, then you have the seeds to success already.

Consider your local area – where you live will influence what you can do. If you live in a rural area, you might be able to set up a market garden business; whereas living in the city, you may be able to offer a bookkeeping service to small businesses. Don’t forget that wherever you live, the internet gives you worldwide access to a market of millions of people and provides great opportunities.

Research the options – write yourself a list of options and ideas. Don’t do anything yet! Read as much information about your possible business as you can – either online or by visiting your local library or bookshop. Sign up to free courses via the internet and read the free information that is available on websites. Talk to people, find out as much as you can about the opportunities afforded by your new business idea and what some of the challenges you might face will be.

Don’t quit – once you’ve made the decision, keep going. Take it one day at a time, one step at a time and remember that each step takes you closer to your goal. If you believe, you can achieve.

You can find out more on setting up your home internet business at, visit

How To Survive A Bad Performance Review (And Move To Your Dream Career)

Q. I wasnt happy with my last performance review. Should I dispute the review? Write a letter for my file? Talk to a lawyer? Or just let it go?

A. Most professionals feel you should offer some kind of response. But whether to respond, and the way to respond, will depend on your companys culture, the unwritten message and your own career goals.

1. Assess your report in light of the companys culture.

In some cultures, anything but glowing praise will be viewed as negative. In others, tough reviews are the norm.

Often your boss will be expected to come up with at least one point of constructive criticism. After all, nobody walks on water. But if youre being attacked or unfairly criticized, you must explore further.

Sometimes youll win more points by taking the review in stride than by fighting. But in some cultures, a single negative review means you need to start job-hunting right away.

2. Calculate your bosss strategy.

Sometimes your performance report has nothing to do with you or your performance. Your boss might honestly want to see you leave the company or make sure the next promotion goes to someone else.

Your boss may be a new hire who is still learning your companys culture. She may combine good intentions with weak implementation.

Or maybe your boss wants to get your attention: hes dropped hints and youve ignored them. Or he wants to help you progress but doesnt know how to communicate tactfully.

3. Listen for unwritten messages.

Does your company have a category where a low score means youre headed for disaster? Does your boss try to tell you, Its a great review! when you know otherwise?

Suppose youve been getting terrific reviews and now you get slammed with a truckload of criticism. Maybe you really did have a bad year. Or maybe theres an agenda you need to understand.

4. Get the facts without getting defensive.

Ask your boss to explain each criticism.

For example, if your boss said your project was delivered late, get dates and times. If youre criticized for interpersonal skills, ask for specific instances.

But give your boss a chance to save face.

Anyone can make mistakes. An overworked, harried boss can skimp on her own data collection. You can say, without confrontation, My records show I managed six projects, not four. Can we go over this point?

5. Delay your response.

Ask for a second meeting, explaining calmly that you need time to think. Use the time to collect your backup file. Consider a consultation with an outsider: career coach, consultant, human resources professor even a lawyer if the situation warrants.

Do not discuss your report or your decision to seek help with your peers. Ever.

6. Back up a rebuttal with facts, not emotion.

Assemble your own evidence of performance. Collect letters of appreciation, dates and times of project completion, statistics showing how you helped the company.

Often simply placing a rebuttal letter in your own file will defuse the impact of a negative evaluation. When youve had a strong track record, your company will ignore an occasional negative, unless someone has introduced a new agenda.

Your boss may be ordered to grade on the curve, i.e., assign some employees the low category even if everyones doing great. And, being human, he may assign those ratings to those who are least likely to speak up. A strong, carefully written rebuttal will clarify your strength of purpose.

7. Avoid jumping to conclusions or to a new job.

When clients ask, Should I look for a new job? my answer will be, When you work for any organization, keep yourself marketable. Maintain your network. Identify reputable recruiters and build ties with them.

Its rarely a good idea to share your career change plans with your colleagues or boss until you have a written offer in hand. And its rarely a good idea to accept a counter-offer from your present company. (Over half of all workers who accept a counter-offer are gone within six months, one way or another.)

But if your company wants to send a Go Away! message, they may be happy to give you a good reference that reflects your real contribution.

Leaving a job is often a difficult step. Sure, there is the exciting opportunity to do something different, but if have been with an employer for over a year this can become an emotional step. People leave jobs for various reasons. The old job might just plain and simple suck. The pay is lousy and the boss is behaving like a dictator of a 3rd world country. Or the job might be target of outsourcing and the employee is pro-active by looking for hisher own way out. Or the job is a dead end. No opportunity and the daily routine is boring. It could also be that the immediate co-workers and managers are just not as nice and that there is no great work relationship that makes the employee to love to go to work. A not so exciting job can still be a great place to work if you have great co-workers and managers around. Work is about money, but the socializing part is important, too.

We’re not trying to get into the reasons for leaving a job here for the matter of this article. However – we want to concentrate on the actual part of resigning from a job. And again – there are several different ways of leaving a job. If you absolutely do not care about your old job you could just leave but this step can have severe impact on your career down the road. Keep in mind that employers like to check the places you worked at before they want to hire you. These sins of the past might come back and hurt your reputation. “Oh, he left that job without any notice. What if he does the same thing to me?” – This could be just one thought a new employer might have. Depending on the job a one week or two week notice should be given. In some cases 3-4 weeks can be appropriate. As higher you get up in the ranks this might be the way to go. An executive leaving a company without taking care of a proper transition might hurt himself if the company gets into problems afterwards and this becomes public knowledge. Treat the employer fair and do not burn any bridges. In the long run this will be the best decision an employee can make.

When resigning you should be prepared to avoid unnecessary stress. In most cases resigning is a stressful event. A well prepared employee can take some stress out of this big step with proper planning. Write a 2 or 3 line letter of resignation. Nothing fancy. Try not to explain why you leave. Just state that you are resigning from your position and let the company know what your last day at work will be. Sign the letter and hand it to the manager you are resigning to. Do not just turn over the letter and walk away. Say that you are resigning and then hand over the letter of resignation. Be prepared to answer questions why you are leaving. Do not make up things. Prepare a quick list of pain points if needed. You might even help your co-workers by giving constructive feedback about certain situations and problems. I personally recommend never to mention the word money as the main reason of leaving. If things come down to money if often gets dirty.

Eventually be prepared for an immediate counter-offer during your resignation. Some companies try to fix the problem of an employee leaving by throwing more money at himher. Or they want to buy time and pretend giving you more money. They give you more money but work on your replacement at the same time. Things might also work out Ok for a while but when the going gets tough and it comes to layoffs the guy who took the counter-offer might be one of the first ones to be let go because of the cost factor. I see only one situation when it can be good or Ok to accept a counter-offer. Say you are leaving because of the work environment and you are able to point out problems and issues. Some employers are blind about these things and just don’t realize how employees feel about certain things. Suddenly a good employees leaves and the issue comes to the surface. Some employers are willing to fix the issue and these are rare situations a counter-offer can be accepted. Still – the employee has to carefully evaluate the situation. It is important to know who you are dealing with from a personal side. Can you trust the employer?

Sometimes a counter-offer can come up during the last few days at a company or shortly after the last day. We have seen cases when counter-offers were made within 60-70 days after the employee left. These situations are not good. I highly recommend not to accept such a counter-offer no matter how tempting the offer is. The employee has to keep in mind that heshe already left. This mark will always stick. One day the employer might be in a different situation and has to decide who to let go first. Will it be the loyal employee who is with the company for 8 years or is it the “Gung-Ho” who left just to be lured back by money and who eventually leaves again if the next employer is willing to hand out even more cash? Make a bet ….

These are just a few things to keep in mind when thinking about resigning from a position. Be prepared. Be strong. Change can be very good for your career.

Any office has two kinds of people, a group that works hard but is never noticed and the other who immediately spring to mind. The second kind are the ones who are noticed and at the forefront of all activities. Career success means more than working hard, being qualified, meeting crazy deadlines, and being diligent. To be truly successful you need recognition from the boss.

In order to be remembered and noticed by the boss you will need to:

1.Be friendly and pleasant. Have a nice thing to say to everyone, ooze good manners, and have a ready smile and caring attitude. Dont be brash and ride rough shod over others or be judgmental.

2.Refrain from gossip. It is the one thing that can make life uncomfortable. Know whats happening in the office but stay away from discussing it or spreading things however tempting it may be.

3.Update your skills and knowledge constantly. The world today moves at a fast pace and one needs to keep up with technical innovations as well as global business trends. Make all efforts to be ahead of developments in your field of work.

4.Be efficient in your work and have facts and figures at the tips of your fingers. Always prepare for meetings well be a visionary and make suggestions that can be backed up by action. When you speak it must be pearls of wisdom.

5.Practice the art of listening. Analyze what others know and can tell you. Absorb knowledge like a sponge. Never restrict yourself to only your department. It pays to know other functions of the organization.

6.Be a leader in all aspects. Be the first to accept extra responsibilities, to take over someone elses load when they have problems, lend a hand when a team is working to achieve a deadline. Make valuable suggestions. Let people know they can depend on you for just about anything.

7.Respect and obey the rules of the office. Be disciplined and spread the culture to all others.

8.Always be in control, never appear to be stressed. Keep personal life and work separatenever form a relationship with a colleague or boss. Dress well everyday and stand tall.

9.Be methodical and organized in your work. Use filing methods that anyone can useif you are away anyone in your department should be able to locate the papers. Keep your work area neat, computer files uncluttered. Device a workable backup schedule such that under no circumstance is your work lost. Disaster management measures must be in place.
10.Be poised, stylish, and approachable. Look good and smell goodexcellent personal habits are always appreciated. Carry breath mints in your pocket along with a fresh hanky. Keep a laundered shirt on hand for emergencies.

It takes more than talent to impress a boss. Be ahead in the race for success.