Tips for interview

Research thoroughly about the company you are going for an interview. Find out the business of the company, what are the skills they are looking for, how you can contribute to the company's growth, company's prospects, your growth prospects etc. etc. Use your network to find out about the company, talk to career consultants to find out, look out on the internet.

If company has a web presence, visit their web site and note down all the factors, which will help you arrive at a decision. Make a list of questions you may have come up. These can be asked and get answered at the time of interview.

Talk to friends/acquaintances in the company to find out the inner details.

Dress formally for the interview, but don't overdress. Dress what is appropriate in your climate.

Always reach 15-30 minutes earlier than the expected time. You can use effectively utilize that time to make observations about the company and its employees.

If possible, get the interview scheduled in the morning hours, the time when both you and the interviewers are still fresh.

About the questions asked, always reply to the point. Do not repeat the same thing and politely decline, in case you don't know the answers. No one is supposed to know everything.

Look straight in the eyes of the person while talking. This shows your confidence.

Always have your doubts cleared at the end of the interview. Ask all the questions you had made a list. This shows you are sincere and have done your homework before appearing for the interview.

Never ask for the salary figures/details in the interviews. Leave these questions for later.

If an expected salary figure is asked, politely tell that it should be commensurate with your skills and experience. If still pressed for figure, give your currently drawn salary and ask for an appropriate raise over it.

At the end of the interview, always thank the interviewers and shake their hands.
Last but not the least, whatever may be your requirement for the job, never show your desperation for it

new 15 career tips for recent grads

Do Your Research

Before you go in for your interview, be sure to research the company you are applying to. By having an in depth understanding of the company as well as some background information on whoever is interviewing you, you will come across as prepared and interested in the company.

Practice Interviewing

Take time to practice interviewing before you go in for an interview. Have a family member or friend ask you the most common interview questions so you can be polished and know what you are going to say ahead of time instead of winging it.

Come Prepared With Questions

At the end of any job interview, the interviewer will ask you if you have any questions for them. Make sure you have a few questions to ask the interviewer. This can be anything from “what do you like best about your job?” to “how would you describe the work atmosphere here?” By asking a few questions, you show interest in the interviewer and the company.

When in Doubt, Dress Up

If you aren’t sure what kind of dress is expected of employees, be sure to go more formal than informal. By dressing up, you show that you are professional and that you are taking the interview process seriously.

Be Flexible

When applying for jobs, be flexible about where you apply. Don’t limit yourself to just one city or one company. Keep an open mind about all potential opportunities.

Keep Building Your Resume

While you apply for jobs, continue to build your resume. Take on an internship, volunteer, or take on a part time job. By continuing to build your resume and increase your skill set, you make yourself more marketable to potential employers.

Figure Out Where You Are Going Wrong

If you aren’t landing any jobs, take a look at where you are going wrong. If you aren’t getting any interviews, go back over your resume and spruce it up by getting more experience or adding information to it. If you are getting interviews but not jobs, practice your interviewing skills so that you can be more successful in your interviews and potentially get job offers.

Utilize Your Network

Reach out to the people in your professional network for their assistance in your job hunt. Oftentimes when it comes to getting hired, it’s not what you know but who you know. So send along your resume and have your contacts pass it along to anyone they know at their

Don’t Rely Solely on the Internet

When searching for a job, don’t depend solely on the Internet. Be sure to attend job fairs, industry events, and utilize other networking opportunities to get your resume out there.

Have an Elevator Speech

An elevator speech is a 30 second spiel about your experience and career goals. Having an elevator speech is not only a great way to quickly introduce yourself at networking events but is also a good way to answer the “tell me about yourself” interview question.

Sign Up for LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a great way to get all of your professional contacts in one place for networking. Sign up for LinkedIn, add everyone you know, and make sure to fill out your profile completely. LinkedIn also has a job search tool, so take advantage of that.

Send Thank You Notes

After every interview, be sure to send thank you notes to each person who interviewed you. Sending a thank you note shows that you appreciate the interviewer’s time and gives you an advantage over candidates who don’t send thank you notes.

Do What You Love

No matter what, take a job that you will love. If you don’t, you will be miserable and probably won’t end up staying at your job very long. Be sure you are happy with what you are doing.

Don’t Get Discouraged

If you are getting lots of rejections, don’t get discouraged. Remember that times are tough right now and getting a job is hard. Keep sending out your resume and stay positive.

Utilize Your School’s Resources

Most schools will give graduates access to their career center up to one year after graduation. So head on over to your career center to get your resume critiqued, practice your interviewing skills, and check out recent job postings.

Graphic design career tips

The Graphic Design Career is a fast growing career that is becoming more and more competitive with every passing day. People are realizing how much money is available and how flexible the graphic and web design career really is.

1) Get Experience Doing Graphic Design Work & Working with REAL Clients

In design school, they don’t really focus on how to assess a client’s needs, wants, mood swings, and basic demographic factors. They certainly do not teach you how to learn basic communication principles, how to follow-up correctly with a prospective graphic design client. Academia is a long way away from perfection. That means it’s time for you to educate yourself on how to do REAL graphic design and get the wheels in motion so you can slowly but surely climb the ladders.

2) Choose Between Freelancing & Getting a Graphic Design Job

If you have never freelanced before, I recommend working as a freelancer on a strictly part-time basis to test the waters, while working a graphic design job prior to committing yourself to full-time freelance work or you may be conditioning yourself for disappointment. Get a handle on how to manage a project and a REAL deadline, and then start to learn how to manage a client. Remember, clients are REAL people. That means, real problems. A client may attempt to get you to complete work for free, forget or miss a payment, procrastinate in getting you content so you can complete their website design.

3) Graphic Designers Should Stick to What They Are Great At

If you enjoy working with vector graphics, you could familiarize yourself primarily with Adobe Illustrator, and perhaps specialize in icon-creation or acquire some knowledge of Adobe Flex and design interfaces for cell phones and other mobile devices. If you can’t take your hand off of a lead pencil crayon, it may be a good time to consider doing concept artwork for video games. If find yourself constantly doodling or drawing logos, icons, and enjoy coming up with tag-lines, become a branding and logo design expert.

4) Graphic Design Career – Start Small, Think Big

You are young, talented, and can afford to avoid some mistakes that could be avoided. Now, to a creative person, even the thought of writing an agreement or contract is daunting, so either get it done by a legal professional or suffer the consequences. Focus on what you do best and remember the rule of numbers – the more people you talk to, the more projects you will acquire. Keep going. Go to networking sessions, industry meetups, and other social events. Social media and email are mostly useful for follow-up. Don’t give up, but be smart and avoid setting yourself up for failure.

Five Tips for Young Professionals

When making forecasts about your career future, one thing is sure: it’s going to be buffeted by change. As a young professional, you can take steps to be ready for some likely twists and turns.

Get on a learning curve
Identify what you need to learn in the next http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=13657256six months and create a plan for accomplishing this goal. Continue to set learning agendas for yourself. As the world keeps changing, successful professionals will stay up with new developments.

Be technically knowledgeable
Virtually all work in the future will require technical competence. You don’t have to be a programmer, but you should be competent on basic computer systems and software programs and aware of how technology can be applied.

Improve your personal-interaction skills
More routine work will be automated, leaving employees to do what’s left. Young professionals will stand out if they can interact with and manage people effectively.

Be good at balancing work and life
As work spills over into life, and vice versa, professionals must know when work starts and stops and help other employees to set those boundaries as well.

Take time to look over the horizon
Be a futurist. Cultivate the ability to forecast what’s just around the corner, so you can prepare for it.

Top 8 telephone Interview tips

The following 8 quick telephone interview tips will help prepare yourself for a successful call.

1. DO SOME RESEARCH
Try to find out who will be interviewing you. Will there be multiple people on the call? If possible get their names and titles. Become familiar with these before the call and you will have one less thing to worry about during the call.

2. ORGANIZE YOUR THOUGHTS
Make a list of your accomplishments, goals and strengths. On another list write out your weaknesses and what you are doing to overcome them. On a third sheet write down why you are interested in the company.

3. PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE
Never forget that a telephone interview is still an interview. Take time to practice interview questions with friends or family. Ask them to provide honest feedback so you can improve your responses. Mock interview questions can easily be found on the internet or the bookstore.

4. DO A SOUND CHECK
During the mock interview, have your friend ask you questions both over the phone and in person. Make sure that he/she listens not only for content, but also tone, rate and clarity of your speech. If possible, record yourself speaking. Are you speaking slowly and clearly? Can you easily be heard?

5. FIND YOUR LOCATION
Stake out a quiet space to occupy during your interview. Ideally, there should be a comfortable place to sit as well as a table to lay out your papers.

6. ORGANIZE YOUR PAPERS
Have a copy of your resume and cover letter close at hand. Take out those lists you made while organizing your thoughts. In addition keep any notes related to the company that you feel may be helpful during the call.

7. GATHER YOUR WRITING TOOLS
Place a notepad and several pens or pencils on the table. These will be helpful in writing down notes, questions and most importantly, your interviewer's names

8. ELIMINATE DISTRACTIONS
As the appointed hour draws near, make sure that the television and the radio are turned off. Exit your email and turn off your computer screen. If possible, disable your call-waiting.

Top career change ideas

Top seven career change tips is mention below:

1. Forget Job Titles
Job titles really inhibit your thinking. If I asked you to list all the jobs you could think of, you might come up with a couple of hundred before you ran dry. In reality there are thousands of jobs out there that you would never identify under your own steam, so forget the job title and focus instead on the key themes that are important for you in a job.

2. List what you dont want to do
This is often quite easy to do if you are in a job you hate and it is a very useful exercise. It helps you focus on the aspects of a job that really drive you nuts and then also pick out those that are annoying in your current job but actually you would be prepared to put up with to some degree in a different situation.

3. List what you think you should want to do
What do you think your career should look like? What pressure are you putting on yourself to confirm to certain expectations. Just check with yourself whose rules you are following here. Who exactly says that your career must look like this?

4. List what you would do if anything were possible
Yes, you are allowed to take the brakes off here and create a big dream. Forget the constraints you put on yourself, wherever they come from.

5. List what you would do if you gave yourself permission to say that you want it
So often, we limit the possibilities in our lives because we just dont allow ourselves to want something. Maybe you want to earn lots of money but that seems too greedy. Maybe you want to have an easy, quiet job - but that seems too lazy. Maybe you want to set up your own business but you cant because you have to think about so many other people in your life first.

6. Reinvent yourself
If you could rewind the tape on your life and re-run it, what would you do? If you could dump all the stuff, the rules, the history that you have gathered on your journey through life to this point and travel light without the baggage, where would your journey take you? What would the new you look like and what work would this new person be doing?

7. Think big and think small
Your new career does not have to be something world changing and grand. If you want to change the world, great! Go ahead and build your new career around this big vision. But if you feel drawn to operating on a more local scale, thats fine too. Small changes can be just as transforming for your career and your life as big ones, so dont be fooled into thinking that bigger is necessarily better. Career change success is about finding what feels right for you.

Top Interview Tips

The job interview is your chance to impress the interviewer with your skills and confidence.

Before the Interview

Review the job duties included in the Vacancy Notice.
Research the department.
Dress professionally. Don’t wear perfume or cologne.
Bring extra copies of your resume.
Bring a pen and paper to write down any information you might need to remember.
Prepare a few questions to ask the interviewer.
Prepare answers to any questions you think you might be asked (see sample questions below).

At the Interview

Arrive on time. Try to be a few minutes early if possible.
Try to relax. Be yourself.
Show self-confidence – make eye contact; answer questions in a clear voice.
Remember to listen.
Think before answering questions. Try to make your answers as clear as possible.
Avoid negative body language – crossing your arms, swinging your foot or leg, slouching, covering your mouth while speaking.
When given a chance, ask any questions that you have prepared in advance. You can also follow up on anything that the interviewer tells you during the interview.

After the Interview

End the interview with a handshake and thank the interviewer for his or her time.
Find out when the department plans to make a hiring decision.
Follow up with a short “thank you for the interview” note.

Top career advancement tips

Every individual seeks advancement in their living especially when it comes to their career. Career advancement means the updation of an individual in regards to his particular skills and accomplishments. Career advancement is a long term process and results in future development of an individual. Every individual at the start of their career is inexperienced but with the passage of time he gets more better and it is career advancement.

Career advancement starts from the very first job you pursue, as you get more exposure towards work you are ready to face more challenges.

An individual must posses an established position in the work place, as it is one of the vital tools for advancement in career.

Have a chat with your boss regarding your performance and promotion in the company, this will let you know where you stand at your present work place.

People concerned about career advancement should always have ability to achieve higher learning goals, gaining knowledgeable skills and should be updated with the latest trend in the industry.

Be an effective listener as well as a clear communicator, as this will help an individual to influence others and achieve goals in his career.

If you additionally wish to work for some other department of your business let your employer know your desire to work for those as well along with your current business line. Proper action taken at right time helps an individual to achieve their goals.

Build a strong relation with your colleagues, as this will help you to know about your weaknesses and strengths at your work place.

Every firm seeks the best employee in the industry, and for being the best there should be abundant of innovative ideas and an intellectual thinking. So train your intellect for new ideas and innovations.

Also individuals with more experience and few skills have more chances for advancement, so learn from all your jobs. Each job will teach you something and the gain will be beneficial for your career advancement.

Career advancement Tips

Here's a list of the top 10 tips you can use to advance your career:

Don't be afraid to say "I don't know."
If you don't know something, say so; don't try to fake it.

Take responsibility for your actions
If you're at fault, admit it and take the blame. If you're wrong, apologize.

Never gossip
Gossip can hurt the careers of two people the person being talked about, and the person doing the talking.

Never say "That's not my job."
Don't think you are above anything. Pitch in and set a good example, especially if the job is one that nobody else wants to do. Your willingness to do so will be noticed and appreciated!

Share the credit
People who share credit with others make a much better impression than those who take all the credit themselves.

Ask for help when you need it
Don't let a difficult task get out of hand. When you need help, ask for it -- before things get worse.

Keep your dislike to yourself
If you don't like someone, don't let it show. Never burn bridges or offend others as you move ahead in your career.

Don't hold grudges
Life isn't always fair. If you were passed over for promotion, didn't get the project you wanted, etc., let it go. Be gracious and diplomatic, focus on the future and move on. Harboring grudges won't advance your career.

Be humble
When you're right, don't gloat about it. Never say "I told you so!"

Make others feel important
Compliment others, emphasize their strengths and contributions, and help them whenever you can. They will enthusiasitcally help you in return.

10 Tips on Career Advancement

Many career experts agree that the best time to look for a new job is whileyou are still comfortably in your old one. If you’re starting to feel unchallenged in your present position, you may be ready for a promotion to the next level. If there aren’t many career advancement opportunities where you work, the best next job may be waiting for you elsewhere.
Here are 10 proven strategies to help you get started:

Talk to your boss
Sit down and have a very direct and pointed conversation with your boss about your future in the company. Stress that you want your job performance to meet the company’s goals. Share your own career goals with him or her.

Ask for more
Volunteering to help out other departments or teams — or simply asking for more responsibilities — increases your value within the organization. Asking for additional work shows an interest and desire to help your department and company to succeed.

Volunteer for boards
If you have your career set on something beyond what you are doing in your present position, seek out opportunities to volunteer or serve on advisory boards, where you can build a reputation as someone who is passionate and dedicated to your particular industry.

Sharpen your people skills
Strong interpersonal skills play a crucial role in gaining the respect of your boss and coworkers; they will also attract the notice of outside influencers who might open new doors of opportunity for you.

Be innovative
Never be afraid to think outside of the box and put your business acumen to work. Stay on the lookout for creative solutions to problems that will make you — and your boss — look good.

Find a mentor
Develop mentoring relationships, either inside or outside the company. Recent studies have shown that four out of five promotions are influenced by a mentor higher up in the company.

Sell yourself
Learn the fine art of self-promotion. If you have had major accomplishments or created successful programs, make sure people know about it — especially those in influential positions who could help you advance professionally.

Keep learning
A proven way to advance in your career is to be continually acquiring new knowledge. Stay on top of trends or developments in your field and make sure that your current résumé reflects those needed skills.

Network
Strengthen your personal network and join professional organizations, attend industry conferences, or even volunteer. The more people who are aware of your strengths and abilities, the better your chances of hearing about any new opportunities that might arise.

Build your reputation
In business, your reputation is the most valuable thing you own. Be known for being dependable, professional, and cooperative. Act and look the part by dressing professionally. Make a name for yourself by attending conferences, delivering speeches, or writing articles.

Tips to making a career change

Career Change
Most often we get so frustrated with the routine of what we do daily, and want to quit the job. When you stop enjoy what you daily and it start feeling like punishment and no longer pleasurable, then it looks like you would need a change of profession. Don’t be in a hurry to take this decision; you need time to properly evaluate the situation.

Why Do I Want To Change My Career?
You need to be plain about the answer you give to this question because it would determine a lot. You need to ask yourself. What is the cogent reason I would want to do something else from what I am doing currently.

Do I Really Want A Career Change?
you have to think about this very well, because making a total turn around is going to cost you, hope you know that? So you have to be sure that you really want to change.

What Kind Of Job Would I Be Happy Doing?
Determine the kind of work you would like to do, if eventually you end up changing your career.

What Are My Marketable Skills And Capabilities?
write down all your skills, both interpersonal and organizational skills, and evaluate this and determine if they fit into the new career path that you are opting for.

Top 4 Career change tips

Mainly career change tips is mention below:

New Job vs. Career Change

First, ask yourself if your job blues revolve around external situations at your current workplace or an overall dislike of your profession. There are many reasons for job dissatisfaction that do not necessarily warrant a career change

Choosing a New Career
If you’ve come to the conclusion that a career makeover is in order, not just a new job, you are not alone. If you’re not sure exactly where your heart is leading you there are many resources that can help take the guesswork out of career change.

Smooth Career Transitioning

The thoughtful approach is to test the waters before diving headfirst into a new career. Volunteer, moonlight, work weekends – get some exposure to your new calling before taking the plunge.

Small Steps Toward Career Fulfillment

Inertia might be the biggest stumbling block to those longing to change careers. It’s all too easy to stay with the status quo, especially if your situation doesn't fall into the "completely intolerable" category yet.

7-Top Interview Tips

1: Plan Ahead

Do a little homework! Research the company and the position if possible, as well, the people you will meet with at the interview.

2: Role Play

Once you have finished studying, begin role playing. Use the general questions provided below in the Interview Preparation Area. Write down answers if it helps to make your presentation more concise.

3: Eye Contact

Maintain eye contact with your interviewer. Show you want the job with your interest.

4: Be Positive

In particular, avoid negative comments about past employers.

5: Adapt

Listen and adapt. Be sensitive to the style of the interviewer. Pay attention to those details of dress, office furniture, and general decor which will afford helpful clues to assist you in tailoring your presentation.

6: Relate

Try to relate your answers to the interviewer and his or her company.

7: Encourage

Encourage the interviewer to share information about his or her company. Demonstrate your interest.

Top 10 Interview Tips

1. Prepare and over-prepare

Preparation should be done in such a way that you have thorough knowledge of the organization plus you should be able to answer all questions regarding the position related to that interview.

2. If you don’t know admit it

If at anytime during the interview you are faced with a dilemma of not knowing something then don’t hesitate in admitting the same. You could also ask the recruiter to rephrase the question for you again and yet if you remain unsure of your reply you will be better of admitting that you do not know the answer. After all not everyone is a genius to know every answer.

3. Make sure your responses match your claims

It is quite common that you could have had some kind of on job training during your previous job, or you could have taken extra coursework to qualify for a particular position. Your resume would reflect that surely and the license or certification will be there as well. While speaking about such a qualification do not overstate the facts but just subtly build upon it as your strength.

4. Speak about your strengths with confidence

The interviewers will certainly discuss with you about your weaknesses & strengths. Thus it is of great importance that you not only know about your strengths but are also able to emphasize such strengths that can have an impact on the job you have applied for. Do not rush through at all as this is your chance to create a massive impression.

5. How best to describe your weakness as strengths

This is tricky, so let's think about why the question is asked. The interviewer probably wants to learn several things about you with this question, such as: whether or not you are arrogant ("I really don't think I have any weaknesses"), whether you know yourself ("Well, I've never really thought about that"), and finally, what you are doing to eliminate your weaknesses.

6. Speak Softly

During your interview you must approach a conversation or answer by speaking slowly and softly than you usually do. If you are heard well means your words are getting across clearly.

7. Speak about your aim and display enthusiasm

The exact response depends upon the specifics of your job hunting campaign, but the principle is: be specific while allowing yourself the flexibility which suggests that you understand the complexities of the business you're applying for.

8. Be Friendly

You might be very cordial and exceptionally bright but if you cannot gel with the others as a team then you might become a loner. Also during the interview do not attempt to get to friendly with the interviewer; he might want you to leave in a hurry.

9. You would like to interview the interviewer

Some unknown conditions might warrant a few applicants to settle for anything offered then they aren’t going to get the best jobs either. Good and foresighted interviewers shall respect your knowledge about the organization and the prized attached to such a job.

10. End on a positive note.

In case of the interview not turning out to be the way you planned it, leave the place on a positive note. Convey your thanks to the panel & that you look forward to hearing from them soon. Another positive thing you can say that its was a challenging but rewarding day. Make eye contact panel members and shake hands as well. This will create a good impression against if you leave without saying a word.