In this era of science and technology, we can be creative and productive, and at the same time not lose the humanness that we are all born with. Just material things or comfort alone do not make you comfortable. You may have a good bed to sleep on, but unable to sleep because of insomnia or worry! You need to get a broad understanding about yourself and your priorities.
Clarity in the mind makes things much easier-understanding your basic emotions like love, your interaction with people around you, knowing about your ego or what your intellect or mind is saying to you and introspection will give you a few minutes of relaxation which is very vital. So, what is most important is introspection about one's own life and how to improve the quality of life-this intention itself will open many doors for you to feel better about yourself. First of all, find out for yourself whether you are healthy.
Health is...
A disease-free body.
A quiver-free breath.
A stress-free mind.
An inhibition-free intellect.
An obsession-free memory.
An ego that includes all.
A soul that is free from sorrow.
Have you ever thought what is the purpose of your life? What is the meaning of life? What is life all about? These questions are very, very precious. When these questions dawn in your mind, only then your life begins! But, when these questions come into your mind, don't be in a hurry to get an answer. Those who know will not tell you and those who tell don't know! You can plug your ears and walk off! These questions are the tools by which you can dig deeper and the answers come from within you. Once these questions come into your life then you start "living" life rather than just existing. To know for what you are in this planet, find out what you are not here for!
You are not here to be sad.
You are not here to blame.
You are not here to be miserable.
You are not here to worry.
You are not here to show off.
You are not here to get stressed out.
You are not here to get irritated and irritate others.
The list goes on.
All our struggles in life are to know more. You are trying your level-best to understand your feelings and emotions, and you get into more and more and more confusion. This is what has Happened with psychology today. It tries to explain to you why you feel like the way you are feeling. The ''why'' arises always when you are unhappy. You ask ''Why this problem to me of all the people?'' Nobody ever asked, ''Why am I so happy?'' You want to understand, ''why am I not feeling good?'' or ''why am I angry?'', or ''why is this not happening?'' The more you try to understand and try to dig it, you seem to understand less and less. The mystery deepens, but an illusion comes as though ''I know it''. But that is for a short while. We ourselves do not know and we try to explain to others! Stop your explanations; your explanations have put you into a soup and make other people also more confused. You don't know what is happening in your mind. Mind is like a roller coaster-it's a crowd. Just be in the simple and innocent state of ''I don't know!''.
This life is a mystery-beautiful-live it. Living the mystery of life so totally is joy. Becoming the mystery is divine. You are a mystery! When you see life in this context, clarity dawns in your mind and your life improves.
1 Review the context of your life
Look at your own life in the light of time. Millions of years have passed and millions will come. What is your life? 60, 70 or 100 years? Span of life is insignificant. It is not even a drop in the ocean. In terms of space you simply don't exist! This understanding dissolves the ego. Ego is ignorance of your reality, ignorance of your existence. Now, just to know this, do we have to do something else? Just open your eyes: ''Who am I? How I am on this planet? What is my life time?'' Awareness dawns in the mind, and you will stop worrying about little things like, ''this person said this thing to me and that person broke away with me and this happened with that person and I am going to say this....'' All smallness will simply drop away, and you will be able to live every moment of your life.
Your life reels around your context. You should be happy in life. All other businesses involve ups and downs which is very natural. If there is a body, then it will get cold, cough, fever or something else and it will go away. But take care to see that happiness is always established in you. That is known as purashaartha. Our love, faith and belief should be deep-rooted, then everything else moves on its own. How many events take place in life! Are you able to maintain your equanimity always?
Not everything in the world is sweet. If you are grounded with faith, like the husk with grain, you will progress. Take this decision: "Whatever happens I will be there. I will be grounded. God's protection is there on me. Whatever happens, I will never go down. I always have God's hand with me." Keep your mind in peace in all situations. The rest will be taken care of. You have to take at least one step forward, which is to be in peace and equanimity. "Oh! Nothing happened. Nothing of my work happened." If you are able to laugh in such a situation, then understand that you have protection with you! The world isfilled with love.
Everybody has love inside them. You have to see that in your mind. Your head will be in the mud in a few years; don't put mud in your head while you are still alive! If you review the context of your life, the quality of your life will improve.
2 Know life's impermanence
See the impermanence in this life. That is the truth. Turn back and see that all that you did is like a dream. All have passed, the whole thing is finished. Tomorrow will pass. Now and then, a pinch of unpleasantness comes. It makes you aware of your pleasantness.
Suppose you never had unpleasant moments in life, you would never have pleasant ones. Your life would stagnate in utter boredom and you would become like a stone. So, in order to keep you alive, now and then, here and there, nature gives you a little pinch. It makes life more lively. Accept it.
You don't have to be afraid in life. There is always support. So, every pinch that you are having in life is for the best, to make your life more lively and enjoyable. Day and night you work so hard. The whole week is spent working, coming home tired, eating, going to bed. The same routine the next day. Weekends have become another routine. If you're awake, then you see there is so much foolishness! Just watch when four or five people get together and have a gossip session. In a gossip session, you can immediately change the topic of conversation. This is the thing with a crowd. If ten people are talking about the weather and you change the topic to stock markets, everybody will immediately talk stock markets, whether they know about them or not. It is great fun.
Being aware of this impermanent nature of our life, you find that there is something in you that has not changed. There is a reference point by which you can say things are changing. That reference point is the source of life. That is wisdom. With wisdom, your life improves.
3 Make your smile cheaper
A research done in England found that a baby smiles 400 times a day, an adolescent 17 times and an adult doesn't smile at all! The more successful one keeps a very stiff face. Is roughness a sign of success? Is being stressed a sign of prosperity, growth or dignity? You should smile more. Every day, every morning, look at the mirror and give a good smile to yourself. You know what happens when you smile? All the muscles in your face get relaxed. The nerves in your brain get relaxation, and you get the confidence, courage and energy to move on in life.
You know, your smile is so fragile! Just one telephone call is enough to take it away! But what is the big deal about your feelings? Bundle them up and throw them into the ocean! Once you are rid of your 'feelings' you can be happy. Just see why your spirits go down? Because somebody said something stupid to you. And why did they say a stupid thing? Because they had some garbage they needed to throw out and you were there, ready to catch it! And once you have caught it, you hold on to it so passionately! Come on! Wake up! Don't let your smile be snatched away by anybody!
Usually, you give your anger freely and smile rarely as though a smile is costly. In ignorance, anger is cheaper and smile costly. In knowledge, a smile is free like sun, air, and water and anger is extremely expensive, like a diamond. Make your smile cheaper and anger expensive! You are here for a greater cause. Just remember that. Take a challenge: "Come what may, I am going to smile today and be happy!" Smile more.
4 Be enthusiastic and praise others
Enthusiasm is the nature of life. We often have a tendency to put cold water on other's enthusiasm. Reverse this tendency. Take every opportunity to praise others and support their enthusiasm. If you put down other's enthusiasm, the same may happen to you. As you sow, so shall you reap. Recollect how much enthusiasm and joy you had when you went to the primary school. Someone without enthusiasm is like a corpse. But as you mature, the enthusiasm curve declines. As enthusiasm declines, we stop communicating.
How would you like to see yourself ? Happy and bubbling with enthusiasm or dull and difficult to please? Often, you like to be pleased, appeased and cajoled. So you put up a tough, upset face and act difficult to please. If a person has to appease and please ten people all the time, it will be so tiring. People who keep a long face and expect others to cajole and appease them make others run away. Lovers often do this. They expend a lot of energy in cajoling, and this brings down the joy and celebration of the moment.
If you feel down, appease and please yourself. Your need to be appeased by someone else is the sign of grossness. If you want attention, all you get is tension. It is not possible to attain Divine Love with a complaining face. Become one whose enthusiasm never dies.
5 Make meditation a part of your life
The higher goals in life can only be realised through a few minutes of meditation and introspection. What is meditation?
Mind without agitation is meditation.
Mind in the present moment is meditation.
Mind that has no hesitation, no anticipation is meditation.
Mind that has come back home, to the source, is meditation.
Mind that becomes "no mind" is meditation.
Deeper you are able to rest, dynamic you will be in activity. Even though deep rest and dynamic activity are opposite values, they are complementary. Before the body leaves you, you learn to leave everything. That is freedom. What are you looking for? Are you looking for some great joy? YOU ARE JOY!
I will give you an example. Have you seen dogs biting bones? You know why they bite bones? Biting wounds their mouth. Its own blood comes out and the dog feels that the bone is very tasty! Poor dog spends the whole time chewing the bone but getting nothing out of it! Any joy you experience in life is from the depth of your self, when you let go all that you hold on to and settle down being centered in that space. That is called meditation. Actually, meditation is not an act; it is the art of doing nothing! The rest in meditation is deeper than the deepest sleep that you can ever have because in meditation youtranscend all desires.
Meditation is letting go of anger from the past and all the planning for the future. Meditation is accepting this moment and living every moment totally with depth. Just this understanding, and a few days of continuous practice of meditation can change the quality of our life. The best comparison of the three states of consciousness-waking, sleeping and dreaming-is with the nature. Nature sleeps, awakes and dreams! It happens in a magnificent scale in existence, and it is happening in a different scale in the human body. Wakefulness and sleep are like sunrise and darkness. Dream is like the twilight in between.
And meditation is like the flight to the outer space, where there is no sunset, no sunrise, nothing! I am sure that deep within, every one of you feel that you have not grown, meaning you have not changed, not grown old. This indicates the soul in you, the depth in you, the spirit in you doesn't change, doesn't grow old, it's not aging. The body is aging but something in you is not aging. Getting in touch with that something that doesn't age brings beauty in life. That is meditation.
Monday, September 24, 2007
Transform yourself
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V. Manohar
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Sunday, September 23, 2007
Investing Tips
Billion dollar investing tips from Warren Buffett
Widely considered the most successful investor of all time, Warren Buffett is a luminous example of the school of value investing. Starting with an initial fund of $105,000 in 1956, Buffet grew it to $45 billion over the next 50 years, making him the second richest man in the world. Though he is widely recognized as being an investor, the bulk of Buffet's wealth was built through intelligent use of leverage offered by his insurance companies. Since most individual investors do not have access to the type of capital that Buffet does, it is not easy to replicate his astounding wealth-building feat. However, by understanding and applying the basic guidelines of Buffett's investment approach to their own investing decisions, most long term investors can comfortably beat the returns of all but the best mutual fund managers.
So, how did Buffet accumulate the huge fortune that he eventually gave away to the charitable foundation run by his best friend, Bill Gates? One of the greatest attractions of Buffett for investors is that his investment methodology is easy to understand. However, it is far more difficult to apply because it calls for large amounts of patience and calm when your stocks move against you. It is also difficult to apply because it requires an orientation towards research and the ability to understand the complexities of accounting and finance. But for those willing to invest time and effort into mastering this approach, superlative investment performance over the long term is guaranteed.
Invest in Businesses, Not in Stocks
"Whenever we buy common stocks for Berkshire's insurance companies (leaving aside arbitrage purchases), we approach the transaction as if we were buying into a private business. We look at the economic prospects of the business, the people in charge of running it, and the price we must pay." -- Warren Buffett
This is the cornerstone of Buffett's investment style. Whenever he evaluates an investment opportunity he analyses it as a business and not as a stock. This makes him look closely at the company's fundamentals, earnings prospects, financial health and management. Conversely, this style of evaluating a business prevents him from buying a stock just because it is going up even though it has dubious prospects. A lot of investors tend to buy stocks based on tips from friends, acquaintances or brokers. By adopting Buffett's approach, you can save yourself a lot of grief later on.
Only Buy Businesses that You Understand
"Did we foresee thirty years ago what would transpire in the television manufacturing or computer industries? Of course not. Why, then, should Charlie and I now think we can predict the future of other rapidly evolving business? We'll stick instead with the easy cases. Why search for a needle buried in a haystack when one is sitting in plain sight?" -- Warren Buffett
Buffett has a track record of generating 21 per cent annually compounded returns over a 50-year time frame, a feat matched by very few investment managers. Though technology companies delivered some of the best returns during this period, Buffet has never owned one for the simple reason that he could not understand the long term prospects of these companies and evaluate them thoroughly. So the next time you get a tip to buy a "hot" company that you do not understand, you should ask yourself: "If the greatest investor in the world will not invest in something he doesn't understand, should I?"
Buy Companies with Defensible 'Franchise'
"As Peter Lynch says, stocks of companies selling commodity-like products should come with a warning label: 'Competition may prove hazardous to human wealth'." -- Warren Buffett
Most of Buffett's portfolio companies, such as Coca Cola, Gillette (now Procter and Gamble), American Express and Washington Post, are businesses which have a significant hold over their market. This is because they have inherent competitive advantages, whether it be a highly recognizable brand, or near-monopoly status in a geographic area. Such companies can typically raise their prices without fear that customers will walk away. This in turn produces fantastic earnings growth and, consequently, great investment performance. So, before you make an investment in future, try to understand whether the company you are investing in has a strong and defensible market position and whether it can raise prices if it needs to.
Hold for the Long Term
"We are willing to hold a stock indefinitely so long as we expect the business to increase in intrinsic value at a satisfactory rate . . . we do not sell our holdings just because they have appreciated or because we have held them for a long time." � Warren Buffett
Buffett's companies have generated enormous returns for him. For example, his investment of $10 million in 1973 in the Washington Post Company had grown to more than $1 billion by 2003. While a lot of us may be able to do this occasionally, Buffett has generated such returns with startling regularity. One of the reasons he is able to do so is because he holds for the long term and is not quick to enter or exit businesses. In fact, he stuck with WPC for two years even though its price fell below his purchase price because he understood the fundamentals of the business and believed that it was undervalued. Even once it became profitable, he was not quick to exit because he believed that it had greater potential. He held it through several bull and bear markets and no greater proof is needed than the return he achieved to show that he was right in holding it for so long.
Ignore Short-Term Fluctuations in Price
"Charlie and I let our marketable equities tell us by their operating results�not by their daily, or even yearly, price quotations�whether our investments are successful. The market may ignore business success for a while, but eventually will confirm it." � Warren Buffett
The stock market has a tendency to overreact on both the upside and downside. Often the market ignores the fundamentals of a business and reacts sharply to news flow. Sometimes entire sectors become either unduly depressed or overpriced. One of the key pillars of Buffett's approach is to ignore short-term fluctuations in price. He does not sell a stock because the market suddenly decides to drop. Neither does he buy one because it is going up. Once Buffett has calmly evaluated the fundamentals, he will buy the stock if its price is right. If the stock dips after he has purchased it, he does not worry so long as its fundamentals are good. Had he gotten jittery due to short-term price fluctuations, he would have been a lot less richer than he his currently.
Buy Good Businesses When Prices are Down
"If you expect to be a net saver during the next five years, should you hope for a higher or lower stock market during that period? Many investors get this one wrong. Even though they are going to be net buyers of stocks for many years to come, they feel elated when stock prices rise and depressed when they fall. Only those who will be sellers of equities in the near future should be happy at seeing stocks rise. Prospective purchasers should much prefer sinking prices." � Warren Buffett
On 19 October 1987, all global stock markets crashed. The Dow Jones Industrial Average actually suffered a decline of 22 per cent, the greatest single-day drop in its history. Every stock on the market fell. Most people sold their holdings in panic that day. Buffett, however, was buying! He made the single largest stock purchase of his life that day. While all others around him hit the panic button, Buffet bought 10 per cent of Coca Cola for $1 billion. Not only was it his largest single stock purchase, he also became the single largest shareholder in the company. In his analysis, Coca Cola had a great business, great long-term prospects and the ability to expand because of globalisation. If the market was willing to sell it at an unreasonably cheap price, he wanted to scoop it up with both hands. And scoop it up he did! Coca Cola became one of the most successful investments in Berkshire's portfolio. By 2006, Buffett had made over $11 billion on Coke since he bought it.
Don't Be an Active Trader
"Indeed, we believe that according the name 'investors' to institutions that trade actively is like calling someone who repeatedly engages in one-night stands a romantic." � Warren Buffett
Buffett is an atypical investor not only because he is highly successful, but also because he does not even look at stock tickers. He believes that trading too much is a tax-inefficient and costly approach to investing. Consequently, he has a very low turnover portfolio, very low brokerage charges and has not paid very much in the nature of capital gains taxes.
Do Not Over-Diversify
"If you are a know-something investor, able to understand business economics and to find five to ten sensibly priced companies that possess important long-term competitive advantage, conventional diversification makes no sense for you." -- Warren Buffett
A striking aspect of Buffett's portfolio at Berkshire is the small number of stocks in it. This number has rarely exceeded 10 stocks. Buffett believes that there are very few outstanding investment opportunities at any given point of time and that one should invest enough in each of those to make a substantial difference. In contrast, most people fill up their portfolios with more than fifty stocks. As a result, even if a stock appreciates 100 per cent, the impact on their net worth will only be 2 per cent. Investors who want to generate truly outstanding returns should identify a small number of great businesses at the right prices and invest a significant amount of their money in each of them.
Invest Only When There is a Margin of Safety
"Margin of safety" is a slightly difficult concept to understand. It can be loosely defined as the difference between value and price. If the value of what you buy is higher than the price you pay for it, you have a high margin of safety. If the price you pay is greater than value, you have a low margin of safety. When the margin of safety is high, the investor need not worry about short-term fluctuations in price and can buy more if he or she has the resources to do so. Also, if you are investing in a situation with a significant margin of safety, you are likely to make a higher return because you are buying at a relatively low price.
However, how does one quantify this margin of safety? It is admittedly a grey area. There are seemingly scientific approaches, such as the discounted cash flow, which are taught in most corporate finance textbooks. In practice, though, it is both very subjective and very difficult for an individual investor to apply. However, there are other short cuts which are more approachable. Since the discounted cash flow ultimately crystallizes into the price / earnings (P/E) ratio, one way of estimating the margin of safety is to look at the P/E ratio. A low P/E means there is a margin of safety. But even this approach has its pitfalls. Slow growing, lousy companies often tend to have low P/E ratios. And, sometimes, very promising companies have high P/E multiples.
One way around this problem is to divide the P/E ratio by the growth rate of the company's profits to arrive at its price-earnings to growth ratio. Thus, if a company's P/E is 20 and the growth rate of its profits is 20 per cent, its PEG is 1. Oftentimes, a PEG of less than 1 implies that there is a significant margin of safety. A PEG of greater than one means that the margin of safety is not very high.
That said, PEG is not the holy grail of valuation and there are several ways to value a company -- and all these approaches have their flaws. You can consider your time well invested if you spend some time researching valuation by reading a corporate finance textbook.
Thus, Warren Buffet's investment approach is easy to understand, but calls for significant effort on your part to understand businesses, evaluate them and invest successfully but then, nobody said that becoming a billionaire was easy!
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11:21 PM
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Cholesterol
What is cholesterol?
Cholesterol is a waxy substance, present in many body tissues. It is an essential nutrient necessary for healthy cell membranes, as well as synthesis of vitamin D and some hormones. It is made in the liver from digested fats and is carried in the blood. Cholesterol is also present in certain foods, such as egg yolk and liver.
Blood cholesterol level is affected by the diet, since cholesterol is present in certain foods and is manufactured in the body from digested fats. High levels of cholesterol in the blood are associated with hardened arteries (known as atherosclerosis), coronary artery disease (heart attack), and stroke.
What is "bad" and "good" cholesterol?
There are many types of cholesterol. LDL or Low-density lipoprotein is the "bad" cholesterol, as it blocks the arteries. HDL or High-density lipoprotein is the "good" cholesterol, as it protects the arteries from clogging.
What are normal cholesterol levels?
Blood can be tested for the cholesterol level. The total cholesterol in the blood includes both HDL and LDL cholesterol. A total cholesterol level of less than 250 mg% is considered normal. High HDL levels (more than 60 mg%) reduce the risk for heart disease and low levels (less than 35 mg%) increase the risk.
How to control cholesterol?
Cholesterol levels can be kept in the normal range by eating a balanced diet and exercising regularly. It is important to eat the right foods (low cholesterol) to keep a healthy weight.
Avoid foods that contain a lot of cholesterol like meats and egg yellow. Eat less fat especially saturated fats, generally obtained from animal sources. Avoid fried foodstuff especially snacks and fast foods.
Eat more of fresh fruits, grains, vegetables and salads avoiding oil-based dressings, which can be substituted with vinegar or lemon-based dressings. Cook vegetables with herbs or spices instead of cooking oil or ghee. Use oils like sunflower, safflower, olive or corn oil. Avoid palm or coconut oil. Eat egg whites instead of whole eggs. Use low-fat dairy products like skimmed milk, low-fat yoghurt or cottage cheese instead of cream or processed cheese.
What is the treatment for high cholesterol levels?
There are drugs known as statins that inhibit the liver enzyme used in the manufacture of cholesterol. They are the most effective drugs for the treatment of high cholesterol. They are recommended for most patients with high cholesterol levels, particularly those with diabetes, existing heart disease, or both.
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V. Manohar
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10:45 PM
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Globalize your Accent
What is an Accent
An accent is a pronunciation characteristic of a particular group of people relative to another group.
American Accent:
An Overview
American Accent is matter of flow.
There is no need to put in an extra effort. If you have to then that means something is wrong.
Plosive Sounds
•Vowel Sounds
•T Rule
•R Sound
•Z, H, L
Plosive Sounds:
Pure Perfect
•P : Peter
•T : Tom
•K : Kilo
Impure Perfect
•B : Bob
•D : David
•G : Grey
Plosive P Sounds:
•American P is pronounced with a gush of air.
•It is different from Indian “ph” sound
•American P is pronounced with a gush of air.
•It is different from Indian “ph” sound
Example……
•“Pauline, Peter and Patrick were all perfect in their professional college. Patrick pretty much knew it all. Pauline and Peter picked up their degrees prior to Patrick”. “Pave our path for prosperity was their pledge”. “Patrick and Pauline would dream of places where they could procure peace and harmony. People would always pity the poor kids, for how much they would pressurize themselves in their studies”.
• “A pilgrimage pondered and wandered.
Plowing through peals of apples,
Polishing and picking and poking,
Hoping to find one promising.”
•Tongue Twister
“A peck of pickled pepper Peter Piper picked,
If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled pepper,
Where’s the peck of pickled pepper Peter Piper picked.”
Practice these words with right “P” Sounds.
Plymouth Pittsburg Poker Pamela Patricia Providence Payment Program Papa Paul .
T’ Rules:
Rule 1
‘T’ at the beginning of a word is a sharp T and it is pronounced with a burst of air.
Exercise
•It took ten times to try the telephone.
•Stop touching Ted’s toes.
•Turn towards Stella and study her contract together.
•Tell Tyler to take two turns this time.
•Tina tried to tame Ted’s tiger on Tuesday
Rule 2
Whenever single or double ‘T’ is between two vowel sounds it becomes soft ‘D’ sound.
•What a good idea.
•Get a better water heater.
•Put it in a bottle.
•Betty bought a bit of better butter.
•Go get a letter opener
Rule 3
Whenever ‘T’ is at the end of the word it is a held T
Exercise
•Take it.
•It’s what they want to get.
•Put them back in the pot.
•What did you find at that site?
•She hit the hot hut with her hat.
Special ‘T’ Rule (for understanding)
Whenever ‘T’ is preceded by ‘N’, ‘T’ is silent and ‘N’ is pronounced twice.
•The person who speaks fast would use the above mentioned rule. A person who would speak slowly would say the plosive ‘T’.
Exercise
•Internet = Innernet.
•Percentage = Percennage
•Printer = prinner
•Twenty = Twenny
Enter = Enner
Practice
•He interrupted twenty interviews in Toronto.
•There were a large percentage of international students.
•He won’t even interfere with the interaction.
•He’s at the Intercontinental Hotel.
•He wasn’t even helping was he?
•Trevor, Todd and Teresa would tie up together every night, and go out for the movies. Their favorite movie was “The teacher taught the truth to Tony”. Todd and Teresa were quite fond of tourism, in fact they thought of touring together to twenty different tourist spots. Trevor, however was a typical untidy person, so for him packing for tour seemed terrible.
•Tongue Twister
Tick tock, tick tock, the clock ticked
A timeless ticking and tricking
A tremendous effort, but time
Always won what mattered
Thirty thrifty three toms watched the tower.
Plosive “Kh” Sounds
•American “k” is pronounced with a gush of air.
•It is different from Indian “kh” sound
Example……
Practice
•Catherine, Katy and Kelly were quite close when it came to being companions. Kelly and Katy, could not keep a secret, they couldn’t care much for privacy. Catherine, kept a close contact with Katy’s brother, cooper, who stayed in California. Cooper co-operated a lot to cope with Catherine’s habit of cake baking. She would bake a cake for Cooper and Kelly, but would fall short to keep a slice of cake for Katy.
•The Kite that beat the kite,
That was the other kite.
That shifted kites to the other kit.
That was a kitten’s ball of kitty wool
•Tongue Twister
Coughing through the corridor
Carefully coping
With clusters of people
What a cold I have
Vowel Sounds
•A, E ,I, O, U are the vowel sounds.
•Americans stress on the vowel sounds.
•Opening of mouth wide not vertically but horizontally.
Exercise
•Option Aeption
•Case Khaise
•Webpas Webpaes
Rolling of ‘R’ Sound
•In American English ‘R’ is like a Vowel and the tongue is rolled at the time of pronouncing it.
LEATHER CARE HIGHER BLOWER PAVER
POWER TEAR GREATER CARETAKER LAYER
SNIPPER WATER NEAR SHOWER DREAMER
‘Th’ sound
•The “Th” Sound can be pronounced like “s” between the teeth, or, with the buzzing sound
•Throw Them
•Thelma Those
•Thomas Brother
•Thank you Father
‘Q’ Sound
•There is no ‘Q’ sound in American English, it is ‘Khue’.
Queen Khueen
Quite Khuite
Quarrel Khwaerel
Silent ‘E’ sound
•When ‘E’ is at the end of a word it is not pronounced
Nashville Mobile Automobile
H’ and ‘L’ Sounds
•H is aich
HP Harry Hamilton
•L is ail
Lima Loss Linda
V’ and ‘W’ Sounds
At the time of pronouncing ‘V’ lower lip comes in contact with the teeth
“W” is a Glide
Vision View Vulnerable Vacant Vagabond Vial Validate Valid
Virtual Value Valentine Victory Vanish Vanilla Vacant
Victor Vickerson voted to review the very vilest version of the veto to avoid a controversy.
Even Evan reviewed Virginia’s available provisions for the vacation as inevitably devoid of value.
Evan eventually arrived at the village and saved the day with vast amounts of venison & veal.
Wine Window Went Where When Wellington Willful
Wonderful Dwell Wild Whichever `Width Waiter While
Where were we in the World War – I? On one wonderful Wednesday, we were wandering in Westwood with a wonderful woman from Wisconsin, whose name was Wanda for weeks, and we were wondering when we would wear out our welcome. I’ve been waiting since winter.
''Z" sound:
Zulu Zebra Zen Zenith
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10 top Indian CEOs
Lakshmi N Mittal
Steel tycoon Lakshmi Niwas Mittal is the richest Indian in the world, with an estimated wealth of $25 billion. He resides in London, has his company registered in the Netherlands, but still holds an Indian passport. Although Mittal Steel was already the world's biggest steel company, his king-sized ambitions were evident when he took over steel giant Arcelor to create a new steel behemoth -- Arcelor-Mittal. L N Mittal left India in the mid-1970s to start his career. He was sent to Indonesia by his father to shut down the family's ailing steel plant and sell the land. Instead, young Mittal saw an opportunity and turned the plant around. To prove that this was no fluke, Mittal acquired a 1.3 million tonne, Iscot Steel plant in Trinidad & Tobago, which was losing $100,000 a day. One year of Mittal-style management and it was making profits, the LN Mittal legend was born. That move helped him get into America. The Mexican government seeing the success that Mittal made of Iscot, asked him to take over their ailing steel plants in 1992. But it was not all that smooth. In 1994 Mittal had differences with his brothers and father, and went on to form his own company. The following year Mittal entered the European market, acquiring the 5 million tonne Kazakh steel plant, Karmet. Meanwhile, Mittal had listed Ispat International on the New York and Amsterdam Stock Exchanges in 1997. Eight years later Mittal Steel became the world's largest steel maker when he took over the US's largest steel producer -- the International Steel Group. He then consolidated all his steel holdings into Mittal Steel.
Ratan Tata
Ratan Naval Tata, a bachelor, is the chairman of the Tata Group, India's most respected conglomerate. He was born into a Parsi family in Mumbai (then called Bombay) to Soonoo and Naval Hormusji Tata on December 28, 1937. He did a short stint with Jones and Emmons in Los Angeles, California, before returning to India in 1962. He had earlier turned down an IBM job offer. He joined the family business in 1962 and worked with many of his group's companies. He took over as group chairman from the legendary J R D Tata in 1991. Since then, he has been instrumental in boosting the fortunes of the Tata Group, which has amongst the largest market capitalisations in the Indian stock markets. Tata Motors developed the Tata Indica in 1998. This was the first 'entirely Indian' passenger car. Ratan Tata's dream now is to manufacture a car costing just Rs 100,000. Ratan Tata holds a degree in Architecture and Structural Engineering from Cornell University. He has also done the Advanced Management Program from Harvard Business School in 1974-1975. Ratan Tata was honoured with one of India's highest civilian awards, the Padma Bhushan, on January 26, 2000.
Mukesh D Ambani
Mukesh Ambani, the chairman and managing director of India's largest private sector enterprise -- Reliance Industries Limited -- was born on April 19, 1957. His father, the legendary Dhirubhai Ambani, was then a small businessman who later on rose to become one of the legends of Indian industry. Mukesh joined Reliance Industries in 1981 and was the brain behind Reliance's backward integration from textiles into polyester fibres and into petrochemicals. During the process of backward integration, Mukesh Ambani led the creation of 51 new, world-class manufacturing facilities involving diverse technologies that raised Reliance's manufacturing capacities manifold. The world's largest grassroots petroleum refinery at Jamnagar is his brainchild. He was also the in-charge of Dhirubhai's dream project Reliance Infocomm. But after the split in the Reliance Empire, Reliance Infocomm went to his brother Anil. Mukesh Ambani is now planning to enter retail sector in a big way and will launch a chain of 'Reliance Fresh' retail stores. He also entered into an agreement with the Haryana government to establish a Special Economic Zone with an investment running into billions of rupees. He has a bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering from University of Bombay and a master's in Business Administration from Stanford University, USA.
Nandan Nilekani
N andan Nilekani is the CEO and managing director of Infosys Technologies. He, along with N R Narayana Murthy and five others, co-founded India's IT jewel, Infosys. Born in Bangalore to Durga and Mohan Rao Nilekani, he graduated from the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay. After graduation, he met Narayana Murthy, who then led Patni Computer Systems's software group, seeking a job. Murthy hired the young engineer. That was the beginning of a relationship that was to create Indian corporate history. Three years later, seven enthusiasts (including Nandan) decided to start their own outfit (Infosys Technologies Ltd) with Murthy in the lead. Their decision rewrote the domestic software industry of India. He became the chief executive officer of Infosys in March 2002. He now leads the company with Narayana Murthy having retired in August 2006. He is married to Rohini, an English-language novelist, and they have two children: daughter Janhavi and son Nihar. He speaks Konkani at home. In 2006, he was awarded the Padma Bhushan by the Government of India. He is regarded by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world in its issue of May 2006.
Azim H Premji
Azim Hashim Premji, the chairman of Wipro Technologies, is one of the richest Indians. He is an icon among Indian businessmen, especially in the software industry. Born on July 24, 1945, Premji was studying Electrical Engineering at Stanford University, USA when due to the sudden demise of his father, he was called upon to handle the family business at the age of 21. Wipro was then Western Indian Vegetable Products, a small cooking oil company. Premji diversified into bakery fats, ethnic ingredient based toiletries, hair care soaps, baby toiletries, lighting products and hydraulic cylinders. And then shifted focus from soaps to software. He transformed Wipro into one of India's most successful IT companies. Under Azim Premji's stewardship, Wipro has grown from a fledgling Rs 70 million oil company into an IT giant with a turnover of $2.4 billion and an employee strength of 57,000. Azim Premji has regularly featured in the Forbes' list of the world's richest people. He was also rated among the world's 100 most influential people by the Time magazine. In 2005, the Indian government honoured him with Padma Bhushan, one of the nation's highest civilian awards.
Anil D Ambani
The fourth richest Indian today, with a net worth of about $13.5 billion, Anil Ambani is chairman of Reliance Communications, Reliance Capital, Reliance Energy and Reliance Natural Resources Limited. Before the Reliance empire split, he was vice chairman and managing director of Reliance Industries Limited. The Reliance group was founded by his late father Dhirubhai Ambani. Anil was born on June 4, 1959. He joined Reliance in 1983, two years after his elder brother Mukesh, as co-chief executive officer. He is credited with leading India's foray into overseas capital markets with international public offerings of global depositary receipts, convertibles and bonds. He also directed RIL's efforts to raise $2 billion from global markets. Anil was elected as an independent Member of the Rajya Sabha with the support of the Samajwadi Party, but resigned on March 25, 2006. Ambani who was once ridiculed for being overweight at a shareholder' s meeting is now a fitness freak and runs the Mumbai marathon regularly. He has a bachelor's degree in Science from the University of Bombay and a master's in Business Administration from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He is married to former Bollywood actress Tina Munim.
Sunil Mittal
Sunil B Mittal is chairman and managing director of Bharti group. Bharti is India's largest GSM-based mobile phone service. Son of a politician, he built his Bharti group, along with two siblings, into India's largest mobile phone operator in just ten years. Vodafone and SingTel both own stakes in recently renamed flagship Bharti Airtel. The group also has partnerships with Axa for insurance and with the Rothschild family for exporting fruits and vegetables. He plans to go into retailing along with the world's largest retailer Wal-Mart. The 49-year-old has always been a pioneer. A first generation entrepreneur, he started his first business in 1976 with a capital investment of Rs 20,000. He decided not to be a politician and set up a small bicycle business in Ludhiana. By 1979, Sunil Mittal realised that his ambitions could not be fulfilled in Ludhiana, so he moved out to Mumbai. He initially founded a number of trading concerns, and established the first company to manufacture push button telephones in India. In 1982, Mittal started a full-fledged business selling portable generators imported from Japan. He was one of the first entrepreneurs to identify the mobile telecom business as a major growth area and launched services in Delhi in 1995. Under his leadership the company has gone from strength to strength.
K V Kamath
Kundapur Vaman Kamath is the managing director and CEO of ICICI Bank, the largest private bank in India. Kamath, born on December 2, 1947, began his career with ICICI -- the parent body of ICICI Bank -- in 1971 and has since then worked to take ICICI places. He has helped the financial institution evolve into a modern, tech-savvy organisation. He joined the project finance division of ICICI in 1971 and moved on to different departments to gather rich experience. In 1988, he joined the Asian Development Bank, Manila in their private sector department. He worked in most of the developing countries in the region including China, Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia and Vietnam. In May 1996, he returned to ICICI as its managing director and chief executive officer. He is a graduate of the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad.
Kumar Mangalam Birla
Kumar Mangalam Birla, born on June 14, 1967, is among the richest persons in India and the eighth youngest billionaire outside India. He is chairman of the Aditya Birla Group, one of India's largest business groups. Some of the AV Birla group's companies are: Grasim, Hindalco, UltraTech Cement, Aditya Birla Nuvo and Idea Cellular. He took over as chairman of the group in 1995, at the age of 28, after the sudden demise of his father, Aditya Birla. When he took charge, there were doubts about his ability to handle the giant business house, but he proved all naysayers wrong. In the 11 years that he has led the group, he has won admiration, recognition and praise for his management acumen and contribution to the industry. Under his leadership, the group has consolidated its position in existing businesses and ventured into cellular telephony, asset management, software and BPO. He is a chartered accountant and also holds an MBA from the London Business School.
Rahul Bajaj
Rahul Bajaj is the chairman of the Bajaj Group, which ranks among the top 10 business houses in India. He is one of India's most distinguished business leaders and internationally respected for his business acumen and entrepreneurial spirit. He took over the reins of Bajaj group in 1965. Under his leadership, the turnover of the Bajaj Auto the flagship company has risen from Rs 72 million to Rs 46.16 billion. The initiation of liberalisation in India posed great challenges for Bajaj Auto. Liberalisation brought the threat of cheap imports and FDI from top companies like Honda. Rahul Bajaj became famous as the head of the Bombay Club, which opposed liberalisation. The scooter sales plummeted as people were more interested in motorcycles and the rival Hero Honda was a pioneer in it. The recession and stock market collapse of 2001 hit the company hard and it was predicted that the days of Bajaj Auto were numbered. However, Bajaj Auto re-invented itself, established a world-class factory in Chakan, invested in R&D and came up with Bajaj Pulsar Motorcycle. Bajaj Pulsar is currently a leader in its segment. Recently, Rahul Bajaj was elected to Rajya Sabha from Maharashtra. He is an alumnus of Harvard, St. Stephen's and Cathedral.
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Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Strategic Listening
We can communicate on one-or all-of four different levels at any given time:
1. facts,
2. meaning,
3. feelings, and
4. intention.
"The house is burning" is a simple, straight-forward statement. But those four words — depending on how they are said — may mean:
• "A residential structure is being consumed by flames." (Facts)
• "The house we're in is on fire." (Meaning)
• "Ahhhh!!!!" (Feelings)
• "Run for your life." (Intention)
Sometimes we don't understand other people, because we're not listening — or not listening well. We're distracted or simply not paying attention. But sometimes we don't understand them, because we're not hearing what they want to communicate. We're not listening to the right level.
We may hear the facts, for example, but miss the feelings.
It takes skill and intelligence to hear the various messages people are communicating.
Level 1 The Facts
People want to Convey information.
Our task is to Listen for details and clarify.
We need to ask "Who? What? Where? When? Why? How?"
Our goal is to Picture the situation as the person is describing it.
Level 2 Meaning
People want to Make themselves understood.
Our task is to Listen for the big picture; summarize and paraphrase.
We need to ask "Am I understanding you correctly?"
"Is this what you're getting at?"
Our goal is to Understand what the person means — and make the other person feel understood.
Level 3 Feelings
People want to Connect on an emotional level.
Our task is to Listen with empathy; pay attention to body language and tone of voice.
We need to ask "How does this make you feel?"
"It sounds to me like you're feeling..."
Our goal is to Recognize how the person is feeling — and make the other person feel connected.
Level 4 Intention
People want to Get their needs met.
Our task is to Listen for wants and needs; focus on solutions, action steps, and outcomes
We need to ask "What do you want to have happen?"
"What would help you in this situation?"
"What can you/we do about it?"
Our goal is to Know what the person wants to achieve.
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Talent Matters
Talent Matters
Talent wins market battles.
Ability to Hire and Retain Talent is a key challenge for organizations across industry segments.
People processes & practices impact organizational capability to attract and energize Talent.
People processes & practices have the potential of being leveraged as a competitive advantage
A holistic approach to Talent
Engage Talent: Measure Engagement Levels to determine effective Actions for Engaging Talent
Talent Practices: Design, refine & deploy processes to Attract, Build and Retain Talent
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MIS Report
MIS report is known as Management Information System... regarding the Manpower status of a particular month, place and overall..
It helps the Management in decision making.. like what are the reasons of resignation.. in which area attrition is high.. and so many things to help in decision making.. with teh help of MIS you may prepare a lot of reports.. Like annual attrition.. region wise attrition.. region wise manpower.. graphical representation of regions manpower status.. and so on..
You may prepare the same at your end.As it will help you to prepare other such formats too.
I am describing you the contents with sheet wise..
First Sheet-
Details of employee
a. E.Code b. Name of employee
c. Date of birth d. Designation e. CTC
f. Address for communication
g.Permanent address h. Contact number
i. Blood group j. Maximum qualification
k. Extra qualification l.Total Experience
Second Sheet-
Salary structure
In this sheet write down the complete salary structure.. and make a column what is salary after any revision
Third Sheet -
New Joinees
In this sheet write down the name of New joinees of that month with detail
like
CTC,
Designation,
DOB n etc.
Forth Sheet -
Resigned employees
In this sheet write the name of employees who resigned during
that particular month with details like name, designation, date of joining,
Date of resignation, last working day.
Fifth sheet -
Attrition rate
Based on this MIS report, you may find out the attrition report, Qualification analysis reports, team management reports and so on can prepare a number of reports..
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Improve your Interview Techniques
A successful interview should determine if there is a match between the individual and the job. Furthermore, a good interview process allows you to understand their behavior, values, motivations, and qualifications. Time and time again we have seen people hired for sales jobs that don’t like calling people, customer service people who can’t look into your eyes and say, “Hello.” Then there are good employees promoted into management positions and have no clue how to lead and manage others. Here are several reasons why interviewing techniques fail:
Lack of preparation - The first impression lasts a long time. Prior to the interview make sure you understand the key elements of the job. Develop a simple outline that covers general job duties. Possibly work with the incumbent to get a better idea of what the job is about. Screen the resumes and application to gain information for the interview. Standardize and prepare the questions you will ask each applicant.
Lack of purpose - Not only are you trying to determine the best applicant, but you also have to convince the applicant that this is the best place for them to work. Today’s workers have many more choices and job opportunities to choose from.
Lack of clearly defined job competencies - Each job can have anywhere from 6-14 job competencies. Identify the behaviors, knowledge, motivations and qualities incumbents need to have to be successful in the job. If the job requires special education or a license, be sure to include it on your list also. There are several assessments and profiles available to help insure you have a good match between the applicant and the job.
Lack of structure - The best interview follows a structured process. This doesn’t mean that the entire process is inflexible without spontaneity. What it means is that each applicant is asked the same questions and is scored with a consistent rating process. A structured approach helps avoid bias and gives all applicants a fair chance. The best ways to accomplish this are by using behavioral based questions, role-plays and situational questions. Here are some examples:
Behavioral based questions are used to evaluate the applicant’s past behavior, experience and initiative such as:
* Give me an example when you . . .
* Describe an incident where you went over and beyond the call of duty . . .
* Tell me about the time you reached out for additional responsibility . . .
* Tell me about the largest project you worked on . . .
Situational based questions evaluate the applicant’s judgement ability and knowledge. The interviewer first gives the applicant a hypothetical situation such as:
You are the store manager of a hardware store. One of your employees has just told you that he thinks another worker is stealing merchandise from the store.
* What should you do?
* What additional information should you obtain?
* How many options do you have?
* When or if you should call the police?
Sample role-plays are effective ways to learn and practice new skills. They can also be used during the interview process to determine the skills and personal charisma of people during stress. For example, if you are interviewing a customer service representative you can use a role-play to see how this person can manage an irate customer. When using role-plays consider the following guidelines.
1. It is a good idea to write the situation down on paper. Give the person time or a short break to “get into character” prior to beginning the role-play.
2. Give the candidate clear guidelines and background information so they thoroughly understand the situation.
3. Allow them to ask questions before you begin.
4. Debrief the applicant at the conclusion of the role-play. Ask them to tell you how they thought they did and how they could have done it differently. Conclude the role-play in a positive way.
The traditional interview is never 100% reliable. Yes, a structured approach will improve your chances, but it is important to go one step further. Pre-employment screening is an important aspect of the hiring process for a growing number of employers. By using various assessments and profiles organizations have been able to help clients reduce turnover and improve the quality of the workforce.
Behavioral assessments have proven to be an effective tool for improving the management of an organization. They provide an accurate analysis of employees' behaviors and attitudes otherwise left to subjective judgment.
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Interview Questions
50 Interview Questions
Review these typical interview questions and think about how you would answer them. Read
the questions listed; you will also find some strategy suggestions with it.
1. Tell me about yourself:
The most often asked question in interviews. You need to have a short statement prepared
in your mind. Be careful that it does not sound rehearsed. Limit it to work-related items
unless instructed otherwise. Talk about things you have done and jobs you have held that
relate to the position you are interviewing for. Start with the item farthest back and work up
to the present.
2. Why did you leave your last job?
Stay positive regardless of the circumstances. Never refer to a major problem with
management and never speak ill of supervisors, co-workers or the organization. If you do,
you will be the one looking bad. Keep smiling and talk about leaving for a positive reason
such as an opportunity, a chance to do something special or other forward-looking reasons.
3. What experience do you have in this field?
Speak about specifics that relate to the position you are applying for. If you do not have
specific experience, get as close as you can.
4. Do you consider yourself successful?
You should always answer yes and briefly explain why. A good explanation is that you have
set goals, and you have met some and are on track to achieve the others.
5. What do co-workers say about you?
Be prepared with a quote or two from co-workers. Either a specific statement or a
paraphrase will work. Jill Clark, a co-worker at Smith Company, always said I was the
hardest workers she had ever known. It is as powerful as Jill having said it at the interview
herself.
6. What do you know about this organization?
This question is one reason to do some research on the organization before the interview.
Find out where they have been and where they are going. What are the current issues and
who are the major players?
7. What have you done to improve your knowledge in the last year?
Try to include improvement activities that relate to the job. A wide variety of activities can
be mentioned as positive self-improvement. Have some good ones handy to mention.
8. Are you applying for other jobs?
Be honest but do not spend a lot of time in this area. Keep the focus on this job and what
you can do for this organization. Anything else is a distraction.
9. Why do you want to work for this organization?
This may take some thought and certainly, should be based on the research you have done
on the organization. Sincerity is extremely important here and will easily be sensed. Relate
it to your long-term career goals.
10. Do you know anyone who works for us?
Be aware of the policy on relatives working for the organization. This can affect your answer
even though they asked about friends not relatives. Be careful to mention a friend only if
they are well thought of.
11. What kind of salary do you need?
A loaded question. A nasty little game that you will probably lose if you answer first. So, do
not answer it. Instead, say something like, That's a tough question. Can you tell me the
range for this position? In most cases, the interviewer, taken off guard, will tell you. If not,
say that it can depend on the details of the job. Then give a wide range.
12. Are you a team player?
You are, of course, a team player. Be sure to have examples ready. Specifics that show you
often perform for the good of the team rather than for yourself are good evidence of your
team attitude. Do not brag, just say it in a matter-of-fact tone. This is a key point.
13. How long would you expect to work for us if hired?
Specifics here are not good. Something like this should work: I'd like it to be a long time. Or
As long as we both feel I'm doing a good job.
14. Have you ever had to fire anyone? How did you feel about that?
This is serious. Do not make light of it or in any way seem like you like to fire people. At the
same time, you will do it when it is the right thing to do. When it comes to the organization
versus the individual who has created a harmful situation, you will protect the organization.
Remember firing is not the same as layoff or reduction in force.
15. What is your philosophy towards work?
The interviewer is not looking for a long or flowery dissertation here. Do you have strong
feelings that the job gets done? Yes. That's the type of answer that works best here. Short
and positive, showing a benefit to the organization.
16. If you had enough money to retire right now, would you?
Answer yes if you would. But since you need to work, this is the type of work you prefer. Do
not say yes if you do not mean it.
17. Have you ever been asked to leave a position?
If you have not, say no. If you have, be honest, brief and avoid saying negative things
about the people or organization involved.
18. Explain how you would be an asset to this organization
You should be anxious for this question. It gives you a chance to highlight your best points
as they relate to the position being discussed. Give a little advance thought to this
relationship.
19. Why should we hire you?
Point out how your assets meet what the organization needs. Do not mention any other
candidates to make a comparison.
20. Tell me about a suggestion you have made
Have a good one ready. Be sure and use a suggestion that was accepted and was then
considered successful. One related to the type of work applied for is a real plus.
21. What irritates you about co-workers?
This is a trap question. Think real hard but fail to come up with anything that irritates you.
A short statement that you seem to get along with folks is great.
22. What is your greatest strength?
Numerous answers are good, just stay positive. A few good examples:
Your ability to prioritize, Your problem-solving skills, Your ability to work under pressure,
Your ability to focus on projects, Your professional expertise, Your leadership skills, Your
positive attitude .
23. Tell me about your dream job.
Stay away from a specific job. You cannot win. If you say the job you are contending for is it, you strain credibility. If you say another job is it, you plant the suspicion that you will be dissatisfied with this position if hired. The best is to stay genetic and say something like:
A job where I love the work, like the people, can contribute and can't wait to get to work.
24. Why do you think you would do well at this job?
Give several reasons and include skills, experience and interest.
25. What are you looking for in a job?
See answer # 23
26. What kind of person would you refuse to work with?
Do not be trivial. It would take disloyalty to the organization, violence or lawbreaking to get
you to object. Minor objections will label you as a whiner.
27. What is more important to you: the money or the work?
Money is always important, but the work is the most important. There is no better answer.
28. What would your previous supervisor say your strongest point is?
There are numerous good possibilities:
Loyalty, Energy, Positive attitude, Leadership, Team player, Expertise, Initiative, Patience,
Hard work, Creativity, Problem solver
29. Tell me about a problem you had with a supervisor
Biggest trap of all. This is a test to see if you will speak ill of your boss. If you fall for it and
tell about a problem with a former boss, you may well below the interview right there. Stay
positive and develop a poor memory about any trouble with a supervisor.
30. What has disappointed you about a job?
Don't get trivial or negative. Safe areas are few but can include:
Not enough of a challenge. You were laid off in a reduction Company did not win a contract,
which would have given you more responsibility.
31. Tell me about your ability to work under pressure.
You may say that you thrive under certain types of pressure. Give an example that relates
to the type of position applied for.
32. Do your skills match this job or another job more closely?
Probably this one. Do not give fuel to the suspicion that you may want another job more
than this one.
33. What motivates you to do your best on the job?
This is a personal trait that only you can say, but good examples are:
Challenge, Achievement, Recognition
34. Are you willing to work overtime? Nights? Weekends?
This is up to you. Be totally honest.
35. How would you know you were successful on this job?
Several ways are good measures:
You set high standards for yourself and meet them. Your outcomes are a success.Your boss
tell you that you are successful
36. Would you be willing to relocate if required?
You should be clear on this with your family prior to the interview if you think there is a
chance it may come up. Do not say yes just to get the job if the real answer is no. This can
create a lot of problems later on in your career. Be honest at this point and save yourself
future grief.
37. Are you willing to put the interests of the organization ahead of your own?
This is a straight loyalty and dedication question. Do not worry about the deep ethical and
philosophical implications. Just say yes.
38. Describe your management style.
Try to avoid labels. Some of the more common labels, like progressive, salesman or
consensus, can have several meanings or descriptions depending on which management
expert you listen to. The situational style is safe, because it says you will manage according
to the situation, instead of one size fits all.
39. What have you learned from mistakes on the job?
Here you have to come up with something or you strain credibility. Make it small, well
intentioned mistake with a positive lesson learned. An example would be working too far
ahead of colleagues on a project and thus throwing coordination off.
40. Do you have any blind spots?
Trick question. If you know about blind spots, they are no longer blind spots. Do not reveal
any personal areas of concern here. Let them do their own discovery on your bad points. Do
not hand it to them.
41. If you were hiring a person for this job, what would you look for?
Be careful to mention traits that are needed and that you have.
42. Do you think you are overqualified for this position?
Regardless of your qualifications, state that you are very well qualified for the position.
43. How do you propose to compensate for your lack of experience?
First, if you have experience that the interviewer does not know about, bring that up: Then,
point out (if true) that you are a hard working quick learner.
44. What qualities do you look for in a boss?
Be generic and positive. Safe qualities are knowledgeable, a sense of humor, fair, loyal to
subordinates and holder of high standards. All bosses think they have these traits.
45. Tell me about a time when you helped resolve a dispute between others.
Pick a specific incident. Concentrate on your problem solving technique and not the dispute
you settled.
46. What position do you prefer on a team working on a project?
Be honest. If you are comfortable in different roles, point that out.
47. Describe your work ethic.
Emphasize benefits to the organization. Things like, determination to get the job done and
work hard but enjoy your work are good.
48. What has been your biggest professional disappointment?
Be sure that you refer to something that was beyond your control. Show acceptance and no
negative feelings.
49. Tell me about the most fun you have had on the job.
Talk about having fun by accomplishing something for the organization.
50. Do you have any questions for me?
Always have some questions prepared. Questions prepared where you will be an asset to
the organization are good. How soon will I be able to be productive? and What type of
projects will I be able to assist on? are examples.
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