How to Crack Interviews...

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. I f 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 used. Relate it to your longterm 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.

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 is 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 were 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.

The Get Lucky List

It is middle of the night as am writing this. I was just reading an old book (Liberation Management, pages 612–614) on my shelf that had this chapter on luck. It just fired my imagination and I just had to put my adapted version of this down.

Luck does play a big part in success.If you at times find yourself throwing your hands up in the air in despair, try a few of these strategies to get lucky.

If you are the planning types and believe meticulous and orderly plans are the only way forward and luck is just a by product, then by all means keep at it...

Have a little fun. Get lucky. Try these strategies..

1.  Chop off the cribbing. Get on with something.
2.  Shoot it. Don’t just keep aiming.
3.  Fire one in the dark. you never know.
4.  “If a thing is worth doing, it is worth doing badly.”—G.K. Chesterton
5.  Just Start.
6.  Read. Read. Read. 
7.  Where you will be same time next year hugely depends on what you read and who you met.
8.  Read stuff not just bestsellers. Got to think differently.
9.  Travel. Visit new places. Insights guaranteed.
10.  Just don’t drink yourself nuts when you travel. Then insights guaranteed.
11.  Reinvent old hobbies. Photography. Gardening. Sports. Whatever. Do.
12.  Take up a sport. Have some fun.
13.  Work with weird people. 
14.  Ask really dumb questions. “How come a CD can only take about 20 songs?” Somebody asked that stupid question and came up with an iPod.
15.  Failure is good. Its indicates that you stretch. Pursue a few failures of the past. Give it one more try. Just one. Do it in the craziest way you can think of. Go nuts.
16.  Have a ‘different day’ tomorrow. Do everything that you normally do differently. That will get you thinking.
17.  Listen to everyone today. Get ideas through questions.
18.  Don’t listen to anyone today. Just do what your gut says at supersonic mad speed.
19.  Get fired. Maybe the best that will happen to you. 
20.  Don’t hang out with people who think they are unlucky. It rubs off.
21.  Hang out with crazy people.
22.  No idea ever came from a plan. It just came. Free up your mind. Get intuitive. How?
23.  Delegate everything on your plate.
24.  Delegate more. Have time.
25.  Destroy protocol.Challenge your boss on something. Be intelligent. Have an outcome in mind. GOOOOOOOO.
26.  Take a risk. Go take someone from another function for lunch. Enjoy. 
27.  Open up. Make everyone like you. Bare all details at work. for eg if your are a business owner, make everyone a business person with access to all financials.
28.  Take a two month break from work. Please use that Leave.... Dount count pennies. USE IT.
29.  Spend 15 days out of every 30 - OUTSIDE. Customer. Vendor. Distributor. Whoever. BE OUT. The opportunities are there. They are not sitting on your conference table.
30.  Don’t balance. Don’t let others balance. Spread confusion. Ask confusing questions.
31.  Learn from the Parliament. Disorganize. Disorganize everything. Bureaucracy and Politics will break down.
32.  Attack your corporate culture. 
33.  Encourage people to attack it too.
34.  Loosen up.
35.  Wear jeans to office. Change things. Be comfortable.
36.  And then (AGAIN) Get out of office. Nothing inspiring happened at your table for as long as you have sat there. MOVE.
37.  Work from home for a week.
38.  DONT HELP ANYONE. Let people who work for you fall flat on their face and learn.
39.  “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing”—Helen Keller - Dare Today. Something from this list. DO.
40.  Get the execution right. The strategy will take care of itself.
41.  Disrespect Tradition for a day. Discover your own beliefs. Grow up.
42.  Start rewarding excellent failures. Yours’ too. They are worth far more than your 10% income hikes.
43.  Celebrate a full day. For what? For being alive. 
44.  Success is relationships. Period. Go work on two of them today.
45.  Observe children playing in a field. Go see what you really were a few years back. Learn. You always had fun then.
46.  Join a public speaking forum. Practice. Become confident. It’s a big boost to ego.
47.  Latest Fortune 500 report proves that Women are better leaders than Men. How many are there in your team???? HIRE THEM TO LEAD.
48.  “Do one thing every day that scares you.”—Eleanor Roosevelt
49.  Do something that will make you feel that your are living, not just existing. Do it now.
50.  “We eat change for breakfast!”—Harry Quadracci, founder, QuadGraphics - That should be your plan for daily luck!! Keep changing it.

That’s my 50. Do these come close to being you. Or do the opposites of this 50 comes close to being you. I thought it might so heres no. 51. Chill out. Life isn’t serious. Have some fun. Let go.

Chetan Walia

Why Sales?

Last days a company visited my University Campus for the purpose of recruitment. They offered a role of Sales Manager. Being a finance graduate my friends were pretty surprised, why I was sitting for such a company. If I was interested in sales profile then I should have opted for marketing, why Finance?

Why Sales?

Its a very big question mark?

Before moving further I would like to ask all the people sitting for job interviews or placements, what actually you do or why do you sit for interview?

Most frequent answers what people give are:

"I want job."

"I want to work for the company."

"The job profile is too good." 

Okay I agree to your points, every person has a different motive but "What about actually sitting in a interview?"

Aren't you advertising yourself??

When a notification comes, about a company coming into your campus, you give your name with  your marks details, then you submit your resume.

Aren't all these factors a means of advertisement????

Aren't you advertising yourself, Where your marks are just like a features about you as in case of products and your resume is like a "brochure" giving out all the technical specifications about you.

Think for a while.

Why you buy a product/service? because you find its utility... Similarly its same from companies point of view. Until and unless they find a utility in you, they won't choose you.

Now coming back to my question? Why Sales?

Answer if pretty simple... I had a passion for studying finance so I opted it. But I have a interest in doing sales so I opted to sit for that company.

And why particularly sale the answer is here

Money
You are almost certain to make more money in sales than in technical or administrative jobs. Companies need to make sales to survive, and usually reward successful sales people highly, to ensure that they stay in the job. And it's fair: the better the sales person, the more he or she will earn.

Route into management
Most chief executives and senior managers either started their career, or at least have spent some time in their career in sales. It gives you an appreciation of what happens 'at the sharp end' - at the customer interface. Very few purely technical people get to the top rank. No matter what job you hold in business, you spend a lot of your time selling: selling ideas to your bosses, your colleagues, your juniors, your suppliers and your customers. To have spent some time in sales trains and prepares you to communicate effectively, and to 'win friends and influence people' (Dale Carnegie).

Personal control
Generally you can control your own time. You make your own appointments, and run your own day the way you think fit. As long as you're producing the results your boss requires, you can more or less do what you want.

In a commission-related job, the more you sell, the more money you earn.
The harder you work, the more you sell.
The longer you work, the more you sell.
The smarter you work, the more you sell.
The more you learn, the more you sell.

Job security
Companies are unlikely to make successful sales people redundant. At least not before most other types of staff. If you do lose your job, or choose to leave it, it's relatively easy to get a new job if you can demonstrate a 'track record' of success in sales.

A successful sales person should always be able to get a job and make a living.

Finger on the pulse
As a sales person you'll mix with a wide variety of other people in your industry. You'll be better informed about changes and opportunities occurring within your market. Being better informed will enable you to be better prepared to face sudden changes which could affect you, positively or negatively.

Fun
Sales is mainly about the relationships between business people. It's about helping other people achieve their goals, and solve their problems by introducing your company's products/services. It's not about forcing other people to buy things they don't want to. It's about working hard to discover places where your company's products/services will be useful (and valued), understanding clearly what the other party needs and wants, and then working hard to provide it.

Done properly, solving peoples' problems in this way will earn their undying gratitude (and their payments!). You get a genuine feeling of being useful to people.

Some of these factors would be common to other profiles also, but I find these in a sales profile.

Warm Regards
Apoorv Jhudeley (Appu) :)
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