Friday, November 26, 2010

Most Common Interview Questions

What are the most common interview questions?
Passing an Interview needs a lot of preparation and it is best to expect the worse and hope for the best.
Here are some of the most commonly asked interview questions to give you an idea how to answer them.
1.Why did you decide to apply for the position.
The Interviewer wants to ask whether your interest in the position is genuine and not just a matter of  need for a job.
2.Why did you decide to apply with the company, What are your impression of the company.?
To correctly answer this, you must first research on the company's background ,profile, and size of operation, nature of business, It also asks you why did you choose to work this company instead of its competitors, If you cannot answer this, you might not get the job.
3.Why did you leave your last company?
This will give the interviewer an idea what would make you leave and the reasons that made you left, thus it is best to give a safe answer to this one, but not lying about the reason for there are background investigations that might contradict your first statement and make you loose your spot.In answering this question, be careful not to discredit your last company for it will give the interviewer the impression that you might do the same when you leave.
4.What are your strengths and weaknesses?
This is a trick question, Giving to much of your weakness might show your incapabilities,however this could be an opportunity to turn this around, you can tell some of your characteristics and make them appear as a weakness whereas it is really a strength, Either way, there is no wrong answer here,it is only a matter of knowing yourself and how much you want your company to expect from you.
5.What are your plans after the next five years?
It is best to think big, five years is a long time and companies would want to hire a future manager than an expert of the job working for the same job in the last five years.
These are just tips, the main goal is to be prepared for an interview, know your resume, your achievements and your job responsibilities from your past jobs.

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

New at work? Ask questions..

What to do if you are new in a company?
Here are some tips to make you stay in a company productive at an early time.
If you are new to a company, It is quite difficult to start a work.Whatever your job is starting in a new company is quite a challenge.
If your work is based on factory that depends on a Technical ,and Skills oriented it is easy to observe and know the flow of the work.
To learn more about the factory where you are gonna be working in, just follow the material flow. It is the easiest way of knowing what your company is engage into -if you are in a manufacturing company.This way chances are you are going to be involved in one of the processes of producing a part of the whole product.But what about knowing more? Then ask questions.
When asking a question be careful not to sound too proud or to look like "Mr know it all" when giving your statements,and also try to keep your negative criticism to yourself and save if for a better time.Most of the skilled workers would not be cooperative about you asking a lot of questions , it gives them the idea that you are there to replace them rather than to help, but these will change once you learn to earn their trust, They will teach you the fastest ,most efficient at least for their level of experience in doing the specific job, also they will share valuable insights and safety precautionary measures that you should be aware of. Some of these are working guidelines that are not documented. The key is humility, of course it easy to teach a humble person than a guy who thinks he knows better than a man working years.
What about if your working environment is a desk,a computer and what you have is a theoretical example of many things but no actual practice? This is more difficult, you may find it hard to observe how things are done for they are not easily seen  as every computer monitor shows a different view, application and some are complex numbers and diagrams. Where to start? The first thing to find is the Documents. Documents or department files are created a medium from one person to another to know what is going on inside your department or section. It may seemed complicated but at least it will give you an idea what the company is doing and what role you are going to play.When you are through with the documents, lots of questions will arise and you might want to clear them up. You will be surprised to find out how simple things are when they are explained to you by someone rather than reading them on text.Then again ask questions in a humble manner, do not be afraid to ask even the question whom anyone in the company would say "stupid question" because everyone knows the answer, yet it is better than committing a stupid mistake because of not asking anyone's help.

Monday, October 25, 2010

Career Shifting?

Planning on doing a career Shifting?
Here are some things you should know and expect if you are planning to career shift.
What is career shifting?
Basically career shifting is deviating from your chosen job that you have been practicing over the years.
What makes people career shift varies for everyone. But one thing is true, the farther the job (the difference of nature from your expertise) is the more risk there is and chances of succeeding in career shift is minimal.
Before you decide on career shifting, There are things that you have to consider.
Like in any gamble, you must have mechanics to gear up towards another type of career.
If you are thinking of going in Sales, you have to consider your ability to communicate effectively, convince people and personal charisma.
If you are thinking on going into Freelancing, you must at least a pool of clients to whom you can get your contracts.
If you are consider going into Culinary arts, you must be prepared to take the challenges of being creative with your dishes.
If you are thinking you going into Information Technology coming from a non computer background, better be prepared to take trainings and lots of them.
You must also consider your personal limitations. Time.These are the time you have since shifting into a different career means going back to zero whereas your previous work experience may not have weight on the new one.Resources.These involves your financial capability to acquire full time trainings that could take months or even years,Your ability to learn new knowledge required by the field and to adapt to new working environment. If you are really planning to proceed with career shifting, These could require planning, on the other hand time is of the essence for the longer you wait, the chances are getting slimmer based on the competition, therefore the earlier you proceed the better. Know the field, the basic requirements, going to advance and gain sufficient skills to compete with other entry level applicants.If your chosen career requires lots of training then you better save up.If your chosen career requires improved communication skills the practice your tongue everyday.Career shifting does not happen overnight if it does then it is uncommon for everyone else, Preparation is the key to getting in your dream job.

Saturday, October 16, 2010

Coming Home from a Contract Work

Coming Home from a Contract Work.
Have you ever experienced working on a contract basis? or working on a contract basis offshore?
Are you an experienced offshore worker?
A person will not accept offshore work if it not that the work offers above average incentive.
Considering the difficulties that one has to bear working away from his love ones yet many people choose to take this chance.In exchange one has to enjoy a monthly salary that is equivalent to more than three times when working on his own country. With this amount, family back home may enjoy the perks of the having enough to spend and have a better quality of life.
If you are working offshore and sending almost every penny that you earn back home, then don't..
Chances are there not much left for savings..
If you are working on a contract basis which gives you a couple or more of months in
"out of contract" then you should consider saving while your on a contract.

Consider the following factor how long will it be till you can have another contract? In that case your savings must be equivalent or greater than your expenses during that period.During the period of which you are out of job (contract)  there are personal investment or expenses that you have to satisfy that is additional training, working permit,licenses, certification and processing fees.These should be part of your savings.
If you are thinking that your family back home could save some for the rainy days. Think again.
It is better that you , the bread winner saving "some" every payday ,would be a lot easier since you know how hard it is to earn it. 

Monday, October 11, 2010

Competition at work

How do you handle work related competition?
We cannot deny that once in our career we will be obliged to take on a competition.
Competition is everywhere and is common among peers. Bear in mind that the it is natural and one should not hold grudges against the competition. It is better to concentrate one's effort on developing his own skills and talent. rather than putting ones effort to discredit on your competitor. Your competitor might have some skills that you do not possess same is true that you have some skills that you can used to edge your competition. Keep a clean competition and a clean conscience remember, it is how you play the game that matters rather winning the competition at a cost too great.

Monday, October 4, 2010

Don't be late..

Ever wonder why other employees get promoted so quickly?
Why their salary increase is a little bit higher than usual?
It is because of the basic performance matrix that supervisors or other performance auditors check.
What does it mean? These are set of criteria which the company has set in order to rate the employees performance, different companies has different criteria, a service company has a different criteria from a car manufacturing company as well as the type of function that an employee performs. But what is common is reliability, this involves the number of absences in a year or a month depending on the period of assessment and the number of late.Of course your the department manager would not notice you being absent for a day, It is just your supervisor that will be concerned,but what about late? In other cases being late is even worse than absent. You get in the office attract unnecessary attention, apologize yet already getting that much attention from everyone. Being late once a month is acceptable but if you are late once every week you are considered tardy.These will reflect your matrix, your score cards. To avoid being late, back track your activities from the time you arrive at the office to your travel time and your daily morning routines.If you move slow in the morning then you'll have to wake up earlier, If you cant wake up earlier then sleep earlier, It is all in the process of adjusting your time to meet your grace period.If you end up shutting down the alarm clock after it rang  and go back to sleep, then you should have another alarm clock that will ring five minutes later.This way when your first alarm ring, your mind will tell you that you still have a few minutes of nap yet it will anticipate the next ring,thus keeping you awake, before you know it, its automatic! even if the second alarm failed to ring at your expected time, you will wake up and get up because your mind is set up on hearing two alarm clocks in the morning.

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Where to find jobs?

Where to find your next job?
Based on my experience there are several ways to find your next job.
1. Newspaper and Magazine: This is the most typical and common way of searching your next job.
2. Internet: This is one of the fastest most convenient way of searching for a job and at the same time applying for it at an instant.
3. Job Fairs: Expect the long lines and crowd,tough competition but also expect an immediate interview and if you are lucky expect the job offer the same day!
4. TV and Radio programs: Usually they would announce vacancy and would tell you how to apply.
5.Family and Friends: Not many people realize this that referral is a very powerful tool. If you are friendly enough to chat with a friend whom you just bumped into, you might know that they have an opening at their company and would like to refer you. This is your chance jump ahead of the line of those walk in applicants and be entertained especially if your referrer is doing very well in the company.

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Working abroad on a month to a year contract

Working abroad 

Working abroad or working offshore is never easy. If you are single, well this could lead to a better experience, on the other hand if you are in a relationship, this could turn into a turmoil if not handle well. If you have a family this could be the most difficult part. Especially when your job assignment leads to a month to a year. No matter what the case is, there are things that is common for both in a relationship or a family guy.

You must keep the communication line open. This will make your love ones feel that though you're far away, yet you're nearby and can easily be accessed and talk to any time.With the current technology at hand there is no excuse for you not to be reached anywhere you are. There are times that your love ones would want to talk to you about their happiness, sadness and just to feel that your presence, It best not to deny them of that pleasure cause you would want them to answer the phone anytime you call.

Do not forget that you went offshore for a work not a vacation. Most people tend to mix work with pleasure when away, thus leading to unnecessary pressure.

Divert your attention; it is wise to keep a journal of your stay to keep your mind busy or collect pictures or souvenirs, little things that will remind you of this experience or a gift to your family when you come home.
Every body loves a gift. 

Socialize, If you have to work on a different country it is an opportunity to learn new things about their culture and society and meet new friends, but then again, This is just to keep you busy and also will allow you to share stories of your experience when your back home but remember your limitations after all you are a visitor.

The most difficult part of working away off shore is missing your love ones, that is why I laid out some things as some tips in case you ever had the chance to work abroad. I hope this will help you get over months of being away from home. Of course working with more than a year is another story.

Friday, September 17, 2010

It does not hurt to smile at work.

Ever wonder why you don't have that much friends at work?
Why your network revolve only a few officemates?
Well if you are satisfied with what you have right now and never had the feeling of ever wondering why some of the people in the office has so many friends in different departments, that's fine,but if you'd like to.. then you should start smiling.
If you find it hard to greet in the morning when you came across with someone on your way to your work station.Then why not trying to smile instead, its not much but its much better than greeting someone with sarcasm,yet a more simple one is a little nod, just to acknowledge the presence of someone. You will see, it will all start with a smile, then you'd feel at ease and also it will give others the impression that you are a friendly guy and would also return the smile, and before you know it, another friend has been added to your network,of course getting through a conversation is another story

Monday, September 13, 2010

Things you must do before you leave your job

You have carefully considered and the only option is to quit the job..
But wait,
Who is gonna do your job when you leave?
What are your pending transactions?
Normally since you are quitting your job, you would not care much what happen to the position and the responsibilities your leaving behind,But as an act of professionalism,you must care , a responsible person will make it sure that leaving will be as smooth as possible and that your unit or department's operation will not be hampered. After you left the company, it is not yet over, for what you did or how gracefully you left will be known to your new company with the process of background checking.So before you leave, make sure you leave properly.

Thursday, September 9, 2010

How good is your future company?


Can you tell how good the company is?
 Normally if you are looking for a position in the company, there things that you need to do in order to meet the requirements for the position,
These are researching about the company: brief but important history of the company, size of its operation, network and affiliates, preparing for the interview and exam.
But how can you tell how good the company is during the application process?
Here are some pointers.
  1. When you arrive at the company premises during your first interview, were you attended by the front liner instantly?
  2. How many hours have you waited before being interviewed? Were you constantly updated are reminded in case that you have to wait?
  3. Were you given directions regarding the recruitment process?
  4. During the interview were you told what to expect of in terms of benefits a regular employee?
A good company is an organized company regardless of the size; the recruitment process is gives the applicant the first impression of the company and it is also a means of saying “go ahead invite your friends to join us”.
Lastly a good company will not let you wait to hear the bad news. Your time is important and no matter what the outcome of your application, the sooner you know it the better.
After all the only way to break a bad news is to do it quickly.

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Taking out the routine on your job.

Each day a man complains that he is doing almost the same thing for 10 years.
He said "I've been doing the same job since I started the company.."
Then I wondered.Did he ever tried changing his routine?
Taking new challenges?Asking his supervisor for a change of job function,
for additional responsibilities,taking risks?
I could say that there could be two reasons that I could come up why someone would be stock up with the same job for several years:
1.Satisfaction ? could be that you are satisfied with what you do and would plan of doing for more years.3
2.Afraid of taking risk?Of course additional work means additional responsibility and accountability.May be you are too afraid to take risk specially when you know the impact of responsibility to your career.
In that case.May be a little look within oneself would determine why we are where we are and no boss will ignore a potential leader however of a stubborn it may be.It pays to take a little risk from time to time.

Interview tips

Here are some tips that would help an applicant for an interview.
1.Know the company.Before going on an interview it is important to at least know some things about the company. The products or services it provides. The company's goal and objectives. The number of employee and its operations.
2.Know your resume.It is a good habit to keep track of the details of your accomplishment and to memorize each detail with accuracy.During the interview, chances are questions will arise from what is written in your resume and it will help avoid an embarrassing situation where you can't remember details about yourself.
3. Expect the unexpected. There is always a big question in every interview.

Monday, September 6, 2010

Before Quitting a job..

Based on my experiences,Quitting a job is never easy specially when your only source of income depends on it.
However, for some reason for those who wanted to quit your job, here are the some things that you might want to consider.
 1. Reason for quitting. Obviously the main reason is you are no longer satisfied with your current job,but is this the only reason?or maybe quitting is not the only solution perhaps a change of attitude towards your work would do it.Take into consideration that during the process of applying for the next job interview, this question my come up "why did you quit your job?".
2.  Are you prepared to quit? No matter how hard it has been for you with your present work, with your difficult boss, tiresome schedule, traffic and robotic routine, there is still the question, are you ready to quit? will your finance last until your next job?What will you do if you are unable to meet your expected deadline of acquiring the next job?
3. Is this the right time to quit?Consider your market value, if you think that your present job has not yet added years to your experience then maybe you should wait a little more.

Preparations for quitting a job.
If quitting a job is irrevocable then it does not hurt to be prepared for the worst.Save a lot and consider multiple options and different career paths.Also if you are able to find a new job without before quitting your present job, that could save you a lot of risk.If your company allows an indefinite leave or leave without pay, then utilize these breaks to find your new job.

What to expect of my blog.

Hi guys,
To start with as my title goes, Working Duke implies, that I would be sharing thoughts and ideas mainly about , looking for work, working in a foreign country,work related issues and also the pain of the process of looking for work,interviews, examinations and asking for the right salary and getting started with the job.
Feel free to express your thoughts and opinion that will enrich our discussion and help our dear friends who are in need for pieces of advise and tips.

working duke