Redefine Your Career!

Read and Redefine your career

Idea Behind the Blog!

“Don’t call us, we’ll call you”. The dreaded, much feared, and probably the last words any candidate would want to hear after an interview. If you’re fed up of scanning millions of job portals, going for innumerable interviews, and still have been shown the door by employers galore, then you sure have enough reason to get a career-strategy makeover as soon as possible. Here’s how you can help redefine your career !! BEST OF LUCK!!

Career Funda !!

Whether you’re new on the job scene, fresh out of college, or even an old-timer who wants to boost your career, you can find the best and most practical advice on this site. You are provided with handy tips that can help promote your career. It also ensures you get freedom in making a decision to select a job you will absolutely love to do!

5 Career Myths Busted!

My hobby cannot be my career: Most people spend practically the better part of their lives at work. When it’s time to retire, there isn’t much of family or social life that’s left. Making your hobby your career can not only make your job easier, you also end up completing your work a lot faster. Doing something that you love to do reduces work pressure tremendously, thus ensuring you have a life that’s stress free and easy to manage.

Follow a successful family member: Usually most newbies take up the career their parents or a successful relative has taken up. This often is due to pressure from the family or even because they feel that if a family member is good at something, it automatically transfers to them as well. Hence, when choosing a career it is important to check what you like to do and retain your individuality. If it’s a family business try helping out and do something that you love too.

Randomly select a career: Selecting a career cannot be done just because of a passing whim or fancy for a certain thing. Don’t just pick something to do and follow it. It is important that you observe your strengths and key skills when deciding a career. Don’t simply do what you’re best friend is doing.

Cannot backtrack on a career: If you have already selected a career, and don’t seem to fit in, don’t worry, it’s not too late! Don’t stay where you are just because of what people might say, or think. Remember it’s your life and you have to be happy doing what you do. Think of what you like to do and start anew. It may take time, but the important thing is that you will be doing what you love, and most importantly, you will be realizing a life goal!

 

Listen to a career counselor: A career counselor can show you where your key strengths are and also what career might suit you best. However don’t follow the advice of a career counselor blindly. Use it as a suggestion but not as the final option. Evaluate the pros and cons of the career selected and how they will fit your personality and skills.

5 excellent job searching tips

1. Specializing is the key: Avoid focusing on your weaknesses. Focus on your strengths instead. Remember employers are look for subject experts. If you don’t have a key skill, then start building yourself. Pick up a subject that interests you and equip yourself enough so that potential employers come knocking on your door before you go looking out for them.

2. Watch how you present yourself: While the email address sweetncute@gmail.com may get you loads of friends in a chat room, the same doesn’t help when you go searching for a job. That’s why it is extremely important to check how you present yourself online when searching for a job. This includes your email ID as well as your user name on job searching sites.

3. Run a search: Before you run a search for jobs matching your skills, run a search of yourself first. Although this might make you seem like a narcissist, it will go a long way in helping you check whether there’s something floating around in cyber space that might be checked by a potential employer.

4. Register online: Besides sieving through newspaper listings, make sure you also register yourself on various job sites that allow you to run advanced job searches, and also to post your resume online, so that potential employers can get in touch with you.

5. Use social networking to your advantage: Although social networking sites are a good fun to catch up with buddies and meet new people, if created well they can also be used for professional purposes as well. Since sites like Facebook, Twitter and MySpace, are being used by almost everyone, these are the best ways to get in touch with key people in the industry.

Best Education courses for best career

Following is few best courses for best career.

1) MBBS and further studies
2) CA, CS and ICWA
3) MCA
4) BE
5) Management

If you have not studied formal education but want to make a good career try this.

1) Hardware and networking
2) BPO / call centre training

Powerful Resumes for Powerful Posts (Openings)!

 

Bagging that dream job will remain only a dream if you don’t have the perfect resume to show a potential employer. Here are some simple tips to create a resume that will not only showcase your strengths and key skills; but also one that will ensure your employer cannot afford to not hire you!

Use a cover letter: A cover letter not only speaks volumes on your behalf, it also speaks of just how interested you are in the job profile. A potential employer may scan through a series of job applications and might select a comparatively lesser qualified person only because his/ her cover letter was thoughtfully and intelligently written.

Short and sweet: Ensure that you write words that matter. Long sentences and lengthy resumes may often cause the potential employer to lose interest in your job application quickly. Resumes that are short and sweet will ensure that besides reading the resume completely, your potential employer is also most likely to remember you.

Use updated formats: Avoid using formats that are old and run down. Ensure that you stay updated with savvy resume trends. One can also use the resume wizard available with MS Word that produce some pretty fancy resumes after being fed with a few details.

What does the boss want: You may want to customize your resume to fit the profile you are applying for, to ensure you get a call from a potential employer. That would mean not mentioning something irrelevant on your resume that doesn’t match the skills required for the job profile you are applying for. For example: Don’t mention gardening or singing as a skill if you are applying for a job as an accountant.

Focus on your strengths: Remember the resume is not a confession booth. Ensure you focus on your strengths and noticeable qualities that will enhance the job profile if you get selected. For example: When applying for the post of a public relations executive, it would be good to showcase a strength that suggests you have good communication skills.

Proofread it: Ensure that you have proofread your resume to avoid the simple typos and punctuation errors that tend to put off potential employers. Proofreading your work also ensures that you’ve got your facts right. This will go a long way in avoiding embarrassing situations that can occur due to incorrect information being passed to the employer.

Put down your contact details right: Very obvious, but very important. You can actually miss out on getting a call from an employer just because you have an old or incorrect address or phone number on your resume.

Use the right paper quality: It may seem like no big deal, but most often employers can guess the seriousness of your job application just by the quality of the paper you’ve used. Employers can actually sniff and check whether your resume is one of the many that has been photocopied for various jobs, or if it is the only one printed for a job that has been given priority over the rest.

Interviewing a candidate with 10 jobs in 14 years

Some, rather most organizations reject his CV today because he has changed jobs frequently (10 in 14 years). My friend, the ‘job hopper’ (referred here as Mr. JH), does not mind it…. well he does not need to mind it at all. Having worked full-time with 10 employer companies in just 14 years gives Mr. JH the relaxing edge that most of the ‘company loyal’ employees are struggling for today. Today, Mr. JH too is laid off like some other 14-15 year experienced guys – the difference being the latter have just worked in 2-3 organizations in the same number of years. Here are the excerpts of an interview with Mr. JH:


Q: Why have you changed 10 jobs in 14 years?

A: To get financially sound and stable before getting laid off the second time.


Q: So you knew you would be laid off in the year 2009?

A: Well I was laid off first in the year 2002 due to the first global economic slowdown. I had not got a full-time job before January 2003 when the economy started looking up; so I had struggled for almost a year without job and with compromises.


Q: Which number of job was that?

A: That was my third job.


Q: So from Jan 2003 to Jan 2009, in 6 years, you have changed 8 jobs to make the count as 10 jobs in 14 years?

A: I had no other option. In my first 8 years of professional life, I had worked only for 2 organizations thinking that jobs are deserved after lot of hard work and one should stay with an employer company to justify the saying ‘employer loyalty’. But I was an idiot.


Q: Why do you say so?

A: My salary in the first 8 years went up only marginally. I could not save enough and also, I had thought that I had a ‘permanent’ job, so I need not worry about ‘what will I do if I lose my job’. I could never imagine losing a job because of economic slowdown and not because of my performance. That was January 2002.


Q: Can you brief on what happened between January 2003 and 2009.

A: Well, I had learnt my lessons of being ‘company loyal’ and not ‘money earning and saving loyal’. But then you can save enough only when you earn enough. So I shifted my loyalty towards money making and saving – I changed 8 jobs in 6 years assuring all my interviewers about my stability.


Q: So you lied to your interviewers; you had already planned to change the job for which you were being interviewed on a particular day?

A: Yes, you can change jobs only when the market is up and companies are hiring. You tell me – can I get a job now because of the slowdown? No. So one should change jobs for higher salaries only when the market is up because that is the only time when companies hire and can afford the expected salaries.


Q: What have you gained by doing such things?

A: That's the question I was waiting for. In Jan 2003, I had a fixed salary (without variables) of say Rs. X p.a. In January 2009, my salary was 8X. So assuming my salary was Rs.3 lakh p.a. in Jan 2003, my last drawn salary in Jan 2009 was Rs.24 lakh p.a. (without variable). I never bothered about variable as I had no intention to stay for 1 year and go through the appraisal process to wait for the company to give me a hike.


Q: So you decided on your own hike?
A: Yes, in 2003, I could see the slowdown coming again in future like it had happened in 2001-02. Though I was not sure by when the next slowdown would come, I was pretty sure I wanted a ‘debt-free’ life before being laid off again. So I planned my hike targets on a yearly basis without waiting for the year to complete.


Q: So are you debt-free now?
A: Yes, I earned so much by virtue of job changes for money and spent so little that today I have a loan free 2 BR flat (1200 sq.. feet) plus a loan free big car without bothering about any EMIs. I am laid off too but I do not complain at all. If I have laid off companies for money, it is OK if a company lays me off because of lack of money.


Q: Who is complaining?
A: All those guys who are not getting a job to pay their EMIs off are complaining. They had made fun of me saying I am a job hopper and do not have any company loyalty. Now I ask them what they gained by their company loyalty; they too are laid off like me and pass comments to me – why will you bother about us, you are already debt-free. They were still in the bracket of 12-14 lakh p.a. when they were laid off.


Q: What is your advice to professionals?
A: Like Narayan Murthy had said – love your job and not your company because you never know when your company will stop loving you. In the same lines, love yourself and your family needs more than the company's needs. Companies can keep coming and going; family will always remain the same. Make money for yourself first and simultaneously make money for the company, not the other way around.


Q: What is your biggest pain point with companies?
A: When a company does well, its CEO will address the entire company saying, ‘well done guys, it is YOUR company, keep up the hard work, I am with you.” But when the slowdown happens and the company does not do so well, the same CEO will say, “It is MY company and to save the company, I have to take tough decisions including asking people to go.” So think about your financial stability first; when you get laid off, your kids will complain to you and not your boss.

Tips for quick job change

Find following tips for quick job change:

1) Prepare a CV / Resume that will help to get interview calls. for knowing more kindly visit following page. http://redefinecareer.blogspot.com/search/label/Resume%20Writing

2) Update your details on top 5 job portals. make sure you fill all details and nothing relevant is left blank.

3) Treat finding a job as job itself. spare some time regularly for job search

4) Use your network. speak to HR persons from your contact list and take references fro them where recruitment is going on.

5) Go and meet good consultants in your city rather that just forwarding your CV. this will help you to identify right sectors.

How to prepare for Performance Appraisal


Irrespective of the structure or format of the appraisal and review system, an employee could adopt the following simple but effective ways to make a good impression:

  • Be truthful and objective while answering all the questions.
  • Back your achievements with supporting material and documents.
  • Always keep a record of the assignments, projects and activities undertaken by you throughout the year.
  • Do a self-analysis and review of your work.
  • Prepare before the appraisal interview and decide on the key achievements and points that you would like to discuss or questions you want to ask.
  • Always remember that the aim of the appraisal and review is to assess your performance. You need to learn from both your successes and failures to steer yourself forwards on the growth path.

Dressing Tips for corporate employees

For Men

  • Suits: Choose dark colors like black, dark gray, charcoal or navy blue for a suit. One should avoid flashy fabrics.
  • Shirts: One should wear good quality plain or striped full sleeved shirts in light shades. The best fabric for shirts is cotton. Collars should be stiff but comfortable.
  • Ties: Color of the tie should match with your suit or your shirt. The length of the tie should end at belt line - no higher, no lower.
  • Shoes: basic black or brown.
Dressing Tips for Women
  • Business Suit: Choose a conservative style jacket in a solid, basic color.
  • Plain or striped full-sleeved shirts/tops worn with either solid/basic color/pin-striped formal trousers or skirts.
  • Formal shoes/Slip-ons.
  • Limited jewelry.

Question you should ask while appearing for the interview


As a candidate, you must also demonstrate keen interest in knowing more about your prospective employer.

Be proactive and ask questions about the job and the organization to make the process mutually beneficial and productive.



Questions you could ask about the job


  • What are the responsibilities of this position?
  • Can the duties of the job be expanded or changed?
  • How will I be evaluated, and in what time frames? What performance standards will be used?
  • With whom would I be working? Who would be my supervisor?
  • What are the key challenges or problems of this position?
  • Could you tell me about my growth prospects in your organization?
Questions you could ask about the company



  • What are the company's short-and long-range objectives?
  • What does the company consider unique about itself?
  • Where does the company excel? What are its limitations?

Questions you could ask about the opportunity itself



  • When will a decision be made about this position?
  • What is the next step in the decision making process?

Probable Question list of any Interview

For the interviewer, it is pertinent to gather as much information as possible about the candidate at the time of interview. To do this, an interviewer may adopt varied techniques ranging from probing questions, open ended-questions to case study analysis.

A CV is a stepping stone to getting a good job. It sets the tone for the face-to-face interaction. The best and most reliable way to excel in an interview is preparation. 

Some generic questions that the interviewer might ask:

  1. Tell me about yourself.
  2. Tell me about your education.
  3. Why have you chosen this particular field?
  4. Why are you interested in working for this company?
  5. How do you think you will fit into this operation?
  6. What are your strengths?
  7. What is your major weakness?
  8. Why do you want to move from current job?
  9. If you were hired, what ideas/talents could you contribute to the position or our company?
  10. Give an example of how you solved a problem in the past.
  11. What do you consider the most important idea you contributed or your most noteworthy accomplishment in your last job?
  12. Give an example of a time you showed leadership and initiative.
  13. Give an example of a time you were able to contribute to a team project.
  14. Think about something that you consider a failure in your life, and tell me why you think it happened.
  15. Where do you see yourself in three years?

Redefine your resume to get success

1.     Decide your career focus area and the objective of the job search – Structure the content of the CV based on the objective. Take time before you start your resume to list down key points (skills, projects, experience).

 

2.     Your CV is your brand building tool – Highlight your key skills and domain expertise. Talk about your USP and how you could add value to the organization that is recruiting you.

 

3.     Use your CV to get an interview call - The purpose of a CV is to generate enough interest in you to have a prospective employer contact you for an interview. Don’t fill the CV with too much detail. Leave things to be discussed during the course of the interview

 

4.     Use bullet points to convey information – When you list down your achievements in points, it makes reading easy. You can also use facts & figures that may reflect on your efficiency at work. For e.g., increased the sales by 10% over two months.

 

5.     Customize the CV to the job opening you are applying for - Analyze and evaluate the job. Try to customize your CV to ensure that it highlights your skills and experience required for that particular job opening. 

 

6.     Provide references – Give the contact details of people who have referred you. Also, ensure that the people whose reference you give know you well enough to highlight your skills and strengths. 

 

7.     Presentation – Don’t clutter the CV. Leave a lot of white spaces between sections and sentences. Use a font size no smaller than 10 point and restrict the resume to max 2 pages. Since the reviewer will scan through your CV, ensure that he gets the gist easily.

 

8.     Get your CV reviewed – Ask someone to review your CV to get an unbiased opinion. Feedback helps you improvise your CV