Shravan's Random Notes - Let go of your self and experience life http://shravanshetty.posterous.com Most recent posts at Shravan's Random Notes - Let go of your self and experience life posterous.com Thu, 15 Sep 2011 10:02:16 -0700 A in depth article on Telephone interviews http://shravanshetty.posterous.com/a-in-depth-article-on-telephone-interviews http://shravanshetty.posterous.com/a-in-depth-article-on-telephone-interviews

How to perform well in a telephone interview

 

What are they?

They are real interviews held over the phone rather than face-to-face. You will usually be interviewed by a member of the graduate recruitment or HR team.

A telephone interview will usually be given to candidates who have passed the online application and/or psychometric test stage of the graduate recruitment process and is used to sift out applicants to be invited to a face-to-face interview or assessment centre.

Who uses telephone interviews?

You are more likely to have a telephone interview with one of the large corporate recruiters than with a small or medium sized company. Telephone interviews are used by all kinds of employers – banks, accountancy and law firms, consultancies, retailers, manufacturing companies etc

Companies that use telephone interviews include Tesco, HSBC, Corus, BT, Lloyds of London, Shell, GlaxoSmithKline, Vodaphone, BSkyB and many others.

They are especially common for sales-related jobs, such as recruitment consultancy and particularly (surprise!) telesales, where verbal communication skills are paramount.

You may also expect a telephone interview if you are applying for jobs abroad – in which case calls may come in at all hours of the day or night! Pie chart of length of telephone interviews

How long do they last?

Based on a small sample of 14 Kent students who have had telephone interviews recently, they varied in length from 20 minutes to 1 hour, with the average length being half an hour: see the pie chart on the right for details.

Advantages of telephone interviews

For the employer:

  • They are time and cost-effective - most last about 20-25 minutes.
  • They test your verbal communication skills and telephone technique.

For you:

  • You can refer (quickly!) to your application form, take notes – even hold on to your teddy bear for moral support.
  • You don't need to dress up or smarten up.
  • You don't need to spend time traveling to interview or wonder if the employer will pay your expenses.

Disadvantages of telephone interviews (for you)

"Very distant and cold style of interview: no chitchat. They only want to know if you can fill their criteria. High rate of questions. Not at all easy but a good experience. "
Kent graduate commenting on their telephone interview.

  • You can't see the interviewer to gauge their response.
  • Tension – you never know when an employer might call to interview you.
  • They can seem to go very quickly, without giving you much time to think about your answers - so be well prepared!

The advertisement may ask you to 'phone the company.

  • This gives you total control over the time and place of the interview – although means that you will have to pay for the call. At the time arranged, make sure you are in a quiet location and that you will not be disturbed during the call.

. . or they may phone you in response to your CV/application form

You will normally be advised when the telephone call will be made so always be prepared for this:

One company had telephone screening interviews with 10 graduates and not one had done any research into the company, leading to every single one being rejected! See our commercial awareness page

  • Keep your mobile with you, charged, topped up and switched on at the appropriate time! Make sure that the reception is OK.
  • If you have given a landline number, and share a house with other students/graduates or live in the family home, try and prepare other people in the house for these calls and prevent replies such as: “’Lo. Uh? Who? Oh, right – OI! DAVE! IT’S FOR YOU!”
  • Try and take the phone to as quiet and private a location as possible.
  • If the call does come unexpectedly and you are not prepared say "Thank you for calling, do you mind waiting for a minute while I close the door/turn off the radio/take the phone to a quieter room?". This will give you a little time to compose yourself.
  • If it really is a bad time, offer to call back, fix a time and stick to it.
  • Check your answerphone message: is it one that you would want a prospective employer to hear? Does it give a professional impression? If not, change it – just in case you do miss a call for any reason.

Tipstelephone interviews

  • Keep a copy of your application and information on the company handy, plus a pen and notepad to take notes. Have your laptop turned on if your application is on this.
  • Before the call, make a list of your USP's (unique selling points): the things that make you better in some ways than most of the other people who will be applying.
  • Don't just read out your notes as this will sound stilted.
  • It’s useful to have a glass of water to hand during a phone interview (but move the phone away from your mouth when you swallow …). You will be doing a lot of talking and you don’t want your mouth to dry up at a crucial moment!
  • Smile when you dial! (and, more importantly, when you speak): it really does make a difference to your tone of voice.
  • Although the interviewer can’t see you, you may find it easier to come over in a “professional” manner if you are sitting at a desk or table rather than lounging in bed.
  • In a face to face interview, you show that you are listening via non-verbal signals such as nodding your head. Over the phone you have to show this by the occasional "OK", "uh-huh", "I see", "I understand", "yes" or similar interjections.
  • Listen very carefully to the interviewer and try to answer with a lively tone of voice. Speak clearly and not too fast.
  • Reflect back what the speaker is saying in other words. This shows you're listening carefully and checks you are understanding. It is often the most useful way of giving positive feedback to someone: "I hear what you're saying and take it seriously". You can't keep saying "uh-huh" or "yes" for too long without it sounding false.
  • Immediately after the interview, write down the questions you were asked and any ways in which you could have improved your responses.

What questions will I be asked?

These will be identical to those asked in a face to face interview!
Here are some questions that Kent students have been asked at telephone interviews.

  • How you choose your university degree?
  • Why do you want to work for our organisation?
  • Why do you want to work in the job you have applied for?
  • What qualities are important to work in the role you are applying for?
  • What evidence can you give to show you possess these qualities?
  • What do we do?
  • Are you willing to be mobile on the job?
  • Tell me a time you have demonstrated teamwork/communication.
  • Tell me about a time when you have had to cope with pressure
  • Tell me about a challenge you have faced. How did you conduct the challenge? What were the advantages and disadvantages of your method? The steps you took? The results?
  • Describe a time when you had to deal with a difficult customer?
  • When have you used your initiative to achieve a goal?
  • Can you mention a time when you have used your leadership skills?
  • When have you set yourself a goal? What challenges did you face?
  • Describe a time when you have exceeded a customer's expectations
  • Describe when you had to motivate others?
  • What do you think is important when communicating with people?
  • What skills do you have to offer to a team?
  • What is your greatest strength?
  • Why shouldn't we hire you?
  • Where do you see yourself in 5 years time?
  • What do you think your job would involve doing?
  • Commercial awareness – what has been in news recently that would affect our organisation?
  • Do you have any questions for us?

 

For help with these see our answers to 150 interview questions

Will I be given any tests?

"The telephone is such an important invention that one day every town will have one"

Alexander Graham Bell

Perhaps – tests can quite easily be administered over the phone. The interviewer may read out a series of statements and you will be asked to say if you agree or disagree. Sometimes this can be done by pressing the telephone keys.

The tests involved are more likely to be personality-type questions than reasoning tests. For example, you may be asked to rate the extent to which you felt the following activities reflect your personal style, from 1 (not at all) to 5 (a lot):
  • Meeting new people
  • Setting yourself targets to achieve
  • Working on your own
  • Repairing mechanical equipment

Skype interviews

Conducting interviews via Skype offers employers all the advantages of a telephone interview in terms of cost-effectiveness with the bonus of being able to see the candidate. While they are still not as widely used as telephone interviews, they are particularly helpful for international recruitment – e.g. for TEFL teachers. Universities often use them when interviewing candidates for postgraduate study and research.

As the candidate, you are likely to find that face-to-face contact with the interviewer helps to make the interview a slightly less unnatural experience. The disadvantage is that you will have to dress as smartly as you would for a real-life interview (at least from the waist up!) and it won’t be quite as easy to refer to your notes or application form during the interview.

A Skype interview will be more like a real-life interview than a telephone interview, but the following points are worth keeping in mind:
  • When preparing for the interview, choose your location carefully.
  • Use a private room (not a study area) and put a “Do Not Disturb – Interview in Progress” sign on the door.
  • Sitting at a desk or table, rather than in an armchair or on the bed, will help you feel more professional.
  • Make sure that the interviewer is not going to be distracted by anything in the background – posters, lava lamps, bookshelves, piles of laundry, etc.
  • If you live on the ground floor it may be a good idea to pull down the blinds to avoid any of your so-called friends pulling faces through the window, but make sure that the lighting is bright enough for the interviewer to see you clearly.
  • Ask a friend to Skype you before the interview to check that everything is working, that the background is clear and that any notes or crib sheets are out of view of the camera
  • Make sure that you have a phone number and/or email for your interviewer, so that you can contact them in the case of any technical problems
  • Turn off any other programs running on your computer – you don’t want to be distracted by an email suddenly popping up while you are speaking

For further advice, see:

 

Tips from Kent students who have had telephone interviews

  • Shut yourself away in a quiet place. Have a glass of water by the phone.

  • Be positive and articulate. Initial presentation is vital: you phoning them means first impressions really count. It's actually good fun though, provided you're prepared. (graduate sales interview)

  • Supply good examples. Talk slowly! (Smith and Williamson Accountants)

  • Relax, speak confidently (Accenture)

  • Interviewer was very nice and didn't mind if you took a few minutes to think. Their call centre is very noisy so you have to speak quite loud for them to hear you properly (HP)

  • The structure of the interview was explained well and the interviewer seemed friendly. (Logica)

  • If you do your research and follow the advice on the careers website you should have no problems with the telephone interview. I was notified of passing the interview after five days. When first contacted to arrange time for interview, the HR person made a point of stating that no knowledge would be needed of SAS for the telephone interview. I ignored this and read their website, their Wikipedia page and any other information that Google produced. Unsurprisingly, the first question asked was about my knowledge of SAS! After about five minutes the interviewer moved on to other questions, so always do your research on the company. The rest of the interview questions were the standard; tell me a time when… style of question, although one I was not expecting was “tell me about a time when you had to persuade someone to change their mind and how did you achieve this? (SAS)

  • Read your application and give strong examples. They seemed friendly: treat it as a chat and relax as they are quite people-focused and pride themselves on their open approach. (Grant Thornton Accountants)

  • Calm down and be prepared. Think of examples when you demonstrated the competencies that they are looking for. (Mercer Investment Consulting)

  • Prior to the telephone interview there were online numerical and verbal tests. Take your time. Keep your answers to a reasonable length. Each competency question was covering a key area. Make sure you read through your application answers beforehand. (3M )

  • When on the phone, make sure you have a copy of your application form in front of you - and notes! (Cable & Wireless)

  • Prior to the telephone interview there was verbal tests. Make sure you read through your application answers beforehand. Interview is entirely on soft skills.  No need to worry about time limit , you'll even be asked if you wish to add to an earlier statement. (Orange)

  • Prepare for interviews by researching the company (including recent press releases) and re-reading your original application. Personality test took about 10 minutes. Questions were describing a situation and asking which course of action you would take (multiple choice answers) (Barratt Homes)

  • Just be yourself, try to relax and don’t panic when they fire the questions at you. The questions seem to be based on your application and your knowledge of BT. They are checking if you fit in with their business. Asked a lot of questions, and they kept asking similar questions again to check you were telling the truth.  They appeared to be checking what you had written on your application form and CV, and were trying to ensure it was true.  This was certainly a verbal reasoning test and a test to see if you could think on the spot.  It was hard not to repeat yourself. (BT)

  • It was a telephone based interview consists of a role play and competency questions. Just prepare answers for all the common questions and you should ace the interview. The telephone interview can be tricky and the interviewer will be difficult during the role, so just stay calm and think practically. (Centrica)

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/773079/shravan.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4Sd2t3H8g5Sp shravan shetty shravanshetty shravan shetty
Thu, 14 Apr 2011 21:01:49 -0700 Certificate - Accord Consultants http://shravanshetty.posterous.com/certificate-accord-consultants http://shravanshetty.posterous.com/certificate-accord-consultants
Shravan Certificate.pdf Download this file

Hi
 
From time to time we need reinforcement that the work we have done was noteworthy and Letters of recommendation and work certificates help us realise that and give future employers a indication of what you can do for them.
 
This work certificate from Accord i will always treasure since it was my first full time work expereince with a world class training organization :)
 
Shravan Shetty
Independent Consultant
Career Analysis|Executive Coaching|Training & Development
Twitter: consultshravan
 

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/773079/shravan.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4Sd2t3H8g5Sp shravan shetty shravanshetty shravan shetty
Thu, 10 Mar 2011 18:55:05 -0800 CAREER ESCALATOR - A second chance: Finding career fulfilment at mid-life http://shravanshetty.posterous.com/career-escalator-a-second-chance-finding-care http://shravanshetty.posterous.com/career-escalator-a-second-chance-finding-care

A second chance: Finding career fulfilment at mid-life

Mumbai: Sangeeta Nawalkar, a marketing and sales professional with a leading media house chose to quit her job in 2001 to focus on raising her two children. But after six years, Nawalkar decided to get back to work.

"Working in media was hectic. I was either missing some important meeting while attend to my kids or was unable to give them enough time due to late-night meetings. It was then that I decided to quit," she said. But unlike several other working women, who often find it difficult to get back to a professional career after such a long break, Nawalkar was selected by the Tata Groups Second Career Internship Programme.

In 2008-09, the Tata Group started the Tata Second Career Internship Programme (SCIP), calling upon women to take on a second career. As expected the response was overwhelming.

In the first year SCIP received 2,000 resumes of which 34 were selected for the programme. In 2009-10, the programme received 5,000 resumes of which 41 were selected. And Satish Pradhan, chief, group HR, Tata group expects that this year they will receive 5,000 or more resumes

The idea behind SCIP was to tap the huge talent and capability among women professionals who have discontinued work due to various reasons. The Tata group will provide live business projects for approximately 500 hours of work spread over five to six months.

"The idea behind the programme was to reduce the challenges and barriers for re-entry of women to the professional segment. One of the crucial parts of this programme was to provide these women with a support system that takes care of training, induction and flexibility," said Pradhan.

Group firms like Tata Power and Tata Capital have absorbed many such candidates. Nawalkar is now Manager, SCIP. "In the first year we were able to get women only in single digit to join us, in the second year we increased to double digit. But there have been instances where a candidate said they will come back after another year," said Pradhan.

Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) is another company that allows its employees (both men and women) to take long career breaks. Such breaks can be availed for more than twice during the employee's career span and the total duration of the break(s) extends up to five years.

"We have done extensive work to understand points in the career where women are vulnerable and likely to think about a career shift and we ensure that we make that extra effort to ensure that we plan well for the careers of our women managers to help them balance their personal and professional needs at every stage of life," said Leena Nair, executive director, HUL.

While India Inc has started several initiatives for women like flexi-hours, child-care sabbatical, work from home policy and satellite office policy, among others, there are only a few companies that have addressed the need for a second career option.

Besides, studies have revealed that even these programmes have not been implemented well to get the most of women employees. According to a study done by Catalyst (commissioned by IBM), most of India Inc (75 per cent) reported having flexible work programs, but many failed to track utilisation of these programs.

Of the companies offering flexible work programs, only a few reported greater than 25 per cent utilisation -- 32 per cent companies reported greater than 25 per cent utilisation of flexible arrival and departure programs, 11 per cent reported greater than 25 per cent utilisation of telecommuting programs and only sevn per cent reported greater than 25 per cent utilisation of reduced work/part-time work programmes.

According to an Accenture report -- 'Reinvent Opportunity: Looking Through a New Lens' -- in India women employees were more prone to seek work-life balance (45 per cent). The study surveyed 3,400 business executives from medium to large organisations across 29 countries, including 100 from India.

"We realised that at Accenture, Indian women at the mid-management level were leaving more. The reasons would vary from child-birth to spouse shifting to a new city or country, getting married etc. Three years back we started a focused programme for women and since then we have seen a drop in attrition due to these reasons. Rather, among the high-performance senior managers we have achieved zero per cent attrition," said Rekha M Menon, executive director, Accenture India.

Similarly, HCL Technologies has started a focused recruitment drive for women and is also planning to launch a website for its women employees. "The idea behind the initiative is to rebalance the work place and work place situation," said Srimathi Sivashankar, principal officer - diversity and sustainability, HCL Technologies.

This is not all. The company will also come out with a programme that will allow women employees to resume work after a long break. "It is still premature to talk about this but we are thinking along these lines. Before that we need to get the support systems in place," said Sivashankar.

Source: Business Standard

 

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/773079/shravan.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4Sd2t3H8g5Sp shravan shetty shravanshetty shravan shetty
Mon, 03 Jan 2011 21:18:20 -0800 Consult shravan Research Note 2 - Be Assertive to get a pay hike http://shravanshetty.posterous.com/consult-shravan-research-note-2-be-assertive http://shravanshetty.posterous.com/consult-shravan-research-note-2-be-assertive
Research Note 2.docx Download this file

 
Shravan Shetty
Independent Consultant
Career Analysis|Executive Coaching|Training & Development
Twitter: consultshravan
 

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/773079/shravan.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4Sd2t3H8g5Sp shravan shetty shravanshetty shravan shetty
Sun, 21 Nov 2010 09:18:23 -0800 My profile on Linkedin http://shravanshetty.posterous.com/my-profile-on-linkedin http://shravanshetty.posterous.com/my-profile-on-linkedin
shravan_shetty Linkedin profile.pdf Download this file


Here is my detailed profile on Linkedin with the work that i have done and the recommendations i have receoved inlcuding the books i have worked on and the awards i have received :)


 
Shravan Shetty
Career Analyst|Executive Coach|Facilitator
Twitter: consultshravan
 

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/773079/shravan.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4Sd2t3H8g5Sp shravan shetty shravanshetty shravan shetty
Sun, 21 Nov 2010 08:38:55 -0800 Unbundling and bundling of hot shops http://shravanshetty.posterous.com/unbundling-and-bundling-of-hot-shops http://shravanshetty.posterous.com/unbundling-and-bundling-of-hot-shops

Hi

 
As clients become more demanding and open to using every medium available-radio, print, the internet, outdoor, television , cinema to get their message across to their target audience , the country’s premier ad agencies  recast their operations  in a bid to be present at every touch point

For EG 1

Ogilvy Heathcare –The healthcare specialist |Ogilvy sport – Sports advertising , promotion and events|Ogilvy activation –Outdoor , rural and  direct marketing

Ogilvy Digital –Internet advertising|Auto Cluster – works on the Agency’s auto –related clients

A few of them have been shut down by Ogilvy as they havent generated business :)
The interesting aspect would be  to track the trend across agencies and see how many of the specialist teams continue to exist and on what scale and how many have been drawn back into the Ad agency :)
 
Let me know if you know

 
Shravan Shetty
Career Analyst|Executive Coach|Facilitator
Twitter: consultshravan
 

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/773079/shravan.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4Sd2t3H8g5Sp shravan shetty shravanshetty shravan shetty
Sun, 21 Nov 2010 07:14:41 -0800 Job search tips http://shravanshetty.posterous.com/job-search-tips http://shravanshetty.posterous.com/job-search-tips
 
Shravan Shetty
Career Analyst|Executive Coach|Facilitator
Twitter: consultshravan
 

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/773079/shravan.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4Sd2t3H8g5Sp shravan shetty shravanshetty shravan shetty
Sun, 21 Nov 2010 07:12:59 -0800 How to find a summer job http://shravanshetty.posterous.com/how-to-find-a-summer-job http://shravanshetty.posterous.com/how-to-find-a-summer-job

 
Shravan Shetty
Career Analyst|Executive Coach|Facilitator
Twitter: consultshravan
 

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/773079/shravan.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4Sd2t3H8g5Sp shravan shetty shravanshetty shravan shetty
Sun, 21 Nov 2010 07:12:01 -0800 How to find a job during recession http://shravanshetty.posterous.com/how-to-find-a-job-during-recession http://shravanshetty.posterous.com/how-to-find-a-job-during-recession

Shravan Shetty
Career Analyst|Executive Coach|Facilitator
Twitter: consultshravan
 

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/773079/shravan.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4Sd2t3H8g5Sp shravan shetty shravanshetty shravan shetty
Sun, 21 Nov 2010 07:10:58 -0800 Job Interview-Evaluate Job salary on cost of living http://shravanshetty.posterous.com/job-interview-evaluate-job-salary-on-cost-of http://shravanshetty.posterous.com/job-interview-evaluate-job-salary-on-cost-of

 
Shravan Shetty
Career Analyst|Executive Coach|Facilitator
Twitter: consultshravan
 

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/773079/shravan.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4Sd2t3H8g5Sp shravan shetty shravanshetty shravan shetty
Sun, 21 Nov 2010 07:08:44 -0800 Tips - Prepare for the Job interview http://shravanshetty.posterous.com/tips-prepare-for-the-job-interview http://shravanshetty.posterous.com/tips-prepare-for-the-job-interview
 
Shravan Shetty
Career Analyst|Executive Coach|Facilitator
Twitter: consultshravan
 

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/773079/shravan.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4Sd2t3H8g5Sp shravan shetty shravanshetty shravan shetty
Sun, 21 Nov 2010 07:05:46 -0800 Job interview - Q & A http://shravanshetty.posterous.com/job-interview-q-a http://shravanshetty.posterous.com/job-interview-q-a

 
Shravan Shetty
Career Analyst|Executive Coach|Facilitator
Twitter: consultshravan
 

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/773079/shravan.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4Sd2t3H8g5Sp shravan shetty shravanshetty shravan shetty
Sun, 21 Nov 2010 04:30:03 -0800 CNBC Storyboard - 27/06/2009 - Brands on Twitter http://shravanshetty.posterous.com/cnbc-storyboard-27062009-brands-on-twitter http://shravanshetty.posterous.com/cnbc-storyboard-27062009-brands-on-twitter

CNBC Storyboard - 27/06/2009 - Brands on Twitter



 
Shravan Shetty
Career Analyst|Executive Coach|Facilitator
Twitter: consultshravan
 

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/773079/shravan.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4Sd2t3H8g5Sp shravan shetty shravanshetty shravan shetty
Sun, 21 Nov 2010 04:13:25 -0800 How to Answer The 64 Toughest Interview Questions http://shravanshetty.posterous.com/how-to-answer-the-64-toughest-interview-quest http://shravanshetty.posterous.com/how-to-answer-the-64-toughest-interview-quest
How to Answer The 64 Toughest Interview Questions.pdf Download this file

Hi
 
Here is a set of interview questions you can practise with. Brilliantly compiled and structured :).Just forwarded by me to one and all.
 
More power to you:)
 

 

 
Shravan Shetty
Career Analyst|Executive Coach|Facilitator
Twitter: consultshravan
 

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/773079/shravan.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4Sd2t3H8g5Sp shravan shetty shravanshetty shravan shetty
Sun, 07 Nov 2010 20:00:00 -0800 Introducing Commoncraft videos http://shravanshetty.posterous.com/introducing-commoncraft-videos http://shravanshetty.posterous.com/introducing-commoncraft-videos

Hi
 I don't work for Commoncraft... I just thought it was  a great concept and i am spreading the word

Here is a common craft video :) on social media . A simple story that illustrates the forces shaping social media

. This video comes in an unbranded "presentation quality" version that can be licensed for use in the workplace. http://www.commoncraft.com

You can use it and get  a customized video done to make the explanation of your product /service simple for clients , customers and employees alike . I see a great future for this in learning and development, marketing etc

http://www.youtube.com/user/leelefever is a channel of commoncraft videos which makes learning and explanation of anything simple by Lee Fever and the CC team

Check it out .

Shravan Shetty
Career Analyst|Executive Coach|Facilitator
Twitter: consultshravan

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/773079/shravan.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4Sd2t3H8g5Sp shravan shetty shravanshetty shravan shetty
Thu, 04 Nov 2010 07:32:26 -0700 "Metamorphosis" -Switch on the greatness within . A Career readiness book.(Co -Authored by Me :)) http://shravanshetty.posterous.com/metamorphosis-switch-on-the-greatness-within http://shravanshetty.posterous.com/metamorphosis-switch-on-the-greatness-within
 
Writing is a journey :) My earlier book involved Research and Concept Contribution resulting in the "Leadership handbook "
 
Technically Metamorphosis "Switch on the greatness within" a career readiness book on which i have worked on as Co- Author  is my second Book :)
 
The reward of a book is the book itself at times :)
 
yes . the books been published :)  by 24 hours inspired.com
 
Trivia on the book
  • close to 350 copies are sold even before the first book was published :)
 

 
Shravan Shetty
Career Analyst|Executive Coach|Facilitator
Twitter: consultshravan
 

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/773079/shravan.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4Sd2t3H8g5Sp shravan shetty shravanshetty shravan shetty
Thu, 28 Oct 2010 08:06:59 -0700 Employability Insights - Employability Tips During Recessionary Times by Jeff Ross http://shravanshetty.posterous.com/employability-insights-employability-tips-dur http://shravanshetty.posterous.com/employability-insights-employability-tips-dur

Employability Tips During Recessionary Times
by Jeff Ross

There is considerable coverage globally about the pressures that the global recession is placing upon (hospitality) organizations generally, but what is the impact of this downturn specifically upon the hospitality job seeker at this moment in time? The obvious observation is that times are tough. That is to say competition from other job seekers is now considerably stiffer, and of course there are currently fewer jobs on the market. Matters are unlikely to improve significantly over the next couple of months realistically.

Certain employers are already taking the opportunity to capitalize upon this status quo. A leading Swiss hotel school contacted me this week to ask if I felt it was fair that certain employers had changed their employment agreements for their student placements, and that they were now only willing to accept candidates who work on a voluntary (i.e. zero remuneration) basis. I agreed that I did not think this was ethical! Another example was evident at a more senior level where a candidate had been offered a position in December (2008) in the Emirates, and was then offered the same position again in January (2009) with 60% of the salary for the same role and contract! It is sad to see such practices, and let us hope that certain destinations do not use the opportunity to devalue their (already low) salary scales across the board.

'Keeping one's head down' is a phrase we are hearing a lot from hospitality managers, and it seems the whole industry is playing something of a waiting game while we see how the employment and market situation moves forward, and how long it takes to do so.

Thinking more positively, I was asked to provide some ideas on what job seekers can do to maximize their employability during these difficult economic times:

1. Stay put
Not unsound advice by any means, and clearly it is not a good time to be looking at leaving an employer for a new one, unless absolutely necessary. The majority of the redundancies that have been seen recently relate to candidates that have been in a role/company for a relatively short period of time. The grass is not necessarily greener on the other side!

2. Minimise gaps on your CV
If you do find yourself in a situation of unemployment, the challenge is to find another role quickly so that you do not end up with a significant gap on your CV, without merely jumping into the first role that you see or can obtain. This is no easy task. Hospitality employers are notoriously fickle about understanding employment gaps, and it is certainly something of which to be very aware.

3. Critically analyze your CV
It sounds obvious, however I would say that approximately 50% of management and student/graduate CVs that we receive contain basic spelling and grammatical errors, and are not presented in an appealing way. It is another sad fact that the majority of hospitality employers do not and can not respond to all the applications they receive, so if one's CV is not up to scratch, then the chances of a response are unfortunately low. Within your CV, try to promote your successes and responsibilities in each (recent) role, and do not be afraid to explain or justify an employment gap where appropriate. Take the time to tidy up your CV presentation, and ask others that you trust to critically review it too.

4. Use a cover letter and cover email
Again, very basic indeed, but you would be amazed how many candidates think it is appropriate to simply attach their CV to a blank email with no email text or cover letter attachment, using the email subject line as their only means of communication! Chances of response? Zero!

5. Fully research the employer
With so many new organizations and brands, it is vital to ensure that a prospective employer can offer you the right level of employment security, satisfaction and potential development. Easily compromised during difficult times, but don't be tempted to do so.

6. Salary negotiation
Try to be flexible on the total benefits package, to allow the employer some room for negotiation, but do not allow them to dictate a ridiculously low basic salary. This will only drive down salary scales in the region.

[About the Author: Jeff Ross - Executive Director | Jeff Ross (BA Honours Hotel & Hospitality Management) has over 14 years of experience within the hospitality industry.]


 
Shravan Shetty
Career Analyst|Executive Coach|Facilitator
Twitter: consultshravan
 

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/773079/shravan.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4Sd2t3H8g5Sp shravan shetty shravanshetty shravan shetty
Thu, 28 Oct 2010 07:48:58 -0700 Media Integrated Learning Exchanges - CNN Anderson Cooper show - Interview with Malcolm Gladwell - The 10000 Hour rule http://shravanshetty.posterous.com/media-integrated-learning-exchanges-cnn-ander http://shravanshetty.posterous.com/media-integrated-learning-exchanges-cnn-ander
Hi
 
 
Malcolm Gladwell , The Author of "The Outliers talks about the 10000 Hour rule to be ana expert and be successful :)
 
 
 
Shravan Shetty
Career Analyst|Executive Coach|Facilitator
Twitter: consultshravan
 

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/773079/shravan.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4Sd2t3H8g5Sp shravan shetty shravanshetty shravan shetty
Wed, 27 Oct 2010 20:00:00 -0700 Media Integrated Learning Exchanges # 3 : Thomas Power on latest on Social media ideas for Business http://shravanshetty.posterous.com/you-tube-video-thomas-power-on-latest-on-soci http://shravanshetty.posterous.com/you-tube-video-thomas-power-on-latest-on-soci
Hi

Here is a informative video from Thomas Power founder of Ecademy.com


 

Shravan Shetty
Career Analyst|Executive Coach|Facilitator
Twitter: consultshravan

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/773079/shravan.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4Sd2t3H8g5Sp shravan shetty shravanshetty shravan shetty
Wed, 27 Oct 2010 19:57:53 -0700 Questions that have worked well for HR Practitioners http://shravanshetty.posterous.com/questions-that-have-worked-well-for-hr-practi http://shravanshetty.posterous.com/questions-that-have-worked-well-for-hr-practi
Hi
Here are a few questions which a HR colleague  shared with me on a online forum.Trust that you have  done a thorough job of defining the hard and soft skills your next hire should possess. Now you have to ask the right questions so you can find out if your applicants have the qualities you need. Here are some questions that have worked well for HR practitioners around the country.

Questions to reveal integrity/ honesty/ trustworthiness:

- Discuss a time when your integrity was challenged. How did you handle it?
- What would you do if someone asked you to do something unethical?
- Have you ever experienced a loss for doing what is right?
- Have you ever asked for forgiveness for doing something wrong?
- In what business situations do you feel honesty would be inappropriate?
- If you saw a co-worker doing something dishonest, would you tell your boss? What would you do about it?

Questions to reveal personality/ temperament/ ability to work with others:

- What brings you joy?
- If you took out a full-page ad in the newspaper and had to describe yourself in only three words, what would those words be?
- How would you describe your personality?
- If I call your references, what will they say about you?
- Do you consider yourself a risk taker? Describe a situation in which you had to take a risk.
- What kind of environment would you like to work in?
- What kinds of people would you rather not work with?
- What kinds of responsibilities would you like to avoid in your next job?
- What are two or three examples of tasks that you do not particularly enjoy doing?
- Indicate how you remain motivated to complete those tasks.
- What kinds of people bug you?
- Tell me about a work situation that irritated you.
- Have you ever had to resolve a conflict with a coworker or client? How did you resolve it? - Describe the appropriate relationship between a supervisor and subordinates.
- What sort of relationships do you have with your associates, both at the same level and above and below you?
- How have you worked as a member of teams in the past?
- Tell me about some of the groups you've had to get cooperation from. What did you do?
- What is your management style? How do you think subordinates perceive you?
- As a manager, have you ever had to fire anyone? If so, what were the circumstances, and how did you handle it?
- Have you ever been in a situation where a project was returned for errors? What effect did this have on you?
- What previous job was the most satisfying and why?
- What job was the most frustrating and why?
- Tell me about the best boss you ever had. Now tell me about the worst boss. What made it tough to work for him or her?
- What do you think you owe to your employer?
- What does your employer owe to you?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Questions to reveal past mistakes:

- Tell me about an objective in your last job that you failed to meet and why.
- When is the last time you were criticised? How did you deal with it?
- What have you learned from your mistakes?
- Tell me about a situation where you "blew it." How did you resolve or correct it to save face?
- Tell me about a situation where you abruptly had to change what you were doing.
- If you could change one (managerial) decision you made during the past two years, what would -that be?
- If you had the opportunity to change anything in your career, what would you have done differently

 

 

Questions to reveal creativity/ creative thinking/ problem solving:

- When was the last time you "broke the rules" (thought outside the box) and how did you do it?
- What have you done that was innovative?
- What was the wildest idea you had in the past year? What did you do about it?
- Give me an example of when someone brought you a new idea, particularly one that was odd or unusual. What did you do?
- If you could do anything in the world, what would you do?
- Describe a situation in which you had a difficult (management) problem. How did you solve it?
- What is the most difficult decision you've had to make? How did you arrive at your decision?
- Describe some situations in which you worked under pressure or met deadlines.
- Were you ever in a situation in which you had to meet two different deadlines given to you by two different people and you couldn't do both? What did you do?
- What type of approach to solving work problems seems to work best for you? Give me an example of when you solved a tough problem.
- When taking on a new task, do you like to have a great deal of feedback and responsibility at the outset, or do you like to try your own approach?
- You're on the phone with another department resolving a problem. The intercom pages you for a customer on hold. Your manager returns your monthly report with red pen markings and demands corrections within the hour. What do you do?
- Describe a sales presentation when you had the right product/service, and the customer wanted it but wouldn't buy it. What did you do next?

 

Miscellaneous good questions:

- How do you measure your own success?
- What is the most interesting thing you've done in the past three years?
- What are your short-term and long-term career goals?
- Why should we hire you?
- What responsibilities do you want, and what kinds of results do you expect to achieve in your next job?
- What do you think it takes to be successful in a company like ours?
- How did the best manager you ever had motivate you to perform well? Why did that method work?
- What is the best thing a previous employer did that you wish everyone did?
- What are you most proud of?
- What is important to you in a job?
- What do you expect to find in our company that you don't have now?
- Is there anything you wanted me to know about you that we haven't discussed?
- Do you have any questions for me?

 

Shravan Shetty
Career Analyst|Executive Coach|Facilitator
Twitter: consultshravan
 

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/773079/shravan.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4Sd2t3H8g5Sp shravan shetty shravanshetty shravan shetty