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General Rules to adopt in any given tests

Freshershunt — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 05:58:44 +0000

Most tests you face will be either abstract or practical. Others, like the Visual Logic test or the Form Recognition test, are of a type that is not so dependent upon prior knowledge. Some of these tests are looking for flexibility, perceptiveness or insight in your reasoning. This test, like other ‘reasoning’ tests, gives you a hint that the test may be searching for something deeper than the ability to add numbers.Therefore, the key overall rule for you to follow is that, having read the instructions and done the examples to a test, you should be clear about what the test is going to demand of you before you start it.

1. Problems ‘on your mind’

If something has happened to you that is absorbing your attention it is better to take the tests when you are in a more settled frameof mind. Such matters may be lack of sleep, poor health, or worry about other people.

2. Preparation

Check that you have everything you need before you start the test.If it is a paper-and-pen test, have you sufficient pencils? Have you an eraser? Have you got spare paper? Is there anything that might ‘put you off ’ or disturb you?

3. Reading instructions

Always make sure you are absolutely certain what you have to do before you start. The tests are strictly timed and you will lose out if you have to stop, go back and re-read the explanation.

4. Do not have preconceptions about how well you might do

You may think you are going to perform better on some tests than others. You may like some tests better than others. These thoughtswill be based upon your past experience, but have little relationship to what you can actually do. Therefore, try your utmost on all the tests, as you may be better on some tests than you expect.

5. Read the explanation carefully

Do any examples and make sure you understand any explanation. (If you are in a real test situation where you are being tested alongside others, do not feel rushed into starting before you are ready just because you do not want to look stupid. If you ask for an explanation, the chances are that others will also be glad to have an explanation of the same thing!)

6. Timing

Most of the tests are too long for you to complete in the time given. They are designed that way. Therefore, do not begin to rush if you think that time must be running out. Work at a speed at which you feel you are in control and are not having to guess.Do not be put off by a candidate who seems to be working very quickly. They might be leaving items out or they might be getting what they do wrong. If you are unsure, ask the invigilator if you should have a watch or clock to refer to.

7. Guessing

This is generally a waste of time because you are missing an opportunity to get something right. Also, having spent time on working on an item, you lose that time if you throw it away with random guessing. If you have a strong ‘hunch’ that you know the answer, it is better to make a choice than nothing at all, but if you do this too many times, your guessing will count against you. If you are ‘stuck’ on an item it is better to leave it and go on to the next as you will at least avoid getting a wrong answer, whilst also giving yourself the option to come back to that item later.

8. Marking the answer paper

Make sure your answer is clear, otherwise you will not get a score. Most candidates lose few marks just because they didnt mark the answers properly. In case of online tests your answers are scanned by computer (OCR). So be sure to have clarity in your answers.

9. Drawing on the answer paper

In a paper-and-pen test, do not worry about making marks, drawings or doing calculations on the page of tests .What is required is the correct answer, so tidiness is unimportant. Many people prefer to make jottings on the answer sheet itself rather than use spare paper, and this is perfectly acceptable and is not cheating! If you need to make a note or do a sum, it is often quicker to do any rough work in the margin than switch to spare paper. This is certainly true of the Analytical test, where it is helpful if you actually draw the figures as you work out the answer rather than try to hold all the information in your head. At the same time, you must not spoil test papers that may have tobe used again by others. Always ensure you have sufficient rough paper.

10. Be aware of your situation

Make sure that the invigilator is aware of conflicts or difficulties that may affect your performance. This might be something that happened during testing – for example, you realized at the end there was another sheet you had missed, you broke all your pencils and had to wait, and so on.

Eight “do’s” for the interview

Freshershunt — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 06:36:13 +0000

According to leading companies, there are eight key areas in interviewing success. You can fail at an interview if you mishandle just one area.

1. Do wear appropriate clothes. You can never go wrong by wearing a perfect cloth to an interview.
2. Do be well groomed. Don’t overlook the obvious things like having clean hair, clothes, and fingernails for the interview.
3. Do give a firm handshake. You’ll have to shake hands twice in most interviews: first, before you sit down, and second, when you leave the interview. Limp handshakes turn most people off.
4. Do smile and show a sense of humor. Interviewers are looking for people who would be nice to work with, so don’t be so somber that you don’t smile. In fact, research shows that people who smile at interviews are perceived as more intelligent. So, smile!
5. Do be enthusiastic. Employers say they are “turned off” by lifeless, unenthusiastic job hunters who show no special interest in that company. The best way to show some enthusiasm for the employer’s operation is to find out about the business beforehand.

Five Ways to Get Recruiters on Your Side

Freshershunt — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 06:13:37 +0000

We all need all the help we can get. A trusting relationship with a professional recruiter can move your career ahead. You can do your part to establish that trust by observing the following guidelines.

Be up front about your financial needs and goals.
Take time to learn about the recruiter’s practice and the markets he or she serves.
Establish the ground rules for how you plan to work together and avoid duplication of effort.
Offer names of other candidates who may fit a recruiter’s portfolio. In appreciation, the recruiter may set up more interviews for you.
Recruiters want you to be successful. Ask them to coach you for the interviews they arrange.

Remember that the employer compensates recruiters. But it’s a win-win situation. They win when they refer you for a position you accept.

Checklist covering Testing situations

Freshershunt — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 16:15:15 +0000

Test will not tell us anything very much unless taken in the optimum conditions. Therefore, you must ensure that the conditions in which you take tests allow you to do your best. The tests may be online or you may be asked to sit a paper-and-pen version.

Here is a checklist covering testing situations in general:

You must not be distracted. Ensure that you will not be interrupted by other people or sounds that might intrude.
You must be comfortable. If you are too hot or cold or other things put you off, such as poor lighting, then let someone know. If you want to take time out to go to the lavatory, then it is sensible to say so.
Be prepared. Before attending the test session make sure that you have covered any options such as pre-reading, that there are no exercises that it is impossible for you to do, that you have asked what you should bring, how long the process will take and what it will consist of.
Read the instructions. Do this thoroughly, taking as much time as you require. Do not be intimidatedif other people being tested at the same time as yourself seem to have finished – the important thing in your case is that you should be clear as to exactly what is expected of you.
Work through the examples. Do this thoroughly as well. If there is something you do not understand, make sure you do understand it before you start the test itself. You can take as much time as you want before starting a test.

A properly trained test invigilator will be on the alert to assist you with any difficulty.

A properly trained test invigilator will be on the alert to assist you with any difficulty.If something has occurred to you during the test you should mention it,because it might be of sufficient importance to be taken into account when the test is interpreted.

Cover letter Basics – Downloadable sample included

Freshershunt — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 08:31:01 +0000

Study the advertisement and your CV and write a better cover letter:

Make a draft, emphasising your suitability for the post, using positive and active expressions.
Check the draft for correct spelling and grammar, or ask someone else to do so if you are unsure.
Write or type a fair copy of the letter.
Make a copy to keep. You may need it for reference and to take to the interview.
Address the envelope, preferably one which involves folding the letter and enclosures no more than twice.
Send the letter first class, but do not put it through your company’s franking machine; some employers look out for applicants who they consider misuse their firm’s facilities!
Be sure to post it so it arrives before the closing date for applications, if one has been given.

A cover letter is an essential part of a job hunt. Please do not attempt to implement a job hunt without a cover letter . A cover letter is the first impression of you, and you can influence the way an employer views you by the language and style of your letter.

Officeteam’s great tips – Avoid embarassing moments during interview

Freshershunt — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 10:25:17 +0000

OfficeTeam provides the following tips to avoid embarrassing job interview moments:

Do your homework. Study the company and ask the interviewer relevant questions that demonstrate your interest in the firm.
Dress to impress. Err on the conservative side with a suit in a neutral tone. “Test drive” a new outfit before the interview to make sure it’s comfortable.
Don’t delay. Plan to arrive at your interview at least 15 minutes early. Give yourself extra time if you are unfamiliar with the area.
Keep it real. Offer examples and anecdotes that help illustrate your strengths, but do not embellish or lie.
Resist rambling. Once you have answered an interview question, stop talking. Allow for periods of silence while the hiring manager formulates the next query.

Alas, even careful preparation can’t prevent all mishaps, such as the following:

“A candidate cut his lip shaving, and it was bleeding profusely during the interview.”
“The applicant became ill during the interview.”

“Handling problems gracefully may actually impress interviewers. But if the situation can’t be overcome, move on and focus on the next opportunity. It’s a learning experience that will someday make an entertaining story.”

Will humour work during interview?

Freshershunt — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 23:31:49 +0000

Humor elegantly framed and sharply focused can be effective and advantageous. But it must come naturally to you.But nothing is as risky as forced humor. Amateurs shouldn’t try this at the office. A half-baked attempt at humor can seriously backfire on you, and if you offend the interviewer.

These kind of funny answers can show a quick exit!

For that reason many job coaches advise against any attempt at humor, sarcasm, or teasing. Just play it straight, they say, and you can’t go wrong.

Some hiring managers welcome humor because it demonstrates you can keep work in a proper perspective. “The ability to laugh at yourself is a great attribute,” says a HR Manager. “It means you don’t take yourself too seriously, which is a very attractive trait.”The goal of using humor is to bond with the interviewer, to use your shared senses of humor as a way to underscore the prospect that you will fit into the organization. Of course, if your perspective and that of the hiring manager seriously differ, then your attempt at humor will go in vain. At the same time, when people laugh, certain physiological changes take place that make people more flexible and relaxed. Humor is also synonymous with wit—and wit is born of intelligence. No wonder recruiters look for candidates with this quality. Let the interviewer set the tone. If the interviewer starts with a joke and seems to be in good humor, you can try for a little self-deprecating humor.

Five Rules for Using Humor

1. Poke fun at yourself only, nothing else.
2. Follow the interviewer’s lead.
3. Don’t force it.
4. No sarcasm at any time.
5. If in doubt, don’t.

“Humor may be appropriate at the start and finish of interviews, but use it sparingly.”

This is a famous joke among HR chat boards.

Reaching the end of a job interview, the human resources person asked a young engineer fresh out of a tech institute what kind of a salary he was looking for.

Young Engineer : “In the neighborhood of 15L a year, depending on the benefits package.”

HR : “Well, what would you say to a package of five weeks vacation, 14 paid holidays, full medical and dental, company-matching retirement fund to 50 percent of salary, and a company car leased every 2 years . . . say, a brand new jaguar?”

Young Engineer : “Wow! You’re kidding!” the young engineer said.

HR : “Yeah, but you started it.”

6 Reasons to Research a Company before Interview

Freshershunt — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 12:26:03 +0000

Besides enabling you to “flatter” the interviewer, there are at least six central reasons to research a company before you step into the interview:

To find out whether or not it’s a place you want to work
To discover what skills the job or the company most values
To ferret out as much as you can about the company culture and mission in order to align some of your competencies to fit the company’s style and goals
To impress the employer when he or she asks: “Tell me, what do you know about our company, and why would you like to work here?”
So you can make intelligent queries when the employer asks you: “So, do you have any questions about our company?”
To give you an advantage because your competitors for this job are not researching the company to the degree that you’re going to.

You can locate facts and opinions about companies in a number of ways:

From company Web sites
Through other research on the Internet
From proprietary, or “for-fee,” databases
From one-stop job centers around the country
In public libraries, from their books, periodicals, and computer databases
From the interviewer, during the interview itself!

Research will lower your anxiety level because you know with whom you’re dealing.

Q Statements: Your Secret Weapon

Freshershunt — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 11:34:55 +0000

What Is a Q Statement?

A Q statement is a sentence that expresses a numerical measurement of some action or accomplishment which you have performed. A Q statement is quantitative. Also the Q statement is not vague; it’s exact in value. For example, rather than saying you “increased productivity,” using a Q statement, you would say that you “in 2008 we increased productivity by 25 percent.”

Why we need to quantify a skill? Let’s take a look at the following statements and see which of them bears the most weight and leaves the longest-lasting impression:

STATEMENT A -:

I am a good planner.

STATEMENT B -:

I reduced overhead by 25 percent while increasing profits by 43 percent annually.

Which of these two statements seems the most evocative? From which one can you make a mental picture? Which will you remember? Statement B is more descriptive and more concrete. It does not simply make a claim or advance a personal opinion. Statement B uses actual facts and numbers to specifically demonstrate the skills. This kind of clarification gives the listener evidence of the skill and a good idea of the scope of it.

Statement B is Q statement as it uses actual facts and numbers to specifically demonstrate the skills.

Given are few ways to quantify your statements:

By numbers of people, places, things, units, or actions, such as “handled 1500 telephone calls per day.”
By amounts of money saved or earned, such as “Rs300,000 savings” or “Rs100,000 in profits.”
In % (or fractions), such as “60 percent decrease in waste”, or “35 percent increase in production.”
By mentioning time saved.This is directly proportional to money gained.
By a subjective or objective scale or rank, such as “7.9 on a scale of 1 to 10 for increased customer satisfaction” or “moving from number 450 to number 321 on the Fortune 500 list.”

Verb + (who, what, when, where, how) + Result = Q statement

The 14 Most Common Reasons Job Hunters Are Not Offered Jobs

Freshershunt — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 23:42:54 +0000

According to the companies who do the interviewing the “14 Most Common Reasons Job Hunters Are Not Offered Jobs” are :

Low level of accomplishment
Poor attitude, lack of self-confidence
Lack of goals/objectives
Lack of enthusiasm
Lack of interest in the company’s business
Inability to sell or express yourself
Unrealistic salary demands
Poor appearance
Lack of maturity, no leadership potential
Lack of extracurricular activities
Lack of preparation for the interview, no knowledge about company
Objecting to travel
Excessive interest in security and benefits
Inappropriate background

Think CPR ie Think Cheerful Positiveness Resuscitation to always keep you in good shape.

Department of Labor studies have proven that smart, “prepared” job hunters can increase their beginning salary while getting a job in half the time it normally takes.While maintaining a positive attitude is vital to a successful job search, there will be times when you get discouraged. It may seem impossible to revive that positive energy level. But there are many things you can do to bring your rosy outlook back to life and keep it in good shape.

Key Traits Employers Use to Assess Freshers

Freshershunt — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 23:19:50 +0000

What Do Interviewers Want? Key Traits Employers Use to Assess Freshers.

Thinking—can the candidate:

Quickly and effectively solve challenging problems?
Learn and apply new job-related information?
Develop sophisticated long-term strategic responses?

Planning—can the candidate:

Plan time and projects without missing any steps or deadlines?
Follow multiple rules exactly without exception?
Act deliberately without analysis paralysis?
Execute ruthlessly and with precision?

Interacting—can the candidate:

Demonstrate effective leadership ability?
Get along with others in a very close-knit working environment?
Effectively deal with customer demands on a regular basis?
Demonstrate genuine support and concern for the welfare of others?
Be outgoing and socially expressive?
Effectively coach and develop skills of coworkers?
Be persuasive in a low-key manner?

Motivation—can the candidate:

Be on time without missing workdays?
Frequently suggest new ideas or job improvements?
Work long hours without complaint?
Cheerfully do more than what’s required for the job?
Be flexible and accepting of frequent changes?
Be visibly supportive of the organization?

10 top attitude strikeouts that condemn Fresh-candidates

Freshershunt — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 22:34:28 +0000

Of course, even great talent will not get you a job offer if you have other attitudinal problems. A successful job-hunt is a matter of attitude. Employers look for people who believe in their skills and have a positive attitude.Here we present in order the 10 top attitude strikeouts that condemn Fresh-candidates.

Doesn’t ask questions
Condemnation of past employer
Inability to take criticism-crying
Poor personal appearance
Indecisive, cynical, lazy
Overbearing, overly aggressive, “know-it-all”
Late to interview
Failure to look at interviewer while interviewing
Unable to express self clearly
Overemphasis on money

Attitude is contagious. Surround yourself with supportive, positive people.