Ring.. Ring... your future job is on the line

Found some really good pointers on www.jobsearchjournal.com and I thought I'd share a summary of the article: "Five ways to prepare for a phone interview", for those fellow job seekers out there who, like me, may find their careers "on hold" at the moment...

1. Know the company - seemingly apparent, and yet it is true that thourough analysis online (for news about the company, info on the website, etc...) can make all the difference.
2. Know the position - get a job description, highlight it, note why you qualify for the post, and keep it close for when you pick up the phone.
3. Know the interviewer - Google, linkedIn, etc... The more familiar you are with the person you're speaking with, the better prepared you are to know which subjects may be interesting to talk about.
4. Prepare questions - interviewers will usually ask if you have questions at the end of the call and this allows you to get answers to reduce your own uncertainty, eg: "What are the next steps?", "When will I hear back from you?". Keep your questions ready.
5. Review your resume - cross-examining yourself in advance leaves you better prepared to mention the relevant skills, experiences and qualities, and why they qualify you for the position. It also allows you to anticipate resume-related questions that may be asked and answer them.
   

Land lines also beat cells/mobiles, they cut out less, and as with most things in life, better to be overly prepared than to get a nasty surprise...

Socialnomics?

Saw this video and thought I'd share it...




What are your thoughts? Socialnomics - another fad, or just a preview of the future?

Learn Spanish

Saw some great sites for Spanish learners.

Text, video, audio, translations/subtitles. The only thing that's missing is a chance to speak the language, but then that's what Spanish speaking friends and countries are for...

Buen aproveche !

http://ssl4you.blogspot.com pods, text, translations
http://lomastv.com videos

Where did all the good people go?

We speak a lot about social media and collaboration tools, but in the end these are only ways of collaborating and networking. The core has never changed, and he/she may be sitting right next to you. It's all about People !

Here are some points taken from one of the best-selling and most successful books on building relationships and selling ideas ever written: Dale Carnegie's "How to Win Friends and Influence People"... Written almost a century ago, and still selling well today...

If it worked for Warren Buffet in earning his billions, maybe it may help you a little too...

• Never criticize, condemn or complain.

Self-criticism is extremely rare. Your criticism won't be welcome. Criticism makes others defensive and resentful. Positive Reinforcement works better.

• Become genuinely interested in other people.

People are most interested in themselves. Remember people's birthdays and other important details.

• Talk in terms of the other person's interests.

Find the interests of others and talk about those things. If you know nothing of their interests, ask intelligent questions.

• Be a good listener.

Give your exclusive attention to others. Urge others to talk about themselves. Ask pointed questions.

• Make the other person feel important.

People yearn to feel important and appreciated. Praise others' strengths and they'll strive to reinforce your opinion.

• Use Names whenever possible.

A person's name is their favourite word in any language

• Smile.

Greet others with smiles and enthusiasm. Smiling comes through even over the phone.

• If you are wrong, admit it quickly and emphatically.

Demonstrate your willingness to rationally examine the facts. If another is about to criticize you, don't let them start! A harsh self-rebuke may prompt the others to soften their critiques. Admitting errors clears guilt and everyone to move forward quickly.

• Try honestly to see things from the other person's point of view.

This is the most important point, and key to get what you want through others...

More points can be found at www.notesofintelligence.com, but I recommend the book or an audiobook for a more in depth view...

If you have any other tips of your own, or something to say about those above or the book itself, please feel free to comment here...

Facebook

Saw this on CNN recently...

Interesting developments:

Jiving... Inspiring advances in the area of enterprise 2.0

Jive's "Social Business Software" looks to be a great step forward for one of the leaders in the enterprise 2.0 field.

I really liked this video and thought that it was worth sharing...


What if Work Was Social Again? from Jive Software on Vimeo.

Tomorrow Never Comes

I found an interesting article on the economic crisis, the only one thus far that seems to reflect the attitude of an economics professor I once had who, in 2005, predicted the crisis we're now in.

Unsurprisingly, those who disagreed are also the same people who say that in a year or two all will be back to normal...

For those who think that the governments are looking out for our best interest by refinancing the banks that gave bad loans, and those who think that in a year or two we should all be "fine" again, you should definitely read this one.

http://whatmatters.mckinseydigital.com