04 Mar 10 A Job-Search Guide to Help People Over 45 – XVII

This is 17th post of the series written to help people over 45 secure jobs for them. We have come a long way. I hope by now you have gained enough confidence and rearing up to go. Some of you might have gone ahead and secured a job. This series is approaching its end now. It would be no more than 2 posts in this series. So, before it gets over, let us get together and pour everything on paper for you to see and use it.

Plan, Plan, and Plan

Planning is important. It takes the surprise factor and blind spot out of the equation. Review the list of common questions asked in an interview, and prepare an answer for each one of them. Do not mug up. Just make yourself comfortable with the questions. During the planning process also find a way out to blunt the ruthless edge of your negative characteristics. Do not make it look like your biggest asset, but soften its edge and make it look less damaging.

Look uber-cool

Well, I do not intend to suggest that you should take in all those garbage being consumed by teenagers in the name of fashion and “walking ahead of time”. All I want to suggest is to look up-to-date and in the know of things that matter to the job you are being interviewed for.

When I say up-to-date I also mean up-to-date in your appearance. I know it was not the first thing you expected to read when you wake up in the morning, but it important. You will not like to look like a black sheep among all the white clones. Dress as the way people younger to your dress, at least for the interview. It will convey the person on the other side of the table that you may be chronologically from different group, but your psychosocial make is same as his own.

Tell them you will learn

Do not flinch if you are faced with a question that you do not know answer of, or if you have asked about a technology which you have never heard of. Tell your interviewer that you are unaware of thing in question, but you will learn it sooner than expected, and if you are promised the job, you can start learning right from today. This will tell your interviewer, how much keen you are for the job, and how much time you are willing to devote for that. The interviewer will not pass unimpressed.

What else do you think is necessary to excel in an interview? Use the comment box and send in your suggestions.

Tags: Appearance, Black Sheep, Blind Spot, Clones, Common Questions Asked In An Interview, Confidence, Fashion, Garbage, Interviewer, Job Guide, Job Help, Job Search, Jobs, Negative Characteristics, Psychosocial, Questions Asked In An Interview, Search People, Surprise, Teenagers, Things That Matter

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20 Feb 10 E-commerce – Not in the Good Book in US

2009 has not been such a good year for the e-commerce companies. The US consumers for the first time has cut back on e-commerce spending, as found by comScore in its 2009 U.S. Digital Year in Review study.

2009 recorded a negative growth of 2%, which is unprecedented, to touch $209.6 billion mark. The travel sector saw a drop of 5% to $79.8 billion, while, growth rate of e-commerce retail (non-travel) remained flat to $129.8 billion. For retail e-commerce, the no-growth year of 2009 has been preceded by a year of single digit growth (6% in 2008), which was the lowest growth rate for the segment on record. On an average this sector had an annual growth of around 20%.

But the good news is that the US consumer has shown some confidence in e-commerce in last two months (November and December) of 2009, which gave the segment a respective year-on-year growth of 3% to $12 billion and 5% to $17 billion.

Tags: Commerce Companies, Comscore, Confidence, Consumers, Digit Growth, Good Year, Last Two Months, Mark Travel, Segment, Travel Sector, Year In Review

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30 Oct 09 How to Build a List of Writing Prompts

In the last blog post, I discussed about what is writing prompt and how to use it. I hope that discussion gave you some confidence to fight with the big monster we call writer’s block. In this post, I will tell you how to build a list of writing prompts to help you in time of need. Yes, I know I told you yesterday that anything can work as writing prompt as long as it helps you get out of “staring at blank page” syndrome. And I am also aware that you cannot include every kind of writing prompt in your list. Nevertheless, a list with writing prompt will help you a great deal when confronting the monster. That is why you need to build a list of writing prompts.

4 ways to build the writing prompt list

Know yourself. Ask questions about your religious beliefs, your political opinion, your view of your community, and your stance on the social and economic issues confronting your community. Ask questions about your views on your community, culture, government’s policy, medical policy, etc. The idea behind this exercise is to look inside yourself and find what you are and what you believe in.
See the world around you. A good writer is one who observes his surroundings. One who remains absorbed in oneself all the time can be anything but a writer. See how people around you interact, how they react in certain condition. What are their inhibitions, what they are afraid of doing, how strongly they cling to their belief, and what makes them stay together.
Notice the nature. Have you seen that little green-colored insect that stays on the flower? Have you seen what the shape of the cloud was today? The point is to get close to nature and observe its beauty. It has motivated many and will not fail to motivate you as well.
Take to people. Ask as many questions as you want. Get as close to people near you as you can. Know about them. Ask about their daily life, their fears, their hopes, their dreams, their ambitions, their aspirations, etc., and you will get enough material to write upon.

There are many more things that can help you build your own list, but the things that I have talked about here will help you regardless of the genre you write in.

Tags: Ambitions, Aspirations, Belief, Close To Nature, Community Culture, Confidence, Dreams, Economic Issues, Exercise, Fears, Flower, Inhibitions, Insect, Medical Policy, Monster, People, Religious Beliefs, Shape, Surroundings, Time Of Need

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04 Mar 10 A Job-Search Guide to Help People Over 45 – XVII

Plan, Plan, and Plan

Look uber-cool

Tell them you will learn

20 Feb 10 E-commerce – Not in the Good Book in US

30 Oct 09 How to Build a List of Writing Prompts

4 ways to build the writing prompt list

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