Useful Journals

How to Remain Safe and Healthy at Work?

2011-07-30T10:34:00.000-07:00

With people spending up to 9 hours at their workplaces, the office of today has become the new home while away from home. Hours of daily interaction, organizational stress, long shifts in front of computers, risking shortcuts to meet deadlines, consumption of junk food and handling of equipment or machinery without proper training are just a few pointers towards why workers are increasingly becoming unhealthy and unsafe at work. That is why occupational health & safety is a matter of great importance in the current job sector. Unhealthy and unsafe personnel are not only liabilities to themselves, but as well to their co-workers and their organizations.

Unfortunately, no statistics concerning occupational health and safety are currently accessible in Pakistan, because a greater part of accidents are not reported to the Labor Department. Diseases and accidents in the Pakistani work places are an appalling tragedy. The frequency of occupational diseases and injuries is very high because thousands of workers are regularly exposed to unsafe practices at work. However, remaining safe and healthy at work is an individual struggle. With some common sense and attentiveness, we cannot only care for ourselves, but also for our co-workers and our workplaces. Following are a few tips on how to remain safe and healthy at work.

Learn to Say “NO” to a Task that’s Unsafe

If you’re asked by your supervisor or the manager to perform a task; which you think is too risky or just unsafe, remember that you have the legal right to refuse. Saying “No” can at times save yourself and other people’s lives. However, the trick is to say it in a professional manner, so as not to offend the boss and potentially risk your career. Inform your supervisor why you think the job is too risky. Maybe it’s because there are too many potential hazards, or you might not have received proper training in performing the task. Ask the supervisor his/her viewpoints on why they consider the task safe? Are they able to show you how it can be done properly? Let them know of your doubts and request assistance or extra tools to help you, if necessary. Always remember that if you are going to put yourself in a tight spot, with prior knowledge, you are solely responsible for all the outcomes.

Learn to Identify & Report Workplace Hazards

In order to point out potential hazards at your workplace, get training on standard occupational health & safety and also learn basic First Aid. Furthermore, ask your company on their policies and procedures for identifying, reporting and eliminating internal risks and hazards. Sometimes, all it takes is good use and co-ordination of your senses to recognize vulnerability at your workplace. Make sure that all the electrical equipment that you handle has been checked and properly installed by a professional. Furthermore, enquire questions like, is their a fire extinguisher handy and does someone know how to use it? Does the office have a first aid kit? You may feel hesitant asking these questions at first, but remember they are your right to know, as they concern your own well-being and life.

Don’t let Stress take the Better of You

Corporate stress is something we all have to endure at sometime within our careers. However, job pressure regarding deadlines is one thing but mental stress leading to psycho-social problems is something completely different and alarming. Apart from making workers increasingly distressed, irritable, anxious, insomniac, depressed & tired, work stress can cause personality disorders, as it severely affects the immune system, leaving psychological impacts. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Narcissistic Personality Disorder, Histrionic Personality Disorder and Borderline Personality Disorder are a few examples of such psychological impacts caused by work stress. Proper stress management training and organizational management is needed to avoid the development of stress factors at the workplace. If you feel you’re stressed out or one of your co-workers is, immediately notify the supervisor with proper reasoning. Take work, duties and responsibilities with reasonable enough time-frame. Remember never to over-burden yourself or let your job take over your physical and mental well-being. A good tip to take your mind off the stress at work is to treat yourself with a bit of chocolate or anything sweet.

Enjoy Healthy Food Practices at Work

Instead of opting for coffee and smoke breaks, do yourself a favour by quitting both. Plus, smoking is just something you would really want to avoid, especially at work. Eat a wide selection of foods, including plenty of fresh and seasonal fruit, vegetables, nuts and seeds. Reduce junk food, takeaways, saturated fats and processed foods to the minimum. Make sure that you drink plenty of water and possibly try some herbal teas in its place of coffee and tea. Keeping a water bottle on the desk is a great and simple way to stay healthy. Plus, it helps in constantly reminding you that you need to drink plenty of water to keep yourself from dehydration. Another advantage is that water detoxifies our body systems, maintaining our health along the way. Furthermore, drinking water at regular intervals will help you fight fast food cravings.

Stay Fit not Fixed to the Computer

If you’re spending too much time sitting fixed to the computer, you’re possibly going to end up with muscle pain in the arms, stress and redness in the eyes and probably some weight gain. Turn off the monitor every couple of hours for five minutes. This will give your stressed eyes a much needed rest. Utilize these five minutes to loosen up, close your eyes or else direct your attention on other things. You could also take time off to get away from your desk and if possible go for a quick walk outside. Also consider stretching your arms and legs, while at break. Stretching helps by keeping your body loose and flexible; it increases suppleness and blood circulation; plus, it sets your metabolism in motion and keeps your body warm.

Most importantly, keep your family and loved ones in view at work. Remember, they are one of the reasons we are at work, and that someone is waiting for us at home to arrive safe and healthy back from work.

Reference: http:// blogs.rozee.pk

Creating the Perfect CV

2011-03-20T23:18:00.000-07:00

Creating the perfect CV is the first step towards getting a good job. Your CV is the first thing that reaches the employer and it is vital in making the right impression on the prospective employer. Many people do not understand the importance of the CV and end up making casual mistakes on the resume which makes a poor impression on the employer and often he throws the CV into the waste basket rather than taking a second look.

There are many common mistakes which make a resume bad and ruin the first impression of the candidate. Some of these common mistakes are:

Lack of Focus:

Having a focus is very important element in any kind of resume. It is a commonly known fact that the employer scans an average resume for not more than 20 seconds, so it is important that a resume shows the main objective and the goal of the candidate at first glance. You need to highlight what you want from your professional career and what things are you good at. Most of the employers are looking for a match between the applicant’s capabilities and the specific job’s requirements for which they are going to hire the person. A vague resume that lacks all kinds of focus regarding the job requirements is not competitive and often fails to catch the employer’s eye.

A Duty Driven Resume:

When you create a resume that focuses on your duties and responsibilities at the last few jobs, you are not making a good impression on the employer. A good resumes or CV should consist of the accomplishments that you made at certain position in a company and it should sell the qualifications of the jobseeker putting him in the spotlight as the best candidate for a specific position. You should be careful not to use any phrases such as “duties included,” since this kind of language is used to give the job description rather than listing the accomplishments in the resume.

Neglecting To Mention Important Skills:

It is very important to make sure that you mention the important skills on a prominent place in the resume. The definition of important skills is also relevant to every job position and you need to know which skills are important for the current job opening. For instance, computer skills are very important in today’s world and age and hence no matter which job you are applying for, it is important that you mention all the skills that you have acquired. Similarly you should also mention the language and international personal skills that you possess as they are important in the type of job you are seeking. Make sure that you list these important skills in your Profile section, rather than adding a separate portion at the end of your CV.

Too Much Text:

It is very important that you use bulleted styles to create your resume as it will be easy to read and can catch the attention of the reader within a few seconds. However you have to remember to use the bullets very consistently in order to make sure that the overall format of the CV remains the same. You should use the same bullet style in the entire resume and make sure that you use it as often as you can to make your resume clear and concise.

Lack of Keywords:

The online job search process nowadays revolves around the keywords and the placement and usage of the keywords plays an important role in getting your resume all the way. More and more employers rely on keywords to find the best suited job candidates as they want to interview the person who is best suited for the job. When you write your resume, make sure that you include all the relevant keywords that the employer can use to search for a candidates. There are many examples on the internet on how to find the best suited keywords for your profession.

Listing Your References on the Resume:

Make sure that all the references are never listed directly on your resume. You should make the list on a separate sheet, and submit the references only when specifically asked to do so by the employer.

Using Untraditional Fonts:

Make sure that you stick to the normal and traditional fonts especially when you are applying online since the fonts can get mixed up and give errors when the employer opens your resume on his computer. If you use a different font and it gives an error on the employer’s computer, the CV will be immediately rejected as the employer is not going to spend time in trying to figure out what is wrong with the CV.

Lying on the CV:

Lying on the CV is obviously not a good idea, but still many people continue to lie on their resumes all the time. Admittedly, only a few companies do their homework and verify the candidates’ claims on their CVs, which is perhaps why most of the people keep trying to lie on the resume. However it is not a good idea to provide false information on the CV as you never know when the employer might check your credentials. If it is found out that you have been lying on your CV, you lose all your chances of getting a job at the company and you also earn a bad name. So avoid doing this at all costs.

A Never Ending CV:

Some people believe that the more they write the CV, the better impression they will make on the employer. However, this entirely wrong as the employers need to see what your qualifications and skills are, which can be easily mentioned within the span of a single page. If it is impossible to contain your CV on a single page, you can go use another one, but at no cost make your CV longer than 2 pages.

Reference: http:// blogs.rozee.pk

First Hour is the Most Important Hour of Your Day

2011-01-14T01:11:00.000-08:00

Have you ever woken up to the sounds of birds singing outside? You get up, walk to the kitchen, cook yourself an omelet and drink your favorite cup of coffee while you catch up on your RSS feed. Breakfast is perfect and the blogs are right on. — just what you needed to read. You go to work and accomplish everything on your to-do list. You have the exact perfect conversations and to top it off, your colleagues surprise you with freshly-baked cookies just because they love what you’re doing. Lucky day, right?

Maybe that isn’t you at all. Maybe you don’t have a ritual. Maybe you started off waking to find your clock blinking 12:00 AM. The power must have gone off in the night, and when you look at your phone or your watch, you realize you have just enough time to throw on clothes and head off to work. You throw on that outfit, hit the kitchen to pour a quick bowl of Fruit Loops, but the milk doesn’t even land enough for the bottom of the bowl to get wet. You throw the bowl in the sink and get in your car. 10 minutes to go before you’re late for your job that’s a half-hour away. But, as you ignite the car, you realize your car is on empty. You stop at the Flexi-Fuel and pour gasoline in before realizing you spent your last five dollars on curly fries the night before. When you get to work, your boss calls you in on account of your lateness, and there’s a client waiting at your desk ready to eat you alive because of a mistake the mail room guy made two weeks ago. A basket of fresh baked cookies would be nice, so you order a basket of chocolate chips, but when they get there, they’re pecan sandies and you’re deathly allergic to pecans. Bad luck, right?

Chances are, you have more run-ins with one of these types of days than the other. Did you know those work smiles or frowns had little to do with your car, your eggs, or your job, and they had nothing to do with luck.

Here’s why:

Your Waking Attitude Sets the Tone of the Day

I have to admit, this is a tough lesson for me, and it’s likely a tough lesson for you, too. But that first hour of the day is so vital to your experience and so vital to your productivity because it establishes your attitude for the day. If you think that’s nonsense, ask yourself why it seems that if you “wake up on the wrong side of the bed,” your whole day seems to spiral out of control. Or why is it that when you wake up with the songbirds, you are far more productive throughout the day?

Your Attitude Affects the Autopilot of Your Thoughts

When you awake in the morning, your thoughts are naturally more uncompressed, more free-flowing, and more experimental. In stand-up comedy, successful comedians are encouraged to keep a notepad next to their bed and write down the first thoughts that pop into their heads because these are the most creative thoughts of their day. The funniness can build on these thoughts later. This is why when you have a problem, you’re advised to “sleep on it.” You wake with more clarity and focus.

If you do it right.

Most people don’t. They get up and don’t really want to (and again, this has been a struggle for me as I have never considered myself a morning person).

Here’s the thing: when you awake, your conscious mind (thoughts you control) and your subconscious mind (thoughts you don’t control) are more in sync with each other than any other part of the day. If you wake up and get out of bed and step on a dog toy that sends pain to your brain and you curse the dog, you’ve just sent a message to your subconscious mind that your dog is pathetic, and you’ve sent it at the strongest part of the day. This, in turn, sets the stage for the rest of your subconscious thoughts. According to your very nature, your subconscious thoughts must be consistent with each other. This makes or breaks the flow of autopilot thoughts you have.

Give Yourself Time to Think in the Morning

The good news is that you can change the flow of your subconscious and therefore, change your perception on your day. It can be done anytime throughout the day by changing your attitude, but it is never as easy to do this as it is in the early morning.

Try this: Want to increase your chances of having a good, productive day? Don’t just jump out of bed and step on that dog toy. Instead, give yourself a few minutes to map out the day in your mind. Before you ever get out of bed, open your eyes and organize your thoughts for the day. Think about what you need to do to get things done. Even better, make a list of these things the night before, then contemplate them again in the morning. If you have young kids (like me) who wake you up in ungodly hours, set your alarm to go off ten minutes earlier than they usually wake up. Getting those thoughts together before you ever begin your day will help you to think with clarity and more focus.

Resource: http:// workawesome.com/productivity/why-first-hour-most-important/

How to deal with a difficult boss?

2010-11-10T04:01:00.000-08:00

A person who is quick to take credit for minor and major accomplishments but is always found missing from the roster whenever anything goes wrong.

A person who thinks he is the authority on every subject; his word is final authority and there is little room for discussion.

A person who rarely compliments his subordinates when they do something right but one who frequently chastises them when they make any mistake.

A person who is generous in doling out work to his team but one who is a miser when the time comes to reward them for their hard work.

Yes, this kind of a person is any employee’s nightmare. It is often said that People do not quit a job, they quit a BOSS. Many people at different times have faced difficult bosses. They range from being a little pushy or rude to being abusive. While working with such bosses, employees are in constant psychological fear of being controlled professionally as well as personally. This results in lower self-esteem and bad performance at work.

The questions which drag the employee’s mind to nightmares are:

How to deal with a toxic boss?
Shall one ignore him?
Shall one quit?
Shall one talk to the HR?

Hence, there being no guides, set rules or handbooks on “How to tame a difficult boss”, read on to see how you can free your mind of such nightmares .
First and foremost, accept this fact that at one time during your career, you will come across such a boss and it is in your best interest to deal with such a person. A difficult boss is no different from other difficult people that you deal with in your everyday life: a difficult spouse (isn’t that redundant), a difficult house-help, a difficult sales person, and the list goes on. Hence, a difficult boss is no different, therefore, instead of running away – which you might do in the end – first exhaust all your options.

Professional Face

You do not have to make your boss your friend or even like your boss as a person, but you do have to remain professional and get the job done and carry out his instructions dutifully until you are an employee of the organization.

Talk about your concerns

Having discussion with your boss over concerning behaviors is a pretty alien concept in our country as it scares many employees that they will be putting their job at risk. This fear is usually justified if the boss is a control-freak and feels that his employee is threatening his control.

However, it is usually in employee’s best interest to have a professional discussion with the boss to explain to him the day-to-day problems being caused by his/her behavior. It is not right to keep your concerns bottled up inside you. It will affect your work performance and mental health.

But you can be the best judge if your boss can handle hearing your concerns in a hostile free environment. If you think it is at all not possible for you to talk to your immediate boss without having an argument, then another alternative is to go over his head and talk to his boss.

This is usually a very tricky move and must be handled with absolute care. Remember, management will usually back each other up. However, if you can present your case in a professional manner with facts to back what you are saying, and if you can make the case that your boss’s behavior will end up hurting the company, then the person is likely to pay attention to what you are saying. But you can be the best judge whether such an approach can be taken.

Analyze your actions first

Before you go attacking your boss, ask yourself if you are doing everything right. Are you coming to work on time, are you finishing your assignments in the allotted time, are you growing as an employee? Get opinions from your coworkers about your performance. If “Yes” is what you get for an answer, try refocusing on the project at hand and see if there are any changes in the boss’s behavior.

Patience is a virtue

You as an employee, have to learn to be extremely patient. Unfortunately if a situation occurs, where you come directly in the line of fire, never react emotionally or lose control. Losing your cool will always get you into more trouble than you started out with, as it will become a war between egos, and chances are good that your boss has a bigger ego than you do.

Put yourself in their shoes

Instead of focusing on what you can do to change your boss, remember that your boss is also answerable to an authority above him. He might as well, at this very moment, be devising plans of how to deal with his own difficult boss and facing similar work-related issues. Focus on meeting all your deliverables. Make sure that other people also know the good work that you are doing by sending out status emails to a wider network. This way, you will not have time for ill-feelings and, additionally, you will give little ammunition to your boss to rake you over coals unnecessarily.

Sexual Harassment – Getting HR involved

In some cases, you may need to get an HR person involved. These cases typically are of the sexual harassment nature. Whereas in the Western countries there are laws to protect employees against such behavior, our country is only now grappling with this all-too-real a workplace situation. In other words, employees are left to fend for themselves.

First, do not get overly friendly with your boss; always keep your business interactions professional. If your boss makes any advancement, firmly yet politely say no. Try not to meet the person alone. Regardless of the attitude you get from your boss, you must, at all times, remain professional and focused at your work.
If you have to get HR involved, keep written record of any untoward activity. Presenting your case accurately will help you getting a resolution. However, realize this important fact that the outcome of such a conversation may not be what you expect. Unfortunately, in some organizations such behavior by the higher-ups is not challenged. In this case, you have to decide whether you are at the end of your rope and whether any further conversation or a resignation letter is your best bet.

When everything fails Plan B works

If nothing works and your boss remains obnoxious then you should work on a Plan B: looking for a job elsewhere and favorably, obtaining an actual job offer from another employer. Having a Plan B empowers you with the ability to walk-away at any time should the discussion gets out of hand.

Reference: http:// blog.rozee .pk/2008/11/24/ how-to-deal-with-a-difficult-boss/

Self Assessment

2010-11-06T02:01:00.000-07:00

Self assessment is the first step in anyone’s professional career as one cannot lead a successful professional life without choosing the career path that is appropriate for him. Self assessment helps a person in reviewing his capabilities and skills and determines a professional path which suits his personality so that maximum output can be delivered.

Focus Areas

Self assessment basically focuses on certain aspects which reveal a lot about the person’s orientation in professional life.

These aspects include

Goals

What you want from your professional life both in the long term and the short term, helps in determining profession is suitable for you. It can be money, fame, stability, status, or anything else that you feel is the reason you want to enter a profession.

Interests

Interest and hobbies are important in selecting a professional field as you can work much better if you have an interest in what you are doing. Otherwise, you end up getting stuck in a job that has no attraction.

Personal Traits

Your personality such as what you like, what motivates you, etc are also important in determining what profession is good for you.

Skills

During the course of education, the skills that one has acquired such as writing, computer programming, organizing, managing etc., help in choosing a specialized field.

Effective Steps For Self Assessment

You do not necessarily need a professional career expert to carry out self assessment. Self assessment can be done by anyone and at any time during the educational or professional life. The important thing is to be prepared to handle the challenges of professional life and self assessment prepares you for this.

By following some basic steps, you can carry out the much needed self assessment yourself and benefits from the results. These steps are:

Preparation

Simply put preparation is the key to success in every sphere of life. You cannot execute any plan or complete any project unless you are well prepared. When you enter the professional life, you must be aware of which steps are necessary to achieve your long term and short term goals. Preparation includes having a list of your priorities, job choices, skills and other important factors that can affect your professional life. So in essence when you prepare for self assessment, you are actually making a long term career plan as well.

Make A List

The first step in self assessment is to make a list of all the previous experiences you have, places you have worked at and the positions you have held. This will give you a general sphere of interest as you can highlight the jobs that you liked best. If you are a fresh graduate, you can make a list of the major subject, project completed, achievements and the internships you have done.

Set Your Goal

The next step involves making a list of your short term and long term goals. The best way to go about it is to think of your long term goal and then make a list of the short term goals or all the steps involved which will help you in achieving the long term goal. The best option is to write the titles or actual positions which you want to be working at in 5 years from now and the position you would love to work at within the next six months or so. You can include two or three alternate positions in this list.

Skills & Achievements

In the next step, you need to focus on your additional skills and academic achievements which can help in a specific field or at any job in general.

Screen & Select

Now, you need to evaluate the three lists made under these directions and see which skills match the job title of your choice. By a careful evaluation process you can narrow down the ideal job position that is suitable according to your skills and your interests.

Customize Your Resume

Keeping in mind the positions you have chosen, modify your resume and add the skills and achievements that cater to a specific job title. A generic resume can never land you the perfect jobs as the employers attention is only caught by specific resumes that are tailored for the job in question.

Ref: blog.rozee.pk/2010/03/03/promotion-deserve

Never lose your value !!!

2010-10-05T03:00:00.000-07:00

Well-known speaker started off his seminar by holding up a Rupee 500 note. In the room of 200, he asked, “Who would like this Rupee 500 note? “Hands started going up. He said, “I am going to give this note to one of you but first let me do this.” He proceeded to crumple the note up. He then asked, “Who still wants it? “Still the hands were up in the air. “Well,” he replied, “What if I do this?” And he dropped it on the ground and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe. He picked it up, now all crumpled and dirty. “Now who still wants it?” Still the hands went into the air. “My friends, you have all learned a very valuable lesson. No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value. It was still worth Rupee 500/-.

Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled, and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way. We feel as though we are worthless. But no matter what has happened or what will happen, you will never lose your value. You are special. Don’t ever forget it! Never let yesterday’s disappointments overshadow tomorrow’s dreams.

Resource: Rediff Blog

Useful Tips For Getting Promoted

2010-09-04T01:20:00.000-07:00

There is no doubt that getting rewarded is the biggest motivation for a person to excel at his job, but not everyone can get the promotions they hope for. No one can determine for sure whether or not an employee will get promoted or not, regardless of his performance at work. There are often situations when a less deserving or hardworking employee gets promoted over a better colleague, with no obvious explanation or rationale behind the action.

What you must keep in mind is that sometimes just getting the job done right is not enough to bag a promotion and you have to go the extra mile to show your potential. Before you start aiming for a promotion, you have to make sure that you are eligible for the job you are aiming for and have the capabilities to handle the job. This can be one of the prime reasons why you have been overlooked for a promotion in the past. However, if you feel like you are both qualified and capable of doing your job properly, and can handle more responsibility, there are quite a few things you can do to get the much desired promotion.

The following are tested and tried methods that work wonders when you are gearing towards a promotion. However, the trick is to not push too hard or test your luck too far.

Do Your Homework

Keep in mind that when you go ask your boss for the promotion, you need to know what to say. Make a note of your skills, the effort you have put into the company over the given time period and your significant achievements. Moreover, do a little research on what the next level of job holds for you. Be prepared to explain to your superior how your experience and knowledge base will be beneficial for that specific position.

Ask For Promotion

The first and most important thing that you need to realize is that you cannot sit and wait for the superiors to automatically promote you to the higher level, because that will probably never happen. In order to get a promotion, you have to make yourself visible and ask for the promotion. Make sure that you interact with the superiors from time to time.

Time It Perfectly

Find out if there is a position open because it can drastically increase the chances of your getting the promotion, if there is an opening within the organization. Timing can be of essence in securing the promotion that you always wanted. If there are no openings in the organization, then the best time to ask for a promotion would be right after you have accomplished a significant task assigned to you that benefitted the company.

Keep Learning

Constantly learning new skills and polishing your old ones is a key factor in getting promoted. If you just keep on repeating your everyday duties without aiming for improvement, there is a very good chance that you will be ignored or bypassed when the time for promotions comes near.

Send The Message

The most important thing is to let your superior know that you are ready to move up the ladder and are willing to undergo further training for the post, if required. Moreover, show the superiors that you are more than capable of effectively handling the responsibilities that come with the next level.

Show Initiative

In order to get promoted, you must be proactive at your job by taking initiatives and recommending new projects and coming up with innovative ideas. This will send a clear message to your manager that you can be even more valuable to the company in the long run.

Get Involved

The biggest mistake you can do is to become too focused on your work, so much so that you fail to grasp the working of your company in a broader perspective. While performing your daily tasks, you should put in the extra time in observing how various departments function. This can prove to be of immense help when you ask for a promotion as not many employees go beyond what’s happening in their own department.

Work Hard

While all the other factors play a very vital role in securing your promotion, you have to keep in mind that the one thing that you cannot be successful without is ‘hard work.’ At no point should you forget that when an employer considers an employee for a promotion, the first thing he will evaluate is the quality and quantity of work. You have to take your work seriously and put in your best effort while working on assignments. Your employer should be aware that you are more than capable of performing your duties and need not to be supervised.

Quantify Your Success

Almost as important as working hard is letting the superiors know about your hard work. Make sure that you tactfully appraise the manager of your efforts and achievements, from time to time.

Show Professional Etiquettes

Developing a good relationship with your boss and colleagues is the key to success in a work place. An employee who is disruptive and shows now regard for his co-worker can hardly expect a promotion. Work place ethics go a long way, not only with the managers but also with the colleagues who might put in a good word for you, even if unknowingly.

Ref: blog.rozee.pk/2010/03/03/promotion-deserve

Making Yourself Indispensable At Work

2010-08-23T02:12:00.000-07:00

There are certain things that you can do to make yourself a valuable employee so that the company managers have to think twice before letting you go. Here are some tips that you can incorporate in your daily routine to lessen the chances of you getting fired in the next downsizing:

Take more initiative

The most important thing in a workplace is taking initiative, not only because of the downsizing, but also because of the constantly changing job conditions. Nobody appreciates an employee who sits around waiting to be told what to do next and then accomplishes only the given task. Be active and take every opportunity that comes your way.

Work hard

When you are being paid to do something, you are supposed to give it your maximum effort. In order to become indispensable you must make sure that you are doing your work well and are meeting the required standards. Not only that, to prove to your employers that you are a worthy asset; you have to excel in your work and go beyond the expected standards. Moreover, if you do not know how to do something, instead of making it an excuse, go and find out how to go about that specific task and finish it efficiently.

Take responsibility

In order to become an asset for your company you will have to go beyond your job description and start viewing your department as a company, and yourself as the sole owner of the company. You must consider the pros and cons of every decision you make. At the end of the day, you must think of ways to improve the output of your department in order to impress the superiors with your productivity.

Positive attitude

Whatever happens, try to stay calm and focused. Maintaining a positive attitude in workplace is essential in proving your worth. An employee, who gets panicked easily and starts messing things up, is not an indispensable asset. If you can accomplish your tasks on a rough day with a smile on your face, you will definitely get noticed by your superiors and will certainly make a good impression.

Be a team player

Make sure that you are a valuable team player by always supporting your superiors and your entire team. Moreover, you have should remain careful and steer clear of petty politics and other unprofessional stuff that can retard the pace of work and harm the ongoing projects. Choose to be an integral part of any team and be responsible for the work allotted to you. Work in such a manner that your team and your managers start depending on you and start considering you indispensable.

Avoid politics

No matter which company you work for, office politics will follow you and getting involved means getting into trouble. So, the best option is to avoid taking sides whenever such a situation arises in the workplace. You never know what the consequences of such actions might be. Just be neutral and try to get along well with everyone. Moreover, do not indulge in gossip under any circumstances and distance yourself from such conversations regarding rumors about the company. It is important that you have a clean reputation and are not regarded as a tale-bearer in the eyes of your superiors. Remember, no one wants to have a gossiping employee or a team mate, who can’t keep things confidential.

Improve your skills

In order to make yourself indispensable in the eyes of your managers, you should focus on the specific skills that you possess. While it is important that you possess a specialized skill, what is more important is how effectively you utilize this skill. Make sure that you let your superiors know that you are willing and available to help whenever your expertise is needed. This will make you a valuable resource, and an indispensable person within the organization.

Improve your visibility

While it is vital that you do your work with honesty and dedication, it is more important that you make people aware of your achievements and expertise without being ostentatious. Keep your superiors apprised of your efforts and hard work in terms of benefiting the company.

Be prepared to volunteer

Make sure that whenever you get the chance, you volunteer to do extra work in order to save your employer money and time. Nothing is more crucial for the managers than saving time and money. By volunteering to do extra projects, you can impress more people in the office with your capabilities and talent.

Be flexible

Make sure that you can be flexible enough to adapt changes smoothly. Due to the ongoing economic crisis many companies are constantly making integral changes in their organization to save resources and be more productive. If you cannot go with the changes and do your best to ensure a smooth transition, sooner or later your superiors will start considering you a burden for the team and you will be replaced.

Be cost effective

Nowadays cutting costs has become a major concern for most organizations, which means that as a valuable employee you should concentrate on finding ways to help lower the cost in your company. Make a note of the cost savings you have achieved and make sure to keep the management informed about your efforts in this regards.

Manage your time

Make sure that you get to work on time and don’t be the first one to rush out the door as soon as your time ends. This is the way your employers and managers assess your dedication and commitment to your job. Any company will value an employee who shows up for work punctually and exhibits concern over his job. Moreover, keep in mind that your employers will also know if you are just wasting time by sitting idle at your work station, only to spend extra time in office to impress the boss. So whatever you do, make sure that your work output is in balance with the time you spend at the office.

Ref: blog.rozee.pk/2010/02/24/making-indispensable-work/

Effective Time Management

2010-08-19T10:49:00.000-07:00

If, most of the time, you fail to meet your deadlines and are unable to perform your everyday duties within the time then you are basically having problems in managing your time properly. Time management is the key to success in your professional and personal life.

Tips for effective time management

The better you are at managing your time, the more your output increases. Here are a few simple tips that will help you in managing your time more effectively.

Be Organized

Being organized is of prime importance in managing time properly. In this regard, proper file management and maintenance is of essence. Make sure that all your files are properly labeled and stored in whatever order that suits you best. If you have to spend 5 to 10 minutes looking for the right files every time you need them, you are obviously going to fall behind your schedule. It is always better to keep and maintain your files in the computer as they are easy to access and edit.

Develop your pace

Everyone has a different pace and momentum that works for them. It is always better to work at your natural pace and try to organize your schedule around it so that you can perform all your daily chores without feeling exhausted.

Be prepared

Always be prepared to take notes and record important observations that might help you with your work later on. It might happen that you think of something that can be vital for your work, but you cannot note it down only because you do not have a pen and pad with you. There is a high probability that you might not remember that point later on and waste a lot of time trying to remember what it was.

Set your priorities

You have to be able to organize your tasks in the order of their priority. You cannot take care of all the tasks at the same time, and not all the jobs at hand need to be taken care of at once. It is better to organize the tasks in the order of their priority and then get to them one by one. However, try to make sure that you finish all your daily tasks before the day ends; otherwise, the incomplete work will pile on to the next day and further upset your daily schedule.

Stick to the timetable

Develop a timetable that works for you, and make sure that you stick to the timetable as much as possible. Avoid making room for additional chores since that will only add to your workload and you will end up accomplishing far less than what you had originally hoped for. Also, remember to update the timetable at the end of the day in order to cater to the workload of the next day. If you leave it to the next day, a lot of time will be wasted and will decrease your efficiency.

Avoid interruptions

Constant interruptions delay your work more than anything. Whenever the phone rings, an email arrives or a colleague comes over to talk to you, your concentration breaks and your work suffers. When you get distracted, it is very hard to pick up the pace from where you left it. So, when you start working, make sure that there are minimum interruptions around you. Put off the email alert so that you are not disturbed whenever an email comes in, and let your colleagues know that you are working on an important project and would appreciate minimum distractions. This way you can work at your maximum potential without seeming rude to your co-workers.

Delegate your work

It is important to understand that you cannot take care of all the work by yourself, no matter how talented or efficient you are. You should be able to identify when you need to stop and ask someone for assistance. This not only helps in getting your work done on time but also helps in maintaining the quality of work. If you try to complete all the work yourself, you might be able to meet the deadlines but there are high chances that you might make mistakes, and ultimately, the quality of work will suffer.

Make a checklist

Make sure that you have a checklist of all the tasks that need to be taken care of by the end of the day. Keep the checklist in plain sight, and keep referring to it from time to time to monitor your progress. Again, it is helpful to compile the checklist in accordance with the level of priority of the task at hand. This way, when you start ticking the high priority tasks on the list, your stress level decreases with every task that you accomplish.

One thing at a time

While multitasking is an asset in many instances, it is not so helpful in effective time management. If you concentrate on one task at a time, you have better chances of achieving your goals. The most time effective way is to pick a task from the check list, start working on it and move to the next task only when you have completed the first one. Remember, in a workplace, every task needs your complete attention, and sometime, even a small mistake can lead to trouble.

Time tracking

One of the most important things that matter in effective time management is keeping track of your time. Many times, you get so engrossed in your work that you lose the track of time and might spend too much time on one job, while the others suffer. Make sure that you are aware of the time you spend on one job, by allocating a specific time bracket for that task, and then try to finish it in time.

Conclusion

Hopefully, these suggestions will help you in effectively managing your time and will increase your output considerably. Remember, time is of essence, especially in the professional field, so do everything in your power to make the most of it.

Ref: blog.rozee.pk/2010/02/17/day-effective-time-management/

Teamwork – The Essence Of Workplace Productivity

2010-08-17T02:09:00.000-07:00

Can you imagine yourself working on a project all alone in the office and no one to support and assist you? The first reaction would always be, definitely not! This is because we are all bound to be a part of a cooperative group to accomplish our daily tasks at the workplace, and this is what we call ‘teamwork’. Teamwork is defined as an activity or a set of inter-related activities undertaken by a number of people, in order to achieve a common objective. Whether it is a cricket ground, a movie production or the corporate world, working in teams is inevitable because the productivity ratio of multiple people, working on the same task, is always greater than one person, and the ROI is always higher.

A widely understood and interesting concept in the management jargon, extended form of the word TEAM, is:

T – Together
E – Everyone
A – Achieves
M – More

The concept of Together Everyone Achieves More itself conveys the importance of teamwork at the workplace and other places. For years now, organizational leaders have recognized the added value that comes from having employees work in formal or informal teams. However, over the last two decades, even greater emphasis has been placed on working together in a team. Team-building and team-work skills are essential in the workplace and highly desirable skills to possess when seeking a new job or promotion. Teams working at their potential generate more productivity and offer better solutions than if all of them work independently.

Significance Of Teamwork At The Workplace

Teamwork in a company or organization has great importance for more than one reasons. Companies, who have adopted this concept, have reported increased performance in work production. This group project approach has improved employee morale and increased input when managed correctly. The benefits of teamwork can make a positive effect on the company that incorporates this type of teamwork approach. Let us discuss the significance of teamwork in the workplace, which can benefit the employees in a number of different ways:

Sharing Workload

Working in a team has the biggest advantage of the workload getting shared amongst all the team members involved in a certain project. With work properly distributed among the employees, all dealing with their own particular task, no member of the team can feel over-burdened or extra pressurized in the overall project. A fair work distribution ensures that every person or every working unit executes the task at hand, with the best possible efficiency. The division of work, also, ensures that the work is done on time and deadlines are not extended.

Building Mutual Associations

Continuous interaction among the team members, and working in a group for the whole day, helps in building a mutual association or bond of friendship and unity among the employees. In some employees, this bond of friendship lasts for a life time. The effects of mutual associations make the work easier and goals more attainable.

Increased Work Pace

It is a fact that when people or professionals work in teams with mutual cooperation, the tasks get accomplished at a faster pace. Teamwork is one of the best ways to ensure the timely completion of any work, with the maximum possible efficiency. With many people handling a single project and doing the assigned work properly, the overall work speed increases, and the team is able to complete the project well, within the given time frame.

Learning Opportunities

While working in a team, the employees tend to learn things at a faster pace. The exposure to a team of diverse members and the knowledge of the older team members help you to grasp the new concepts quickly. At the same time, being working in a team enables the team-members to avoid mistakes and proves to be a bonus for the overall image of the team.

Lessening Risks

One of the best advantages of team-work at workplace is that the burden of responsibility is borne by all the members of the team, and it does not fall on the shoulders of just one person.
When a certain project is executed with the maximum possible efficiency of a number of professionals working together, there is a reduction in risk or committing a mistake.

First-rate Output

Most of the time, team-work ensures high quality output of an assignment or a project. The tasks carried out by a group of employees produce far greater and high quality results as opposed to the efforts of a single professional. No matter how efficient and competent an employee is, the results of his efforts are no match for the performance given out by a variety of professionals, working with similar efficiency.

A Healthy Competition

While working in teams, professionals compete with each other and try to excel in every way. At the same time, they help and assist each other in work-related as well as personal difficulties and problems. The signs of great productivity and maximum efficiency are achieved only through team-work and mutual work practices.

Mutual Creativity

While working in a team, you will never be alone while coming up with an idea; you will always have some other professionals thinking on the same lines, who might suggest a better idea. Suggestions, advices and mutual brainstorming can help employees in generating novel ideas and bringing out the creativity in their projects.

Job Satisfaction

Team-work can be an important source of job satisfaction and professional fulfillment for employees. The reason behind it is that working in a team improves employee performance as well as makes the work enjoyable for them. This is also favorable for employee motivation and workplace enthusiasm.

Mutual Organizational Interests

When employees work in team, they automatically work for mutual organizational interests; their personal interest is subordinate to the organizational interests. This ensures that all the team members put in the maximum possible efforts, focusing on the same goal, thereby ensuring a high quality and timely output.

Overall Reputation Of The Organization

Teamwork also increases the goodwill and reputation of a company or an organization. The goodwill created by mutual cooperation of professionals in an organization, in fact, plays a highly instrumental role in bringing in more business and public trust.

Concluding Ideas

You must have noticed that the list of advantages points out to two basic facts that work, when distributed, reduces workload, and a reduced amount of work ensures optimization and efficiency. Effective teamwork in the workplace benefits the organization by increasing the individual productivity, which is important in order to achieve the targets and fulfill commitments. Also, teamwork decreases the non-productive hours, which therefore increases productivity and ensures maximum utilization of manpower. This is the reason why companies are promoting teamwork at workplaces.

For some professionals, it might be a bit difficult to adjust to a group environment, but I am sure, they will gradually start loving to work as a team as they will see themselves developing as productive employees as well as better human beings!

Ref: post.career.vi/category/job-market/

Your Professional Achievements

2010-08-12T21:43:00.000-07:00

When you start a job search, you will quickly notice that the employers and the HR managers both look for similar things when they review resumes, i.e. unique tangible value, supported by solid examples of quantifiable and qualitative achievements and accomplishments. There is no data on your resume more important than your achievements and accomplishments. Think about it that there is one position to fill up and there is queue of ten qualified candidates clamoring for that position. Each of the candidates has the same basic educational and professional background. However, the candidate who contributed the most at his prior employments takes the trophy home. Professional accomplishments are all that separate you from other equally qualified candidates.

Differentiating Achievements from Responsibilities

Achievements are the factors that really help you sell yourself to an employer. You can make the most of your accomplishments for job-search success at all stages of the process, that is, resume, cover letter, interview and further. Nowadays, resumes are expected to focus not only on regular job descriptions, but are also expected to include concrete and measurable accomplishments. Accomplishments and achievements are far more important than duties and responsibilities. It is surprising to know that a great number of clients are unable to formulate their achievements beyond the day-to-day tasks they performed in their jobs. A proper resume should be accomplishment-oriented, not responsibility-driven. The biggest mistake that people make is that they list their job responsibilities rather than mentioning the achievements. They overlook the fact that the employers already know the general responsibilities of a position and that what they really want to know is that if you have been a real mover and a shaker in your previous employment or not. In short, if a job activity cannot be portrayed as an achievement or accomplishment, it may not be worth mentioning in your resume, cover letter, or in an interview.

What Is An Achievement And What Is Not

Basically, professional achievements have three elements: what you did, how you did it, and the outcome of what you did for your company. There is a very thin line between achievements and the daily job responsibilities. To explain it further, we can take a few examples of the things, which cannot be termed as an achievement: daily responsibilities that are included in your job description, regular attendance at work, getting along with co-workers, working full-time while going to college at night and volunteering for community service, unless it has a direct bearing on your job search etc. On the other hand, the factors that ‘can’ be termed as a professional achievement are: increasing the company’s bottom line, facilitating its growth, streamlining procedures, promotions, special projects completed successfully, decreasing costs, company or industry-sponsored awards and certificates.

Quantified Accomplishments

Your accomplishments and achievements must be quantified and measurable. Your resume provides prospective employers with a glimpse into your professional life. What they are looking for is your potential to serve their needs in an effective, rather a definable way. When you quantify accomplishments or your achievements in your resume, you speak the language that employers want to hear. To quantify accomplishments means using facts and figures to define your successes in your profession. Using numbers and figures helps explain (in concrete terms) how you benefited your last employer. When you put a number to your accomplishments, you begin to get the approval of hiring managers.

Resume And Action Verbs

Do not let your cover letter or resume leave your hands until you have described your accomplishments, skills and experiences, using these key action verbs. Action verbs should be used abundantly, however, wisely, throughout your resume and cover letters to promote your achievements, as they help make a strong impression. Remember to use these action verbs in writing your resume and cover letters to increase the strength of your writing, and make potential employers take notice of your accomplishments and skills better. There is a long list of action verbs available on the internet. Whenever you are preparing your resume, go through these words and try to put a suitable number of these words in it.

How To Go About Describing Your Achievements

It is disappointing as to how many people cannot describe their achievements in their resumes, in order to maximize its impact. Whether it is in a resume or in a job interview, your ability to describe your achievements is a critically important factor for success.
The first step is to point out the actual achievements in your professional life. You should ask these questions to yourself: in your previous jobs, what special things did you do to set yourself apart? How did you do the job better than anyone else did, or anyone else could have done? What did you do to make each job your own? How did you take the initiative, and how did you go above and beyond what was asked of you in your job description?
When you finally get the opportunity to talk about what you have achieved, it proves to be an opportunity you would not want to waste. Following are keys guidelines on describing your achievements for maximum impact.

Involvement in the Achievement

Clarify your personal involvement in the achievement you made. Use powerful words that describe your contribution. Some examples are, ‘created’, ‘reorganized’ or ‘established’. On the other hand, ‘did’, ‘performed’ or ‘was involved in’ are passive expressions and do not indicate your level of involvement in your accomplishment.
Thoroughly Describe Your Achievements

Describe the start, middle and end of your accomplishment. Mention the starting conditions, such as ‘poor performance’, ‘high costs’, ‘unpalatable risk’, and follow with a statement on what you made happen (the project, change initiative, etc.), and cap it off with the result – was the desired outcome achieved?

Quantify the Achievements

As explained earlier, try to use numbers and hard measures in your achievements. For example, say ’saved Rs.50,000′ rather than ’saved operating costs’. The more specific you are, the greater will be the value of your statement of achievement. Also, in almost all cases, a percentage value has a higher impact than an absolute number. In some cases, what might look like a minor achievement, when quantified, could be a major one as perceived by others.

Personal Awards and Certificates

Indicate your personal award and certificates in the achievement section. Some achievements come with special rewards, so try to mention them. If you were promoted or awarded, or if you received a bonus, add it into your statement of achievement.

Details of Challenging Circumstances

Include details of challenging circumstances in your resume achievements. If the achievement was a tough target due to business events or conditions, make sure that you mention it. It is important to describe any challenges you faced in your professional life. For instance, if there were many layoffs in your organization, whilst you were tasked with improving team morale, make these conditions clear.

State the Effect of the Achievement from Others’ Point of View

Describe the achievement not just from your own perspective; also describe what it meant for your colleagues, subordinates, management and customers (where appropriate). Do not forget to quantify the effect received from each of these groups of people as well.

Ref: blog.rozee.pk/2010/02/10/professional-achievements/

Boosting Self-Confidence

2010-08-06T00:24:00.000-07:00

During the course of your professional life, do you ever feel that underneath your sharp personality, you experience difficulty in facing people and think that there is something missing in you? If the answer is affirmative, be prepared to recognize the scenario, because this means that you lack self-confidence in your personality. It is time to think positively, act timely and boost your confidence in your workplace.

Your perception about yourself has an enormous impact on how others perceive you. The more self confidence you have, the more likely is your success in the corporate world. Improving your self-confidence will strengthen your relationship with your boss and the co-workers and increase your potential at work. A healthy dose of self-confidence can make you feel positive about your personal and professional life. Also, boosting your self-esteem and improving self-confidence will make you a successful person and a favorite.

Taking Actions To Boost Self-Confidence

If you are low in self-confidence, it is possible to do things that will change it. Following are some worthy suggestions that (if practiced) will help you gain self-confidence:

Think Positive

To think positively means to replace negative thoughts with positive ones. How I can actually change my thoughts, and by doing so ,make great things happened. Positive thinking goes hand-in-hand with killing the negative thoughts. You have to learn to be aware of your inner feelings, the thoughts you have about yourself and what you’re doing. If you have been given a difficult task and you are unable to do it, you often say to yourself, “It is too difficult, I cannot do it”. Try to stop yourself from thinking on this pattern. With this little change in attitude, you will be able to run a marathon towards success within no time.

Act Positive

More than just thinking positive, it is important to put it into action as well. Action, actually, is the key to developing self-confidence. The more positive you are about life, the more positive your self image will be, and your self confidence will grow with it. Talk to people in a positive way, put energy into your action. After doing so, you will soon start to notice a difference.

Self Grooming

Self grooming seems like an ordinary suggestion, however it is amazing how much of a difference self grooming can make in your feelings of self-confidence and for your self-image. You can easily turn your mood around completely with this one little change in attitude. Dressing up appropriately makes you feel good about yourself. You feel successful, presentable and ready to tackle the world. Dressing up appropriately means wearing casual clothes that are nice looking and presentable.

Set Goals And Achieve Them

Set small goals along your professional career and try your best to achieve them. People often make the mistake by setting higher goals , and when they fail, they get discouraged. Plan for much more achievable goals so that when you reach them, you feel satisfied and accomplished. A number of small accomplishments when taken in account, collectively take shape of higher achievements. If you continue this practice, you will be able to set even higher goals and will achieve those too, adding a lot to your confidence.

Know Yourself

When you are trying to overcome a negative self-image and replace it with self-confidence, the important thing is to learn about yourself. Get to know yourself well and start listening to your thoughts. Think about the good things about yourself, the things you are good at, the things you like. Start thinking about your limitations, and analyze if they are real limitations or just artificial. Know yourself deeply, and you will eventually come out with even greater self-confidence and self-esteem.

Be Kind And Helpful

Being kind and helpful for others is a tremendous way to improve your self-image, which will ultimately lead you into improving the confidence in yourself. Also, patience and gratefulness are important traits and, if developed in your personality, can bring major changes in your sense of confidence. Volunteering too does wonders for boosting your self-confidence. You can always find some time to volunteer for a good cause and to make the lives of others better. It would be some of the best times you have ever spent, and an amazing side benefit is that you will feel better about yourself, instantly.

Amplify Your Competence

Your confidence can boost up significantly once you believe that by becoming more competent. And how do you do that? By studying and practicing. Just do small bits at a time. If you want to be a more competent writer, for example, don’t try to tackle the entire profession of writing all at once. Just begin to write more. Indulge yourself in journals, blogs, short stories or some freelance writing. The more you write, the better you’ll get at it. Set aside 30 minutes a day to write; and the practice will increase your competence.

Be Prepared

It is hard to be confident in yourself if you are not prepared for the job circumstances in advance. Try to brush up your skills of being well prepared for assignments and tasks at office. Also, keep your skills fresh and up to date, and try to learn the new advancements in your professional field. Take your professional life as an exam, and keep yourself prepared for it.

Let Your Knowledge Empower You

Empowering yourself, through knowledge and awareness, is one of the best strategies for building self-confidence. Although you can do that in many ways like by building competence and getting prepared however one of the most certain ways, to empower yourself is through gaining knowledge about your profession. By becoming more knowledgeable, you’ll be more confident.

Concluding Ideas

One of the things that can hold you back from pursuing your dreams is lack of self-confidence. Lack of self-confidence can create a number of problems for professionals in the workplace. However, you can take some appropriate measures to boost the trait of self-confidence.n yourself. You can become someone worthy of respect and someone who can pursue what he wants despite the denial of others. Start with smaller things and then set higher goals. Smaller achievements make you feel good, and eventually add up to big achievements.

None of the above mentioned suggestions is revolutionary and none of them will do it all by themselves. It is you who will ultimately need to take the plunge and try out these tips yourself. The list certainly is not comprehensive and you do not need to do all of them altogehter. Pick and choose the ones that appeal to you. If they work out, try others as well and make these a part of your personality. Boosting self-confidence is something to be seriously considered if you would like to reach your potentials or if you aim for success in your endeavors.

Reference: http:// www.merawatan.pk /index.php/blogs/tags/selfconfidence/?blogger=hqabid

Workplace Ethics

2010-08-02T13:41:00.000-07:00

A healthy office environment is essential for the productivity of employees. If the workers are not content with their working conditions, it clearly reflects on their performance. A lot of factors affect the workplace environment, most important being the lack of workplace ethics. Workplace ethics are a set of unspoken rules which everyone should adhere to for maintaining a productive environment at work. When people start ignoring these basic principles, not only do they create disturbances for their coworkers but also have a degenerative affect on their overall capabilities. An employee who cannot even follow the basic workplace ethics is unpopular with his colleagues and the superiors.

What are workplace ethics?

Many of the people who are guilty of ignoring the basic office ethics are not even aware of the fact that they are doing anything out of the ordinary. In order to make sure that you are not one of those employees who disrupt the office environment by ignoring basic ethics, go through the list of workplace ethics described below and never go against them.

Be Punctual:

Punctuality is one of the most essential traits that the employers look for in an employee. Not only that, it is one of the most desirable traits in a coworker. When you come in late you disturb all your colleagues who are at work and by coming in late you might be causing delays in work that is pertinent to one of your team member’s deadline.

Keep Personal Life Personal:

You have to remember to be professional in your workplace. Detailed discussions about your personal life with a coworker are highly inappropriate. Even if you are on social terms with a coworker, you do not have to discuss your personal life while you are at work. So keep personal life personal and do not bring your home issues to work.

Don’t Be Nosy:

Just as you should not discuss your personal life at work, you also have to refrain from poking your nose in other people’s affairs. Do not ask personal questions or try to pry out details that the other person clearly doesn’t want to share. Same goes for official matters that you have been excluded from. If two of your coworkers are having a private conversation, there is no need for you to get to know what they are discussing.

Respect Privacy:

You should respect the privacy of your coworkers. Peeking into their cubicles from time to time and stealing glances at their computer screens is absolutely unacceptable. Moreover listening to their conversations and looking into their files is something that can make the coworker furious. So no matter how much you want to look into his computer files, Keep in mind that curiosity killed the cat.

Welcome The Newcomers:

Being rude to the newcomers, creating problems for them, mocking them and giving them a hard time are some things you should never even dream of. You have to bear in mind that you are not in school anymore and even back then no one liked a bully. Be courteous to the newcomers and help them whenever needed.

Phone Call Etiquette:

The most common and the most abundant ethical mistakes are made when people are attending phone calls. When you are receiving a phone call, talk in a low voice so that you do not disturb your coworkers. Moreover keep you cell phones on silent so that whenever your cell phone rings, your coworkers are not disturbed. While dealing with phone calls, make sure that you only attend official phone calls and emergency calls only. Do not call your friends or family members to chat with them unnecessarily as they only create distractions for the coworkers and cast you as an unprofessional employee.

Taking Credit:

When you are credited for some work, make sure that you do not take credit for someone else’s efforts. If you are being given undue credit, you must rectify it immediately by giving the credit where it is due. Bear in mind this will not affect you negatively rather your coworkers and superiors will appreciate the fact that you had the strength of character to give the credit where it is due.

Be Honest:

When it comes to workplace, honesty is one of the most cherished traits in an employee and a coworker. No one likes to have a person on the team who is prone to lying and misrepresenting facts. Be honest even if it means admitting that you made a mistake rather than trying to pin it on someone else.

Be Courteous:

Courtesy is the one thing that counts a lot when you are working at any organization. Remember that you do not have to be courteous just towards your superiors and coworkers but also towards those who are working at a lower level than you are. You should say hello and goodbye to the office boys, helpers and the receptionist. If you are haughty and rude towards those who are working at a lower level than yours, people will not respect you as well. Keep in mind; if you want to be respected by people, you have to respect them.

Avoid Socializing At Work:

Most people are in the habit of socializing at work and do so continuously. They do not realize the fact that they are disturbing the colleagues and are affecting their output. The superiors also do not take you seriously since they view you as someone who wastes most of the time chatting with other people. If you wish to chat with you coworkers do that during the lunch time and after the office timings are over. It is ok for you to chat with a colleague occasionally but do not disturb others while doing so.

Bottom Line:

Office ethics are very important in making a workplace comfortable and conducive to high productivity. As a result managers keep a tight watch on the factors that affect the office environment and try to retain the employees who contribute positively and replace the employees who disrupt the smooth flow of things. The rules differ from one organization to another, but if you follow the basic ethics given in the article there is a good chance that you will be well liked and appreciated by your coworkers and superiors.

Reference: http://blog.rozee.pk/2010/06/16/workplace-ethics/

Brain Damaging Habits

2010-07-28T09:53:00.000-07:00

No Breakfast?
People who do not take breakfast are going to have a lower blood sugar level. This leads to an insufficient supply of nutrients to the brain causing brain degeneration.

Overeating
It causes hardening of the brain arteries, leading to a decrease in mental power.

Smoking
It causes multiple brain shrinkage and may lead to Alzheimer disease.

High Sugar Consumption
Too much sugar will interrupt the absorption of proteins and nutrients causing malnutrition and may interfere with brain development.

Air Pollution
The brain is the largest oxygen consumer in our body. Inhaling polluted air decreases the supply of oxygen to the brain, bringing about a decrease in brain efficiency.

Sleep Deprivation
Sleep allows our brain to rest. Long term deprivation from sleep will accelerate the death of brain cells.

Head covered while sleeping
Sleeping with the head covered, increases the concentration of carbon dioxide and decrease concentration of oxygen that may lead to brain damaging effects.

Working your brain during illness
Working hard or studying with sickness may lead to a decrease in effectiveness of the brain as well as damage the brain.

Lacking in stimulating thoughts
Thinking is the best way to train our brain, lacking in brain stimulation thoughts may cause brain shrinkage.

Talking Rarely
Intellectual conversations will promote the efficiency of the brain

Reference: http:// www.nigerianelitesforum.com /ng/free-beauty-health-and-fitness-consults/2189-brain-damaging-habits-do-not-damage-your-brain.html

Main Causes of Liver Damage

2010-07-25T10:07:00.000-07:00

The main causes of liver damage are:

Sleeping too late and waking up too late are main cause.
Not urinating in the morning.
Too much eating.
Skipping breakfast.
Consuming too much medication.
Consuming too much preservatives, additives, food coloring, and artificial sweetener.
Consuming unhealthy cooking oil. As much as possible reduce cooking oil use when frying, which includes even the best cooking oils like olive oil. Do not consume fried foods when you are tired, except if the body is very fit.
Consuming raw (overly done) foods also add to the burden of liver.
Veggies should be eaten raw or cooked 3-5 parts. Fried veggies should be finished in one sitting, do not store.

We should prevent this without necessarily spending more. We just have to adopt a good daily lifestyle and eating habits. Maintaining good eating habits and time condition are very important for our bodies to absorb and get rid of unnecessary chemicals according to "schedule."

Because:

Evening at 9 - 11pm : is the time for eliminating unnecessary/ toxic chemicals (detoxification) from the antibody system (lymph nodes). This time duration should be spent in relaxing. If during this time a housewife is still in an unrelaxed state such as washing the dishes or monitoring children doing their homework, this will have a negative impact on health.

Evening at 11pm - 1am: is the detoxification process in the liver, and ideally should be done in a deep sleep state.

Early morning 1 - 3am: detoxification process in the gall, also ideally done in a deep sleep state.

Early morning 3 - 5am: detoxification in the lungs. Therefore there will sometimes be a severe cough for cough sufferers during this time. Since the detoxification process had reached the respiratory tract, there is no need to take cough medicine so as not to interfere with toxin removal process.

Morning 5 - 7am: detoxification in the colon, you should empty your bowel.

Morning 7 - 9am: absorption of nutrients in the small intestine, you should be having breakfast at this time. Breakfast should be earlier, before 6:30am, for those who are sick. Breakfast before 7:30am is very beneficial to those wanting to stay fit. Those who always skip breakfast, they should change their habits, and it is still better to eat breakfast late until 9 - 10am rather than no meal at all.

Sleeping so late and waking up too late will disrupt the process of removing unnecessary chemicals. Aside from that, midnight to 4:00 am is the time when the bone marrow produces blood. Therefore, have a good sleep and don't sleep late.

Reference: http:// www.desitwist.com/ general-knowledge/main-causes-liver-damage-10504.html

How to Study Fast & Effective

2010-07-22T10:16:00.000-07:00

The authors have been involved in the training of thousands of medical students and have explored and discussed with these students their test preparation and test-taking strategies. These students have developed into efficient, skillful test takers in order to cope with the volumes of detailed material on which they are tested. They learned to recognize key elements of course co tent and to train themselves to successfully answer thousands of test questions.

It is not just our observations of medical students, however, that we rely on to give you advice.
There is a growing body of scientific literature emerging from psychology and the neurosciences
that provides useful information about how to study for tests. These studies have identified the following very important test preparation topics.

Study time: HOW much you use; HOW you use it

Study location: WHERE and WHEN you study

Input: HOW you ENTER knowledge into memory

Storage: HOW you SAVE knowledge in memory

Retrieval: HOW you GET knowledge from memory

All these topics offer something to help you study and prepare for any type of examination you could encounter in the future.

Study Time

Preparation time is a necessary element for successful performance on tests but is found to be insufficient when used alone. Students have told us that they must set aside regular time periods for studying which increases their efficiency. It is not just setting aside time, however, that allows lear ing to take place. Rather, it is what happens during the regular study periods. We all know people who spend large amounts of time looking at textbooks or notes but still have poor grades because they lack effective study strategies. The most important strategy is for you to concentrate on what you are learning and to have learning as your sole purpose for studying. The goal of every study period should be to learn something new or relearn something that you have partially forgotten.

Here is a hint to help you concentrate or pay attention: If you find that your eyes are crossing a page of text but nothing is registering in your mind, and you are having trouble paying attention, you need to read faster. So fast that you will finally pay attention but not so fast that you aren't actually reading. Speed helps you concentrate. Suppose you are driving along a winding, country road at 20 mph. What arc you likely to be doing? Perhaps you are enjoying the scenery—taking in the trees, the horses in the pasture, or the ducks flying overhead. Now push down on the acceler tor until you are going 55 mph. What will you do?

You either are paying attention to your driving or are likely to find yourself in serious trouble. The point is that speed forces you to focus on what you are doing. Reading rapidly helps you pay attention to what you are reading.

Study Location

Research tells us where and when to study. If you learn something in a certain environment, you are more likely to remember this information when you are again in that environment: therefore, study in a place similar to that in which you will be tested.

Even your mood is thought to play a role in memory. While the effect is not thought to be a powerful one. researchers do believe it influences memory in two ways:

1. Recall is better for pleasant than for unpleasant material.
2. Recall is better when you arc in the same mood at retrieval time as you were when you encoded the knowledge.

You will want to study in spurts. Spread out practice over time with rest intervals spaced between. This is called distributed study or spaced practice. The amount of study material and the distribution of practice sessions affects your ability to retrieve the things you have learned.

Massed practice refers to long study periods and produces the poorest learning outcome. For most academic subjects it is best to work in a series of shorter study sessions distributed over several days if, however, you are cramming for a test, then long study sessions are better. The problem with cramming is that you do all right on an exam but don't remember much two weeks later.

Putting Knowledge into Short-Term Memory

Putting information into memory involves the encoding of incoming sensory information into a form that the brain can understand. In other words, our senses take in information from the environment, and our brain makes sense of it. A key to storing information in long-term memory so that you can easily retrieve it is organization.

Short-term memory (STM), also known as working memory, has a capacity limited to 5 to 9 items. Unrehearsed material stays in STM for 15 to 20 seconds.

What is the usual length of a telephone number? Count the digits in 555-4567. Interestingly most phone numbers have 7 digits (the ideal number of items to be remembered in working memory).

Fortunately, there are ways that your brain can manipulate the limitation of remembering just 5 to 9 items. One way is called chunking in which you arrange pieces of information into meaningful clusters and increase your capacity to remember. Take, for example, the following numbers: 76823318289190827103135466542594214.

You can't even hold this 35-digit number in your working memory. Maybe you could remember the first 3 or 4 or last 3 or 4 numbers but you're not going to hold all 35 numbers in your working memory. Now look at the same number chunked into 5 telephone numbers.

768-2331
828-9190
827-1031
354-6654
259-4214

Interesting, isn't it? Do you think you could use chunking to learn material just as apparently overwhelming and meaningless as the 35-digit number you just chunked? What is the key to chunking?

You're right—organization. It is a key to storing information in your long-term memory.

Storing Knowledge in Long-Term Memory

Strategies that encode information in a meaningful manner help you retrieve easily information from long-term memory (LTM). There are two ways to increase retention of what you are learning. Both require you to practice what you are learning. The first, overlearning, involves practicing with the material over and above what is needed to just learn it and is particularly good for learning basic facts and skills.

When you learned the multiplication tables, you overlearned them by practicing them over and over again. Furnish yourself with opportunities for overlearning of key concepts and skills. Make up flash cards and use them over and over until you have the facts locked in memory.

Repeat until you "know it cold." Most people don't have the time, patience, or determination for this approach, and it's not very efficient when you have a lot to learn in a short-period of time.

Because of these deficiencies, an approach called elaboration is often recommended. When you elaborate, you reorganize information and make it meaningful by relating it to something already in your memory. In order for you to engage in elaborative activities, you need to connect new information to something you already know. An organizational plan that is useful for school subjects utilizes logical schemes: places, dates, hierarchies, etc. Semantic categories allow you to organize by any meaningful strategy that you prefer. For example, you can categorize alphabetically, by body part, by size, by function, or by structure. Still other ways of organizing information are sounds, pictures, and colors. You should use personally meaningful categories to organize the knowledge you are attempting to store in long-term memory.

Mnemonics arc schemes designed to assist you in remembering. "Fall back, spring forward" is a way of remembering to set your clock forward in the spring and back in the fall. "Every good boy does fine" and "FACE" help us remember the lines and spaces of the musical staff. "Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally" stands for the order of the following mathematical operations: Parentheses, Exponents, Multiplication, Division, Addition, and Subtraction.

You remember these mnemonics, don't you? They are unforgettable acronyms or sentences used to recall a set of already existing strong associations. Other mnemonic schemes include methods of associating things you are trying to remember with words (peg word method) and with locations (loci method).

Peg Word Method

With the peg word method, you begin by using the sequence of numbers 1 to 10 to memorize a word that is concrete and rhymes with the number beside it. For each number, you memorize the word that rhymes with it. Here are 10 numbers and words.

1. bun
2. shoe
3. tree
4. door
5. hive
6. stick
7. heaven
8. gate
9. line
10. hen

These words make up a peg list. You use it to memorize new, unrelated sets of items. Place each item to be remembered in an image with a peg word. For example, if you wanted to memorize a list of words that begins muscle, tissue, cell, energy ..., you could imagine a muscle burger bulging through a bun, Mother Hubbard's shoe house covered with toilet tissue as a result of your high school's big victory, a tree growing through a jail cell, and a door swirling in the sky captured by the energy of a tornado. Try this method with lists that you need to memorize. It could be fun to use the peg word method.

Loci Method

The loci method lets you use knowledge of the spatial arrangement and contents of some familiar place, like your own home or neighborhood. When trying to remember a list of words, take an imagined walk through your location, placing each item in, on, or near some familiar, easily remembered object. To return to the sample words above, your muscles would be seen in the mirror in the bathroom, tissues would be on the nightstand in your bedroom, the cell phone would be on the kitchen table where you left it, and the energy would come from the furnace in the garage.

To retrieve these items you recreate the stroll and retrieve each item as you come to it. To remember these words, you imagine driving into the garage and seeing that the furnace is aglow with energy. You open the door inside the garage and enter the kitchen, where you immediately notice your cell phone on the kitchen table. While picking up the phone, you knock over the pepper shaker and start sneezing. You run to your bedroom, where you pick up tissues from the nightstand so you can blow your nose.

Then you decide to take a shower. While entering the bathroom, you can't help but stop and admire your muscles in the mirror on the bathroom door.

These methods may seem silly, but you really ought to try them.

Retrieving Knowledge

Retrieval is difficult if the information you are trying to remember is not encoded appropriately. Remember, organization is the key to storing information in long-term memory so that you can easily retrieve it. Also, do you remember the importance of studying in ah environment similar to the one in which you will be tested? Retrieval tends to be best when the context in which it takes place matches the context present at encoding. Two things that you have control over and that affect your ability to retrieve knowledge from memory are the amount of time you spend practicing and how you distribute your practice. What is the best way to distribute practice? That's right— study in spurts, take breaks, and study over time.

There are two ways in which you are asked to remember on tests. One is to recall information without cues, as with fill-in-the-blank and essay questions. These are considered the hardest questions, because recall tasks provide few cues to the answers. The other way you are asked to remember is called recognition, which requires you to identify material previously learned. Multiple-choice and matching items are typically aimed at asking you to recognize word associations. Both recall and recognition require retrieval of data stored in long-term memory.

Forgetting

It appears that there is no practical limit to how much information we can put into long-term memory.

Many psychologists believe that information is permanently stored in various places in our brain. For them, forgetting is failure in retrieval. Other psychologists theorize that aging, lack of use, and disease decay memory and cause our brain to forget. Still other psychologists think that the ability to remember is linked to the use of the same cues for encoding and retrieving items in long-term memory.

A basic problem with retrieving information from memory is that there are lots of things that interfere. So being forewarned may help you overcome some of the things that will interfere with your ability to remember for recall and recognition tasks.

There are two classic interference effects that we all face when trying to put new knowledge into memory: the recency/primacy effect and the retroactive and proactive interference effect.

Retroactive interference refers to the new memories impairing the memory of something that you previously stored in memory. Proactive interference refers to the effect that old memories have on your ability to remember new material. For example, you memorized the names of the muscles and bones of the leg last week.

This week you are trying to learn the names of the muscles and bones of the arm. What will happen? You will have a tendency to forget the parts of the leg as you learn the arm parts (retroactive interference), as well as a tendency to forget some of the arm parts because you learned the leg first (proactive interference). You should avoid studying similar things in consecutive time periods.

Remember that long list of 35 numbers you saw earlier? We told you that virtually no one would remember that list. But we did say that you might remember the first couple or the last couple of numbers, which is an example of the recency/primacy effect. You tend to remember the beginning and end of any list much more easily than you remember what is in the middle.

When you go to a restaurant and the waitress names 8 or 10 salad dressings, you tend to ask for either the first or last one she mentioned. Or you ask her to repeat the list because you can't remember the fifth one she mentioned. The moral of this story is to make short lists.

Reference: http://www.cssforum.com.pk/beginners-guide/tips-experience-sharing/16194-principle-studying-how-study-fast-effective.html

Achieving Career Goals Along The Professional Road

2010-07-20T10:29:00.000-07:00

One of the biggest decisions an individual makes in his life is the source of livelihood or the profession. You may be in a job that you despise, or you may love what you do right now. The fact is that our career may change over our lifetime, but our passions and career ambitions should never change. It is strange, rather disturbing how a number of professionals fail to achieve success in their careers, simply because they have never taken time out to analyze their success rate and to create a plan to get there. Even though luck and circumstance can play a major role along the way, however, the road to success is not so unpredictable. Successful professionals who are able to sustain their success have a vision, a planned strategy and they work very hard and smart to grasp their success.

It has been observed that the most productive and enthusiastic employees are those who find professional fulfillment in their job. Creating the right sort of culture, ensuring effective two-way-communication and matching the right people to the right jobs can have an enormous impact on employee satisfaction and their sense of fulfillment. That in turn impacts on the quality of their performance and on the maintenance figures both of which have a direct impact on productivity and profits.

Following are some ways to create the sort of approach that can strengthen a sense of fulfillment for individuals within an organization. None of them are so complex, but each professional approach can have a profound impact on the way people feel about their work and their performance.

Professional Fulfillment Guidelines

Goal Setting

The most certain way to achieve professional goals is to set them in the first place. Decide what your priorities and goals in professional life are before you move towards your specific career goals. You will damage your career success if your goals in other areas of your life contradict or conflict. Moreover, if you set too many goals, you will also sabotage your chances of success; instead, focus on a few clear and achievable ones that you are enthusiastic about.

Commitment

Once you set your professional targets, work with full commitment to achieve them. Have a vision in front of you all times and clear the milestones along the way. Your dedication and motivation should never go off-the-track if you are convinced of the goals you have set for yourself. Whenever you face lack of confidence, remind yourself that you deserve success, and work on building your confidence. In short, focus on accomplishments rather than just performance.

Progress Metering

Once you get on your journey towards achieving your goals, it is crucial that you monitor and gauge your progress along the way. Take notes of the important milestones you achieve and also, their quality and the time span of your progress as well. The minor product or process enhancements sometimes have a dramatic impact on a company’s bottom line. So, do make sure you are clearly aware of the impact your actions have on the organization’s outcome.

Marketing Accomplishments

Promoting your achievements in a justified way is very important. To do that, you need to take a proactive approach towards it, if you are to reap the fullest fruits of your success. Make sure your individual accomplishments are recognized by all the key decision-makers in the organization and particularly those who influence your career progress. It is quite common for credit to be misallocated and for accomplishments to be undervalued or overlooked altogether; so, do not delay singing your own praises.

Professional Networking

Whenever we talk about professional grooming, professional networking plays the most vital role in it. Your success will to a large extent depend on your ability to build alliances and garner the support of others including peers, superiors, subordinates, clients, suppliers and others you interact with on a daily basis to get the job done. Expand the circumference of your professional acquaintances by attending your industry events, seeking to be apportioned at important projects in other divisions of your field and volunteering in high profile activities etc.

Sharpening Skills

Continuous learning is vital to your personal development as well as career success. With every project and activity you complete, chances are that you have learned something new and sharpened a particular skillset. Identify a training path that fills key skills gap, grows your strengths and keeps you at the forefront of whatever you do, so that you do not lose your competitive edge.

Maintaining A Professional Picture

Work on building a good professional picture both within and outside your organization and outside so that you are immediately considered for lucrative new opportunities, are recognized as a competent employee and inspire trust and credibility in broader industry circles. Your professional personality also plays an important role in your career success. Dress, look, sound and surround maintain a positive attitude, successful people who are also known to take their careers seriously.

Effective Communication

Like professional networking, effective communication abilities are also a main cog in the wheel of your career. Learn to get your message across effectively, share your successes, leaning and experiences, maintain a positive dialogue and influence and inspire others. Effective communication skills, including professional writing, active listening, empathic listening, public speaking, effective presenting and good negotiation are all important in determining your career success. Moreover, communicate with your managers regularly and build a good reputation with decision-making executives in your organization who could have a say in your performance and advancement. The more they know you and the more comfortable they are with you, the likelier you are to be elevated to their ranks.

Final Thought

Creating a fulfilling professional life is essential for every individual. Professional fulfillment comes from the feeling that you are making a real difference. The cleaner who keeps the working environment healthy and pleasant is as important as the person who makes the strategic decisions. They are just important differently. Some jobs are in themselves seen as making a positive difference; healthcare and education are good examples. Whatever the organization and its purpose is, it is important that every individual feels that their contribution is valued.

Reference: http://blog.rozee.pk/2010/01/13/professional-fulfillment-achieving-career-goals-professional-road/

Job Search Etiquettes

2010-06-15T16:05:00.000-07:00

While much focus in job searching is placed on networking techniques, resume-writing, and interview preparation, one small but very important aspect of successful job-search is often overlooked i.e. job search etiquettes. To accomplish and sustain in the professional field, we should maintain some rules that would pave out way for getting hired. Job search etiquettes refer to polite, warm and friendly behavior of an individual that one should maintain during the endeavor to get a job. If we want to attract the attention of the employers, we need to cultivate some moral and social values and disciplines in our behavior that would make us ideal among a pool of prospects.

Etiquettes sometimes get neglected perhaps because the term seems quite old-fashioned. However, make no mistake, because courteous job-seekers stand out from the rest of the job seekers, especially the ones devoid of good manners. Recruiters are always in search of candidates with strong interpersonal skills and pleasant etiquettes. In the world of challenging job market, it is wise to be very meticulous about our behavior. A small misconduct can multiply into a negative impression, resulting into a job search failure.

Reference: http://blog.rozee.pk/2010/01/20/job-search-etiquettes-stand-rest/

8 Keys to Job Fair Success

2010-06-10T05:45:00.000-07:00

How job seekers approach a job fair can greatly affect the outcome. Maintaining a positive attitude and creating a professional image can help job candidates develop an aura of confidence that's not possessed by the majority of the competition. Although attending job fairs is only a very small part of any job search strategy, there are few opportunities available where job seekers get to meet individual employers prior to obtaining an actual job interview. It is therefore essential that serious job candidates thoroughly prepare themselves prior to attending a job fair. Listed below are 8 job fair strategies that will not only increase a candidate's likelihood of success, but will also make them much more comfortable with the whole job fair process.

Do your research

Take time to research participating companies prior to the job fair. After deciding which companies you most want to meet with, take some time to check out each of their websites to learn more about the company and the jobs they have available.

Dress professionally and create a favorable first impression

Since first impressions are critical when searching for a job, dressing professionally for a job fair makes perfect sense. Conservative business attire is often preferred for both men and women but business casual may be appropriate for certain jobs or professions. Also, attention to detail is important so be sure to wear comfortable, neat, well-polished shoes; carry a professional briefcase; ensure your hair is clean and well groomed: your nails are neatly manicured, and go light on make-up and perfume. It is best to downplay tattoos and additional body piercings whenever possible. Dressing professionally relays the message to employers that you are a serious candidate in the job search process.

Be prepared and develop a plan

When arriving at a job fair it's wise to first study the layout of the fair and check to see if any additional employers have been added to the list. In addition to your resume, be sure to bring several pens, a notepad, and business cards to hand out. You may also carry a cheat sheet that reminds you of important information on the companies you want to meet. One job fair strategy you might want to employ is to plan on meeting with your first choice employers first and then move on to your second and third choices.

Bring along lots of resumes

Be sure to bring extra resumes to the fair. You may end up handing out more than one resume to participating employers, so it's best to maximize your efforts by bringing an ample supply of resumes to avoid running out. Make sure your resume is well prepared and looked over by at least one (preferably more) other person. You may decide to bring along different versions of your resume. Targeting your resume to specific jobs and/or employers offers an opportunity to focus on specific skills and accomplishments that's required for certain jobs or professions. Resumes should always be printed on professional white, gray, or ecru resume paper and free of photos or fancy fonts.

Meet and greet employers
Since first impressions are critical in the interviewing process, be prepared to assertively introduce yourself with confidence and enthusiasm. Maintain direct eye contact, offer a firm handshake, sport a genuine smile, and show enthusiasm - since these are all attributes employers look for in potential new hires. Be prepared to give each employer you meet a 30 - 60 second elevator speech that highlights your career objectives, strengths, interests, relevant skills and the type of job you are seeking. Be prepared to answer questions such as why you want to work for this particular company or why you feel that you would be an asset to the organization.

Practice and prepare questions for the interviewer

The best way to prepare for an interview is to practice, practice, practice. Be sure to write down any vital information on the back of the employer's business card to make it easy to follow up. Be prepared to ask each employer questions including how to arrange for a second interview.

Be prepared to network

Career Fairs are all about networking. It has been estimated that between 50% and 75% of all jobs are found through networking. By networking with recruiters, other job fair participants, and professional associations and/or employment agencies participating in the fair, you can increase your personal connections and improve your chances of getting called back for a second interview.

Don't forget to follow up

Following up with recruiters is one of the most important things job fair participants can do immediately after the job fair. Sending a personalized thank you note to each recruiter identifies you as a thoughtful and serious job candidate that they will want to get to know better. By restating your interests in the company and your qualifications, you will put yourself on their radar screen when they are in the process of seeking candidates to interview for future positions that open up. You may decide to enclose another copy of your resume with your letter to ensure that the employer has your information available. Following up a thank you letter with a phone call can also increase your chances of being called back for an interview.

Reference: http://internships.about.com/od/careerfairs/a/jobfairsuccess.htm