Ever wondered why you didn’t crack that interview?

I would like to dedicate this article to all the people who want to work in BPO domain and to all those people who ever got rejected in their interviews. Sometimes it becomes frustrating when you want a job and you are not able to get it because you didn’t perform well in interviews. I would like to share some generic reasons for poor performance and some tips to overcome it.

Lack of confidence – There is some level of hesitation in you to express your opinion, may be you are scared that others will offend you. You under rate and convince yourself that you won’t be able to speak (especially in English). All such thoughts working at back of your mind pull your confidence to a low level and hence you are not able to give your 100%. To improve your confidence you can rehearse for your interviews in front of mirror. Initially you may go blank but rehearse as many times as possible and take cues from each rehearsal on what are the things which can be improved. Slowly you will start believing that you can perform well in interviews too and will see improvements in your confidence level.

Poor vocabulary – Since you are not using English language on daily basis, you may run out of words while expressing your opinion and after that you may mess up the sentence as you don’t know the right word to use. To improve your vocabulary, you can read English newspapers, novels and watch movies. Watching movies is more recommended because you not only learn new words but also their correct pronunciation/diction.

Nervousness – Most of the people have nervousness during interviews but to different degrees. If you are very nervous, you will not be able to focus and understand interviewer’s questions properly hence you will not be able to answer them in the most effective way. You need to realize that the person sitting on other side of desk is also a human and very much like you. They don’t need reasons to reject you instead they want reasons to select you so just relax and try to give your best.

Lack of preparation – Some times when we come across any job opportunity, we don’t give a second thought and confirm our availability for taking up interview. In such case you don’t get enough time to prepare yourself. When appearing for an interview always ensure you get as much information about company and industry as possible. This not only helps you to perform well in interview but also let you assess if the profile/company would offer something matching your skill sets and expectations. After all, only joining an organization is not important, you have to sustain and build up your career in that stream.

Casual attitude – Sometimes people focus only on “how to” and “what to” answer in interviews but interviews is not only about checking your language skills. Interviewer assess you by your mindset, clothing, postures and gestures which helps him/her to understand your personality overall. So while appearing for an interview, always choose professional dress code and be well groomed.

Last but not the least, always carry your resume/CV along with yourself. Everyone has something they are good at and right attitude and approach is all that matters so have faith in yourself, give your best and success will follow!

HOW TO KEEP GOING WHEN ALL YOU WANT IS TO QUIT

When we start something new, may be a step forward towards our dream or maybe just a new job and we are not able to fulfill completely what is required of ourselves, the immediate word that will, again and again, bounce in your head- QUIT! But what then, ask yourself this simple question, why did you ever start when all you wanted was to quit?

Accept the fact that with every step, there will be a problem attached and no matter how much you plan and be cautious, all the things that might go wrong will all go wrong. But if you withstand this phase and overcome all the adversities in your way, there is never looking back then. But how to get that never say die spirit in you. Here are some quick points that will help you to carry on things even though you want to quit.

·         Tame your thoughts:  The first thing that you got to do in order to remove negativity from your life is to tame your thoughts. Taming means to let only the positive thoughts grow inside you. Eject the negative thoughts. As soon as the word quit pops in your thoughts, try to fix it will positive words.

·         Recognize where you stand: When you feel like quitting, just see that how far you have reached chasing your dream. This is a fact that people mostly quit when they are really close to their destination because they just loose all the motivation of keep going on. Never make a mistake of quitting after coming this far.

·         Appreciate you: People might or might not appreciate your work but what is really important is how you see your work. Are you confident enough that your work is really good? If yes then great, appreciate yourself from time to time and if the answer is no, then work upon tour skills but do not quit.

·         Manifest your actions: Only talking about things won’t make them happen, you really need to put all your energy into what you do. You must see that where you are going with it and is there any kind of progress. Even though there is little progress that can be counted like no progress, don’t quit. Nobody builds an empire in a day, it’s a life-long effort.

People tend to run away from their fear of failure. The common trend is to quit but it takes great courage to do something that is difficult and requires a lot of patience. Follow the road less travelled by and make your own destiny. Nobody could ever make a fortune by following the herd, they made their own path to their destination.

HOW MARKETING IS BECOMING MORE CREATIVE

Creativity is intelligence having fun! - Albert Einstein

Today the world is dealing in creativity. The more creative you are, the more you earn. Creativity cannot be bounded to a particular domain rather every single domain has a scope of doing things in a creative manner. When we talk about marketing, there are some traditional methods being followed since a very long time and some hackneyed digital methods. But now-a-days, marketing is becoming more creative. Use of social media has turned into a complete revolution in the marketing trends. Once a thing gets viral on media, there is nothing that can stop it. Therefore use your creativity to do things and you will see success reaching to you.

·         Use social power – Use of social media has increased today exponentially. The primitive modes of advertising like radio or television has turned really old. People are relying for their marketing schemes totally on social media. Once a thing gets viral on media, there is nothing that can stop it from getting popular.

·         Let people market themselves- Instead of training your employees how to market, better give them the chance to use their creativity to market stuff. Every mind is different and ideas in every mind will be different too.  The more creative ideas you will have, the more your product or service will prosper.

·         Begin a conversation – When you engage people only then you can see your marketing schemes working. No one is interested to hear about your product if you just talk about it. only when you keep in touch with people, their requirements and then generate the product you can get your product to be sold.

·         Be everywhere – You should be present everywhere. Be in as many different places as possible. While you shouldn’t try to create brand experiences for millennial on every available platform just for the sake of it, you must create an Omni-channel experience. In such a hyper-connected world, you have to be able to create a brand experience that operates in multiple locations.

·         The concept of Mass Individualism – The idea behind mass individualism is that millennial refuse to be defined by logos. They don’t want to be placed into a box. Their goal is to be defined as individuals. They want to be in control. That’s why getting creative and thinking up something new is the key.

ATTITUDE IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN INTELLIGENCE

Attitude is everything! What exactly do we mean when we state this single statement? Why do some people soar high and some just can’t even maintain what they already have and fall down. The difference is of attitude. The way we perceive things and the way we work upon it, make us different from the rest. Intelligence is important but without a will and a positive attitude even intelligence cannot perform. Here are some ways that could help you build a positive attitude towards whatever comes your way.

·         Don’t stay helpless: There are downfalls in everyone’s life. The situation might occur leaving you helpless but always remember, the glory is not in never falling but rising every time you fall. So, instead of feeling helpless and worthless, better work upon the things you lack and see the difference.

·         Always be passionate: Life is a gift of God. You can either waste it being lethargic or become passionate about things around you. Search for what you like to do and make it your passion. Passionate people often reach where they want to.

·         Take action: Castles in the air could be made by anyone, but the real challenge is to act on it. Don’t be passive towards things; take action according to the requirement. If you don’t like what you do, quit it and start doing what you really like.

·         Walk an extra mile: Efforts should be taken is all I want to quote. It won’t harm you if you walk an extra mile to get things done. Leaving things just because they require more of your efforts will get you nowhere. Take an extra effort and see miracles happening.

·         Be flexible: Everyone encounters unanticipated adversity. People with an empowered, growth-oriented mindset embrace adversity as a means for improvement, as opposed to something that holds them back. When an unexpected situation challenges an empowered person, they flex until they get results.

·         Do not complain if things do not turn up as expected: Complaining is an obvious sign of a fixed mindset. A growth mindset looks for opportunity in everything, so there’s no room for complaints.

WAYS TO KEEP POSITIVE

Here are few ways that will help you be positive always and in what you do.

Separate Fact from Fiction

The first step in learning to focus on the positive requires knowing how to stop negative self-talk in its tracks. The more you ruminate on negative thoughts, the more power you give them. Most of our negative thoughts are just that -- thoughts, not facts.

When you find yourself believing the negative and pessimistic things your inner voice says, it’s time to stop and write them down. Literally stop what you’re doing and write down what you’re thinking. Once you’ve taken a moment to slow down the negative momentum of your thoughts, you will be more rational and clear-headed in evaluating their veracity. Evaluate these statements to see if they’re factual. You can bet the statements aren’t true any time you see words like never, always, worst, ever, etc.

When it feels like something always or never happens, this is just your brain’s natural threat tendency inflating the perceived frequency or severity of an event. Identifying and labeling your thoughts as thoughts by separating them from the facts will help you escape the cycle of negativity and move toward a positive new outlook.

Identify a Positive

Once you snap yourself out of self-defeating, negative thoughts, it’s time to help your brain learn what you want it to focus on -- the positive.

This will come naturally after some practice, but first you have to give your wandering brain a little help by consciously selecting something positive to think about. Any positive thought will do to refocus your brain’s attention. When things are going well, and your mood is good, this is relatively easy. When things are going poorly, and your mind is flooded with negative thoughts, this can be a challenge. In these moments, think about your day and identify one positive thing that happened, no matter how small. If you can’t think of something from the current day, reflect on the previous day or even the previous week. Or perhaps there is an exciting event you are looking forward to that you can focus your attention on.

The point here is you must have something positive that you’re ready to shift your attention to when your thoughts turn negative. Step one stripped the power from negative thoughts by separating fact from fiction. Step two is to replace the negative with a positive. Once you have identified a positive thought, draw your attention to that thought each time you find yourself dwelling on the negative. If that proves difficult, you can repeat the process of writing down the negative thoughts to discredit their validity, and then allow yourself to freely enjoy positive thoughts.

 Cultivate an Attitude of Gratitude

Taking time to contemplate what you’re grateful for isn’t merely the “right” thing to do; it reduces the stress too. Research; found that people who worked daily to cultivate an attitude of gratitude experienced improved mood, energy.

You cultivate an attitude of gratitude by taking time out every day to focus on the positive. Any time you experience negative or pessimistic thoughts, use this as a cue to shift gears and think about something positive. In time, a positive attitude will become a way of life.

HOW TO MASTER SKILLS FOR FIRST IMPRESSION

Everybody knows that the first impression is the last impression but very few know how to master the skills to leave a remarkable impression. While making business deals, or meeting someone for the first time all that will benefit you will be how you met that person, what kind of image did he or she made of you after meeting you. Here are some ways that can help you leave an excellent first impression.

1. Let the person you’re meeting speak first – Try to be a good listener. Everyone has a lot to talk about that requires listening. Instead of talking try listening and see the wonders. When you let the other person speak they will be more comfortable talking to you and will leave a nice first impression.

2. Use positive body language – Body language speaks a lot for you. Always try to project positive body language and never let your body language say something else and your mouth uttering something else. In short try to be genuine.

3. Put away your phone – People who use phone while talking to another are likely to put the conversation in danger. It seems that you are not interested in talking. Use your phone only when it is necessary or important. Put away your phone while interacting with other person.

4. Make time for small talk – You don’t have to exaggerate. Try to keep your talk short and sweet. Use limited words to describe but do leave an impact.

5. Practice active listening- Be active to what other person has to say. Showing interest in someone else and remembering about what they said will help you leave a remarkable first impression.

Since it only takes seconds for someone to decide if you’re trustworthy and competent, and research shows that first impressions are very difficult to change, the pressure that comes with meeting new people is justifiably intense. Master these skills and create a great first impression with whomever you meet.

TRAITS TO FOLLOW IN A COMPANY CULTURE

The companies who have enduring great cultures are the ones that don't necessarily ignore the bells and whistles of culture. On the other hand, they understand the most significant component: the right people. Here are three traits that cultural keepers must possess -- and that businesses cannot afford to overlook.

1. Look for friendly professionals.

Never underestimate the power of surrounding yourself and your team with friendly personalities. If your entire team were warm-hearted, naturally friendly and happy, imagine how much more pleasant your work environment would be. All of sudden, people actually look forward to Mondays and employee retention soars. Friendliness is infinitely more transmissible and merits greater attention than indifference. With the right people, a culture of "nice" can quickly develop. This translates to how customers are treated, which impacts new sales, repeat business, customer service and beyond.

2. A willingness to go the extra mile.

Like most characteristics you desire for your business, this one starts from the top. When was the last time you went the extra mile for an employee? And, I'm not necessarily talking about grandiose gestures such as exorbitant bonuses or lavish gifts. Did you wish someone happy birthday, take them to lunch to celebrate closing a good deal or better yet, offer them a helping hand when they were swamped? Going the extra mile for an employee is a simple way to set the tone for the entire organization. It's also how you gain lifelong employee loyalty and the benefit of the doubt when the going gets tough.

Having a team of employees who go the extra mile consistently helps to minimize any constraints in your organization. Going above and beyond the call of duty can win new customers and retain ones you may have otherwise lost. The extra mile leads to customers for life. It's amazing how good old-fashioned extra effort can be a difference maker and serve as a cure-all for the inevitable mistakes -- or ill-timed missteps -- that can plague even the most whip-smart teams.

3. A team-first mentality.

Many businesses are obsessed with attracting star players. They believe strongly in the 80/20 rule and given that, do whatever they need to accommodate the top performers, sometimes at the sacrifice of camaraderie and teamwork. Great organizations value excellent performers, certainly. But by putting the team before the individual, they actually attract and develop more of them than their competitors do. As Jim Collins wrote in "Good to Great," Level 5 leaders are ambitious first and foremost for the company, not themselves.

An emphasis on the team creates an atmosphere where no single person is looking for individual glory, which helps to offset unhealthy competition and ruthlessness within your organization. The team win is all that matters. And the right people on your team are the ones who are driven more by helping their teammates succeed rather than their own career ambition.