Common Interview Mistake is Also is Easiest To Avoid
Tej Kohli Tripod blog shares another informative article with its readers to help them fair well at the interviews. Read on to know that some of the most common mistakes during interview are also the easiest to avoid. Read the article by Tej Kohli.

How difficult is it to search something on Google? Not at all! According to a survey a little bit of research about your potential employer can go a long way in helping you get the job. The survey revealed that failing to grasp some information about the company you are applying to the most common mistake most job seekers do.

Around 4 in 10 managers participating in the poll said that inadequate knowledge or no knowledge about the company is one of the most prevalent mistakes made by job seekers. The second most common faux pass was not being able to discuss experience and skills and the third one one not prepared to discuss career plans and objectives.

Wrapping up the list of top five mistakes were the lack of eye contact and coming late for interview. But what's more surprising is the fact that these mistakes can be avoided with a little extra preparation and planning,says Tej Kohli. These are not the problems which are related to the applicants' qualification or skills, but are related to the circumstances.

Its always better to know about an organization's history, services, goals and business challenges when going for an interview. When equipped with this information you are likely to leave a better impression on the interviewer. The least you can do is visit the company's website and do other relevant research before meeting the interviewer. Additionally, you may contact people in his or her social network or simply check online social medias for additional insights about the company.

Remember, this research will not only help you impress the interviewer, it will also help you decode whether or not you liked the job?

For more useful articles on job and interview tips, keep reading Tej Kohli blog. 

How to Become an Active Thinker

How we Spend a day at Office?

 

Tej Kohli recently met a friend who told him an interesting story about a Colleaguewho did nothing at the office. Same is the case with our Bosses, Tej Kohli helps you unravel the mystery of what do bosses do in office?

 

Read on to find out...

One of my friends was once in a job, who after spending five months in the office, couldn't exactly find out what a man in his office did. They would attend the meetings together, but he never say or do anything that indicated his professional role.

Never did they worked together on a project, though they exchanged polite greeting in corridors. When he asked his boss about the man's role, he got a confused look and a shrug. He asked many other people, but no one knew what that man with a vague job title spent his time doing.

Frankly, most of us are probably not aware of what other people are doing everyday. We might know what their responsibilities are, but how they spend their office hours is a mystery beyond comprehension. Tej Kohli says perhaps no one is on the receiving end of this suspicion more than our head honchos. Somewhere in the back of our mind we've all thought, “It's me who is doing all the work, but the CEO's bonus is bigger than my entire paycheck.”

Recently, Tej Kohli came across a paper by Harvard Business School related to 'What do CEOs Do??'

the carried out a research on 94 CEOs in Italian companies. They looked over their day to day responsibilities and here's what they found out:

It implies that CEOs are rarely alone. Perhaps you will understand this if you think about how much strategizing and negotiating goes on among business leaders. This, of course, means the rest of us are doing the work that runs the business that our CEOs are always meeting about.

So, coming back to the question of, "What are you doing with your workday?" Apparently, we are wasting a lot of it, and not necessarily because we're lazy. In fact, we're trying to get things done and getting sidetracked by the small stuff that needs to be crossed off our to-do list.

Recently, a company specializing in business communications needs, looked at how the average worker spends his or her day in a small or midsize business. According to the survey workers spend 50 percent of their office hours on necessary, yet unproductive tasks, including routine communications and filtering incoming information and correspondence.

According to survey, a worker spends:

Basing this on an eight-hour shift, you spend 50 percent of your day on the above tasks. Basically, trying to do something but not doing the actual task.

However, here I am not saying this is how an employee spends his typical day, because this this vary from one type of profession to another. But it surely seems to be a common trend for employees, asserts Tej Kohli. 

Even Good Candidates Have a Bad Interview

 

Tej kohli believes that going through a bad interview is like having the moment of self doubt. A friend of mine learned this lesson the hard way, during an interview that should have been a cakewalk. When he received the call for interview, he thought he was a die-cast for the job, who would fit just fine! With immense confidence, he took the interview in an easygoing manner. Without any preparation, he in his own mind, celebrated an offer he was certain would be made.

On the interview day, he got quite anxious. As his apprehension began to swallow him, he started his last minute preparations for the interview. By the time he arrived at the interview spot, he was distinctly nervous.

One lesson : Tej Kohli advises candidates to collect their thoughts before the interview and not on their way to one. Arriving to an interview bewildered leaves a negative impression on the recruiter and ruin your chances of cracking the interview and getting the offer.

The interviewer walked to the reception and introduced himself. She casually asked him if he had trouble finding the office. My friend, a candid talker that he is, confided that he is very bad at remembering the routes and since he was anxious he crossed the entrance a couple of times. The recruiter smiled politely and took him to the interview room. Realizing he messed up, he hesitantly followed her.

Another lesson : Tej Kohli says that whatever you say or do during an interview is scrutinized right from the moment you enter, to the moment you exit. There is nothing casual about the interview and even a careless faux pass is seldom excused. Hence, think before replying.

On entering the interview room, my friend was taken aback to see a panel of interviewers. He was only used to with the one on one type of interviews. At the very onset, he realized that it wasn't going to be easy.

Yet another lesson : We cannot predict what's going to happen at interview. Neither does one know the broad range of topics that will be covered and the format types that may be presented. That's why its important to familiarize yourself with all interview set ups says Tej Kohli.

Since he was not ready for that, he tripped over his replies. Instead of focusing on what was pertinent, he provided information on irrelevant issues. He began to ramble and looked unfitting for the job.

Realizing her poor performance, he began to lose patience and failed to maintain eye contact. He began to fidget and all the confidence he felt for the position magically evaporated. As he saw the blank faced panelists, he withdrew from the interview mentally and seemed disinterested.

One more lesson : "Its not uncommon for interviewers to come across nervous candidates. But they will rarely forgive you of you fail to show a sincere interest in the interview," says Tej Kohli. Hiring decisions are primarily based on whether interviewer feels a connection with the interviewee. If you fail to establish a bond instantly, you chances of getting through are grim.

 

Anyways, after the interview my friend realized the questions he had been asked where not hard. It was only his nervousness that clouded his ability to communicate clearly and effectively.

Some Laws of Life By Tej Kohli

Tej Kohli believes life is governed by certain laws, which we cannot break or escape. Here, Tej Kohli takes a humorous take on some the laws of life.

LAW OF QUEUE: If you change queues, the one you have left will start to move faster than the one you are in now.

LAW OF TELEPHONE: When you dial a wrong number, you never get an engaged one.

LAW OF MECHANICAL REPAIR : After your hands become coated with grease, your nose will begin to itch.

LAW OF THE WORKSHOP: Any tool, when dropped, will roll to the least accessible corner.

LAW OF THE ALIBI: If you tell the boss you were late for work because you had a flat tire, the next morning you will have a flat tire.

BATH THEOREM: When the body is immersed in water, the telephone rings.

LAW OF ENCOUNTERS: The probability of meeting someone you know increases when you are with someone you don't want to be seen with.

LAW OF THE RESULT: When you try to prove to someone that a machine won't work, it will!

LAW OF BIO MECHANICS: The severity of the itch is inversely proportional to the reach.

THEATER RULE: People with the seats at the furthest from the aisle arrive last.

LAW OF COFFEE: As soon as you sit down for a cup of hot coffee, your boss will ask you to do something which will last until the coffee is cold.

Tej Kohli is a management expert with more than 10 years of experience. He is an entrepreneur with his several ventures spanning the globe. Tej Kohli is an expert blog writer and likes sharing his work with his readers. For more tips on interview success, HR management tips and more, keep reading Tej Kohli blog.

Hiring the best candidate, think again? by Tej Kohli

Tej Kohli is a management expert who writes useful articles on HR tips and policies.

One of the biggest mistakes that companies commit is hiring the 'best' candidate from their shortlist. As surprised as you may be, hiring the best candidate, the most qualified, the one with all the sought-for skills, the proven track record, the smartest and most outstanding candidate – almost always backfires.

You may say, wthat's the whole point of recruiting when don't hire the best. It is what the ultimate goal is. However, in their quest to find the best, some people hit the goldmine. But Tej Kohli likes best as much as the next candidate.

In a lot of companies hiring the best means hiring the smartest. Anyone who scores highest in their IQ test is ideal enough to be offered a position. For them , the best and the brightest denotes the same meaning. The outcomes of this policy include an alarming incidence of 'out' during the 'up or out' carrer cycle and a lot of senior executive time spent managing problematic prima donnas.

So, should they have hired the dopes?

Obviously no! But instead of recruiting the smartest, they should pick their candidates from a pool of the decidedly smart enough. While intelligence is important, companies should go for a candidate who fits the job perfectly. Settle for a candidate who have the competencies, preferences and capabilities the job demands, or at a level very close to what the job demands.

If you recruit someone who is overly qualified for the position, you risk having a bored, unsatisfied and frustrated employee.

This usually happens when the “best” candidate is hired.

A part of the problem arises from the sharp focus in today’s recruiting approaches, on the candidate. Tej Kohli says I often hear, “This applicant has an excellent pedigree”; or “I really like him, he came across as very polished in the interview”, or “The awards and honors she has won are very impressive.”

There are some people who are great candidates and some who are terrific employees or excellent performers. The correlation between the two, sadly, isn’t great.

Remember, its the quality of work that matters, not the quality of candidacy. Also, what matters is not the absolute level of a competency or skill, but the right level and fit of that competency or skill for a particular job.

There are different kinds of jobs in the market. Apparently,. The competencies required by a sales rep are not the same as those required by a software engineer.

Tej Kohli says he knows many people, who are really good at their job but weren’t very good at other jobs.

So, Tej Kohli advices you to go after high performance and not high quality. Try to get the best-matched future employee for your job, not the best-credentialed ones. You will notice a difference where it stands in performance.

Attractive Women Can be Discriminated in Certain Jobs

Tej Kohli Tripod blog is a place where he discusses the recent trends in hiring and recruitment industry. In this article Tej Kohli throws light on the still prevalent gender bias in the corporate world, when it comes to male oriented jobs.

If you are an attractive female, be ready to face discrimination when applying for jobs generally recognized as 'masculine' or where the looks are not considered important. Some of the most common positions where such appearance-based discrimination is faced includes positions like manager R&D, director of finance, mechanical engineer and construction supervisor. However, when attractive men applied for this position no such discrimination was seen.

According to a recent study, in the aforesaid professions being attractive was quite detrimental to the females, however, in other kind of jobs attractive women had an edge.

This however, is not the case with men which indicates there is still a gender bias in the corporate culture.

The research reviews various studies that ascertains that physically attractive people enjoy significant advantages like: 

• Better salaries
• Better performance evaluations
• Greater levels of college admissions
• More votes when running for public office
• More favorable trial outcomes

This study cited a survey of 202 hiring managers and 964 members of the public that concluded that looks are important in all aspects of the workplace, especially for women employees. Looks were the third important aspect of the nine 'character' attributes above education and sense of humor.

In the past a lot of studies have concluded that being attractive made applicants for most jobs seem more suitable no matter what their gender is. However, ladies experienced an edge over men when applying for feminine sex-typed jobs compared to less traditional roles.

In an experiment, a sample data was given 55 male and 55 female applicants according to their suitability for a various jobs. Appearance was considered unnecessary for jobs like director of security, hardware salesperson, prison guard and tow tuck driver. While attractive women were overlooked in this category, they had a weightage when it comes to jobs like receptionist or secretary.

Tej Kohli warns against letting stereotypes about looks and appearance to influence hiring decisions at the expense of the overall characteristics of the applicant.

Tej Kohli is an entrepreneur and philanthropist based in San Jose, Costa Rica. He's a management expert with more than 10 years of experience in launching various business ventures across the world. For more updates on the management , HR trends and interview tips, keep reading Tej Kohli blog.

What your Profession Says About You?

Find out what does your profession say about you at Tej Kohli blog.

1. MARKETING - You are ambitious yet stupid. You chose a marketing degree to avoid having to study in college, concentrating instead on drinking and socializing which is pretty much what your job responsibilities are now. Least compatible with Sales.

2. SALES - Laziest of all signs, often referred to as "marketing without a degree." You are also self-centered and paranoid. Unless someone calls you and begs you to take their money, you like to avoid contact with customers so you can "concentrate on the big picture." You seek admiration for your golf game throughout your life.

3. TECHNOLOGY - Unable to control anything in your personal life, you are instead content to completely control everything that happens at your workplace. Often even YOU don't understand what you are saying but who the hell can tell. It is written that Geeks shall inherit the Earth.

4. ENGINEERING - One of only two signs that actually studied in school. It is said that ninety percent of all Personal Ads are placed by engineers. You can be happy with yourself; your office is full of all the latest "ergo dynamic" gadgets. However, we all know what is really causing your "carpal tunnel syndrome."

5. ACCOUNTING - The only other sign that studied in school. You are mostly immune from office politics. You are the most feared person in the organization; combined with your extreme organizational traits, the majority of rumors concerning you say that you are completely insane.

6. HUMAN RESOURCES - Ironically, given your access to confidential information, you tend to be the biggest gossip within the organization. Possibly the only other person that does less work than marketing, you are unable to return any calls today because you have to get a haircut, have lunch AND then mail a letter.

Tej Kohli is an entrepreneur and management expert with his several ventures spanning the globe.

7. MANAGEMENT/MIDDLE MANAGEMENT - Catty, cut-throat, yet completely spineless, you are destined to remain at your current job for the rest of your life. Unable to make a single decision you tend to measure your worth by the number of meetings you can schedule for yourself. Best suited to marry other "Middle Managers" as everyone in you social circle is a "Middle Manager."

8. SENIOR MANAGEMENT - (See above - Same sign, different title)

9. CUSTOMER SERVICE - Bright, cheery, positive, you are a fifty-cent cab ride from taking your own life. As children very few of you asked your parents for a little cubicle for your room and a headset so you could pretend to play "Customer Service." Continually passed over for promotions, your best bet is to sleep with your manager.

10. CONSULTANT - Lacking any specific knowledge, you use acronyms to avoid revealing your utter lack of experience. You have convinced yourself that your "skills" are in demand and that you could get a higher paying job with any other organization in a heartbeat. You will spend an eternity contemplating these career opportunities without ever taking direct action.

11. RECRUITER, "HEADHUNTER" - As a "person" that profits from the success of others, you are disdained by most people who actually work for a living. Paid on commission and susceptible to alcoholism, your ulcers and frequent heart attacks correspond directly with fluctuations in the stock market.

12. PARTNER, PRESIDENT, CEO - You are brilliant or lucky. Your inability to figure out complex systems such as the fax machine suggest the latter.

13. GOVERNMENT WORKER - Paid to take days off. Government workers are genius inventors, like the invention of new Holidays. They usually suffer from deep depression or anxiety and usually commit serious crimes while on the job... Thus the term "GO POSTAL"

To read more funny articles by Tej Kohli, keep reading the Tej Kohli blog.

Tej Kohli on How HR Policies Change

Tej Kohli shares a joke on changed Hr policies in an organization. Tej Kohli blog is a place where you will find all information pertaining to your career success including informative articles, tutorials and jokes. 

Today, Tej Kohli shares a hilarious joke on casual fridays.

HR department issues a memo to employees on Day 1.

 

Week 1 - Memo No. 1

 

Effective this week, the company is adopting Fridays as Casual Day. Employees are free to dress in the casual attire of their choice.

 

Week 3 - Memo No. 2

 

Spandex and leather micro-miniskirts are not appropriate attire for Casual Day. Neither are string ties, rodeo belt buckles or moccasins.

 

Week 6 - Memo No. 3

 

Casual Day refers to dress only, not attitude. When planning Friday's wardrobe, remember image is a key to our success.

 

Week 8 - Memo No. 4

 

A seminar on how to dress for Casual Day will be held at 4 p.m. Friday in the cafeteria. A fashion show will follow. Attendance is mandatory.

 

Week 9 - Memo No. 5

 

As an outgrowth of Friday's seminar, a 14-member Casual Day Task Force has been appointed to prepare guidelines for proper casual-day dress.

 

Week 14 - Memo No. 6

 

The Casual Day Task Force has now completed a 30-page manual entitled "Relaxing Dress Without Relaxing Company Standards." A copy has been distributed to every employee. Please review the chapter "You Are What You Wear" and consult the "home casual" versus "business casual" checklist before leaving for work each Friday. If you have doubts about the appropriateness of an item of clothing, contact your CDTF representative before 7 a.m. on Friday.

 

Week 18 - Memo No. 7

 

Our Employee Assistant Plan (EAP) has now been expanded to provide support for psychological counseling for employees who may be having difficulty adjusting to Casual Day.

 

Week 20 - Memo No. 8

 

Due to budget cuts in the HR Department we are no longer able to effectively support or manage Casual Day. Casual Day will be discontinued, effective immediately.

For more jokes and fun reads, keep checking back the Tej Kohli blog.

Interview Self Evaluation Tips by Tej Kohli
Tej Kohli gives some job interview self evaluation tips to its readers.

Think about an important interview you have had. Tej Kohli says by evaluating your performance in an interview will help you to prepare better for a future one:

 

1. List 3 things which made the interview a success.

 

2. a) List 3 things about the interview that you would change

 

   b) For each of these three items, explain what you are going to do to improve for your next interview.

 

3. Were some of the interviewer’s questions difficult to answer? What were they? How would you respond if asked again?

 

4. What skills/qualities was the employer looking for? How could you better present these skills next time?

 

5. What further information do you need in order to determine if you would accept an offer?

6. What do you like/dislike about this company? (Consider a graph or other way to rate and compare the companies with which you have interviewed).

Tej Kohli is an entrepreneur himself who has taken over thousands of interviews until now. All the information enclosed in this blog is thus, credible and tested. For more such informative articles by Tej Kohli, keep reading this blog.