Interview Tip

What is your weakness ? 

-tip for an interview

              

This seemingly simple question is the clincher; a strong weapon in the HR personnel’s arsenal, posing dilemma and trouble to most interviewees. Very frankly, if you are honest, you might lose the job opportunity but you can’t lie either… So what do you do? Giving an oft-said answer seems phony and fake. When you say, “I’m a perfectionist and I go to the minute details…” you make the interviewer comprehend that you are slow. Stating you don’t have any weakness is being ego-maniacal. So how do you tackle it? 

               Andrea Kay, author of Interview Strategies That Will Get You the Job You Want says, “It’s a tricky question." Some belonging to the old school suggest stating a fault which isn’t really one on deep insight. Some say, state a weakness and link it to a reprehensible fault displayed by someone else, i.e, “I’m impatient when my team doesn't take initiative, or don’t owe up.” However, a weakness in reality is the flip side of a strength taken too far. Good selling is talking a lot, being realistic is being uncreative, etc. So, how do you talk about weaknesses when you're trying to sell yourself simultaneously? 

                Strengths and weaknesses are situational and are actually entwined. So, study your environment and use your skills to answer this. Nobody’s perfect at everything and every employer knows that too. If you're not comfortable stating a real weakness, state something that has nothing to do with the job. If I were to answer it, I would say, "I'm bad at math”, as math has nothing to do with my writing career and that’s an honest answer too. You can also state a real weakness, and talk about the rectifiable measures taken by you but don't open a can of worms by talking people issues bluntly. Here are some tips to assist you in framing the answer:

• If you're a match for the job, the employer wants to reiterate that. Your goal is to land in a position where you'll thrive and being honest helps then. So, come clean on a weakness, thinking hard about your past work struggles, what your managers had suggested, etc. 
• While stating weakness, answer with things you "are working upon to improve".
• Don't use the clichéd means of presenting strength as weakness like stating you’re a workaholic. Best is to name a true weakness of modest size, i.e. I had trouble in organising things, but now, I write down a list of things to do and maintain a diary to track deadlines and the small things. It has helped me to finish things on time and be organised.
• Always choose one weakness that will not disqualify you from the job citing examples of what you are doing to fix them. Make it evident that you learn from your mistakes.

                 This thought-provoking question can actually open the door for further discussion. It helps in probing a strong, dominant personality and helps in matching as well as understanding his/her  weakness vis-a-vis the strengths. This question is also a measure of a candidate’s diplomacy quotient. Your aim is not to get any job but to secure the right one. And this question would inevitably pop up during interview. So, prepare carefully having a balanced approach and you'll shine in the interview. Prepare well and make the weakness your strength.   

Rajashree B Mustafi

- Article Published in www.shine.com

Why you should start running today?

Running is one of the best forms of exercise, not only for getting fit but for weight control too. A 30-minute run, three to four times a week, trims your waistline, strengthens the cardiovascular system, improves muscle tone and definition and helps foster a positive mental attitude. Running can also be a great social activity. Here are the top 25 tips on why you should start running today.

1. Running is the quickest way to cardiovascular fitness. You get fitter faster by running regularly.

2. Running is one of the cheapest forms of exercising. You only need a pair of running shoes and shorts and T-shirt to get started.

3. Running is easy to learn. Most people have run at some point in their life, either competitively or at school/college, so there is no steep learning curve involved.

4. Running makes you feel good, not only physically, but mentally as well.

5. Running is excellent for reducing stress levels. There is nothing better than a run to clear your head and concentrate the mind. Many great ideas have been formulated on training runs.

6. Running is one of the most flexible methods of training around. Wherever you are in the world, it is nearly always possible to get out for a run. You can jog, steady run or sprint depending on how you feel that particular day.

7. Running is good for your heart. It not only strengthens the heart but also reduces the actual resting heart rate.

8. Running is accessible to all. As long as you are physically able, you can go for a run virtually anytime and anywhere. There are no race barriers to running.

9. Running helps you to lose weight and tone muscles. The more your train and run, the more weight you will lose. Also by toning up, you are getting rid of the excess fat and converting it to muscle.

10. Running is for people of all ages. Old or young, everyone can benefit from running.

11. It is good for your sex life! By being more physically active you increase your sex drive.

12. When run training, you can get away with eating chocolate and legitimately say it is part of your training program.

13. Running is a great way to recover from a hangover. A run will help clear your head faster than sitting around feeling terrible.

14. Running is a great safety aid. Being able to run away from people puts you in a much better position if you are chased.

15. You can use running to change other people's lives. Run for a charity and raise money to help the needy or less able.

16. Running with friends gives you time to catch up on gossip and get fit at the same time.

17. Running is a time-efficient way to get fit and lose weight so you have more free time after exercising to enjoy yourself.

18. Running is a challenge that can be motivational and bring great personal satisfaction.

19. Running is a great way to see a new place if you have limited time available for sightseeing. Just think how much more of a place you can see when running around it compared to walking.

20. Running improves your concentration as you are forced to concentrate more when running. This in turn improves your concentration when you have to focus in other areas of life.

21. You nearly always work better after a run because you are still on a runner's high and feel ready for anything.

22. Running is a great way to meet people, especially if you join a club or enter a race.

23. There are no monthly subscriptions with running. You just put your running shoes on and go.

24. Endurance built-up through running can be transferred to other sports.

25. If you drink alcohol you can just run a little bit further the next day to work off the extra calories

Care about ur Hair...

Hair Care Tips

µ      Brush your hair regularly before going to bed each night.

µ      Wash your hair with a mild shampoo. Use very little but enough to cover hair completely with lather. Use a conditioner to keep hair manageable.

µ      Avoid brushing wet hair. This will cause the hair to stretch and finally break. Finger-dry, or use a wide-toothed comb instead of a brush to gently remove the knots.

µ      Restrict blow-drying your hair. The process of blow-drying is harsh on hair as it robs it of moisture.

µ      Avoid dyes. Use mehandi (henna) instead as a conditioner and colouring agent.

µ      Take a calcium supplement or drink two glasses of milk a day.

µ      Always hold hair dryer away from your hair. Direct air from the hair dryer down hair shaft and not directly into the roots and keep it moving.

µ      After a perm, never brush your hair. Instead comb hair gently.

µ      Trim your hair once in 7 weeks  to avoid split ends.

µ      Avoid pulling back your hair tightly.

µ      Never use a rubber band on your hair as it can pull and damage hair considerably.

µ      Never go out in the sun without having your head covered.

µ      Stimulate circulation by massaging your head with oil to which some vitamin E has been added. This will make hair soft and silky.

µ      Never wash your hair with very hot or very cold water.

µ      Learn to relax. Hair loss can happen because of stress. Eat foods that are rich in vitamin B, C and E.

µ      Add iron and minerals in the natural form in your diet.

µ      If your hair is oily, cut down on fried food and fat. Drink plenty of water.

Tips for Dandruff

      Massage the Scalp with pure coconut oil.

      Apply coconut oil which has been boiled with small onions for about 20 minutes. Wash it off with a mixture of green gram powder and water drained from cooked (boiled) rice.

      Apply a mixture of almond oil and gooseberry juice with finger tips on the scalp.

      Apply the warm mixture of olive oil, lemon juice and coconut oil. Do a steam -towel- wrap for 15 minutes and wash the hair with a mild shampoo.

      Apply a paste of fenugreek and mustard to the scalp.

      Mix Shikakai powder with the water drained from the cooked rice and wash the hair with it.

      Crush  the leaves of five petal hibiscus flower and take the juice. Wash the hair with this juice.

      Heat oil with a little camphor. Apply the oil in the scalp and massage for 10 minutes. After 30 minutes wash the hair with a herbal shampoo. Do the steam -towel- wrap for 15 minutes.

CHANGE....

Human nature generally resists CHANGE.
CHANGE is uncomfortable.
Regardless of its positive or negative effect, CHANGE can be stressful. Some times we get so
comfortable with negativity that even when the CHANGE is for the better, we
don't want to accept it. We stay with the negative. 

** CHANGE IT.**

#  Look for the positive.
#  Make a habit of doing it now.
#  Create a continuous education program for yourself.
#  Build positive self-esteem.
#  Stay away from negative influences.
#  Learn to like the things that need to be  done.
                
Change is a nature of life. But CHALLENGE is a aim of life.
So you have to
                                      CHALLENGE THE CHANGES,
                            NOT TO CHANGE THE CHALLENGES....

Focus on Solutions

The Difference between Focusing on Problems, and Focusing on Solutions:

When NASA began the launch of astronauts into space, they found out that the pens wouldn't work at zero gravity. (Ink won't flow down to the writing surface) In order to solve this problem, they hired a Consulting Firm.

It took them one decade and 12 million dollars. They developed a pen that worked at zero gravity, upside down, under water, in practically any surface including crystal and in a temperature range from below freezing to over 300 degrees C.

The Russians used a pencil...

TWO WOLVES INSIDE US

One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people.

 

He said, "My son, the battle is between 2 wolves inside us all."

 

"One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego."

 

"The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith."

 

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather Which wolf wins?

 

The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."

Happy Independence Day . . .

A Short Story...

One day, a poor boy who was selling goods from door to door to pay his
way through school, found he had only one thin dime left, and he was
hungry.

He decided he would ask for a meal at the next house. However, he lost
his nerve when a lovely young woman opened the door. Instead of a meal he asked for a drink of water. She thought he looked hungry so brought him a large glass of milk. He drank it slowly, and then asked, "How much do I owe you?"

"You don't owe me anything," she replied "Mother has taught us never to
accept payment for a kindness." He said... "Then I thank you from my
heart."

As Howard Kelly left that house, he not only felt; stronger physically,
but his faith in God and man was strong also. He had been ready to give
up and quit.

Years later that young woman became critically ill. The local doctors
were baffled. They finally sent her to the big city, where they called in
specialists to study her rare disease. Dr. Howard Kelly was called in
for the consultation. When he heard the name of the town she came from, a strange light filled his eyes.

Immediately he rose and went down the hall of the hospital to her room.
Dressed in his doctor's gown he we nt in to see her. He recognized her
at once. He went back to the consultation room determined to do his best
to save her life. From that day he gave special attention to the case.

After a long struggle, the battle was won. Dr. Kelly requested the
business office to pass the final bill to him for approval. He looked
at it, then wrote something on the edge and the bill was sent to her room.
She feared to open it, for she was sure it would take the rest of her
life to pay for it all. Finally, she looked, and something caught; her
attention on the side as She read these words.....

"Paid in full with one glass of milk." (Signed) Dr. Howard Kelly.

Tears of joy flooded her eyes as her happy heart prayed: "Thank You,
GOD, that Your love has spread abroad through human hearts and hands."

How do you sleep?

Osho - Life is a dream

Osho :
You do not exist even in dream. You must sometimes have dreamed a dream within a dream. You dream that you are going to bed, you have fallen asleep and you are dreaming a dream.

There is an old Chinese story: A woodcutter was cutting wood in a jungle. He was tired, so he came down from the tree and fell asleep. He dreamed that nearby lay buried a great treasure of diamonds and gold in huge pots that were lightly covered with dirt. In his dream he thought that he would come at night and remove the treasure quietly.

If he removed it in the daytime he might be caught. Hewas a poor man and the treasure was worth millions. When he awoke, he buried a stick to mark the place and returned home. When it became dark, he went back to the spot. He found the stick in place but the pots had been removed. He went back and told his wife, ”I don’t understand whether I dreamed about the treasure or actually saw it. The stick is there all right, and there are holes where the pots were, so it is certainly not just a dream. But someone has removed the pots.”

His wife replied, ”It must be a dream. You must also have dreamed that you went out at night and saw the stick in the ground, and that there was an empty place where the pots were supposed to be. So go back to sleep and sleep in peace.” But it happened that another man also dreamed that he saw these very pots buried in the same place, and that a woodcutter had buried a stick to mark the place. When he got up from his sleep he ran to the place. He found the stick in the ground and also the vessels underneath!

He removed the pots and brought them home. He told his wife, ”I cannot understand whether I dreamed a dream or I actually saw a vision. Whatever it is, I have brought the pots home. They are proof that it is not just a dream. I must actually have seen the woodcutter burying the stick and therefore I knew where the treasure was.” His wife said, ”The pots are here. That much is clear. But if you actually saw the woodcutter marking the spot, it isn’t right that we should keep this treasure.

Take the pots to the king and let him decide.” He was an honest man, so he took the pots to the king’s court where the woodcutter had already lodged a complaint. The king was perplexed. Finally he told them, ”It is very difficult to decide whether you were asleep or awake, so I shall divide the treasure equally between you both, for the pots are very much there.” So he divided the treasure between them. That night the king told his wife, ”A very strange thing happened today: Two men dreamed the same dream.

Now it is difficult to decide whether they dreamed or whether they really saw the treasure. But the pots of treasure were actually there, so I divided them equally between them.” The queen said, ”Go to sleep, you must be dreaming.” For thousands of years this was discussed in China – did they dream it or not? Who actually dreamed? But this is what happens by the time we reach the end of life. All of life seems like a dream. It is difficult to decide whether the stick was really there and whether the pots were really buried;

whether the wife and children ever existed, or friends and foes; whether there was poverty or riches; whether there was conflict and competition; whether we really lost or won, were successful or unsuccessful. At the time of death all events pass before a man like a dream. Did we really live, or was it only a dream? Those who have known say, ”This is a dream dreamed with open eyes.” It is a dream because it has no relation to that which is. This is an intermediary state of imagination; it is merely a thought.

It makes no difference whether you saw it when asleep or when awake. The characteristic of a dream is that it is here one moment and gone the next. At the time of death all is lost. Within this dream you see another dream that is called the ego. You consider yourself the doer, the author of the dreams. You are filled with conceit, which all the world can see; only you do not see it. Everyone else is in the same state, never seeing their own, but seeing everyone else’s ego

Source: "The True Name, Vol 2 " - Osho

How Induction Stove Works?

INDUCTION

Induction is a method, completely different from all other cooking technologies-- it does not involve generating heat which is then transferred to the cooking vessel, it makes the cooking vessel itself the original generator of the cooking heat.

How Induction Stove Works?

1.         The element's electronics power a coil (the red lines) that produces a high-frequency electromagnetic field.

2.         That field penetrates the metal of the ferrous (magnetic-material) cooking vessel and sets up a circulating electric current, which generates heat.

3.         The heat generated in the cooking vessel is transferred to the vessel's contents.

4.         Nothing outside the vessel is affected by the field--as soon as the vessel is removed from the element, or the element turned off, heat generation stops.

In Detail

An induction cooker uses a type of induction heating for cooking. It is chiefly distinguished from other common forms of cooking by the fact that the heat is generated directly in the cooking vessel.

A coil of copper wire is placed underneath the cooking pot. An alternating electric current is made to flow through the coil, which produces an oscillating magnetic field which creates heat in the cooking vessel over it, which must be made of a magnetic material (ferromagnetic) and electrically conductive, in two different ways.

Principally, it induces an electric current in the pot, which produces resistive heating proportional to the square of the current and to the electrical resistance of the vessel. Secondly, it also creates magnetic hysteresis losses in the pot due to its ferromagnetic nature.

Induction cookers are faster and more energy-efficient than traditional electric cooktops; moreover, they allow instant control of cooking energy, which no energy source other than gas offers. Because induction heats the cooking vessel itself, the possibility of burn injury is significantly less than with other methods: only skin contact with the cooking vessel itself (or, when high heat has been used, the stovetop for a while after the vessel has been removed) can cause harm. There are not the high temperatures of flames or red-hot electric heating elements found in traditional cooking equipment, which generates heat independent of the cooking vessel. Further, induction cookers do not themselves warm the surrounding air, resulting in further energy efficiencies.

Since heat is being generated by an induced electric current, the unit can detect whether cookware is present (or whether its contents have boiled dry) by monitoring the voltage drop caused by resistance in the circuit (which reflects how much energy is being absorbed). That allows such functions as keeping a pot at minimal boil or automatically turning an element off when cookware is removed from it.

Advantages of Induction Stoves

• Less electricity is wasted compared with a conventional hot plate.
• The kitchen is heated up less by waste heat. 
• The bottom of the pan is not burned by the stove and stays clean. 
• Food spills and boil-overs aren't burned on to the stove and are easily wiped off. Most stove-tops  are easy-to-clean glass or ceramic. 
• The pot can be conveniently left on the stove after cooking, without residual heat from the stove burning the food. 
• The pot reacts instantly to changes in power, like a gas stove, because the stove itself doesn't need to heat up or cool down first.

Disadvantages of Induction Stoves

• A fan is used to cool the electronics. This can be noisy. The electronics or the magnetic field might also create a buzzing or humming noise.  
• For safety, the stove will switch off if the pan is removed. This will interfere with cooking techniques that involve tilting or lifting the pan. Induction stoves need a minimum pan diameter to work. 
• Pans that are too small will not be recognized and the stove will not switch on. The heated area might not cover the entire stove top. This is not an issue for boiling but can cause problems when frying. 
• To check the heated area (typically a 5 inch diameter circle) a pan of water is heated on the stove. The pattern of the bubbles at the bottom of the pan will show the heated area.

Life and Work

Change the way you think....

Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room.

One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs.

His bed was next to the room's only window.

The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back.

The men talked for hours on end.

They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation..

Every afternoon,  when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window.

The man in the other bed began to live for those one hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of the world outside.

The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake.

Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Young lovers walked arm in arm amidst flowers of every color and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance.

As the man by the window described all this in exquisite details, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine this picturesque scene.

One warm afternoon, the man by the window described a parade passing by.

Although the other man could not hear the band - he could see it in his mind's eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words.

Days, weeks and months passed. 

One morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths only to find the lifeless body of the man by the window, who had died peacefully in his sleep.

She was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take the body away.

As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch, and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone.

Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look at the real world outside.
He strained to slowly turn to look out the window besides the bed.   

It faced a blank wall.

The man asked the nurse what could have compelled his deceased roommate who had described such wonderful things outside this window.

The nurse responded that the man was blind and could not even see the wall. 

She said, 'Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you.' 

Epilogue:
There is tremendous happiness in making others happy, despite our own situations.

Shared grief is half the sorrow, but happiness when shared, is doubled.. 

If you want to feel rich, just count all the things you have that money can't  buy.

'Today is a gift, that is why it is called The Present.'

The origin of this letter is unknown, but it brings good luck to everyone who passes it on.

Do not believe on above sentence but I wish you would pass it on coz everyone in your friends list deserves to read it....

--SomeOne

Project....

           1) Project Manager is a person who thinks nine women can deliver a baby in one month.

           2) Developer is a person who thinks it will take 18 months to deliver a baby.

           3) Onsite Coordinator is one who thinks single woman can deliver nine babies in one month.

           4) Tester is a person who always tells his wife that this is not the right baby.

           5) Marketing Manager is a person who thinks he can deliver a baby even if no man and woman are available.

           6) Resource Optimization Team thinks they don't need a man or woman; They'll produce a child with zero resources.

           7) Documentation Team thinks they don't care whether the child is delivered, they'll just document
         9 months.

           8) Quality Auditor is the person who is never happy with the PROCESS to produce a baby.

          And lastly...

     9) Client is the one who doesn't know why he wants a baby