Have you ever wondered exactly how someone negotiates their compensation package? You’ve heard the success stories - individuals who talk employers into giving them thousands more. Salary negotiation is a game - a sophisticated game - but a game nonetheless. You too can acquire the salary or benefits you most desire if you engage these strategies in your next salary discussion.

A win/win approach is required. Use a warm, friendly tone to open the conversation. Try this baiting statement to determine if the employer is willing to negotiate. “Considering my background and experience, I thought your offer was rather low.” Then, fall silent. Wait for the employer’s next move. If they are open to negotiations, reaffirm the value the employer receives by hiring you to do their job. Discuss the very reasons they’ve mentioned for wanting to add you to their team. Many times, simply asking for more money will result in a higher offer. If not, draw comparisons to industry and competitors’ salary ranges for this type of position. Comment on your ability to become productive quickly. For example, a manager who seeks a $60,000 salary might say “According to my research, food process managers in companies comparable to yours offer salaries that range in the lower 60’s.

The extensive systems experience I bring and my strengths in streamlining processes and developing high quality, efficient teams are abilities highly valued in the current marketplace.” Cite salary surveys in business magazines or trade journals to verify your data. When you’re asked for a specific dollar number that you want, speak in flexible terms such as “I was thinking more like $63,000 instead of the $58,000 offered.” This allows you and the employer to compromise and settle for the $60,000 you want. Compromise is the end result of most negotiations.

A word of caution – never bluff with an employer and never issue a “take it or leave it” ultimatum. You could be gambling and LOSING the job. Set your bottom line. Predetermine at what level the offer is too low to accept.

Be sure to evaluate the whole picture – potential job satisfaction, promotional opportunities, and other benefits offered.

Salary negotiations are worth the risk when the additional compensation you are able to obtain takes minutes and not years to acquire.

Finding quality career opportunities in today’s economy means more than responding to classified ads on job boards and in the newspaper. You need to find ways to set yourself apart from your peers so that employers view you as an expert in your field and seek you out for your expertise. Here are some ways to make others aware of your skills and talents in your field.

Write in trade publications/ journals.
Most trade publications are really just an open forum for the exchange of ideas and information within the profession. The best way to get your work published is to write 2 to 3 articles and contact the editor of the publication directly. Another idea is to get published in non-trade journals. Once you get published somewhere you will find it much easier to get published elsewhere.

Join professional organizations.
Probably the quickest and best way to improve your stature in your field is to join and become active in the local chapter of a professional organization. Once you have established yourself as a member, work to become a member of the executive board. By becoming a major presence in these groups you will gain access to information about employment opportunities, as well.  Additionally, being viewed as an expert in your field locally means employers will come to you with opportunities.

Join civic organizations.
This idea is perhaps networking 101, but most civic organizations are comprised of mainly of business owners, executives, and community leaders. If these people aren’t hiring then they know someone who is.  By becoming active with events within these organizations, members will come to you when they hear about opportunities or have questions relating to your field.

Any resourceful jobseeker will have relatively little trouble unearthing key information about target industries as well as specific companies and job descriptions. Industry publications and journals abound and in addition to company annual reports, advertising materials and websites, there are a plethora of industry and market websites on-line that lend current and relevant information for the diligent jobseeker. There is no substitute however for meeting people within the industry and getting the key facts firsthand and for this reason, the "informational interview" is an invaluable resource and a welcome addition to any jobseeker's toolkit.

What is an "informational interview"?

The "informational interview" is a formal meeting between a jobseeker and a professional in the industry used by the jobseeker to gather key data about the market, the industry, the specific company and the position targeted. It is a forum for jobseekers to learn about the industry and company from an "insider" and to ask questions that are best answered by some-one already in the field. Beside being a vital forum for gathering key information firsthand, the information interview can also propel the job search forward by providing a springboard for networking within the industry. Moreover, if the chemistry is right, the professional may well end up providing ongoing mentorship for the candidate going forward as well as a source of information in the future about any vacancies that arise either within his company, at affiliates or at competing firms.

How do you arrange an Informational Interview?

The first step in arranging an informational interview is to identify the professionals you would like to meet. Research the industry and companies you are looking to enter and identify a professional who is in your preferred role and in a senior enough capacity to be able to give appropriate information about the industry and company in general as well as about specific job prospects in the field.

Once you have identified the target professional, send him/her a letter requesting no more than 30 minutes of their time for an informational interview to learn more about the industry and the position you are targeting. Introduce yourself with a brief summary of your experience and career objectives and make it clear that you are not approaching them for a job but merely to lean more about the industry from a

To facilitate matters, try to get a referral from someone you know - ex-employers, friends, family, neighbors or someone already at that company, so that you are not calling entirely cold. Alumni associations are very helpful in this instance; contact your alma mater's alumni association for names of professionals who work in your target company/field and approach them making it clear that you went to the same university and got their name form the alumni association. Fellow alumni are usually more than happy to meet with you, offer needed advice and point you in the right direction.

How do you conduct an informational interview?

Make sure you arrive at the informational interview prepared with a list of questions pertinent to your jobhunt and research activities and that you respect the professional's time. Take a CV with you and give it to the interviewee then spend a few minutes introducing yourself, your experience and your present career objective ending with what you hope to achieve by way of information-gathering from this meeting.

Sample questions you may want answered during the interview include:

"How did you get started in this industry?"

"What are the prospects for the industry/ company in your opinion in the next 5 years?"

"What does it take to enter this field of work?"

"How should I approach my job hunt? Are there any specific companies you know of that are hiring?"

"What does a typical day on the job look like?"

"What skills are key to success in this role?"

"What do you like most about your role? What do you like least?"

"What is the most challenging aspect of your job?"

"Do you have any advice for me as a jobseeker wishing to enter this field given my past experience?"

"Are there any courses you recommend I take to supplement my CV?"

"What industry associations or journals would you recommend for me to learn more about this field?"

Treat the information interview as you would a formal interview, dressing in conservative business attire, arriving early, behaving professionally, having the company and industry well researched before-hand and to the extent possible, also researching the career and successes of the professional you are interviewing. Listen attentively, take notes and make sure you do not rudely interrupt or act overly controlling in the interview - the interviewee may well have relevant advice and factoids for you that do not fall specifically within your line of questioning. Thank the interviewee sincerely for his time after the interview and do not hesitate to ask him if he can refer you to anyone else in the industry that may be hiring or may serve as an additional springboard for your networking activities. Beside the information gathered on your target company and occupation, getting further referrals is a key objective of an informational interview.

What to expect from an informational interview?

There are four key benefits of an informational interview:

Firstly, by preparing with adequate questions and building a good rapport with the professional being interviewed, you will gain invaluable insight from an insider on your target industry and company as well as the skills required to enter and excel in your target occupation. The information you gather will be up-to-date and directly relevant as you are getting it first-hand from an industry practitioner.

Secondly, you will gain important visibility, widen your professional network and gain invaluable referrals in the industry if the interviewee is accommodating and gives you the names of peers in the industry who may be of further help. These referrals may well end up revealing a position in the pipeline that you were not previously aware of.

Thirdly, informational interviews are an excellent forum to build confidence, reduce anxiety and prepare for real job interviews when a position does arise. Many jobseekers gain significant composure and self-esteem from conducting these interviews, particularly if they have been interviewing for jobs for a while and meeting with negative responses. These interviews are a great method to practice talking with a seasoned professional in your target field and asking and answering questions without experiencing rejection.

Fourthly, the informational interview will aid you in clarifying your career goals as you explore different career paths and learn more about the different roles, skills required and responsibilities entailed from an experienced insider.

What happens after the information interview?

Your information interview is a key networking event and you should aim to leverage the contact you made to build a professional long-term relationship. Follow up with a thank-you note after the meeting and then periodically keep the interviewee informed of milestones in your job hunt and in your career in general. The interviewee may well end up at a later stage either hiring himself or referring you to a peer in the industry who is hiring or is a more effective springboard for networking and information gathering activities. Beside the importance of the information you gather in propelling your job search forward, there is no substitute in the long-run for having a close personal rapport with peers in the industry to advance your personal and professional network.

Many people have goals of moving up in life and especially in their work. While having goals is a great thing, have you ever stopped and thought about where you really want to end up? What is the ultimate goal in your work? Do you want to be a CEO or are your passions more aligned with being a department manager and working one-on-one with your employees?

In his book Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don't Jim Collins points out that one of the biggest struggles companies have is making sure that each of its employees is working in the position that is the best fit for them.

Status and money can be very important to employees, but if they are not using their strengths in their work they are ineffective. Promotions can be bad news in this case.

I have a friend who has been offered several promotions in the company he has worked with for over 15 years. These positions range from management all the way up to Vice President. He has turned every one of them down and still works in the position he started in when he was hired.

Hi passions lie in working one-on-one with customers most days. A position as Vice President, while a better paid and more sought after position, would not be a good fit for his personality. He has no desire to move higher in the company because it only moves him further from his passion.

It may be time for you to determine your career goals. Where is your stopping point? Don't be like many of the Career Coaching clients I meet with that feel like each day they are getting better at something they don't like doing.

How to Build a Resume - The Biggest List of 37 FAQs About Award-Winning Resumes

1. What is A Resume? A resume is a presentation of your qualifications for employer. It lets your employer know what type of job you are seeking and highlights your education, experience, skills and other relevant information. A resume (or CV - Curriculum Vitae) only may be the tips to potential employer for determination whether or not you will be interviewed.

2. Does a resume always need to be only one page? Resume (CV) length should not exceed 2 sides of A4. How much of those two sides you fill depends on how much you have done.

3. Should the education section always be near the top? If you have recently completed formal education your academic achievements will form a major part of your qualifications, and it is recommended to place these near the top of your resume.

4. Is an objective always necessary? No, it is not crucial. But however an employer will be impressed if you have a focused idea of where you want your career to be heading.

5. What if I haven't done very much to fill up my resume? This does not matter. If build a resume is a problem - use sensible formatting and fonts so that you comfortably fill one side of A4.

6. Do hobbies and personal interests need to be shown? It is not imperative but it can provide an employer with an insight into your personality.

7. Must references be included? One note that 'References available on request' will be sufficient.

8. What should be on my resume? Contact details, Date of birth and nationality, an introduction, employment history, academic qualifications, hobbies and interests are enough for resume building.

9. What shouldn't I put on my resume? Religion, references, sexuality, why you left your previous jobs, all your school grades, a photo, lies should not be included into resume.

10. Do I have to include all of my exam results? No, just the most recent.

11. In what order do I list information? Contact details at the top, a brief introduction, employment history, education, interests hobbies. Follow these simple instructions:

• The heading is first.
• The objective is second.
• All other headings are listed as they relate to your job objective. Build a resume that highlight your objective and enhances you as a candidate for the job you are seeking.

12. What sort of paper should I print it on? The best quality that you can get your hands on, but don't get paper that is too thick ;-).

13. In what text format should I save my resume so that it can be e-mailed? Employer unequivocally can read your resume in *.txt attachment. However this format does not allow you to include attractive formatting. The MS Word document or PDF will probably be suitable. If you want to be certain you could paste a txt version of your resume into the body of the e-mail and attach a Word or PDF version.

14. How can I ensure that my resume will be read? Resumes (CVs) usually aren't read at first. They are scanned (look at the questions #21, #22). So, how to build a resume to be easily scanned:

• Present information in concise, compact statements.
• Leave irrelevant, unnecessary or inappropriate information off your resume.
• Organise your information so that the reader doesn't have to hunt for your skills.

15. Do I need more than one resume? Construct a 'core resume (CV)' using the 'How to build a killer resume' guide then configure that to the recipient each time you send it out.

16. How far back should I go with the information I put on my resume? Ten years is usually required. However, there are certain situations in which experience from more than ten years ago may be advantageous to show on your resume.

17. What are some common components of a resume? They are:

• Identification: Your name, address, and home and/or message phone number with area code, and e-mail address should be placed at the top of the resume.
• Objective: Describe your career or professional objective. Be specific and include what you want to do for the employer - not what you want the employer to do for you.
• Summary: Used by the candidate with experience; briefly state your achievements, the range of your experience and the environment(s) in which you have worked.
• Employment: Describe your job history in reverse chronological order - most History recent first.
• Education: Build your resume with list of educational experience, most recent first.
• Skills: Include into your resume (Curriculum Vitae, CV) foreign language fluency, knowledge of computers including specific hardware, software, operating systems and anything else that may be relevant.
• Community: Create a resume with information about any volunteer efforts, including name of organization, dates and a brief description of your activities and experiences.
• References: List professional references on a separate page. You may want to state that references are available upon request (you can see question #7).

18. How long is the standard resume? See question #2. The general tips of resume building are to use enough space to provide all info and to write only relevant information about yourself.

19. What resume style is preferred by employers? There are three resume building styles: Chronological, Functional, and Combination. Chronological resumes present your work history and experience most recent first. Functional resumes focus on the skills and abilities that have been acquired and can be applied to new career opportunities. Combination resumes combine elements of both the chronological and functional formats.

20. Are All Resumes Alike? I wrote above there are three basic types of resumes. The format you select should be the one you believe will best allow you to target your education, experience, and skills towards your career objectives.

21. What is a Scannable Resume? A scannable resume is one that may be read by a computer equipped with Optical Character Recognition (OCR) hardware and software. They scans your resume and puts data into a database. The software then creates a summary of your resume and ranks it among other qualified candidates for the position. This process, sometimes called electronic applicant tracking, is gathering popularity among medium- to large-sized companies as an initial employment screening device.

22. Why are the Employers Using Scannable Resumes? Scannable resumes have advantages for employers:

• Employers can simply search through their database and identify names with the specific experience, skills, and qualifications.
• Human Resource departments can be much smaller because this technology speeds up the entire hiring process.

23. What is an Online Resume? An online resume is a plain text document (*.txt) which can be cut-and-pasted into online forms. It can be used by resume builder because ASCII files are recognized by PC's, Macintoshes, UNIX Workstations, and mainframe terminals.

24. Why do I need an Online Resume? You can build a resume in online version and to send it to companies who are soliciting resumes via e-mail. Frequently the companies who are calling for resumes want them in the form of a plain text document sent in the body of an e-mail message - NOT PDF, NOT MS WORD.

25. Can't I just send my resume as an email attachment? Sending any attachments through email can be tricky, and the last thing you want to do is make a potential employer work to read your resume. There are many types of computer systems, increasing the risk that the program that you create your resume in will not be compatible to the computer of the receiver, making it impossible for them to open up the attachment. The online resume solves that problem as you import it directly into the text body of the email message. Its simple, plain text look is easy for employers to read through email.

26. What is a Functional Resume? The Functional Resume is a resume in which the resume builder organized information by skill sets. These resumes design focus on individuals whose education and experiences do not obviously match their career objective.

27. Who Should Use a Functional Resume? Functional Resumes can be used for people who have a History or Psychology degree. In these cases it may be easier for the student to highlight their Communication, Computer Skills, Leadership, Research, Administration, and Management. A functional resume allows such people to feature their volunteer and other non-paid experiences. It also includes individuals who have multi-track job histories, or work history gaps.

28. What are the Benefits of Using a Functional Resume? Functional Resumes are beneficial in these ways:

• Utilizes volunteer, unpaid and non-work experiences.
• Demonstrates precisely the skills that the employer wants.
• Eliminates work history that does not support your current objective.
• Directs the emloyer to what you want them to notice.

29. What is a reference? A reference is someone who knows you well and can builds talk about your job related qualifications with a potential employer. Many employers will want a list of your references, including addresses and phone numbers.

30. How many references do I need? You will need at least three to five references as a recent college graduate. It is also a good idea to tailor your references to the job for which you are applying.

31. Who do I ask to be my reference? Someone who knows you well through a job, class or organization. Find someone who can make a positive statement about your skills, work habits, and other qualifications. There are three main kinds of references:

• Professional References are the best help, it can provide the potential employer with specific work habits and abilities.
• Academic References can also assist you in finding a job in your chosen field, for example a professor in your major can attest to your knowledge base and study habits.
• Personal References are usually not recommended unless the potential employer specifically asks for them. Generally, personal references get the least amount of attention from employers.

32. What Is A Cover Letter? A cover letter is an accompanying letter that serves as the introduction to your resume. No resume should be sent without one. The cover letter is created separately and individually for each position for which you express an interest.

33. What Is The Purpose Of The Cover Letter? The purpose of the cover letter is to introduce yourself to an organization, demonstrate your interest in the company or a specific vacancy, draw attention to your resume and motivate the reader to interview you. A cover letter tells a potential employer that you are available, qualified, and interested in employment. Cover letters personalize your resume by briefly highlighting your strengths as they relate to the position sought.

34. How Should Cover Letters Be Organized? The cover letter typically consists of three parts: Introduction, Body, and Closing. Within these three parts you must get the following three points across:

• Why you are specifically interested in the organization?
• Why they should be particularly interested in you?
• When and how you will contact them to follow up on your letter and schedule an appointment.

35. Should cover letters be personalized to match each job opportunity? Yes, certainly! The cover letter is your chance to personalize the resume to highlight your strengths as they relate to the needs of an employer. Often this means simply changing the address, salutation and opening paragraph to specify the employer. The manual of resume building recommends to personalize the cover letter in any manner that you can because such cover letters assist in grabbing the attention of an employer.

36. Should a cover letter always be included with a resume or application? YES, Of course! Cover letters clarify what are you seeking and highlight your strengths to an employer's needs.

37. Where Can I Learn More About Resume Writing? Available steps are:

• Look at the sample resume handouts, and the many resume-related resources in the Career Discovery Center.
• Request Career Services to present a Resume Writing Workshop to your club or organization.
• Schedule a Resume Review with a Career Associate.
• Make an appointment to discuss your resume with a member of the Career Services staff.
• Look for additional FAQ pages, including Action Verbs to Enhance Your Resume.

NEW DELHI: Are you underpaid? If you're paid - as opposed to taking a cut of the profits - the answer is yes, no matter that you may be in the 99th percentile of salary-earners in your industry.

As a tech pro, for instance, you might think that an annual compensation of Rs 12 lakh - after translating offshore dollar earnings - into Indian currency may make you Mr Top Dollar himself: the codie who made it big in the bad capitalist world ruled by Bill Gates types. But choke on this: the owners of your company take in several crores in dividends every year, not to mention the dollops of dollars their holdings are worth on the basis of the scrip price. Worse, to afford the lifestyle that that Rs 12-lakh-a-year package can buy you, you have to work so hard you don't have a life in the first place, as William Dietrich argues in The Seattle Times! Organizational behavior specialists are homing in on the responses that professionals - young pros in particular - are producing as they comprehend the increasing sense of inequity pervading the workplace, creating an ever-widening gulf between the majority owners of companies and its employees. Even in those companies whose shares are mostly held by the public, mutual funds and pension funds, the sheer wealth of one or two key individuals will never be matched by that company's managers, no matter how fast their track is.

ESOPs? Get serious.
When those options are finally vested, they're only worth the difference between the market price and the price at which they were issued - which, given the ups and downs of the markets, may be little. Compare that to the huge payouts that dividends translate into for people like Azim Premji: owning 83.4 per cent of the company, he took in Rs 566 crore as his share of Wipro's dividends for 2003-04.

In contrast, a seriously high IT paycheque, such as Infosys CEO Nandan Nilekani's, for instance, amounts to Rs 23 lakh a year. Maybe you're spending patterns make you think differently - as though your lifestyle is beginning to converge on those of the really rich. After all, you have two top-end cars, you eat out, travel abroad and buy top-of-the-line clothes and accessories just whenever you like.
Truth is, it's two incomes - yours and your partner's - that's creating the illusion of great pay. The owners of companies are still earning way, way, waaaaaaay more than you ever will. What's more, even those double-income pay-packets are not buying you the security that the guy in the corner room who owns your company does. As you know pretty well, it's the thinnest of red lines between a fabulous paycheque and a pink slip, the latter often coming not because you're a poor worker, but because the top management ran your company aground.
In sharp contrast, even if your company's bleeding, the top guys who hold shares in it will still be able to cash out at a price you can only dream of, even if it results in a notional loss for them when compared to the historic high of those stock prices. But look at what the illusion of parity is doing to you: it's making you chase your boss's boss's boss in terms of lifestyle statements. You won't buy the Rs 5-lakh sedan when you can afford the EMIs for the Rs 9-lakh saloon. You won't touch the 2-bedroom apartment in midtown when the monthly mortgage payments for the 4-bedroom villa with a swimming pool for the complex seems feasible. And you will certainly not holiday in Goa when you can do South Africa.
As the bar of satisfaction is raised relentlessly, even as prices of even top-end luxury products drop tantalizingly close to what you think you can afford, your spending goes on making deeper inroads into your earnings. Never forget, as the ad reminds you, we live in an envy-powered economy.

So, what's the way out?
The quick - and wrong - way out is to become a manager. That way, you can hire more people under yourself, ensuring you keep earning more so as to stay higher-paid than your own subordinates. Wrong, because it will still not bridge that gap between the best-paid employee and the owner-CEO.

What will?
Simple: Just start your own company.
Whether it's a success or not, you should be able to sell out sooner or later, provided you've been opportunistic enough to pick an industry where potential matters, as no one's making profits yet. Microland's Pradeep Kar did it consistently, primarily by entering segments that were guaranteed to attract cash-endowed multinationals. Ask recent millionaires like Avnish Bajaj and Suvir Sujan (co-founders of BaaZee.com) and Puneet Dalmia and Alok Mittal ( JobsAhead.com), who pocketed upwards of Rs 5 crore each for selling their companies in part or whole to global competitors.
So, for the really, really, really big bucks - sans worries of being made redundant - quit jockeying for that promotion and start looking at starting your own company, instead.

Source: ECONOMICTIMES.COM[ MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2004 12:48:21 AM ]

There are a number of different methods you can use to find a job today. Understanding the different tools which can help you search for jobs will give you an edge over those who limit themselves to a single source.

The first thing you will want to do before looking for job is to write up a good resume. If the job is very professional you will need both a resume and a curriculum vitae. You will also want to make sure you use a cover letter. Resumes should always be submitted for full-time jobs in specialized fields.

Most part-time jobs will not require you to fill out an application. If you are going for a professional position, it is important to realize that your resume is the most important factor in helping you get a job. Writing a resume with poor grammar or spelling errors will get you rejected. You want to make sure you use a nice cover letter. It is also important to make sure the document is printed out on a laser printer if possible. Dot matrix printers and older typewriters will not give your document a professional look.

It is crucial to make sure your cover letters are personalized. Employers receive lots of resumes on a daily basis, and will toss yours in the trash if they feel that it was "mass printed." Print the first and last name of the prospective employer on the cover letter, and make sure it is addressed to them. After you've done this, you will next want to sell yourself to prospective employers. What skills and qualities do you have that will make you a good candidate for the job? Remember, employers get a large number of resumes on a daily basis. It is crucial that you stand out from the crowd in a good way. If you don't give employers a good reason to consider you for a job, it is likely they won't.

Once you have created the perfect resume and cover letter, you will next want to look at the different methods you can use to look for a job. You could look in newspaper ads, magazines. or the internet. The internet is the newest form of media which allows you to look for a good job. In many ways, it is better than newspapers and magazines for a number of reasons. Newspapers and magazines only have so much space in which they can advertise positions. In other words, they are limited. The internet is just the opposite. It is the global information super highway. There are hundreds of websites where you can look through thousands of offers.

As you can see, using the internet to look for a job is a great idea. You will find a much larger selection of jobs, and this will give you more career choices. When an employee is interested in your resume, they will want to conduct an interview. Understanding how to properly give an interview can make the difference between you being hired or rejected. You will obviously want to wear the right clothing. If you are applying for a business job, you will want to wear a suit. After the interview is completed, you will want to make sure you follow up with the employer. It is best to wait about a week before doing this. This will give the potential employer time to think about whether or not they should hire you.

http://www.exforsys.com/career-center/job-search-tips/how-to-find-a-good-job.html

Introduction

Having experience of being an interviewer and an interviewee means I get to see both sides of the equation. As an interviewer I find nothing more tedious than a techie spouting on about how wonderful the new technologies are and how they are the answer to all our problems.

The majority of all software projects that fail have nothing to do with the technology and more to do with failures in project management than anything else.

Failure to extract the correct requirements and manage them is in my opinion the biggest reason for failure. No ‘cool’ technology is going to solve that problem.

The strongest piece of advice I can give any developer prior to an interview is to demonstrate to the interviewer they are focused on building the simplest thing that will work in order to solve the business problem.

Here are my other tips for successful interview technique:

• Firstly, no advice about firm hand shakes, and looking people in the eye. If you are confident and know your subject, the interviewer won’t care if you don’t crush their hand or look at them lovingly!
• Look smart. It's irrelevant of course in terms of your ability, but alas, smart clothes create a good first impression. You also might be client facing. So, it’s worth proving that you shower every now and then and know how to put a tie on!
• The main purpose of the interview is to hire the 'best fit'. The 'best fit' could be a back room technical geeky genius or someone less technical and more business aware. You'll need to gauge this at the interview. Then you can focus your questions to show that you fit the role they have described.
• Never focus on why the role would be good for you and what you would get out of it. The client does not care. They are solely interested in whether they can trust you to do the job on time and to budget.
• Never try to pretend that you know something that you don't. You will be caught out. No one hires a blagger. They are far too risky. The boss wants to know that at the end of the day they can trust you to either get something done, or put your hand up and ask for help. Honesty goes a long way. If you have to take a guess, then explain that it is a guess beforehand. If you do not know how to solve something, admit you don't, but suggest how and where you could find the solution. It shows you are resourceful.
• Just answer the question. It is easy for techies to 'go off on one' and get carried away by drilling down into some detailed technical area when it is not required. Provide the information necessary and ask the interviewer if that covers what they wanted to know.
• Don't interrupt. Remember your manners and wait for the other person to finish speaking. Make notes whilst they are speaking if you are worried you'll forget your points by the time they have finished. Watch out for your eagerness being mistaken for simply being rude.
• Try to ensure the conversation is evenly balanced. If they speak for 90% of the time you won't get your points across and be able to impress them. If you speak 90% of the time they will think you talk too much and are a poor listener.
• Prepare your questions. Create a set of open questions that provoke conversations about topics which you know a lot about. No one else in that room is going to blow your trumpet. You've got to blow it yourself. Filter your prepared questions that are relevant to the position they have explained to you during the interview.
• Unless the position is highly technical then avoid getting bogged down in deep technical discussions that do not give you the opportunity to demonstrate your skills in other areas like software process and lifecycle.
• Align your responses based on the interviewer. If they are non technical then don't bore them with deep technical information they know nothing about. They won't be impressed. Use the buzzwords and describe the benefits in terms of how it can help improve the business and hit deadlines. If they are very technical then you might want to get heavily technical to show them you know what you are talking about.
• Ask them about the business problem. You are potentially going to be hired as an IT doctor to diagnose and solve their business problems with technology. Your not being hired to use the latest Whizz-bang CV compliant technology, but are there to help their business. Demonstrate that you are focused on providing business value, rather than just using the latest technology to build 'cool stuff'. This is key.
• Treat the exercise as a skill matching exercise. You are trying to evaluate if it is a good fit. Be yourself and find out as much as you need to about the role. Don't wait until day 1 to realise that it is 9 months analysis when you would prefer to start designing from already documented requirements.
• Show that you know and understand the commercial realities of software development. For example, when suggesting solutions and discussing approaches you should be aware of the difference between tactical and strategic solutions. You should understand why they just want to knock up a quick fix solution, rather than turn a requirement into a software science project. Being aware of the balance between cost of solution and the practicalities is very important.
• Show that you have an understanding of where technology is heading. Assuming you read web sites, and journals regularly, ensure you get that across to the interviewer. It is a big bonus if you can show you understand what is coming up, rather than still sticking to old versions of software.
• Demonstrate that you understand the project life cycle, together with some formal iterative methodologies. However, don't give the impression that everything must be done formally. Show that you understand the balance between 'over doing it' from and 'getting the job done'.
• Never discuss rates and hours with the interviewer unless you have personal commitments that they need to be aware of. If you are worried about 'number of hours' on a daily rate, then get it put into the contract that a day consists of 8 hours of your services. Anything more is chargeable pro rata.
• Don't give the impression you know everything. You actually know very little, except a lot about one very small subject. No one likes an ego - they wreck teams and cause mayhem.
• Sum up at the end and summarise how you think you can help, and also the areas that you cannot help. For example, you may be great at VBScript, but a novice at JavaScript. Make sure you mention this. If you don't want the job then say so there and then. The interviewer will respect you for saying so.
• Do some homework about the company before the interview. A quick hour search on internet will be okay. Get some facts and shoe horn a couple of quotes into the interview to show them that you have found out about the company. It's the fact that you made the effort to find out that is important.
• And lastly, show that you are human. Use your sense of humour.

Introduction

The Ministry of Labour of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia welcomes all ptriates recruited for work in the Kingdom and wishes them a successful work period until they return to their home countries after the end of their work period.   

The Ministry of Labour and all concerned bodies assure all workers that they are guests of the Ministry and that it is eager to take care of them in accordance with the rules of Islamic Sharia', the applicable laws and international conventions.

The Ministry of Labour prepared this Guidebook for all expatriates recruited for work in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to provide them with basic information on the Kingdom and to clarify the provisions of the Labour Law, the regulations & decisions rendered pursuant to it which define the relationship between the worker and the employer in order to create a suitable environment for expatriate workers, to maintain their rights, to establish a proper relationship between the two parties and to make better understanding of the labour market in the Kingdom.

The Ministry hopes this Guidebook will realize its objectives, provide answers to expatriate workers inquiries and make them know about work environment in the Kingdom in order to be adapted to it after arrival.

We would be grateful if foreign embassies and consulates in the Kingdom could- in coordination with the competent authorities in their countries- take this Guidebook as a main guide for expatriate workers to make them aware of their rights and obligations.

The Ministry of Labour wishes all expatriate workers a successful work period. 

Ministry of Labour       

Graduate outlook

The use of Arabic for day-to-day business and the government’s aim to maximize employment of the Saudi workforce does gives some advantage to local people. However, a shortage of graduates means that there are vacancies in numerous sectors, including telecommunications, the petrochemical sector, transport, power generation and distribution.

Plans for 600,000 new homes, 4,000 new schools, as well as new hospitals, universities, factories and water desalination projects ('Saudi property boom takes off', CNN International - Saudi Arabia, June 2007) are likely to result in an increase in graduate opportunities within the engineering and construction sector.

Saudi Arabia’s commitment to educating and training its own workforce means that there are opportunities for graduates in schools and universities. There are also opportunities for teaching expatriate children in private schools and for working in specialist language schools.

Because of cultural and religious restrictions, career choices for female graduates are likely to be limited. However, single sex schools and private schools for expatriate children provide vacancies for teachers. The shortage of healthcare workers means that there are also opportunities in Saudi Arabia for expatriate medical staff.

The economy

The Saudi Arabian government aims to make the country one of the top ten most economically competitive countries in the world by 2010 and plans to create six ‘economic cities’ by 2020, creating up to one million new jobs ('Saudi aims for global top ten', CNN International - Saudi Arabia, March 2007).

The main areas of employment within the country are industry (67%), services (29.8%) and agriculture (3.3%) (The World Fact book, 2007). Other major sectors include financial services, construction and building materials (Saudi Arabia Country Profile, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), 2007).

Companies

The largest employer of UK expatriates in Saudi Arabia is the defense contractor BAE Systems. The former US-owned national oil company Saudi Aramco based in Dhahran is also a major employer of foreign workers, either directly or via subcontracted service providers. Other multinational oil and gas companies with Saudi bases include Shell and BP.

Most of the major IT companies have a presence in Saudi Arabia, including Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft, IBM and Sun Microsystems.

Unemployment

Unemployment currently runs at 13-25% (The World Fact book, July 2007). Updated labor force statistics can be found on The World Fact book website.

Working practices and customs

Only contracts of employment written in Arabic are legally binding.

Employers usually pay for flights, accommodation and other costs for workers from outside the country.

A normal working day would be eight hours long, working up to 48 hours per week.

The weekend is considered to be Thursday and Friday.

Annual leave entitlement is 21 days after one year of service and 30 days after five years. See the Guidebook for expatriates recruited for work in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for more details.

The employer has the right to decide the time of annual leave.

For salaried employees the period of notice is 30 days.

Salaries are usually good, with many expatriates receiving generous benefits packages.

Investment of oil revenue to fund public spending has also led to a low level of income tax.

Language requirements

The official language of Saudi Arabia is Arabic. English is widely spoken and is the universal language of commerce and business.

http://www.prospects.ac.uk/