GUIDANCE FOR SOFTWARE HUNTER PART-2

44. What qualities do you look for in a boss?

Be generic and positive. Safe qualities are knowledgeable, a sense of humor, fair, loyal to subordinates and holder of high standards. All bosses think they have these traits.

45. Tell me about a time when you helped resolve a dispute between others?

Pick a specific incident. Concentrate on your problem solving technique and not the dispute you settled.

46. What position do you prefer on a team working on a project?

Be honest. If you are comfortable in different roles, point that out.

47. Describe your work ethic.

Emphasize benefits to the organization. Things like, determination to get the job done and work hard but enjoy your work are good.

48. What has been your biggest professional disappointment?

Be sure that you refer to something that was beyond your control. Show acceptance and no negative feelings.

49. Tell me about the most fun you have had on the job.

Talk about having fun by accomplishing something for the organization.

50. Do you have any questions for me?

Always have some questions prepared. Questions prepared where you will be an asset to the organization are good. How soon will I be able to be productive? And what type of projects will I be able to assist on? are examples.

1.1     Job Interviewing Do's and Don'ts

Here are the keys to successful job interviewing. Follow these simple rules and you should achieve success in this important phase of job-hunting.

• Do take a practice run to the location where you are having the interview -- or be sure you know exactly where it is and how long it takes to get there.

• Do your research and know the type of job interview you will be encountering. (See types of job interviews.) And do prepare and practice for the interview, but don't memorize or over-rehearse your answers. (See our some of the best collections of interview questions.)

• Do dress the part for the job, the company and the industry. And do err on the side of conservatism. If you're not sure, you should consider reading our article, when Job-Hunting: Dress for Success.

• Do plan to arrive about 10 minutes early. Late arrival for a job interview is never excusable. If you are running late, do phone the company.

• Do greet the receptionist or assistant with courtesy and respect. This is where you make your first impression.

• Don't chew gum during the interview.

• If presented with a job application, do fill it out neatly, completely, and accurately.

• Do bring extra resumes to the interview. (Even better, if you have a job skills portfolio, do bring that with you to the interview.)

• Don't rely on your application or resume to do the selling for you. No matter how qualified you are for the position, you will need to sell yourself to the interviewer.

• Do greet the interviewer(s) by title (Ms., Mr., and Dr.) and last name if you are sure of the pronunciation. (If you're not sure, do ask the receptionist about the pronunciation before going into the interview.

• Do shake hands firmly. Don't have a limp or clammy handshake!

• Do wait until you are offered a chair before sitting. And do remember body language and posture: sit upright and look alert and interested at all times. Don't fidget or slouch.

• Don't tell jokes during the interview.

• Do make good eye contact with your interviewer(s).

• Do show enthusiasm in the position and the company.

• Don't smoke, even if the interviewer does and offers you a cigarette. And don't smoke beforehand so that you smell like smoke. And do brush your teeth, use mouthwash, or have a breath mint before the interview.

• Do avoid using poor language, slang, and pause words (such as "like," "uh” and "um").

• Don't be soft-spoken. A forceful voice projects confidence.

• Do have a high confidence and energy level, but don't be overly aggressive.

• Don't act as though you would take any job or are desperate for employment.

• Do avoid controversial topics.

• Don't say anything negative about former colleagues, supervisors, or employers.

• Do make sure that your good points come across to the interviewer in a factual, sincere manner.

• Don't ever lie. Answer questions truthfully, frankly and succinctly. And don't over-answer questions.

• Do stress your achievements. And don't offer any negative information about yourself.

• Don't answer questions with a simple "yes" or "no." Explain whenever possible. Describe those things about yourself that showcase your talents, skills, and determination. Give examples.

• Do show off the research you have done on the company and industry when responding to questions. (See our Guide to Researching Companies.)

• Don't bring up or discuss personal issues or family problems.

• Do remember that the interview is also an important time for you to evaluate the interviewer and the company she represents.

• Don't respond to an unexpected question with an extended pause or by saying something like, "boy, that's a good question." And do repeat the question out loud or ask for the question to be repeated to give you a little more time to think about an answer. Also, a short pause before responding is okay.

• Do always conduct yourself as if you are determined to get the job you are discussing. Never close the door on an opportunity until you are sure about it.

• Don't answer cell phone calls during the interview, and do turn off (or set to silent ring) your cell phone and/or pager.

• Do show what you can do for the company rather than what the company can do for you.

• Don't inquire about salary, vacations, bonuses, retirement, or other benefits until after you've received an offer. Be prepared for a question about your salary requirements, but do try and delay salary talk until you have an offer. (You might consider visiting our salary tutorial for more tips and strategies.)

• Do ask intelligent questions about the job, company, or industry. Don't ever not ask any questions -- it shows a lack of interest.

• Do close the interview by telling the interviewer(s) that you want the job and asking about the next step in the process. (Some experts even say you should close the interview by asking for the job.)

• Do try and get business cards from each person you interviewed with -- or at least the correct spelling of their first and last names. And don't make assumptions about simple names -- was it Jon or John -- get the spelling.

• Do immediately take down notes after the interview concludes so you don't forget crucial details.

2.     SAMPLE RESUME

2.1     Sample resume - Fresher

Hi, 

      I have completed my MSC (CS, S/W) at Madurai Kamaraj University with 83.89% and looking for a challenging job in IT field. I have clear Knowledge about C, C++, VC++ and OOPS. I have attached my CV for your kind perusal. Please do the necessary. 

                                                                                            Regards, 

                                                                                         S.Vijayalakshmi

S.VIJAYALAKSHMI 

C/o, Mrs Bharathi. 

Arjun Illam, 

4/116, Kambar street, 

Karambakkam, 

Porur, 

Chennai - 116. 

Phone  :  9841315180 

Mail id:  vijicpp03@yahoo.com

              vijicpp@hotmail.com

OBJECTIVE : 

  To work in a challenging and creative environment and effectively contribute towards the goals of the organization. 

AREAS OF INTEREST : 

Data Structures 

Networking Concepts

OOPS 

EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATION : 

2001-2003               M. Sc., Computer Science with 83.9%,

                               Department of Computer Science, 

                               Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai 

1998-2001               B. Sc., Computer Science with 73.9%, 

                                              Department of Computer Science, 

                               N.S.College of Arts & Science, Theni 

1998                                       Higher Secondary Course with 77%, 

                               N.S.G.Higher Secondary School, Theni 

1996                        S. S. L. C., with 85%, 

                               N.S.G.Higher Secondary School, Theni 

TECHNICAL SKILLS: 

Languages         : C, C++ 

GUI Tools         : VC++ 6.0, VB 6.0 

Web Tools         : HTML, ASP, VB Script 

Databases          : Oracle8.0, MS-Access, dbase

Operating system   : Windows 9x, SCO UNIX, MS-DOS 6.2

PROJECTS: 

1) TELNET CLIENT CONSOLE APPLICATION 

   Language                       :  VC++ 6.0 

   Server Platform              :  Linux or UNIX 

   Client Platform               :  Windows 

   Team Size                        :  Single 

   Duration                           :  4 months 

   Client                               :  HCL Peripherals 

   Description                      : 

               Enables to login in to a Remote server having UNIX platforms. Also handles User authentication, File Management, Remote command Processing, Node Management and Chatting.

2) IMAGE PROCESSING 

   Language                :  VB 6.0 

   Platform                  :  Windows 

   Team Size               :  Single 

   Duration                  :  2 months 

   Description       : 

               Compress and decompress the image by traversing through kolam, Produces grey scale, mirror, negative, invert images and also effect of torchlight on the image.

3) MAIL SERVER AND FILE TRANSFER 

   Language                       :  C 

   Platform                         :  UNIX 

   Protocol                         :  UDP 

   Team Size                      :  Single 

   Duration                         :  1.5 months 

   Description       : 

               Adds new users, Maintains user information and handles mail transfer. Transfers file in case of requests from users. 

PERSONAL SKILLS: 

* Excellent problem solving skills and a self starter 

* Takes initiative and works independently or as part of a group. 

* Well organized and easily meets deadlines. 

EXTRA CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES: 

Essay Writing, Quiz, Poem Writing, Public speaking, Story Writing and Dramatics. 

PERSONAL PROFILE: 

  Name of Father         : Mr. L.Sankaranarayanan 

  Date of Birth             : May 7, 1981 

  Languages known      : English, Tamil, and Telugu 

  Marital Status            : Unmarried 

  Hobbies                     : Playing chess, listening to Music, Verse writing & Puzzle Solving.  

2.2      Sample resume - Experience

Hi,

               I am a software Engineer with around 2 years of experience and looking for a suitable job change. Please do the necessary.

Regards,

Bharathi N. 

Bharathi N 

#844,35th Main, 11th Cross, 

J.P.Nagar, I Phase, 

Bangalore-78. 

India. 

E-mail: bharathicpp@yahoo.com 

Phone: 98440-61400

PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY: 

* Strong in Object Oriented Concepts, Design and Programming. 

* Two plus years of experience in IT industry. 

* Solid experience in OOPS (C++)

* Clear knowledge about Data structures.

* The entire professional career is being made out of continuous achievements. 

* The client appreciation was received on various project works.

EDUCATIONAL DETAILS: 

Bachelor of Engineering in Computer Science Engineering. 

Vijayanagar Engineering College, Bellary. 

Gulbarga University, India. 

Passed out in August 2000. 

Percentage of marks: 74.2%. 

ACADEMIC RECORDS: 

B.E. - 2000 - 74.2% 

P.U.C. - 1996 - 71.9% 

S.S.L.C. - 1994 - 72.2% 

EMPLOYMENT SUMMARY: 

* Working as Software Engineer in MACMILLAN INDIA LTD, Bangalore. (www.macmillan.com)

(From Sep’2000 to till date) 

TECHNICAL SKILLS: 

* C 

* C++ 

* Java 

* HTML 

* Pl/Sql 

* Oracle 8.0 

* Visual C++ 6.0 

* Strong in OOPS Concepts 

* Windows NT, Windows 9X and Windows 2000 

PROJECT SUMMARY: 

PROJECT #1 

PROJECT NAME: Agni

DURATION: Apr 2002 – Till date

CLIENT: Macmillan, India 

TEAM SIZE: 2 

ROLE: Team member 

DESCRIPTION: 

* This is a conversion tool for GML (Generalized Markup Language).

* Translates GML to Latex. 

* Basic entities are replaced with the corresponding latex code. 

* Accents are replaced accordingly. 

* GML tags are replaced with the corresponding latex code. 

* Creates error log file containing all the missed tags, entities and accents.

ACTIVITIES: 

* Requirements gathering from the client. 

* Involved in analysis modeling using Standard notations. 

* Identification of classes, attributes and methods for major components under development 

* Development of UI Components and Database designing. 

* Task allocation, monitoring and review of the tasks done by the team members (leading a team of 3) 

* Complete quality awareness coordinator for the project by ensuring the internal/external reviews and final inspections 

PLATFORM: 

* C++ 

* Visual C++ 

* Windows 2000

PROJECT #2 

PROJECT NAME: TeX Automation 

DURATION: Oct 2001 – Mar 2002

CLIENT: Macmillan, India 

TEAM SIZE: 2 

ROLE: Team Member 

DESCRIPTION: 

* This tool is generalized one which can convert any type of file to the required format. 

* Reads the contents of a file. 

* Front matter structuring, mathematical formatting, Sections restructuring, Tables alignment and cross references generation are the main modules of this project. 

* Cleaning module removes all the unnecessary tags. 

* All the unwanted input style files to be deleted. 

ACTIVITIES: 

* Requirement analysis, Data collection and System study. 

* Analysis of TeX File format. 

* Low level and High level Designing. 

* Coding and Testing. 

* Test case preparation and Documentation of Application workflow. 

PLATFORM: 

* C

* C++ 

* Windows NT 

PROJECT #3 

PROJECT NAME: Computer Adaptive Test 

DURATION: Apr 2001 – Sep 2001 

CLIENT: Macmillan, India 

TEAM SIZE: 3 

ROLE: Team Member 

DESCRIPTION: 

* The GUI was designed with MFC. 

* The difficulty of each question changes according to answer given by the Candidate. 

* The questions start with the lowest difficulty level and keeps increasing if the user keeps giving 

right answers. 

* The difficulty level starts decreasing once the user gives wrong answers. 

ACTIVITIES: 

* Involved in Designing Use Case Diagrams, Class Diagrams and Sequence Diagrams 

* Coding and Testing. 

* Analysis of future modification. 

PLATFORM: 

* C++ 

* Visual C++ 

* Oracle

* Windows 2000 

PROJECT #4 

PROJECT NAME: QC Check Tool for AIP LaTeX

DURATION: Sep 2000 – Mar 2001 

CLIENT: Macmillan, India 

TEAM SIZE: 2 

ROLE: Team Member 

DESCRIPTION: 

* Reads the contents of LaTex file. 

* Parses the contents. 

* Validates the syntax and the order in which the text should appear. 

* Creates and writes the errors to an error log. 

* Corrects some of the syntax errors in the file and makes a log of that as well.

ACTIVITIES: 

* Testing case preparation. Unit testing and Module testing. 

* Entire functionality testing. 

* Debugging the code. 

* Analysis of future modification and Data collection 

PLATFORM: 

* C

* C++ 

* Windows NT

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIP: 

Active Member of IEEE from 1995 onwards. 

EXTRA CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES: 

Poem Writing, Story Writing, Dramatics, Chess, Tennis. 

PERSONAL DETAILS: 

Father's Name : N.Umamaheswara Reddy 

Date of Birth : 25-05-1979. 

Sex: Female. 

Marital Status: Single. 

Nationality: Indian. 

Permanent Address: Venkateswara Nilayam, 

Near B.N.Temple, Gandhi Nagar, 

Bellary-583103 

Karnataka 

India. 

E-Mail: bharathicpp@yahoo.com

3.     DO FIGHT WITH JOB HUNTING

Hi all,

  With God’s grace I am in Covansys now. I got Covansys Peoplesoft's IDC (India Devt Centre) in Bglr. My test was on Dec 17th and Feb 4th was my interview (at that time I was in HCL). then after one week they informed me that due to some pblms we stopped all the recruitment and well let u soon. From that time I was waiting and finally when I got their call. My life after I passed MCA in March 2003 as follows....

The lists of companies are

1. Wipro Technologies (After my BSC) - cleared the test, Group discussion failed

2. Optibiz Technologies (on April 2003): Cleared in test, Cleared in Interview, Rejected the offer [2 lacs have to pay]

3. Newjen software Technologies (July 03) - failed in Test.

4. ABN Amro bank: Cleared the test, Failed in the interview

5. SRM Softwares: cleared in test, interview, Rejected the offer [salary only 3000/- for 18 months]

6. Cams: Cleared in Test, Technical interview, HR interview, Worked for 13 days and quit [BPO jobs]

7. E-Serve International - Cleared in test, Cleared in Tech-interview, Failed in HR interview  [BPO jobs]

8. TCS - failed in the test.

9. Carritor (IT solutions) - failed in the test.

10. Hexaware - cleared the test, Group discussion failed

11. Syntel (Cochin): failed in the test

12. TVS INFOTECH: rejected the offer because of no salary and a probation of 6 months or more

13. Covansys (Dec03 - Aug04): Cleared the test on DEC 17th, Tech+HR interview on 4th of Feb, Got offer letter on 25th of Aug 04   === Presently Working

14. Laserword: Cleared the test, failed in the technical interview.

15. Syntel (chennai): failed in the test

16. HCL BPO: Cleared test, cleared GD (3 parts), Cleared Interview         === Joined JAN 19th (Resigned when I got the Covansys Offer)

17. Satyam: Cleared Test, failed in the GD

18. Infosys: Failed in the test

19. CTS: Failed in the test

20. Wipro Technologies: Cleared test, failed in the technical interview

21. Barry-Whelmer: Failed in the test.

22. CTS (June 03): Cleared test, failed in the HR interview

23. Wipro Technologies (July 04): Failed in the test.

I think many of us will be wondering is there any person who wrote this much exams to get through and I have learned lot of things in this one and a half Year (Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, sep, Oct, Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, June, July, Aug) job hunting experience in Chennai and 2 days in Bangalore.

* In the above list, for all I applied Directly through Web, no Employee reference

Actually the thing is Your Attitude only can help you to get a job and help you to achieve anything in the world.(Attitude towards life, people, job... etc)

Be a +ve thinker, Have confident on yourself. Try try... again try...
 

My Personal Records:

1.       Sent more than 21000 Soft copies of my Resume through Internet

2.       Used more than 270 Hard copies of my Resume

4.     Motivating words

Tell yourself you are a great individual and believe in your self, for if you don't believe in your self, no one else will believe in you. Create your own life and then go out and live it.

The law of averages tells us you must achieve more, if you are trying more. More, more and more. The more self-confidence you have the less you will be affected by temporary setbacks (never final, always temporary) and short-term disappointments. The more self-confidence you have the likely it is that you will live a life full of achievement, riches, satisfaction and pure bliss.

MY FRIEND, YOU ARE EXTRAORDINARY!! The odds are greater than 50 crore to 1 against their ever being anyone with the unique combination of talents, skills, and abilities that you possess. You are unique, never forget my friend. The unbelievable achievements that you are capable of, no one knows, not even your self.

Exploit your strengths and starve your weaknesses. Yes, of course there is more to it than this but not much more. "WE ARE WHAT WE THINK ABOUT!" YOU MUST! You must make up your mind to look at you honestly and make future decisions based on your uniqueness. NOW! TODAY! THIS VERY MOMENT is time to realize how extraordinary you are.

Albert Einstein used his brain.

Napoleon used his power.

Thomas Edison used his brain.

Thatz why they reached that position. Use your brain my friend. You can reach a unbelievable position. You can.

The psychologist Abraham Maslow says the story of the human race is the story of men and women selling themselves short. The great majority of people tend to compare themselves unfavorably with others. They dwell on there own weaknesses and limitations and they usually end up with far less then they are really capable of. Instead of taking control of their life and enjoying high levels of self-esteem, self-respect and personal pride, the average person just gets by from day to day. GOD put you here on this glorious earth to do more than "just get by." If self-confidence and the self-esteem that goes with it is so desirable, why is it so few people have enough self-confidence to live the lives that are possible for them?

From time to time, (rarely) we have seen people with naturally high levels of self-confidence. These people have gone on to achieve extraordinary things. In studying the lives of these super-achievers we have found that "some" of them started out with high levels of self-confidence, which they learned from there parents, quite fortunately, in early childhood. But, most of them started out like most of us with down deep feelings of inferiority and inadequacy. Because of criticism and lack of love and other mistakes parents made in early childhood, we grow up with little self-esteem and feel less than others.

The starting point in developing a high level of self-confidence and in reality becoming an EXCELLENT human being is to think through and to decide upon your valves. For example, what is really, really important to you? How do you define values? Having defined a clear set of values, not vague, not unsure, but clear, concise, values will cause you to develop the convictions and enthusiasm necessary for self-confidence. Your starting point toward higher self-confidence and personal greatness is to clarify your values for yourself. Ask yourself what you truly believe in! (?) What do you stand for? What will you not stand for? What would you pay for? Work for? or even DIE FOR????

Make your own list and remember, unshakeable self-confidence comes from unshakeable commitment to your values. When deep down inside yourself you know you will never violate your highest principles you experience a deep sense of "personal power" and confidence that empowers you to deal with life openly and honestly and with complete self-confidence in almost every human situation.

Did you know that Edison failed over 9000 (that's thousand) times before perfecting the light bulb! How many of us would have thrown in the "proverbial" towel at 20 failures, 150 failures or at the 8000th failure. After Edison had invented and produced the light-bulb a reporter asked him how it felt to fail over 9000 times. Edison replied, "I was glad I found 9000 ways not to invent the light bulb! From this point forward Edison went on to receive 1,093 patents, more than any other person in U.S. history.

Read as many books, and magazines that are positive inspirational and motivational as you possibly can. Study the lives of the people who have a positive message to share with all of us, and especially in the given field you have chosen to be great at.

Nothing in life that is worthy is ever too hard to achieve, if you have the courage to try it and you have the faith to believe. Faith is a force that is greater than knowledge or power or skill.

"The secret of success in life is for u to be ready for your opportunity when it comes." 

"Success comes in cans, not cannot." 

"There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, learning from failure." 

"Self-trust is the first secret of success." 

"Success is going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm." 

"We can succeed at almost anything for which we have unlimited enthusiasm."

Dear friend, you should get Strength to battle with difficulties and overcome them. You should get Patience enough to toil until some good is accomplished. You should hope enough to remove all anxious fears concerning the future.

Emotional decisions come from the heart, thinking ones from the brain. You should not take any emotional decisions. This is the age we all take only emotional decisions. Ask your brain always, it will tell you, what is correct and wrong.

To have a positive day keep the following in mind:
1. Every problem has a solution.
2. Failures always lead to learning something you can use later.
3. Many times you must take a step back before u take two steps forward.
4. After a crisis is always an opportunity.
5. You control your thoughts and feelings.
6. You make the choices that determine your fate.

Michael Jordan wordings. (He is famous US basket ball player.)

1. I have missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I have lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I have been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.

2. I can accept failure, but I can't accept not trying.

3. I have always believed that if you put in the work, the results will come. I don't do things half-heartedly. Because I know if I do, then I can expect half-hearted results.

4. If you are trying to achieve, there will be roadblocks. I have had them; everybody has had them.

5. Obstacles don't have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don't turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.

5.     At any cost don’t let your hope down, we are here to support you

Always keep in mind that ‘what do you want right now?'  'What is lacking behind YOU to get that?'  'What has to be done to get as early as possible?'

To overcome all the above mentioned questions, always there is only one thing with you...That is 'Continuous hard work without loosing rays of hope'....You should not lose your hope even you didn't get job after a month or two months or even a year(Just for sake I am telling this)...But no one will do that...You should not stop initiation (whatever you have to do to get job) or approach towards getting job from your side  ...You just have to keep on trying to achieve whatever you want?...I am sure you will do that because you are in that situation and also I can support you to the extend I can...See if you think you can always you can...Isn't it?...

            Don't loose your hope and always have positive attitude in your mind...Think always about getting job and do something related to that (which can add value to get a job. we will also help you what you need to do. Nothing should be there in your mind apart from getting job.

For example,

If you walking along the road suppose you are seeing an advertisement during that time even that is not related to yours but you should be able to notice or something has to be triggered on your mind regarding your job...Because opportunities can come in any way, you should  aware and should not miss that one...It won't come again...To really understand this I can tell you N number of examples even from my friends circle and from my own experience also...You don't attend courses by paying 30 to 50 thousand.....This is I am telling you from my own experience...Because even I didn't know how to type in computer keyboard also I didn't attend for any courses when I got selected into TCS...You don't have to worry about technical knowledge for a fresher....The company which hires you will give you lots of training in software. Just you have to prepare to clear the written test and interview to get into the company.