Showing posts with label academic. Show all posts
Showing posts with label academic. Show all posts

Saturday, August 2, 2008

Top Ten eBook Websites

Here is a list of top ten ebook websites from which you can get loads and loads of ebooks.

1. Project Gutenberg: http://www.gutenberg.org

2. Asiaing.com: http://www.asiaing.com
Over 2,000 free ebooks & free magazines. Most of them can be downloaded directly. I love the slogan: “Knowledge shared, power gained!.”

3. The Online Books Page: http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/
Listing over 25,000 free books on the Web. The site is hosted by the University of Pennsylvania Library.

4. PSU's Electronic Classics Site: http://www2.hn.psu.edu/faculty/jmanis/jimspdf.htm
Classic works of Literature.

5. PlanetPDF http://www.planetpdf.com/free_pdf_ebooks.asp?CurrentPage=1
Classics works of Literature.

6. University of California, eScholarship Edition: http://content.cdlib.org/escholarship/
The eScholarship Editions collection includes almost 2000 books from academic presses on a range of topics, including art, science, history, music, religion, and fiction.

7. University of Adelaide Library’s collection of Web books:
http://etext.library.adelaide.edu.au/
The collection includes classic works of Literature, Philosophy, Science, and History.

8. AvaxHome.ru: http://www.avaxhome.ru
Some new ebooks. Rapidshare download links. Copyright is a problem.

9. The National Academies Press: http://www.nap.edu
Read more than 3,000 books online FREE!

10.You! Everyone has his own favorite ebook website. Maybe It’s already on the list. Maybe not. It doesn’t matter. The most important thing is that you love eBook.

Any more website? Please mention it in the comments section so that others can benifit from it.

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Interview question - When your work was criticised?

This interview question is used to find out how the candidate looks upon criticism and how he manages it. If you donot prepare well for this kinda question you can very well be out of the interview. So, check out how to answer this question.

TRAPS: This is a tough question because it’s a more clever and subtle way to get you to admit to a weakness. You can’t dodge it by pretending you’ve never been criticized. Everybody has been. Yet it can be quite damaging to start admitting potential faults and failures that you’d just as soon leave buried.

This question is also intended to probe how well you accept criticism and direction.

BEST ANSWERS: Begin by emphasizing the extremely positive feedback you’ve gotten throughout your career and (if it’s true) that your performance reviews have been uniformly excellent.

Of course, no one is perfect and you always welcome suggestions on how to improve your performance. Then, give an example of a not-too-damaging learning experience from early in your career and relate the ways this lesson has since helped you. This demonstrates that you learned from the experience and the lesson is now one of the strongest breastplates in your suit of armor.

If you are pressed for a criticism from a recent position, choose something fairly trivial that in no way is essential to your successful performance. Add that you’ve learned from this, too, and over the past several years/months, it’s no longer an area of concern because you now make it a regular practice to…etc.

Another way to answer this question would be to describe your intention to broaden your master of an area of growing importance in your field. For example, this might be a computer program you’ve been meaning to sit down and learn… a new management technique you’ve read about…or perhaps attending a seminar on some cutting-edge branch of your profession.

Again, the key is to focus on something not essential to your brilliant performance but which adds yet another dimension to your already impressive knowledge base.

Check out more interview questions in the blog

Check out how to answer
"What are your hobbies?"



Friday, May 30, 2008

Interview Question - What are your outside interests?

This question can also be put in this fashion "what are your hobbies?". This might seem a piece of cake for everyone, would you believe if i say that my friend din't get recruited because of this question?. He has mentioned some hobbies in his resume and when the interviewer asked about his hobbies, he said someother thing which led to his downfall. And an interviewer can use this question to look into your inner qualities.

TRAPS: You want to be a well-rounded, not a drone. But your potential employer would be even more turned off if he suspects that your heavy extracurricular load will interfere with your commitment to your work duties.

BEST ANSWERS: Try to gauge how this company’s culture would look upon your favorite outside activities and be guided accordingly.

You can also use this question to shatter any stereotypes that could limit your chances. If you’re over 50, for example, describe your activities that demonstrate physical stamina. If you’re young, mention an activity that connotes wisdom and institutional trust, such as serving on the board of a popular charity.

But above all, remember that your employer is hiring your for what you can do for him, not your family, yourself or outside organizations, no matter how admirable those activities may be.

Check out more interview questions in the blog

Check out how to answer
"Why have you been out of work so long?"


Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Interview question - Why have you been out of work so long?

This is a very very embarrassing question for those who have been in searching for jobs for a long time especially for the persons who missed their opportunity in their placements. Here are some tips on how to answer this question.

TRAPS: You don’t want to seem like damaged goods.

BEST ANSWER: You want to emphasize factors which have prolonged your job search by your own choice.

Example: “After my job was terminated, I made a conscious decision not to jump on the first opportunities to come along. In my life, I’ve found out that you can always turn a negative into a positive IF you try hard enough. This is what I determined to do. I decided to take whatever time I needed to think through what I do best, what I most want to do, where I’d like to do it…and then identify those companies that could offer such an opportunity.”

“Also, in all honesty, you have to factor in the recession (consolidation, stabilization, etc.) in the (banking, financial services, manufacturing, advertising, etc.) industry.”

“So between my being selective and the companies in our industry downsizing, the process has taken time. But in the end, I’m convinced that when I do find the right match, all that careful evaluation from both sides of the desk will have been well worthwhile for both the company that hires me and myself.



Check out more interview questions in the blog

Check out how to answer "Why do you want to work in our company?"

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Thursday, May 22, 2008

Interview Question - Why do you want to work in our company?

this is a sure question in any interview. Though this may sound a bit easy, it gives the opportunity for the interviewer to know how well you know the company.

TRAPS: This question tests whether you’ve done any homework about the firm. If you haven’t, you lose. If you have, you win big.

BEST ANSWER: This question is your opportunity to hit the ball out of the park, thanks to the in-depth research you should do before any interview.

Best sources for researching your target company: annual reports, the corporate newsletter, contacts you know at the company or its suppliers, advertisements, articles about the company in the trade press, company's website etc

Check out more interview questions in the blog

Check out how to answer " whats your ideal company?"

Monday, May 19, 2008

Interview question - Whats your ideal company?

This question can also be put forward in this fashion " whats your dream company? ". This question may be tricky, but can be very easily tackled.

TRAPS: This is often asked by an experienced interviewer who thinks you may be overqualified, but knows better than to show his hand by posing his objection directly. So he’ll use this question instead, which often gets a candidate to reveal that, indeed, he or she is looking for something other than the position at hand.

BEST ANSWER: The only right answer is to describe what this company is offering, being sure to make your answer believable with specific reasons, stated with sincerity, why each quality represented by this opportunity is attractive to you.

Remember that if you’re coming from a company that’s the leader in its field or from a glamorous or much admired company, industry, city or position, your interviewer and his company may well have an “Avis” complex. That is, they may feel a bit defensive about being “second best” to the place you’re coming from, worried that you may consider them bush league.

This anxiety could well be there even though you’ve done nothing to inspire it. You must go out of your way to assuage such anxiety, even if it’s not expressed, by putting their virtues high on the list of exactly what you’re looking for, providing credible reason for wanting these qualities.

If you do not express genuine enthusiasm for the firm, its culture, location, industry, etc., you may fail to answer this “Avis” complex objection and, as a result, leave the interviewer suspecting that a hot shot like you, coming from a Fortune 500 company in New York, just wouldn’t be happy at an unknown manufacturer based in Topeka, Kansas.

Check out more interview questions in the blog

Check out how to answer " Where do you see 5 years from now?"

Sunday, May 18, 2008

Interview question - where do you see yourself five years from now?


This question is often asked in an interview. Probably everyone would say their plan of higher studies ( students like me ) but once you say this you are out of the interview. So, just check out how to answer this question.

TRAPS: One reason interviewers ask this question is to see if you’re settling for this position, using it merely as a stopover until something better comes along. Or they could be trying to gauge your level of ambition.

If you’re too specific, i.e., naming the promotions you someday hope to win, you’ll sound presumptuous. If you’re too vague, you’ll seem rudderless.

BEST ANSWER: Reassure your interviewer that you’re looking to make a long-term commitment…that this position entails exactly what you’re looking to do and what you do extremely well. As for your future, you believe that if you perform each job at hand with excellence, future opportunities will take care of themselves.

Example: “I am definitely interested in making a long-term commitment to my next position. Judging by what you’ve told me about this position, it’s exactly what I’m looking for and what I am very well qualified to do. In terms of my future career path, I’m confident that if I do my work with excellence, opportunities will inevitable open up for me. It’s always been that way in my career, and I’m confident I’ll have similar opportunities here.”


For more interview questions, check this blog

Check out how to answer "Aren't you over qualified?"

Friday, May 16, 2008

Interview Question - The Silent treatment

When you are in an interview donot expect that you would always be questioned. There are times where the interviewer might maintain a silence after your answer. This is a very tricky situation which puts almost every one of the candidate to panic. Under such circumstances you should do as said below

TRAPS: Beware – if you are unprepared for this question, you will probably not handle it right and possibly blow the interview. Thank goodness most interviewers don’t employ it. It’s normally used by those determined to see how you respond under stress. Here’s how it works:

You answer an interviewer’s question and then, instead of asking another, he just stares at you in a deafening silence.

You wait, growing a bit uneasy, and there he sits, silent as Mt. Rushmore, as if he doesn’t believe what you’ve just said, or perhaps making you feel that you’ve unwittingly violated some cardinal rule of interview etiquette.

When you get this silent treatment after answering a particularly difficult question , such as “tell me about your weaknesses”, its intimidating effect can be most disquieting, even to polished job hunters.

Most unprepared candidates rush in to fill the void of silence, viewing prolonged, uncomfortable silences as an invitation to clear up the previous answer which has obviously caused some problem. And that’s what they do – ramble on, sputtering more and more information, sometimes irrelevant and often damaging, because they are suddenly playing the role of someone who’s goofed and is now trying to recoup. But since the candidate doesn’t know where or how he goofed, he just keeps talking, showing how flustered and confused he is by the interviewer’s unmovable silence.

BEST ANSWER: Like a primitive tribal mask, the Silent Treatment loses all it power to frighten you once you refuse to be intimidated. If your interviewer pulls it, keep quiet yourself for a while and then ask, with sincere politeness and not a trace of sarcasm, “Is there anything else I can fill in on that point?” That’s all there is to it.

Whatever you do, don’t let the Silent Treatment intimidate you into talking a blue streak, because you could easily talk yourself out of the position.


For more interview questions check the blog

Check out how to answer " why should i hire you? "


Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Interview Question - Why should I hire you ???

so we are back to our interview questions. next question we are going to see is " why should i hire you?? " Its a very tricky question and here is how you answer it.

TRAPS: Believe it or not, this is a killer question because so many candidates are unprepared for it. If you stammer or adlib you’ve blown it.

BEST ANSWER: By now you can see how critical it is to apply the overall strategy of uncovering the employer’s needs before you answer questions. If you know the employer’s greatest needs and desires, this question will give you a big leg up over other candidates because you will give him better reasons for hiring you than anyone else is likely to…reasons tied directly to his needs.

Whether your interviewer asks you this question explicitly or not, this is the most important question of your interview because he must answer this question favorably in is own mind before you will be hired. So help him out! Walk through each of the position’s requirements as you understand them, and follow each with a reason why you meet that requirement so well.

Example: “As I understand your needs, you are first and foremost looking for someone who can manage the sales and marketing of your book publishing division. As you’ve said you need someone with a strong background in trade book sales. This is where I’ve spent almost all of my career, so I’ve chalked up 18 years of experience exactly in this area. I believe that I know the right contacts, methods, principles, and successful management techniques as well as any person can in our industry.”

“You also need someone who can expand your book distribution channels. In my prior post, my innovative promotional ideas doubled, then tripled, the number of outlets selling our books. I’m confident I can do the same for you.”

“You need someone to give a new shot in the arm to your mail order sales, someone who knows how to sell in space and direct mail media. Here, too, I believe I have exactly the experience you need. In the last five years, I’ve increased our mail order book sales from $600,000 to $2,800,000, and now we’re the country’s second leading marketer of scientific and medical books by mail.” Etc., etc., etc.,

Every one of these selling “couplets” (his need matched by your qualifications) is a touchdown that runs up your score. IT is your best opportunity to outsell your

Find more interview questions in the blog.

Find how to answer "What are your weaknesses?"

Friday, May 9, 2008

Interview Question - what are your weaknesses?

Almost 5 days since my exams got over i haven't posted a single post in my blog. The reason is i have been playing with my system by installing ubuntu and trying to figure out the problems and rectify it. And finally after succeeding in putting my system back to normal, i wished to continue my interview tips and the next question we are going to see is " What are your greatest weaknesses?"


TRAPS: Beware - this is an eliminator question, designed to shorten the candidate list. Any admission of a weakness or fault will earn you an “A” for honesty, but an “F” for the interview.

PASSABLE ANSWER: Disguise a strength as a weakness.


Example: “I sometimes push my people too hard. I like to work with a sense of urgency and everyone is not always on the same wavelength.”

Drawback: This strategy is better than admitting a flaw, but it's so widely used, it is transparent to any experienced interviewer.


BEST ANSWER: (and another reason it's so important to get a thorough description of your interviewer's needs before you answer questions): Assure the interviewer that you can think of nothing that would stand in the way of your performing in this position with excellence. Then, quickly review you strongest qualifications.

Example: “Nobody's perfect, but based on what you've told me about this position, I believe I' d make an outstanding match. I know that when I hire people, I look for two things most of all. Do they have the qualifications to do the job well, and the motivation to do it well? Everything in my background shows I have both the qualifications and a strong desire to achieve excellence in whatever I take on. So I can say in all honesty that I see nothing that would cause you even a small concern about my ability or my strong desire to perform this job with excellence.”


Alternate strategy (if you don't yet know enough about the position to talk about such a perfect fit):


Instead of confessing a weakness, describe what you like most and like least, making sure that what you like most matches up with the most important qualification for success in the position, and what you like least is not essential.


Example: Let's say you're applying for a teaching position. “If given a choice, I like to spend as much time as possible in front of my prospects selling, as opposed to shuffling paperwork back at the office. Of course, I long ago learned the importance of filing paperwork properly, and I do it conscientiously. But what I really love to do is sell (if your interviewer were a sales manager, this should be music to his ears.)

Find more interview questions in the blog.

Find how to answer
"What are your strengths?"

Friday, May 2, 2008

Interview Question - What are your strengths?

TRAPS: This question seems like a softball lob, but be prepared. You don't want to come across as egotistical or arrogant. Neither is this a time to be humble.

BEST ANSWER: You know that your key strategy is to first uncover your interviewer's greatest wants and needs before you answer questions. And from Question 1, you know how to do this.

Prior to any interview, you should have a list mentally prepared of your greatest strengths. You should also have, a specific example or two, which illustrates each strength, an example chosen from your most recent and most impressive achievements.

You should, have this list of your greatest strengths and corresponding examples from your achievements so well committed to memory that you can recite them cold after being shaken awake at 2:30AM.

Then, once you uncover your interviewer's greatest wants and needs, you can choose those achievements from your list that best match up.

As a general guideline, the 10 most desirable traits that all employers love to see in their employees are:

1. A proven track record as an achiever...especially if your achievements match up with the
employer's greatest wants and needs.

2. Intelligence...management "savvy".

3. Honesty...integrity...a decent human being.

4. Good fit with corporate culture...someone to feel comfortable with...a team player who meshes well with interviewer's team.

5. Likeability...positive attitude...sense of humor.

6. Good communication skills.

7. Dedication...willingness to walk the extra mile to achieve excellence.

8. Definiteness of purpose...clear goals.

9. Enthusiasm...high level of motivation.

10. Confident...healthy...a leader.


Find more interview questions in the blog.

Find how to answer Tell me about yourself in here

Thursday, May 1, 2008

Interview Question - Tell me about yourself

Well, after a hectic preparation for my exam, i just wanted to relax and signed in to browse. At that time a junior friend called me and while talking with him he said his interview is gonna start in a couple of weeks and asked me how could he prepare for that. I said him what all i knew and had a thought that i could publish those things for others too. So here is my first attempt to help the fellas looking for jobs. This series of posts is about the questions that are frequently asked in interviews and how to answer them inorder to impress the interviewer. So lets start. The first and foremost question in every interview is Tell me about yourself. Here is some tips how to answer this question.

TRAPS: Beware, about 80% of all interviews begin with this “innocent” question. Many candidates, unprepared for the question, skewer themselves by rambling, recapping their life story, delving into ancient work history or personal matters.

BEST ANSWER: Start with the present and tell why you are well qualified for the position. Remember that the key to all successful interviewing is to match your qualifications to what the interviewer is looking for. In other words you must sell what the buyer is buying. This is the single most important strategy in job hunting.

So, before you answer this or any question it's imperative that you try to uncover your interviewer's greatest need, want, problem or goal.

To do so, make you take these two steps:

1. Do all the homework you can before the interview to uncover this person's wants and needs (not the generalized needs of the industry or company)

2. As early as you can in the interview, ask for a more complete description of what the position entails. You might say: “I have a number of accomplishments I'd like to tell you about, but I want to make the best use of our time together and talk directly to your needs. To help me do, that, could you tell me more about the most important priorities of this position? All I know is what I (heard from the recruiter, read in the classified ad, etc.)”

Then, ALWAYS follow-up with a second and possibly, third question, to draw out his needs even more. Surprisingly, it's usually this second or third question that unearths what the interviewer is most looking for.

You might ask simply, "And in addition to that?..." or, "Is there anything else you see as essential to success in this position?:

This process will not feel easy or natural at first, because it is easier simply to answer questions, but only if you uncover the employer's wants and needs will your answers make the most sense. Practice asking these key questions before giving your answers, the process will feel more natural and you will be light years ahead of the other job candidates you're competing with.

After uncovering what the employer is looking for, describe why the needs of this job bear striking parallels to tasks you've succeeded at before. Be sure to illustrate with specific examples of your responsibilities and especially your achievements, all of which are geared to present yourself as a perfect match for the needs he has just described.


Keep checking the blog because there are still a lot more tips on how to answer the common questions in an interview.

Friday, April 25, 2008

Exam Time

Final year exams are about to start in 3 days. With the exam fever affecting me a day back, i thought of studying for the exams but in vain. I coudn't concentrate on the subject because it has been over 3 months since i touched the book. With me in this condition, there have been rumours about me getting spread quickly that i am doing my revisions. All 'cos of my faithful friends who create such rumous spread it to others. Anyways i know the truth and i had to study hard if i wanna get my degree. So, me going to sleep now and get up early in the morning and start my study ( this is what i have been telling myself for the past 3 days ). My blog visitors ( if any ) leave a message in the shout box and i would reply after my exams. Cya ppl after May 5!!!