How to Say Thanks After an Interview

For job candidates seeking an edge, sending interviewers a customized thank-you is critical. Recruiters estimate that most candidates make the effort to send thank-yous, but only half go the extra mile to customize them for the job they’re seeking.

If you’re interviewing with several employers, check that each thank-you shows the correct company and recruiter name. After all, you don’t want to accidentally send a thank-you addressed to, say, the company’s competitor.

It’s also important to be specific and show off your listening skills. If you discussed a particular trend or issue with the interviewer, mention it again in your thank-you or even include a link to a recent news story on the subject. This will show that you focused on what was going on during the interview and that you are serious about the opportunity.

Try tapping into the employer’s culture. For example, a candidate for a job at Coca-Cola Co. signed his thank-you with the company slogan, “Have a Sweet Day.” But no matter how laid-back an employer seems, keep your thank-you professional. Thank-yous with slang or funky spelling are unlikely to impress. Expressing some individuality is OK, but what an employer primarily wants to see is that the candidate knows proper business etiquette.

It’s also important to write a thank-you to every executive you meet with during the interview process. Each letter should speak to your particular interaction with that person, particularly as executives may share your letters with one another. Think back to the topics discussed during each interview. You might say that it was really interesting to learn about a particular client or reference a similarity in your backgrounds that came up. For example, perhaps you discovered that you graduated from the same college as the interviewer.

In terms of the actual form of the thank-you, most recruiters agree that a paper, snail-mail thank-you is no longer required. Personalized, concise emails are just fine, provided they follow a few simple rules.

Avoid being too casual when it comes to communicating about career opportunities in cyberspace and on mobile devices. Don’t send emails that contain shorthand language or decorative symbols. Likewise, refrain from sending hasty and poorly thought-out messages to and from mobile devices. Rather, a standard email gives hiring managers the sense that you sat down at your computer in a thoughtful way to follow up. Further, it’s also inappropriate to try and thank interviewers on social-networking sites like Facebook and MySpace, as is making a friend request. Interviewers are not candidates’ friends and making such a gesture suggests a lack of professionalism.

To be sure, employers themselves are blurring the lines to some extent by using mobile and Web technology for recruiting. But when it comes to saying thanks, career experts recommend going the traditional route by using email to send interviewers a professional, concise and personalized note of appreciation.

Tips

• Personalize your thank-you with specific references to issues you discussed in the interview.
• Send each interviewer you spoke with a thank-you, but be sure they are individualized notes.
• Don’t send thank-yous via text message or on social networking sites. Too When in doubt, keep it professional. Too much humor or casual language can turn recruiters off.

(Source: http://guides.wsj.com/careers/how-to-succeed-in-a-job-interview/how-to-say-thanks-after-an-interview/)

Acing Tricky Questions

By DENNIS NISHI

On her second round of interviews for an editorial job in Chicago, Jess Wangsness was asked: If you could be a giraffe without a neck or an elephant without a trunk, which would you choose and why?

"Even though none of it had anything to do with the job, we had a fairly animated conversation about elephant behavior," Ms. Wangsness says. She didn't get the job but still wonders about the question. "Perhaps employers simply like to gauge just how interesting their candidates really are?" she says.

Regardless of how offbeat some interview questions may sound, most employers have their own hidden reasons for asking them. Usually, such queries are a way to uncover information about you that standard interview questions don't suss out. And whether the goal is to gauge your leadership aptitude or test your ability to handle stress, experts say you should stay composed and answer concisely.

The way you react to a question or work through an answer can actually score more points with the interviewer than the answer you give.
Analyze This

Trick questions can help companies slim down a big pool of applicants, says Victor Cheng, a business coach in Bainbridge Island, Wash. His website, CaseInterview.com, offers tips for passing the type of intense problem-solving interviews used by consulting companies.

A typical question Mr. Cheng would ask job applicants: How long does it take to move an average-sized mountain a mile? There's no right or wrong answer; displaying a thoughtful and coherent process for solving the problem (or answering the question) is the point interviewers are judging.

Companies in a variety of industries have applied similar brain-twisting methodologies to their hiring practices. "Investment banks tend to ask odd questions that don't have answers as a way to test your grace under pressure. Software companies like Google or Microsoft will throw in puzzles or riddles to see how creatively you can solve things," says Mr. Cheng.

The key to finding a good answer is to systematically break the question down, making assumptions where needed to fill gaps of information. If you can see no clear way to deconstruct an answer, make your best guess and try to appear confident about your response.
Do Your Homework

Memorizing facts about the company isn't enough to impress interviewers. Research the company, the industry and, most importantly, the workplace culture and extrapolate what creative questions could be used to assess your competence. An advertising agency that specializes in social media, for example, may ask you what the most profitable crop to grow is in Farmville, a popular Facebook game, to see how familiar you are with the different social-networking services.

Even law-enforcement agencies will use unconventional questions to weed out undesirable candidates. When author Joe Navarro worked for the Federal Bureau of Investigation, he would ask job applicants how many bumper stickers they had on their cars. "The more they have, the more rigid and stubborn they tend to be," he says. "It gives insight into beliefs and rigidity."

Whatever you do, try not to put the interviewer on the defensive, says Linda Konstan, principal at Denver-based Sensible Human Resources Consulting. "This is their way of getting to know you. Going off track isn't necessarily inappropriate," she says.

Write to Dennis Nishi at cjeditor@dowjones.com

(Source : http://online.wsj.com/article/SB128363744922834527.html?mod=WSJ_article_related)

How to Quit a Job – The Wall Street Journal

Should you stay or should you go? There’s no surefire sign that it’s time to look for greener professional pastures. But there are a few clear reasons that could signal it’s time to change jobs.

First, ask yourself if there is a culture clash. Is your entrepreneurial nature always at odds with the collaborative style of your co-workers? Do you need a social, mobile work environment to keep your creative juices flowing, while your office is neatly divided up into closed office spaces? A company’s core culture isn’t likely to change over night, so if you’re not happy, it might be time to look elsewhere.

Another sign that a job change might be in order is a lack of performance-based rewards. Maybe you’ve received the standard raise yet again, but weren’t awarded a new title. Or you consistently exceed the limits of a company’s bonus structure. Most employees need incentives and rewards to feel valued, and if you’re not getting them, it might be time to dust off that résumé.

Signs of financial stress at your company are another red flag. If vendors are starting to complain about late payments, or one of your own paychecks bounces (or you hear that a coworker’s did), you may want to proactively protect yourself by launching a job search.

If you decide that it is indeed time to quit and move on, take care when breaking the news to your boss. A poorly executed resignation could come back to haunt you. There may be a time when you need a referral from him or her to help you land a new job. And even after you quit, a merger could potentially reunite you with your former supervisor.

Set up a meeting to announce your plans to quit at least two weeks in advance of your departure. Share the news immediately rather than dance around the subject. Tell your boss you have enjoyed working at the company but don’t want to pass up a new, compelling opportunity. Emphasize the lure of the new job rather than the flaws of the old one. Other good reasons to give for leaving include the chance to gain more responsibility, make a bigger impact on an organization or learn new skills.

Tips

• Watch for signs of financial stress at your company, or signs that rewards might be curtailed in the near future.
• Try to figure out if your uncertainty is due to a culture clash between your style and the corporate culture. If it is, it might be time to move on.
• Once you do decide to quit, be sure you don’t burn any bridges in the process.

http://guides.wsj.com/careers/how-to-overcome-career-obstacles/how-to-quit-a-job/

Back to Work

Time passed like flying. 6 and 1/2 days off day was just past. Now I am back to Genting for work. I miss my lao po very much.

Hometown

(1st Day) August 20 2010 (Friday) – Going back to hometown.

(2nd Day) August 21 2010 (Saturday) – Breakfast @ Ipoh, Old folk home, Porridge @ Pusing, 民众酒家。

(3rd Day) August 22 2010 (Sunday) – Breakfast @ Menglembu for Dim Sum, Wang Lee Hom (王力宏) 十八般武艺 Album Showcase 2010.

 

First day,

I was working from 9am to 5pm. After work I went to lower skyway took bus to Putra Gombak for 45 minutes. From there I took LRT to Masjid Jamek to changed lane headed to Sri Petaling LRT station. My girlfriend waited me at BTR (Bandar Tun Razak). We met each other there and then we went to Bukit Jalil. We took a cab from there to my house. I had my bath and went to MacDonald to had our dinner. At 9.15pm, we start our journey to hometown at Ipoh. We reached hometown around 12am.

Second day,

we woke up and had breakfast at Ipoh together with my popo, cousin, parent and my girlfriend. After breakfast, we went to visit one relative, father’s mother brother at old folk home at Ipoh. After that, we went to the “under the huge tree” where to had yong tou fu. Then, we went to Pusing to had porridge. I fetched them home then we went Batu Gajah to had my hair cut. After that, we back home and took a rest. At night, we went to Ipoh to had dinner with my uncle for his birthday. After that, we went back home.

Third day,

Though, it was our second day of stayed at hometown in Bemban.Time passed just too fast, we were too busy and hardly had free time to enjoy ourselves. We had to go back to Kuala Lumpur today to catch up with the Lee Hom 十八般武艺 album showcase at One Utama shopping mall. In the morning, we went to Menglembu had dim sum for our breakfast. Then, we went to Ipoh for White Coffee where first kopitiam introduced white coffee in M’sia. Then, we headed back to home and getting ready to leave for Kuala Lumpur.We left at 12.30pm, brought lunch who my popo cooked for my cousin who opened a car workshop at 4km. We dropped by there for half an hour and headed to Kuala Lumpur. We arrived home in Kuala Lumpur at around 3pm. Took bath and went to One Utama shopping mall.

AV356 Gathering – Colleagues & Friends

Used to be colleague and friends. Now we’re separated but never be forgotten time we been through. :)

Good Luck to ALL and have pleasant career and future.

离开的第三天

今天是离开的第三天也是上班第一天。

我看见老人家，突然想起了他。很多老人家，好像每个都是他。

感觉……酸痛、以为是、期待、恐怖……

我好后悔，也无助，因为已没有机会了。

脑海里浮现他的回忆，甜美带酸。

好像在听到他的声音。

外公过世了

外公过身了。

星期日，傍晚七时。

我的手提电话响，是表弟的来电，我接了。

我听见婆婆的声音，她告诉我说“快点回家乡，因为公公不能了”。我呆了会儿，我说“好”。之后，我就接到妈妈传给我的短讯，“急事，请回电”。我呼叫，然后就回去了。

途中，有好多东西在我的脑海不断地重复。我不敢去多想，也不想去理会。我知道逃避不是解决的方法，但是我无选择。很快地到达了家，然后就去冲凉。收拾了几件衣服就开车同和爸爸一起回家乡。

回家乡的途中，都如什么事也没发生。

回到家后，我很害怕，我害怕面对，我不能接受事实。我慢慢的走进屋里，看见公公躺在床上，心很酸疼。我做不了什么。他躺在病床上，更瘦了，瘦得……让人见到心就揪住。

我说：“公公，公公，我回来了”。我看见他一口一口的呼吸，不能说话的样子。这一幕幕的场景， 只让我的心痛更痛，痛进心里。我们不断地说话给他听，看见他的嘴巴，好像说了些东西，可是却听不到。看见他的眼睛有泪光，他不舍得，我们也是。

我抵达家乡是十一点十五分(11:15pm)左右，半个小时之后他就离世了。十一点四十分(11:40pm)左右，他的一口一口的呼吸停顿了。在他断气的之前，他上身颤抖了一会儿和大大呼吸。看见他第一次和第二次做完之后，就断气了。

婆婆、他的儿子女儿、孙（表弟）和外孙（我），一起送他最后的路程。两个孙（表哥、表姐），还在巴士上从新加坡回着来。

从此这一刻，一切会改变。

然后，我们就开始准备工作为公公整理房间等等工作。

It's time to say goodbye. I'm so upset, because i should have done more than I could provide, I should be visit you more frequent as possible, should get the foods that you like and could get from your place.

I remember the day you brought me together with you to rubber plantation to help you, catch cockroach to feed the birds, catch birds, went to lake side gathered water into the bucket where house has no water.

You asked me help you, I alway did. We did things together, I hope we remember these as part of our journey and memory, and time we spent together. I will never forget all we had gone through.

You are hardworking, patient, loving and soft-spoken. Love everyone. You never beaten me, that is something very special about you. You collected many memories in your room. You appreciate every single things we gave and I can see from happy face. I felt very warmed when i saw it. But I never really give you something that even such a little things to make you happy. A little that i gave, i know is not enough for so many years.

You alway told me, don't waste. Things are valueless, you still keep it like a treasure. And now, i know what it mean. I miss a point and i understand now. Just like you, you are something that money can't buy. I should treasure you. Should treat you good. Now you are left, I am so regretted.

From this moment, my life never be the same. I will not forget you because you are someone special to me. You are no.1 in my life.

I hope you found a comfort place, and rest in peace.

Hope will see you in future.