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. 

Kindergarden->School->College

15+ years of schooling and colleging has been past. As I was looking back, time is ticking really thrilling fast.

2 yrs of kindegarden. Graduated in a small village. Grandmom & Grandpa alway accopany me to kindegarden. Didn't miss a day~ :) Thank you. My kau fu (uncle) always beaten me with rotan(I am not naughty but still kena rotan always). but he is good la... train me more guai though i oredi guai enough. :)

6 yrs of primary school. Studied in 3 different school geographically scattered including one oversea.
Never had a chance to acknowledge and thank you to a special one who is my class teacher of standard 5 & 6. She has been pouring out her heart in hoping that we will excel in our school works. Relentless pursue, never giving up for us, though we were the last class in the school. Mrs. Low. Something special needed to address about her. She has helped me to register for Secondary school on the last day of the registration openning for primary student. if not i'm schooless jok... :( (not so severe actually, maybe go some school not so good reputation only la) :)

Another 6 yrs spent in Secondary school including remove class. Enrolled in 3 different secondary schools.
I failed my Malay, needed to attend remove class. Daxx.. Supposely a bad thing, but life in that particular year was my happiest moment during my secondary school. Cycling from uptown to downtown back and fourth, crossing bridgesss, overcoming rain together with my bicycle, challeging cars and motobike with my bicycle, Cycling few km to school, lumba bicycle after school (for fun la, not real one), cyber cafe(HL, CS, Starcraft, ....), being a sandwich in the public buses... what else ar..?? I think these was what i can remember so far about my wei sui things in remove and form 1.
Form 1 to form 2 miserable yrs. 8am out from home 8pm back to house. private tuition, this no good that no good.. haiz.. sigh~~ is all over now.. yeah~~
Form 3, 4, 5. -
3 - still okay. climbing up the stair, finding the lost soul, building up network, normalising life
4 - Got 3As for my PMR, haha~~ and became a science class student. miss few months of school due to health issue. This yrs past like didn't past. no memory at all. Like database system, suddenly lost all data for that particular year.. haha~~ good example, right. hmm. ;0
5 - Catching up, working up, take and give, forgive and forgo, restoring, recovering, healing,... got 1,2,3 in class (count from behind). :) Found something and lost it now as in now loh.. ;) . :) :) What can i say, maybe life already planned... not in my controlled. Never wanted to control my destiny and fate. :) my life already planned jok geh.. wakaka~~ haha~~

Ohhhh.... again, another 4 yrs in college. ;) Yeah.. these four years are something very different because we had our own transport. i dun have la but most of my fren do. :) Tumbang their car, go north, south, east, and west. Never a day bore bore... (sometimes quite bore coz dunno go where) haha~~
nothing really special for college life la... everything remain the same like school got exam, test, and assignment.... (last time A to E and now 1-15)..... except dai gou chai/lui jok, got own transport loh(even i dun have, fren do.. haha), no tight-up schedule like school 745-1pm (more time meaning more freedom), yam cha and yam cha more often than before, last-minute assignment (1 mnths duration but most students used 1 week gao tim(complete) indirectly shown students is has the capability and capacity to fullfil assignment requirement in short period of time.), what else ar... keke~~~ dunno oooo.... one last things, college very cosy and costly. PTPTN loan helped me, if not die hard jok. :) Thank you PTPTN loan. haha~~

At this point of time I am writing this, i already worked for 1 and half month liao... Day day work, week week work, month month work, i afraid i lost my schooling and colleging memories. So better write something now... not so structure but at least i can recall back. :)

Bedtime, tomorrow need to da jiong jok (work). ;)
Good Night. May God Bless you. ;)

Up & Down

There is time where situation which is not in your area of control. You definitely feel bad about it. Nevertheless, life still have to go on.

Do not be so overwhelm by the problem which has no solution. Sometimes, solution will come to you by any mean.

Is good that you have problems. It doesn't matter how hopeless the situation be. Just carry on your life and enjoy the experience of having problems in life. It will certainly help you. It helps you to grow in maturity. Do not feel bad about yourself that other people are saying that you are naive. You know you are going through a period of difficulties, certainly you are growing in maturity.

Always ready for challenges, take it and handle it wisely and smartly.

Life is great, time won't wait. Enjoy and go on life with full of hope and confidence. :)

Lunch for three (3) person

Isn’t it that’s a lot…

Colleague [F4]

My colleague addressed that we are "F4" Malaysia version. Well... Don't we look like F4?

PLS: ZaiZai is the first on the left with black colour suit shirt. haha~~ :)

Next decade is all about Internet/Online?

The next wave in technology will be the Internet/Online. Online business (small business like comic rental store, petshop, and etc. may host online services to increase competitive advantage), online applications (office suite, anti-virus, game), cloud computing?, collaboration/integration/combination/(anything in one place) and etc.

Significant Event
Desktop sale is slowing down.
Laptop/Notebook/Netbook/Mobile Computer enjoys sale growth.
Mobile phone sale is showing sign of booming. Competition is heating up, when more competition, it also mean cheaper and more features. Like iPhone sells its product like sky-rocketing and surprisingly, Blackberry did even better.
Cloud Computing introduced last year. We dunno what is it, never mind. Web 2.0 and Web 3.0 already existed today, have u ever noticed?
Internet Giant, Google dominating the Internet market. I think Google is and will be the leader in changing the Internet/Online environment. Their products is really good, idea is reachable, influence-maker and etc.
WiMax technology introduced, pushing accessible anywhere and anytime. Internet access environment-friendly. If this success, how do u deny not to go online when everyone does.
Facebook, Twitter. Popularity??? ernomous.

What others significant do u see??? Is more than just e-commerce.

宝剑不磨要生锈，人不学习要落后

宝剑不磨要生锈，人不学习要落后

Precious sword that don't grind will rusts but a man who don't learn choose to lose out.

Old friends, old time

On the Friday, I received a strange call. She addressed her name but I hardly recall. In the conversation, I trying to clarify as much as information I could to avoid any misunderstood. Finally, I came to a realized it was an old classmate from primary school.

I'd been invited for a gathering tonight. I so much so wanted to go but I really got a planned for 2nite . I told her will be confirmed later by today.

In the night, I finished up everything and give them a call, saying that I will be coming very late and i did attended for the gathering at "Cola Cafe" at Jalan Genting Klang.

It was 6 of us who turned out. I was surprised and shocked because I really can't recall most of them. Anyhow, it is a good one finally we met up for a long long times. It's been ten (10) years, we have not had a chance but this time is really different.

All stuffs that has been stored in my memory were unearth bit by bit. It is something really got me cheer up.

Hotmail - Was hacked

Today, I came to realized that my personal email(hotmail) has been hacked.

I noticed all my contacts were deleted except one person and my email's "Vacation reply" was on.

This is the following message that was set to my "Vacation reply".

"

Dear friend:
What are u doing these days?I am going to recommend a Eshop to you.Yesterday I found a web of a large trading company from China,which is an agent of all the well-known digital product factories,and facing to both wholesalers,retailsalers,and personal customer all over the world. They export all kinds of digital products and offer really competitive and reasonable price and high quality goods for their clients,so i think you will make a big profit if you did business with them.And they promise they will provide the best after-sales-service.If you are interested to do business with them,in my opinion, you can make a trial order to test that.
Their Web address: www.purchase-online365.com

Regards!

"

How was this happened?

Sigh~~ First time was been hacked.

Susan Boyle's Life Lesson

...Britain's Got Talent TV show has made mention of phrases like "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder" or "You can't judge a book by its cover." (http://new.music.yahoo.com/blogs/stopthepresses/23149/susan-boyles-life-lesson/)

...Ms. Boyle has already taught all of us a valuable lesson in terms of how we as people perceive ourselves and others. (http://new.music.yahoo.com/blogs/stopthepresses/23149/susan-boyles-life-lesson/)

Of course, it's a lesson that, as per the never-ending relevance of those aforementioned cliches, always seems to be re-learned every now and then.(http://new.music.yahoo.com/blogs/stopthepresses/23149/susan-boyles-life-lesson/)

In any event, here's hoping that Susan Boyle's story helps all of us to try and keep from forming opinions about people based solely on their appearances. As she's decidedly proven, if you give someone half a chance, you never know what you may find once you get below the surface. (http://new.music.yahoo.com/blogs/stopthepresses/23149/susan-boyles-life-lesson/)

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I found this story very interesting. I taken it down to share with you and at the same time I would like to bookmark this incredible story for myself.

Personal Laptop Downed

Laptop has failed to start despite it has the power light is on and is enabled to charge.

What has gone wrong for my laptop for just two and a half year.

9th Day of the Year of Chinese Lunar Calendar

It was past 12am, it is also the 9th day of the Chinese lunar calendar, and it is also a ‘big’ day for the Hokkien Lang (people). The sound of the fireworks has not been silence since 12am. I was sitting in front of the laptop hearing the so called ‘music’ playing repeatedly.

I hope that I could join them for the celebration. It looks just too tempting, the fireworks playing non-stop. :)

As time goes by which mean I am growing older, this kind of celebration is just getting less and less involve. I remember when I was a kid and a teen, I used to have a group of friends that we will meet up and go to each friend’s house, gathered with their family during Chinese New Year. In one way you may say, the purpose may not just greet but is to get more ang pow. (That’s right!!!, I totally agreed.) ;) On the other hand, I think it is good that we go to our friend’s house to gather with their family to received ‘blessing’ (ang pow), because it shown that we remembered them. and yet it is also part of our culture. :)

I miss out all the funniest thing in my teen life, time will not go backward. Therefore, I will try to available myself in the future so that I won’t miss out the fun in life as I am heading to my adulthood. :)

Cheer, life is still bright even without the funniest stuffs. :)

It is now 12.30am. The firework’s sound is dimming. :)

Final Year Student

Being a final year student, I do not see any significant changes of myself. The most noticeable changes is that I am getting more worry than before because I am getting closer to working life and yet there are more. Stressful is always but is even stressful now as there are projects and exams ahead.

What is so significant to you as a final year student?