Sunday, July 31, 2011
Video sites
Friday, July 22, 2011
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Friday, July 15, 2011
7 Reasons Employers Will Hire You
http://newgradlife.blogspot.com/2010/10/7-reasons-employers-will-hire-you.html
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
7 Mistake in Project Management, Solve in Less Time
It doesn’t matter how talented you are, if you can’t manage your projects, then you will struggle to achieve success. To help you avoid that undesirable outcome, here are seven project management problems that designers and developers often face, as well as how to deal with them when they arise. Coordinating multiple projects around the world with a variety of outsourcers is just asking for trouble. It’s no wonder there is a break in communications that create costly delays – businesses are still relying on old tech in order to make things flow. What they don’t realize is that project management software can alleviate those problems where data via emails is corrupt, lost, sent to the wrong address, etc.
1. Your Client Gives You Vague, Ever-changing Requirements
Fickle clients can be a huge hassle. If a client doesn’t know what they want until a certain stage is complete, then schedule those decision points into the project as milestones. It is important to have a clear path mapped out from start to finish because it forces the client to be specific with their requirements, as well as keeping the project on track.
Be clear at the outset about what your task is going to be on the project and how much leeway is available. If you will need to be compensated for big revisions or changes in direction, then set a clear outline about the number of adjustments you can make before you need to charge more. If you can, quantify these adjustments with a number; it makes it much easier to keep track of things.
2. Your Client is Slow with Communication
People are busy, but it’s tough for you to move forward on a project if you can never get answers from the person you’re working with.
The good news is that you will drastically increase your response rate if you do a little bit of work ahead of time. Instead of waiting for the back-and-forth discourse to finally take place, simply start moving in the direction that you think is best and then seek verification. This strategy makes it easy for your client to quickly say yes (or no).
Here is an example:
Hi Mark,
Last time we spoke, you mentioned that we needed to make a decision on task X. I went ahead and started doing Y since that sounded best based on our previous discussion. If you’re happy with that, I can move forward and we can review the progress as scheduled on Friday.
Sound good?
- John
The beauty of this framework is that it shifts the client’s mindset from, "What decision am I going to make?" to "Should I say Yes or No?" Saying yes or no is much easier than thinking up a new solution (which, as the hired professional, should be our job).
Additionally, you will get a response much faster because there is now a time constraint on the work. If they like what you’re doing, then they will give you the go-ahead. If they don’t, then they know that they need to get back to you right away because, otherwise, things will be moving in the wrong direction.
However, it’s very important to use sound judgment. Obviously, you won’t be able to work ahead and then ask for approval on all aspects of the project, especially those that will cost a lot of time and resources to update should the client say no. That said, you’ll be surprised how much quicker things get done by making it easy for your clients to say, "Yes."
3. The Project Doesn’t Start On Time
Maybe you had a slow go of it last month, but now, you’re swamped. You know you need to take on the work when you can get it, but now you’re worried that you won’t be able to start all of your projects on time as you promised. Or perhaps your client says you’re a top priority — but tomorrow a different project becomes more important.
If the hold up is on your end, then it’s important that you do something to jump-start the project — even if it’s in a really small way. Give the client a call to discuss their expectations and set a more realistic timeframe for the first milestone. This could take as little as a few minutes, but it makes the client feel like things have started. However, beware of doing this more than once. That’s known as stringing the client along — they don’t take that too well, and for good reason.
If the hold up is on their end, then you need to communicate very clearly how that alters things moving forward. Be sure to let them know exactly how this change affects the completion dates of future milestones and you should check the revised schedule against other commitments with other projects.
4. You Try to Manage Every Project the Same Way
There has never been a project that has the same circumstance, requirements, and needs as another project. Situations, people, and goals change over time.
Instead of squeezing every project into the same template, spend some time crafting milestones specific to the needs of each project. Every job requires specific milestones that meet the schedules of all parties involved. Resist using the standard "2 weeks until X" type of thinking.
To put it simply, your schedule changes all the time, right? That means the way you plan your projects needs to change as well.
5. The Client Doesn’t Like What You Created
If this happens often, then there is a communication issue that needs to be addressed. Make sure you understand not just the technical requirements of a project, but also the underlying rationale of your clients. Why did they decide to do this in the first place? What are they hoping your work will enable them to do when all is said and done? How do they see your project fitting in with their overall strategic vision?
Good project managers create a shared vision between all parties. It’s your responsibility to understand the direction of your particular project as well as the overall strategy of your client — and then to make sure those two items match up.
6. Your Point of Contact Doesn’t Seem to Care About Your Project
Working on a project that isn’t high on a client’s priority list can be frustrating. In some cases, the person responsible for communicating with you has little to no interest in your project. The completed product will have no direct effect on their job, they are hard to ask questions to, even harder to get answers from, and they provide minimal guidance.
This issue is best solved ahead of time.
When screening potential clients, do your best to find out if the contact person has a vested interest in the project. Pay attention to their awareness about potential problems or risks you could run into, their level of urgency when scheduling this project in their calendar, and their desire to communicate with you quickly and consistently from the beginning. If they brush these issues to the side, then it is worth your time to talk with someone else and establish a second point of contact before deciding whether to take on the project or to avoid the project all together.
7. Too Much Time is Spent Solving Problems After Projects Are "Live"
There are bound to be a few bugs here and there, but this is a classic problem caused by focusing too much on production, and not enough on testing. If this continually becomes an issue, then there are two possible solutions.
First, schedule in more time to test your projects from the start. Double your typical testing time if needed. Yes, it will stretch your schedule further, but in the long run, it will save you from the countless little problems that prevent your days from being productive.
Second, if your ongoing issues are a result of clients constantly wanting you to tweak something here and there, then you need to be clearer about what you do and don’t provide with your services. When you set guidelines with a client at the beginning of a project, you need to state very clearly that your work ends after the final product is created and handed off. This can be avoided by outlining boundaries at the beginning of a project that explicitly state that additional service after delivery will cost extra.
Putting It All Together
There are literally countless reasons a project can run into issues, but the vast majority of them can be solved with clear and frequent communication.
While it is easy to point blame in the direction of your client, it is your responsibility to consistently initiate contact and keep the line of communication open. This is about more than just talking to your client. Consistent communication is only created by active effort on your end. It doesn’t just happen naturally.
One excellent practice you can implement right away is to send your client a progress report every Friday. This could be a full report or just a short email. You should detail what you accomplished this week and what you plan to do the next week. Do this every week, whether your client asks for it or not. Not only does this practice solve problems before they become too big, it will also make your clients love you.
Thursday, July 7, 2011
6 Signs Your Job Interview Went Well
Right after a job interview, you're going to feel pretty relieved that it's all over and either confident that you did well or worried that you bombed. It's common for job seekers to go over the job interview questions that they went through and the answers they gave, and note any other small things during the interview - but how do you really know whether or not you did well? Check out these 6 points below and you'll have a better understanding of whether or not your job interview went well.
1. They give you a firm answer about when you’ll hear back.
This is not a foolproof indicator, but it’s a good one none the less. You don’t want to hear, “We’ll let you know.” You don’t want to have to ask, “When, exactly?” If they say, “I’ll have an answer for you on Monday morning,” that usually means they’ve made a decision. The decision might not be for you, but at least they’ve made a decision. This is sort of like a poker tell… if someone hasn’t made up their mind yet, they don’t really know how long it will take to do so, and thus are evasive about estimating how long it might take to make up their mind. If the interviewer gives you a vague answer, that might mean that there are plenty more interviews scheduled and your interview performance was not enough to make them cancel the others.
2. You covered topics beyond the job description.
A good interview is one where you handily answer all their questions, clearly demonstrate that you can meet all the job requirements, AND THEN start to discuss all the other things you can bring to the job. You win the job by using the interview to convince them that hiring you will bring them all sorts of additional dividends they didn’t even expect.
3. The interview went longer than scheduled.
This one is logical enough. If you’re in and out in a hurry, you might not have struck their fancy. But if you hang out for a while shooting the breeze (especially if you hit point number 4 below, that’s a good sign.
4. You discussed personal stuff.
This is maybe the best indicator. As I’ve said before, a job interview is largely about personality… even more so than skills or qualifications. If you start chatting away with the interviewer about this thing or that thing… if you’re sharing jokes and laughs, you’re probably home free. If you feel like the interviewer got to like you on a personal or professional level, that’s the best indication you can get.
5. The interviewer describes their frustration with the previous employee.
If the interviewer begins to talk about how poorly the last guy did in your position, then that’s a good indication that they’ve decided you can do a better job. If you find the interviewer comparing you favorably to previous or existing employees, then you’ve likely done a good job of selling yourself as qualified.
6. You begin plotting with the interviewer.
The best interviews I’ve ever had were the ones where we were already making plans for the things I would be doing once I started. I had not only sold myself, I had sold a game plan for the improvements I would be bringing to the position… and the interviewer had bought what I was selling. “I can’t wait for you to get started overhauling that inventory system. Do you think you might have any ideas for our shipping system as well?” That’s what you want to hear.
1. They give you a firm answer about when you’ll hear back.
This is not a foolproof indicator, but it’s a good one none the less. You don’t want to hear, “We’ll let you know.” You don’t want to have to ask, “When, exactly?” If they say, “I’ll have an answer for you on Monday morning,” that usually means they’ve made a decision. The decision might not be for you, but at least they’ve made a decision. This is sort of like a poker tell… if someone hasn’t made up their mind yet, they don’t really know how long it will take to do so, and thus are evasive about estimating how long it might take to make up their mind. If the interviewer gives you a vague answer, that might mean that there are plenty more interviews scheduled and your interview performance was not enough to make them cancel the others.
2. You covered topics beyond the job description.
A good interview is one where you handily answer all their questions, clearly demonstrate that you can meet all the job requirements, AND THEN start to discuss all the other things you can bring to the job. You win the job by using the interview to convince them that hiring you will bring them all sorts of additional dividends they didn’t even expect.
3. The interview went longer than scheduled.
This one is logical enough. If you’re in and out in a hurry, you might not have struck their fancy. But if you hang out for a while shooting the breeze (especially if you hit point number 4 below, that’s a good sign.
4. You discussed personal stuff.
This is maybe the best indicator. As I’ve said before, a job interview is largely about personality… even more so than skills or qualifications. If you start chatting away with the interviewer about this thing or that thing… if you’re sharing jokes and laughs, you’re probably home free. If you feel like the interviewer got to like you on a personal or professional level, that’s the best indication you can get.
5. The interviewer describes their frustration with the previous employee.
If the interviewer begins to talk about how poorly the last guy did in your position, then that’s a good indication that they’ve decided you can do a better job. If you find the interviewer comparing you favorably to previous or existing employees, then you’ve likely done a good job of selling yourself as qualified.
6. You begin plotting with the interviewer.
The best interviews I’ve ever had were the ones where we were already making plans for the things I would be doing once I started. I had not only sold myself, I had sold a game plan for the improvements I would be bringing to the position… and the interviewer had bought what I was selling. “I can’t wait for you to get started overhauling that inventory system. Do you think you might have any ideas for our shipping system as well?” That’s what you want to hear.
Saturday, July 2, 2011
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