Google

Firefox & IE Prompt You To Remember Passwords - Do You Say Yes ?

When you type a password into any web form, both Internet Explorer and Firefox prompt whether you would like them to remember your password.

If that’s a personal computer, chances are high that you will click Yes and the password is then saved in the web browser.

remember my password firefox remember password

This “Remember Me” option in web browsers is useful but it actually puts your login credentials at serious risk especially in Firefox.

View stored passwords in Internet Explorer:

Though IE stores your passwords in encrypted form in the Windows Registry database, anyone can easily view your passwords using a free 35kb tool called IE PassView.

The tool automatically displays a list all auto-complete entries saved inside IE. See screenshot.

internet explorer passwords

View stored passwords in Firefox:

With Firefox, it gets much simpler and anyone who knows how to use a mouse can see all your passwords stored inside Firefox.

The route is Tools -> Options -> Security -> Show Passwords. And there you have all the passwords that you ever asked Firefox to remember for you.

firefox passwords

Even that short visit to a nearby coffee vending machine could leak your identity as all it takes is few seconds for anyone to view your secret passwords.

To keep yourself safe, uncheck “Prompt me to save passwords” in Internet Explorer and “Set Master Password” in Firefox.

 

The Power of Commitment

Was our failure to succeed really due to a lack of time, some
unlearned skill, or a much deeper self-esteem issue? Well, we could
probably get a great conversation going as to why so many people have
such a difficult time keeping their commitments. However, I would
prefer to offer a simpler solution—a step-by-step approach that will,
in effect, allow you to set, keep, and ultimately achieve any
worthwhile goal you desire...

 "Commitment is doing the thing you said you'd do,
long after the feeling you said it in has passed." Now that's what
keeping your word is all about!

So if "committing to...and then following through" is what you'd like
to do more often, the following five step plan will help you set your
goals and keep your promises, thereby allowing you to ultimately
achieve what's truly important to you...

1) Decide What You Want
Achievers realize some people join the business because they want to
drive a new car; some because they want to earn more money; and some
because they want the extra time needed to enjoy a more rewarding
life. What about you? To stay the course you'll need to be moving
towards something you actually want! After all, part of your journey
is discovering your real why...

2) Know Your "Why?"
True, deciding what you want is your first step, and yet it's only
part of the solution! Therefore, if you really want to set, keep, and
ultimately achieve every worthwhile goal, you'll need to become clear
on why you want what you want. The best part is you'll know when
you've found your "Why" because from that moment on you will do
whatever it takes!

3) Follow A Proven Plan
You either have a proven plan (system or daily method of operation)
you follow, or you don't. If you do, continue moving forward. If you
don't, find someone who has already achieved what you want. Find out
what they did. Do that. And then continue until you achieve the same
result they've already proven was possible. Because it's easier to
keep going when you get results—and it's easier to get results when
you follow a proven plan.

4) Commit Yourself Publicly
After you've decided what you want, discovered why that is important
to you, and are diligently following a proven plan to achieve it,
you're ready for step four: public commitment! Decide in writing that
you will be here, still actively involved, a year from now! On 3" x 5"
cards write out what you want (your goal), followed by a sentence or
two explaining your desire to have this (your "Why?"), and then
include the steps you're taking (your proven plan) to accomplish it...
Give these hand-written cards to 10 people you know, like, and trust,
and would not want to disappoint. Believe me, if you'll do this, you
will follow through.

5) Get Better Every Day
Leaders understand that wherever they are, and wherever they're going,
the journey will be easier if they incorporate a daily personal
development program. So what should yours include? Books, CDs, and
classes. Because when you get better "it" gets easier...

Use this information—all five steps—to guide you and you will be well
on your way to keeping your word and achieving all your dreams. And
that's the real power of commitment!


Gmail's Limitations for Sending Messages

It's likely that a normal Gmail users didn't notice that Gmail has a lot of limitations for sending messages. Here are some of them, as mentioned in a mail from Google:

- 500 messages per day (i.e., you can hit 'Send' a maximum of 500 times)
- 500 unique recipients per message
- 2000 total emails per day (for example, you could send one message to a group of 500 people four times)

In addition to these limitations, "Google will temporarily disable your account if you send a message to more than 500 recipients or if you send a large number of undeliverable messages". According to the help center, you can only send a message to up to 100 people at a time if you use POP or IMAP.

Google explains that these restrictions were created to fight against spam and to prevent abuse. The same rules are enforced for Google Apps users, as well.

Om Malik thinks that "500 messages are nothing in this day and age, especially if you are in the information business as I am" and wonders why Google doesn't list all these restrictions.

Never Save Something for a Special Occasion

Please do read this ... do not be too busy Earning a Living and in the process Forget to Live. Here is a hair raising story which shows the importance of Time Management and understanding what Life and Priorities are all about.

Trust you will enjoy the read and start Living each day.. each moment...!!!

A friend of mine opened his wife's saree drawer and picked up a silk paper wrapped package:

"This, - he said - isn't any ordinary package." He unwrapped the box and stared at both the silk paper and the box.

"She got this the first time we went to New York, 8 or 9 years ago. She has never put it on. Was saving it for a special occasion.
Well, I guess this is it. He got near the bed and placed the gift box next to the other clothings he was taking to the funeral house, his wife had just died. He turned to me and said:

"Never save something for a special occasion. Every day in your life is a special occasion".

I still think those words changed my life.

Now I read more and clean less.


I sit on the porch without worrying about anything.


I spend more time with my family, and less at work.


I understood that life should be a source of experience to be lived up to, not survived through.

I no longer keep anything.

I use crystal glasses every day.

I'll wear new clothes to go to the supermarket, if i feel like it.


I don't save my special perfume for special occasions, I use it whenever I want to.

The words "Someday..." and "One Day..." are fading away from my dictionary.

If it's worth seeing, listening or doing, I want to see, listen or do it now.

I don't know what my friend's wife would have done if she knew she wouldn't be there the next morning, this nobody can tell. I think she might have called her relatives and closest friends.

She might call old friends to make peace over past quarrels.

I'd like to think she would go out for Chinese, her favourite food.

It's these small things that I would regret not doing, if I knew my time had come.


I would regret it, because I would no longer see the friends I would meet, letters... letters that i wanted to write "One of this days".


I would regret and feel sad, because I didn't say to my brothers and sons, not times enough at least, how much I love them.


Now, I try not to delay, postpone or keep anything that could bring laughter and joy into our lives.


And, on each morning, I say to myself that this could be a special day.


Each day, each hour, each minute, is special.


If you got this, it's because someone cares for you and because, probably, there's someone you care about.


If you're too busy to send this out to other people and you say to yourself that you will send it "
One of these days", remember that

"One day" is far away... or might never come...

Live everyday .. every moment as if it is your last day... last moment....!!!!

Latest Population Ranking: 2008




$ .,.,. Countries and Areas Ranked by Population: 2008 .,.,. $



 -------------------------------------------------------- 
 Rank Country or Area                          Population 
 -------------------------------------------------------- 
    1 China                                 1,330,044,605 
    2 India                                 1,147,995,898 
    3 United States                           303,824,646 
    4 Indonesia                               237,512,355 
    5 Brazil                                  196,342,587 
    6 Pakistan                                172,800,051 
    7 Bangladesh                              153,546,901 
    8 Nigeria                                 146,255,306 
    9 Russia                                  140,702,094 
   10 Japan                                   127,288,419 
   11 Mexico                                  109,955,400 
   12 Philippines                              96,061,683 
   13 Vietnam                                  86,116,559 
   14 Ethiopia                                 82,544,838 
   15 Germany                                  82,369,548 
   16 Egypt                                    81,713,517 
   17 Turkey                                   71,892,807 
   18 Congo (Kinshasa)                         66,514,506 
   19 Iran                                     65,875,223 
   20 Thailand                                 65,493,298 
   21 France                                   64,057,790 
   22 United Kingdom                           60,943,912 
   23 Italy                                    58,145,321 
   24 South Africa                             48,782,755 
   25 Korea, South                             48,379,392 
   26 Burma                                    47,758,181 
   27 Ukraine                                  45,994,287 
   28 Colombia                                 45,013,674 
   29 Spain                                    40,491,051 
   30 Argentina                                40,481,998 
   31 Sudan                                    40,218,455 
   32 Tanzania                                 40,213,162 
   33 Poland                                   38,500,696 
   34 Kenya                                    37,953,838 
   35 Morocco                                  34,343,219 
   36 Algeria                                  33,769,669 
   37 Canada                                   33,212,696 
   38 Afghanistan                              32,738,376 
   39 Uganda                                   31,367,972 
   40 Nepal                                    29,519,114 
   41 Peru                                     29,180,899 
   42 Iraq                                     28,221,181 
   43 Saudi Arabia                             28,146,657 
   44 Uzbekistan                               27,345,026 
   45 Venezuela                                26,414,815 
   46 Malaysia                                 25,274,133 
   47 Korea, North                             23,479,089 
   48 Ghana                                    23,382,848 
   49 Yemen                                    23,013,376 
   50 Taiwan                                   22,920,946 
   51 Romania                                  22,246,862 
   52 Mozambique                               21,284,701 
   53 Sri Lanka                                21,128,773 
   54 Australia                                21,007,310 
   55 Cote d'Ivoire                            20,179,602 
   56 Madagascar                               20,042,551 
   57 Syria                                    19,747,586 
   58 Cameroon                                 18,467,692 
   59 Netherlands                              16,645,313 
   60 Chile                                    16,454,143 
   61 Kazakhstan                               15,340,533 
   62 Burkina Faso                             15,264,735 
   63 Cambodia                                 14,241,640 
   64 Malawi                                   13,931,831 
   65 Ecuador                                  13,927,650 
   66 Niger                                    13,272,679 
   67 Guatemala                                13,002,206 
   68 Senegal                                  12,853,259 
   69 Angola                                   12,531,357 
   70 Mali                                     12,324,029 
   71 Zambia                                   11,669,534 
   72 Cuba                                     11,423,952 
   73 Zimbabwe                                 11,350,111 
   74 Greece                                   10,722,816 
   75 Portugal                                 10,676,910 
   76 Belgium                                  10,403,951 
   77 Tunisia                                  10,383,577 
   78 Czech Republic                           10,220,911 
   79 Rwanda                                   10,186,063 
   80 Serbia                                   10,159,046 
   81 Chad                                     10,111,337 
   82 Hungary                                   9,930,915 
   83 Guinea                                    9,806,509 
   84 Belarus                                   9,685,768 
   85 Somalia                                   9,558,666 
   86 Dominican Republic                        9,507,133 
   87 Bolivia                                   9,247,816 
   88 Sweden                                    9,045,389 
   89 Haiti                                     8,924,553 
   90 Burundi                                   8,691,005 
   91 Benin                                     8,532,547 
   92 Austria                                   8,205,533 
   93 Azerbaijan                                8,177,717 
   94 Honduras                                  7,639,327 
   95 Switzerland                               7,581,520 
   96 Bulgaria                                  7,262,675 
   97 Tajikistan                                7,211,884 
   98 Israel                                    7,112,359 
   99 El Salvador                               7,066,403 
  100 Hong Kong S.A.R.                          7,018,636 
  101 Paraguay                                  6,831,306 
  102 Laos                                      6,677,534 
  103 Sierra Leone                              6,294,774 
  104 Jordan                                    6,198,677 
  105 Libya                                     6,173,579 
  106 Papua New Guinea                          5,931,769 
  107 Togo                                      5,858,673 
  108 Nicaragua                                 5,785,846 
  109 Eritrea                                   5,502,026 
  110 Denmark                                   5,484,723 
  111 Slovakia                                  5,455,407 
  112 Kyrgyzstan                                5,356,869 
  113 Finland                                   5,244,749 
  114 Turkmenistan                              5,179,571 
  115 Norway                                    4,644,457 
  116 Georgia                                   4,630,841 
  117 United Arab Emirates                      4,621,399 
  118 Singapore                                 4,608,167 
  119 Bosnia and Herzegovina                    4,590,310 
  120 Croatia                                   4,491,543 
  121 Central African Republic                  4,444,330 
  122 Moldova                                   4,324,450 
  123 Costa Rica                                4,195,914 
  124 New Zealand                               4,173,460 
  125 Ireland                                   4,156,119 
  126 Lebanon                                   3,971,941 
  127 Puerto Rico                               3,958,128 
  128 Congo (Brazzaville)                       3,903,318 
  129 Albania                                   3,619,778 
  130 Lithuania                                 3,565,205 
  131 Uruguay                                   3,477,778 
  132 Mauritania                                3,364,940 
  133 Liberia                                   3,334,587 
  134 Oman                                      3,311,640 
  135 Panama                                    3,309,679 
  136 Mongolia                                  2,996,081 
  137 Armenia                                   2,968,586 
  138 Jamaica                                   2,804,332 
  139 Kuwait                                    2,596,799 
  140 West Bank                                 2,407,681 
  141 Latvia                                    2,245,423 
  142 Lesotho                                   2,128,180 
  143 Namibia                                   2,088,669 
  144 Macedonia                                 2,061,315 
  145 Slovenia                                  2,007,711 
  146 Botswana                                  1,842,323 
  147 Gambia, The                               1,735,464 
  148 Guinea-Bissau                             1,503,182 
  149 Gaza Strip                                1,500,202 
  150 Gabon                                     1,485,832 
  151 Estonia                                   1,307,605 
  152 Mauritius                                 1,274,189 
  153 Swaziland                                 1,128,814 
  154 Timor-Leste                               1,108,777 
  155 Trinidad and Tobago                       1,047,366 
  156 Fiji                                        931,741 
  157 Qatar                                       824,789 
  158 Cyprus                                      792,604 
  159 Guyana                                      770,794 
  160 Comoros                                     731,775 
  161 Bahrain                                     718,306 
  162 Bhutan                                      682,321 
  163 Montenegro                                  678,177 
  164 Equatorial Guinea                           616,459 
  165 Solomon Islands                             581,318 
  166 Macau S.A.R.                                545,674 
  167 Djibouti                                    506,221 
  168 Luxembourg                                  486,006 
  169 Suriname                                    475,996 
  170 Cape Verde                                  426,998 
  171 Malta                                       403,532 
  172 Western Sahara                              393,831 
  173 Maldives                                    385,925 
  174 Brunei                                      381,371 
  175 Bahamas, The                                307,451 
  176 Iceland                                     304,367 
  177 Belize                                      301,270 
  178 French Polynesia                            283,019 
  179 Barbados                                    281,968 
  180 Netherlands Antilles                        225,369 
  181 New Caledonia                               224,824 
  182 Samoa                                       217,083 
  183 Mayotte                                     216,306 
  184 Vanuatu                                     215,446 
  185 Sao Tome and Principe                       206,178 
  186 Guam                                        175,877 
  187 Saint Lucia                                 159,585 
  188 Tonga                                       119,009 
  189 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines            118,432 
  190 Kiribati                                    110,356 
  191 Virgin Islands, U.S.                        109,840 
  192 Micronesia, Federated States of             107,665 
  193 Aruba                                       101,541 
  194 Jersey                                       91,533 
  195 Grenada                                      90,343 
  196 Northern Mariana Islands                     86,616 
  197 Antigua and Barbuda                          84,522 
  198 Andorra                                      82,627 
  199 Seychelles                                   82,247 
  200 Isle of Man                                  76,220 
  201 Dominica                                     72,514 
  202 Bermuda                                      66,536 
  203 Guernsey                                     65,726 
  204 American Samoa                               64,827 
  205 Marshall Islands                             63,174 
  206 Greenland                                    57,564 
  207 Faroe Islands                                48,668 
  208 Cayman Islands                               47,862 
  209 Saint Kitts and Nevis                        39,817 
  210 Liechtenstein                                34,498 
  211 Monaco                                       32,796 
  212 San Marino                                   29,973 
  213 Saint Martin                                 29,376 
  214 Gibraltar                                    28,002 
  215 Virgin Islands, British                      24,041 
  216 Turks and Caicos Islands                     22,352 
  217 Palau                                        21,093 
  218 Wallis and Futuna                            15,237 
  219 Anguilla                                     14,108 
  220 Nauru                                        13,770 
  221 Cook Islands                                 12,271 
  222 Tuvalu                                       12,177 
  223 Saint Helena                                  7,601 
  224 Saint Barthelemy                              7,492 
  225 Saint Pierre and Miquelon                     7,044 
  226 Montserrat                                    5,079 

 

 

Shortcuts to Success

PLAN while others are playing.

STUDY while others are sleeping.

DECIDE while others are delaying.

PREPARE while others are daydreaming.

BEGIN while others are procrastinating.

WORK while others are wishing.

SAVE while others are wasting.

LISTEN while others are talking.

SMILE while others are frowning.

COMMEND while others are criticizing.

PERSIST while others are quitting.

 

Dealing With Failure

All of us want to be successful. All of us have big dreams. We all try very hard to achieve them. But on our way to achieving those dreams, if we face a failure, we just break down totally. Sometimes we don't even feel like trying the same job again just because of the failure we faced in the previous attempt. And if we get up and start doing it, we are not able to put our 100% in it. Consciously or unconsciously, the fear of failure affects our performance. Students put so much effort in studying for exams, and if they end up getting a B or C, then they hardly look forward to next semester. If we stop doing everything just because of the fear of failing, then the world will come to an end. Then, what exactly should we do to overcome it? Let's take some moments and see if we are able to conquer the failure or if failure would be able to conquer us

Changing Point of View

First of all, we have to stop looking at failure in a negative way. People tend to link failure with weakness, stupidity, and dumbness. I totally disagree with that. If you are doing something, and you think you are just perfect in it that means something seriously is going wrong with it. When a person thinks he is perfect, he has closed all doors for any growth or improvement. Whenever there is imperfection, there are million chances of improvement. A person keeps on growing, but a so called 'perfect person' just stops growing. He is in this illusion of being perfect which hinders his growth forever. Look at failure as another step toward success. Make yourself positive enough to see the good sides of failure.

Don't Label Yourself a 'Failure'

If you fail in something, don't think of yourself as a failure. It just means that you haven't succeeded in doing the work you were doing. It means that you are only some steps away from achieving your goal. By labeling yourself as a failure you close the door for all possibilities of achieving success. A beautiful example is mentioned below.

There was a man who

  • failed in business at the age of 21
  • was defeated in a legislative race at the age of 22
  • failed again in business at 24
  • over come the death of his girlfriend at 26
  • had a nervous breakdown at 27
  • lost a congressional race at age of 34
  • lost a senatorial race at age 45
  • failed to become Vice President at the age 47
  • lost a senatorial race at 49

and was elected as the President of the United States at the age of 52! He was none other than Abraham Lincoln. He could have labeled himself a failure and ruin his whole life. Instead, he decided to ignore failure and fight against all odds.

Don't Behave Like a Machine

Always remember that only highly intelligent people face big failures. They are the ones who cannot get things done in a right manner in first attempt. The reason for this is very simple. A person who follows orders and fulfills them right away, without thinking, is like a machine. There is no difference between that person and a machine. You tell him something and he will do it. However, a successful person is very different. If you tell him to do something in a certain way, he will ask you why he can't do it in other way. He will not follow your order blindly. He always say, "Why not the other way?" He always thinks different from crowd and that's where he succeeds.

An average student will follow what his professor has to say. He will learn the whole book and his professor's lecture word to word. But a genius-minded student would ask the professor so many questions about the whys and the wherefores. His questions will be beyond the coursework.

That average student might end up getting a better grade than that genius student. But in long term, it will be that genius student whose name will be remembered for a long time. However, that average student remains average forever his life. So, stop thinking that you are a weak or dumb student if you end up getting a low grade in spite of asking so many questions in every class. Rather be proud of yourself that your mind is much more polished than other students in the class.

See What You Have Learned

When you fail to do something, look back and see how much you have learned. You will be surprised to see that you have learned so much that you would not have learnt if you succeeded in the first attempt. Thomas Edison failed approximately 10,000 times while he was practicing on the light bulb! When people asked him to quit this project, his reply was, "I have gotten lots of results! If I find 10,000 ways something won't work, I haven't failed. I am not discouraged, because every wrong attempt discarded is often a step forward...."
If you have this kind of attitude, there is no way why you won't be successful. Every failure teaches you something. You just have to see what mistakes you made and learn from them. The more mistakes you make, the smarter you will become. Just don't make the same mistake twice because that will make you stupid. Learn from your first mistake and don't repeat it.

Never Give Up

No matter how people react to your failure, you should never ever give up. If you start giving up after your every failure, you will see that you will accomplish literally nothing in life. You will start doing something and will quit it forever after you fail in it. In this way, your skills will never be polished. Your dreams will never see the light of day.

Every success story is also a story of a great failure. The only difference is that the successful people never gave up. Instead, they bounced back with a much more energy and enthusiasm every time they failed. There was a partially deaf child who was expelled from school because his teachers considered him too stupid to learn. His mother decided to teach him and show everyone how intelligent her son is. Her son was none other than the great Thomas Edison. Edison had only three years of formal schooling.

Be Patient

Don't get discouraged if it is taking a little longer than you expected. The more time it will take the better performance it will give. Don't think that you will never achieve your goal or you will never get you want. Failure might cause your goals a little delay but it doesn't mean that you will never achieve them. It simply means that it will take just little longer. When Beethoven was young, everybody used to tell him that he has no talent for music. He knew that he will be the best composer after a considerable time. Today everyone knows that he gave the world some of the best music.

We need to update our dictionaries. We have to remove some of the words and change the meaning of some of them. 'Failure' is one of those words whose meaning needs to be changed. Today onwards, see failure as a chance to bounce back with full of energy. Look at failure as an opportunity to improve more and polish your skills. View your failure as a road to success. I am sure if you follow the above suggestions sincerely, then you will be one of those rare people who make it big no matter what circumstances are. All the best!

 

Move from one job to another, but only for the right reasons

Go through the following, It is really nice piece of an article I found, WORTH READING!

There are never better pastures - only other pastures!

"Move from one job to another, but only for the right reasons"

It's yet another day at office. As I logged on to the marketing and advertising sites for the latest updates, as usual, I found the headlines dominated by 'who's moving from one company to another after a short stint', and I wondered, why are so many people leaving one job for another? Is it past now to work with just one company for a sufficiently long period?

Whenever I ask this question to people who leave a company, the answers I get are: "Oh, I am getting a 200% hike in salary"; "Well, I am jumping three levels in my designation"; "Well, they are going to send me abroad in six months".

Then, I look around at all the people who are considered successful today and who have reached the top - be it a media agency, an advertising agency or a company. I find that most of these people are the ones who have stuck to the company, ground their heels and worked their way to the top.

And, as I look around for people who changed their jobs constantly, I find they have stagnated at some level, in obscurity!

In this absolutely ruthless, dynamic and competitive environment, there are still no short cuts to success or to making money. The only thing that continues to pay, as earlier, is loyalty and hard work. Yes, it pays! Sometimes, immediately, sometimes after a lot of time. But, it does pay.

Does this mean that one should stick to an organization and wait for that golden moment? Of course not. After a long stint, there always comes a time for moving in most organizations, but it is important to move for the right reasons, rather than superficial ones, like money, designation or an overseas trip. Remember, no company recruits for charity.

More often than not, when you are offered an unseemly hike in salary or designation that is disproportionate to what that company offers it current employees, there is always unseen bait attached.

The result? You will, in the long-term, have reached exactly the same levels or maybe lower levels than what you would have in your current company.

A lot of people leave an organization because they are "unhappy". What is this so-called-unhappiness? I have been working for donkey's years and there has never been a day when I am not unhappy about something in my work environment-boss, rude colleague, fussy clients etc.

Unhappiness in a workplace, to a large extent, is transient. If you look hard enough, there is always something to be unhappy about. But, more importantly, do I come to work to be "happy" in the truest sense? If I think hard, the answer is "No". Happiness is something you find with family, friends, may be a close circle of colleagues who have become friends.

What you come to work for is to earn, build a reputation, satisfy your ambitions, be appreciated for your work ethics, face challenges and get the job done.

So, the next time you are tempted to move, ask yourself why are you moving and what are you moving into?

Some questions are:

  • Am I ready and capable of handling the new responsibility? If yes, what could be the possible reasons my current company has not offered me the same responsibility?
  • Who are the people who currently handle this responsibility in the current and new company? Am I as good as the best among them?
  • As the new job offer has a different profile, why have I not given the current company the option to offer me this profile?
  • Why is the new company offering me the job? Do they want me for my skills, or is there an ulterior motive?

An honest answer to these will eventually decide where you go in your career- to the top of the pile in the long term(at the cost of short-term blips) or to become another average employee who gets lost with time in the wilderness?

"DESERVE BEFORE YOU DESIRE" - Dr. Gopalkrishnan, Chairman TATA Sons.

 

Sharpen Your AXE

A young man who graduated yesterday and stops learning today will become uneducated tomorrow.

John, a woodcutter, worked for a Company for five years but never got a raise. The Company hired Bill and within a year he got a promotion. This caused resentment in John and he went to his Boss to talk about it. The Boss said, "You are still cutting the same number of trees you were cutting five years ago. We are a result-oriented company and would be happy to give you a raise if your productivity goes up."

John went back started hitting harder and putting in longer hours but he still wasn't able to cut more trees. He went back to his Boss and told him his dilemma. The Boss asked John to go and talk to Bill. "Maybe there is something Bill knows that you and I don't."

John asked Bill how he managed to cut more trees. Bill answered, "After every tree I cut, I take a break for two minutes and 'sharpen my axe'. When was the last time you sharpened your axe?"

This question hit like a bullet and John got his answer.

"When was the last time you sharpened your axe?" If you want to progress in life, you cannot rest on your past laurels. You must continuously sharpen your axe of knowledge, skill and expertise, in whatever field of activity you may be!

By sharpening your axe appropriately, I wish you to attain your goals.

 

During the Interview

  • Start the interview with a pleasant smile.
  • Always remember to give a firm handshake. If there are women in your interview panel, wait for the other person to extend the hand while shaking hands.
  • Listen carefully to what the interviewer is saying
  • Stress on what you can contribute to the organization.
  • Remember that the employer is in control of the interview
  • Don't be too long-winded – say what you want to convey in crisp sentences and use terms that would convey your job & achievements.
  • Complete your sentences - don't answer just yes or no
  • What you don't know can be learned – tell them if you don't know something. But give instances of how quick a learner you are.
  • Do not boast. People on the other side are shrewd and can generally see through you. At the same time talk about achievements giving due credit to others.
  • When talking about yourself and your aspirations, do not sound vague or do not say that you don't know something. You should be very clear and precise about what you want to do, where you want to go etc.
  • If you don't understand a question, ask for clarification, don't answer vaguely.
  • Don't talk about your personal problems, why you need the job etc
  • Don't get personal – even if you know the interviewer personally
  • Don't be overconfident or too nervous
  • Don't badmouth your previous employer - you could do the same in the case of the prospective customer
  • Don't complain about politics, a bad boss or a poor salary - your reasons for change should be higher responsibilities, location etc.
  • If the interviewer is interrupted during the course of the interview, don't pick up papers on his/her desk and read them
  • Don't ask about salary before the offer is made
  • Strike a balance between what you actually are and what you want to be – don't paint a picture of yourself as somebody who is not concerned about money, social status etc.
  • Don't be in a hurry to complete the interview
  • Ask questions at the end of the interview – it could be about the company, the job or the next stage of the interview process. It will be an indicator of your interest in the position
  • Send a thank-you letter – outlining your interest in the job and why you are qualified for it.

 

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