Lessons learnt as a Google intern (1)

With three previous internships prior to joining Google and one more right after, I’m convinced that Google is in a world of its own.

Little wonder the company has achieved such remarkable success over a short time. I stand to be corrected, but never in history has a company grown so huge and powerful.

It has remained one of the most sought after companies by job seekers (ranking number 1 on Forbes Best Companies to work in 2007 & 2008) and is currently one of the top brands in the world.

Please, join me as I journey through some Googley lessons:

Lesson 1 – Build a unique culture
 

If I were to describe the company in one word it would be UNCONVENTIONAL. It is definitely one of the few places where you can truly be yourself.

No dress code, no fixed working hours, no unnecessary monitoring of how you carry out your work. Even Interns like me are treated like full timers.

Although it is not the highest paying tech company, it is arguably the most sought after. This is because of the knowledge of the unique way that the company is run.

Just like a recent study shows what truly motivates people, the Google culture allows for independent thinking, mastery of work and provides a sense of purpose.

You can take time to read about how they undertook their IPO. Never had such been approach been taken by a company to the US stock market.

Lesson 2 – Innovate or die
 

At Google, a great deal of emphasis is placed on innovation so there is just no time for competition. For me, innovation really never has to be from scratch.

It is more about having a different approach to solving a problem or improving an existing solution. Google was not the first search engine, but it has taken that idea and made it the best in the world.

Google Goggles (an app for Android phones) and the Pacman game embedded in the Google Home Page are a few example of the company’s knack for creative solutions.

Lesson 3 – Be more value oriented than revenue oriented
 

Google never really seeks out immediate ways to monetise their products and services. Instead emphasis is placed on making the product the best possible, getting people to use it and then later figuring out how to generate revenue.They understand the simple law that when you create value, money will follow.

Lesson 4 – Focus on the customer (user)
 

One of the popular phrases by Google is – Focus on the user and all else will follow. This is very true.

Many people and firms choose instead to focus on the revenue or profit.

I’m not sure if some business managers and owners have ever heard about customer service let alone know what it means. Another issue is developing products without involving the end-user in the development process.

I once asked someone who had two similar mobile apps on his phone which he preferred.

He answered: “The one that allows me search through easily”. User experience is a big deal at Google and we should learn to provide solutions and services that will satisfy the customer or end-user.

People aren’t stupid. They know what they want and will flock to where they can get it.

 

Source:Punch newspaper

What makes a brand social? (1)

A few months ago, I was on a study tour of one of the world’s most successful direct banks in Madrid, Spain. Over the course of a week, I learnt two fundamental lessons that continue to shape my work. These lessons speak to the issues around “what makes a social brand” (see my last week’s article).
 

Fired up and ready to burn
 

The bank’s executive team shared with me an intriguing story. The management decided to involve its employees in the process of redefining its brand values. Employees were asked to send in their individual suggestions of what the brand values should be.

Thousands of entries were received. Employees voted and the preferred choices became the new brand values of the bank. The real story here is not about the unconventional approach adopted by the executive management team.

The story lies in what they did with the rest of the “community generated brand values” that were not selected. The brand engraved all the suggested brand values on a statue of the brand’s logo. Copies of this statue were displayed prominently in all departments. They sure made interesting reading.

The brand clearly demonstrated the importance of everyone’s opinion. During meetings with various members of the organisation, I realised just how significant that exercise was to the employees. It renewed their passion, drive, commitment and zeal to do more. I recall Javier (not his real name) one of the product managers proudly taking me to a statue and showing me the brand value he had suggested. These guys were truly “fired up and ready to burn”. This was lesson number one of “what can make a brand social”. “How fired up is your team?”
 

Team work, not tim work
 

The second lesson was how teams could work seamlessly to consistently create superior products for the customer. Each product had a multi-disciplinary team consisting of at least individual specialists in product development, IT, marketing, business intelligence/strategy and operations – a minimum number of four team members. The strategy was to ensure that right from the ideation stage, all critical stakeholders are involved in shaping the ideas so that the best possible outcome is achieved. The collective wisdom of the team is harnessed at the very points where they are needed.

Sadly, this is not the case in many organisations. Frequently, teams work in silos often duplicating projects, products and efforts. Take a familiar culprit – the product team. They sometimes create seemingly “winning products/services” with minimal input from other critical stakeholders. The result – a significant number of the target audience literally go through the proverbial eye of a needle in order to find the unique selling proposition of such products or services. Stop trying to outwit the other departments. In the midst of all these fiefdoms, there lie the lost opportunities. We need a single view of the customer.
 

A social brand and its work place
 

A decision maker in a leading global fast-moving consumer goods company proudly told me that his brand had over 30 million fans on Facebook. Sadly his organisation has no active internal channels for engaging its employees. How can a brand be social when it has not created and nurtured the structures that enable socialisation in the workplace?

A growing number of employees do not believe that their opinions are valued. There seems to be a pervading atmosphere of “de-innovation”.

Any organisation that neglects the internal harmony of its employees while actively promoting a caring external image is simply living a lie.
 

From fans to cash – the missing link
 

At the end of the day, all the great stuff that happens on social media would come down to the wire – “We need to convert some of these virtual love into hard earned cash. Yes, we love the fact that you have liked and followed us all this while but now its time you gave us some of your money”.

Every member of the value chain is key to making service happen. They must be actively involved if we must achieve the expected return on effort (ROE).

Do you have adequate service recovery plans? How empowered are your employees to create “wow” moments for the customer?

Start the co-creation process within your organisation before you involve the external customer. “How social is your organisation? How social can you afford to be? Can you build a physical and/or virtual atmosphere where employees can connect, create and share in an atmosphere that is not simply another platform for company speak?”

“To lead people, first touch their heart before you reach for their hands”.
 

The making of a social brand
 

A social brand is not about its level of activity in the various technology platforms, products or events. Its perception as a social brand is reinforced or diminished with every interaction the customer has with its employees.

A social brand demonstrates its sociality in its corporate behaviour (internally and externally).

Is a social brand possible?

Yes it is. It can be formed gradually in line with a strong executive commitment to putting its internal customers first. This means deliberately creating and nurturing listening channels where employees can engage with executives without fear. It is a place where executives are demystified, chords are broken, bonds are formed, and alliances forged. It is place where a brand’s employees are its most ardent social media fans. It is a journey.

The take out for this article is simple: If we honestly believe in “People First” then it is time for some housekeeping. Charity must begin at home. Social media should not be an exception.

 

Source: punch newspaper

WE SEE THINGS NOT THE WAY THEY ARE BUT THE WAY WE ARE

WE SEE THINGS NOT THE WAY THEY ARE BUT THE WAY WE ARE

 

 

There is a legend about a wise man who was sitting outside his village. A traveler came up and asked him, "What kind of people live in this village, because I am looking to move from my present one?" The wise man asked, "What kind of people live where you want to move from?" The man said, "They are mean, cruel, rude." The wise man replied, "The same kind of people live in this village too." After some time another traveler came by and asked the same question and the wise man asked him, "What kind of people live where you want to move from?" And the traveler replied, "The people are very kind, courteous, polite and good." The wise man said, "You will find the same kind of people here too."

What is the moral of the story?

Generally we see the world not the way it is but the way we are. Most of the time, other people's behavior is a reaction to our own.

 

 

 

LIFE IS A BOOMERANG

 

 

 

 

Whether it is our thoughts, actions or behavior, sooner or later they return and with great accuracy. Treat people with respect on your way up because you will be meeting them on your way down. The following story is taken from The Best of Bits & Pieces.

Many years ago two boys were working their way through Stanford University. Their funds got desperately low, and the idea came to them to engage Ignacy Paderewski for a piano recital. They would use the funds to help pay their board and tuition.

The great pianist's manager asked for a guarantee ofÄ$2,000. The guarantee was a lot of money in those days, but the boys agreed and proceeded to promote the concert. They worked hard, only to find that they had grossed only $1,600. After the concert the two boys told the great artist the bad news. They gave him the entire $1,600, along with a promissory note for $400, explaining that they would earn the amount at the earliest possible moment and send the money to him. It looked like the end of their college careers. "No, boys," replied Paderewski, "that won't do." Then, tearing the note in two, he returned the money to them as well. "Now," he told them, "take out of this $1,600 all of your expenses and keep for each of you 10 percent of the balance for your work. Let me have the rest."

The years rolled by. World War I came and went. Paderewski, now premier of Poland, was striving to feed thousands of starving people in his native land. The only person in the world who could help him was Herbert Hoover, who was in charge of the US Food and Relief Bureau. Hoover responded and soon thousands of tons of food were sent to Poland. After the starving people were fed, Paderewski journeyed to Paris to thank Hoover for the relief sent him. "That's all right, Mr. Paderewski ," was Hoover's reply. "Besides, you don't remember it, but you helped me once when I was a student at college, and I was in trouble." It is one of the most beautiful compensations of life that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself.

Goodness has a way of coming back; that is the nature of the beast. One doesn't have to do good with a desire to get back. It just happens automatically.

LIFE IS AN ECHO....YOUR STRENGTH AND YOUR WEAKNESS

‎

A little boy got angry with his mother and shouted at her, "I hate you, I hate you." Because of fear of reprimand, he ran out of the house. He went up to the valley and shouted, "I hate you, I hate you," and back came the echo, "I hate you, I hate you." This was the first time in his life he had heard an echo. He got scared, went to his mother for protection and said there was a bad boy in the valley who shouted "I hate you, I hate you." The mother understood and she asked her son to go back and shout, "I love you, I love you." The little boy went and shouted, "I love you, I love you," and back came the echo.

That taught the little boy a lesson that our life is like an echo: We get back what we give. Benjamin Franklin said, "When you are good to others, you are best to yourself.”

YOUR STRENGTHS AND YOUR WEAKNESSES

 

 

 

Take Inventory: Make a List of All Your Strengths and Weaknesses. Write it on a Piece of paper and make an action plan accordingly.

Successful people realize their limitations and build on their strengths. Focus on what you want to do and be, rather than what you don't.

Motivational Stories!-Must Read -Forgive and Forget,Spoken Words can't be retrieved

 

See More pics

When a person refuses to forgive, he is locking doors that some day he might need to open. When we hold grudges and harbor resentment, who are we hurting the most? Ourselves.

Jim and Jerry were childhood friends but for whatever reasons, the relationship fell apart and they hadn't spoken for 25 years. Jerry was on his deathbed and didn't want to enter eternity with a heavy heart. So he called Jim, apologized and said, "Let's forgive each other and be done for the past." Jim thought it was a good idea and decided to visit Jerry at the hospital. They caught up on 25 years, patched up their differences and spent a couple of hours together. As Jim was leaving, Jerry shouted from behind, "Jim, just in case I don't die; remember, this forgiveness doesn't count." Life is too short to hold grudges. It is not worth it.

While it is not worth holding grudges, it doesn't make sense to be bitten time and again. It is well said, "You cheat me once, shame on you; you cheat me twice, shame on me."

John Kennedy once said, "Forgive the other person but don't forget their name." I am sure that his message was that one should not get cheated twice.

 

 

 

SPOKEN WORDS CAN'T BE RETRIEVED

A farmer insulted his neighbor. Realizing his mistake, he went to the preacher to ask for forgiveness. The preacher told him to take a bag of feathers and drop them in the center of town. The farmer did as he was told. Then the preacher asked him to go and collect the feathers and put them back in the bag. The farmer tried but couldn't as the feathers had all blown away. When he returned with the empty bag, the preacher said, "The same thing is true about your words. You dropped them rather easily but you cannot retrieve them, so be very careful in choosing your words."

Motivational Stories- Meaningless Goals? or Smart Goals...

MEANINGLESS GOALS

 

 

 

A farmer had a dog who used to sit by the roadside waiting for vehicles to come around. As soon as one came he would run down the road, barking and trying to overtake it. One day a neighbor asked the farmer "Do you think your dog is ever going to catch a car?" The farmer replied, "That is not what bothers me. What bothers me is what he would do if he ever caught one." Many people in life behave like that dog who is pursuing meaningless goals.

Life is hard by the yard,

but by the inch,

it's a cinch.

 

--Gean Gordon

SMART Goals

 

 

 

If you ask most people what is their one major objective in life, they would probably give you a vague answer, such as, "I want to be successful, be happy, make a good living," and that is it. They are all wishes and none of them are clear goals.

Goals must be SMART:

1. S--specific. For example, "I want to lose weight." This is wishful thinking. It becomes a goal when I pin myself down to "I will lose 10 pounds in 90 days."

2. M--must be measurable. If we cannot measure it, we cannot accomplish it. Measurement is a way of monitoring our progress.

3. A--must be achievable. Achievable means that it should be out of reach enough to be challenging but it should not be out of sight, otherwise it becomes disheartening.

4. R--realistic. A person who wants to lose 50 pounds in~30 days is being unrealistic.

5. T--time-bound. There should be a starting date and a finishing date.

 

Motivational Stories-Why are Goals important?...Keep Your Eyes...

Why are Goals Important? - Must read

 

‎On the best sunny day, the most powerful magnifying glass will not light paper if you keep moving the glass. But if you focus and hold it, the paper will light up. That is the power of concentration.

A man was traveling and stopped at an intersection. He asked an elderly man, "Where does this road take me?" The elderly person asked, "Where do you want to go?" The man replied, "I don't know." The elderly person said, "Then take any road. What difference does it make?"

How true. When we don't know where we are going, any road will take us there.

Suppose you have all the football eleven players, enthusiastically ready to play the game, all charged up, and then someone took the goal post away. What would happen to the game? There is nothing left. How do you keep score? How do you know you have arrived?

Enthusiasm without direction is like wildfire and leads to frustration. Goals give a sense of direction. Would you sit in a train or a plane without knowing where it was going? The obvious answer is no. Then why do people go through life without having any goals?

KEEP YOUR EYES UPON THE GOAL

 

‎On July 4, 1952, Florence Chadwick was on her way to becoming the first woman to swim the Catalina Channel. She had already conquered the English Channel. The world was watching. Chadwick fought the dense fog, bone-chilling cold and many times, the sharks. She was striving to reach the shore but every time she looked through her goggles, all she could see was the dense fog. Unable to see the shore, she gave up. Chadwick was disappointed when she found out that she was only half a mile from the coast. She quit, not because she was a quitter but because her goal was not in sight anywhere. The elements didn't stop her. She said, "I'm not making excuses. If only I had seen the land, I could have made it." Two months later, she went back and swam the Catalina Channel. This time, in spite of the bad weather, she had her goal in mind and not only accomplished it but beat the men's record by two hours.

Motivational Story-THE MIDAS TOUCH

 

 

We all know the story of the greedy king named Midas. He had a lot of gold and the more he had the more he wanted. He stored all the gold in his vaults and used to spend time every day counting it.

One day while he was counting a stranger came from nowhere and said he would grant him a wish. The king was delighted and said, "I would like everything I touch to turn to gold." The stranger asked the king, Are you sure?" The king replied, "Yes." So the stranger said, "Starting tomorrow morning with the sun rays you will get the golden touch." The king thought he must be dreaming, this couldn't be true. But the next day when he woke up, he touched the bed, his clothes, and everything turned to gold. He looked out of the window and saw his daughter playing in the garden. He decided to give her a surprise and thought she would be happy. But before he went to the garden he decided to read a book. The moment he touched it, it turned into gold and he couldn't read it. Then he sat to have breakfast and the moment he touched the fruit and the glass of water, they turned to gold. He was getting hungry and he said to himself, "I can't eat and drink gold." Just about that time his daughter came running and he hugged her and she turned into a gold statue. There were no more smiles left.

 

The king bowed his head and started crying. The stranger who gave the wish came again and asked the king if he was happy with his golden touch. The king said he was the most miserable man. The stranger asked, "What would you rather have, your food and loving daughter or lumps of gold and her golden statue?" The king cried and asked for forgiveness. He said, "I will give up all my gold. Please give me my daughter back because without her I have lost everything wo rth having." The stranger said to the king, "You have become wiser than before" and he reversed the spell. He got his daughter back in his arms and the king learned a lesson that he never forget for the rest of his life.

What is the moral of the story?

1. Distorted values lead to tragedy.

2. Sometimes getting what you want may be a bigger tragedy than not getting what you want.

3. Unlike the game of soccer where players can be substituted, the game of life allows no substitutions or replays. We may not get a second chance to reverse our tragedies, as the king did.

More Motivational Stories For Everyone!!!

Practice Humility!!!!

 

 

Many years ago, a rider came across some soldiers who were trying to move a heavy log without success. The corporal was standing by as the men struggled. The rider asked the corporal why he wasn't helping. The corporal replied, "I am the corporal; i give orders." The rider dismounted, went up and stood by the soldiers and as they were lifting the log, he helped them. With his help, the log got moved. The rider quietly mounted his horse and went to the corporal and said, "The next time your men need help, send for the Commander-in-Chief." After he left, the corporal and his men found out that the rider was George Washington.

 

The message is pretty clear. Success and humility go hand in hand. When others blow your horn, the sound goes further. Just think about it? Simplicity and humility are two hallmarks of greatness. Humility does not mean self-demeaning behavior.

* In The Book of Virtues, edited by William J. Bennett, Simon & Schuster, New York, 1993, p. 204

 

 

 

Credibility

 

 

 

We all know the story of the shepherd boy who cried wolf. The boy decided to have some fun at the expense of the villagers. He shouted, "Help, help, the wolf is here." The villagers heard him and came to his rescue. But when they got there, they saw no wolf and the boy laughed at them. They went away. The next day, the boy played the same trick and the same thing happened. Then one day, while the boy was taking care of his sheep he actually saw a wolf and shouted for help. The people in the village heard him but this time nobody came to his rescue. They thought it was another trick and didn't trust him anymore. He lost his sheep to the wolf.

The moral of the story is -

When people tell lies, they lose credibility. Once they have lost credibility, even when they tell the truth, no one believes them.

Make yourself an honest man and then you may be sure there is one rascal less in the world. --Thomas Carlyle

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Motivational Stories For Everyone!!!

IT IS THE LITTLE THINGS THAT MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE

There was a man taking a morning walk at the beach. He saw that along with the morning tide came hundreds of starfish and when the tide receded, they were left behind and with the morning sun rays, they would die. The tide was fresh and the starfish were alive. The man took a few steps, picked one and threw it into the water. He did that repeatedly. Right behind him there was another person who couldn't understand what this man was doing. He caught up with him and asked, "What are you doing? There are hundreds of starfish. How many can you help? What difference does it make?" This man did not reply, took two more steps, picked up another one, threw it into the water, and said, "It makes a difference to this one."

What difference are we making? Big or small, it does not matter. If everyone made a small difference, we'd end up with a big difference, wouldn't we?

HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE REMEMBERED?

About a hundred years ago, a man looked at the morning newspaper and to his surprise and horror, read his name in the obituary column. The news papers had reported the death of the wrong person by mistake. His first response was shock. Am I here or there? When he regained his composure, his second thought was to find out what people had said about him. The obituary read, "Dynamite King Dies." And also "He was the merchant of death." This man was the inventor of dynamite and when he read the words "merchant of death," he asked himself a question, "Is this how I am going to be remembered?" He got in touch with his feelings and decided that this was not the way he wanted to be remembered. From that day on, he started working toward peace. His name was Alfred Nobel and he is remembered today by the great Nobel Prize.

Just as Alfred Nobel got in touch with his feelings and redefined his values, we should step back and do the same.

What is your legacy?

How would you like to be remembered?

Will you be spoken well of?

Will you be remembered with love and respect?

Will you be missed?

INSPIRATION STORY TO LIFT YOU-BILL GATES

Bill gates success story

Bill Gates

William Henry "Bill" Gates III is an American business magnate, computer programmer and philanthropist

Early life

Gates began to show an interest in computer programming at the age of 13. He maintained  a very close relationship with his mother, Mary.
Bill was known to be   a voracious reader as a child, spending many hours pouring over  books.

Challenge He seemed bored and withdrawn, His parents worried he might become a loner.

supports
His  Mother used proceeds from the school'srummage sale to purchase a teletype terminal for students to use to support him

Rejection!!!
Do you know that his idea of creating a computer that has a graphical interface and a mouse was rejected when he first submitted it to another company?
some people even say that the papers of the project were thrown in his face!! Now he became bill gates!!

His quotes"Success is a lousy teacher. It seduces smart people into thinking they can't lose."
"Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one."

The most precious lessons you should come up with from these inspirational success story are:

1. Rejection should never stop you!
2. People who reject you know nothing!!
3. Believing in yourself is the key to success in life!!!

INSPIRATIONAL STORY TO LIFT YOU- Operah Winfrey

Operah winfrey's success story:

She is a Director, producer, actress, and was and currently is a talk show host.

EARLY DAYS

In 1983, Oprah took over AM Chicago, a low-rated morning talk show. Her first episode aired on January 2, 1984 and the show became the highest rated talk show in Chicago. it was then renamed "The Oprah Winfrey Show" and broadcast nationally on September 8, 1986.Somewhere

HER CHALLENGES

Winfrey was raped at age 9 and at 14-years-old gave birth to a son, who died in infancy.

She doesn't have any kids. she does not have a brother or a sister.

Operah was fired from her job and was told that she was not fit for TV earlier in her life?

Operah is one of the most popular TV icons nowadays and she is also one of the richest women on our planet!

One of her good deeds is helping peoples dreams come true.

Her Word: Never fail without trying.


MORALS

Your Past cannot stop you  from being successul!!!
Help People fulfil their dreams and yours will equally be fulfilled.
You only fail when you stop trying.

Oral interview: Having Confidence before the Panel-By Ogunbiyi A.A

If your knees always  shaky, or you are always nervous or you always lose your voice right before you're about to start being interview by the panel then its time for change. Speaking with confidence before panel comes from practice, improvement of speech patterns and having passion for your subject matter. You can gain confidence by following a few simple techniques that you can practice to improve your comportment .
Tips

Interviewee before the Panel

                
 

INSPIRING STORY TO LIFT YOU-Mark Zuckerberg by Ogunbiyi Abiola.A

Mark Zuckerberg is the founder and CEO of Facebook, which he started in his college dorm room in 2004 with roommates Dustin Moskovitz and Chris Hughes.

Zuckerberg is responsible for setting the overall direction and product strategy for facebook. He leads the design of Facebook’s service and development of its core technology and infrastructure.

Mark Zuckerberg (Founder & CEO of Facebook)

Earlier in life, Zuckerberg developed a music recommendation system called synapse and a peer-to-peer client called Wirehog.  However, he abandoned both to pursue new projects.
Zuckerberg attended Harvard University and studied computer science before founding facebook.

While at Harvard Zuckerberg created Facemash, a website that compared students’dorm photos side-by-side in a fashion similar to HOT or NOT. Havard Administration was not amused, and Zuckerberg faced subsequent disciplinary action.

Less than three months later, he launched Facebook!!!!!!!!!.

Summary: keep trying, keeping moving,never be discouraged and you will get there!

Tips for Answering Written promotion Interview Questions. by Ogunbiyi Abiola

Written interview questions are basically designed to test our written skills, grammatical accuracy, sentence formation, clarity of thought and expression among other things.  Our interviewers use written tests as a first step in the interview process. So, to answer these written questions i want to share few tips on how to go about it. Really, some people may have already familiar with these tips. But, for the benefit of people who may not have known these tips, i decided to write them

While preparing for written interview questions, it is best to practice by writing answers to typical or sample interview question (like the one i earlier posted).  Writing gives you the ability to gather your thoughts and put them forth in an articulate and structured manner.

While composting answers remember not to use slang or colloquial terms.  The written language is always much more formal than the spoken one.   It is also best to refrain from using flowery/vague language and abbreviations.  Use simple language and short sentences, as they make for better reading.

Give structured responses, where each paragraph may elaborate on one particular facet.  It is good to have an introduction, body and conclusion while attempting the written question answers.

Clarity of thought and expression are very important, so make sure to re-read your answers once you have written them.  It is also advisable to proof-read your answers, as many a time, one overlooks grammatical and spelling mistakes.  Looking into these specific details can be the clincher, when all else is equal.

I think these tips will be helpful as well. I wish you all the best!!!!!!

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7 TIPS TO CONSIDER WHEN PREPARING FOR YOUR PROMOTION INTERVIEW - Written by Ogunbiyi Abiola A,Edited by Mr Uzo Clement

Whenever there is a Promotion Interview, one among many questions that first come to our mind is how to prepare for the interview? Other ones are;

1. What material do i study?
2. What are the likely questions that would be asked?
3. How do i answer the written questions in other to score the maximum point?
4. When should i start?

The list of how(s) and what(s) to do questions when preparing for promotion interview are inexhaustible.

This article attempts to offer tips and guidelines to handle these questions. Mind you, it is for people that are hesitant on what to do when the interview is fast approaching. Here are seven tips you should keep in mind when preparing for promotion interview.

1. PRACTICE ANSWERING QUESTIONS.

It is unfortunate that we have no or scanty materials to study for the interview, but we can anticipate the likely questions that the interviewer will ask. You can do this by familiarizing yourself with all the sections/Units in your department. For example say

New service section;You can ask yourself:
I. what is meter?
ii. What is CRMD?
iii. What are the advantages of prepayment metering over analogue metering?
Iv.what is Nepa 74 form?
V. How can i set-up a customer to receive a bill?
Vi. What are the processes for treating an Application for New Supply? And so on...

Customer care unit:What is customer care?
Who is a Customer?
How can Customer Care Personnel show they care for customer?
How do they handle case of overbilling and Credit Adjustment?
What is the procedure to migrate a customer whose Prepayment meter has just been installed? And so on…..

Note:

Prepare the best answers for these likely questions MENTALLY i.e. commit it to your memory NOT to your jotter.

2. PRACTICE IN FRONT OF A MIRROR OR WITH ANOTHER PERSON.

Hearing and seeing yourself responding is an effective tool in improving your communication skills. It also gives you confidence.

3. TECHNIQUES FOR ANSWERING THE QUESTION

 i. Use marketing Keywords (otherwise called terminologies) click here for marketing terminologies.

  Whenever a question is asked, first, write out all the terminologies associated with that question. Then include it in your answer. This makes it easier for the examiner to understand your point.

ii. Give examples to buttress your points. If you cannot explain to convince the examiner, the examples will do better

iii. Use sub-Heading or subtitle: Use it to summarize your point, then define or explain it and give examples to drive home your points

Iv.Write as if you are discussing or chatting with the examiner
 v.Read, Re-Read your answers: Check for spelling sentence construction and so on.
vi. Let your writing flow not haphazard and straight to the point

4. GROUP DISCUSSION

 There is this saying that two good heads are better than one. So, meet with other colleagues preparing for the interview also. You can even meet with your superior for their insights in the interview

5. DRESS PROFESSIONALLY. Wear a suit, feeling professional will make you sound professional

6. ARRIVE EARLY: At least 10 minutes early

7. PRAY 

                    

       

Above all commit everything into the hands of God. Promotion Comes from above.

In this article you have learnt tips for preparing for interview which are practicing answer questions, practice in from of mirror or with another person, techniques for answering the questions and the need for group discussion. Always remember to pray.
 There is a common saying that Practice Makes perfect.So practice as many times as possible before attempting the interview.

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