THE STUDENTS AND THEIR
FAMILIES IN
PVAF GUJRAAT EDUCATION PROGRAM
NEEDS YOU.....
TO EMPOWER THEM
TO BREAK OUT OF GENERATIONS OF POVERTY
SIMPLY DUE TO LACK OF
EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT SKILLS
In the Gujraat Education Program (GEP) at
Prajaapati Vishva Aashram Foundation (PVAF),
two students have graduated by 2004. 5 more students will be graduating by 2006
with the assistance of PVAF GEP next
year. All these students would have degrees in engineering in various fields
such as computer science, mechanical engineering, electronics engineering,
Mechatronics engineering and civil engineering.
The
assistance provided to the above 7 students from PVAF GEP
is as follows:
- Full financial assistance for the 4-year degree study of 8 semesters;
- Financial assistance for each semester for full
tuition fees, food and hostel costs, travel costs, books and supplies,
internet connection fees and any other miscellaneous expenses related to the
study and being in the university;
- Weekly mentoring and guidance is available to all students through
email and telephone as follows:
- to study effectively so that the student can score top marks;
- to build character and personality through participation in social
and extra-curricular activities;
- to learn how to live a life of wellness physically,
intellectually, emotionally and spiritually so that the student can perform
at peak efficiency levels
- Learning about job search and preparing resumes
for job applications;
- Learning how to plan for future life as professional and an adult with
a wife and children and supporting parents as per one's DHARm.
- Learning about performing community service as
per one's DHARm;
- Learning about helping all members (father, mother and siblings) of
student's family to have education and skills training which will make them
earn in current industry and also be better father, mother and community
citizen;
- Financial assistance to father, mother and
siblings of the student's family in getting education to break of poverty
which has been there simply because of lack of education and skills training.
Under the PVAF GEP, students and family
have been provided with information around the world from professionals who are
experts in various fields and in the various categories of assistance that the
student and their families need from PVAF GEP....
PVAF is a volunteer based
organization....And at the present time PVAF
does not have experienced volunteers experts in any of the above noted fields
and hence assistance is sought from all possible sources....Please contact PVAF
by email at
VOLUNTEER FOR PVAF GEP
by clicking on the hilite......to help in
any field the students and their family suffering in poverty and who badly needs
the above noted services....
Today, PVAF presents another information
article for all PVAF web site visitors and
especially for students and their families in PVAF GEP.....regarding
job search......Enlighten yourself on:
Tips for a successful
interview
for an executive-level job
from career coach Sharon Graham
by clicking on the next line and PVAF prays for your success in your
employment seeking and employment itself....
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How the executive job
interview has changed
What firms are looking for in leaders has shifted....
.....Be prepared
By WALLACE IMMEN
Canadian Globe and Mail: Saturday, August 28, 2004 - Page B9
How to clinch that
interview:
Tips for a successful interview for an executive-level job,
from career coach Sharon Graham:
- Prepare a brief career summary to introduce your background to your
interviewers.
- Research the industry, current market and
prospective employer thoroughly.
- Memorize your timelines so you can clearly recite when you did what you
did.
- Impress everyone you encounter, including the
receptionist, assistant and recruiter.
- Display confidence by speaking authoritatively but without appearing
arrogant.
- Highlight your value using examples that relate
to your prospective employer.
- Use the "situation, action, result" formula to articulate clear and
concise accomplishments.
- Emphasize your personal qualities, values and
behaviours that demonstrate your corporate cultural fit.
- Show how you can exploit appropriate technological advances for the
company's benefit.
- Demonstrate your ability to transform your new
organization and achieve immediate bottom-line results.
- Explain how you create organizational synergy to adapt to the changing
market.
Malcolm Eade always asked the questions in job interviews during
his 15 years as a manager. Now that he's on the job hunt himself, he finds he's
having to practice answering questions in job interviews.
Mr. Eade, 40, who is in the job market after a restructuring eliminated his
position as general manager of a Toronto division of Montreal-based Johnson &
Johnson Inc., says he finds candidates for executive-level positions are facing
more probing questions than ever about what motivates them and how they react to
challenges.
While he is confident he will be able to impress a search committee, "the one I
roll around in my mind is the question 'What are you weak at?' . . . I'll
rehearse that answer a great deal," he says.
Executives hunting for a new position should be aware of a shift in what
interviewers are looking for in candidates for management jobs, says Sharon
Graham, executive director of the newly formed Career Professionals of Canada,
an organization of career coaches and résumé specialists.
"Things have changed. Even a few years ago, leaders were hired for their
abilities to build solid teams and strategies that would produce long-term value
for the organization," says Ms. Graham, principal of the Graham Management
Group, a consulting firm specializing in résumés and management coaching based
in Milton, Ont.
"Now, executives are more likely to be brought in to rebuild and redefine an
organization. So the skills an executive-level person should be portraying are
flexibility and the ability to make change happen quickly," Ms. Graham says.
Increasingly, executive candidates have to face an additional interview -- the
behavioural consultation, Ms. Graham adds. In these interviews, candidates are
asked to describe how they respond to particular situations.
"When you walk into the interview, you should have a whole series of strong
accomplishment statements that relate directly to what the organization is and
what they are looking for," Ms. Graham advises.
She says answers to interview questions should focus on three key qualities that
organizations value in an executive:
Your ability to get something done immediately and instantly makes a difference
to the organization.
Your ability to deal with constant change and to keep an organization flexible.
Being able to achieve a major transformation that, in the longer term, will set
up the organization to meet future needs.
"For instance, if you have been involved in mergers, acquisitions,
centralization or decentralization, downsizing or expansion, you need to outline
what you did and how you did it and how successful it was for the organization,"
Ms. Graham advises.
Her advice is to develop a series of high-impact stories that are very concise.
The plot should move from problem to solution, Ms. Graham suggests. For
instance, "I came and saw a challenge, I took action and developed a new vision,
and the result was a 20-per-cent increase in sales."
Everything you've done in your career should be rehearsed and reviewed in
advance of the interview, Ms. Graham advises.
She says that, in coaching senior-level people, she often finds they have so
many diverse experiences in their careers that they can forget times and
specific details.
"If they haven't reviewed and memorized their dates, they may start fumbling or
have to change their story in the course of the interview. That may be just a
simple mistake, but it might not appear that way to interviewers," Ms. Graham
points out.
However, being too pat or too assertive with your answers can also be a pitfall.
"It's important to appear confident you can do the job but you don't want to
turn off the interview panel," Ms. Graham says. While it's great to walk into an
interview with supreme confidence, in some people that can come across as
arrogance.
The first thing to do is to respect everyone you meet, she says. "Make eye
contact with everyone in the room regardless of what their position is."
And let the interviewer run the show. Don't answer a question before it is asked
or try to dominate the interview, which can be taken as a sign you would try to
put your ego needs ahead of the good of the company, Ms. Graham advises.
Ego and the exaggeration and bragging that come with it are major interview
killers, she adds. "When you emphasize 'I' too often, it can appear you are
trying to come on really strong. Some accomplishments are certainly your own and
you should make those points, but if something was a team effort, talk in terms
of 'we.' "
Ms. Graham says that stating you built an organization from the ground up is
great on a résumé "but it really doesn't sound very nice when you verbalize it."
Instead, emphasize how you motivated employees to support your vision, she
suggests.
And it's never a good idea to make highly negative statements about companies or
people. You never know when you might be offending an interviewer's friend or
former employer.
Finally, be careful with name dropping. "Only do it if there is a valid reason
that is on-topic to the discussion. You can even mention the name of a
competitor but be tactful," Ms. Graham says.
To prepare candidates, Ms. Graham uses role playing exercises. They are coached
on traditional interview questions about abilities and goals but particularly to
think about the final, behavioural round, where interviewers are really asking
"tell me a story," she says.
Answers should always highlight how you fit the needs and corporate culture of
the organization, Ms. Graham says. To prepare for that requires doing in-depth
research that should go far beyond a look at the company's website, she says. A
senior-level person should be researching the entire industry and talking to
people in related associations about current trends and perceived weaknesses,
she says.
If you believe in yourself it will show in the interview, she adds. "There's no
doubt as a business leader today you've got exceptional ability. By effectively
and creatively presenting your qualifications, you can open the door to the next
level in your career."
Source: Graham Management Group, Toronto
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