FAIZ SPEAKS

The interview process is the most commonly used gateway to a new hire, but it’s often highly scripted, insincere and as useful as a coin toss. Following are important interview questions to be asked from a potential candidate while making hiring decisions; 1. Suitability. The question:  What were the best six months you have spent working in your career? You want to determine what makes a person tick at work. Does the individual like a collaborative or autonomous environment? Or does he or she prefer thinking, managing or doing? Rarely is anyone good at all three. You need to make sure what the person is happiest doing in his or her career and see if the job description and the work environment aligns with this. Otherwise, there's a problem from Day 1.  2. Grit. The question:  Would you be willing to tell a joke or sing a song? Some people think it’s a manager’s job to motivate employees, but self-determination is hardwired into a person. Managers c

To be happy at work, a greater understanding of one's own nature cannot help but get you into the right workplace. You should certainly be clear about what you enjoy doing, and whether you can incorporate that into your career. But  what  you do is only one element in the equation. Consider also the work context within which you work and the importance or relative unimportance to you of high professional achievement. These may be more important than what that leads you at work. Where do you stand on two dimensions? Do you have a high drive for achievement and career success? Most people would automatically say ‘Yes’, but then not be prepared to go that extra mile or do serious reflection upon how to achieve far more than their colleagues. It’s a crucial question, worth a thoughtful and honest answer. There’s no shame in realizing that vast ambition is not for you -- if it’s true. 2.     Would you be happiest working for an organization? Or

Multitasking helps you get more done faster. The only thing is, it doesn't. When you perform multiple tasks that each require some of the same channels of processing, conflicts will arise between the tasks, and you're going to have to pick and choose which task you're going to focus on and devote a channel of processing to it. David Meyer, a cognitive scientist has been at the forefront of research for several decades on how the brain processes information and copes with multitasking. He has investigated the brain's speed, accuracy and memory in information processing. Meyer's work has helped demonstrate that humans have distinct bandwidth challenges, which can make multitasking problematic. It turns out the brain's ability to process information is limited in a variety of ways -- from processing channels to limits on data volume, velocity and working memory -- that confound true, simultaneous task actions. Counter to common belief, you can't do two c

You need to make sure everyone you bring on fits the culture of your business. Whether you are leading teams at a Fortune 500 company or just starting up, the need to make great cultural hires never goes away. To hire for culture, your interview should not only consist of basic questions centered around values and team work but also more in-depth questions to understand if this person will be a good fit. How do you hire for culture? What types of questions should you ask potential candidates? Basic questions like; What are your values? Tell me about a time you were part of a great team and what made it great? These questions only give you a surface level insights into whether a potential new hire will be a great cultural fit. Following are five must-ask questions to determine if the people you are bringing on will be the right fit for your company. 1. Why do you want to work at this company and what are your expectations? You need to know if people want to join

HR is no longer just about benefits and administration. It is now an extension of a business’s strategy and has become a business partner that can make or break a company.HR professionals are increasingly expected to be well-versed in analytics and make data-driven decisions. The finance function was also a tactical one that has transformed into a strategic area of the business. CFOs must educate human resource managers so they understand the business, where the company is going, and the challenges it faces in finding the right people and filling the correct roles. They should be empowered to be proactive instead of reactive, especially in today's market, where many employers are struggling to find the right talent. Following are four effective ways CFOs can get involved with HR . 1-Involve HR in corporate planning processes. Human resources professional needs to understand where your business is heading. HR is most effective in strategic areas when it fully unde

Body language is the most critical aspect of communication. If you want to be an effective leader you must master it.  What can you do to improve your body language? Try these tips: Echoing.  This is sometimes referred to as the Matching and Mirroring Technique. Take note of the body language of the person sitting opposite you and subtly create a similar configuration with your body. For example, if they lean forward, lean a little forward too. This will communicate that you are listening and on the same page as the other person without having to say a word. Avoid the Unconscious Frown.  Many of us, when in long conversations, tend to let our faces settle into the regular, thoughtful lines. However, what seems comfortable and thoughtful to us often times looks like a frown to others. Stand in front of a mirror and let your face settle to see if you have an unconscious frown. Or ask those around you, they’re sure to answer honestly. Try talking with your hands.  When yo

Scholars may have coined the term “emotional intelligence” in the early 1990s, but business leaders quickly took the concept and made it their own. According to emotional intelligence, or EQ, success is strongly influenced by personal qualities such as perseverance, self-control and skill in getting along with others. Hiring managers are likely to make better hiring decisions when they look for people who already possess high EQ scores. Workers with high EQ are better able to work in teams, adjust to change and be flexible. No matter how many degrees or other on-paper qualifications a person has, if he or she doesn’t have certain emotional qualities, he or she is unlikely to succeed. As the workplace continues to evolve, making room for new technologies and innovations, these qualities may become increasingly important. Daniel Goleman presents five categories of emotional intelligence. To hire candidates who will thrive in your workplace, look for those who have a handle on th

Conflicts arises in any organization irrespective of their size or nature of the business. Every organization must be proactive in crafting relevant policies to effectively handle any conflict that may arise or even before it arise. Following are simple tips to be adapted; 1. Understand and evaluate people's emotional responses.  When employees have strong emotional reactions to a workplace dispute, their whole internal defense mechanism may resort to a fight or flight reaction, and their ability to think and reason will typically take second place. The best strategy is to communicate with those involved after the anger and upset has dissipated. Arguing with someone who is emotionally triggered usually leads nowhere. 2. Be self-aware. Are you a conflict avoider or an aggressive leader? Be aware of who you are, how you deal with conflict, and the significant impact you are having on the situation. Not everyone may respond well to your style and there will be times

Human Resource Managers are increasing using KPI’s which are also called indicators in their day-to-day work. Following are seven key indicators that are used for monitoring Human Resource components in any organization. What is a KPI? A  Key Performance Indicator (KPI)  is a metric that measures the performance of a particular activity or process. The objective for this is to serve as a reference depending on the process or activity on the basis of the objective you want to achieve. These indicators help HR professionals to evaluate the effectiveness of each component for which these indicators are set with respect to overall HR department objective. Characteristics of a KPI Following are four characteristics of a KPI: 1.     Concrete : The KPI should be tangible and it must have a specific goal. 2.     Measurable : If you can not measure the KPI, it isn’t a KPI. 3.     Reachable : Stay realistic when defining KPI that will determine your success. 4.     Re

Big Data will change our world completely and is not a passing fad that will go away. To understand big data concept it is important to understand five Vs: Volume, Velocity, Variety, Veracity and Value. 1-Volume  refers to the vast amounts of data generated every second. Just think of all the emails, twitter messages, photos, video clips, sensor data etc. we produce and share every second. We are not talking Terabytes but Zettabytes or Brontobytes. On Facebook alone we send 10 billion messages per day, click the "like' button 4.5 billion times and upload 350 million new pictures each and every day. If we take all the data generated in the world between the beginning of time and 2008, the same amount of data will soon be generated every minute! This increasingly makes data sets too large to store and analyze using traditional database technology. With big data technology we can now store and use these data sets with the help of distributed systems, where parts of the data

Attitude and behavior are closely related in some sense though they are two different concepts. One of the most important difference between behavior and attitude is attitude is internal whereas behavior is external in sense. In other words it can be said that behavior can very well be seen by others as it is external whereas attitude is shelled within the mind of the individual and hence cannot be seen by others immediately. Expert says that attitude is what you think whereas behavior is what you do. In other words it can be said that attitude has to do with the mind whereas behavior has lot to do with actions. Attitude is thought- oriented whereas behavior is action- oriented. Hesse  attitude has all the power to shape the behavior of a person. It is indeed true that a person with right attitude would be endowed with the right behavior too. Attitude is all about the opinion somebody has about something in life. Behavior is about how someone responds to the impulsion

Four ways to ensure that performance appraisals are effective. 1-Establish Clear Objectives. Lot of successful organization follows the SMARTER approach, S=Specific M=Measurable A=Attainable R=Relevant T=Time bound E=Expendable R=Reward able Before appraisal begins- Ø   Managers should collect all performance related facts and go through employee record thoroughly. Ø   Managers should not only rely on their memory to evaluate performance. Ø   It is important that performance objectives are agreed upon by both managers and theirs employees. 2-Evaluate skills and performance. In addition to reviewing an employee’s performance based on the yearly objectives achieved, performance appraisals should also assess how successfully; Ø   Employees have acquired new skills Ø   Refined their existing skills set Ø   Highlight skills required to perform well in future Ø   Any initiative an employee has taken 3- Deliver constructive feedback.