1. Why do you want to work in this industry?
Bad answer:
"I love to shop. Even as a kid, I spent hours flipping through catalogs."
Tip:
Don't just say you like it. Anyone can do that. Focus instead on your history with that particular industry, and if you can, tell a success story.
Good answer:
"I've always loved shopping, but my interest in retail marketing really started when I worked at a neighborhood boutique. I knew that our clothes were amazing, but that we weren't marketing them properly. So I worked with management to come up with a marketing strategy that increased our sales by 25 percent in a year. It was great to be able to contribute positively to an industry I feel so passionate about, and to help promote a product I really believed in."
2. Tell us about yourself.
Bad answer:
"I graduated four years ago from the University of Michigan, with a bachelor's in biology--but I decided that wasn't the right path for me. So I switched gears and got my first job, working in sales for a startup. Then I went on to work in marketing for a law firm. After that, I took a few months off to travel. Finally, I came back and worked in marketing again. And now, here I am, looking for a more challenging marketing role."
Tip:
Instead of giving a chronological work history, focus on your strengths and how they pertain to the role. If possible, illustrate with examples.
Good answer:
"I'm really energetic, and I'm a great communicator. Working in sales for two years helped me build confidence and taught me the importance of customer loyalty. I've also got a track record of success. In my last role, I launched a company newsletter, which helped us build on our existing relationships and create new ones. Because of this, we ended up seeing a revenue increase of 10 percent over two years. I'm also very interested in how companies can use web tools to better market themselves, and would be committed to building on your existing platform."
3. What do you think of your previous boss?
Bad answer:
"He was completely incompetent, and a nightmare to work with, which is why I've moved on."
Tip:
Remember that if you get the job, many of the people interviewing you will someday be your previous bosses. The last thing they want is to hire someone they know will badmouth them. Instead of trashing your former employer, stay positive, and focus on what you learned from him (no matter how awful he really was).
Good answer:
"My last boss taught me the importance of time management, didn't pull any punches, and was extremely deadline-driven. His no-nonsense attitude pushed me to work harder, and to meet deadlines I never even thought were possible."
4. Why are you leaving your current role?
Bad answer:
"I can't stand my boss, or the work I'm doing."
Tip:
Again, stay away from badmouthing your job or employer. Focus on the positive.
Good answer:
"I've learned a lot from my current role, but now I'm looking for a new challenge, to broaden my horizons, and to gain a new skill set--all of which I see the potential for in this job."
5. Where do you see yourself in five years?
Bad answer:
"Relaxing on a beach in Maui," or "Doing your job."
Tip:
There's really no right answer to this question, but the interviewer wants to know that you're ambitious, career-oriented, and committed to a future with the company. So instead of sharing your dream for early retirement, or trying to be funny, give an answer that illustrates your drive and commitment.
Good answer:
"In five years I'd like to have an even better understanding of this industry. Also, I really love working with people. Ultimately, I'd like to be in some type of managerial role at this company, where I can use my people skills and industry knowledge to benefit the people working for me, and the company as a whole."
6. What's your greatest weakness?
Bad answer:
"I work too hard," or for the comedian, "Blonds."
Tip:
This question is a great opportunity to put a positive spin on something negative, but you don't want your answer to be a cliche--joking or not. Instead, try to use a real example of a weakness you have learned to overcome.
Good answer:
"I've never been very comfortable with public speaking--which, as you know, can be a hindrance in the workplace. Realizing this was a problem, I asked my previous employer if I could enroll in a speech workshop. I took the class, and was able to overcome my lifelong fear. Since then, I've given several presentations to audiences of over 100 high-level executives--I still don't love it, but no one else can tell!"
7. What salary are you looking for?
Bad answer:
"In my last job I earned $35,000--so now I'm looking for $40,000."
Tip:
"If you can avoid it, don't give an exact number. The first person to name a price in a salary negotiation loses. Instead, reiterate your commitment to the job itself. If you have to, give a broad range based on research you've conducted on that particular role, in your particular city."
Good answer:
"I'm more interested in the role itself than the pay. That said, I'd expect to be paid the appropriate range for this role, based on my five years of experience. I also think a fair salary would bear in mind the high cost of living here in New York City."
8. Why should I hire you?
Bad answer:
"I'm the best candidate for the role."
Tip:
A good answer will reiterate your qualifications, and will highlight what makes you unique.
Good answer:
"I've been an executive assistant for the past ten years--my boss has said time and time again that without me, the organization would fall apart. I've also taken the time to educate myself on some of the software I regularly use (but didn't really understand the ins and outs of). I'm an Excel whiz now, which means I can work faster, and take over some of what my boss would traditionally have had to do herself. What's good enough for most people is never really good enough for me."
9. What is your greatest failure, and what did you learn from it?
Bad answer:
"I never finished law school--and everything that's happened since has taught me that giving up, just because the going gets tough, is a huge mistake."
Tip:
You don't want to highlight a true major regret--especially one that exposes an overall dissatisfaction with your life. Instead, focus on a smaller (but still significant) mishap, and how it has made you a better professional.
Good answer:
"When I was in college, I took an art class to supplement my curriculum. I didn't take it very seriously, and assumed that, compared to my engineering classes, it would be a walk in the park. My failing grades at midterm showed me otherwise. I'd even jeopardized my scholarship status. I knew I had to get my act together. I spent the rest of the semester making up for it, ended up getting a decent grade in the class. I learned that no matter what I'm doing, I should strive to do it to the best of my ability. Otherwise, it's not worth doing at all."
10. How do you explain your gap in employment?
Bad answer:
"I was so tired of working, and I needed a break," or "I just can't find a job."
Tip:
Employment gaps are always tough to explain. You don't want to come across as lazy or unhireable. Find a way to make your extended unemployment seem like a choice you made, based on the right reasons.
Good answer:
"My work is important to me, so I won't be satisfied with any old job. Instead of rushing to accept the first thing that comes my way, I'm taking my time and being selective to make sure my next role is the right one."
11. When were you most satisfied in your job?
Bad answer:
“I was most satisfied when I did well, and got praised for my work.”
Don’t give vague answers. Instead, think about something you did well and enjoyed that will be relevant at this new job. This is an opportunity for you to share your interests, prove that you’re a great fit for the job and showcase your enthusiasm.
Good answer:
I’m a people person. I was always happiest — and most satisfied — when I was interacting with customers, making sure I was able to meet their needs and giving them the best possible customer experience. It was my favorite part of the job, and it showed – I was rated as “Good or Excellent” 95% of the time. Part of the reason I’m interested in this job is that I know I’d have even more interaction with customers, on an even more critical level."
12. What did you like least about your last job?
Bad answer:
“A lack of stability. I felt like the place could collapse around me at any time.”
Try and stay away from anything that draws on the politics, culture or financial health of your previous employer. No matter how true it might be, comments like these will be construed as too negative. Also, you don’t want to focus on a function that might be your responsibility in the next role. So think of something you disliked in your last job, but that you know for sure won’t be part of this new role.
Good answer:
“There was nothing about my last job that I hated, but I guess there were some things I liked less than others. My previous role involved traveling at least twice a month. While I do love to travel, twice a month was a little exhausting — I didn’t like spending quite so much time out of the office. I’m happy to see that this role involves a lot less travel.”
13. Describe a time when you did not get along with a co-worker.
Bad answer:
“I’m easy to get along with, so I’ve never had any kind of discord with another coworker.”
Interviewers don’t like these types of ‘easy out’ answers. And besides, they know you are probably not telling the truth. Think of a relatively benign (but significant) instance, and spin it to be a positive learning experience.
Good answer:
“I used to lock heads with a fellow nurse in the INCU ward. We disagreed over a lot of things — from the care of patients to who got what shifts to how to speak with a child’s family. Our personalities just didn’t mesh. After three months of arguing, I pulled her aside and asked her to lunch. At lunch, we talked about our differences and why we weren’t getting along. It turns out, it was all about communication. We communicated differently and once we knew that, we began to work well together. I really believe that talking a problem through with someone can help solve any issue.”
14. What motivates you?
Bad answer:
“Doing a good job and being rewarded for it.”
It’s not that this answer is wrong — it’s just that it wastes an opportunity. This question is practically begging you to highlight your positive attributes. So don’t give a vague, generic response — it tells them very little about you. Instead, try and use this question as an opportunity to give the interviewer some insight into your character, and use examples where possible.
Good answer:
“I’ve always been motivated by the challenge of meeting a tough deadline — in my last role, I was responsible for a 100% success rate in terms of delivering our products on time and within budget. I know that this job is very fast-paced, and deadline-driven — I’m more than up for the challenge. In fact, I thrive on it.”
15. How would your friends describe you?
Bad answer:
“I’m a really good listener.”
While being a good listener is a great personality trait, your employer probably doesn’t care all that much. It’s unlikely that they’re hiring you to be a shoulder to cry on. You’ll want to keep your answer relevant to the job you’re interviewing for — and as specific as possible. If you can, insert an example.
Good answer:
“My friends would probably say that I’m extremely persistent — I’ve never been afraid to keep going back until I get what I want. When I worked as a program developer, recruiting keynote speakers for a major tech conference, I got one rejection after another – this was just the nature of the job.But I really wanted the big players — so I wouldn’t take no for an answer. I kept going back to them every time there was a new company on board, or some new value proposition. Eventually, many of them actually said “yes” — the program turned out to be so great that we doubled our attendees from the year before. A lot of people might have given up after the first rejection, but it’s just not in my nature. If I know something is possible, I have to keep trying until I get it."
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Revisit of OP AMP Design
Revisited OP AMP design in a current project to design a single-ended OP amp with low power and narrow bandwidth. Below is a few tips summarized from the design:
1. Open loop is always stable.
2. Maximum loop gain, loop gain, and gain margin.
Loop gain T=F*A,wk:corresponding to phase margin; F=0 for open loop, F=1 for a unity gain source follower (the worst case for stability);
Maximum loop gain, corresponding to 180 phase; phase margin =0;
gain margin = maximum loop gain - loop gain
3. Current mirror
cascoded current mirror to improve current source impedance
4. high gain is achieved with telescopic or folded cascode topology;
5. Common mode feed back makes no sense for single-ended output
6. Input offset voltage,CMRR and PSRR to simulate with mismatch
7. Compensation of Op-amp: to move the location of poles.
1. Open loop is always stable.
2. Maximum loop gain, loop gain, and gain margin.
Loop gain T=F*A,wk:corresponding to phase margin; F=0 for open loop, F=1 for a unity gain source follower (the worst case for stability);
Maximum loop gain, corresponding to 180 phase; phase margin =0;
gain margin = maximum loop gain - loop gain
3. Current mirror
cascoded current mirror to improve current source impedance
4. high gain is achieved with telescopic or folded cascode topology;
5. Common mode feed back makes no sense for single-ended output
6. Input offset voltage,CMRR and PSRR to simulate with mismatch
7. Compensation of Op-amp: to move the location of poles.
Friday, December 10, 2010
Simulation of ft and gm/Id in Cadence
1.Simulation of ft
The transistor ft is simulated with current gain in ac simulation. Below is a simple schematic to simulate ft.
Plot the current gain:
dB20(i("NM0:d" ?result "ac-ac")/i("NM0:g" ?result "ac-ac"))
Or you can use the results browser under "Tool" menu to show the results:
Or you can use the results browser under "Tool" menu to show the results:
1. Open the Results Browser
2. Select the output data directory, raw/psf/...
3. Select the results, ac-ac
4. Right mouse button on NM0:d and select calculator
5. Right mouse button on NM0:g and select calculator
6. Select divide, "/" from the calculator keypad
7. Select, dB20 from the "Math" functions
2. Select the output data directory, raw/psf/...
3. Select the results, ac-ac
4. Right mouse button on NM0:d and select calculator
5. Right mouse button on NM0:g and select calculator
6. Select divide, "/" from the calculator keypad
7. Select, dB20 from the "Math" functions
Refer to http://www.cadence.com/Community/blogs/rf/archive/2008/08/09/simulating-mos-transistor-ft.aspx
Netlist:
simulator lang=spectre
global 0
parameters ICE=100u VCE=5
//
// these model files should be available in the samples directory
//
include "./models/NPNlower.scs"
include "./models/cornerMos.scs" section=TNTP
V0 (net014 0) vsource dc=VCE type=dc
// MOSFET ft
// NOTE: the element instance names have been changed
// the default names are shown in the bjt section
// IREFERENCE --> 0V voltage source
// IFEEDBACK --> current-controlled, current source
IIN (net014 net9) isource dc=ICE mag=1 type=dc
IREFERENCE (net6 0) vsource dc=0 type=dc
IFEEDBACK (net9 0) cccs gain=1.0 probe=IREFERENCE
NM0 (net014 net9 net6 0) nmos24 w=24u l=1.5u m=10
// BJT ft
IIN_BIPOLAR (net014 net025) isource dc=ICE mag=1 type=dc
IREF_BIPOLAR (net012 0) vsource dc=0 type=dc
IFDBK_BIPOLAR (net025 0) cccs gain=1.0 probe=IREF_BIPOLAR
Q0 (net014 net025 net012 0) NPNlower
ac ac start=1 stop=100G annotate=status
save NM0:g NM0:d Q0:c Q0:b
2.Simulation of gm/Id
the simpliest way of simulate it is:
Run DC analysis. Sweeping variable is Vgs (just connect Vgs to Vdc and sweep Vdc voltage).
Then using calculator take IS of drain or drain current. Click "Special function" and select "deriv"
Then click "x<->y", then "/"(devide) and "erplot"
or you can refer to:
http://www.eecs.tufts.edu/~ryun01/gmid_ruida.pdf
the simpliest way of simulate it is:
Run DC analysis. Sweeping variable is Vgs (just connect Vgs to Vdc and sweep Vdc voltage).
Then using calculator take IS of drain or drain current. Click "Special function" and select "deriv"
Then click "x<->y", then "/"(devide) and "erplot"
or you can refer to:
http://www.eecs.tufts.edu/~ryun01/gmid_ruida.pdf
Skill and Ocean Scripts Tutorial
Ocean Turorial:
1. a good beginner's guide: http://homerreid.ath.cx:81/misc/ocean/index.shtml
Some tips:
(1)
The default behavior of the
The first two examples save lists of particular node voltages or device currents, according as the first argument to the
The
Having used one of the above lines to tell the simulator to save the device currents in which we're interested.
(2) view DC operation points:
SKILL tutorial:
1. A goole book: CAD Scripting Languages
http://books.google.com.sg/books?id=v8l72QBDzD0C
1. a good beginner's guide: http://homerreid.ath.cx:81/misc/ocean/index.shtml
Some tips:
(1)
The default behavior of the
Spectre simulator is to save the values of node voltages, but not device currents, after an analysis. This behavior can be changed with the save statement. This statement has a number of different usage models, all of which are demonstrated in the following: ocean> save('v "vdd" "outp" "outn")
"outn"
ocean> save('i "fdopamp/M5/D" "fdopamp/M6/D")
"fdopamp/M6/D"
ocean> save('allv)
allv
ocean> save('alli)
alli
ocean> save('all)
all |
save call is 'v or 'i. The third and fourth examples save all node voltages and all device currents, while the last example saves all node voltages and all device currents. The
save command obviously corresponds to the .out statement in Celerity, but has the added feature that output variables saved in one analysis can be removed from a subsequent analysis. In Celerity, once you declare a .out, it's there until you change netlists, which can be inconvenient. For example, you may want to save a large ' number of outputs for a quick DC temperature sweep, but then you don't want all those outputs taking up memory and disk space when you later want to run a long transient analysis. So this is one (the only?) way in which ocean is superior to Celerity. Having used one of the above lines to tell the simulator to save the device currents in which we're interested.
(2) view DC operation points:
ocean> selectResults('dcOpInfo)
stdobj@0x1979408
ocean> report(?name "/fdopamp/M1")
Type : bsim3v3
/fdopamp/M1
cdg= -1.00089e-13 cgb= -9.45704e-15 ids= 9.99962e-05
vgs= 0.854671 vds= 2.57445 vbs= -0.645329
vth= 0.694184 vdsat= 0.165582 gm= 0.000997972
gds= 8.65771e-07 gmbs= 0.000205937 betaeff= 0.00683843
cjd= 3.40119e-14 cjs= 4.54965e-14 cgg= 2.94677e-13
cgd= -7.79803e-15 cgs= -2.77422e-13 gmoverid= 9.9801
cbg= -4.06171e-14 cdd= 7.7983e-15 cds= 1.11609e-13
cdb= -1.93184e-14 csg= -1.53971e-13 csd= 3.85201e-19
css= 1.82945e-13 csb= -2.89743e-14 pwr= 0.000257435
cbd= -6.53294e-19 cbs= -1.71319e-14 cbb= 5.77497e-14
ron= 25745.5 aid= 9.99962e-05 ibulk= -5.53649e-18
reversed= 0 region= 2 type= 0
t
ocean> ocean> report(?name "/fdopamp/M1" ?param "vgs")
Type : bsim3v3
/fdopamp/M1
vgs = 0.854671
tocean> report(?param "vgs")
/fdopamp/M7
vgs = -1.19637
/fdopamp/M8
vgs = -1.19637
...
...
/fdopamp/M13
vgs = 0.567388
/fdopamp/M19
vgs = 0.634848
t report(?type "bsim3v3")
Type : bsim3v3
/fdopamp/M7
cdg = -2.02344e-13 cgb = -4.05936e-14 ids = 6.59845e-05
...
...
reversed = 0 region = 2 type = 1
t
ocean> -
dataTypes(),which prints a list of all possible values you can assign to the?typeparameter in a call toreport(),and -
outputs(),which prints a list of all possible values you can assign to the?nameparameter in a call toreport().
(3) invoke ocean from command lineInvoke ocean from the UNIX command line
with IO redirection. The command line syntax I recommend is:
% ocean < mycirc.ocn > /dev/null &
or, if you want to save the simulator's text output,
% ocean < mycirc.ocn > mycirc.log 2>&1 &
Even better is
% bsub -i mycirc.ocn -o mycirc.log ocean
This farms out your job to a machine in a server farm.
(You have to have LSF set up in your domain for this to work.)Then, having run the ocean job as a background process, you can monitor its progress with % tail -f mycirc.out, where mycirc.out is the name of the file you opened with outfile in your ocean script. (4) an example:;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
; oneshot.ocn -- ocean script to analyze delay
; -- and pulse length of a one-shot
; -- multivibrator
; --
; Homer Reid -- 6/19/2002
;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
; boilerplate code: create output file, print
; greeting message, set some global variables
;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
of=outfile("./oneshot.out" "w")
fprintf(of "\n\n** oneshot.ocn (Homer Reid 6/2002)\n\n")
drain(of)
VDD=3.3
CaseList=list("c0" "c1" "c2" "c3" "c4"
"c5" "c6" "c8" "c9" "c10" "c11" "c12")
TempList=list(-40 25 120)
| In this section we're just handling the trivial stuff: creating the output file, writing a greeting message, and initializing some global variables. If we wanted to restrict our case analysis to only a couple of cases, or add more temperatures, we would do it by modifying the CaseList or TempList lists we define here. | |
;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
; specify netlist and results directory
;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
simulator('spectre)
dir="/home/homer/circuits/emerald/spectre/oneshot"
cktfile=strcat(dir "/spectre/schematic/netlist/netlist")
design(cktfile)
resultsDir(dir)
| Here we're telling the simulator where to find the circuit netlist and where to write the results. In the startc0.ocn file, which we used in doing console-based simulations, we used relative path specifications (i.e. referenced from the current working directory) in the design and resultsDir commands. That's fine for console-based interactive stuff, but for batch-mode scripts it's better to use absolute paths. For one thing, you might not always be sure of the current working directory in which you're running, and moreover you may eventually want to fire off ten or twelve versions of a simulation, each with slightly different results directories, so it's good to get in the habit of being explicit. | |
;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; ; loop over process and temperature ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; Earliest=1.0 Shortest=1.0 Latest=0.0 Longest=0.0 foreach( Case CaseList foreach( Temp TempList | Here we're initiating our double loop. We use the foreach structure to assign Case and Temp sequentially to each value in their respective lists. | |
; ; Set model file and simulation temperature. ; part1="$ICDS_CKTSIM_SW/lib/$ICDS_TECH/sim/spc/" part2="$ICDS_SIM_DATECODE/$ICDS_TECH.scs" model1=strcat(part1 part2) modelFile( list(model1 Case) ) temp(Temp) | At the beginning if each iteration of the loop, we use the modelFile and temp commands to set the process and temperature for this simulation. | |
;
; Run transient analysis and find start time
; and length of pulse.
;
analysis('tran ?stop 3u ?maxstep 1n)
run()
selectResults('tran)
trise=cross( v("m1g") VDD/2 1 'rising)
tfall=cross( v("m1g") VDD/2 1 'falling)
plength=tfall-trise
if( (trise < Earliest) Earliest=trise )
if( (trise > Latest) Latest=trise )
if( (plength < Shortest) Shortest=plength )
if( (plength > Longest) Longest=plength )
fprintf(of "case %3s, temp %3d: ",Case,Temp)
fprintf(of "pulse comes at ")
fprintf(of "%7.3f ns ",trise*1.0e9)
fprintf(of "and lasts for ")
fprintf(of "%7.3f ns\n",plength*1.0e9)
drain(of)
) ; foreach (Temp TempList)
) ; foreach (Case CaseList)
| This is heart of the loop. We run a transient analysis out to 3 us, then grab the results with selectResults. We use the cross function (see below) to get the times at which the pulse rises and falls. Then we check if the pulse delay or length are the longest or shortest we've seen so far (and save if so) and log the results to the output file. | |
fprintf(of "Earliest / Latest: ") fprintf(of "%7.3f / " Earliest*1e9) fprintf(of "%7.3f ns\n" Latest*1e9) fprintf(of "Shortest / Longest: ")% fprintf(of "%7.3f / " Shortest*1e9) fprintf(of "%7.3f ns\n" Longest*1e9) fprintf(of "\n\nThank you for your support.\n\n"); close(of) | We print the final results and close out with the all-important Bartles & Jaymes Wine Coolers parting salutation. |
Invoke ocean from the UNIX command line
with IO redirection. The command line syntax I recommend is:
% ocean < mycirc.ocn > /dev/null &
or, if you want to save the simulator's text output,
% ocean < mycirc.ocn > mycirc.log 2>&1 &
Even better is
% bsub -i mycirc.ocn -o mycirc.log ocean
This farms out your job to a machine in a server farm.
(You have to have LSF set up in your domain for this to work.)Then, having run the ocean job as a background process, you can monitor its progress with % tail -f mycirc.out, where mycirc.out is the name of the file you opened with outfile in your ocean script. SKILL tutorial:
1. A goole book: CAD Scripting Languages
http://books.google.com.sg/books?id=v8l72QBDzD0C
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Creative Ways to Improve Your Resume
by Charles Purdy, Monster+HotJobs senior editor
Career experts are unanimous on the importance of customizing our resumes for each new job we apply for. But for many of us, when it comes to revising our resumes, the first question is "How?"
It's easy to get stuck in rut when you're working with material you know so well. So here are some ways to take a fresh look at revising your resume.
1. Analyze the job post's wording.
An easy way to make sure your resume gets you in the door for an interview is to echo the language in the job post. Look for ways to use the words in the post; a resume reader--human or software--may be screening for them. (If there is no job post, check the company's website--especially the About Us page and any corporate mission statements--for language you might adopt.)
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If your resume says "supervise," but the job post says "manage," change it. If your last job title was "Social Media Ninja," and you're applying for a "Social Media Marketing Specialist" position, include the term "Marketing Specialist" in parentheses after your Ninja title (as long as you feel that this term could describe your past role).
Of course, don't stretch the truth!
2. Weed out fibs.
It's all too easy for little fibs to make their way into a resume. Several years ago, you added an unearned certification to your resume, just to get your foot in the door at a new company. Or you claimed competence in a software program you figured you could learn on-the-fly.
Then, as the years went on, those temporary resume fibs somehow became set in stone. Now's the time to chisel them out. Any lie--even a seemingly inconsequential one--can put your job search and your future job security in jeopardy.
Replace lies with truths--or set about making them true. It could be as simple as putting the word "pursuing" before that imaginary degree on your resume.
3. Get rid of the "objective statement."
Beginning a resume with an objective statement (a phrase that starts with something like "Seeking a challenging position ...") is out. As Lauren Milligan, resume expert at ResuMAYDAY.com, says, "Employers already know that your objective is to get a job, after all." She suggests, instead, creating a personal summary statement that "illustrates how you are better than other candidates for the job." She adds, "Identify a few areas in your profession that you excel at ... and that you really enjoy doing."
Tell the hiring manager who you are and how you can solve her or his company's problems, not what you want.
4. Get rid of redundancies.
Don't waste time telling hiring managers what they already know. Many people do this in their descriptions of past jobs. For instance, if your last job was as a copywriter for an online rug retailer, saying something like "wrote marketing copy for a wide variety of rugs" is unnecessary. Instead of taking up space with definitions no one needs, describe specific achievements. Did your work improve sales, get praise from management, or improve SEO rankings? Use job highlights, not job descriptions.
5. Cut unnecessary resume "stories."
Work Coach Cafe's Ronnie Ann advises removing things that are not directly related to the story you're telling about yourself and the job you're applying for. She says, "I have an abundantly varied job history--better than 'job hopper,' huh?--and remember back to resumes where I just wanted to make each job so full-bodied and rich that I was sure the employer would want to meet me. But as interesting as we may be as human beings, employers just want to know if we're right for their company--and specifically the job in question."
For instance, if you're both a professional accountant and a certified dog groomer, you might want to play down your dog-grooming experience when you apply for jobs in finance.
6. Look for ways to use exciting language.
Check your resume's verbs, and use strong verbs to make your resume more vibrant. For instance, "responsible for daily bank deposits" (no verb) could easily be "oversaw daily bank deposits" (strong verb). And as you find each verb, look at its subject--is it you? If not, should it be? For instance, in "duties included writing press releases," the subject is "duties." It'd be much better to say something like "Wrote all company press releases."
7. Turn your resume upside-down.
I'm serious. Turn your resume upside-down and look at it from a distance. This will help you analyze its appearance separately from its content. Does it look too dense? Is it heavier on the top or bottom? Emily Bennington, a coauthor of "Effective Immediately: How to Fit In, Stand Out, and Move Up at Your First Real Job," says, "Sometimes a resume will catch my eye simply because it's formatted beautifully. I know the most important component is the content on the page, but you should also pay attention to the packaging. Trust me, hiring managers notice!"
8. Write a draft in a different format.
In his book "The Overnight Resume: The Fastest Way to Your Next Job," career expert Donald Asher suggests writing a letter to a family member about your job accomplishments as a way to rethink your resume. (Go ahead, brag a little.) Then he says you can start turning this into a resume draft by removing most personal pronouns ("I" and "we"), taking out articles ("a," "an," and "the"), and cutting transition words like "and" (unless doing so would distort meaning).
Thinking of your resume as a letter or a story (in which you're the hero), or some other medium, is a great way to start making it fresher, more personal, and more effective.
(For more on keywords and how to format resumes for online posting, read "Resumes for the Digital Age." And for a few resume-proofreading tips, check out "The Well-Punctuated Resume" on the Monster.com blog.)
http://hotjobs.yahoo.com/career-articles-creative_ways_to_improve_your_resume-1442
Career experts are unanimous on the importance of customizing our resumes for each new job we apply for. But for many of us, when it comes to revising our resumes, the first question is "How?"
It's easy to get stuck in rut when you're working with material you know so well. So here are some ways to take a fresh look at revising your resume.
1. Analyze the job post's wording.
An easy way to make sure your resume gets you in the door for an interview is to echo the language in the job post. Look for ways to use the words in the post; a resume reader--human or software--may be screening for them. (If there is no job post, check the company's website--especially the About Us page and any corporate mission statements--for language you might adopt.)
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If your resume says "supervise," but the job post says "manage," change it. If your last job title was "Social Media Ninja," and you're applying for a "Social Media Marketing Specialist" position, include the term "Marketing Specialist" in parentheses after your Ninja title (as long as you feel that this term could describe your past role).
Of course, don't stretch the truth!
2. Weed out fibs.
It's all too easy for little fibs to make their way into a resume. Several years ago, you added an unearned certification to your resume, just to get your foot in the door at a new company. Or you claimed competence in a software program you figured you could learn on-the-fly.
Then, as the years went on, those temporary resume fibs somehow became set in stone. Now's the time to chisel them out. Any lie--even a seemingly inconsequential one--can put your job search and your future job security in jeopardy.
Replace lies with truths--or set about making them true. It could be as simple as putting the word "pursuing" before that imaginary degree on your resume.
3. Get rid of the "objective statement."
Beginning a resume with an objective statement (a phrase that starts with something like "Seeking a challenging position ...") is out. As Lauren Milligan, resume expert at ResuMAYDAY.com, says, "Employers already know that your objective is to get a job, after all." She suggests, instead, creating a personal summary statement that "illustrates how you are better than other candidates for the job." She adds, "Identify a few areas in your profession that you excel at ... and that you really enjoy doing."
Tell the hiring manager who you are and how you can solve her or his company's problems, not what you want.
4. Get rid of redundancies.
Don't waste time telling hiring managers what they already know. Many people do this in their descriptions of past jobs. For instance, if your last job was as a copywriter for an online rug retailer, saying something like "wrote marketing copy for a wide variety of rugs" is unnecessary. Instead of taking up space with definitions no one needs, describe specific achievements. Did your work improve sales, get praise from management, or improve SEO rankings? Use job highlights, not job descriptions.
5. Cut unnecessary resume "stories."
Work Coach Cafe's Ronnie Ann advises removing things that are not directly related to the story you're telling about yourself and the job you're applying for. She says, "I have an abundantly varied job history--better than 'job hopper,' huh?--and remember back to resumes where I just wanted to make each job so full-bodied and rich that I was sure the employer would want to meet me. But as interesting as we may be as human beings, employers just want to know if we're right for their company--and specifically the job in question."
For instance, if you're both a professional accountant and a certified dog groomer, you might want to play down your dog-grooming experience when you apply for jobs in finance.
6. Look for ways to use exciting language.
Check your resume's verbs, and use strong verbs to make your resume more vibrant. For instance, "responsible for daily bank deposits" (no verb) could easily be "oversaw daily bank deposits" (strong verb). And as you find each verb, look at its subject--is it you? If not, should it be? For instance, in "duties included writing press releases," the subject is "duties." It'd be much better to say something like "Wrote all company press releases."
7. Turn your resume upside-down.
I'm serious. Turn your resume upside-down and look at it from a distance. This will help you analyze its appearance separately from its content. Does it look too dense? Is it heavier on the top or bottom? Emily Bennington, a coauthor of "Effective Immediately: How to Fit In, Stand Out, and Move Up at Your First Real Job," says, "Sometimes a resume will catch my eye simply because it's formatted beautifully. I know the most important component is the content on the page, but you should also pay attention to the packaging. Trust me, hiring managers notice!"
8. Write a draft in a different format.
In his book "The Overnight Resume: The Fastest Way to Your Next Job," career expert Donald Asher suggests writing a letter to a family member about your job accomplishments as a way to rethink your resume. (Go ahead, brag a little.) Then he says you can start turning this into a resume draft by removing most personal pronouns ("I" and "we"), taking out articles ("a," "an," and "the"), and cutting transition words like "and" (unless doing so would distort meaning).
Thinking of your resume as a letter or a story (in which you're the hero), or some other medium, is a great way to start making it fresher, more personal, and more effective.
(For more on keywords and how to format resumes for online posting, read "Resumes for the Digital Age." And for a few resume-proofreading tips, check out "The Well-Punctuated Resume" on the Monster.com blog.)
http://hotjobs.yahoo.com/career-articles-creative_ways_to_improve_your_resume-1442
probe the signal at the nodes of sub-cells in post layout simulation
In top level post layout simulation with cadence's ADE, there are two ways of probing the signals at the nodes of sub-cells:
1. Decend to extracted view, and zoom in to the connection of the nodes and select the parasitic components, decend one level again, and select the nodes of the parasitic components and save to output;
2. Save all outputs, simulate, and then open results browser and select the nodes. Remember to choose schematic names during assura extraction (Name space under extraction tab), it makes the nodes name readable. This method takes a lot of disk space and is slow.
1. Decend to extracted view, and zoom in to the connection of the nodes and select the parasitic components, decend one level again, and select the nodes of the parasitic components and save to output;
2. Save all outputs, simulate, and then open results browser and select the nodes. Remember to choose schematic names during assura extraction (Name space under extraction tab), it makes the nodes name readable. This method takes a lot of disk space and is slow.
Friday, August 6, 2010
How to manage time efficiently and multi-task effectively?
10 tips for time management in a multitasking world
Posted to: Time management
December 10th, 2006
Del.icio.us Digg Reddit StumbleUpon Tweet This Facebook
Time management is one of those skills no one teaches you in school but you have to learn. It doesn't matter how smart you are if you can't organize information well enough to take it in. And it doesn't matter how skilled you are if procrastination keeps you from getting your work done.
Younger workers understand this, and time management is becoming a topic of hipsters. One of the most popular blogs in the world is Lifehacker, edited by productivity guru Gina Trapani, and her forthcoming book by the same name is a bestseller on Amazon based so far on pre-orders.
In today's workplace, you can differentiate yourself by your ability to handle information and manage your time. "Careers are made or broken by the soft skills that make you able to hand a very large workload," says Merlin Mann, editor of the productivity blog 43 Folders.
So here are 10 tips to make you better at managing your work:
1. Don't leave email sitting in your in box.
"The ability to quickly process and synthesize information and turn it into actions is one of the most emergent skills of the professional world today," says Mann. Organize email in file folders. If the message needs more thought, move it to your to-do list. If it's for reference, print it out. If it's a meeting, move it to your calendar.
"One thing young people are really good at is only touching things once. You don't see young people scrolling up and down their email pretending to work," says Mann. Take action on an email as soon as you read it.
2. Admit multitasking is bad.
For people who didn't grow up watching TV, typing out instant messages and doing homework all at the same time, multitasking is deadly. But it decreases everyone's productivity, no matter who they are. "A 20-year-old is less likely to feel overwhelmed by demands to multitask, but young people still have a loss of productivity from multitasking," says Trapani.
So try to limit it. Kathy Sierra at Creating Passionate Users suggests practicing mindfulness as a way to break the multitasking habit.
3. Do the most important thing first.
Trapani calls this "running a morning dash". When she sits down to work in the morning, before she checks any email, she spends an hour on the most important thing on her to-do list. This is a great idea because even if you can't get the whole thing done in an hour, you'll be much more likely to go back to it once you've gotten it started. She points out that this dash works best if you organize the night before so when you sit down to work you already know what your most important task of the day is.
4. Check your email on a schedule.
"It's not effective to read and answer every email as it arrives. Just because someone can contact you immediately does not mean that you have to respond to them immediately," says Dan Markovitz, president of the productivity consulting firm TimeBack Management, "People want a predictable response, not an immediate response." So as long as people know how long to expect an answer to take, and they know how to reach you in an emergency, you can answer most types of email just a few times a day.
5. Keep web site addresses organized.
Use book marking services like del.icio.us to keep track of web sites. Instead of having random notes about places you want to check out, places you want to keep as a reference, etc., you can save them all in one place, and you can search and share your list easily.
6. Know when you work best.
Industrial designer Jeff Beene does consulting work, so he can do it any time of day. But, he says, "I try to schedule things so that I work in the morning, when I am the most productive." Each person has a best time. You can discover yours by monitoring your productivity over a period of time. Then you need to manage your schedule to keep your best time free for your most important work.
7. Think about keystrokes.
If you're on a computer all day, keystrokes matter because efficiency matters. "On any given day, an information worker will do a dozen Google searchers," says Trapani. "How many keystrokes does it take? Can you reduce it to three? You might save 10 seconds, but over time, that builds up."
8. Make it easy to get started.
We don't have problems finishing projects, we have problems starting them," says Mann. He recommends you "make a shallow on-ramp." Beene knows the key creating this on ramp: "I try to break own my projects into chunks, so I am not overwhelmed by them."
9. Organize your to-do list every day.
If you don't know what you should be doing, how can you manage your time to do it? Some people like writing this list out by hand because it shows commitment to each item if you are willing to rewrite it each day until it gets done. Other people like software that can slice and dice their to-do list into manageable, relevant chunks. For example, Beene uses tasktoy because when he goes to a client site tasktoy shows him only his to do items for that client, and not all his other projects. (Get tasktoy here.)
10. Dare to be slow.
Remember that a good time manager actually responds to some things more slowly than a bad time manager would. For example, someone who is doing the highest priority task is probably not answering incoming email while they're doing it. As Markovitz writes: "Obviously there are more important tasks than processing email. Intuitively, we all know this. What we need to do now is recognize that processing one's work (evaluating what's come in and how to handle it) and planning one's work are also mission-critical tasks."
To successfully manage your time you have to get organized both in your professional and personal life. Getting organized in an efficient way is a skill that not all people posses. To manage your life and work you first have to be able to manage your time. In our days people spend most of their time working. There are times that they feel that they will never manage to escape from the four walls of the office and are lost in the various projects and tasks they have to finish.
Their personal life has become an old memory, which has been «locked in the drawer». The solution to this vicious circle is one: get organized and start managing your time. This article outlines 14 ways that can help you manage your time successfully and efficiently.
1. Make a list of what should be done
Make a list of what to do and try to constantly renew the list and keep it up to date. Include in this list both urgent and non-urgent things so as never forget or ignore something again. Keep the list all the time with you in your briefcase or in your daily agenda.
2. Allocate your time correctly
Include an estimated time frame for each action and the date by which each task must be completed. If the order that each task must be completed does not matter it may be possible to complete something during an unexpected free time. For example, you can look for information on the Internet while you wait in your office to start a meeting.
manage your time by glasbergen
3. Set your own deadlines and meet them
Be realistic about the deadlines you set and try to meet them. It is true that any work gets exactly the time allocated for it. Have you ever noticed how quickly you can finish something you have to write, give assignments and take decisions on the last day before your vacation? Although we tend to complete many things when we are under pressure, is less stressful and much more professional to establish and follow an action plan.
4. Use your time intelligently
Consider the case to check your e-mail only certain times of the day and let the answering machine respond to your calls so as not to interrupt your work for a couple of hours. If possible, avoid dealing with the same job or the same e-mail again. Never open e-mail address if you do not have time to read and edit, that is, to answer it, send, or delete it.
5. Organize your desktop
Organize your desktop; manage the copies of your files, your computer folders and e-mail folders so that you can easily find what you want. Minimize the time you spend when searching for information. Benjamin Franklin once said: «A place for everything, everything in place».
6. Insist in your targets
You should have an "in tray" in your office so that others can give you what they want to give you and not just leave it on your desk. Have you ever come back from a meeting and find additional records, letters and documents all over your office? Rather than follow your own program, you are "forced" to follow someone else’s priorities.
7. Do not distract your attention
If you have a door, you need to close it occasionally. If you have an open door policy that must always be open for your employees but you do not have time to really listen to their questions and concerns, then you will not manage to keep your promise. If a colleague comes to your office when you have a job and cannot discuss, seek to find another time to meet.
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8. Co-operate with your colleagues
Colleagues will expect you to finish the job on time, so make sure to avoid any delay. You would expect the same from them. To avoid any delays, give more time to the project so as to be able to handle unexpected complications, misunderstandings or missed deadlines. If the date of presentation is the 25th of the month, be sure to plan to finish everything by 23.
9. Avoid unnecessary Supervisions
If you authorize someone else for a job or a contract, do not deal any more with this, unless you have a specific responsibility to monitor. Many people spend precious time to listen or read reports of other projects. If the investigation of your colleagues or their professional responsibilities does not affect your daily work, your performance at work or objectives of your career, you could simply express an interest just to encourage them.
10. Cancel routine meetings
Decide if the meeting is absolutely necessary. If, you have to attend, set an agenda and make sure that you follow it - start the meeting and finish it on time. If your presence is not necessary for the entire meeting then leave earlier.
11. Be constantly busy
Keep your skills in shape by having at least one project to be involved. Two or more (projects) would be even better because you are given the opportunity to «change speed» and to focus on something else for variety. To deal simultaneously with different project assures that you will always have something on which to work. Also, it keeps your mind alert and renews your prospects.
12. Choose carefully your projects
Make sure that your work has some value for the company and that it raises your skills better. There are many good reasons why you cannot accept to take part in a meeting and refuse to take an additional project. Successful entrepreneurs know how to say «no». Ask yourself, «this will promote my career?» and «Can I give the necessary time to this assignment?” You will win more respect by working with a colleague, whose expertise and skills complements your own, rather than getting an extra work on your own and overloading yourself.
13. Do not waste your time
It is an integral part of human nature to postpone unpleasant tasks. Plan some of the more pleasant tasks of the project to be made after any unpleasant tasks. If you do not like to work with numbers, plan to do the accounts in the morning when you are still fresh and there are not so many things to distract your attention.
14. Reward yourself
To manage your time efficiently does not have to do only with your job. You should also include in your schedule time where you stop everything, relax and recharge your batteries. Thing of a reward to give yourself when you finish your work. This may mean to make a break for coffee once finished reading a long report or to leave for vacation just after the promotion of the new product.
You must give greater attention to how you spend your time. Watch how successful businessmen allocate their time and emulate some of their time management practices.
How to Multi-task?
1 Establish your goals. The old saying, "If you don't know where you're going, any road will get you there" is just as true even if you are following multiple tasks.
2 Schedule a time to give intense or complex tasks your full focus. Let it be known that you prefer to have time to yourself for an hour or two each day, and use that time for intense tasks that require your full concentration.
3 Work on one thing at a time, but alternate. A juggler may have many objects in the air, but she usually manipulates only one at a time.
4 Eliminate unnecessary tasks. If you're multitasking to be more efficient, don't spend time doing extra things. The exception is a background activity to help pass the time. For instance, if listening to the radio or a book on tape helps with the tedium of painting a wall, go for it.
5 Choose compatible tasks. For instance, you may find that reading and listening to speech both use the same type of focus. Instead, try pairing a physical task, such as ironing clothes, with a mental task, such as listening to the radio.
6 Choose interruptible tasks. Especially if the multitasking consists of dealing with frequent interruptions (such as a ringing telephone), choose tasks that can be easily paused to do concurrently.
7 Keep a selection of smaller projects or simpler tasks around to fill gaps in a larger project. That is, do the larger project as a priority, but do basic, filler tasks any time you find yourself waiting for information or inspiration on a larger project.
8 Use wait time efficiently. Have something with you to do, especially in places you anticipate waiting (the airport, post office, or dentist's office). Reading is an easy, portable task. Carrying note cards or a notebook to jot ideas is also a good idea.
Posted to: Time management
December 10th, 2006
Del.icio.us Digg Reddit StumbleUpon Tweet This Facebook
Time management is one of those skills no one teaches you in school but you have to learn. It doesn't matter how smart you are if you can't organize information well enough to take it in. And it doesn't matter how skilled you are if procrastination keeps you from getting your work done.
Younger workers understand this, and time management is becoming a topic of hipsters. One of the most popular blogs in the world is Lifehacker, edited by productivity guru Gina Trapani, and her forthcoming book by the same name is a bestseller on Amazon based so far on pre-orders.
In today's workplace, you can differentiate yourself by your ability to handle information and manage your time. "Careers are made or broken by the soft skills that make you able to hand a very large workload," says Merlin Mann, editor of the productivity blog 43 Folders.
So here are 10 tips to make you better at managing your work:
1. Don't leave email sitting in your in box.
"The ability to quickly process and synthesize information and turn it into actions is one of the most emergent skills of the professional world today," says Mann. Organize email in file folders. If the message needs more thought, move it to your to-do list. If it's for reference, print it out. If it's a meeting, move it to your calendar.
"One thing young people are really good at is only touching things once. You don't see young people scrolling up and down their email pretending to work," says Mann. Take action on an email as soon as you read it.
2. Admit multitasking is bad.
For people who didn't grow up watching TV, typing out instant messages and doing homework all at the same time, multitasking is deadly. But it decreases everyone's productivity, no matter who they are. "A 20-year-old is less likely to feel overwhelmed by demands to multitask, but young people still have a loss of productivity from multitasking," says Trapani.
So try to limit it. Kathy Sierra at Creating Passionate Users suggests practicing mindfulness as a way to break the multitasking habit.
3. Do the most important thing first.
Trapani calls this "running a morning dash". When she sits down to work in the morning, before she checks any email, she spends an hour on the most important thing on her to-do list. This is a great idea because even if you can't get the whole thing done in an hour, you'll be much more likely to go back to it once you've gotten it started. She points out that this dash works best if you organize the night before so when you sit down to work you already know what your most important task of the day is.
4. Check your email on a schedule.
"It's not effective to read and answer every email as it arrives. Just because someone can contact you immediately does not mean that you have to respond to them immediately," says Dan Markovitz, president of the productivity consulting firm TimeBack Management, "People want a predictable response, not an immediate response." So as long as people know how long to expect an answer to take, and they know how to reach you in an emergency, you can answer most types of email just a few times a day.
5. Keep web site addresses organized.
Use book marking services like del.icio.us to keep track of web sites. Instead of having random notes about places you want to check out, places you want to keep as a reference, etc., you can save them all in one place, and you can search and share your list easily.
6. Know when you work best.
Industrial designer Jeff Beene does consulting work, so he can do it any time of day. But, he says, "I try to schedule things so that I work in the morning, when I am the most productive." Each person has a best time. You can discover yours by monitoring your productivity over a period of time. Then you need to manage your schedule to keep your best time free for your most important work.
7. Think about keystrokes.
If you're on a computer all day, keystrokes matter because efficiency matters. "On any given day, an information worker will do a dozen Google searchers," says Trapani. "How many keystrokes does it take? Can you reduce it to three? You might save 10 seconds, but over time, that builds up."
8. Make it easy to get started.
We don't have problems finishing projects, we have problems starting them," says Mann. He recommends you "make a shallow on-ramp." Beene knows the key creating this on ramp: "I try to break own my projects into chunks, so I am not overwhelmed by them."
9. Organize your to-do list every day.
If you don't know what you should be doing, how can you manage your time to do it? Some people like writing this list out by hand because it shows commitment to each item if you are willing to rewrite it each day until it gets done. Other people like software that can slice and dice their to-do list into manageable, relevant chunks. For example, Beene uses tasktoy because when he goes to a client site tasktoy shows him only his to do items for that client, and not all his other projects. (Get tasktoy here.)
10. Dare to be slow.
Remember that a good time manager actually responds to some things more slowly than a bad time manager would. For example, someone who is doing the highest priority task is probably not answering incoming email while they're doing it. As Markovitz writes: "Obviously there are more important tasks than processing email. Intuitively, we all know this. What we need to do now is recognize that processing one's work (evaluating what's come in and how to handle it) and planning one's work are also mission-critical tasks."
To successfully manage your time you have to get organized both in your professional and personal life. Getting organized in an efficient way is a skill that not all people posses. To manage your life and work you first have to be able to manage your time. In our days people spend most of their time working. There are times that they feel that they will never manage to escape from the four walls of the office and are lost in the various projects and tasks they have to finish.
Their personal life has become an old memory, which has been «locked in the drawer». The solution to this vicious circle is one: get organized and start managing your time. This article outlines 14 ways that can help you manage your time successfully and efficiently.
1. Make a list of what should be done
Make a list of what to do and try to constantly renew the list and keep it up to date. Include in this list both urgent and non-urgent things so as never forget or ignore something again. Keep the list all the time with you in your briefcase or in your daily agenda.
2. Allocate your time correctly
Include an estimated time frame for each action and the date by which each task must be completed. If the order that each task must be completed does not matter it may be possible to complete something during an unexpected free time. For example, you can look for information on the Internet while you wait in your office to start a meeting.
manage your time by glasbergen
3. Set your own deadlines and meet them
Be realistic about the deadlines you set and try to meet them. It is true that any work gets exactly the time allocated for it. Have you ever noticed how quickly you can finish something you have to write, give assignments and take decisions on the last day before your vacation? Although we tend to complete many things when we are under pressure, is less stressful and much more professional to establish and follow an action plan.
4. Use your time intelligently
Consider the case to check your e-mail only certain times of the day and let the answering machine respond to your calls so as not to interrupt your work for a couple of hours. If possible, avoid dealing with the same job or the same e-mail again. Never open e-mail address if you do not have time to read and edit, that is, to answer it, send, or delete it.
5. Organize your desktop
Organize your desktop; manage the copies of your files, your computer folders and e-mail folders so that you can easily find what you want. Minimize the time you spend when searching for information. Benjamin Franklin once said: «A place for everything, everything in place».
6. Insist in your targets
You should have an "in tray" in your office so that others can give you what they want to give you and not just leave it on your desk. Have you ever come back from a meeting and find additional records, letters and documents all over your office? Rather than follow your own program, you are "forced" to follow someone else’s priorities.
7. Do not distract your attention
If you have a door, you need to close it occasionally. If you have an open door policy that must always be open for your employees but you do not have time to really listen to their questions and concerns, then you will not manage to keep your promise. If a colleague comes to your office when you have a job and cannot discuss, seek to find another time to meet.
Subscribe to our RSS Feed or EMAIL to get new articles delivered to you
8. Co-operate with your colleagues
Colleagues will expect you to finish the job on time, so make sure to avoid any delay. You would expect the same from them. To avoid any delays, give more time to the project so as to be able to handle unexpected complications, misunderstandings or missed deadlines. If the date of presentation is the 25th of the month, be sure to plan to finish everything by 23.
9. Avoid unnecessary Supervisions
If you authorize someone else for a job or a contract, do not deal any more with this, unless you have a specific responsibility to monitor. Many people spend precious time to listen or read reports of other projects. If the investigation of your colleagues or their professional responsibilities does not affect your daily work, your performance at work or objectives of your career, you could simply express an interest just to encourage them.
10. Cancel routine meetings
Decide if the meeting is absolutely necessary. If, you have to attend, set an agenda and make sure that you follow it - start the meeting and finish it on time. If your presence is not necessary for the entire meeting then leave earlier.
11. Be constantly busy
Keep your skills in shape by having at least one project to be involved. Two or more (projects) would be even better because you are given the opportunity to «change speed» and to focus on something else for variety. To deal simultaneously with different project assures that you will always have something on which to work. Also, it keeps your mind alert and renews your prospects.
12. Choose carefully your projects
Make sure that your work has some value for the company and that it raises your skills better. There are many good reasons why you cannot accept to take part in a meeting and refuse to take an additional project. Successful entrepreneurs know how to say «no». Ask yourself, «this will promote my career?» and «Can I give the necessary time to this assignment?” You will win more respect by working with a colleague, whose expertise and skills complements your own, rather than getting an extra work on your own and overloading yourself.
13. Do not waste your time
It is an integral part of human nature to postpone unpleasant tasks. Plan some of the more pleasant tasks of the project to be made after any unpleasant tasks. If you do not like to work with numbers, plan to do the accounts in the morning when you are still fresh and there are not so many things to distract your attention.
14. Reward yourself
To manage your time efficiently does not have to do only with your job. You should also include in your schedule time where you stop everything, relax and recharge your batteries. Thing of a reward to give yourself when you finish your work. This may mean to make a break for coffee once finished reading a long report or to leave for vacation just after the promotion of the new product.
You must give greater attention to how you spend your time. Watch how successful businessmen allocate their time and emulate some of their time management practices.
How to Multi-task?
1 Establish your goals. The old saying, "If you don't know where you're going, any road will get you there" is just as true even if you are following multiple tasks.
2 Schedule a time to give intense or complex tasks your full focus. Let it be known that you prefer to have time to yourself for an hour or two each day, and use that time for intense tasks that require your full concentration.
3 Work on one thing at a time, but alternate. A juggler may have many objects in the air, but she usually manipulates only one at a time.
4 Eliminate unnecessary tasks. If you're multitasking to be more efficient, don't spend time doing extra things. The exception is a background activity to help pass the time. For instance, if listening to the radio or a book on tape helps with the tedium of painting a wall, go for it.
5 Choose compatible tasks. For instance, you may find that reading and listening to speech both use the same type of focus. Instead, try pairing a physical task, such as ironing clothes, with a mental task, such as listening to the radio.
6 Choose interruptible tasks. Especially if the multitasking consists of dealing with frequent interruptions (such as a ringing telephone), choose tasks that can be easily paused to do concurrently.
7 Keep a selection of smaller projects or simpler tasks around to fill gaps in a larger project. That is, do the larger project as a priority, but do basic, filler tasks any time you find yourself waiting for information or inspiration on a larger project.
8 Use wait time efficiently. Have something with you to do, especially in places you anticipate waiting (the airport, post office, or dentist's office). Reading is an easy, portable task. Carrying note cards or a notebook to jot ideas is also a good idea.
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