Thursday, March 28, 2013

10 toughest interview questions



So you got the phone call that you've been waiting on.

You have an interview with that company that you have been DYING to work for.

Are you prepared to answer ALL the questions they will throw at you?

According to Forbes, they have compiled 10 tough questions that you SHOULD be prepared for...

1. Why Should I Hire You?

The most overlooked question is also the one most candidates are unprepared to answer. This is often because job applicants don't do their homework on the position. Your job is to illustrate why you are the most qualified candidate. Review the job description and qualifications very closely to identify the skills and knowledge that are critical to the position, then identify experiences from your past that demonstrate those skills and knowledge.

2. Why Is There A Gap In Your Work History?

Employers understand that people lose their jobs and it's not always easy to find a new one fast. When answering this question, list activities you'??ve been doing during any period of unemployment. Freelance projects, volunteer work or taking care of family members all let the interviewer know that time off was spent productively.

3. Tell Me One Thing You Would Change About Your Last Job

Beware over sharing or making disparaging comments about former coworkers or supervisors, as you might be burning bridges. But an additional trouble point in answering this query is showing yourself to be someone who can'??t vocalize their problems as they arise. Why didn'??t you correct the issue at the time? Be prepared with an answer that doesn't criticize a colleague or paint you in an unflattering light. A safe scapegoat? Outdated technology.

4. Tell Me About Yourself

People tend to meander through their whole resumes and mention personal or irrelevant information in answering--a serious no-no. Keep your answer to a minute or two at most. Cover four topics: early years, education, work history, and recent career experience. Emphasize this last subject. Remember that this is likely to be a warm-up question. Don't waste your best points on it. And keep it clean--??no weekend activities should be mentioned.

5. Explain A Complex Database To Your Eight-Year-Old Nephew

Explaining public relations, explaining mortgages, explaining just about anything in terms an eight-year-old can understand shows the interviewer you have solid and adaptable understanding of what it is they do. Do your homework, know the industry and be well-versed.

6. What Would The Person Who Likes You Least In The World Say About You?

Highlight an aspect of your personality that could initially seem negative, but is ultimately a positive. An example? Impatience. Used incorrectly this can be bad in a workplace. But stressing timeliness and always driving home deadlines can build your esteem as a leader. And that'??s a great thing to show off in an interview.

7. Tell Me About A Time When Old Solutions Didn't Work

The interviewer is trying to identify how knowledgeable you are in today'??s work place and what new creative ideas you have to solving problems. You may want to explore new technology or methods within your industry to be prepared for. Twitter-phobes, get tweeting. Stat.

8. What's The Biggest Risk You've Ever Taken?

Some roles require a high degree of tenacity and the ability to pick oneself up after getting knocked down. Providing examples of your willingness to take risks shows both your ability to fail and rebound, but also your ability to make risky or controversial moves that succeed.

9. Have You Ever Had A Supervisor Challenge A Decision?

Interviewers are looking for an answer that shows humility--??and the ability to take direction. The anecdote should be telling, but it'??s the lesson learned, not the situation, that could land you the job.

10. Describe A Time When Your Team Did Not Agree

Questions pertaining to difficulties in the past are a way for employers to anticipate your future behavior by understanding how you behaved in the past and what you learned. Clarify the situation succinctly and explain what specific action you took to come to a consensus with the group. Then describe the result of that action.


How would you have answered these questions????

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

12 RADIO SHOW



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Wednesday, March 20, 2013

my sister doesn't like you



For the past few days, my son Brandon has been talking about his girlfriend at school.

They are both 6 yrs old.

Today he said that he wanted her to come over and play. He said he wanted her to play with Skyler, too. Keep in mind that Skyler is only 18 months old...but I played along with the conversation as I held in my laugh.

I said to him..."Skyler may not like your girlfriend. In fact, she may not like many of your girlfriends. But it's ok. She's your sister and that is how she may be sometimes but it's ok."

Brandon looked puzzled. He could not understand why his baby sister would NOT like his girlfriend. He'll learn one day. Sometimes if a girl is not liked by your sister, she doesn't stick around. Women are very protective of their brothers. They know how other women are. Sometimes they can see the BS that men don't see. People always tell me how hard it will be for the baby girl to date with THREE older brothers and a somewhat protective, gun carrying father. But it's going to be hard for them too. If Skyler doesn't like their girlfriends, there is gonna be problems. My oldest son, Deion, is 12 yrs older than her. They are very similar to me and my sister. We are 13 yrs apart but we didn't grow up in the same house. I can't say that I've been blown away by any of her boyfriends but I have respected her decisions. Conversely, I made sure that I didn't bring alot of girls around her. In fact, I can think of only 3 that she liked (she loves my wife...by the way). I can think of one that she didn't like...and she told me! LOL. The rest of em never met her.

So, I want to prepare Brandon, Kameron, and Deion and let them know that Skyler may not give her approval of who they bring home...choose wisely! Her opinion will matter to them. As a parent, I think you should try not to get too attached to who your child is dating. Relationships will come and go. They will all experience some form of heartbreak. It happens to us all. I just want them to grow from it and move forward. I will continue to let them know that it's important that their parents like their girlfriends...but if their little sister don't like her...it's a wrap!

Monday, March 18, 2013

lost ones


Some of my fondest memories of playing football came when I was 8 yrs old. 

I would always play sandlot football with all of my friends. 

I made sure that I was always on the same team with my buddy, EJ. He was one of my best friends. We were the same age and we always played together every day. EJ lived in the same apartment complex that I did. EJ and I always were on the same team when we played football because he could play quarterback and I could catch any ball that he threw to me. We were always tight but we formed a special bond when we played football. We both loved the game and loved school. We had similarities but we were different. While I lived with both of my parents, EJ lived with his aunt, her 4 kids, and her boyfriend. I don't ever remember meeting EJ's parents. He always said they were living in NYC and they were coming to get him for the summer. 




I lived in the building in the background of this picture. The area of grass behind the building was our "football field". We treated it like it was the Rose Bowl. That's where I honed my skills and where I learned the game. EJ and I would meet some days on the field just to play catch. We would spend hours every day outside. This was the early 80s! This was the era before video games and MTV. We knew how to have fun. We didn't realize that we didn't have much because everybody in the "projects" were just like us...black people living in low income housing. While you could never confuse our neighborhood with Cabrini Green or Bed Stuy, we didn't live in the nicest section of Florence, SC. I never felt unsafe, though. By the time I was 10, my parents bought a house and we moved away. I was still attending the same elementary school so I would still see my buddy, EJ at school. We'd play football at recess and have a good time. We never missed a beat. Friends forever.

"But like the old saying goes / Time goes on, and everybody grows." - Tupac Shakur

By the time I was 14, my parents divorced and I moved to another side of town. I was no longer going to school with EJ. I didn't have his phone number so we lost contact for a few yrs. On day during my junior of high school, I was hanging at the mall and I ran into EJ. We both were excited to see each other. We spent about an hour catching up. Much to my surprise, EJ was going to West Florence High (one of my high school's rivals). He was supposed to be going to South Florence but he got into some trouble and left. He told me that he knew I was at Wilson High and doing well on the football field. We exchanged numbers and promised to keep in touch.

The following year was our senior year. The first game of the season was against West Florence. Whenever you play a rival, you want to win but I had more incentive because I knew EJ would be at the game. I couldn't let my homie down. I had a great game...5 catches for 125 yards, 1 touchdown. More importantly, we won. It's ALWAYS great when you beat West Florence. After the game, I looked for EJ. I didn't see him. I called him the next day but the number that I had was disconnected. Later that day, I drove past his aunt's house (they eventually moved from the apartment complex) but the house was empty. Not only was it empty but it was abandoned. EJ had moved but I didn't know where he was. I was disappointed that he had disappeared without even telling me where he was heading. It would be another year before our paths crossed again.

During the fall of my freshman year at South Carolina State University, I decided to come home one weekend. I was being red shirted on the football field so I wasn't playing. I was homesick so a trip to Florence was necessary. During the weekend, I decided to drive past my old neighborhood. I parked my car and decided to walk on the old "football field". Nothing looked the same. The buildings looked different. There were no kids playing outside. It looked gloomy. But it felt good to be back. I stood and thought about the days of playing football with EJ and my friends. All of a sudden, I heard someone call my name. It was EJ! I was shocked to see him. We greeted each other with a pound and a hug. I was happy to see him. He told me that he heard I was a "star football player" at SC State. I laughed and told him that I was just a lowly freshman trying to find my way. I asked him about where he had been for the past year and what happened to him. That's when the complexity of the conversation changed. EJ stumbled through a few lies before he admitted that he dropped out of school. He and his cousins had moved out of his aunts house back into the apartments. When I asked him what he was doing with his life, he quickly changed the subject. After EJ's cousin walked over to inform him that "somebody was waiting for him around the corner"...I realized that EJ was selling drugs. I didn't want to believe it at first. I gave EJ my number and told him to call me. I told him when I'd be home again and I suggested that we hang out. I even offered him to come to SC State to hang out with me. He looked at the ground...then he looked away and said..."Nah, Kyle. You've changed. Things have changed. And it ain't like how it used to be." Those words felt cold but that was his reality. I gave him a hug and a pound and told him to take it easy. I watched him walk away and around the corner.

I pondered those words for awhile. Had I really changed? Did I make him feel like we weren't cool anymore? I never tried to make him feel like I was successful and he wasn't. Maybe he saw that the two kids who were once the best of friends were headed in opposite directions. We were headed in different directions. That was the last day that I saw EJ. He'd spend the next few years selling drugs. He eventually got caught and went to jail. I heard that he eventually started using drugs. The past 5 yrs of EJ's life have consisted of him being in and out of jail and drug rehab. Sometimes when I go back to my hometown, I secretly hope I bump into him. There's a part of me that would like to see him. There's a part of me that doesn't want to see him. He's lost. I can't help him because he doesn't want to help himself. Rather than dwell on what we lost, I prefer to remember us as kids. And I'm cool with that.

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

off tha dome



random thoughts...

gold all in my chain...(don't mind me...sometimes I type whatever I hear)

i didn't know that you still read this blog. thanks for reading. it means a lot to me.

what goes down at a conclave to choose a new pope? do they bring in "entertainment" to lighten the mood?

i don't trust that lil dude in North Korea.

i still miss my girlfriend but i'm coping

the start of NFL free agency is like Christmas for NFL fans.

i was on a conference call at work the other day. a co-worker asked me where i lived. i replied "Atlanta". she said "hey...do you ever see those Atlanta Housewives around?" *blank stare*

i heard that they don't teach writing in cursive in some schools anymore. that's sad. but it's cool. i hate writing in cursive. other than my signature, my cursive writing is horrible and not legible

instagram ain't for everybody

speaking of handwriting, every left handed person that i know has sloppy handwriting

my new favorite red wine...




i heard Billie Jean on the radio the other day. it's still hard to believe that Michael Jackson is dead

i had a ball with my crew at the CIAA Tournament last weekend. looking forward to doing it again next year

note to self about CIAA...it takes the body a week to recover from the partying, drinking, and lack of sleep

can somebody tell me why Brandon Knight tried to "stop" DeAndre Jordan from dunking?

speaking of the NBA, i think we can give the crown to Lebron and the Miami Heat right now. you can't beat them

RIP we just killed the club...RIP..RIP..RIP...RIP...RIP

i love pistachios...does that make me bougie?

i just saw the video for Rhianna's Pour It Up. i love the song. but the video lost me

i'm from the era of when the video was an extension of the song

i want you to remember this when you are going through a struggle in your life




i spent 2 hrs trying to find a suit to buy today and still didn't find what i wanted. i hate shopping. do you know who is the hardest person for me to purchase clothes for??? ME

have you ever noticed when you're shopping and you NEED help...there is nobody around but the salespeople will bother you when you DON'T need their help

other than some flurries in Charlotte last weekend, i have managed to dodge snow this winter. i like that

i heard that the price of stamps were going up again. damn, who still uses stamps? not me

my grandmother turns 92 next month. i'm happy about that. it's a blessing

it's about to get warm. i'll be working on my golf game soon

fellas...when you can be around her and just look at her without saying any words...that's love right there

ladies...remember that Eve was created from Adam's rib...not his spine. you are meant to walk alongside your man...not behind him

fellas...you have a better chance with a woman when you show her who you are. women want the original...not a duplicate

ladies...when putting on clothes, don't show it all. leave something for the imagination

i've had the EP by Daley for months and didn't even know it. I'm feelin the joint with him and Marsha Ambrosious..."Alone Together" - you're the desert sand I'll be your water. And you're the perfect plan I never thought of...

this cracks me up...



fin

12 RADIO SHOW


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TOPIC - Women vs Men co-hosted by Ms Kayotic

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Wednesday, March 6, 2013

12 RADIO SHOW



Tune in to the 12 RADIO SHOW!!! The 12 RADIO SHOW is the most innovative and interactive show on BlogTalkRadio. Join me  tonight at 9PM EST. Don't just listen to the show...log in to the chatroom and participate in the discussion. Don't miss it!!!

TOPIC - 1988 - The Best Year in Hip Hop co-hosted by Rashan Jamal & eclectik. Tune in as we discuss all of the dope albums from that year! Don't miss it!


Rashan Jamal



eclectik

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