WORK 1
The best part-time job for a student is the one, job related to his or her future field of occupation This may not just a simple part-time work that makes no much meaning to you career but an entry job in the field of you professional interests. An entry part-time job is a chance to get good references that may prove useful when you apply for a better paid permanent job. Moreover you may get acquainted with useful people and you know that developing a network of contacts may help you to find a vacancy in some other organization later on. There is also a possibility that you would gradually advance in the organization, And after promotion you will have income rate that will be good for you.
It is true that a student cannot expect a high salary when he gets his first job, At the same time the scope of responsibilities is also not so large as at the job when you are hired as a specialist. So a part-time job is a good time to learn the main skills and gain knowledge related to the profession without psychological burden of being in charge of challenging tasks.
Naturally if there are no good part-time job-openings and you need money you have to take the job that may not be very useful in terms of specialist knowledge. Still it is a chance to enhance you communication and interpersonal skills which will prove useful in future career, the same refers to team working capabilities and dealing with emergent issues that always take place. It is the time when you can discipline yourself, get more punctual or polite, and adopt a new businesslike behavior. Other skills that are applied at almost any job nowadays are IT skills, dealing with office equipment, Printing and editing documents, Placing ads or sending e-mail messages related to the work of organization.. The same can be told about preparing and delivering presentations with good graphics and illustrated statistical data.
In my case the ideal alternative is to work part time for a private language school. This experience is related to my field of knowledge and the salary is pretty good, Normally you may choose working hours that are convenient and dont interfere with studies. Moreover as we are trained to teach Russian as foreign language and there is a chance of finding a job related to teaching Russian to Chinese students or other foreigners we had already teaching internship and I find it quite exciting to teach my own language.
Id rather find some job related to editing. You know nowadays most magazines and journals have switched to electronic version. So it is easy for the editors to work from home. There are good promotion opportunities if you join some well-established organization, so such a part-time job may become my permanent job.
I like the idea of becoming a journalist. Ive written some articles for university scientific and social magazines. I know that at the beginning of a career most newcomers are in charge of finding some exciting facts and compiling factual data for the ones who write articles. But if you are smart and enthusiastic, you may pro gress in the organization and start writing on the topic that is meaningful and interesting to you. In this case there is a chance to express yourself and draw attention of the readers to social or economic or cultural events that are worth reading about.
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GAINING EMPOYMENT SKILLS AT PART-TIME JOB
Advantages are experience, Learning skills, Finding right contacts, Developing confidence, Enhancing team working and time management skills, as well as problem-solving skills
You lean to meet expectations of your employers or customers Your learn to meet deadlines and become more organized and punctual you add some new qualities to your personality and you also get a chance to test yourself in real working situations. You know people tend either to overestimate their skills or underestimate them. At real work place you see more clearly what the skills and knowledge that really meaningful. For instance I have noticed than even good specialists underestimate the meaning of good interpersonal skills They think that doing well their assignments is enough to get deserved recognition and promotion. But people are social creatures, right? Without good interpersonal skills even a knowledgeable person is unable to establish good relations with superiors Colleagues and subordinates. Surely good work is about doing challenging tasks successfully but making people know that you are good at something and that youve done something right is essential. Interpersonal silks enable you to gain reputation without offending other colleagues and allow you to present your work to the boss in favorable light. So there are a lot of things that can be learned at you first part-time work, and the income you get, can help you to improve your living standard of to save up money for large items if you family still provides you with money support
The main disadvantage of a apart-time job is suppose that some people loose the prospect of their career development getting too involved in everyday business/ It so better I believe to keep in mind that this job is only a begging of a career and you should always search for the workplaces that will offer you better working conditions and better salary/ another obvious disadvantage that some of part-time jobs may be quite exhausting like the work of a waiter of shop assistant they interfere with you studies because you dont have enough energy to so you university assignments properly/ Moreover the types of part-time jobs Ive mentioned will get you nowhere, so it worth taking them in the first place? I believe that nowadays with hundreds of employment agencies placing their vacancies in the internet? You may find some work related to editing? Developed of advertisement? Doing home tasks for lazy school children? So why not chose these jobs if you cant find a position in your field of interest right away.
WORK 2 FINDING OUT ABOUT VACANCIES
I believe that you should not concentrate on a single source of information/ Employment agencies are a good starting point for job hunting? But remember that they search candidates for organizations and the client is an organization and not you? They are not interested finding a job for you they are interested in filling a job opening in certain. So they dont sell you and your expertise and knowledge and this may prove to be a problem. They are going to choose the best for the large list of candidates? And youd rather have a table turned and have an employment again who sell your to a number of organizations and it interested in your success/ Nowadays this service is only available for the middle and senior managers in headhunting agencies? But as a student to a young specialist you cannot spend so much money for an agent to find you a job/ So why not fill out a couple of applications and then move on to doing some research on your own.
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Nowadays internet serves a good sauce of information/ When you just print a key word vacancies into the search engine you find thousands of links/ But you should not get overoptimistic when you see the variety of vacancies of job sites/ a lot of them are misleading and you may later finds out that the working conditions or salary are quite different from what you read/ or you may discover that the site is not updated on a regular basis and may vacancies have been already filled. So there is a chance that you \ll spend a lot of time and dont get expected outcome that is a job/ so its better to develop some resume that may suit a lot of positions? Although all experts advise to tailor your resume to the job you apply for. I believe it doesnt refer to most entry jobs of young specialists. Moreover there is a lot of fraud in the internet job ads, some sites they ask you for example to pay some money for processing your application and in fact it goes nowhere. Therefore before you send an application form and resume it is better to find information on the organizations that has placed a job ad. If there is no any reference about them in the internet most likely they are so called fly by night companies that would disappear before you get paid for you work. So a slogan Customer Beware is so true when you have to rely on job-openings advertised in the Internet.
So what is the safe way to go, surely it is finding people who know people who can give you a job/ It is called finding jobs by getting referrals/ It means that a good friend of your or a relative recommends you to another person he know and so on until the right work place is found. Employer like choosing people they learn about by referrals of their friends. In this case a candidate seems to be more reliable? He owes the chance to get the job to his friend and relatives therefore he is unlikely to perform his tasks poorly or led the boss down in some other ways. Of course the main question if you have friends and relatives who can help you out? But this question arises only if you dont pay attention to building the network of contacts when you are young, probably a student. You know becoming a professional is getting in certain professional circle and you should organize you social life in a way that will allow you to need and talk to specialist during some social events like different exhibitions? Conferences? Presentations. If you get a chance to get acquainted later you may get a chance to get advice or a referral from these people.
So it seems to me that you should understand that your career management starts even before you get your first job. And the more you educate yourself on any issues related to your future job/ the more people from this filed you know the better are you chanced for turning to them when you need to find a good job.
HOW TO FIND A JOB
Good jobs are hard to find getting an edge on competition would Strategies you will need contacts networking skills interview preparation tailored resume, customized cover letters, personal thank you letters and lots of patience Step one make a list of everyone you have ver. worked for, track down their contact information and shoot then an e-mail that you are looking for a job with social and career sites it is easier than ever to find some former colleagues Step 2 Go out and meet people join professional associations, seek unpaid internships, do volunteer work and accept any social invitation that comes you way, expanding you contacts is the best way to tap into so called hidden job market, the positions that are not advertised Step 3 if you get an interview arrive with specific action plan how you hiring will benefit the company give examples of what youll accomplish within first 3 months at work You should tailor each resume to a specific job opening, stressing the positions you held and skills you acquired match career opening when you are responding to and use the wording in the ad to describe you working experience, go to a company web site for buzz words that will make you seem as an ideal fit Step 5 customize you cover letter to keep it brief not more that 3 paragraphs and P.S. your greatest strength the recruiter always look to that first. Send thank you letter to everyone involved, including administrative assistant, how may have set your interview personalize them by referring to the topics discussed on a meeting Sep seven Be patient dont get the reputation of the one who had reputedly checks he application status, if you dont hear back within two weeks, send brief follow up letter to the person who interview you, reminding about your interest to the position Did you know that nearly half of the job seekers provide false or misleading information on their resumes according to an survey with 20 fiddling about their education, and 12 being less than honest about their past employment
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I have great news for all people out there looking for jobs, in the age of high unemployment and economic uncertainty many people are looking for work now. Surely there new ways of hunting for jobs with all those on-line resources and und less job searching on the phone one can feel like they are going through scams more than finding legitimate jobs And when they do finds promising job openings there are lot of applicants that go after them but we forget about one thing that can truly set us apart from competition - a referral. So the first thing to do when you are looking for new career is to get on the paper list and a
Relationship you can attempt to leverage or work acquaintances, family friends friends of the friend - leave no one out, once you gave a list get together all the contact information and formulate a plan depending on your relationship with each person, you may want to approach them differently. May be it is easier to shoot an e-mail? But you are looking for someone who is going to stick in their head out and vote for you, so make a phone call instead and arrange a face to face meeting. Things you need to remember when you approach contact Be professional and do not waste contacts time, let them know that you are currently looking for a new career and you are one of the persons to hear about etc. be sure you ask him if can out you in touch with someone or check in open position for you, be specific and set up a follow up date. This in my experience is the best way to attain good job opening. It can save you a lot of time and headaches. S before you spend countless hours on the internet searching the job board take some time to leverage your relationships and you may not need job board at all, check up the website.
Recently someone ask ne Steve a need help in deciding what career to choose. Thats incredibly complex question especially in the middle of recession and it is kind of scary question I have practiced law as a lawyer car dealership in the contracting company, a healthcare chain, career of marketing on line its a perfect career anybody can do it, you dont have to work for anyone you are your own boss and are in control of you own destiny and income.
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WORK 3 WHAT IS BEST: TO BE AN ENTREPRENEUR OR AN EMPLOYEE?
Being enterprising is a key to success in contemporary society; still different people have a different understanding of this concept. All in all believe that you can be creative at a job when you work of an origination. If you dont want to be Jack of all trades and take on a lot of responsibility and bear the risks, it is better to work for an organization. I believe there is nothing bad about it, if you feel comfortable when you have a certain number of responsibilities and you like the work you are doing and get pad well why bother? I suppose only people with certain type of personality can become entrepreneurs. Being employee is equally good if you think that this type of career is good for you. Surely a lot of decisions are made by the management and you should put then into practice, there are times when you wish to become independent? Dream that being your own boss is so exciting. But very soon if you have an expertise have earned a reputation in certain field perhaps you shouldnt run the risk of stating your own business. If you have been adventurous enough you would have decided to become an entrepreneur much earlier/ The years that you have spend in the profession are also an investment and this investment may de devalued if you start a business that will go bankrupt.
If you are young and you are only considering different job prospects? It is better for you to research the field of entrepreneurship? Because you don/t risk you reputation as you havent earned one yet. At the same time it is unwise to get overenthusiastic about starting your business because you need a competitive business not just fly-by=night company/ So you need to found out as much as you can about different entrepreneurs their life storied their advice how to prosper. Moreover you need pretty good knowledge of economy? And legislation related to running a business/ therefore it is advisable to apply to some entrepreneurship courses to find out basic information and surely discover a lot of facts on your own via the Internet or from friends and relatives. If it is possible get a job in a small business then youll be able to observe the work of small organization it will be easier for you walking in the shoes of business owner and decide whether you like it or not. You any find out that you are willing to learn more and set your own firm? It is possible that you may decide that so much work as the boss does doesnt pay off and you can earn similar income by becoming a specialist in certain field
Being a freelancer usually is the most attractive form of employment for young people they havent yet chose a specific work fled and they want to try themselves at different jobs performing different assignments without being too involved in certain organization/
Therefore I like this option as I am a student? Speaking about becoming and entrepreneur I must confess it seems too risky for me/ But as I specialize in teaching foreign languages I might open a private language school sometime. But I suppose that even nowadays there are too many language school so opening just another one wont be very wise. I believe that you should start business only if you can offer something unique and if you know how provide high quality service. Speaking about my personal qualities I must say that usually I try to be on a safe side, I dont like uncertainty/ and I am not assertive enough to manage people. Perhaps later on when I get sufficient experience I might be more confident about starting my own business. It seems to me that young people can become successful businessmen only if their parents or close relatives run certain business/ they get a chance to find out that things should be done, they have moral? Financial family support and of course knowledge about the business/ in fact the success in every profession depends on knowing some unwritten rules? It also required access to specific information that can be available if different professional circles it is rather difficult to be a newcomer. The only place where a person can start a business without influential friends and significant capital is internet. So perhaps opening a site that offers distant education facilities is the best options of all for me, but I must admit that my IT skills should be considerable enhanced if I decide to start this type of career.
How easy is it to start up a business in Russia? Where do people get finance from? Do you know anyone who ahs set up a business? What type is it? What success they have had.
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Everyone knows that is not easy to start up a business in Russia, therefore the government have even established a special program that offers some instinctives for new business start ups.
The first thing is that market economy is relatively new for Russia, therefore it is difficult for entrepreneur to come up with successful business ideas and they often do not know how to develop efficient business strategy
So the first issue that should be addresses is what product or service will be in demand and will be perceived favorably well) by the public.
So first of all a businessman should develop a business concept, then he should hold market research to investigate the market for the product.
In other words he should identify whether there is a target market for his future product of service, then he should find out more about existing competition.
It is also difficult for Russian businessmen to come up with some technically advanced product that will be better than the products of foreign companies.
So it is necessary to invent and provide some unique service that meets current needs of people, or develop some product with unique features, properties or ingredients, and whats the important product price or fees for the services should be competitive.
Therefore setting up a new business is a challenging task, therefore many Russian businessmen do not want to run the risk of trying to break a new ground, they prefer a safe approach and decide on buying a franchise or establish a dealer enterprise or just open a retail outlet for famous brands.
But still there are people who devise new things and are willing to manufacture then, or invent new services and a re willing to provide them
Apart form business concept you need money to set up a business, and it is very difficult to get a loan for a new company. The success of new business venture is not guaranteed therefore banks do not want to risk their money and usually give loans only to well known recognized.
As for a start up it usually takes the firm from 1 to 3 years to reach to break even point and start making profit. In the west those who want to open a new company turn to venture capitalists, now in russia there are also the credit institutions of this type these are organizations who have developed an expertise in evaluation of young companies, Venture capitalists usually provide loans at a higher interest rate then traditional banks because they plan to compensate for bad debts of some new firms that will not succeed.
Venture capitalist are relatively knew ad most of them are based in Moscow and Saint Petesberg, and the terms that the offer are not really attractive, so entrepreneurs try to get money in some other ways.
They take different private small loans from different banks, or they may take the loans where their own property is given as a collateral. So its clear that you can set up only a small business bi this money
The government promises to change Russian legislation and then new small business will be able to get loans subsidized by the government and also tax holidays will be provided until the company breaks even and starts making profit
WORK 4 HOW TO DECIDE WHAT JOB IS RIGHT FOR YOU
Really get the sense what it would like to be to do that Go and internship Work for a friend in the restaurant
Because very often fantasy doesnt match the reality
1 There are many things you should take into consideration when you decide what job would be right for you. And part for such significant things as salary functions and responsibilities, working hours and the need to commute or relocate there is something that people tend to overlook. It may sound ridiculous but it is true you should choose the job in the sphere and specialization that goes naturally with you.
So trust yourself and rely on gut feeling but surely dont forget the common sense to.
What is the best way to understand what type of job is right for you it is getting experience. Do not make hasty decisions, you dream job may prove to be a nightmare and your expectations form prestigious positions van be much overrate and you may not be getting the status and money you dream of. So as early as possible get an experience of jobs you can get access to. At school do some volunteer jobs for social organization participate in Job shadowing projects in school that enable you to get short internship in a wide range of organization, talk to all adults you can approach with a question about their career how do they feel about their job, and looking back would they have chosen the sane career path again so do the rational research
And embarking on your career.
4 What the future job market is going to be like what knowledge and skills people are expected to have to secure good jobs. Its good to know that or to anticipate that and build you career in the right direction. Studying this issue right now and male decisions that will prove right can work wonders giving you a good life or good living standard when you are an adult. What are the way of making sure you work is a success when the future actually become you present, a lot of specialists make predictions about jobs that will be hot in the foreseeable future, so what occupations are expected to have a significant amount grown choosing what industry will make you better off in future. All jobs related to medicine will undoubtedly remain successful in future doctors as well and chemists and biologists will we in demand in future because biotechnology involves development of new remedies and it is expected to grow in future. So you can work for large pharmaceutical companies or implement some research into the stem cells and cloning of body parts to give people who can afford and are willing to pay to remain healthy and leave longer. Another category of occupations related to healthy living style are athletic trainers and dieticians, as wee as skin care specialists, because the desire of people to look good will ever go out of fashion, all of professions listed above require years of schooling and considerable investment in the education which will definitely pay off. You should understand that the knowledge and skills most professions require can be acquired instantaneously so making a dramatic change in you r career may prove complicated. So if you do not like the jobs listed above consider such options as becoming a financial examiner or consultant or the job of computer scientist, network system analyst or web designer But choosing a good occupation does not itself guarantee a success. The career growth is what where the money is, you career track is good if only you climb the corporate ladder in other words get a regular promotion and advance in the organization, getting better position titles is good. But then your may discover that you organization payroll is much less that the one of organizations competitor, so if headhunters approach you or you may decide choosing a better employer, or you can take initiative write a resume and start application process, highlighting the tasks you fulfilled and accomplishments you made, as a result you may secure a better paid job, a good point is also to make your expertise visible via social networks blogs, or by participating in different associations and clubs or in some other ways create a strong professional presents of the industry so that both prospective clients to prospective employers know you and you high qualification.
I would like to answered the article whose author raise incredibly important points about dream career When you thing about your dream career you tend to overlook some point The first is that you need work toward it Some people say if you dream it you will win it, see it make it happen its true that seeing clearly the prospects will help you in attaining your dreams But there are questions about reality Being successful means working hard and being inspired by goals they you have set Deciding who can you get there the perspectives of the career Remember its just wont fall into your lap In many cases success means blood and sweat tars as it takes a lot of work to get what you want You cannot just wave the magic bound So what you should is called asking those trees it means learn more about you industry stand in the traffic, talk to people about you dream, find out where the people form you industry hang out and hold informational interviews, educate yourself on how to break into the this industry and increase the network of people that could give you advice, it doesnt mean that youll have to asked theme for a job She had to quit full-time her job and then work part 0time to become a career couch I had to do 2 part-time jobs to start coaching practice Sometimes it was stressful sometimes I feel exhausted as it does take work, sometimes it is painful when there are some setbacks But all that time I was positive and that that it would word it and I will success and get back the investment The good news about dream job is that when you look back on the way you have come you understand it was all worth it Surely you will come across some challenges in your way but the you will have jus develop a plan make some action steps to overcome the hurdle
To understand where you do everything it takes to get you dream job write doesn't appear all steps youve done over a three months toward you dream career, if there are 10 points you are doing well and alert likely to prosper, in its only 1-5 its not enough then ask yourself if you are really willing to make a sacrifice you should be ready to compromise at certain points and be flexible. You should be also well equipped to seize the opportunity when it comes up.
WORK 5 Describe the most common methods companies use to recruit people. How do companies fire people? Do employees have rights in that situation?
Every company has to recruit people for time to time this can take place in may cases. The most obvious it hires a lot of employees when the business is set up, then there might be a staff turnover in the company, or the company might decide to expand, so in this cases it needs to fill in new positions.
I suppose that first of all recruitment process depends on personnel policy of the company. Most large organizations have personnel resources departments, and they perform recruitment process, other turn to employment agencies and some delegate recruitment functions temporary to some employees in the organization to save employment agencys fees.
But in general, the recruitment process does not differ much by it nature, the main difference is the time and money the companies allow to spend to find an employee
The first step in recruitment process it to compile a job description. Job descriptions is the list of functions the employee should Performa, and the rustling list of qualifications and experience he should have. Then usually a job add is written and placed in different type of medial, you can find these ads on TV and radio, in newspapers and in the internet. Key requirements for an employee are often called prerequisites. People are offered to send their CV and resume by fax, by email or just by post. If the employment agency is involved it can offer a ready list of applicants that have already supplied their resumes to the agency.So the resumes of candidates are studied and then a decision is made to invite some of them to an interview.
So the next stage of employment process is interviewing. It is desirable to have at least two interviews before the right person for the position is chosen.
The first is a so-called screening interview. It is held to eliminate people who do not meet the requiems quite well.
And then a so called shot list if likely candidates is complied. Usually two or three interviewers talk to the candidate, later they compare their impressions of the candidates behavior, statements that he made and other things that a considered to be significant.
Usually lots of things are taken into account: the impression the candidate makes, for instance bushiness like appearance, confident behavior, good interpersonal, skills good knowledge of the filed he should work in.
Then the candidates are informed about the decision that has been made and the contract is offered to those who fit in.
Sometimes companies use the services of head hunting agencies in the want to find a person for top position. Headhunters usually collect references about different senior people and they offer manager some incentives both tangible and intangible to convince him to start working for another employer.
Sometime the companies skip all things mentions above and hire a person just of the basis of references about him, but this proves to be unproductive, and now companies refuse from such practices.
As for the processing of firing it is quite complicated. In the west employers say that it is much easier to hire a person than to fire him. Most employees belong to trade unions who negotiate terms and conditions favorable for employees and take a lot off effort to prefer unjustified dismissals, if the employer has broken the law he usually faces a considerable fine and has to pay large compensation to the employee.
If people are laid off in large number due to certain finical difficulties of the companies, they have a right for a two months salary, and very often an employer even has to make an effort to find the another job.
I Russia the situation is slightly easier for an employer, but, all in all, there is also a law that tells that an employer should give an employee a 2 months notice and pay him 2 month salary in advance, if they want to make hem redundant due to the financial problems of the company. Therefore as lot of companies make their employees state that they leave the job willingly, then no compensation is to be paid to an employee.
WORK 6
What are typical mistakes a candidate can make at an interview? Your advice to interviewees.
Preparation comes before any success, so as Americans put it do you homework well.
What does that mean? It means that I person should understand the structure of the interview, the skills knowledge and achievements he is expected to demonstrate in the most favorable way
Most people fell nervous before an interview to reduce it to a minimum it is better to a plan of things you should find out and prepare bore going to an interview.
A good way to reduce nervousness is to rehears an interview this a friend or relative. Make the list of questions and topics that are likely to be discussed and ask your friend to be an interviewer, after a fake interview he make give you a valuable feedback on your manners and interpersonal skills so it may help you to modify you behavior and eliminate some things that give bad impression.,
One of the first and surprisingly common mistakes of a candidate is coming late. This usually happens because the person has difficulty finding a location, so you should allow additional time for searching the right building and the right office - because punctuality is valued every field of business.
The first impression is the most meaningful it is a well proven fact. So build you confidence by choosing good but conservative clothes if you are expected to be businesslike, you know that every rule has an exception there are some companies where a casual style is considered to be more favorable, but, all in all, good business suit is a good choice for a start.
Remember that firm handshake also demonstrates confidence, fast weak or hasty handshake can show you nervousness.
You should smile, in a polity way, but it is better not to laugh or giggle, because it demonstrates that you are not used to controlling you emotions.
You should have all you documents right, neatly printed on a good paper in a good folder, dont forget to bring all your diplomas, certificates of achievements or any other relevant papers that prove your professional development. As you know seeing is believing, if you speak of you achievements you should have a tangible proof otherwise, they may decide that you are boasting or just making things up.
Another mistake is a lack of knowledge about companys background and current position on the market, you should demonstrate you interest and loyalty to the organization.
This knowledge will also allow you to discuss an intelligent way the opportunities for companies development and your personal contribution to its performance.
The Lack of control over your body language can send negative signals to an interviewer, so avoid continually looking sideways, studying the floor or the ceiling of the room as well as landscapes outside the window,you should maintain good eye contact with an interviewer.
Do not lean back on a chair, its not a time to relax, you should lean slightly forward the interviewer and you back should be straight.
Do not wave your hand in some dramatic gestures, cause only professional actors can do in skillfully,
A good rule of thumb it to keep you gestures to a minimum.
Do not consider some parts on the interview unimportant, even a small talk about weather, difficulties of finding the office and other trifles do make a difference. You should be able to communicate in easy pleasant manner both about minor or major subject.
To certain extent an interview is a questioning session and of course you should answer all questions showing good knowledge and good judgement, but if you leave right after you answered the last question it will a mistake. You should demonstrate initiative and enthusiasm about the job, so it will be a good move in your ask some nice pleasant questions about the company
If you are asked about your expectations of the job and the amount of compensation you expect to get,
Do not say that you expect the usual compensation for the position of this type.
If you are a profession you should know the value of you work, of course you should not name just one figure, you should say that you expect the salary within the range of and then tell the numbers, that is relevant for such position in the industry.
And there is another point you many be asked to tell and anecdote or funny story, this may sound ridicules to many people, but if you refuse to tell a story its not a joking matter. This is also a test of your intelligence, a test of your sense of humour, a test of you understanding what type of humour and theme of the joke is relevant in such situation. Surely when you are at the interview its difficult to think up something useful right away. So find some jokes related to the business or to interviews, that is mild polite and makes a good impression.
In the end of the interview do not run away as if you leave a crime scene, thank the interviewer or interviews for the time that they have spend talking to you and for interesting questions they have asked, show that you have enjoyed the time spent in their company and that you feel good about this interview.
MARKETING 1
How the retail business has changed in Russia in recent years? What do you think are the reasons for theses changers? Which types of shops do you used to buy things from? Why?
I suppose that the retail business has changed significantly over the last 5 years and now it represents the whole rage of retail outlets that can be found in western countries.
And I consider that consumers have benefited from it, because now they have a better choice of products if various price categories.
They have palaces to go if they want to get a good value for the money. They can also enjoy bargain hunting and get things with large discounts. Now there is opportunity to buy almost all famous foreign brands in Russia., and I must say that that there are lots of famous food brands on selves. And at the same time the russian food processing industry is developing at increasing rate, therefore there are also local and national products on the market.
All in all, the disposable income of people (buying power)has increased therefore the retail business has grown considerably, though certain retail organization have suffered due to economic crisis.
I general, people have more money and they have gained brand awareness therefore they take into account more factors while making their buying decisions
The first retail business I am going to be talking about is convenience shops. You know perfectly well what Im talking about, these are supermarkets, and most often chain supermarkets that have a lot of outlets in our city.
These supermarkets have usually different target market.
For instance Kopeyka supermarket chain is intended for people with relatively low income, so the retailer makes profit y selling low margin goods but in high volume. To reduce the price tags they sell more generic unpackaged products for instance cereals, flower, sugar, and give more shelf space to local manufactures. And I believe that this is a good strategy because living standards of some of our citizens are quire low, for example pensioners or big families. So this supermarket chains allows them to save some money.
Another supermarket chain that I think you know quite well is Komandor, most products there are medium priced and the range of products is quite large. So I think that most people often buy products from them.
And another supermarket chain that is also famous is Krasny Yar, it positioned itself as a store for high end market, some time ago but as economic situation has changed they had also to cut some of their price tags to stay competitive. But even now they maintain reasonable prices for things that refer to so called consumer basket, and they also hold a range of premium prices goods to keep their target customers.
I must also mention that all supermarkets not only offer food products but also some everyday produces like hygienic goods, basic cosmetics, newspapers and magazines.
Another category that is specific for Russia is small neighborhood stores and kiosks. They benefit because of their location. The range of products they offer is limited to the products that have guaranteed demand and pricing is quite competitive, I mean tat all products are reasonably priced.
There is a number of department stores that deal with home appliances, some of them represent national chains like eldorado, others are local. They tend to run aggressive advertising to draw more customers. So people can benefit from their advertising companies because most o them offer discounts, or discount coupon for next purchases. (There are almost no Russian brands there, for the simple reason, unfortunately the production of home appliances has not been developing well in Russia, I can name only few brands, and even most brands that sound Russian only mean that the devices have been assembled in ruse from foreign components. And another fact that is also quite evident is that most European brands as well as American ones are product that have been produced in China under the license, or at best assembled in China from authentic components. But this is a global trend because china offers cheap labour and therefore cost saving for European and western manufactures.)
Lets now take a look at clothing. There are some outlets of famous sportswears like Adidas of Nike. And people have an opportunity to buy goods of guaranteed quality. There ale also retail outlets of many clothing brands.(The only thing that makes some customers sad is the fact that some of them do not offer the full seasonal collections, or sometimes even stock models that have not been sold in Europe. But most of these retail outlets make an effort to present the full range of clothiers because they understand that most people are internet users and thereofr have a clear idea of the models and styles that should be presented in the new collection.) A good thing is also that all brand retail outlets offer large discount on collections when the season is over. So people who want to wear good quality clothiers can aquiver them at good prices when another collection is about to replace the old one.
Another type of retail business that is relatively new is of course a hypermarket. This is usually a huge building where you can find departments of all kinds, people enjoy going tyhere because they can buy different products at one location and att the same time most hypermakets offer entertainment facilities like cinema halls, attractions for children, cafes and restaurants. Quite often they also invite famous bands to perform to celebrate the grand opening or some other even, so people can listen to songs they like for free and meet celebrities that they admire.
There are also shops that are intended for people with a very large income, these shops sell luxury items, there are jewelry shops, there are shops of premium stationary like Parker pens and leather paper holders, shops that offer expensive watch and others. Most of them have experiences some decline in demand, but now the sales have also started to grow and may be soon will reach the usual level.
So I have mentioned the main types of retail businesses, As for my choice of retail business I must say that usually I dont go shopping just for the pleasure of finding out more about new offerings, usually I go to connivance stores to buy some foodstuff, if I want to buy some sport products I usually go to the outlets that deal in specific brand, because it guarantees quality, sometimes I go to hypermarkets with my friends but that is usually not for the purpose of buying something specific but just to spend time like having lunch in cafe and then going to watch some movie, the environment is usually good there, it is very convenient especially in winter.
In conclusion I would like to say that I like the fact than now we have a lot of retail outlets. They compete for consumers and people can get better service and better value for their money.
What is marketing.2
In general marketing is activity that helps to sell the products or services to the customers or clients
marketers often use the term marketing mix. to describe this process.
Marketing mix is the set of various elements of marketing program that help to sell the product to target market.
A well- known classification of these elements is 4 Ps: product price promotion and place
In marketing mix the term product includes such aspects as: quality, features, style, brand name.
In fact marketing begins and ends with customer.
In most cases manufactures first of all choose their target market.
TM are people with certain level of income and lifestyle who have specific needs.
So manufactures decide to produce goods which will satisfy those needs in the best way.
In order to find out about needs of the target market a company carries out market research.
After they have identified the requirements of consumers they develop and manufacture new products 11. Of course, a company tries to manufacture a product of good quality. Producers try to make a product that is better than products of competitors because than they will get marketing advantage then.
The second P is price. The price of the product should cover the costs of production and there should be certain mark up (margin) that is added to the cost of product.
This amount allows producers to make profit. But the price of the product depends on many other factors.
The price should be reasonable for a target market. the price may be higher o lower than prices on competing products, the price may depend on the popularity of the brand.
The 3rd P - is promotion. Promotion groups together advertising, publicity, sales,promotion, personal selling
Mostly promotion implies advertising activity that will draw attention of a target market to a certain product and persuade people to buy it. There are several types of advertising .
The 4th P is place; in marketing mix the term place includes such factors as distribution channels and locations of points of sale.
Most manufactures sell their products to wholesales, and wholesales in their turn sell products to retail outlets.
Sometimes manufactures have a network of distributors and distributors present their products to general public.
Usually convenience goods, foodstuff and household appliances are sold to wholesales and expensive and luxurious products are distributed through a network
It is very important to chose a good retail outlet. All shops, department stores and shopping malls have certain image and reputation.
Different types of consumers very often go to different shops.
In fact, Marketing activities are intended also to create a long term demand for a product.
Then the company producing a product will make profit and will have stable revenue.
And another task of marketing not only to meet the needs of people in a best way but also to create new needs.
Show people things that they have never thought of before and persuade then that it is a good idea to by it. In fact May products on consumer market have appeared because the demand for them was developed by effective advertising.
Branding.
A brand can be a name a term or a symbol. I helps consumers to understand which company has manufactured a certain product.. Usually people associate brand name with a certain quality level. So if a brand is well-known it adds value to the product. Therefore most producers pay attention to brands and spend a lot of time and money to establish a good brand. A famous brand name helps to sell the product in high volume and at a good price.
Some companies have the same brand name for all products that they manufacture. Other manufacturers have separate brand name for every product line. When companies market their products under individual brand names, many customers even dont know that they buy products of the same manufacture. For instance Uniliver and Proctor & Gamble are the major producers of soap powders. Theses companies use such multi-brand strategy, this strategy is very useful because it allows to fill shelf place in the shops, leaving less room for competitors. And when different brands of the same company compete on the market it is profitable for the company any way. Multi- brand strategy helps not to lose buyers, for example when a person wants to buy something new and swathes to some other brand his preferences are likely to remain within the product range of the same manufacturer.
Every good sales assistant should show to the customer in which way he or she may benefit from the product, and what are advantages of the product compared to other competing brands, sales assistant should make the customer feel as if he already owns a product and enjoys its benefits. We can start the launch of new product, only when the budget will be chosen. Because we should know how much we can spend on our advertising campaign. The best advantage of a product is when it saves both time and money of a customer, and makes his life easier and more interesting, or makes a person look attractive. If the price of such product is reasonable, they say that it is a good value for the money.
PROMOTION 3
A good product itself is not enough to produce high sales volume, it should be sod at the right time at the right place, so producers should decide when it is a good time to launch a product and what retail outlet they should choose.
Advertising is a tool that creates demand for the product, and a good distribution network guarantees a good supply of the product. Usually a manufacturer has several distributors who work on different territories If distributors work well the product is supplier on a regular basis and customers can always find the product on the shelves of the shops.Retailers should take care that the full stock of a new product is available (all sizes all colours etc.)
If advertiser has a limited budget he usually places the ad in newspaper. Nowadays many newspapers can offer colour pictures of good quality, sometimes small firms do not apply to advertising agency to produce an ad, there is a special software to create an ad on computer. But any advertiser should remember that it is necessary to produce series of ads with the same slogan and concept, then his target audience will pay attention to the ad and purchase the product he offers.
What marketing techniques apart form mass media advertising do you know? What advantages and disadvantages do they have?
Apart from advertising the product in mass media, good promotion techniques can influence consumers choice on the point of sale
Lets start with the product itself and shelf-place it occupies
Most powerful promotional techniques are used to create an effective product appearance to make the product stand out among competition
Lets start with a shaper container: a bottle a carton a packet, the main prick is to make people believe that there is more product in the container that it actually is
For instance if the bottle is made slimmer and flatter it appears that it contains more liquids that bottles of usual shape, the same refers to the box of chocolates, sometimes the box is much bigger that the number of sweets it contains
Another feature that draws attention of people is a user friendly design, bottles that are easy to hold, that open and close conveniently etc
Another point is package, products places of a plastic plate to tray and wrapped in cellophane convey the idea of cleanness and health, and look nicer
The crates for the beer bottles and plastic packing is designed in a way that people can easily carry them, so why buy 3 bottles, when you can take away 6 the ones that are professionally packaged
The color range of containers and the images the have is also powerful marketing tool. The research have proved that certain colors are associated with prosperity, with ecological safety of the product some colors appeal more to women that men and so on.
And surely pricing makes a difference.
The most wide spread trick is so called 99 rule, when a product costs 999 rubles instead of one thousand, in most cases some other figures are used not exactly 99, but the main aim is to make the figure appear less that it is actually is, people tend to calculate the total amount of their purchases by first figures of the price and skip the rest so something that costs 5985 seems to them close to 5000 though actually it is almost 6000.
Another trick is the used of price tags they may contain the first price that is closes out and a new price with a discount. Though in most cases the first price was just made up, for people to feel that a good bargain is offered
Sometimes a bigger size is offered, more volume or of several items at a discount, though the discount is usually given, its number is to reduce to a minimum, because people dont usually make calculations to decide whether the offer is good.
There are also campaigns when they offer to items for the same price, well, wonders do happen, but you should be careful, in most cases it means that the products are about to expire, so sometimes you havent even uses up one products when both of then have gone bad.
Sometimes a prize if offered when you get one big and expensive item, and another smaller and cheaper one is offered for free. Some people are motivates by such presents, and retailers get a chance to get rid of old stock by making people feel good when they make their buy decisions, so as the saying goes everyone wins, (or at least appears to win)
Lets move on to product position of the shelf, if fact different brand compete with each other to get the best positioning, it means that the pay so-called bonuses to a retailer to place their products of shelves that have high visibility and are within an easy reach for a customer, these products tend to be premium prices because the amount of bonuses in actually included it the price so people pay for good position of products they buy
Another big attraction for people is scent of products; every department with deals with a specific brand has a smell that was designed to add to the image of the brand and to evoke emotions of people. In supermarkets if is used to not only for specific brand but for departments that specialize in certain products, it is bakery, you may feel the enticing bled of just baked brad or rolls, if you go to a department that sells suitcases and traveling bags you may feels the scent lf leather, and even book departments there is a subtle scent of good glossy paper, that is also developed by chemists.
Product testing has also become quite popular; it comes in many forms,
Consumers may be offered to try new cheese, sausage, assorted in thing slices of the plates, the same may refer to beverages that are offered in small plastic glasses, the task of such promotion is not only to form brand awareness but also to motivate people to make purchase because in the time of promotion the new product is offered at a discount.
Now this type of promotion is also used for durable goods like construction tools, so people can test the equipment in a specially designed environment, the opportunity to test equipment and to make sure that it is efficient and user friendly usually motivates people to make a purchase.
And another aspect that plays a key role is of course communication. Sales assistant can considerable influence consumer choice, sales assistants with good interpersonal skills and good training usually can provide reliable information on different products lines, he should be able to demonstrate the benefits the person will get if he buys the product.
And another promotional tool so of course good references from people who have benefited from your product or service and tell to heir friends about it, this is so called a word of mouth advertising, people trust the opinions of their friends therefore they build a good reputation to a retail outlet or to a certain brand.
MARKETING 4
WHY DO PEOPLE SHOP?
No two consumers approach the shopping process in the same way. Two consumers may shop at the same store for the same reasons, such as knowledgeable sales help or locational convenience, but their approach to shopping may be quite different. Some consumers may enjoy shopping as a form of relaxation. Still others may view shopping as a burden and strive to get it over with as soon as possible. Consumers may desire to fulfil a variety of roles outlined below in addition to simply making a merchandise purchase.
Personal Motives
Personal motives result from consumer needs that are distinct from the physical needs that prompt them to buy many goods and services.
Role Playing. Consumers often engage in activities which they associate with their roles in life. For example, a husband may perceive that, in his role, he should purchase only high-quality gifts from prestigious outlets for his wife.
Diversion. Shopping provides people with a break from the daily routine. Simply walking through a shopping center helps a person keep up with fashion trends and product innovations. Malls encourage consumers to visit them by scheduling special events such as antique or auto shows. Americans spend an average of almost six hours per week shopping.'
Physical Activity. Many people welcome the opportunity to walk for exercise in a safe, temperature-controlled environment. Some malls have responded to these needs with organized walking and health clubs, and by opening their doors for walking before the shops open for business.
Sensory Stimulation. Shoppers often respond favorably to background music, scents, and other types of sensory stimulation they encounter while Chopping. Research has shown that customers feel more at ease, spend more time, and shop more often in stores that play background music.4 At Giorgio'-,, the Beverly Hilts boutique, an electronic atomizer above the entrance blasts Giorgio's famous floral fragrance out onto Rodeo Drive every 10 seconds. The perfume, which sells for SI50 an ounce, is used at the store to trigger product recognition and to appeal to the affluent Giorgio shopper.
Self-Gratification. Shopping can help alleviate loneliness or other emotional stress. Some persons also enjoy people-watching while shopping.
Social Motives
Social motives for shopping revolve around the desire for group interaction of one sort or another.
Social Experiences Outside the Home. For many persons shopping has become a social activity outside the home. They lake advantage of such opportunities to meet friends or to develop new acquaintances. Some malls feature special morning promotions designed to serve older persons. Others arrange cooking demonstrations, health screenings, and similar activities. "The malls have become places 10 hang out10 relieve loneliness, alienation, or boredom."5
Communications with Persons of Similar Interests, Interest in a hobby may bring people together. Thus, retailers can provide a focal point for persons with similar interests or backgrounds; for example, retail computer outlets sponsor hobbyist clubs.
Peer-Group Attraction. Individuals may shop to be with a peer or reference group. Patronage of elite restaurants reflects such behavior, as does teenagers' tendencies to visit record shops which cater to their tastes in music. Similarly, some outlets have advisory boards composed of their city's most influential citizens. The same local opinion leaders may also be featured in advertising and promotion programs.
Status and Power. Some shoppers enjoy the opportunity to negotiate over price. They get ego satisfaction from bargaining. These people tend to compare prices between stores and to shop only during sale periods.
We have briefly highlighted the concept of the personal and social dimensions of shopping. An emerging separate body of literature has recognized the often-non utilitarian motive of the shopping process. This dimension of shopping, known as hedonic consumption, focuses on fantasy, and emotive aspects of the consumer experience. Retailers need to be aware that emotional desires can be equally as strong as utilitarian motives in the shopping experience and plan their outlets accordingly.
MARKETING 5
SHOPPER TYPES
Consumer attitudes toward shopping also affect their behavior as shoppers. The result of such differences in attitudes is that consumers can be categorized based on their shopping strategies, as shown in Figure 7-3. which are based on an analysis of the shopping behavior of several national samples of consumers.7 The shopper profiles can be described as follows:
Impacted Shoppers. Such persons are adversely impacted by economic events. They are attracted by price credibility and a hot-item pricing program accompanied by in-store signing.
Dedicated Shoppers. They are knowledgeable, tough, pragmaticthey cherry-pick retail assortments and know the retail structure in depth. They represent tonnage!o the retailer but little profit.
Contemporary Shoppers. These are fashion-forward or fashion-concerned Choppers who are upscale in income, education, and careers. They are not price-conscious and want edited and tight merchandise assortments.
Social Shoppers. Shopping is tin extension of their social lives. They are downscale in lifestyle and have severe income restrictions. They are attracted by low opening price points, which are critical to them. Price points are typically below Wal-Mart and below Target stores. Examples of stores catering to the social shopper include McCrory stores and H.L. Green stores.
Transitional Shoppers. Such shoppers are in the early stage of the life cycle, are price-sensitive, and are developing new lifestyles. They are upscale in education and career aspirations but still have limited income. Such shoppers are particularly attracted to outlets such as Target stores.
These categories describe consumer composites: real shoppers may possess
