Few tips to Impress Interviewers



Most people make up their mind about you in the first few minutes, so first impressions are all-important. If you can make people feel positive about you as soon as you enter the room, the whole interview will be a lot easier.

Create a good first impression instantly by:

-Making sure you look clean, smart and crease-free.

-Smiling, making eye contact and shaking hands with them.

-Using a clear and confident voice.

Ultimate purpose of the interview is to find out whether you're suitable for the job and if that job is right for you.

Check out the following tips to get you on the right track:

Seven Ways to Impress

-Be a good listener. Let your interviewer know that you're listening attentively by nodding, using facial expressions that make you look interested, leaning towards the interviewer, picking up on key words they've used and asking them to expand on subjects that genuinely interest you. But never interrupt your interviewer.

-Be honest. If you don't understand a question, ask for an explanation. If you’re faced with something you really can't deal with, be truthful about it . it's more impressive than pretending to have the answer to everything. Use get-out phrases like 'that's something I'd need time to think about' or 'that's outside my present experience' to give yourself a bit of a breather.

-Be consistent. Many interviewers ask the same things in different ways as a means of checking you out. Listen to yourself as well as to them. If you feel you've made a mistake, put things right by saying, 'going back to what I said earlier about...what I really meant was...'

-Avoid the temptation to talk too much. If there are awkward silences when you've finished saying what you want, don't fill them with nervous chatter. Some interviewers use silence to see how you'll react. Pass the lead back to them by pleasantly saying: 'Does that answer your question?' Also, stick to providing the answer requested - don't fill up the interviewer with information they don't need.

-Be aware of your body language. Stillness is reassuring and fidgeting is a distraction. Looking your interviewer in the eye is essential, but don't overdo it . A smile sets everyone at ease, but a constant grin is disturbing. Try to sit up straight. Leaning forward makes you appear attentive and enthusiastic - being slumped conveys boredom.


-Be positive. Even if your last job had pitfalls, if asked for your reasons for leaving, don't let a negative word pass your lips. Never say anything unfavourable about your colleagues, boss or job - it'll just make you look bad. Instead, say: 'I genuinely enjoyed my last job, but I'm eager to move onto a different challenge and use the skills I've gained'. Then, impress them even more by stating how those skills match the job you're after.


-If you're not asked about something that you feel is important, raise the subject yourself. This is your one chance to sell yourself, so don't waste the opportunity.

Source BBC

IC3 CERTIFICATION- Uplifting IT Professionals to an International standards

What is IC3 certification?

The Internet and Computing Core- Certification (IC3) is the certification of US based Certicorp company.It is the first globally accepted, standards-based, validated certification program for basic computing skills and is often the first certification individuals pursue to show competence in computer skills. Becoming IC3 certified demonstrates that you possess the knowledge required for basic use of computer hardware, software, and the Internet.

Current status

The certification said to have taken by14 lakh people over 114 countries .At present it is been offered as an online package at reliance webworlds(Reliance is the agency implementing IC3 in India) across India.In 2005 the entire IC3 module has been updated to include developments in such technology as

-Interactive books

-PDA and cell phones connecting to the internet

-Infrared ports

-Virtual storage -memory cards and memory sticks


What are the benefits of IC3?

-IC3 programme is designed to give a student basic and practical knowledge about computer hardware ,software ,networks and internet.

-IC³ is the ideal starting point for anyone interested in learning computer and Internet basics. The program gives individuals sufficient Internet and computing literacy skills to enter current job markets or begin higher education programs.

-Global, broad-based IC³ certification verifies candidates possess the accepted standard level of basic computer and Internet literacy and are more efficient and marketable Successful completion of IC³:

-Learn to Identify different type of software, the task for which each software is most suited, the popular programme in each software category.

-Provides core skills and knowledge necessary to use some computer applications and the Internet .

-Effectively tests computing knowledge and skills to ensure mastery is achieved .

-Gives a resume-building standard certification as proof of successful completion of the program .

-Provides the foundation necessary to further enhance productivity and marketability with other desktop application-specific certifications.

Suitable candidate for this programme ...

Prime candidates for IC³ are junior high school students, high school students,
GED students, continuing education students, employees who use technology on the
job, and anyone?young or old?who wants to gain a working knowledge of computers
and the Internet.

The curriculum

The IC3 training programme also offered as a 42 hour online training programme by Reliance

It is categorized mainly in to three sections

It involves computing fundementals,key applications and living online

First section deals with computer hardware and software

HARDWARE Includes....

Identification of different type of computers, Process information, and how individual computers fit in to large systems ,identification of computer hardware functions, components and common problems associated with individual components, identification of issues relating to computer performance and how is affected by different components of computer, identification of factors that go in to a decision on purchasing a computer, or selecting a computer for school, work or home


Student also learns.......

-to identify what an operating system is and how it works, how to be able to manipulate and control the windows desktop, files and disks, starting and exiting a windows application, how to use online resources, identification of onscreen elements, how to be able to change system setting and install a software.

-common editing skill using windows is also included which involves formatting text using automatic texting tool, adding graphics and table to a document ,and the basic 'spread sheet' is also an integral part of curriculum.

-the risk and benefits of computer networked computing,E mail fundamentals (often called as netiquette )

-to make use of internet effectively for searching information resources.



In kerala Centre for development of imaging technology is implementing this programme with an objective of uplifting IT professionals to an international standard in order to meet the demands.

Post ur comments ,feed back,suggestions to improve further.

Few Tips on ‘ Telephone interviews’………

Technologies have brought tremendous change in the process of recruitment for jobs at various levels. With the help of new advancement, technology, there is no more question of applying for a post and waiting for days, weeks. With the arrival of Internet, E- mail made a great change in the recruitment procedure.

Circumstances in which Telephone Interviews are necessary ..

The telephone system too carries a significant role in this process. In certain occasion, job seekers find some suitable vacancies and submit their curriculum vitae through Internet .As Interview is an essential tool, and it is impossible to arrange a venue for a large group of people who have responded to an advertisement. More over it is a hard task to arrange face-to-face interview, especially if the firm is situated in foreign countries. One method to overcome this difficulty is cost effective telephone interviews. Sometimes Private organizations conduct telephone interviews and it forms the first phase of screening a large number of candidates. Those who perform well in this section will be called for the face-to-face interview.

The preparation

There is a lot of similarity between telephone interview and face-to-face interview. Proficiency in your subject area, practical aspects of work, general knowledge, and language skills and over all approach for success have to be strengthened through long-term planning.
Your short-term preparation includes gathering information about the organization, what the job actually demands, and your responsibilities in that job are also studied carefully. In every response it sounds that your skills are matching to that job. Expect such kind of questions and prepare accordingly.

Disadvantages of the telephone interviews
You won’t have any idea about the reaction pattern of the interviewer.with respect to your answers. The other side of the phone faces similar situation.So you should be keen in hearing, tune your ears through out the interview.

Things to be kept.

1.A copy of the curriculum vitae. It has some advantage, when the Interviewer raise some doubts over your profile, you can very well clarify that. Never say anything that contradicts your CV.More over never say ‘One second, sir’and keep him waiting while you are searching for the paper.
2. A pen and a sheet of paper.
3. All your certificates
4.Current page of the calendar.
5.A list of your achievements.
6.Relevent details about the company.
7.A short list of questions that you would ask the interviewer.(A good question from your side indicate that how well you made the preperation.Don’t repeat the question once asked. It will create a bad impression.

Dos and Don’ts

1.All relevant details should be kept in an order. Don’t keep any assistant near you.
2.Don’t ask your parents or relatives to be near you to give an instant advice. It reveals-your lack of confidence.
3.If you are already an employed, you should be able to explain your current engagements without any hesitation
4.You should never try to speak from an office phone ,or a public telephone booth where several people in the queue would certainly put you under pressure ,thus you will be in a hurry .
5You should be in a place free from distraction. such as radio ,television, pets etc.
6.Your phone should be in a good working condition. It is better to go for a landline than a mobile because a mobile may cause disruption in between the conversation due to signal failure.
7.You must do adequate homework, regarding starting a conversation, sometimes you may be asked to start .Always remember that it should come in a natural way.

Fixing up an appointment for the interview. There are different ways

-The company informs you in advance, the time when you would be called up on your number. This is the best option because you can prepare adequately for the session. Confirm the number on which call is expected and the time of the call.Ensure that your phone is not engaged during that time.
-You call up the company and initiate an interview. This option unlikely to give you a job .it is better to send an application and follow it up.

Post ur comments, feed back, any more additions, and your queries.

SOFTWARE TESTING

What is 'Software Testing'?

Software testing is the process used to help identifythe correctness, completeness, security and quality of developed Computer software.It involves operation of a system or application under controlled conditions and evaluating the results (eg, 'if the user is in interface A of the application while using hardware B, and does C, then D should happen'). The controlled conditions should include both normal and abnormal conditions.Testing should intentionally attempt to make things go wrong to determine if things happen when they shouldn't or things don't happen when they should It is oriented to 'detection'.Organizations vary considerably in how they assign responsibility for QA (quality assurance ) and testing. Sometimes they're the combined responsibility of one group or individual. Also common are project teams that include a mix of testers and developers who work closely together, with overall quality assurance processes monitored by project managers. It will depend on what best fits an organization's size and business structure.

Does every software project need testers?

While all projects will benefit from testing, some projects may not require independent test staff to succeed.

Which projects may not need independent test staff?

The answer depends on the size and context of the project, the risks, the development methodology, the skill and experience of the developers, and other factors. For instance, if the project is a short-term, small, low risk project, with highly experienced programmers utilizing thorough unit testing or test-first development, then test engineers may not be required for the project to succeed. In some cases an IT organization may be too small or new to have atesting staff even if the situation calls for it. In these circumstances it maybe appropriate to instead use contractors or outsourcing, or adjust the project management and development approach (by switching to more senior developers ).Inexperienced managers sometimes gamble on the success of a project by skipping thorough testing or having programmers do post-development functional testing of their own work, a decidedly high risk game.

Why does software have bugs?

-Software complexity -The complexity of current software applicationscan be difficult to comprehend for anyone without experience in modern day software development. Multi-tiered applications, client-server and distributed applications,data communications, enormous relational databases, and sheer size of applications have all contributed to the exponential growth in software/system complexity.

- Programming errors - programmers, like anyone else, can make mistakes.

-Changing requirements (whether documented or undocumented) - the end-use may not understand the effects of changes, or may understand and request them anyway - redesign, rescheduling of engineers, effects on other projects, work already completed that may have to be redone or thrown out, hardware requirements that may be affected, etc. If there are many minor changes or any major changes, known and unknown dependencies among parts of the project are likely to interact and cause problems, and the complexity of coordinating changes may result in errors. Enthusiasm of engineering staff may be affected.In some fast-changing business environments, continuously modified requirements may be a fact of life. In this case, management must understand the resulting risks, and test engineers must adapt and plan for continuous extensive testing to keep the inevitable bugs from running out of control - see
'What can be done if requirements are changing continuously

-Time pressures - Scheduling of software projects is difficult at best, often requiring lot of guesswork. When deadlines loom and the tension arises mistakes will be made.

-Poorly documented code -It's tough to maintain and modify code that is badly written or poorly documented; the result is bugs. In many organizations management provides no incentive for programmers to document their code or write clear, understandable, maintainable code. In fact, it's usually the opposite: they get points mostly for quickly turning out code, and there's job security if nobody else can understand it ('if it was hard to write, it should be hard to read').

-Software development tools - visual tools, class libraries, compilers, scripting tools, etc. often introduce their own bugs or are poorly documented, resulting in added bugs.
What kinds of testing should be considered?

-Black box testing - not based on any knowledge of internal design or code.Tests are based on requirements and functionality.

-White box testing - based on knowledge of the internal logic of an application'scode. Tests are based on coverage of code statements, branches, paths,conditions.

-Unit testing - the most 'micro' scale of testing; to test particular functions or code modules. Typically done by the programmer and not by testers, as it requires detailed knowledge of the internal program design and code. Not always easily done unless the application has a well-designed architecture with tight code; may require developing test driver modules or test harnesses.

-Incremental integration testing - Continuous testing of an application as newfunctionality is added; requires that various aspects of an application's functionality be independent enough to work separately before all parts of the program are completed, or that test drivers be developed as needed; done by programmers or by testers.

-Integration testing - Testing of combined parts of an application to determine if they function together correctly. The 'parts' can be code modules, individual applications, client and server applications on a network, etc. This type of testing is especially relevant to client/server and distributed systems.

-Functional testing - Black-box type testing geared to functional requirements of an application; this type of testing should be done by testers. This doesn't mean that the programmers shouldn't check that their code works before releasing it (which of course applies to any stage of testing.)

-System testing - black-box type testing that is based on overall requirements specifications; covers all combined parts of a system.

-End-to-end testing - Similar to system testing; the 'macro' end of the test scale; involves testing of a complete application environment in a situation that mimics real-world use,such as interacting with a database,using network communications,or interacting with other hardware, applications, or systems if appropriate.

-Sanity testing or smoke testing - Typically an initial testing effort to determine if a new software version is performing well enough to accept it for a major testing effort. For example, if the new software is crashing systems every 5 minutes, bogging down systems to a crawl, or corrupting databases, the software may not be in a 'sane' enough condition to warrant further testing in its current state.

-Regression testing - re-testing after fixes or modifications of the software or its environment. It can be difficult to determine how much re-testing is needed,especially near the end of the development cycle. Automated testing tools can be especially useful for this type of testing.

-Acceptance testing- Final testing based on specifications of the end-user or customer, or based on use by end-users/customers over some limited period of time.

-Load testing - Testing an application under heavy loads, such as testing of a web site under a range of loads to determine at what point the system's response time degrades or fails.

-Stress testing - Term often used interchangeably with 'load' and 'performance' testing. Also used to describe such tests as system functional testing while under unusually heavy loads, heavy repetition of certain actions or inputs,input of large numerical values, large complex queries to a database system, etc.

-Performance testing - term often used interchangeably with 'stress' and 'load' testing. Ideally 'performance' testing (and any other 'type' of testing) is defined in requirements documentation or quality assurance or Test Plans.

-Usability testing - testing for 'user-friendliness'. Clearly this is subjective,and will depend on the targeted end-user or customer. User interviews, surveys,video recording of user sessions, and other techniques can be used. Programmers and testers are usually not appropriate as usability testers.

-Install/uninstall testing - testing of full, partial, or upgrade install/uninstall processes.

-Recovery testing - testing how well a system recovers from crashes, hardware failures, or other catastrophic problems.

-Fail over testing - typically used interchangeably with 'recovery testing'

-Security testing - testing how well the system protects against unauthorized internal or external access, willful damage, etc; may require sophisticated testing techniques.

-Compatibility testing - testing how well software performs in a particular hardware/software/operating system/network/etc. environment.

-Exploratory testing - often taken to mean a creative, informal software test that is not based on formal test plans or test cases; testers may be learning the software as they test it.

-Ad-hoc testing - similar to exploratory testing, but often taken to mean that the testers have significant understanding of the software before testing it.

-Context-driven testing - testing driven by an understanding of the environment, culture, and intended use of software. For example, the testing approach for life-critical medical equipment software would be completely different than that for a low-cost computer game.

-User acceptance testing - determining if software is satisfactory to an end-user or customer.

-Comparison testing - comparing software weaknesses and strengths to competing products.

-Alpha testing - testing of an application when development is nearing completion; minor design changes may still be made as a result of such testing.Typically done by end-users or others, not by programmers or testers.

-Beta testing - testing when development and testing are essentially completed and final bugs and problems need to be found before final release. Typically done by end-users or others, not by programmers or testers.

-Mutation testing - a method for determining if a set of test data or test cases is useful, by deliberately introducing various code changes ('bugs') and retesting with the original test data/cases to determine if the 'bugs' are detected. Proper implementation requires large computational resources.

What are 5 common problems in the software development process?

Poor requirements - if requirements are unclear, incomplete, too general, and not testable, there will be problems.

Unrealistic schedule - if too much work is crammed in too little time, problems are inevitable.

Inadequate testing - no one will know whether or not the program is any good until the customer complains or systems crash.

Featuritis - requests to pile on new features after development is underway; extremely common.

Miscommunication - if developers don't know what's needed or customer's have erroneous expectations, problems are guaranteed.

What are 5 common solutions to software development problems?

Solid requirements - clear, complete, detailed, cohesive, attainable, testable requirements that are agreed to by all players. Use prototypes to help nail down requirements. In 'agile'-type environments, continuous close coordination with customers/end-users is necessary.

Realistic schedules - allow adequate time for planning, design, testing, bug fixing, re-testing, changes, and documentation; personnel should be able to complete the project without burning out.

Adequate testing - start testing early on, re-test after fixes or changes, plan for adequate time for testing and bug-fixing. 'Early' testing ideally includes unit testing by developers and built-in testing and diagnostic capabilities.

Stick to initial requirements as much as possible - be prepared to defend against excessive changes and additions once development has begun, and be prepared to explain consequences. If changes are necessary, they should be adequately reflected in related schedule changes. If possible, work closely with customers/end-users to manage expectations. This will provide them a higher comfort level with their requirements decisions and minimize excessive changes later on.

Communication - require walkthroughs and inspections when appropriate; make extensive use of group communication tools - groupware, wiki's, bug-tracking tools and change management tools, intranet capabilities, etc.; insure that information/documentation is available and up-to-date - preferably electronic,not paper; promote teamwork and cooperation; use protoypes and/or continuous communication with end-users if possible to clarify expectations.

What is software 'quality'?
Quality software is reasonably bug-free, delivered on time and within budget, meets requirements and/or expectations, and is maintainable. However, quality is obviously a subjective term. It will depend on who the 'customer' is and their overall influence in the scheme of things. A wide-angle view of the 'customers' of a software development project might include end-users, customer acceptance testers, customer contract officers, customer management, the development organization's management/accountants/testers/salespeople, future software maintenance engineers, stockholders, magazine columnists, etc. Each type of 'customer' will have their own slant on 'quality' - the accounting department might define quality in terms of profits while an end-user might define quality as user-friendly and bug-free.

Certification

Many certification programs exist to support the professional aspirations of software testers. These include the CSQE program offered by the American Society for Quality, the CSTE/CSQA program offered by QAI, Quality Assuarance Institute, and the ISTQB certifications offered by ISTQB,International Software Testing Qualification Board. No certification currently offered actually requires the applicant to demonstrate the ability to test software. No certification is based on a widely accepted body of knowledge. This has led some to declare that the testing field is not ready for certification.


Few Helpful links on this topic
http://www.stickyminds.com/
http://www.satisfice.com/
http://www.testing.com/
http://software.wikicities.com/wiki/Main_Page
http://dmoz.org/Computers/Programming/Software_Testing/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_testing"
http://www.testmanagement.com/