Interview preparation tips, company research, job description review, self‑promotion, asking interview questions, authenticity, concise answers; IBM Q1 2018 earnings highlights, blockchain impact on Industry 4.0; meeting deadlines, confidence in interviews; leadership safety, consulting firm hiring, morning routines for leaders; modernizing IBM i with Node.js, AI and analytics in enterprises; Industry 4.0, robotics, 3D printing, future of work.
Be Prepared. Do your homework.
“There’s only one interview technique that matters… Do your homework so you can listen to the answers and react to them and ask follow-ups. Do your homework, prepare.” Jim Lehrer
It’s shocking, but most people fail to fully prepare for an interview. Can you imagine a professional athlete who neglects to prepare for a game, match or competition? It does not happen. Follow these six simple tips and outperform the competition.
- Research the company. Find out everything you can about the company, those with whom you will interview with as well as any other information you can find out. You should know, what markets they are in, who their competitors are, if they are private or public, etc…. Having insight about the company will allow you to ask smart questions.
- Review the Job Description. Keep in mind the job description does not always match what you will be responsible for but it should give you an overall picture of the role. It is also a great source of questions that will help generate an open discussion with the interview team.
- You must sell yourself. This is not a time to be bashful. It is important to show that you have helped your past employers either save or make money. Develop a list of examples you can use.
- Ask questions. Remember you are interviewing them just as much as they are interviewing you. Asking questions of the manager about his/her management style is important. It shows you that want to be in an environment that works for you. Ask about the challenges they are facing and what problems they are looking to solve.
- Be yourself. It is important never to overstate your qualifications or come off as someone you are not. They want to see your personality and learn about you and what you have accomplished. If you don’t know something, tell them. Don’t assume that if you can’t answer a question that it immediately disqualifies you for the job. Hiring managers look for honesty more than anything.
- Be straight and to the point. It is important to answer questions directly and support them with detailed examples. Be careful not to ramble or get off the topic. This is where the interview preparation worksheet will come in handy.
If you follow these six simple interview tips it will go a long way to help you perform well in an interview.
News
Transcript: IBM Q1 2018 Earnings call If you are interested in the financial side of things and how it relates to growth and direction, digging into IBM’s 2018 Q1Earnings transcript helps confirm the direction of not only IBM but the technology sector altogether. Some highlights: “Our systems revenue was up 4%, with very strong revenue growth again in IBM Z and our second consecutive quarter of growth in power.” Along with IBM sees itself as “a cognitive solutions and cloud platform company focused on the high-value areas of IT.” How will the growing reach of Blockchain impact Industry 4.0? I am fascinated by Blockchain. Whether you realize it or not Blockchain will be the basic underpinnings of technology solutions in the future. It will open the doors to innovation across all domain areas including, manufacturing, supply chain, transportation, finance, and retail.
Career
How to meet Deadlines Meeting deadlines is not always easy. Especially, when expectations are not agreed upon at the start. Here is a short article that explores “why deadlines matter, and we look at practical steps that you can take for meeting your own deadlines, and for supporting others to meet theirs.” How to project confidence in an interview Here are some good, and common sense tips to help you during the interview. However, the most important thing is to be fully prepared and engaged. If you are, all of the points made here will come naturally.
Leadership
Why Good Leaders Make You Feel Safe We have it all backward. We give people bonuses so we may gain. Shouldn’t we sacrifice ourselves so others may gain? Listen to this short TED Talk by Simon Sinek, it will change your perspective on leadership. Seven practical tips for hiring the right consulting firm We hear it all of the time. Software implementations of all kinds going wrong. It’s often because things are not structured properly. This article touches on smaller projects where you would need to engage an outside firm. It offers tips on how to set the initial expectations so everyone is on the same page. 10 Ways to Start your Morning like a Leader Regardless if you are a leading a project, a team or a member of a team. Starting your day on the right foot makes a big difference. Start with a workout because early morning exercise has proven benefits. To perform your best at work you might want to incorporate some of the tips from this article.
Modernization
Tesla Teases IBM i Software Vendor to do some coding “Profound is one of the leading myth busters of the misconception” when it comes to what you can do with legacy RPG code when you mix it with Node.js. We highlighted this in our article, Can Node.js and an IBM i talk to a Tesla. As IT Jungle points out in their article, Profound is on a mission to modernize the IBM i platform with Node.js. The Impact of AI and other Analytics in the Enterprise “This data visualization shows the potential business applications and economic value for a range of analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) techniques. It is based on a study of more than 400 use cases, covering 19 industries and nine business functions.”
Trends
Industry 4.0, Robots and 3D Printing are changing how Manufacturing is done “Industry 4.0 and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) are quickly altering how products are manufactured.” But, don’t let it scare you. People are front and center in how all this technology is implemented and used. This is similar to how we should look at the changes happening in the IBM i ecosystem. Embrace the change. The future of the platform depends on it. Robots and the future of work “There is a perception that technology has advanced so far and machines are learning so quickly that the concept of ‘human work’ itself is under threat.” But don’t believe it. The way we work is just changing, much like it has done throughout history as new technologies have been introduced. Those who welcome the change, win.
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