When are you next up for promotion?
LinkedIn released interesting data recently about the best months of the year to get a promotion. In the United States, the most popular months are January, June, and July. Since June and July are right around the corner, now's a good time to think about how to set yourself up for good news.
Of course, a promotion isn't automatic. You have to prove that you're a problem-solver who is ready to take on more responsibilities, and that you've worked hard to deserve that next step.
Here are a few areas to focus on that will help you climb the corporate ladder this year:
1. Build relationships.
Just like most job opportunities occur through referrals, your next promotion is likely to be influenced by how well your colleagues perceive you and your work. In addition to your smarts, problem-solving abilities, and an accomplished track record, your relationships within the company will help pave your way to the next level.
[See How Perfectionism Hurts Your Career.]
2. Demonstrate your value to the company.
In as much detail a possible, keep a record of how your efforts have helped the company. Take note of all of your accomplishments as they happen and quantify them. Show how you saved your company $100,000 or reduced spending by a certain percentage, and record these accomplishments regularly. If not, you risk forgetting them. These notes will not only help you build a better case for a promotion, they'll also set you up for a solid transition to a new company when it comes time to take that route.
3. Ask for it.
Don't sit around waiting for your manager to offer you new opportunities. Your career progression isn't his top priority; it's only your top priority. Make an effort to ask for more responsibility and show your company that you're ready and interested to learn new skills. And when you ask for what you want, be prepared with to make a strong case for yourself by showing your value to the company and having co-workers who support you.
[For more career advice, visit U.S. News Careers, or find us on Facebook or Twitter.]
4. Keep score online.
Use online tools to stay in front of your boss, mentors, and colleagues who will help you move along your career path. Experts at LinkedIn suggest one way of doing this is to document the milestones in your career by requesting quality recommendations. If a client praises you for your work on a specific project, ask if they feel comfortable writing you a recommendation on LinkedIn. Not only does it look good on your profile, but your network will be notified of your recent recommendation, which reminds them what a great job you're doing.
[ Lindsay Olson is a founding partner and public relations recruiter with Paradigm Staffing and Hoojobs, a niche job board for public relations, communications and social media jobs. She blogs at LindsayOlson.com, where she discusses recruiting and job search issues. ]
[ Lindsay Olson, On Friday 28 January 2011, 0:25 SGT ]
Monday, January 31, 2011
Seven things you should never do on Facebook
There are some things that you should never do on social networking site, Facebook. Ever. (AFP file photo)
1) Never settle for the default settings
The people behind Facebook are keen for you to share your details with the world. The more you share, the more people you connect to, the more people want to sign up. However, sharing everything with all and sundry isn’t a good idea. To check and opt out of the recommended settings, open your Facebook page, click on ‘Account’ in the top right of the screen and then ‘Privacy settings’.
The ‘Recommended settings’ mean that your status, photo, posts, bio, favourite quotation, family and relationship details are shared with everyone. Photos and videos you’re tagged in, religious and political views and birthdays are shared with Friends of friends. Permission to comment on your posts, places you check in to, and contact information are shared with Friends only.
Change all to Friends only, and you’re safe from the prying world.
2) Never agree to have yourself listed on search engines
Telling your Facebook mates what’s going on in your life is one thing, but letting any old Tom, Dick or Harriet see your Facebook page via a web search is another.We would recommend opting to never have your Facebook details shared with other search engines.
To make sure you aren’t go to your Facebook page, ‘Account’, ‘Privacy Settings’, ‘Apps and websites’, then ‘Public Search’. De-tick the ‘Enable Public Search’ button.
3) Never put your address and phone number on Facebook
Unless you want app developers knowing where you live and how to contact you we wouldn’t recommend putting any real details in to Facebook for the time being. That means no home address and no phone number.
4) Never let apps lie dormant
One for the advanced Facebook user: Never let an app continue to suck your information once you’ve done with it.Remember the days when you played Zombies or maybe Vampires? Well those apps are most likely still active on your account and sucking in your personal data. Scary, huh?
Nip over to your Facebook page, go to ‘Account’, ‘Privacy Setting’ and then ‘Apps, games and websites’, and remove the ones you don’t want.
5) Never let your mum see your tagged photos
You’ve had one too many drinks and been tagged for all your friends, colleagues and family to see you not looking too hot. Not good. To avoid this, go to your Facebook page, ‘Account’, ‘Privacy Settings’, and make sure Photos and videos you’re tagged in is set to Friends only.
Taking this to the next level, you can also block individual people on top of those groups of people. Go to ‘Customise settings’, ‘Photos and videos I’m tagged in’ and chose to edit settings. Here from the drop-down menu chose ‘customise’ again and then start listing the people you want to hide your photos from.
6) Never give out your date of birth
What’s one of the first security questions you are ever asked when you deal with your bank? What’s your date of birth? And yet here you are giving it away on your Facebook page for all to see. You should never let people see the year you were born.
Go to your Facebook page, ‘Profile’, then ‘Edit profile’. In the first pane (‘Basic information’) chose as to whether you want to ‘Show my full date of birth in my Profile’, ‘Show only day and month in my Profile’ or ‘Don’t show my birthday in my profile’. If you still want birthday wishes go for the second option.
7) Never broadcast that you’re going on holiday
Always be careful about what you say on your status updates and never give out any personal information that you don’t want getting into the wrong hands.
Burglars prey on stuff like the fact that you’ve gone on holiday and left the keys under the flowerpot near the front door and the combination to the safe is…
[ By Stuart Miles & Ewen Boey (Yahoo! News) – January 28th, 2011 ]
Cognizant and Indian IT’s Big 4: The ‘David’ is Fast Closing in
Stories abound about how Cognizant is closing the gap with its big 4 rivals, notably Wipro. Given that, we at BusinessViewsReviews.blogspot.com thought it apt to do a comparative analysis so as to get a better idea about how the David Cognizant is chasing the four Goliaths, TCS, Infosys, Wipro, and HCL Tech.
A look at the table clearly shows that Cognizant has performed stunningly well in the third quarter ending September 30, 2010 (Cognizant’s financial year ends on December 31st) as compared to its bigger rivals such as TCS and Infosys. And that Wipro is clearly in danger of losing out the third slot (in the Indian IT’s big league) to the Nasdaq-listed firm. Yet, it would be a little tough on Wipro to say that by the end of the 4th quarter result itself (Cognizant will declare it on February 7, 2011), the Bangalore-headquartered firm will slip to fourth rank. According to our rough estimates, Wipro’s IT Services revenues would total about $5.2bn (after assuming that it achieves the top end of its revenue guidance given for Q42011).
However, then there is no denying the fact that Wipro is staring at a defeat at the hands of Cognizant in a couple of quarters from hence. In other words, to say that the Teaneck-, New Jersey-headquartered firm is only a few quarters away is only confirming the obvious, given the break-neck pace at which Cognizant is growing. Our estimates show that if Cognizant manages to grow at 39-40% as per the guidance it has given for the FY10 and assuming the same pace of growth in its Q1FY11, on a sequential basis, Cognizant’s revenues will reach $6.37bn by March’11 quarter (its first quarter) while Wipro’s Q1FY12 (i.e., first quarter of the FY12) will grow to $5.75bn (assuming it manages to grow at a much higher rate of 10%, sequentially).
Indian IT's 'Big 5': Cognizant Closing the Gap | |||||
Quarterly Performances: A Comparative Picture | |||||
(All figures in $ Millions, except otherwise stated) | |||||
Company | TCS | Infosys | Wipro* | HCL Tech** | Cognizant |
Quarter | Q3'11 | Q3'11 | Q3'11 | Q2'11 | Q3**** |
Revenues | 2144 | 1585 | 1343.8 | 864.1 | 1216.9 |
Q0Q (Growth) | 7 | 6 | 5.6 | 7.5 | 10.1 |
YoY (Growth) | 31 | 28.7 | 19.3 | 32.6 | 42.6 |
Net Profit | 517 | 397 | 296 | 89 | 203.7 |
Q0Q (Growth) | 13.62 | 6.1 | 2.1 | 39.2 | 18.29 |
YoY (Growth) | 34.63 | 18.9 | 10 | 23.7 | 49.12 |
EPS ($) | 0.26 | 0.69 | 0.12 | 0.51 | 0.66 |
OPM % | 28 | 30.22 | 22.2 | 13.1 | 18.8 |
Note: | |||||
*Contains only IT Services Revenues | |||||
**Q2FY11 | |||||
Q3**** Ending September 2010 | |||||
But we would urge the readers not to read too much into the comparisons as these are just estimates and real performances might differ from the assumptions made in this story. Also, don’t rule out a smart come back by Wipro, post-the recent reshuffle at the top.
Amy,
Chief Editor,
www.businessviewsreviews.blogspot.com
You can contact the author by Twitter or Mail at: businessbanter@gmail.com
Smart Phones O/S: Google’s Android topples Symbian
According to leading market intelligence firm, Canalys, Google’s Android has dethroned Nokia’s Symbian to emerge as the world’s leading operating system (O/S) for smart phones.
However, the report highlights that Nokia retained its global market leadership of the smart phone market with a share of 28%. During the Q4, worldwide smart phone market continued to surge, clocking a robust growth rate of 89% y-o-y with shipments of 101.2 million units while for the CY2010, the worldwide shipments grew at 80% to just below 300 million units. The Android’s robust run was led by “strong performances from a number of vendors, notably LG, Samsung, Acer and HTC, whose volumes across these platforms grew 4,127%, 1,474%, 709% and 371% respectively year-on-year,” Canalys said in its report. “HTC and Samsung together accounted for nearly 45% of Google OS-based handset shipments,” it further added.
“2010 has been a fantastic year for the smart phone market. After a difficult 2009, the speed with which the market has recovered has required real commitment and innovation from vendors and they have risen to the challenge,” said Canalys VP and Principal Analyst Chris Jones. However, he cautioned, “vendors cannot afford to be complacent. 2011 is set to be a highly competitive year with vendors looking to use new technology, such as dual-core processors, NFC and 3D displays, to differentiate their products and maintain value.”
Please visit http://www.canalys.com/ for more info.
Collecting cheques before project launch (A signal of interest, NOT a signal of purchase)
You might have read about this time and again in the papers - that when a new project is about to launch, agents marketing the property 'leak' the news that they have been collecting cheques from many buyers eager to get their hands on the property before anyone else does. The project then looks like it's in great demand.
While that's true to some extent, seasoned property punters will tell you to take that with a pinch of salt.
What's really going on then?
Some of our less savvy friends assume that these cheques mean that units are already being purchased. That isn't the case at all simply because prices for the development are seldom released so far in advance.
What these collected cheques are for is the option fee, which is made out to the developer, usually signed by the potential buyer and left blank. When a unit is chosen and price decided upon, the agent simply fills out the option amount and the unit is booked. If the buyer decides not to buy, the cheque is returned or torn up.
This practice of "collecting cheques" has been going on for years. For the developer, it's a means of gauging how popular their project is. For the buyer, there is a chance to be the first in line for the unit of their choice (though there is no guarantee).
For the marketing agent, it's a brilliant marketing tactic. Firstly, it gives the illusion that the project is in great demand. Secondly, it sends would-be buyers into a kiasu frenzy with a "buy now or others will take it" message. (I've had agents show off signed blank cheques to me.)
This thing is, this "cheque collection" tactic can be manipulated in a variety of ways. It could be an outright fabrication - since there is no way to verify the data other than what "sources" say - though we don't think that is the case.(And please, we aren't accusing anyone of doing so, so keep your lawyers at bay.)
The next and more often used strategy is the "Send cheque for VIP preview" method. Basically, if one needs to view the showflat before the public does, all one has to do is to write that cheque, send it to the agent and voila! - special VIP access.
So dear readers, do take reports of cheque collection with a very big pinch of salt. When a lot of cheques are collected, it means there is a lot of interest in that project. Let's be clear, cheque collection is a signal of interest, not a signal of purchase.
[ this article is extracted from H88.com ]
While that's true to some extent, seasoned property punters will tell you to take that with a pinch of salt.
What's really going on then?
Some of our less savvy friends assume that these cheques mean that units are already being purchased. That isn't the case at all simply because prices for the development are seldom released so far in advance.
What these collected cheques are for is the option fee, which is made out to the developer, usually signed by the potential buyer and left blank. When a unit is chosen and price decided upon, the agent simply fills out the option amount and the unit is booked. If the buyer decides not to buy, the cheque is returned or torn up.
This practice of "collecting cheques" has been going on for years. For the developer, it's a means of gauging how popular their project is. For the buyer, there is a chance to be the first in line for the unit of their choice (though there is no guarantee).
For the marketing agent, it's a brilliant marketing tactic. Firstly, it gives the illusion that the project is in great demand. Secondly, it sends would-be buyers into a kiasu frenzy with a "buy now or others will take it" message. (I've had agents show off signed blank cheques to me.)
This thing is, this "cheque collection" tactic can be manipulated in a variety of ways. It could be an outright fabrication - since there is no way to verify the data other than what "sources" say - though we don't think that is the case.(And please, we aren't accusing anyone of doing so, so keep your lawyers at bay.)
The next and more often used strategy is the "Send cheque for VIP preview" method. Basically, if one needs to view the showflat before the public does, all one has to do is to write that cheque, send it to the agent and voila! - special VIP access.
So dear readers, do take reports of cheque collection with a very big pinch of salt. When a lot of cheques are collected, it means there is a lot of interest in that project. Let's be clear, cheque collection is a signal of interest, not a signal of purchase.
[ this article is extracted from H88.com ]
Resale or New Condo... Which is Better?
Which makes a better property investment - resale condos or brand new condos? Hear from the experts. Find out!
This article is taken from an upcoming book called 'Secrets of Singapore Property Gurus' by property blog Propwise.sg, a great resource for those looking to invest in Singapore property.
Based on the research my company has done, we found that buyers will have a higher chance of getting value-for-money deals by buying resale properties. If you think about it, it is actually quite intuitive. After all, developers are in the business of selling properties for profits. With many of them having ample financial reserves, how cheaply do you think they will sell their new units for?
Resale properties on the other hand are bought from other owners, who can be selling for a variety of reasons. While some of the homeowners may be savvy investors, there will definitely be others who need to dispose their property urgently and are prepared to sell their unit at a discount.
I have personally come across numerous value-for-money deals. Let me share one such deal that my company helped a client secure. In late 2009, I was helping a client find an investment property. As he did not want to over-stretch himself, the investment budget was set at $700,000. After several weeks of searching, we eventually found a suitable unit that was going for $650,000. Based on my company’s research, we knew that it was a good deal as the asking price of similar sized units in the same development was about $100,000 more than the asking price for that unit. In addition, we found out that the seller was parting with his property for a loss of more the $50,000. All these were indications of a value-for-money unit and we were confident that my client would have easily made a tidy profit had he decided to flip the unit.
We later found out that the owners were willing to let the unit go at a discount because they were going through a divorce and wanted to quickly divide the assets. From this experience, it reaffirmed my belief that there are plenty of good resale deals. It is just a matter of how diligent we are in our search to find them.
That said, I am not implying that buyers should totally avoid new sales as there are advantages to buying properties direct from developers. Firstly, when someone buys a property directly from developers, they will be entitled to a one year Defects Liability Period (DLP) that starts when the development receives its Temporary Occupancy Permit (TOP). During the DLP, any defects found will be rectified by the developer. Resale units do not have such liability periods and buyers will have to rectify any defects at their own expense.
Another advantage in new sale purchases is that buyers generally are able to choose the unit they want. However this is dependent on how buoyant the property market is at that point in time. Nonetheless, under normal market conditions, buyers are able to select the units they desire.
Lastly, payment schemes for new and resale purchases are different. New sale buyers can opt for a progressive payment method, while resale buyers will have to start serving their mortgage based on the full loan amount after the sale is completed. While there are pros and cons for new and resale properties, I feel that resale properties will be a better bet for those who are looking for value-for-money deals.
[ This article is extracted from an interview with Getty Goh, Director of Ascendant Assets, part of the upcoming book Secrets of Singapore Property Gurus by Singapore property blog www.Propwise.sg. ]
This article is taken from an upcoming book called 'Secrets of Singapore Property Gurus' by property blog Propwise.sg, a great resource for those looking to invest in Singapore property.
Based on the research my company has done, we found that buyers will have a higher chance of getting value-for-money deals by buying resale properties. If you think about it, it is actually quite intuitive. After all, developers are in the business of selling properties for profits. With many of them having ample financial reserves, how cheaply do you think they will sell their new units for?
Resale properties on the other hand are bought from other owners, who can be selling for a variety of reasons. While some of the homeowners may be savvy investors, there will definitely be others who need to dispose their property urgently and are prepared to sell their unit at a discount.
I have personally come across numerous value-for-money deals. Let me share one such deal that my company helped a client secure. In late 2009, I was helping a client find an investment property. As he did not want to over-stretch himself, the investment budget was set at $700,000. After several weeks of searching, we eventually found a suitable unit that was going for $650,000. Based on my company’s research, we knew that it was a good deal as the asking price of similar sized units in the same development was about $100,000 more than the asking price for that unit. In addition, we found out that the seller was parting with his property for a loss of more the $50,000. All these were indications of a value-for-money unit and we were confident that my client would have easily made a tidy profit had he decided to flip the unit.
We later found out that the owners were willing to let the unit go at a discount because they were going through a divorce and wanted to quickly divide the assets. From this experience, it reaffirmed my belief that there are plenty of good resale deals. It is just a matter of how diligent we are in our search to find them.
That said, I am not implying that buyers should totally avoid new sales as there are advantages to buying properties direct from developers. Firstly, when someone buys a property directly from developers, they will be entitled to a one year Defects Liability Period (DLP) that starts when the development receives its Temporary Occupancy Permit (TOP). During the DLP, any defects found will be rectified by the developer. Resale units do not have such liability periods and buyers will have to rectify any defects at their own expense.
Another advantage in new sale purchases is that buyers generally are able to choose the unit they want. However this is dependent on how buoyant the property market is at that point in time. Nonetheless, under normal market conditions, buyers are able to select the units they desire.
Lastly, payment schemes for new and resale purchases are different. New sale buyers can opt for a progressive payment method, while resale buyers will have to start serving their mortgage based on the full loan amount after the sale is completed. While there are pros and cons for new and resale properties, I feel that resale properties will be a better bet for those who are looking for value-for-money deals.
[ This article is extracted from an interview with Getty Goh, Director of Ascendant Assets, part of the upcoming book Secrets of Singapore Property Gurus by Singapore property blog www.Propwise.sg. ]
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Homes affected by the North South Expressway
Plans for the northern part of the North South Expressway (NSE) has been approved, according to the LTA. This expressway, which is planned to ease the congested CTE, will be constructed in the somewhere in the near future and should be completed by 2020. The big question is, who will be affected?
In short, if you are living along these roads - Toa Payoh Rise, Marymount Road, Ang Mo Kio Ave 6, Lentor Avenue, Sembawang Road, Gambas Avenue and Woodlands Ave 8 - you will either get your view blocked, lose some land to the government (at market price?), have to dust your home more often than usual, or maybe even have to move out (worst case scenario?).
The approved north section of North South Expressway is broken into different sections. Here is roughly what we know:
- Tunnel that goes along Marymount Road starting from Toa Payoh Rise to Jalan Pemimpin
- Semi-Tunnel / Sunken Tunnel that continues on Marymount Road from Jalan Pemimpin to Sin Ming Avenue / Ang Mo Kio Ave 1
- Tunnel along Marymount Road/Ang Mo Kio Ave 6 starting from Ang Mo Kio Ave 1 to Ang Mo Kio Ave 5 / Ave 8
- Semi-Tunnel / Sunken Tunnel along Ang Mo Kio Ave 6 beginning from Ang Mo Kio Ave 5/8 to the Lentor Avenue / Yio Chu Kang Road junction
- Surface roads along Lentor Avenue from the Yio Chu Kang junction to where Lentor meets SLE
- From SLE onwards, a viaduct all the way along Sembawang Road, Gambas Ave and ends at Woodlands Ave 8
So who are the poor folks affected? We have yet to confirm this but this is from what we hear:
- Bye bye to Orange Valley Nursing Home
- Bits of Shunfu Estate (Shunfu Gardens and Shunfu Ville) along Marymount Road will see more years of construction after years of Circle Line construction.
- Bye bye to Marymount Terrace (just when they thought they could benefit from the Marymount MRT!)
- Homes along the viaducts and surface roads will suffer most - Bullion Park, Castle Green, the landed homes facing Lentor Avenue, Euphony Gardens, Chong Pang City, Chong Pang Garden, Seletaris, North Oaks, Woodlands Meadow (BTO).
- These condos will get bits of their land taken - Seletaris, Nuovo, Bullion Park.
- Along with these private properties, industrial estates owned by JTC and HDB in Sin Ming and Woodlands will also be acquired.
An amazing approximate overlay of the NSE
(made by y2koh from Skyscrapercity - Transport/Infrastructure Discussion)
Note, this is only approximate. Blue = tunnel, dotted blue = semi-tunnel, orange = surface road, yellow = viaduct.
Will prices of property increase? Hard to say. It's not like it's the MRT. New expressways should benefit the industrial buildings more than homes we reckon.
We eagerly await plans for the southern part of the NSE. Wonder who will face the dreaded 'acquisition' letter from the Govt.
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