Saturday, January 19, 2008

Important Vocabulary - Letters B,C

These words have been selected from previous placement papers of different companies.

Vocabulary for letter B.
Baffle - Frustrate, perplex
Baleful – threatening, deadly, menacing
Balmy – mild, clement, pleasant, fragrant
  Usage: a balmy breeze refreshed us after the sultry blast .
Banal - Stale, Common place, Usual
Baneful - Destructive, Harmful, cause of ruin
  Usage: Lucy’s little brother was the bane of her existence
Behest - request

Belated - too late
Belief - conviction
Bilk - baffle, cheat, elude*seek, inquire
 Usage: Jim bilked his father in a property issue.
Boisterous - energetic, animated, violent, rough, noisy
 Usage: the unruly crowd became more boisterous when he tried to quiet them
Brackish - salty, briny
 Usage: he found that only wells in the area were brackish.
Brazen - bold, shameless, insolent
 Usage: her brazen contempt for authority angered the officials.

Vocabulary for letter C
Callow – inexperienced, immature, youthful
 Usage: he made fun of freshers as callow youths
Candid –frank, open,*guarded
 Usage: Jamie is basically candid
Caprice - whim (impulse)
 Usage: she was an unpredictable creature acting on caprice.
Cargo - freight (load)
Cavil – quibble, complain, niggled, split hairs, carp, make frivolous objections
 Usage: I dislike the way you cavil about unimportant things.
Celibacy - Chastity, State of not being married
 Usage: He was celibate throughout his life.
Chaste - Pure, Modest, virginal
 Usage: he was chaste in doing the work.
Chide - Scold
 Usage: the principal chided the student.
Choleric - Hot Tempered, Irritate
 Usage: his angry face indicated her choleric nature.
Churlish - Boorish, Cruel, Rude
 Usage: she dismayed her friends by her churlish manners at the party.
Circuitous - Indirect in action or language, round about
 Usage: He had a circuitous approach towards the problem.
Claustrophobia - fear
Cleft - split, crack
 Usage: mountaineer grasped the edge of a cleft.

Vocabulary for letter A is here.

To know the exact pronunciation of the words, you may consult Encarta Dictionary.

You may also add to this vocabulary in comments section below.


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Friday, January 18, 2008

Negative Factors During an Interview

1. Personal appearance which is less than professional.

2. Overbearing, overaggressive or egotistical behavior.

3. No positive purpose.

4. Lack of interest and enthusiasm -- passive and indifferent.


5. Lack of confidence and poise; nervousness.

6. Overemphasis on compensation.

7. Evasiveness; making excuses for unfavorable factors in work history.

8. Lack of tact, maturity and courtesy.

9. Condemnation of past employers, managers, projects or technologies.

10. Inability to maintain a conversation.

11. Lack of commitment to fill the position at hand.

12. Failure to ask questions about the position.

13. Persistent attitude of "What can you do for me?"

14. Lack of preparation for interview -- failure to get information about the company, resulting in inability to ask intelligent questions.


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How to Close the Interview?

The interviewer will signal to you when the interview is over. Usually, he or she will have asked you if you have any questions. (Figure about 10 minutes for this last part.)


  • If you are interested in the position, let the interviewer know. If you feel the position is attractive and you want it, be a good salesperson and say something like: "I'm very impressed with what I've seen here today; your company, its products and the people I've met. I am confident I could do an excellent job in the position you've described to me." The interviewer will be impressed with your enthusiasm.



  • Don't be too discouraged if no immediate commitment is made. The interviewer will probably want to communicate with other people in the company or possibly interview more candidates before making a decision.

  • If you get the impression that the interview is not going well and that you have already been rejected, don't let your discouragement show. Once in a while an interviewer who is genuinely interested in you may seem to discourage you as a way of testing your reaction.

  • Thank the interviewer for his or her time and consideration. If you have answered the two questions-- "Why are you interested in this position?" and "What can you offer?"-- you have done all you can.




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Important Interview Questions

Be Prepared for following questions. These are the questions mostly asked during interviews to assess your skills.


  • Tell me about yourself?

  • Tell me about your background, accomplishments?

  • What are your strengths? Weaknesses?




  • One thing you 'd like to change about yourself.

  • What interests you about our company?

  • How do you stay professionally current?

  • What outside activities are most significant to your personal development?


And be prepared to ask these type of questions from the interviewer.

  • What would I be expected to accomplish in this position?

  • What are the greatest challenges in this position?

  • How do you think I fit the position?


Remember a lack of questions may be mistaken as a lack of interest.

Not letting these kinds of subjects catch you off-guard is a key factor in maintaining your composure during an interview. Rehearse these questions and answers in your mind (or even out loud, if you can) days before the interview.


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Dos and Donts of an Interview


  • Do plan to arrive on time or a few minutes early. Late arrival for a job interview is never excusable.

  • If presented with an application, do fill it out neatly and completely. Don't rely on your application or resume to do the selling for you. Interviewers will want you to speak for yourself.




  • Do greet the interviewer by last name if you are sure of the pronunciation. If not, ask the employer to repeat it. Give the appearance of energy as you walk. Smile! Shake hands firmly. Be genuinely glad to meet the interviewer.

  • Do wait until you are offered a chair before sitting. Sit upright, look alert and interested at all times. Be a good listener as well as a good communicator.

  • Do look a prospective employer in the eye while speaking.

  • Do follow the interviewer's leads, but try to get the interviewer to describe the position and the duties to you early in the interview so that you can apply your background, skills and accomplishments to the position.

  • Do make sure that your good points come across to the interviewer in a factual, sincere manner. Stress achievements. For example: sales records, processes developed, savings achieved, systems installed, etc.

  • Do always conduct yourself as if you are determined to get the job you are discussing. Never close the door on opportunity.

  • Do show enthusiasm. If you are interested in the opportunity, enthusiastic feedback can enhance your chances of being further considered. If you are not interested, your responsiveness will still demonstrate your professionalism.

  • Don't answer with a simple "yes" or "no." Explain whenever possible. Describe those things about yourself which relate to the situation

  • Don't over-answer questions. And if the interviewer steers the conversation into politics or controversial issues, try to do more listening than speaking since this could be a sensitive situation.




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