If their senses tell them something is disagreeable, your chances of getting hired go down the pan!

Its also a known fact that height and happiness tend to go hand in hand, but did you know that tall people get better jobs than short people? Height gives the allusion of authority so it makes sense, if you’re lacking in height, to follow these tips to help you look taller.

First impressions are very strongly affected by how someone reacts to the way you are (your demeanour) and the largest part of that is what we call your ‘body language’. This article which I wrote a little while back explains why your body language is so important to the way someone reacts to YOU and hence whether they have good impressions about you. This reaction could be crucial to the outcome of your interview.

To help you guys along with looking good and feeling confident I’ve arranged a FREE copy of the 27 page e-book “SIX SIMPLE STEPS TO LOOKING GREAT” which you can open and download by clicking this link

Speaking Body Language

By Peter Fisher

Body language is an important part of every communication which, according to at least one study, accounts for around 55% of what we are communicating. (The other constituents from the same study are the ‘Way We Speak’ – 38% and the ‘Words We Use’ – 7%) so if you wish to communicate well, then it makes sense to understand how you can (and can’t) use your body to say what you mean.

You can also observe the effect on the people with whom we are communicating: With careful observation, emotions may be detected from non-verbal signs. Remember that these are only indicators and not absolute certainties. Contextual clues may also be used, in particular what is being said to the person or what else is happening around then.

When a person is bored, their whole body is telling you. So if you are trying to sell to them, or persuade them to your way of thinking, don’t bother (unless you are trying to bore them into submission).

A bored person looks anywhere but at the person who is talking to them. They find other things to do, from doodling on nearby paper to talking with others or staring at the ceiling. They are also likely to keep checking their watch or a wall clock.

If the person is not interested in their surroundings or what is going on, then they may become bored. The disinterest may also be feigned if they do not want you to see that they are interested. You need to watch for ‘leaking’ signs of readiness in these cases.

When your prospect is ready to consider your pitch, the body language may well be relaxed and open. The person seems to be unconcerned by the surroundings or even completely unaware of distractions. However there is also a distinct level of concentration, perhaps with pursed lips and an intense gaze. The chin may be resting in one or both palms.

A person who is evaluating may be starting to make an important decision. If they are considering buying from you, they may be close to the point of closure. Don’t force the pace at this stage allow them to reach their own point of readiness. Their body language will let you know when it arrives as they sit up and look more directly at you.

Peter Fisher, who wrote this ‘First Impressions’ article, is an expert Author and Publisher and the owner of this site. He coaches and writes for people undergoing change in their work and careers.

Also in this First Impressions section:

Dress for Success
Dress for Success and Get the First Impressions Right! This is all about looking right for the job you applied and the organization you applied to, plus being seen by the hiring manager as someone who will ‘fit in’.

Looking The Part
Looking the part is an essential aspect of winning a new job. There is a simple truth that says people tend to prefer others who are like themselves and if anything is very different, then they will unconsciously shy away from that person. So, if you want to get hired you need to do a little ‘impression management’.

First Impressions
First Impressions are formed when someone meets you for the first time, as at an initial interview. When you meet they will form their impression as they first see you, hear you and if their senses tell them something is disagreeable, your chances of getting hired go down the pan!

Body Language
The importance of body language is often mentioned, but doesn’t always get the attention it deserves; it is both the most basic, fundamental form of expression used by human beings to communicate with one another, and at the same time a part of a highly sophisticated and culturally specific system of coded signals, in which bodily and facial movement play at least as important a part as verbal utterance.

Interview Presentation Skills
This interview presentation skills article will help you work out how YOU can overcome your interview nerves. It’s not something to be ashamed about because everybody suffers from interview nerves, but you can do something about it, and don’t spoil the First Impressions!

Interview Body Language Tips
These interview body language tips have been created specifically to help you to interview success and go on to win more job offers. When you go to an interview, much more is going on than the interviewer asking questions and you answering them. The interviewer is looking and listening to try and work out if you are someone who will become a worthwhile addition to the organization – you should also be looking and listening to work out if the organization is right for you.

Self Confidence
Self Confidence inevitably takes a knock when you lose your job – whatever the reason.What I’m going to describe is my version of what I believe you are going through, how it affects you, how it may affect your family or loved ones and what you can do about regaining your self confidence.

Anxiety Treatment
The symptoms of an Anxiety Attack aren’t always easy to recognize. The attacks themselves can be confusing as well as producing an intense “undefined” fear, often accompanied by severe discomfort and one or more physical symptoms. You can easily find yourself asking, “am I having an anxiety attack or not?”

To add to this confusion, anxiety symptoms can appear very similar to symptoms of an actual physical health problem, such as…

Personal Attributes
Personal attributes are those qualities that make you who you are. Some of these attributes are innate and others may be something you’ve learned or gained from experience; more about this in my Career Changer’s Guide.

What is important about them is this…

Interview Dress Tips For Women
My Interview Dress Tips come from analyzing what works best when it comes to getting the right reaction from interviewers. You want to be remembered for the right reasons connected with your suitability for the job in question, so it is important to get the visual aspect correct as well as being able to answer the interview questions.

Interview Dress Tips For Men
These Dress Tips For Men are included because so many people have asked me what they should wear for interview. Because it is important to look the part and look right, its worth thinking about what to wear so that you feel confident in the interview.

To help your First Impressions along with looking good and feeling confident I’ve arranged a FREE copy of the 27 page e-book “SIX SIMPLE STEPS TO LOOKING GREAT” which you can open and download free!

Return to my main website: Your Career Change home page.

To pass the most crucial pre-employment test, namely getting past the first stage and being called for an interview, you must be sure that your cover letters are up to the job.

This article explains why and provides you with lots of cover letter examples that will do just that for you. I originally wrote this article for my main careers website at www.your-career-change.com

The free cover letter examples and free downloadable cover letter writing report on this page will get you started by showing you how to write your own cover letters that will bring more invitations to interviews, with winning results, meaning more job offers.

Please follow the blue links (which open in a new window) and you will find the most appropriate cover letter example to use for your particular needs at this point in your job hunting activities.

What you need is the right letter layout for your application that shows off not only your key strengths and relevant experience, but also demonstrates your interest in the job so that the prospective employer immediately feels the need to interview you! Take a look at this special cover letter for a very creative way of writing your letter.

Please note: You can freely copy any of these cover letter examples for your own personal use. You may not sell any of these examples or give them away.

Cover Letter Examples With Great Letter Layout – Click To View Them Now!

This is the whole set of cover letter examples I am including. The ones with links can be viewed immediately; the others you will be able to access just as soon as I have loaded them all.

1. A Simple Cover Letter From An Inexperienced Applicant For An Advertised Role

2. A Personal Friend-To-Friend Networking Letter

3. A Graduate Cover Letter Direct to an Employer

4. Recruitment Agency Cover Letter 2 Examples of Job Application Letters To A Recruitment Consultant

5. Target Letter to a Recruitment Consultancy Which Has Not Advertised But Is Likely To Have The Right Vacancies

6. An Email Cover Letter to Follow up After a Telephone Conversation With A Recruitment Consultant

7. The Best of them all! A Job Offer Acceptance Letter

8. Cover Letter (hard copy) in response to Web-site advertised vacancy

9. Cover Letter Example For A Managing Director Position Advertised By the Employer

10. A cover letter for a Finance Director writing to a firm of Financial Headhunters to express his interest in the advertised position of Group Finance Director which they are handling.

11. Marketing Cover Letter For Advertised Marketing Manager Role

12. Job Application Cover Letter for writing the best job cover letters. This one is for a senior HR job.

On the next page you’ll find more Free Cover Letters

Everyone Needs A Great Cover Letter

The “Amazing Cover Letter Creator” is the most unique cover letter / job search tool on the Internet today. It solves the frustrating problem many job seekers’ have when trying to write an effective resume cover letter.

No more “writer’s cramps” or headaches… job seekers love this new tool – you will too!

The “Amazing Cover Letter Creator” is a digital product that can be purchased anytime day or night. You can download it right to your own computer or use the online version from the membership page!

There’s nothing like it on the market and every job seeker can benefit.

Everyone who is looking for a job and sends out their CV or resume NEEDS a Cover Letter. It is not an option, you must use one – some recruiters and agencies will reject any job application without a cover letter. As a professional, you should have a well written cover letter, and you should send one with every CV or resume you submit. If you need a cover letter quickly, you will find lots of examples to copy in my Career Changer’s Guide, just click the book image in the right column to get all the details.

When you need a great cover letter quickly, you can read the cover letter examples I’ve provided on this page and the next page; you could download the cover letter writing guide as I explained or if you want a professionally written cover letter, customized for you and your specific job application you can get me to write one for you.

A Customized Cover Letter

You can get your own customized cover letter for any job application included FREE when you order my CV Writing Services or Resume Writing Services.

Learn why speculative letter writing may not be the best way for you to make your job applications and why the examples below will give you a great start to your letter writing.
You can easily avoid the disappointment and frustration of seeing your dream job slip through your fingers by getting the best job search and career change information you can.

On this website you can access all the tools you’ll ever need to grab yourself a massive advantage over your competition: the other people chasing the same job as you! Please be sure to read my Top 10 Cover Letter Tips and set yourself up for some great cover letters.

Click for your FREE 15 Page Cover Letter Writing Report – with my compliments!

Don’t forget to save it to your desktop… Click HERE!

Interview Skills For Job Search Success

What matters most is that your CV and cover letter work together to get you to an interview. Neither the CV nor your job cover letters can actually get you the job, that is down to how well you perform at interview.

Interview skills can be learned like most other skills – all you need is the right information to get you going and because it only takes one slip-up when the competition for new jobs is so fierce, you owe it to yourself to learn the interview winning techniques that are proven to work, just as they have for many people before you. The e-book I’m showing you here has been very effective in giving many of my clients both the answers they need, but also the confidence to go into an interview and WIN the job offer.

These Killer Interview Secrets can be downloaded to your PC and read off-line at your own pace, when convenient.

Everything is laid out for easy learning. The Killer Interview Strategies will make sure you ‘ace’ your next interview.

Work through the strategies which start with a handshake and include confidence building tactics.

Click the book image for more details.

I suggest that at the very least, you download the free report that explains everything about the e-book before you consider buying it. There is a lot of useful information in the report anyway, so please download it now.

P.S. If you prefer to write your own cover letters and CV yourself, then I recommend you get a copy of my ‘CV How To – Write Your Own CV – A CV Writing Tutorial’ with all the CV writing tips and information you need plus some great examples for just £9.99. You will also receive my ‘Exceptional Cover Letters’ pack with full cover letter writing instructions and 30 sample cover letters as a free bonus when you order. This way you can be sure of the best CV and cover letter results.

Article Source: www.your-career-change.com/Cover-letter-examples.html

]]> http://definition-of-leadership.com/tests/cover-letter-examples-pass-the-test/feed 1 http://definition-of-leadership.com/tests/how-to-pass-an-employment-interview http://definition-of-leadership.com/tests/how-to-pass-an-employment-interview#comments Tue, 29 Jun 2010 14:07:00 +0000 petereff http://definition-of-leadership.com/tests/?p=318 For a successful job interview you need to be aware that your interviewer will be observing you very carefully to try and discover more about you than the words you use when you answer questions. Your demeanor says a lot about you, so you need to develop positive body movements and habits that create the impression of someone who is confident and in control.

Humans naturally send and receive all sorts of nonverbal communication and by being more aware of this, you can influence the impression formed by the interviewer. At an interview, you want your body language to reinforce your words, as this makes you appear like genuine candidate. This article below will suggest some other ideas to help you have a successful job interview.

Advice on Having a Successful Job Interview
By Sam Wheeler

Getting hired can be one of the hardest things many of us ever have to do. It can seem like a beauty pageant, a foot race, and a final exam all in one and the prize is a job you will hopefully keep for the next twenty years or more. Beating out the competition for that position is what the job interview is all about and you can win with a few tips that will set you apart from the average interviewee.

1) Rehearse an interview with a friend or relative so you will be relaxed and feeling confident when you actually do an interview with an HR person.

2) Research the business so you know exactly what they do and what they may expect of you as an employee. Let the interviewer know you care about their organization and you want to be a part of it by having some knowledge regarding what their function is and what will be expected of you, their new employee.

3) Dress appropriately. Even if the job you’re applying for is blue collar you should wear “office attire” to make a good impression at an interview. Wear something simple and clean.

4) Be there early for that interview by at least ten or fifteen minutes. If you are late for the job interview they will think this shows you have no respect for them or the position you are applying for.

5) Be cool and confident even if you aren’t. Look him or her directly in the eye and don’t fidget with your hands. Relax and you will appear confident even if you aren’t. They expect a certain amount of nervousness but being shaky or looking down as you talk will only make you appear evasive or just plain dumb.

6) Talk with the interviewer but don’t hog the conversation. Making small talk initially will set the mood but then let the interviewer lead and you follow by answering questions in a confident tone of voice. Never “bad mouth” a previous employer.

7) Don’t wear lots perfume; they don’t want to smell your presence in their office the rest of the day. And keep jewelry to a minimum, this is a job interview not a night on the town.

Never chew gum at a job interview. But do make sure your breath is fresh, your teeth are brushed, and your smile is genuine.

9) Be positive, enthusiastic, and ready to meet new challenges that come with a new job. A positive attitude will show right through you.

In conclusion, treat your job interview as if it is a job in itself, and the compensation is long term employment. You are now a sales person and what you are selling is yourself! These interview tips should see you sailing through your interview. Well then, best of luck!

If you would really like to crack that next job interview, these Job interview tips should provide you just the right pointers to bag that dream job. Click here now to find great tips and pointers to excel in your interview.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sam_Wheeler

http://EzineArticles.com/?Advice-on-Having-a-Successful-Job-Interview&id=3506969

A good interview is a two way process, a conversation not an inquisition.

If you take the time to prepare you’ll have a successful job interview and probably have done more work than the interviewer; try to be as close as possible to your normal self. Do not be afraid of humour and listen carefully to what the other person is saying.

Just remember that the most common way for an interview to start is when the interviewer says: “Would you please tell me about yourself ” so that is the most important thing to prepare for a successful job interview.

Any interview should be a 2-way conversation, which means that you must both talk and listen.

Try to find some way to help the interviewer remember you as an individual who interacts with others – you could ask for her opinion on any of the topics you discuss. Listen closely to the the interview questions and be equally attentive to the answers you give.

If you’re unsure on any of the interview questions, don’t be afraid to ask for clarification, but don’t waste time. Be specific with your answers and relate each answer to the job you are seeking. It’s best to prepare answers to the common questions that you will almost certainly be asked Top 70 questions

The interviewer can’t read your mind, so prepare to make your own case. Think about how to present your skills as benefits and be ready with your answers to interview questions

In my experience some interviewers don’t allow enough time to prepare and you can turn this to your advantage – you can be better prepared than your interviewer

If you both fail to prepare, you’ve both wasted your time, so it becomes impossible to have a successful job interview. If you make sure you’re ready, it can be a terrific interview.

By Ralph Adedoyin

This guest article on how to prepare for pre-employment test will give you some really effective hints and tips to make sure you aptitude test results are good.

1. Study alone: you will concentrate better when you work by yourself. Keep a list of questions that you cannot answer and points that you are unsure of to talk over with a friend who is preparing for the same exam. Plan to exchange ideas at a joint review session just before the test.

2. Don’t be distracted: disturbances caused by the family and neighbor activities (telephone call, chatting, TV programs and so on) work to your disadvantage. Study in a quiet, private room.

3. Don’t try to learn too much in one study period. If your mind starts to wander, take a short break and then return to your work.

4. Review what you have learned. When you have studied something thoroughly, be sure to review it the next day so that the information will be firmly fixed on your mind.

5. Answer the entire question in past aptitude test questions, and don’t be satisfied merely with the correct answer to each question. Do additional research on the other choices that are given. You will broaden your background and be more adequately prepared for the actual exam. It is quite possible that a question on the exam that you are going to take may require you to be familiar with the other choices.

6. Tailor your study to the subject matter. Skim or scan. Don’t study everything in the same manner. Obviously, certain areas are more important than others.

7. Organize yourself. Make sure that your notes are in good order. Valuable time is unnecessarily consumed when you can’t find quickly what you are looking for.

8. Keep physical fitness. You cannot retain information well when you are uncomfortable, when you have headache, or when you are tensed. Physical health promotes mental efficiency.

9. Give special concentration to your areas of weakness; never look at answers until you have completed answering a series of question. Study answers explanations whenever they are supplied, this may give you extra insights, even into the question that you answered correctly.

10. On the evening before the exam, do something pleasant and go to bed early.

For latest Nigeria jobs vacancies search, fresh Graduate jobs posted daily, banking jobs search, career opportunities,
visit http://www.nairajobsforum.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ralph_Adedoyin http://EzineArticles.com/?How-To-Prepare-For-An-Pre-Employment-Aptitude-Test&id=4167918

This guest article on how to prepare for pre-employment test should have given you some really effective hints and tips to make sure you aptitude test results are good.

Question: What’s the easiest, cheapest and quickest way to have profitable, productive, and honest employees?

Answer: Hire profitable, productive, honest people! Unfortunately, managers often hire underachievers or losers. Fortunately, pre-employment tests give managers a simple-to-use, quick, customizable way to hire the best.

Only 1 Reason to Screen Applicants

The sole reason to assess applicants is to predict – or forecast – how an applicant will behave on-the-job BEFORE you hire the person. It proves crucial to prediction this before hiring an applicant, rather than finding out the expensive way after you put the person on your payroll.

The main methods used to predict if an applicant will succeed on-the-job are

1. Interviews

2. Reference Checks

3. Pre-employment Tests

Alarming Research

Large-scale research discovered most interviewers and reference checks make lousy predictions of actual on-the-job performance. Interviews and reference checks often are about as useful as flipping a coin!

On the bright side, pre-employment tests prove to be the best forecasters of actual on-the-job performance. Reason: Tests are developed with scientific research techniques so they objectively predict how an applicant will act on-the-job. In contrast, interviews and reference checks typically offer only subjective “guesstimates” of an applicant’s work potential.

3 Types of Tests

Traits required for job success boil down to A + B + C:

A = Abilities – mental abilities or brainpower to do the job

B = Behavior – interpersonal skills, personality and motivations needed to succeed

C = Character – work ethic, trustworthiness, and no substance abuse

As such, A + B + C = Success on-the-job. Importantly, you can use tests to predict an applicant’s Abilities, Behavior, and Character.

A = Abilities Tests

Did you ever hire someone and, later, horrifyingly discover the person had the IQ of tire pressure? That person did not have brainpower to (a) learn the job or (b) solve problems on-the-job. Abilities tests help you avoid hiring people who lack brainpower to learn and do the job. Five abilities tests tell you how well the applicant handles

1. Problem-Solving

2. Vocabulary

3. Arithmetic

4. Grammar, Spelling, & Word Use

5. Small Details

B = Behavior Tests

Each job requires crucial behaviors. For example, my research shows superstar sales reps often are money motivated, optimistic, and assertive. Many jobs require teamwork, friendliness, and customer service. To help you, behavior tests forecast applicants’

1. Interpersonal Skills

2. Personality

3. Motivations

For instance, a behavior test predicts three interpersonal skills: (a) friendliness, (b) assertiveness, and (c) teamwork. Five personality traits assessed include (a) energy level (b) optimism, (c) objectivity, (d) procedure-following, and (e) desire to focus on feelings or facts. Motivations uncover if an applicant strives to do a good job to (a) make lots of money, (b) provide customer service, (c) do creative work, (d) exert power or control, or (e) increase knowledge.

C = Character Tests

Did you ever hire someone who had a lousy work ethic? Stole from your company? Abused alcohol or drugs? That cost you loads of money and time! Character tests help managers avoid hiring problem employees. Such tests predict an applicant’s attitudes on work-related character:

1. Work Ethic

2. Trustworthiness

3. Substance Abuse

When you hire a “good apple” — and avoid hiring a “bad apple” – you make a big difference in productivity and profits.

Customize Tests You Use

It is highly recommended you customize abilities and behavior tests for each job in your company. Do this by conducting a benchmarking study.

Example: Let’s say you want to hire profitable, productive sales reps. Start by testing some of your current sales reps. Statistically pinpoint your superstar sales reps’ typical test scores. Then, when you test applicants, you quickly will see if the applicant scores similar to – or different than – your superstar sales reps.

You, of course, would prefer to hire applicants (1) whose test scores are similar to your superstars’ test scores – plus also (2) impress you in interviews and other assessments. However, you would avoid hiring an applicant whose test scores are much different than your superstars’ test scores.

6 Steps to Hire the Best

You can hire the best using pre-employment tests by following these steps:

Step 1: Find a skilled testing expert with strong professional credentials and expertise. Just as you only want a skilled surgeon to perform surgery on you, you only want a skilled testing professional to help you, usually someone with a Ph.D. in testing.

Step 2: List jobs for which your company will profit if you hire highly productive employees.

Step 3: With your testing expert’s help, find tests that are (a) job-related, (b) valid, (c) reliable, and (d) customizable for jobs listed in Step 2.

Step 4: Customize the tests with your testing expert’s guidance. Statistically uncover test scores of your superstar employees in each job listed in Step 2.

Step 5: Test applicants – and show preference for hiring applicants who score similar to your company’s most profitable, productive, superstar employees.

Step 6: Benefit from increasing profits and productivity when you hire the best.

© Copyright Michael Mercer, Ph.D.
Michael Mercer, Ph.D., is a testing expert, conference speaker, and founder of The Mercer Group, Inc. in Barrington, Illinois. Dr. Mercer developed the widely used “Abilities & Behavior Forecaster?” Tests. He authored five books, including “Hire the Best — & Avoid the Rest?.” You can subscribe to Dr. Mercer’s free E-Newsletter at www.mercersystems.com. You can contact him at (847) 382-0690

By Peter Fisher

Psychometric testing is increasingly seen as the best way to get a good corporate fit with new recruits.

Because recruitment is an expensive business it is extremely important to get it right first time and psychometric testing provides a useful aid for recruitment but should only be used as part of an overall process. Poor selection decisions can result in further recruitment costs, additional training and orientation costs, reduced profit, loss of competitive advantage, as well as damage to image and reputation.

As a candidate, taking a psychometric test now will forewarn you to what an employer or recruitment agency will learn about you when you take a psychometric test for them. Reading your own psychometric report is a big help when writing your CV or preparing for an interview. If an applicant goes into an interview fully aware of their own faults and prepared to defend them and present their strengths, then the applicant is at a great advantage.

In theory, physcometric tests would be used as a pre-interview measure, to highlight areas that the candidate should be quizzed on in interview. Having said that depending on the type of position you are seeking, some employers prefer to go through the interview process and use the psychometric testing to confirm their own impressions. The combination of competency based interview and objective assessment techniques (psychometric testing) is the best way of predicting an individual’s suitability for a job. Tried and tested human resources tools like interviewing the candidate and talking to people given as references are equally important.

While hard skills testing and interviews have long been a part of staffing firms’ value-add proposition, they alone are no longer enough to assure your customers that the candidate will fit in the position or the work environment. Psychometrics have a valuable role to play but should be used in conjunction with a competency and biographical interview and potentially other exercises (case studies, team exercises etc) that give a better insight to the candidate. They can even go so far as to offer trigger questions you can use in a follow-up interview – for example, someone may seem to be a very good networker but their attention to detail might appear to be lacking, which gives you an area to concentrate your interview questions on.

Psychometric testing is now a fundamental part of recruitment. The whole point of psychometric testing is that it presents a snapshot of your potential and while you can’t swot for it, having a handle on how they work can help you to improve your score.

Peter Fisher is an expert Author, Career Coach and Publisher of Tests: How To Pass where you can research Psychometric Tests any time you need.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Peter_Fisher
http://EzineArticles.com/?Psychometric-Testing-Shows-How-You-Will-Fit-In&id=610774

]]> http://definition-of-leadership.com/tests/psychometric-testing/feed 0 http://definition-of-leadership.com/tests/memory-loss-test http://definition-of-leadership.com/tests/memory-loss-test#comments Mon, 31 May 2010 10:47:43 +0000 petereff http://definition-of-leadership.com/tests/?p=298 Memory Loss Test: How To Prevent Memory Loss

What is it that is worrying you? Is it Age and Memory Loss?

* Are you losing your glasses? Your car keys?
* Do you forget the names of new colleagues as soon as you are introduced?
* Are you forgetting what you were looking for when you enter a room?
* Do you forget the names of people you should have remembered?
* Are you having trouble finding the word you want to use? It’s stuck on the tip of your tongue.
* Did you forget to take your supplements?
* Do you go to the store for milk, and buying everything but?
* Are you having trouble remembering appointments?
* Are you forgetting important birthdays and anniversaries?
* Are you unsure if you left the gas on?
* Do you sometimes forget to add the attachment before you sent an email?

So, what’s happening to you?

Is it the beginning of Alzheimer’s?

Are you losing your edge? Is it the end of your career?

The study released in Neurology journal shows that you are not alone: of the 500 people tested aged over fifty, 453 of them had occasional memory or thinking problems. What is disturbing and exciting is that this was linked to smaller brain volumes. It is disturbing because it reveals that occasional memory lapses and thinking problems may be the earliest indication of brain decay and shrinkage. It is exciting because new research shows that the brain can be trained to grow again – with the right training you can increase the physical size of your brain.

Beginning to forget things is not enough to diagnose Alzheimer’s and in most cases Alzheimer’s is not the cause.

Find out more: Memory Loss Test

As a leader, you do nothing more important than get results. But simply getting results can be easy.

What’s not easy is getting the right results … to the right degree … at the right time … for the right purpose … in the right ways.

It’s been my experience consulting with thousands of leaders worldwide during the past two decades that the vast majority of leaders get the wrong results — or the right results in the wrong ways.

Here’s a tool to help you get the right results. It’s called the SAMMER Test, and you can use it continually throughout your career.

The SAMMER Test is simply a way of testing the results you intend to achieve, or the results you actually achieve, to insure they are the right results.

SAMMER is an acronym. Results should be:

S – Sizable. Whatever results you are getting now, you can always get more. Not only can you get more; but as a leader, you MUST CONTINUALLY STRIVE TO GET MORE. Sizable is not an option. Sizable is a necessity.

A – Achievable. Many leaders impose unrealistic expectations on people and so lose their trust and confidence. People must be challenged to do what they don’t think they can do, but they must also be able, ultimately, to do it.

Here’s a tip for making achievable happen in the realm of sizable. Say to whom you are challenging: “I know you don’t think you can meet the challenge I set for you. But I know you can, and I’m going to support you in every way possible.”

M – Meaningful. Leaders who find little meaning in their jobs or the results associated with those jobs, shouldn’t be leaders, or they should change jobs and/or results. Most leaders understand this. But few leaders understand that meaning also involves the jobs of the people they are leading and the attitudes of those people toward those jobs and the results the jobs aim to achieve. These leaders stumble on what I call the Leader’s Fallacy.

The Fallacy operates when leaders believe that their beliefs are automatically reciprocated by the people’s beliefs.

The fact is, because leadership is challenging people to do what they would not otherwise do, leaders’ belief is seldom reciprocated. Automatic reciprocity is an illusion. If it happens, great. But for the most part, leaders have to work at making reciprocity happen.

M – Measurable. There is no value in business without measurements. Measurements link disparate things, organize activities, and help unify those activities. Apply precise, meaningful measurements to the results we want before we challenge others to get them. Without measurements, we can’t make consistent improvements. Make sure your measurement system conforms to four attributes, that they are RELIABLE, REPEATABLE, ACHIEVABLE, and CONTROLLABLE.

E – Ethical. As a leader, you not only have to get results, but you have to get the right results. Results only happen when people take action. To get the right results, they must take right action. Ethics help promote right action.

Ethics, then, are not traffic lights, they’re running gears. Ethics shouldn’t impede your getting results, they should help you get more results.

R – Repeatable. Evaluate your leadership and the leadership of others not only on the results you achieve and don’t achieve but on the results that you REPEATEDLY achieve.

When we talk about repeatability, we must deal with process. A process is a series of mental or physical steps leading to results.

Often, results are not as important as the processes you develop in getting the results.

Repeatability is promoted when you identify the steps that helped you get those results then apply those steps as a process to get more results in that area or get additional results in other areas.

In that way, you make repeatability a driving force of your leadership.

Just because you’re getting results doesn’t mean you’re being successful. Success hinges on getting the right results in the right ways. Whenever you must lead people to achieve results, apply the SAMMER Test to clarify, prioritize, and give direction to the actions that must be taken to achieve right results.

2005 © The Filson Leadership Group, Inc. All rights reserved.

The author of 23 books, Brent Filson’s recent books are, THE LEADERSHIP TALK: THE GREATEST LEADERSHIP TOOL and 101 WAYS TO GIVE GREAT LEADERSHIP TALKS. He is founder and president of The Filson Leadership Group, Inc. – and for more than 20 years has been helping leaders of top companies worldwide get audacious results. Sign up for his free leadership e-zine and get a free white paper: “49 Ways To Turn Action Into Results,” at http://www.actionleadership.com

Executive Search Online is a leading nationwide service for those who wish to be considered at large & small employers, growth firms and Fortune 1000 companies. Specialties include:

• Accounting / Administration
• Advertising / Public Relations
• Aerospace / Defense
• Arts & Entertainment
• Banking / Biomed / Biotech
• Consumer Products
• Education / Healthcare
• Engineering / Electronics
• Finance / Financial Services
• General Mgmt. / Top Mgmt.
• HR / Recruiting / Outplacement
• Insurance / All Legal
• IT / IS / Internet / Comp. Sci.
• Law Enforcement & Security
• Management Consulting
• Manufacturing – all operations
• Nonprofit / Operations
• Retail / Real Estate
• Restaurant / Food Service
• Sales / Marketing
• Sales @ Home
• Service Industries
• Sports / Fitness / Training
• Transportation / Logistics

Job seekers who qualify for senior-executive level searches should NOT mistake executive recruiters for career transition, or “outplacement” specialists. Executive search recruiters work for their client companies and do not actively place out-of-work individuals. As a job seeker you do not pay a recruiter when you land a job. The client company pays the recruiting firm when it fills a position. It is worthwhile contacting executive search firms if you qualify but because their relationship is with the hiring organization, do not expect them to make time to talk with you or see you. They are driven by their specific assignments for their clients: they find people for jobs, not jobs for people.

They may try to help candidates, but their priority is identifying the best candidate for a particular job and making the best match against the brief they have been given.

Qualified professionals with records of accomplishment are invited to register now for these executive openings

The test taking industry is going crazy. Have you always been miserable taking tests? Do you have a big test right now that is killing you? Are you having to retake a major test or take a test for your profession? Are you struggling in college with exams? Does your child or teenager have a big problem with test anxiety or need help to overcome test nerves? Well maybe you should think about using hypnosis! That’s right. That is exactly what I said.

I personally thought hypnosis was about clucking chickens and mind control, but therapeutically, turns out it is very valuable. I researched it in depth. And at first I was cautious about it. But as I learned that is was not against my religion, and I learned that I would remember everything that was going on, I started to really understand how valuable of a tool it actually was. When I was in hypnosis it felt like a mental and spiritual massage. I never imagined it felt so good and amazing! In reality, hypnosis helps you to feel exactly the way you want to feel toward ANYTHING. It increases your bodies ability to do anything at all. And not only that but there has been a lot of research on how it improves your memory.

And with test taking, that is a great combination.

It helps you to feel relaxed and confident about the test so you can actually study. It helps you to retain and absorb the information when you study. And it makes you not fall apart during a test. For more information you guys can check out this guys website. The program just started recently and it is already making big news. It is called the “Test Taking Cure”. And if you want to find out why he calls it “CURE”, then check it out. If you or your child is struggling with tests right now this hypnotist’s program could be the best thing that ever happened to you. This guy is REAL, not some “head in the clouds” psychologist.

Find out more about how to overcome test nerves with the Test Taking Cure