Top Tips for delivering a successful presentation in an interview

Posted by admin | Business | Tuesday 6 March 2012 1:25 pm
presentation skills

presentation skills

A job interview is often the most nerve-wracking of events. No matter how well prepared or briefed we might feel beforehand, often the stress of having to impress an interview panel can lead to a very poor performance and, unfortunately, no success in being hired. There are some presentation skills and simple techniques interviewees can adopt to make the interview process a more seamless and professional one. 

Follow these 7 tips to delivering a successful presentation in an interview and put your career on the right track.

1. Be confident. 

An interview is an opportunity for you to sell yourself, your skills, your ability and your knowledge. It is essential to project your personality (without going over the top) and convince the panel of your competence.

2. Before you speak, take two deep breaths! 

This will calm you and allow you to concentrate fully on what you want to say. Speak clearly at a normal pace and if you feel you are speaking too quickly, slow down and relax by taking another deep breath. Presentation skills are about making what you say more important than how you say it but, you need your audience to understand you, too.

3. Be prepared. 

A prospective employer will want you to demonstrate that you have done your homework on their business. Provide examples that show you know exactly what kind of organisation you hope to join and what will be expected of you in the vacant role.

4. Pay attention to timing. 

Make your points in full but don’t labour points unnecessarily or you will risk losing the attention of your audience.

5. Imagine the interview as a conversation in a lift. 

It’s not as ludicrous an idea as you might think. Travelling from ground floor to 10th floor in a lift will only take 
a matter of minutes so consider those few minutes all the time you have to impart everything you want to say to your interviewers. It will help concentrate the mind and help you focus on the most important issues and information.

6. Be succinct in your presentation materials. 

If using, for example, PowerPoint, to illustrate a point or present data in graphical form, keep your slides as simple as possible. Content is king so keep the bells and whistles to a minimum – that will also reduce the chances of things going wrong.

7. Leave time for questions at the end of your presentation. 

You are demonstrating confidence in your subject matter but, also showing the panel common courtesy because they have listened to you and now, it’s your turn to listen to them.

Nerves will often get the better of many of us in a stressful situation such as a job interview but by using these 7 tips to focus your mind on what’s important, you are on your way to delivering a successful presentation and that new job. 

ERP and the Accounting Department

Posted by admin | Business | Friday 3 February 2012 11:32 am

ERP & The Accounts Department

ERP & The Accounts Department


ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) is especially useful for accounting departments. A well organised accounting department must have easy access to all the data it requires to run efficiently and cost-effectively. By streamlining the everyday tasks of an accounting department an ERP system can become an invaluable asset.

Accounting departments are, traditionally, very cluttered parts of a business. Different systems are being used to monitor outgoings and inbound transactions and yet more separate systems for employee data. Now, imagine payroll, purchase orders, accounts transactions, employee and client details all being available through one uniform system? This is what ERP along with manufacturing software can achieve.
Along with streamlining the systems within the accounting department, ERP can allow other parts of the business to use similar modules within the ERP system. This makes information from other departments easier to integrate with accounting department. This saves time that would normally be wasted transferring data from one system to another to compile reports.

All businesses know the importance of an efficient accounting department. They are the department that deals with company finances so saving them time saves your company money.
It is important to find the most suitable ERP system for your particular business. One of the first things to consider is the vendor’s reputation. Is your ERP supplier respected in the industry? Do they have a reputation for providing high quality systems? Will they offer support throughout your use of their ERP system? These are all questions that need to be considered before implementation. Installing an ERP is a major overhaul so it is essential that your business is comfortable with their ERP vendor.

It is also worth bearing in mind that ERP systems vary throughout the industry so an IT support network that can be properly trained in the operation and maintenance of your chosen system is essential. These operatives can work closely with the accounting department allowing them to get to grips with the system
Despite some big changes when an ERP system is introduced, the benefits far outweigh any teething problems. When all is said and done, ERP systems make running a business easier as well as more efficient.
After implementation and training, the increase in your accounting department’s efficiency will be plain to see. Transactions will be processed faster and with more accuracy and audits that used to require time and expense will be done in a few mouse clicks. Any company running more efficiently will ultimately be more successful.

Virtual Receptionists – A Boon for Modern Businesses

Posted by luqman | Information Technology | Monday 13 June 2011 7:53 pm

Virtual Receptionists

In today’s competitive environment, most businesses are carried out over the internet. This motivates companies to make optimum use of technology and improve client feedback and customer satisfaction, the crux of any successful business. Therefore, it would be stating the obvious to suggest that businesses that are unable to attain the desired levels of customer satisfaction struggle to compete against their counterparts. It is in this context that the relevance of a virtual office is brought to the fore.

The most common misconception about Virtual Receptionist is that it is simply an answering machine which automatically answers and forwards calls, and save them into the voicemail for busy people. In reality, virtual receptionist services are far more versatile.  Unlike an answering machine, a virtual receptionist functions even during power outages and provides a host of options including dial-by-name, extension calling, information procurement, fax to email, voice-to-email, etc. Finally, a virtual receptionist service does not quit.

Most companies, regardless of their size, have spent countless hours on incoming or outgoing calls which provides very little value to their business.  The solution to this problem comes in the form of virtual receptionist services, which empower firms to focus on their core businesses without affecting other areas.

These services are capable of addressing several requirements of their existing/new clients and ensuring good service quality. Also, call handling that fall under the ambit of virtual receptionist services don’t require a massive investments, yielding significant cost savings. Furthermore, it also obviates the need for making substantial developmental investments because providers of virtual receptionist services work within the company. Click here for more info or visit http://www.csnotepad.co.uk/.

Virtual receptionists are trained hard enough to meet industry standards. Your virtual office would not only receive calls, but also messages part from other associated services like appointment scheduling, live screening and customized greeting, among many others. Moreover, procuring a robust virtual receptionist service from a respected call center can promote your business by enhancing its goodwill.

Many virtual receptionist services these days operate on the cloud environment; which provides a competitive edge to their users.  They also don’t require any setup cost because the hosting is done on the cloud. A virtual receptionist empowers you to reach your employees, regardless of their location; in the office, at a party, or on the move.

To put it simply, virtual receptionist services allows your business to save three important things- time, money and energy.