10 Best Work-From-Home Job Opportunities

"Make Thousands of Dollars Working from Home!" sounds like a scam and most of the time, it is. But, the great news is, remote work options are available and they are on the rise.

Whether you want to work at your house in your pajamas, from your local coffee shop, or while traveling the world, the following companies can help you achieve your Work-From-Home desires.

• Apple – Tech giant Apple has At Home Advisor position that allows employees to work remotely as customer support agents. The role is to translate technology into a language customers can understand. The position offers benefits such as employee discounts, the opportunity to grow with Apple, and a free iMac to use while working from home. The job is also a great gig for college students, who can schedule their work around classes.
• Xerox - Xerox has an extensive WFH program of over 8,000 home-based employees, which is known as the Virtual Workforce Program. Home-based employees are involved in a variety of functions, including customer care, tech support, quality control, software development, and much more. 
• Dell - Although Dell is headquartered in Round Rock, Texas, the company offers employee work options that include flextime, remote work, job sharing, part-time work, and compressed workweeks. Current openings for flexible jobs at Dell include senior-adviser, engineer, and executive positions.
• Toptal - Toptal is a talent network that connects the top 3 percent of software developers with remote work. But the coolest part is that Toptal's internal team of engineers is completely distributed as well. Toptal has no offices whatsoever. Everyone at the company -- from the CEO down to new hires - works remotely. 
• Loot – Loot offers a WFH position where you complete different actions for yourfavorite brands, such as taking pictures or sharing content on Facebook and Twitter. The more you work, the more you’ll get paid. This is more of a gigtype of job. You have to download the company app to apply.
• Freelancer.com – It is a website where you can sign up and get paid for your skills. It has thousands of open jobs where you as a freelancer can work from home in your pajamas. Although most positions are not salaried, there are many jobs that offer near full-time work with flexible hours. This is more of a freelancer type of job where many projects are done on spec.
• Humana - Humana has received numerous workplace awards including the Computerworld 100 Best Places to Work in IT, the Best Employer for Healthy Lifestyles award from the National Business Group, and a ranking of 58 on the Fortune 500 list.
• ADP – It is one of the world's largest providers of business-outsourcing and human-capital management solutions. The company offers a number of full-time, flex, or at-home positions, as well as onsite part-time work.
• Amazon – Amazon offers many virtual positions for potential employees living in certain areas, which allows employees to work from home with just a high-speed internet connection, a working landline, and a PC. Unfortunately, for now, VCC positions are available only in Arizona, Kentucky, Texas, West Virginia, Delaware, Minnesota, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, North Carolina, Tennessee, Wisconsin, and Virginia.
• TeleTech - TeleTech offers many career paths for telecommuters with a flexible work environment. The program, called TeleTech@Home, has positions for employees who support and assist customers with a variety of service and technical needs, as well as those who carry out back-office functions including chat and social media.

Interesting Technology Facts

• The first computer mouse was invented by Doug Engelbart in around 1964 and was made of wood.
• Alaska is the only state that can be typed on one row of keys on a “QUERTY” keyboard.
• HP, Google, Microsoft and Apple have one thing in common apart from the obvious that they are IT companies. They were all started in garages.
• Hewlett Packard was started in a garage in Palo Alto in 1939.
• Facebook pays at least $500 if you can find a way to hack the site.
• The Google driverless car has encountered only two accidents. The first it was rear ended at a stop sign, and the second was when a human was behind the wheel.
• The first online advertisement banner was created and used in the year of 1994.
• CD’s, or Compact discs read from the inside to the outside edge, which is the reverse of how records work.
• The word robot comes from the Czech “robota“. This translates into forced labour, or work.
• Skype is banned from the public in China.
• 86% of people try to plug their USB devices upside down.
• 160 billion emails are sent daily, 97% of which are spam.
• 9 out of every 1,000 computers are infected with spam.
• U.S. President Bill Clinton's inauguration in January 1997 was the first to be webcast.
• There are 6.8 billion people on the planet and 4 billion of them use a mobile phone. Only 3.5 billion of them use a toothbrush.
• Two hundred and twenty million tons of old computers and other technology devices are trashed in the United States each year.
• Ninety percent of text messages are read within three minutes of being delivred.
• The average 21 year old has spent 5,000 hours playing video games, sent 250,000 emails, instant messages, and text messages, and has spent 10,000 hours on a mobile phone alone.

8 Signs That It's Time To Make a Career Change

People change careers several times during their lifetime. The main reason is that they don’t make informed decisions about the careers they choose. They do not take into account their own interests, values, personality types while selecting career path. Because of these reasons, you may find yourself wondering whether you should be doing something different. Here are some valid reasons to leave your current career for a new one:

• Loss of purpose and passion – If your career has no meaning, you are no longer excited about it or you have grown tired of getting up in the morning to compete for something you don’t believe in anymore – it’s time to move on. The financial incentives are not enough, when the chance to find real personal significance and happiness is missing. 
• Talent potential is not valued - When your talent is not valued, it’s difficult to stay motivated. When your boss doesn’t trust your potential and will not sponsor your career advancement, it’s extremely hard to remain loyal. You must value your talent potential more than anyone else.   Never allow your talent to be taken for granted.  If it is, it may be time to move on.
• Professional growth is stunted - If you are unable to challenge yourself to grow and mature, then how can your employer help you? If you think your employer is not investing in your professional development, you must move on. If you don’t stretch yourself to do more or remain in your comfort zone for too long, you will have to pay the price later. Your resume should reflect enough success stories to merit advancement in your career.
• Workplace culture is not trustworthy - A hostile work environment that operates in silos - where the executives are not transparent - is difficult to trust.  This type of workplace culture becomes corrupted and begins to impact your performance and ability to advance. When you are part of an organization that is full of leadership and workplace problems, it’s time to consider a career change.
• Not sufficiently awarded - It’s easy to become contented in your career, but in today’s fiercely competitive and dynamic marketplace, you must be your own manager and continually be accountable to keep a “reward scorecard.”   Rewards are qualitative and quantitative measurements. If you are not being rewarded for your work - based on industry standards (or better), it’s time to consider a career change.
• You make excuse for a day off - Do you make excuses to call in sick or let go opportunities to take lead? It may be time to assess your current career. If your sense of satisfaction fades away, you aren’t worried your performance review didn’t go well, or you spend more time on surfing internet than concentrating on business, it might be time to move on.
• Your life has changed - When you chose your career your life may have been different than it is today. For example you may have been single then and now you have a family. The crazy schedule or the frequent travel that is typical of your career may not suit your new lifestyle. You should look for an occupation that is more "family friendly."
• Your job is too stressful - Some occupations are inherently stressful. You knew that from the beginning about yours. You've come to a point, though, when it's become too much to handle. To preserve your mental and physical health, you will have to find a career that is less stressful.

If you want to make a career change, talk to the career counsellor for guidance and making a right move. Think about roles or jobs where you can use the knowledge and skills you already possess. If you are convinced that you want to make a career change, then take a dive! There is never a perfect time, so don’t wait. Try to prepare plan B, and then do it!

Where To Look For An Internship

Internships can be a great way to get your foot in the door, gaining valuable work experience in a position that would not normally be open to someone with your skills. Finding one and getting it can be hard though. Follow these strategies to land great internships.

• Look for internship listings – Visit career services office of your school or regularly browse their website to check internship listings. Many companies also post internship positions on their ‘career’ web page. Select a number of different internships and be sure to follow the application instructions precisely. Many internships are very competitive and until you hear back from an employer – don’t assume that you will be accepted. Be proactive by continuing to apply to new internships as you find them.
• Make a good resume - You know what you are good at but the employer will need to see them in ink. Ready your resume, highlighting the skills that could be beneficial in that field and mention your achievements in previous internships or a project at college where you volunteered. Showcasing your skills, while keeping in the mind the requirements for the job, plays an important role in getting yourself the right internship.
• Do your research – Before going for an interview, research on not only the company and its products, but also on the business itself. Read about company’s stock market performance, its employees, their backgrounds, competitors, media coverage regarding news about the company etc. Potential interns who get noticed in an interview or on the job are the ones who have an opinion- they aren’t afraid to speak up, give input and contribute to brainstorming sessions. But in order to have effective and credible input, one has to put in the time and do the research.
• Use and know the product - Being unfamiliar with the product or web site of the company is fatal- because interviewers will get to know about your ignorance. Candidates, who have used the product or know it well, share insight and knowledge and they even have stories about how the product has helped them in their career etc. 
• Weigh benefits correctly – Weigh the benefits of internship in terms of the value they add to your profile the knowledge that you gain from that role. Taking up just any internship is not good for your profile. Get the one that is relevant to the career you intend to pursue. 

If you are looking for internship positions with renowned companies, log on to ThGongzuo.com to find the right internship and save your precious time.

What’s In a Name?

Creativity is the essence of the tech world and it is evident even with the names of tech companies. There is a story behind the names of most of the companies.

Here’s a look how some of these well-known tech giants got their names:

• Apple - Steve Jobs liked apples a lot. The other reason he named his company ‘Apple’ was that “Apple” was ahead of “Atari” in the phonebook and he used to work at Atari. 
• Amazon - Bezos wanted his book retail site to be so quick and easy that it seemed like magic. The site went online in 1995 with the name of Amazon, taken from the Amazon River for being the biggest river. Clearly, Bezos had big ambitions right from the start.
• Google - Google took its name from a deliberate misspelling of Googol, the word that represents 10^100, or a 1 followed by 100 zeroes. Why this? Simply because founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page wanted to convey the huge amount of data they intended to make available.
• Microsoft - The company was officially established in April 1975, with the name coming from a combination of “microprocessor” and “software” – which is fitting given that they were creating software for the Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems’s (MITS) Altair 8800.
• Oracle - This name started as the code for a project that co-founders Larry Ellison and Bob Oats worked on for the CIA. It was a database that was supposed to be able to answer any question about anything.
• Mozilla - In 1994, when a team at Netscape sat around to think of names for a new browser to take on NCSA’s Mosaic browser, what they were looking for was something that would crush the competition. What they looked to was Godzilla. Combining Mosaic with the movie monster brings you to the current day name of Mozilla.
• Asus – The name is derived from the mythological Greek winged horse Pegasus. According to the company’s own explanation it embodies the strength, purity, and adventurous spirit of this fantastic creature, and soars to new heights with each new product it creates.
• Lenovo - The word is a combination of Le and Novo, meaning new in Latin.
• Skype – It’s a combination of “sky” and “peer-to-peer”, shortened to skyper. The name ‘Skyper’ was already in use, so the new name became ‘Skype’.
• Twitter – Founders first thought of ‘twitch’. But ‘twitch’ was not a good product name because it doesn’t bring up the right imagery. So, they looked up dictionary and found ‘twitter’. The definition was ‘a short burst of inconsequential information,’ and ‘chirps from birds.’ And that’s exactly what the product was.
• eBay - The website started out as “AuctionWeb,” a part of the personal website of former Apple software engineer Pierre Omidyar. The website took off, and Mr. Omidyar decided to spin it off into its own entity and name it after his consulting firm, Echo Bay Technology Group. When the domain name echobay.com was taken, he switched it to ebay.com.
• Verizon – According to Verizon’s corporate history, the name is a combination of the Latin words “veritas” and “horizon.” Veritas refers to truth and reliability, while horizon signifies forward-looking and visionary.
• Blackberry - This name was coined in 1999 because the keys on the device resembled the drupelets on the fruit.

I Missed an Interview. What Should I Do Next?

An interview is your opportunity to impress an employer and show how perfect you are for the job. Missing the interview or arriving late can jeopardize your chances and is something you should avoid at all costs. However, unavoidable situations sometimes occur that would make it impossible to attend. If you take appropriate steps immediately, you might be able to appease the employer and get a second chance.

The right thing to do, regardless of the reason why you missed the interview, is to send the recruiter a formal letter or email message of apology/explanation. It’s best to keep your letter or message brief but sincere. Take responsibility for your failure to appear for the interview. If you still want to work for the company and you had a good reason for missing the interview, let the recruiter know this, too. It can’t hurt and you might get a second chance!

Even if you were caught among unavoidable circumstances, missing an interview is highly unprofessional. But, still you can request the employer to reschedule your interview. He/she may refuse, but you can try. If the interviewer does agree to schedule another meeting, make note of the time and date, and thank him or her for the opportunity.

If the interviewer agrees to reschedule the meeting, make an effort to arrive at least 15 minutes early. Thank the interviewer for the opportunity, but do not mention the missed interview and do not make any excuses about it. Be polite, professional and do your best to show the interviewer that you’re a reliable, competent candidate. Good luck!

Culture Questions to Ask before Taking up Job

When you are in the process of job hunting, you get eager to land a job that you would love. And when you get an interview call, you obviously get very excited and face the interview well-prepared. At such times, it gets very tough to reject the job offer on the criteria other than salary. But, it is very important to find whether you will be ‘culturally’ fit within that organization or not. Remember, you can’t work where you don’t feel comfortable.  The culture of the company you’re applying for carries tremendous weight on your decision to work there. Therefore, before you accept a job, conduct ‘culture audit’ to assess company’s culture.

What is a culture?

Culture is one very important way in which employees describe where they work. It underlies their understanding of the employer’s business and helps employees orient themselves in the organization. Company culture is the shared values, practices and beliefs of the company's employees. From hiring practices to how people work, make decisions, resolve differences of opinions, and navigate change, the culture defines the unwritten but very real rules of behaviour. If you are job seeker in that company, you should take into account its culture.

If you ask an interviewer following types of questions, you will understand a company’s culture:

• What makes you proud to work at this company?
• How would you describe the culture here in few words?
• What's the process for on-boarding employees, and how do you handle beginner mistakes?
• Are the firm’s executives approachable?
• Is employee input sought for new initiatives including strategy? 
• How are big decisions made?
• Does the firm get together when new sales records or big customer orders are achieved? 
• Could you please give examples of people who succeeded wildly within the boundaries of the organization?
• What’s the difference between an average employee and the best one in this role/department/company?
• Is risk-taking encouraged and what if people fail?
• How does the organization support professional development and career growth?
• Are there formal quality initiatives in place such as Six Sigma or Lean?
• What’s one thing you would change about this company if you could?

Company culture is everything. You can’t work where you don’t fit. Ask a few of these questions on your next interview, and you’ll be sure to find the organization that’s the right environment for you.

Bluetooth, Wi-Fi…..How These Terms Were Born?

Certain terms, which were once part of technical jargon, have taken place in our normal vocabulary. Ever wonder how these terms originated?  You will be surprised to find out the facts behind it. 

• Bluetooth - Bluetooth comes from the name of an ancient Danish king called Harald Bluetooth. What's significant about King Bluetooth is that he united different regions and allowed them to communicate with each other.
• Wi-Fi - Wi-Fi, as it turns out, doesn't stand for anything. Phil Belanger, a founding member of the Wi-Fi Alliance, has gone on the record as saying the term was nothing more than a catchy word created by a brand consulting firm.
• Troll - While the imagery of a goblin-like cave monster seems awfully apt, there's actually more to the term than meets the eye. The word “troll,” you see, is also a verb meaning “to fish by trailing a lure or baited hook from a moving boat.”
• Wiki - Credit for the first wiki is commonly given to a guy named Ward Cunningham, who came up with a site called WikiWikiWeb. Ward was wooed by the word wiki when he traveled to Hawaii, where he saw a “wiki wiki bus”. “Wiki” means “quick” in Hawaiian.
• Ping - Ping, in its current form, traces back to a Unix-based network administration tool created in the early 80s. The program sends a data packet to a network-connected computer and then measures how long it takes for the system to respond.
• Spam - Spam, according to most popular accounts, comes not from the questionable canned meat but rather from a 70s-era Monty Python sketch.
• Cookie - The most common explanation suggests the term comes from Unix. In Unix, a “magic cookie” refers to a chunk of data that's passed between two programs.
• Bug – In 1946, Grace Hooper joined Harvard, where she traced an error in the computer due to a moth trapped in it. This bug was carefully removed, the word ‘bug’ is still being used to describe defects.
• Hotmail – Its founder tried all kinds of names ending with “mail”. Later he chose “Hotmail”, as it contains all the letters “HTML” - the markup language used to write web pages.
• Java - "Java" was selected from a list of suggestions, primarily because it is a popular slang term for coffee, especially that grown on the island of Java. As the programmers drank a lot of coffee, this seemed an appropriate name.
• Python - Named after the television series “Monty Python’s Flying Circus”. 

Want To Work For Google?

Among many IT professionals, working at Google is seen as a dream job. And no wonder. The flourishing company is a driving force in Internet development. Working for Google means working for an organization that’s extraordinarily well funded. It also means working alongside top talent. With as many applications as Google receives, the company has its pick of the best.

The good news is that Google is hiring. The bad news is that getting hired at Google isn’t easy. It requires a unique set of characteristics to land a gig with the search giant.

As per Google’s Director of Staffing, this is what you need to have, if want to be a ‘Googler’:

• Entrepreneurial spirit - While working in the IT department of any large manufacturing facility might not require entrepreneurial spirit, working at Google most certainly does. With the search giant’s rapid growth and its aggressive moves in arenas held by competitors, the need for smart, self-motivated and self-starters seems clear. It is also important from company’s “20 per cent time policy” point of view. As per this policy, employees are free to pursue projects they're passionate about on company time. It takes an entrepreneurial (and disciplined) spirit to use this unstructured time in ways that benefit the bottom line.
• Business skills – Google prefers to hire a candidate with business skills, because such a person can relate business and technical aspects and look at the mission-critical needs to the company, and really understand some of the context around why we’re building some of the infrastructure.
• Technical skills – Learn programming languages like C++, Java, Java Script, CSS etc. Understand algorithms and data structures. Get to know operating systems. 
• Problem solving skills – Google wants to hire candidates who have handled analytically difficult problems. They want someone who has actually interacted in a real-world situation and during an interview; the interviewers get a sense of what the candidate considers to be difficult.
• Analytical skills – The skills that that differentiate you from rest of the pool. Google doesn’t care much about GPAs. According to them, in schools, people are trained to give specific answers. But they want people who like figuring out stuff where there is no obvious answer. They believe that GPAs and test scores don’t correlate with success at the company.
• Leadership skills – They want people, who at the appropriate time, step in and lead when faced with a problem.

How To Get a Job in Silicon Valley?

Your resume is perfect, you are qualified, you have applied to hundreds of jobs in Silicon Valley, and yet you are not getting hired, right? Well, if this is your problem, then you are not alone. 

If you want to fulfil your dream of being an employee of the most sought after region for techies, here are tips:

• The easiest way to open yourself doors of top tech companies in the Silicon Valley is to enrol in some of the graduate schools. San Jose State University, UC, Berkeley, Stanford, San Francisco State University are among the top universities in the US from where the tech talent is placed by the hottest companies. So, if you have degree from one of these schools, you are in demand!
• Most of the candidates want work for Google, Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn. But the reality is for every open position, they get around 250 applications. The competition is fierce for getting into these companies. So, you need to look beyond these companies. Consider start-ups which have started receiving funding. You can contact them directly and send them your resume. Remember, start-ups are not getting 250 resumes for every open position they have.
• Make your resume tells the recruiter only the important points – your contact information, education and work experience. Don’t include your other interests, hobbies in resume. Resume should have action verbs like “Designed”, “Developed”, “Created”, “Sold” to describe what you have done so far that could benefit his/her company.
• Network with the people who are already working there. Ask them how they got the job, which skillsets are in demand in their companies, hiring When you go for an interview, show your passion for that company. The interviewer should see your excitement to work there.
• Generally, Silicon Valley companies don’t hire management trainees. They want their employees to be productive right after they join. This doesn’t mean you have to have at least 5 years of experience to get hired. But, during interview you have to show your ability to grasp things quickly and get started immediately. You cannot expect a long term training program before you start contributing here.
• Regularly browse through the job search sites such as TheGongzuo.com to know what the Silicon Valley tech companies are looking for. You get a fair idea about which skills to pickup to increase the probability of getting hired.

Funny Responses Given To Interviewers

Everyone has the occasional bad job interview. You show up late, you wear the wrong thing and you can't seem to put a sentence together. But, the worst thing is that sometimes people blurt out weird responses or when given an opportunity to ask questions, they ask craziest questions to the interviewers.

Here are some of the responses shared by interviewers, which will amuse you:

1. Tell us about a problem you had with a co-worker and how you resolved it

"I used to have a fight with a co-worker. We both were asked to leave."

2. Why should we hire you?

"I don’t know." 

“This job sounds interesting.”

3. Do you have any questions?

"Would it be a problem if I’m angry most of the time?"

"Will the company pay to relocate my horse?" 

"Why do you want references?"

“What does your company do?”

4. Why are you looking for a job?

"I didn’t get along with my previous co-workers, so I left that job.”

"My last boss was awful, so I quit." 

5. Why do you want to work for us?

“I heard benefits are great here.”

"I saw the job posting and thought why not to give a try?"

6. What are your assets?

“I do own a house.”

7. What are your weaknesses?

“Sometimes I feel like smashing things.”

"I feel uneasy indoors."

8. Is there anything else I should know about you?

"My hobby is wrestling." 

9. When can you start?

“I need to ask my mom.”

10. Do you want to say or mention anything else?

“You have beautiful eyes.”

11. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

“I won’t be doing the job. I want to start my own business.”

“Not sure….may be at the same position where you are.”

Say Goodbye to Bad Habits

Negative thoughts, and certain actions or sayings, can prevent you from accomplishing a goal. They steer you away from the bigger picture, deterring you from whatever you’re trying to accomplish. Some bad habits cause more trouble than others. Shedding these habits will increase your productivity and allow you to enjoy the positive mood that comes with increased self-control.

• Being late to work – Punctuality is critical when you are working. Forget your college days when you enter the classroom while it is already in the session. The professional thing to do is to arrive on time and be ready to do what is expected. Being on time for meetings is even more important. Keeping people waiting in the meeting can be construed as inconsiderate, rude, disrespectful or arrogant.
• Negative attitude – Responding in pessimistic way or always finding problems in the suggestions given by co-workers is considered being uncooperative. Complaining too much about work culture, colleagues, bosses is another negative trait. These things will make you look unprofessional.
• Spending time on social media – Being on Facebook or even texting all the time when you are at work does create bad impression. Don’t spread bad things about your organization or co-workers through social media while being in the office. You could get fired if caught. Same thing applies when you are attending a meeting. Even when you feel meetings are extended beyond limit or discussion is going off-topic, don’t let your mind wander. Other people, especially your boss will catch you if you are not paying attention.
• Unprofessional looks – Again, remember you are not a college student anymore. Even if you feel comfortable in those pair of jeans and flip-flops, this is not the place where you wear these. You want to look like you take your job seriously when you walk into work. When you go to meet with a client, you represent your company and you should present yourself professionally.
• Using foul words/language – This is one of the worst habits you got to get rid of. Vulgar language an indication that an employee is not ready for promotion. You may be taken to the HR for serious discussions if you are caught multiple times using foul language. 
• Using company phone/supplies for personal use – Making long distance frequent phone calls from your desk phone is easily traceable. Don’t commit such mistakes for saving few dollars. Similarly taking home office supplies such as notepads, folders etc. or using photocopy machine for personal use beyond a limit show your cheap behaviour. 
• Unnecessary noise – Be considerate toward your co-workers as much as possible. Many people have habit of tapping toes or fingers while working or thinking. Maintain silence when at the work. Similarly, keep your phone or computer on silent so that each text message, email or IM won’t create any annoying sound that may disturb others.

If you receive any feedback about your habits, take it seriously and correct them. At the same time, develop good habits like actively looking for a job on TheGongzuo.com. We have hundreds of thousands of job listings for different positions within IT. Your chances of getting hired multiply when you register yourself at TheGongzuo.

What Career is Right For Me?

Choosing the right career can be difficult, but having a defined career direction helps when finding a job. Generally, many people know their passion early on in life, but there are many people who discover their interests as they get older. With a little hard work, planning and serious self-introspection, you can easily set yourself on a path leading to a fruitful and fulfilling career.

Whether you’re trying to decide where to look for your first job or pondering a possible career change, here’s what you should consider when thinking through this important decision:

• Your natural talents – Knowing your natural talents is key to choosing the right career. Utilizing your talents in the work you do will bring success as well as recognition. You should try to find out what do you really enjoy doing and should apply those skills to a job.
• Your interests - What topics do you read about in your spare time and what classes do you enjoy in school? Your career doesn’t have to be your passion, but it shouldn’t bore you either.  If you're not interested in the duties or responsibilities that come with the career you choose, it's going to show. The lack of interest, passion and motivation often lead to poor productivity, which can adversely affect your advancement opportunities, salary and even job security.
• Personality – Are you an introvert or an extrovert? Introverts require time alone to recharge, while extroverts thrive on social interaction. Most people are close to the middle of the spectrum and will be most happy in a career that balances time alone with social interaction.
• Lifestyle - If being home with your family at around the same time every day is important to you, a career that sees you on the road or requires you to work overtime frequently might create problems and leave you unhappy. If your career threatens a certain aspect of your lifestyle that's exceptionally important to you, that might not be something you can easily adjust to, and it can ultimately affect your performance at work.
• Future opportunities - While you may not want to be a company president one day, you may want to advance beyond an entry-level job, or you may want to branch out and pursue a different job within your career field. It's always wise to find out where a career path may take you. Ask what the job placement rates are in the major you're considering, and find out what graduates are doing several years after finishing the program.
• Demands and expectations of the career - Most careers have certain conditions that are associated with work. You need to find out what the conditions (stress levels, work hours and travel, physical environment, level of responsibility, etc.) are that will likely be associated with the types of work you'll be doing. Can you handle not only the work but also the conditions that you'll probably face?

Considering the above factors, make sure you choose your career based on - You! Make choices that reflect your personality, your abilities and motivation, your desired lifestyle, and your circumstances. And whatever choices you make, think beyond the present and take actions accordingly.

Once you make your mind, register yourself on TheGongzuo.com to search jobs in your chosen career. Many large companies are looking for passionate employees who make a difference!

Tech Company Layoffs – Make it a New Beginning

The tech industry may seem like it is thriving, and that is not absolutely true; but it is also important to know that many tech companies are often cutting costs and handing out pink slips. During mergers, acquisitions or restructuring, unexpected changes occur. If you hear rumours or have reliable information in regards to any changes, now is the time to start working accordingly towards a more secure position.

The best step to take in situations where changes occur within the company is to be prepared for the worst. Here’s how:

• Update your resume – Start preparing a list of your accomplishments and quantifiable achievements. Include a description of your current position in resume as written down by HR.
• Prepare list of references - Contact the people you would like to use as references to ask their permission to be used as a reference.  Obtain their current contact information and type up your reference list.
• Check job board websites – See what the market demands are and which types of positions are available for the candidates of your education and experience. Start applying right away, if you feel that the chances of getting laid off are high. 
• Consider different career alternatives – You can take layoff as an opportunity to start fresh. You may change your career and get into new field, you always wanted to be in. Instead of looking for a new job, you may try consulting or freelancing. The other option is pursuing further education or certification. You can make these career decisions now, when you could be possibly having more time in your hands.
• Network with friends/acquaintances – Start making contact with your network and re-establish the connection, so that if you get a pink slip, you will have already updated them on your situation and can then call them into action to help you track down job leads.
• Backup your personal files from office computer - In reality, you should never have personal stuff stored on your work computer, but we probably all do from time-to-time. It’s best to be safe and remove all your personal files because when you get the bad news, it comes swiftly and security escorts you out of the building. Bring in a flash drive as soon as possible and wipe all personal information off of your computer.
• Examine your finances - If you fear a layoff is on the horizon, now is the time to get your finances in order. Even if you are lucky enough to get a severance package or qualify for unemployment benefits, neither is often enough to pay the bills during the period you are out of work. Consider consolidating bills so you have fewer monthly payments and put a halt to any major purchases you had planned until you are solidly on your feet again.
• Talk to your family – This is probably the hardest thing – talking to your family about defeat, even if it’s not your fault. Your family are the very people you MUST talk with. These are your loved ones and key supporters. In addition, since their lifestyle and spending habits may have to drastically change in the near future, it’s best to prepare for the changes as a family.
• Moving ahead – Once you are ready, whether you get laid off or not, it’s time to go to the next step and prepare for your return to the job market. You have to look to the future and move your career forward!

Whether you are among the unfortunate ones, who have lost their jobs or just looking for a change, TheGongzuo.com is always there to help you find your new job and take you further up on your career ladder. Register on our website today!

Funny Interview Questions

Sometimes candidates come across funny or bizarre interview questions, which do not have any specific right or wrong answers. The purpose behind asking such questions is to test candidate’s ability to remain calm and to see how well he/she responds to an unexpected question.

When you face such a question during a job interview, take a deep breath; give yourself few moments to develop an answer and then answer it. Don’t sit there staring blankly off into space. Your answers are an indication of your intelligence, critical thinking skills, and emotional intelligence.

Here are some of the weird, oddball questions:

• Why are manhole covers round? (this questions was made famous by Microsoft)
• If you were an animal, what kind of animal would you be and why?
• How many gas stations are there in the United States?
• If you had only six months left to live, what would you do with the time?
• What will you do if you have a time machine?
• If you were on an island and could only bring three things, what would you bring?
• How many square feet of pizza are eaten in the U.S. each year?
• Why is a tennis ball fuzzy?
• You're a new addition to the crayon box, what colour would you be and why?
• How many snow shovels sold in the U.S. last year?
• What song best describes your work ethic?
• Have ever stolen a pen from work?
• How many balls would it take to fill this room?

This is just a glimpse! There are plenty of similar questions which interviewers ask sometimes just to make you relax. The best tip for dealing with such funny questions is to be calm and think out of the box. All the Best! Go tickle the funny bone of your interviewer.

Importance Of Career Counseling

Every day different careers and professional opportunities are emerging. No matter how much interest you have in more than one field, you will have to prioritize and choose the best option for you depending upon your strengths, weaknesses, interests, personality and aspirations.

Whether you are in the process of choosing a career, deciding whether or not you should change careers or jobs, re-entering the workforce, job hunting, or recovering from a job loss, you may realize that this is an overwhelming process and you need some help.

Reasons to meet with a career counsellor:

• You have no idea what you want to major in
• You have a major but do not know what you want to do with it
• You want to take an assessment to explore possible careers to help with career decisions
• You need to start your job search but you are not sure what you are looking for 
• You completed an internship and discovered that your chosen career is not a good fit for you
• You want to discuss your future with someone other than your friends or family

How will a counsellor help you?
A good career development professional can help you explore career options, can inform you of labour market trends, and can assess your skills, interests, and work related values. A career development professional can help you sharpen your job search skills, and can help you learn how to move up the corporate ladder.

A counsellor helps students discover their true potential and interest in various subjects in order to help them choose the right career. Several institutes including schools and colleges, offer career counselling through a series of aptitude and IQ tests. The advice and counselling provided is based on three deciding factors — personality, aptitude and interest.

Before hiring counsellor or coach, do your homework. Explore free or low cost online and community resources. Join job clubs and career workshops. Learn about jobs and market situation in your area. This will tell you what positions are in demand. Check out salary information websites.

A word of caution
Career counselling and coaching are unregulated fields, meaning anyone can claim himself/herself to be a counsellor. So, be sure to check the credentials and experience of your prospective consultants. The bottom line: Success in landing a good job of your interest is up to you.
When you find your niche area, register on TheGongzuo.com to search the perfect job you are dreaming of!

Most Common Interview Questions

When you are interviewing for an Information Technology (IT) job, you will be asked focused and specific technical questions about your education, skills, certifications, languages and tools you have expertise in.

The best approach when answering is to give specific examples whenever possible. Providing details and experience will tell the interviewer that you have handled projects and situations in the past, deeming you more qualified for the job.

Here are some of the questions you may come across with in an interview. Review this list and prepare your responses based on your qualifications and the nature of the job.

• What are your technical certifications?
• How do you maintain your certifications?
• What development tools have you used?
• Which all programming languages have you worked in?
• How do you handle multiple deadlines?
• How do you troubleshoot IT issues?
• Tell me about the most recent project you worked on. What were your responsibilities?
• Tell me about the project you are most proud of, and what your contribution was.
• What is the biggest IT challenge you have faced and how did you handle it?
• If you know you aren't going to make a project deadline what will you tell your manager and/or the client?

These are just a few, but most common, of the questions that might be asked. They are enough to give you an idea of what to expect during an interview, but do keep in mind that different positions and companies have different requirements, so questions will vary. But your answers should reflect that you are well-experienced and well-informed about the position that they are looking for.

When preparing for a technical interview, you should review basic structures and algorithms within programming. Mastery of these topics will give you necessary knowledge to tackle the problems during the technical interview. Also, review the specific areas for which you're interviewing. E.g. if you're interviewing for a systems programming job, review the differences between threads and processes, OS scheduling algorithms, and memory allocation. Some companies do publish their technical interview questions either on blogs or on their websites. Do spend time in researching on questions asked by a specific employer for the position you are applying for.

If possible, make it a point to carry documentation of any project that you have worked for. This will give the interviewer a better idea about your skills and talents. However, the basic premise of such interview questions is searching for a person who is technically adept as well as professionally good to get along; a managerial attitude is much preferred.

Demonstrate your interest in the position, your drive to excel in the role and the fact that you have done some homework. Ultimately, the more prepared you are for what you will encounter, the more successful you will be. 

Register at TheGongzuo.com today for free. Apply to your desired open position, shine in an interview and get hired by your dream organization!

How to Choose the Right Online IT Courses?

Getting certified is the safest way to advance your career in the IT industry. Whether you work for an enterprise, or a small business or government that employs IT professionals, your best bet for career advancement is to validate your skills and knowledge through a carefully chosen combination of certifications.

However, the biggest challenge when it comes to earning a professional certification is often determining which one or ones to pursue. There are so many courses and certifications available. You first have to see what do you enjoy and then consider what job you ultimately see yourself in that matches your skill set.  This will help you in the long term to achieve your end goals – a job that you want, a job that challenges you and a job you enjoy doing! 

Studying for specific certifications within your current job role will demonstrate willingness to take responsibility for your own progression within your company and will show your employer that you are serious about promotion. Often, companies are willing to invest heavily in their staff’s development so you may even find that they will fund the course for you.

Degree Programs

Earning a degree, rather than a certification, is beneficial for a long-term career in the IT industry. Generally, it takes longer to earn an online IT degree than it does an online certificate. Degree programs typically include general education requirements and emphasize critical thinking and writing. Systems Analysis and Design, Database Management, Networking and Telecommunications, IT Project Management etc. are examples of some of the courses offered within degree programs. 

Certificate Programs

IT online certificates require fewer classes than degrees do and focus on the field or a more specific topic within it. Many reputed universities in the US offer online graduate certificate in information technology, computer science, telecommunications, computer forensics and information security.

IT Training and Boot Camps

IT training institutes offer a variety of online training courses. These range from software training such as a specific module of SAP or Oracle to PMP, Microsoft or Cisco Network  program with classes that last five or six weeks and meet twice a week, to OnDemand, a self-paced program. 

Before enrolling into any online course or certification program, visualise your end goal and take responsibility for your own development and progression and you will quickly be able to identify where to take your studies. 

Take the decision wisely before you spend your time and money on an online course/certification. When you are ready with it, please register yourself with TheGongzuo.com to find the suitable job as per your skills and knowledge and apply for free.

The Most Powerful Women In Tech Industry

The tech world is fast-moving, highly competitive and male-dominated. But some of the most prestigious and best-remunerated roles are held by females.  These women are steering in a new era of female tech leadership.

Below are the most powerful women in tech from around the world in 2016.

Sheryl Sandberg – COO, Facebook - In June 2012, Sheryl Sandberg became the first woman to serve on Facebook’s board of directors. That same year, she made Time’s 100 Most Influential People list. She supporting continued growth at Facebook and has also promoted initiatives to address the gender gap within the tech industry and is on the board of Women for Women International. 

Susan Wojcicki – CEO, Youtube - In 1999, she joined Google as their first marketing manager and worked her way up to senior vice president of Advertising and Commerce. After overseeing Google Video for some time, Susan proposed that the company acquire Youtube (which at the time was a small start-up). She later handled two of Google’s largest acquisitions: the $1.65 billion purchase of YouTube in 2006 and the $3.1 billion purchase of DoubleClick in 2007. In February 2014, Susan was appointed CEO of YouTube.

Ginni Rometty – CEO, IBM - Ginni heads IBM, serving in the capacities of Chairman, President, and CEO. She is the first woman to do so. Since 1991, she has held various important roles at the company and was appointed CEO and President in October of 2011. 

Meg Whitman – CEO, Hewlett-Packard - Meg Whitman has a long and varied career, serving as an executive for numerous high-profile companies. During the 1980s, she was vice president of strategic planning at The Walt Disney Company. In the 1990s, she worked for DreamWorks, Procter & Gamble, and Hasbro. Then, from 1998 to 2008, she served as president and chief executive officer of eBay.

Marissa Mayer – CEO, Yahoo - Marissa has been the current president and CEO of Yahoo! since 2012. Prior to her employment with Yahoo!, she worked at Google as an executive and spokesperson for over a decade.

Safra Catz – Co-CEO, Oracle - Safra has been with Oracle Corporation since April 1999. In October 2001, she joined the company’s Board of Directors and was named President of Oracle Corporation in early 2004. From November 2005 to September 2008, and from April 2011 to the present, she also served as the company’s CFO. In September of 2014, she became co-CEO, along with colleague Mark Hurd.

Angela Ahrendts – SVP, Retail, Apple - Angela is new to the tech industry, but not new to leadership positions. She served as the CEO of Burberry from 2006 to 2014, before leaving to join Apple as the Senior Vice President of Retail and Online Stores. In 2014, she was Apple’s highest-paid executive, earning over $70 million. 

Ursula Burns – Chair-CEO, Xerox - In July 2009, Burns became the first African-American woman CEO to head a Fortune 500 company. She had worked for Xerox since 1980, beginning as an intern and climbing through the ranks for the next three decades. President Obama appointed her vice chair of the President’s Export Council in 2010

Ruth Porat – CFO, Google - After working with Morgan Stanley for decades, serving as their Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President from January 2010 to May 2015, Ruth Porat became CFO of Google on May 26, 2015.

Renee James – President, Intel - Renee James has worked at Intel for over 25 years, serving in a variety of roles. She became President of Intel Corporation in May 2013. Renee is one of Silicon Valley’s most prominent female executives and Intel’s highest-ranking woman ever. 

Technology still has a reputation for being a male-dominated field, but these women and many others are proving that gender is no barrier to success.

Hottest Tech Start-ups

Majority of the tech start-ups fail because the products or services that they offer do not create any long term value to their customers. Most don’t create any value at all. Whereas, the start-ups that have real potential for growth are those that are creating long term (20 years+) value for its clients. Most of those start-ups are the ones that are revolutionizing legacy industries like: banking, medicine, telecommunication and making it easier, cheaper and quicker.

Considering the marketable ideas that tech start-ups have brought forward, here’s the list of hottest tech start-ups for this year:

Product Hunt - With more than a billion websites now crowding the interwebs, discovering new products is a massive challenge. Product Hunt is a wildly popular online tastemaking hub that showcases the latest gadgets, games, podcasts and books. To date, Product Hunt has raised an estimated $7.1 million in venture capital.

DoorDash – It is the on-demand food delivery app that brings fresh food from local restaurants to customers in 250-plus cities throughout the U.S. and Canada. It has already raised $60 million through investments.

Boxed – An ecommerce start-up that lets consumers shop from their smartphones and laptops for groceries and other household items in bulk. Started by four friends, the young company now has a total headcount of 100 and a total investment of approximately $132 million.

Luxe Valet – It is a smartphone app for valet-parking. For an hourly rate (which varies by location), Luxe’s valets will park your car in the company’s lots. For additional fees, they can also wash your ride, put gas in it and change the oil.

Medium – When it started, “Medium” looked like only a blogging platform. But then, everyone - amateurs, marketers, politicians and journalists are welcome to publish written content of all kinds on the popular site. Medium was co-founded by former Twitter CEO. So far, company has raised $82 million in venture capital.

ClassPass – People can book fitness classes through its app-based gym membership platform. This start-up now employs some 300 people and connects a growing base of customers with exercise classes at some 3,000 boutique gyms and participating studios in 30-plus cities across the U.S., Canada, Europe and Australia. It has $84 million in venture capital.

Beepi – It’s an app to buy and sell used cars. The company is expanding steadily at a     20 per cent annual rate. It is the first company to sell cars 100 per cent online. So far, it has secured $149 million in investments.

Shyp – It is an on-demand shipping app that enables people to order a courier who will cart any item off to one of its warehouses. From there, goods are professionally packed and shipped off to their destinations. Shyp tied up a partnership with eBay, debuted several new features and brushed up its branding. Available at first in San Francisco and New York City, it also extended its package pickup reach to Los Angeles and Chicago.

Acorns – The goal of Acorns is to make investing less tedious and intimidating through automation. The smartphone app automatically invests users’ leftover change from routine credit and debit card purchases in exchange-traded funds. Acorns serve some 650,000 registered users who had opened approximately 300,000 investment accounts. Its latest funding round brings total of $32 million in venture capital.

If you think, you have a bright idea that can be turned into profitable business, TheGongzuo team is looking forward to take you ahead with your dream. We have advisors to guide you along the way; we will fund your creative idea and help you launch your business. Register today at TheGongzuo to turn your dream into reality