!

!

Editor!Sanj Saigal!Assistant Editor!Mandi Saigal!Design and production!Sanj Saigal!Research!Mandi Saigal!Produced by!Chalkboard!Columnist!Sanj Saigal/ Mandi Saigal!

�2

!

From the editor!

“Very excited about the future”

It has been extremely hard work to balance my time between teaching English as a second language, writing my second novel and running a magazine. They always say that people acknowledge hard work and it appears to have paid off.

This edition of the magazine includes a Property section, Jobs section and business features, not to mention some very useful hints and tips with the interview process.

I am very thankful to those that have helped me and supported me through some very challenging times. Dedicated to the interview process I hope that you find the articles informative and beneficial.

Another year brings plenty of new opportunities and challenges especially with such life changing events like changing jobs.

I have tried my best to help with these goals, pooling from my experience in working as a recruitment consultant for 5 years and combining it with my 3 years of teaching English. !Our Academy is growing at a rapid pace and so to are the courses available. Our aim is to provide a service which will impact on your potential at work and in your personal life. !Advertising should supplement this magazines existence and draw a much larger audience but it will also benefit our readers who can draw from other peoples experiences. !On behalf of the one2one team I hope that this year will be an amazing one filled with new opportunities. !!

�3

!

Learning Goals !08

The Property Guide !11

�4

!

Advertising !15

Interview Preparation!

34

Employment 21

Life Coach 27

!

08. The learning curve!

An article on the importance of goal setting with clearly defined time scales and how the employment sector is changing.!11. The Property Guide!

15. Advertising!

Our magazine is changing the way in which it works. Our new rate chart for advertising and how you can get involved.!

17. Interview Preparation !

21. The Employment Section!

27. Confessions Of A Life Coach !

29. Intelligent Questions!

An article which discusses the relevance of asking a question at the end of an interview.!

�6

!

35. Courses!

The courses available at one2one and how they can help you to achieve your goals.!

38. Modern Vs Tradition

42. The Interview!

A script written for you to practice responses to various questions. !

45. Personality!

The relevance of this topic and how it can effect the outcome. !

�7

!

The learning curve It’s a new year but does that mean that it is a fresh start?

Another year and your reassessing  your worth, the good news is that it's quite normal to readdress the balance between personal and work goals and objectives. Mone-tary gain is statistically the prime motivator however there is a per-centage of candidates who are dri-ven by an opportunity to move for exposure and new experiences that are not necessarily driven by mone-tary gain. !Students who are studying English as a second language need to de-velop strong listening skills and off-set these with the ability to con-verse. Grammatically correct sen-tences are important but it's also important to compliment them with good voice tones that display per-sonality traits. !!

Target tones !There are some interesting facts about how we can relate stress points in a mother tongue to those used in English. Emotional value simply means that an audience can relate to the way that you feel. How does this relate to the sub-ject of job interviews? The answer lies with the HR functions priori-ty on team dynamic which Is directly related to personality traits and how they effect productivity and output. !Target tones that reflect how you feel can often show the HR function that you are keen, enthusiastic, highly motivated and can comple-ment an existing team. These can often set you aside from the compe-tition and give you a fair advantage in an interview scenario. !As an academy we run a spe-cialised department that's function is to assist with the interview preparation process.

Buzz words like dedicated, focused, committed etc are great to use but only in moderation. I liken this to cook-ing ingredients, too much of anything

can change the outcome. Trying to over impress

or look like your trying too hard can often ham-per or jeopardise your outcome.

Learning where and how to apply

them is key. !

�8

“New goals”

!Realistic expectationsHr managers are trained to iden-tify candidates who are applying for positions that are way out of their depth. If your expectations are identified as unrealistic both in terms of job description and pay grade you have failed before you begin. My advice is to aim high but to a level that you are comfortable with. 

Experience Vs Qualifica-tions

Certainly within Europe there is a devaluation in academic back-grounds without experience, this phenomena can be seen throughout the world. The key is to display a balance between the two, this should be reflected in your CV.

CV format !These vary and to be honest there are thousands to choose from on-line and they are not hard to find. Finding a format that doesn't reflect something that is too loud is prob-ably a wise choice. I personally liken this to painting a property for sale, in an effort to appeal to a wide variety of potential buyers it's more advisable to choose neutral colours to decorate the property widening it’s appeal.  !I have met a lot of highly qualified candidates that have used old CV formats, this shows that you are not up to date or current and can allow your competition to have an advantage over you. The objective is to find a job, so you have to make every effort to try and in-crease the odds. We provide our students with credible website ad-dresses where you can find good templates to use.

Social network sites !The growth in the number of websites which allow HR managers to approach candidates directly have increased and be honest they are a useful free recourse. The importance of a good profile is key, and should be considered with the same level of importance as a covering letter. !For vast majority of people learning a new language creates so much opportunity. This edition will focus on giving advice to candidates and provide useful hints and tips. 

�9

450€ pcm

Spain

Contact: 609 873 247

!

Advertising

Our websites to includes blog sites have generated a huge audience and we are extremely humbled that to-gether they have received over 100,000 hits over a period of 12 months. We are excited to roll out a new advertising program which will allow companies to enjoy some prime advertising positions within both Chalkboard our magazine and some of our lesson plans.  !We wanted to give our students some-thing back for there commitment and support for our academy so all stu-dents who want to advertise any-thing from a car to a house receive 50 percent of their advertising cost.  !Costs are detailed on the following page to include classified adds and a job section for both employers and applicants. Our magazine can be downloaded onto all smartphones and portable devices so can be read both online and offline. !If you are interested in advertising with our magazine contact us today. !!

“we are very excited to introduce advertising spa-ces within our Magazine”.

We are now in our third year and truly global allowing an advert to get the exposure it needs.

�15

!

Rate Chart

�16

40€ for 3 months

75€ for 3 months

Full page "!200€ for 3 months

We advertise our Magazine on the following sites:"!

24,000 Hits

21,923 Hits

8,151 Hits

1,366 Hits

2,142 Plays

Issuu24,311 "Impressions

Prices DO NOT include IVA of 18%. All information is correct at date of print and subject to change.

!

Interview PreparationSkills !We all have them and can iden-tify with all of them in our mother tongue, it's our target to identify with your skill base and translate your job function into English as a second lan-guage. !Never let anyone tell you that you need to modify an accent, English may be considered the language of business but the main objective is to be understood and reduce the margin of error for being misunderstood. Some teachers refer to this as accent reduction. 

As an academy we don't promote a service that will modify an accent, instead we focus on voice tones and grammar structures. There is a lexical way in which you can mas-ter the art of pronunciation and this requires a significant level of prac-tice. !Time Scales

A question that we are frequently asked is how long will it take to prepare for an interview. Everyone responds to education in different ways It’s a fact that no two stu-dents are the same. It really de-pends on your study goals as to how quickly you master the process.

The unexpected

Be aware that an interview may not be face to face.

More and more candidates receive telephone interviews, it is not uncom-mon to have a video conference format either so be prepared. It is better to be familiar with all formats as the interview process may vary during the process.

Developing your listening skills are key as telephone interviews miss the ability to read gestures, body posture and eye contact. To compensate for this you will have to focus on your voice tones to reflect empathetic value.

�17

!

Starting point

Goals are set for short, medium and long term. There is no exception in this case, you should have a realistic salary and job expectations. Aiming for a posi-tion solely based on monetary gain will do nothing for your long term plans.

If you have re skilled and by this I mean taken a new course of educational value try your best to link it to the work that you do or have done otherwise your experience with this new qualification only warrants a starting salary and you will find yourself starting a career from scratch.

Direct applications

If you have chosen not to opt for a re-cruitment agency to assist you in find-ing work, your standard of covering letter is key.

Most people have a set approach by using a template however this will not help to eliminate or reduce the competi-tion. Your strength is measured on your ability to produce a letter which reflects a combination of experience, educa-tional value and reason for application.

Often covering letters focus on some of the elements contained in the job ad-vertisement.

Career Vs Job

Sometimes our own personal circum-stances depict how we select between the two. This comes back to goals, obviously it’s your own preference however it is better to work for a company that offers internal training programs and has a history of growth, this way your role will change in time and offer you more in terms of oppor-tunities to be promoted or gain experience organically rather than have to move jobs every few years.

Finally remember that your excitement, en-thusiasm, drive and eagerness must be reflected at the interview through your body language, posture, eye contact and voice tones.

�18

Finding a new job

!

�19

Business English

www.one2oneacademy.com

�20

For more information visit www.one2oneacademy.com

“Skype classes that can make a difference”.

!

Jobs Section A selection of positions

�21

Employment Section

!

�22

“You are not alone, we are here to support you throughout the interview process”.

Pattern Cutter"Circa 15k O.T.E. 18k!!Experience with soft fabrics and designer brands this posi-tion is based in Madrid and requires a hands on applicant who will complement a new team.

Designer"

Circa 22k O.T.E 27k!

!Position requires experience with

working in a small team. Knowl-

edge of soft fabrics and a second

language would be preferred but

not essential.

Store Manager"Circa 28k O.T.E 35k!!You will be a highly experienced manager who has worked for a high street brand. This position is based in London and demands a hands on approach, experience of 3 years is es-sential and you will be familiar with E.P.O.S till management software and have the ability to produce monthly spread sheets in Excel format.!!The ability to create time sheets and manage a team of 45 essential. !

I.T. Consultant"Circa 35k O.T.E 45k!!Working for a company based in Ireland you will be required to be involved in Project Man-agement. Server migration ex-perience essential. Two years coding experience and the abil-

ity to relocate a benefit but not essential.

Contact Christina:"076 456 780 390

Recruitment"Consultants

Sales Assistant"Circa 10k O.T.E 12k!!Working for an iconic brand in London you will have a minimum of 2 years high street retail experience and be used to working both alone and as part of a team.!!Template folding and some supervisory background required.

This space is available

This space is available

!

!

Finding Balance I caught up with Mandi to find out more about her emerging business sector.

Why did you decide to be a Life Coach?

I realised that through teaching, I had been coaching my students in terms of their life goals and was keen to expand on this.

Life Coaching is about helping people understand, realise and use the tools that have been given to them to find balance.

My own experiences have given me good grounding to be able to help oth-ers.

What qualifies you to do your job?

I am a qualified Life Coach but honestly the best qualification that I have is my own life experience.

Tell me more about your sessions and how they can help others.

My sessions are 100 percent based around my Clients, I offer an impartial confidential service. Coaching is about showing the Client how to make change

to their lives. It is not about giving advice. I teach people how to use their inner self and abilities to achieve their goals.

Who is your ideal Client?

My service is aimed at small business own-ers and people who are in a transitional stage of their life, by this I mean people who are considering starting a small business or moving country. Having said that my most recent Client is a professional who simply wanted to find balance between their home and work life.

�27

Confessions from a life coach

!!How do people contact you?

I can be contacted via my website www.perspectivecoachingonline.com or through www.one2oneacademy.-com.

Tell me more about your new Email service.

I offer an unlimited email service, this especially suits two types of Clients, those that wish to remain anonymous and this that simply cannot afford the time for hourly sessions. The main benefit of this service is that you can email me at any time and I guarantee a response within 24hours.

I have noticed that for some people it’s easier to express themselves in words rather than to speak to someone.

Mandi has been successfully assisting clients online and through the wonders of modern technology she has devel-oped a following both in the USA and Europe.

Skype sessions have really impacted the way in which traditional businesses have traded. This sector allows for worldwide access.

I was thankful that she was able to tear herself away from her busy work schedule, Mandi herself balances her time between teaching English as a second language and Life Coaching.

For more information about her ser-vices please check her website details featured in this article.

�28

!

Intelligent Questions

At the end of an interview

you are presented with a

question that nearly always

challenges every applicant.

Have you got any questions

for me?

This question is designed to test your ability to show just how enthusiastic you are about the position. It’s an opportunity to ask a question about company expansion, the team involved with the role, products or services. It is not an opportunity to ask about a salary, start dates or any part of the interview process.

If you ask an intelligent question you could be measured on it and leave a lasting impression.

Having said that you should be aware of average interview times. Interviewers have other candidates to see, they have constraints so don’t be remembered for asking a thousand questions.

�29

!

“Work smarter, not harder”

Voice Tones

Entusiasm, excite-ment, eagerness.

�30

!

The Process

A logical sequence that demands practice.

�31

!

Process

“learning is a process, you get out what you put in”.

Method

“work smarter not harder!”

Need!

“measured on our results, we are focused on your individual learning needs”

�32

!

If you are moving, try our specialist immigration service. We prepare you for exams and job interviews. Contact us for more information today……

�33

!

“ putting your learning needs first!”.

Courses The courses we run at our academy are designed by us

for you.

It’s very easy for teachers to use materials in traditional format but students needs have changed. There is a growing demand

for students who want to target specific parts of the English language to focus on. Usually this is more common place as the downturn in the global Economy has seen a rise in dis-persion.

As an Academy we offer different type of courses, these range from conversation which are particularly useful to those that want to develop more confidence and correct grammar structures without the need for books and paper but we also

offer the following courses:

Business English

Time Management

Diary and appointment setting

Directions

Numbers

Client meetings

Travel

Legal

�35

!

!Banking

Stress Management

Immigration

Medical English

Management Presentations

Debate structures

Interview preparation

Presentations

Range

Our products and services have an extensive range and those listed are only a small number of courses available, check our Website for more details.

Flexible

We are a completely flexible company, you learn at your own pace and in your own time. There are occasions where students design there own courses from our extensive archive. If you are time restricted then we offer intense courses.

Reputation

We don’t advertise and have built a reputation on our referrals. We produce our own materials and work hard to demonstrate our commitment to you.

�36

!

�37

!

Modern Vs Tradition What is the best way to look for a new job?

Technology has not replaced everything just yet. There still remains a sector of the jobs market which has a personal ele-ment.

Recruitment Consultants

Slightly bias as I used to be one, there is still a credible argument that they work very well and ideal for those applicants who are extremely time restricted.

The internet is a great resource to find a specialist company that deals only in your sector.

If you are looking for work, these are a good supplement to your efforts. Usually you will have an interview with them in most formats such as telephone, Skype or face to face. You need to meet them with the same interview format as you would give at a real interview as your im-pression really counts.

If they believe in you, then they will put you forward for positions. So many can-didates think that they are just going through the motions and do not take re-cruitment consultants seriously. They can make a difference!

There are plenty of international recruit-ment agencies to choose from online. They still remain a powerful tool in search and selection.

�38

!

Standing Out

The use of voice tones and how they effect the ability to display emo-tional traits are a key feature of the interview process. Your ability to stand out gives you the advantage. For more information about our courses visit our website today www.one2oneacademy.com

�39

!

“A language has a logical learning path to follow. Your study goals should be measurable, tangible and realistic”.

!

�41

!

!I wanted to help those that are attending an interview or learning about formats by provid-ing an example. Obviously formats vary from one organisation to another but this example may prove beneficial as it has been written with standard responses.!!There is one disadvantage in a text format and that is the lack of intonation. In my opin-ion this example will only prove useful to a student where voice tones are present, so I have made this text available in audio format if required. To purchase a copy of this audio with two TEFL native speakers please con-tact us through our website. The audio is priced at 1.60€, making it available to everyone. !!The interview is for the position of a department manager and in the IT sec-tor. Some of the questions are based on competency, where at the candidate has had to answer by use of examples. This form of questioning is proving to be popular with HR managers.!!- Good morning and thank you for coming in today, you must be …………. ."!- Yes, pleased to meet you.!!- Did you have any problems finding our office?."!- No, I don’t live too far from here.!!- Please follow me, can I get you anything

to drink, a tea or a coffee?"!- Coffee would be great, than you.!!- How do you take your coffee?"!- White please, one sugar.!!- Please, take a seat."!- Thank you.!!- So, tell me a little about yourself."!

- I am currently working for Euro Tech. I work as a manager for an IT support department and I am in charge of a team of 6 peo-ple.!!- Great, I can see from your CV that you have been working there for just under 5 years, so

why are you looking for a new position?"!

- Well I am working for a company that only has a European portfolio of clients and I have an ambition to work with a company that has international clients so that I can use my language skills and gain experi-ence.!!- You mentioned that you work in a team of 6 people, this position will mean that you have to work alone or in a team. How will you feel about working alone?"!

The Interview

- Although I work in a team, my position often means that I have to be hands on and hands off depending on the situation.!!- Can you give me an example?"!- Yes, whenever our clients instruct us to prepare a project costing, I have to delegate tasks to my team whilst I work on costings and projections. I then oversee their tasks and take more of a helicopter view as I remain accountable for their tasks.!!- Great, I would like to know more on your work ethic. How would your team members describe you?"!- I think that they would say that I am methodical in my approach to a process, that I have good atten-tion for detail and that I am results dri-ven.!!- Do you know about our compa-ny?"!- I managed to do some research online and know about the products and services that you offer. I was particularly interested in your expan-sion plans as they are very challenging and ambi-tious.!!- For the next part of this interview I am going to ask you some competency based ques-tions more to do with your current position. If you had a client that wanted you to do some-thing that was not company policy what would you tell them?"!- I would explain to the client that what they were requesting was not within company guidelines and I would refer them to the company terms and conditions whist remaining friendly but firm.!!- And if that wasn’t effective?"!!!!!!

- I would diplomatically refer them to a line manager for further clarification.!!- Could you demonstrate how you plan and something about the system that you use."!- I use Outlook Express, I find that it’s a par-ticularly useful business tool. I plan on a day to day basis as I work in a highly changeable environment. Maintaining long term objectives are important to me, so at the end of every

day I review how the actions taken during the day effect monthly targets.!!

- How do you react to change and could you give me an example."!

- Yes, I welcome change and it’s some-thing that happens

regularly in my current role. Recently, I had a client that kept changing the backend of their website specification. I had to alter manpower costs and as-sign daily tasks to my team. It

was very challenging but proved to be a successful project.!!

- Tell me a little about how you interact with your team."!I communicate using different methods de-pending on the situation, it could be face to face, email or phone. I ensure that my team has meeting before any tasks are started and this takes place regularly.!!This gives me an opportunity to discuss ob-jectives and provides an environment to dis-cuss any issues or concerns.!!- Can you demonstrate your ability to lead a team.

- My team is very important to me I rely on them and they rely on me. I lead by example, so I always set a standard. I do this because it creates a non negotiable level of productivi-ty which helps us all work towards common goals.!!- How would you define success?"!I measure success with the results achieved by the company and the productivity of my department. As a department I think that we are only as good as the last task completed. Historic reference of performance helps me to set my personal goals and for my team.!!- If you had a member of your team who was sick and you had an im-portant deadline, how would you cope?"!- If I was at team member down, planning would be critical as the deadline could be effected. I am a flexible manager who always maintains a high level of interac-tion. If such a situation occurred, I would expect more from my team and I am sure that they would adhere. I may introduce a non monetary incen-tive to help motivate them to achieve the end result.!!- Ok, lets turn to your strengths, what would you say they were?"!- I would have to say that planning is one of my main strengths. The process is very rewarding, espe-cially when results are achieved.!!- What about your weaknesses?"!- I have a high attention for detail, sometimes I have been known to check something more than nec-essary. I have recently attended an international time manage-ment course to address this.!!- If I asked you to name some of the quali-ties of a good manager, what would you say?"!! !

- Decisive, a good communicator, friendly but firm management style. Someone who is flexi-ble in approach and is team orientated.!!- Can I ask you what your salary require-ments are?"!- I am looking for a salary that reflects my ex-perience and my educational background.!!

- What hobbies and interests do you have?"!- I like keeping fit, I try to go bike riding at the weekends.!!

- How long have you been doing that?"!

- About 5 years.!!- Great, ok I would like to ask you about motivation, what motivates you?"!

- Professionally and personally, I am optimistic in nature. I find a

clients feedback the most rewarding part of a process. If they are happy they will return, spend more money with the company and ultimately pro-vide the company and me with more opportunity.!!- Thank you for coming in today, we have had a tremendous re-sponse for this position so we would appreciate your patience. "!We are holding second interviews within the next month and we will be notifying everyone shortly. Could I ask if you have any questions for me?"!- Yes, I read recently that your organi-sation promotes training, do you offer

this at all levels?!!- Yes we do, all our management positions are filled internally. It’s something we are very proud of as a company."!- Thank you!!- Your welcome, let me show you out."

Being friendly and approachable is a key trait, it demonstrates how a companies team dynamic will be effected by you joining their team. Ensure that you use your English language skills by using words, phrases and sentences that you are familiar with. This way you will be more comfortable with supporting them with a smile or eye contact. !!If you are concentrating too much by throwing big words around you will have bad use of intonation and probably not support them with any physical attribute.!!In these economic times it is difficult to just rely on your academic qualifications, someone who has the same level of qualifications as you do and provides the same answers as you do at an in-terview may get the job because their personality traits were simply better than yours.

The only way to improve this is by drawing some comparisons between your mother tongue and the English language. I would expect that their are similarities between how we react to a situation and by this I mean surprise, enthusiasm, humor etc.!!

This may sound obvious but it’s often omitted. The final ingredi-

ent to this is “practice”. !

Personality Traits

CIRCA"!This term is used to describe an approximate salary. It means that it’s at the discretion of a company to offer you what they think you are worth. It’s not all bad news though as they give you an approximate salary. So if a position is advertised at CIRCA 27k, then this will mean around this base figure.

The danger with this is that you could be wasting your time thinking that you will achieve the target figure when in actual fact the figure is much lower. There is really no way of really finding out until the interview process has been completed.

K"!A letter in the alphabet that has real significance when looking for a new position, this signifies the word thousand. So if a position is ad-vertised as 45k it means that the the salary is 45 thousand.

It’s quite common to find a fusion of terms so an advertisement could say 45k OTE 48k.

Basic"This refers to a fixed salary that is not influenced by a bonus structure. Usually you will find this word used in positions that have some sort of bonus structure attached to the salary.

Definitions !If you are looking for international posi-tions then it’s important to understand the following definitions:

O.T.E"!This means on target earnings. Usually your salary is linked to a form of bonus structure. If you meet the necessary targets then a bonus is applied to your basic or fixed salary.

Adverts for positions normally want to make the positions sound more attractive to candidates and this is a useful tool to attract those who are more sales orientated.

The only problem with these types of positions are that if targets are not met, your position is under threat no matter how hard you have worked. It’s worth noting that salaries tend to be lower in the form of a basic wage.

Usually employees who are attracted to these types of positions are know as good closers by this we mean that they have vast experience in achieving sales targets and so are used to working under these contractual terms.

If you are prone to the rewards that bonuses offer then you must be prepared to give more than is expected. Extra hours at work to achieve targets are a non negotiable standard that has to be adhered to.

!

www.one2oneacademy.com

“Proud to be different”