How many of you have :

1. Go to a meeting and realise that you’re there for your ears and eyes only, and not your mouth.
2. Go to a meeting and after a long brainstorming, resolves nothing.
3. Go to a meeting and realize that the people that really understand the subjects are not invited.

Well, can I be blamed if I go late to a meeting and leave early? But, I’m not late, I’m living in soft time.

“soft time”, a term that has been coined to describe the thinking of a cell-phone user who calls at 8:20 to say he will be late for the 8:30 meeting, arrives at 8:45, and considers himself on time because he called ahead.

So, rubber-watch Indonesian out there, welcome to the “soft time” zone.

There’s a lot of things that you must do before your big interview to make a good impression. Yahoo! hotjobs compiles seven of them, including :

Find out what keeps the Boss up at night. Do your homework so you understand not only the job or promotion for which you are applying, but also the job of the senior executive above it. Do you know to whom this person reports, and what the top issues are for your boss’s boss? Tip: Make that knowledge part of your interview conversation. Show an interest not only in the specifics of the job, but in the product and markets for that company. Ask broad questions: “What do you think the potential growth in the Indian market is?”

If you want to get that big job, you must also thinking big. A different interview that you offer could be the decisive factor between a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ decision.

7 Things You must Do in an Interview. [via Yahoo! hotjobs]

When an employee wait a long enough time for a promotion, he/she may recalculate his/her chances on getting one. Some points to consider including :

Are you friends with your boss? The hardest workers don’t get promoted. The most likable people get promoted. Here is the big test for you: Did that sentence make you angry? You lose one point. That’s because you are wishing that you did not have to be likable and you are mad that people who work less than you do get promoted ahead of you. If the sentence did not piss you off, then you are in good shape. But maybe you should work a little less and do office politics a little more. This is not obnoxious advice because office politics is about being nice.

Other questions to consider as follows :

• Are you working on high-profile projects?
• Are you paid at the high end of the range for your position?
• Do you work fewer hours than everyone else?
• Do you feel like you are due a promotion because of your experience?

Will you get promoted? [via Brazen Careerist]