Challenge

Corporate leaders recognize that market growth is dependent on customer-centric service delivery models which demand rapid delivery of high-quality software systems. However, there are no specific theories to measure the readiness of the organizations to adopt DevOps culture. Today’s customer has become smart, and Organizations are changing their stance for faster application delivery to live up to the customer expectations. But, organizations encountering with operations, process, and development, will in turn heap up challenges in terms of aligning with governance and strategy.        

Assessing success in a business context is acute, but because DevOps isn’t a formal framework, organizations can still have little way of guidance to assess its efficiency. But this can be a little delicate activity when organizations try to measure systems which are output-based or used on some metrics or methods that incentivize behaviors counter to a DevOps culture.       

Why DevOps?

So far it was assumed that DevOps isn’t easy and it can be a struggle to manage and implement it productively. Today there are several approaches made it easy for the organizations that are looking towards adopting DevOps. Through DevOps Assessments Program Organizations can identify, manage, and implement DevOps principles productively.  DevOps has demonstrated serious effectiveness for accelerating software development and rationalizing the interaction of operations and quality assurance (QA) departments. DevOps imposes demands that every organization needs to be ready to address.    

Opportunity

When adopting DevOps, organizations should consider new approaches identifying and implementing DevOps assessment program. Since DevOps is all about building a robust culture to enhance IT service deliveries, this will include deliberation for actionable metrics that are open, transparent and promote collaboration. DevOps is undoubtedly an extension of agile and lean principles. It is a revolution resulting in an evolution of agile that extends the practice of agile development for speedy delivery. From the formation of ideas or concepts to production and overcome the obstacles of the walls between operations, development, and business via co-operation & collaboration practices.    

Let us look at some assessments which help organization for DevOps Transformation

Assessment I: Does DevOps bring value to the business? 

Implementing DevOps practices will certainly bring value to the businesses as this can be a buying point where organizations are leaning towards implementation of DevOps. This is because the software development cycles take years of coding and testing before releasing their product and requires a lot of resources to bring the required output of a product. But, what if when sales are not guaranteed and issues such as defects and bugs are raised once the product is out. Such issues will definitely hit the success of the product and ROI.  This is where the implementation of DevOps principles can answer to the above-mentioned issues.

Assessment II: Is IT flexible enough to support DevOps?

When DevOps is included to a new development cycle, it works differently and supports the developers and Quality departments and drives the resources on a much faster schedule to test and support each new release. To make sure the process runs all smooth, IT Companies must install the latest versions of software releases on one or multiple servers in the data or cloud centers, and interconnecting storage, performance monitoring, supporting databases, and other resources.

The IT corporations should thoroughly evaluate the application requirements, and approve the infrastructure and servers, and perform the deployment for the approved product. Such firm processes work well when the organization's staff works on occasional software releases.

Assessment III: Is the company large enough for DevOps?

To implement DevOps principles an organization should be capable enough to support the processes, tools, and the resources to keep DevOps productive. Balancing the resources and demands of the project can be difficult for small businesses at the initial point. However, Small businesses can often outsource the application development or invest in applications like Salesforce rather than in-house CRM package.

Organizations with 50 to 250 may not be able to adopt DevOps principles. Whereas, Organizations with more than 1,000 employees may have more advantages.

Assessment IV: Knowing Organization’s DevOps strategy?

DevOps is a mix of people, tools, and processes. It is not an exercise or an event to implement it successfully with one software, tool or a plan taken out from a book.   

With a comprehensive DevOps assessment and supporting tools, organizations adopting DevOps can:

• Quickly measure and establish clear business terms with effective DevOps processes like continuous delivery and parallel development methods

• Support cross-functional teams around business value conception and continuous development

• identify capacity gaps and initiate the remediation policies to achieve targets and goals

• Eliminate existing practices that counter a strong DevOps culture to prevent the flow value to the businesses and customers

Conclusion

Every company has its own approach towards adopting DevOps and implementing.  Adjusting and adapting the people, tools and processes to meet the organization's unique goals is the main aim to adopt DevOps. In this process of adopting DevOps, hiring developers who are familiar with DevOps workflows & cycles, organize IT staff capable of accommodating dynamic release schedules, implementing a suite of tools facilitate collaboration between developers, QA, and IT and applying strong business management that can drive DevOps adoption.

Today’s corporates often evaluate DevOps potential and insert it by slow degrees, developing proficiency and skills with teams working on small and less prioritized projects. Then they steadily involve these skills and tools to work on critical projects over time to bring the overall success of the product or software.

For many businesses, phone plays major part in daily operations.  This is because businesses need them in order to call out and to be in contact with vendors, business associates, and

Clients or Customers are also valuable in any business; as they open a door of communication by allowing them to contact the business at any time during its hours of operation. As important as the phone is, it is just as essential that in every businesses you should know the difference between what is good and what is bad phone etiquette.

Everyone who are directly involved with people and phone should know and understand how they need to interact with clients and business associates over it. This will either portray them in a positive light or a negative one as it depends how good you take them. This may happen with the people who are bad phone or call etiquettes or who are poorly trained employees, managers, or business entrepreneurs. Telephone uses have an extreme negative effect on their businesses when they don’t handle the calls properly. For this reason, it is very important that every company should focus on training their associates properly on good and bad phone practices.

When Is A Call The Right Way To Communicate?

The method of communication should be direct and appropriate to the audience, nature and the situation of the message be very clear to the person on other side. As we are aware that a call is the best way to communicate whether it is personal, professional or a business calls. Other period your task will be best accomplished with an instant message or SMS. And, even sometimes email will also be the best way to go.

Do’s

• Make sure that all the attendees attend the business call on time, and if it conference call then they keep their personal gadgets on silence and be clear on the meeting.
• When answering your business phone it is essential that you pick it up in three rings.
• Advise your recruits that the second or third ring is the ideal time to pick up the telephone.
• The person who is allowed to answer the phone should start with a positive greeting such as “Good Morning,” “Hello,” or “Good Afternoon,” etc. Following the greeting the person should proceed by saying his or her name and the name of the business or organization that is being contacted.
• Put on a smile before placing or answering a phone call.
• For clearness, the telephone should be held a distance of two fingers from the mouth when it is a hand set.
• Speak in a clear tone using a mild voice which neither too loud nor too low. Words should be enunciated and maintain your pace that people are able to understand what is being said to them.
• Ask for permission when you add to put someone on hold, get the permission first and give him or her option to leave a voicemail message. When taking them off of hold thank the caller.
• When a caller is speaking, listen to what he or she has to say without interruptions.
• Always return phone calls when you have promised for a return call. If a time frame was given then the caller must make every attempt to return the phone call as quickly as possible within that time frame.
• While transferring the call, inform the people on other side about the transfer; it is also important to explain the need for the transfer.
• Before transferring a call, confirm with the person to whom the call is being transferred; and this person’s name should be given to the party who is being transferred.

Don’ts

• Wait for the person, who is answering the telephone as he or she should never answer on the first ring. So as callers do not expect this and will be taken off guard.
• Make sure that you are not on any activity while you are planning for business calls.
• Do not answer the phone when you are eating, chewing, or drinking.
• When on any emergency, and if you must leave the phone line, then never leave the line open; instead place the person on hold and check back with him or her frequently – preferably every 45 seconds.
• Never use the words like, “I don’t know” when talking with someone on the call. The ideal response to a question where there is not a definite answer is to say “I’ll check on that for you.”
• When talking to a client or a customer never say anything that can be taken as impoliteness. The person who answers the phone should always talk to the caller in the way that he or she would like someone to speak to them.
• Do not use slang when speaking to a caller. Swear words should be avoided, and may be illegal under certain circumstances, according to Federal law.
• Don’t even argue with a caller.
• Do not transfer a call without informing the person on the phone and asking permission to do so.
• When ending a phone call, do not hang up the phone without a positive closure such as “Thank you for calling,” or “Have a Good Day.”

Your CV plays a vital role in explaining you better without your presence. This is the first step that makes you through to reach the right door. Once your CV reaches out the right place it’s up to you to impress the recruiter and prove that you are really worth of the position offered. Here are the key points which will help you make good impression from the get-go.

What makes you visit this interview?

You need to be very active when you have this type of question asked. The interviewer wants to see how serious you are about this position and how good you have prepared yourself.  Research well before you hit the interview panel; your homework on the company will help you to stand out of the crowd. Be very clear why they need to get in to their company and the reason you are looking for new job should also be very impressive.

Why should I hire you?

This is the universal question asked by any interviewer. Before you starts explaining yourself list all your skills and how they will be directly applicable for the company if they pick you. Project your achievements from your previous employers, preferably quantified sales, and savings on paper clips. Do not focus on what you want to get out of this job you are interviewing for, as this should be only all about you and what they will get if they hire you.

Are you a Team Player?  

When you get this type of questions, you have to well prepare yourself and explain how well you can work with the team.  Elaborate yourself and give the best examples of your team achievements and recognition you have received. Tell how strong you are alone and how well you will be equipped when you are with a team as per requirements.

Why are you unique?

It’s the time you have to praise yourself before the interviewer. While doing that give specific examples that you have achieved greatness in the past and tell them if you have solved any serious issue for your company’s biggest client. Whatever nice and tangible achievement makes you special can be memorized and get ready to deliver it when prompted.  

What’s the best time to start?

This is the final question which gives you a hint that you are probably doing well. Be very clear and indicate how much you are expecting. So that the interviewer can calculate how much money they can make from you and when to begin doing so. Do not look so desperate, which will not help you any way. Indicate that you will be flexible and that there will be a way to work out both the financials and start date, should you get to that stage.

Finally, what is your experience of these five questions vs. small talk in interviews?

Stress in any and every organization has become common today, but excess stress can interfere your personal and professional life. This can be a cause to break down your professional network which will in fact impact on the productivity and spoil your physical and emotional health. Your ability to deal with it can mean out of the difference between success and failures.

It’s not in your hand to control everything at your workplace, but this doesn’t mean that you are powerless – when you are struck in any difficult situation. Finding ways to manage workplace stress or looking out to opt out of hat job will not be that helpful as it will give you temporary relief, but rather focusing on one thing will always be within your control.   

For workers anywhere, the financial system may feel like an emotional move with layoffs and budget cuts which result increased fear, insecurity, and high-level of stress.

Your emotions should be communicable as stress can impact the quality of your interactions with others and sometimes many people lose their prospects because of this. The better you manage your stress, the more you'll positively influence those around you, and the fewer others stress will negatively affect you.

Let us look at some more tips that will help you to come out of stress and help yourselves to grow professionally and personally.

How to Manage Job Stress   

There are many ways to reduce both your personal stress and the stress you get on the job side. They include:

• Take responsibility for improving your physical and emotional well-being
• Avoid pitfalls and stay away from negative attitudes which add stress to your work
• Improve your communication skills to ease and advance your relationships with the higher management and coworkers

Recognize warning signs of stress at workplace

When you feel stress at your workplace, you lose confidence and become irritable or introvert. This is the first reason which will make you less effective and less productive in your job. Thus, it also makes your work less rewarding. When you start ignoring the warning signs of stress at your workplace it leads to bigger problems. Chronic and intense stress can also lead to physical and emotional health problems.

Signs and symptoms of excessive stress at job  

• Feeling nervous, irritable, or depressed
• Indifference, loss of interest in work
• Trouble Focussed
• Muscle tension or headaches
• Stomach problems
• Social withdrawal

Common Causes of excessive Stress

• Fear of Being Laid Off
• Working for Overtimes Due to Staff Cutbacks
• Pressure to Meet Rising Expectations
• Increase in No Job Satisfaction
• Pressure to Work at Most Favorable Levels Every time

Improve your personal Life

When you are unable to manage stress at work, improve your personal life, as it adversely impacts your health and makes you stress-free. When your own needs are taken care of, you will be stronger and resilient to stress. The better you feel, the better you’ll be equipped to manage your work stress without becoming overwhelmed.  Taking care of yourself doesn’t mean that you overhaul your total lifestyle. Small to small things can lift up your mood, increase your liveliness, and make you feel that you’re back in the driver’s seat again.

Start your day with positives and always take things one step at a time, as this helps you to make more positive lifestyle choices, and you can soon notice a decline in your stress levels, both at home and at work. Get into regular exercise as it is the first stress burner; listen to good and soothing music, read good books, eat your favorite food which will not only increase your energy levels but help you to take the physical stress. To be positive in every situation is always suggestible by experts; so start adapting it. Break up your activities and do what you like most first, last but not least have a sound sleep as this will help you to wake up with a fresh mind and start your day with a refreshing way.

Prioritize & organize your tasks to cut down job stress

When your work and workplace stress threatens you, there are simple steps to regain control over yourself in some situations. Always be the first to adapt the ability to build a sense of self-control in stressful situations, as this will help you to be well-received by your managers, coworkers, and subordinates alike, and which also lead to good relationship building at your workplace.

Improve Emotional Intelligence

As we discussed, every job today is very stressful, retaining a large measure of self-control and self-confidence by learning and practicing emotional intelligence has also become very important in today’s lifestyle. Emotional intelligence is the skill which helps you to manage your emotions in positive and practical ways and use them properly. When it comes to love your work and increase the productivity, emotional intelligence matters just as much as intellectual ability. By adapting this skill you can communicate with others and draw people to you, one can easily overcome differences, fix wounded feelings, and learn how to defuse tension and stress.

Break your Bad Habits

Many of us take job stress and make their jobs worse with negative thoughts and behavior. Breaking out your stress at your workplace will never help you, but it makes your job more complicated. Thus to get rid of such situations one has to turn around these self-defeating habits so that you can very easily be able to handle the situations.  

No project, situation, or decision is ever perfect, so trying to achieve perfection on everything will just add needless pressure to your work and day. Setting unrealistic goals and struggling to reach them is setting you up to fall short. Always aim to do your best, so that no one will ask for more than that.

Be on time and do not run late, set your clocks and watches fast to give yourself extra time. Do not make your desk mess, throw away the clutter; and make sure that you are aware where everything is as it saves your time and cuts stress. Make to-do lists and plan your day to make feel less overwhelmed.

Learn how managers or employers can reduce job stress

The manager should play the major role as to keep stress levels in the workplace to a minimum. As they can act as positive role models, particularly in times of high stress. If the manager can remain calm in stressful situations, it is much easier for employees to also maintain their calm.

In addition, there will be many organizational changes that managers and employers can make to reduce stress in the workplace. That include:   

Improve Communication

Communicating effectively at work can help you to improve the teamwork; decision making will be easy with problem-solving techniques. That means not just by understanding the words or the information being communicated, you can also understand the emotions the speaker is trying to communicate within the group.

Consult your Employees

• Give workers opportunities to participate in decisions that affect their jobs.
• Consult employees about scheduling and work rules.
• Be sure the workload is suitable to employees’ abilities and resources; avoid unrealistic deadlines.
• Show that individual workers are valued.
• Offer rewards and incentives.
• Praise good work performance, both verbally and officially, through schemes such as Employee of the Month.
• Provide opportunities for career development.
• Promote an “entrepreneurial” work climate that gives employees more control over their work.

Develop a Friendly Social Climate

• Offer opportunities for social interaction among employees.
• Setting- up a zero-tolerance policy for harassment.
• Make management actions reliable with organizational values.

Lastly, always remember that Prevention is better than cure

When you begin on a job search or career change, having expert guidance will definitely help you to face the challenges with confidence. Building the relationship with your client and the candidate is the first step to any recruitment consultants today which leads to great heights. Recruitment is all about building the relationship with the recruiter, client, candidate and the recruiting staff.  When working with recruitment agencies you have to be proactive and collaborative as it gives you an automatic benefit in the job market. Here are some tips that help you to build a strong relationship with the recruitment firm that’s based on trust, respect, and confidence.

Understand the Industry

Before building the relationship with the consulting firms it is very important that you have to stand in the market as you’re the specialist in all specified industries. Make sure you’re signed up to industry-specific publications which will help you to know what’s happening in the wider market.

What makes you stand different?

Distinguish yourself. Carry out your ability that explains why you’re more competent than your peers. This sets you to stand apart from the hundreds of other job hunters. As a candidate this the way you need to develop your narrative; then it’s the job of the recruiter to grab you and sell you to prospective employers.

Transparency

Always maintain transparency and ensure that you share the complete details of yours and the positions you are looking in for. This helps the recruiters understand the opportunities that interest you.

Disclosure

Adopting an honest approach and disclosure of your employment history will allow your consultant to help you to land in a good workplace, as consultants are more likely to have a strong relationship with the hiring managers. The consultant can act as the ambassador for you when you are in need of exposing your resume; for example: if you have any gap in your employment history and you’ve appropriately disclosed possible issues, then consultants are the right contacts to influence the opinion of your hiring manager in your favor.

Interview preparation and debrief

Proceeding to an interview, the consultant will probably provide you with insight about the company, rounds that you have to face and the personality of the hiring manager. Make sure that you clarify everything before you attend the drive and ask your consultant for the information that demonstrates you about the employer. Remember, that a good candidate will always reflect well on the consultant also.

Once you are done with your interview, remember to call the consultant and share the details of what took place and what went wrong. By keeping your consultant informed, you’ll not only move forward positioning with their client but will also build a good relationship with them.