Corporate Tips + Higher Studies

*************************** How to approach task *********************

• Understand the problem
• Objective - what are we solving (core issue)
• What already exists in system
• Make flowchart (HLD) on how you will be approaching
• what columns to be added in DB
• what functions to be made
• Confirm it with seniors on validity of approach
• Always think all aspects first before asking or connecting with seniors
• Make adjustments accordingly
• Think from your perspective also → if things seem off → think & question it
• If solving A, creates new task B → first tell situation to seniors and ask how to proceed → maybe B can be assigned to others or to you
• Divide whole problem into chunks → solve it level wise
• If have dependency with sales team or others → after completion of each chunk ask for confirmation and adjust code accordingly after each level
• At each level, stick to DRY
• create functions wherever possible to reuse it in future
• If major changes needed → better to create separate file and import from there
• Keep descriptive names which help others to understand
• Write code keeping worst cases in mind
• Something obvious to you may not be obvious to others
• Test your code thoroughly + Look for edge cases at every line of code introduced
• Eg - (if system crashed after some steps) or (user switched off phone and didn't get update) → at the end, no inconsistency in data should be present
• After completion, do add comments like "discussed with akshay, blah blah...."
• Never believe in words → always keep in writing that discussed on this date with that person and signed off the task
• NOTE - It is my task to remind others about PR and connected unless fully deployed

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********************************** Tips **********************************

 Salary Negotiations - first understand trends and rough valuation for that role
₪ < 4 months of break => No need to justify --> just a normal career break is OK 
₪ > 4 months of break => you were upskilling / taking courses / health issues / working on                                              some idea --> basically doing to improve yourselves

1. What to ask
• Can I negotiate the offer ?
• Besides base pay, what are the other benefits ?
• What is the outlook for salary raises and promotions?
• What metrics does company use to evaluate success of an individual ?
2. What not to ask
• Don't start directly with salary and benefits ?
• Never say I am the best
• Never start sentence with "I want" 
• Never apologize for negotiations
• Be polite & humble when rejecting
3. Step - 1 => Remind your value
   Step - 2 =>Show you have done research and be confident
   Step - 3 => Don't disclose prev. salary + Use range for expected salary

Notice Period - amount of time I must inform company before ending agreement/leaving
₪ If 30 days notice period and I resign on 1 May → I have to work till May 31

₪ If new firm asks about notice period → my official notice period is 30 days but depending on how things progress in interview, I can resign and request for early release if needed

₪ Mostly firms prefer people who can join in 15-30 days time period

Resignation Tips - don't write email → preferred to talk out with manager first

₪ Be short and crisp + Don't do false praise + leave on good note (no badmouthing)

₪ Just convey that you are looking for new challenges & thankful for learning and experience in current firm

Documents needed after resigning and before joining new company

• Relieving letter - confirms that I have completed my notice period and officially relieved from all my duties → confirms no obligation pending on me
• Experience Letter - proof that I actually worked there
• Full and Final Settlement (FNF) Statement - breakdown of my final salary 
• shows any pending leaves/bonus/tax deduction
• cross check against last pay-slip
• Form 16-A - TDS summary issued at end of financial year
• Used to file ITR, claim refund or apply for loans
• Provident Fund Details - need to know my universal account number, contribution statements, withdrawal or transfer details bcz when join new firm → I need to withdraw or transfer my PF and for that exit must be updated correctly
• check Portal after 30 days of exit to ensure status is marked as "EXIT"
• No Objection Certificate (NOC) - confirms that no dues or tasks are pending 
• If handled sensitive data in firm → NOC adds legal safety if firm raise allegation
• Non Disclosure Agreement (NDA) - keep a copy of it bcz it helps to understand 
  post-exit obligations and avoid violating any terms unintentionally
• Ask for Employ Stock Options (ESOP) grant letter and vesting timeline

Important Timeline in Corporate

• Annual Appraisal Period (March-May) - promotions, salary hikes, role changes or internal recognition → all is decided in this period → managers gather data feedbacks and performance reports  → my visibility matters most in this time
• keep record of your work, start asking for feedbacks and show growth mindset
• keep track of numbers like how much revenue generated, % of efficiency improved, hours saved, etc.
• Best job switch period (Jan-Feb) - new budgets and hiring plans start in this period
• Q1 budget planning (Jan-March) - road map of year is designed, company set goals and allocate money → volunteer for new projects, show curiosity and pitch smart ideas
• Midyear review (June-July) - chance to correct mistakes before year ends
• ask for feedbacks, do self-review and request for checkpoint calls with manager
• Team reshuffle period (June-Aug) - time when people get promoted or laid off
• internal movements are easy as new managers come → new chances to grow
• try to accept projects out of comfort zone + start networking internally
• Bonus season (Dec-Feb) - bonus mostly based on performances from (April to Dec)
• Be proactive during meetings + Note all achievements
• Best vacation period (Nov-Dec) - plan leaves smartly by observing seniors, finish all major deliverables before mid November → can also use this time to upskill
• Financial year end (March) - everything gets measured → try to finish tasks with speed and precision + communicate status updates regularly + prioritize to close important tasks over new ones + DO NOT disappear even tired 🙃
• Audit season (Feb-April) - teams are asked for detailed data → sloppy documentation can affect reputation → maintain clean record from Day 1 + double check data entries, timelines and project files + keep communication trails clean
• End of Q4 wrap-up (Oct-Dec) - last chance to correct mistakes, do self-review and try to volunteer that others don't want → Don't burnout + maintain work-life balance

******************************************************************************************************* Corporate Terms ************************

• SLO (Service Level Objective) - internal reliability target that tech team aim to meet 
  → If breached, then team need to prioritize work → no direct penalty for customer
• SLA (Service Level Agreement) - external contract with customer that promise certain level of service → If breached, then may face financial penalty/legal action
• SLO is mostly stricter than SLA to ensure buffer zone → prevent breach contract
• Refactor - restructure existing code without changing its behavior to improve readability, performance and scalability → Eg: rename variables, remove duplication
• White box testing - software testing where tester has knowledge of internal workings, structure and code → white box bcz able to see inside software, like transparent glass
• Minimum Viable Product (MVP) - most basic version of product that delivers value to customer and provides feedback to company → best way to test idea and improve
• Two stages in the software design process -
• High-Level Design (HLD) / architectural design
• HLD provides an overview of the system architecture. It describes the system’s main components, their functionalities, and their interactions.
• It is more about the “what” - what are the main modules, what are their responsibilities, and what is the broad interaction between them.
• intended for stakeholders and non-technical personnel who need to understand the system’s architecture but not the implementation details
• Low-Level Design (LLD) / component-level design / module-level design
• LLD, on the other hand, provides a detailed view of the system design. It dives into the specifics of each module/component described in the HLD
• more about the “how” - how each module will work, how they will interact with each other, including detailed data flow diagrams, database design, etc.
• Intended for developers and technical personnel who will implement design

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****************************** Higher Studies *****************************

IELTS (International English Language Testing System) & TOEFL (Test of English as Foreign Language) → exams to measure English proficiency for non-native speakers

IELTS vs TOEFL

• TOEFL focus on academic American English mainly by North American university
• TOEFL takes 3hr 15min + results in 10 days
• Speaking test is on microphone + answers marked by AI & human reviewers
• Each section of 30 marks → Total 120 marks
• IELTS is widely accepted globally + uses mix of accents 
• IELTS takes 2hr 45min + results in 14 days
• Speaking test is face-to-face with examiner

IELTS Academic → helps to secure university acceptance and student visas → academic

IELTS General Training → measure English proficiency in workplace → immigration

IELTS Format → Online or Offline 

    - Score Range : Band 1 to 9

    - Test format : 4 sections → Listening, Writing, Reading and Speaking

    - Listening, Writing and Reading sections must be done on same day with no breaks

    - Speaking may be scheduled on same day/up to 7 days before or after other sections

LISTENING

    - Recordings: 4

    - Time: 40 mins         Questions: 40            

    - Format: 4 Sections with 10 questions each

    - Expect to answer MCQs, short answer questions + complete tasks based on recordings

WRITING

    - Task 1: Report Writing 20 mins (150 words) → describe some visual information in               your own words (a graph, table, chart or diagram)

    - Task 2: Essay Writing 40 mins (250 words)

    - Checks grammar, vocabulary, and coherence

READING

    - Passages: 3

    - Time: 60 mins            Questions: 40

      +1 for each correct (No negative marking)

    - Per Passage Length: around 800 words

SPEAKING

    - Format: In-Person Interview (with actual human)

    - Time: 11-14 mins

    - Part 1: Introduction & interview

    - Part 2: Cue Card → given any topic + guiding bullet points → 1 min to prepare + make        notes, then you have to speak on that topic for 1-2 minutes continuously

    - Part 3: Discussion

₪ preferred score for countries like Germany, Ireland - 6 or above

₪ For English native countries like USA, Canada, UK - 7 or above

₪ After completing IELTS test, you get Test Report Form (TRF) that contains your IELTS        score → valid for 2 years

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