In Death, Ex-Dictator Elicits Grief and Tributes

SOLO, Indonesia — _ Former President Suharto was buried in a family tomb on a sacred hillside here on Monday, one day after his death in Jakarta, embraced by many as a great leader despite his reign as a brutal and corrupt dictator.

In a ceremony that mixed Javanese, Islamic and military traditions, his body was placed in a marble tomb in a family mausoleum, beside that of his wife, Siti Hartinah, who died in 1996, and those of three other relatives.

President Susilo Bambamb Yudhoyono and other leading figures attended the funeral, arriving here in central Java in a fleet of military aircraft.

Television stations maintained live coverage through much of Sunday afternoon and Monday, filling the pauses with sentimental documentaries that could have been filmed during his 32 years of strongman rule, one of them titled, “Farewell, Great General.”

Surging, shouting crowds had mobbed the ambulance that drove his body from a hospital to his home in central Jakarta, where he had lived since being ousted from power 10 years ago.

Mr. Yudhoyono, who like many of the country’s current leaders owes his career to Suharto, declared a week of mourning and addressed the nation in something close to a whisper.

“I invite all the people of Indonesia to pray that the deceased’s good deeds and dedication to the nation may be accepted by God the almighty,” he said. “Suharto has done a great service to the nation.”

He then joined mourners at Mr. Suharto’s home in central Jakarta, where the president was shown on television praying at the coffin, which was draped with a white sheet.

Mr. Suharto, 86, died Sunday after three weeks in the intensive care ward of a Jakarta hospital, where doctors said he had been suffering from multiple organ failure.

His long illness was the occasion for a national debate over his legacy and over calls to drop corruption charges against him, but the negative voices were mostly quiet on Sunday.

Mr. Suharto was ousted by a popular uprising in May 1998. He had brought his nation from poverty to development, but he was one of the most brutal dictators of his time, responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of people. The United Nations also lists him as the most corrupt leader of his time.

When his death was announced, as if fulfilling the predictions of mystics, wind and heavy rain lashed the hillside where he was to be buried.

“The tears of Indonesia are raining on me,” said an Indonesian photographer by telephone from the hillside.

Soon after that a small earthquake struck near Yogyakarta, close to Mr. Suharto’s birthplace.

The emotional heart of the day was the appearance at the hospital of Mr. Suharto’s oldest daughter, Siti Hardiyanti Rukmana, at a news conference where his death was announced.

Mr. Suharto’s chief doctor, Marjo Subiandono, spoke first, opening with a phrase from the Koran, “To God we belong, and to God we shall return.” He gave the time of death as 1:10 p.m.

Mr. Suharto’s daughter, known by her nickname, Tutut, wearing a black Muslim head scarf in mourning, took a microphone, leaned forward and coughed back tears before speaking.

“In the name of the family, I ask forgiveness for any mistakes my father made,” she said in a tiny, barely audible voice. “I hope his spirit is accepted by God.” Her pale face was a blur in the flashes of the cameras.

“I cannot bear the sadness,” she said, putting down the microphone.

Mr. Suharto’s six children are among the wealthiest people in Indonesia, accused along with their father of enriching themselves through graft and manipulated business deals.

At one point during Mr. Suharto’s illness, the attorney general was reported to have offered to settle the only outstanding corruption case against Mr. Suharto. But there were conflicting reports over whether the idea was initiated by the government or by his family.

The civil case, which seeks $1.4 billion in compensation for money said to have been stolen through a charitable foundation, could proceed against his heirs, said legal scholars quoted in the news media.

Mr. Suharto had avoided trial on corruption charges because his lawyers argued that a series of strokes had weakened his mind too much for him to participate.

He had spent the past decade living quietly, sidelined in the vigorous democracy that almost immediately filled the vacuum left after his downfall.

The decline of his health revived his place in the public eye and reinvigorated debate over his legacy.

Indonesia was transfixed by sometimes lurid daily reports of his fluctuating health —one day an “amazing recovery,” the next day “very critical.” As recently as Saturday, doctors were talking about the possibility of moving him from the intensive care unit and beginning rehabilitation exercises.

Alongside the coverage of high-ranking officials praying at his coffin on Sunday, television documentaries presented Mr. Suharto to the nation in a way that he had not been seen for a decade.

There he was, on one station after another, as he used to be: visiting farmers, catching a fish, playing golf, meeting foreign leaders, receiving applause — a benevolently smiling father figure.
By SETH MYDANS

A President Like My Father

OVER the years, I’ve been deeply moved by the people who’ve told me they wished they could feel inspired and hopeful about America the way people did when my father was president. This sense is even more profound today. That is why I am supporting a presidential candidate in the Democratic primaries, Barack Obama.

My reasons are patriotic, political and personal, and the three are intertwined. All my life, people have told me that my father changed their lives, that they got involved in public service or politics because he asked them to. And the generation he inspired has passed that spirit on to its children. I meet young people who were born long after John F. Kennedy was president, yet who ask me how to live out his ideals.

Sometimes it takes a while to recognize that someone has a special ability to get us to believe in ourselves, to tie that belief to our highest ideals and imagine that together we can do great things. In those rare moments, when such a person comes along, we need to put aside our plans and reach for what we know is possible.

We have that kind of opportunity with Senator Obama. It isn’t that the other candidates are not experienced or knowledgeable. But this year, that may not be enough. We need a change in the leadership of this country — just as we did in 1960.

Most of us would prefer to base our voting decision on policy differences. However, the candidates’ goals are similar. They have all laid out detailed plans on everything from strengthening our middle class to investing in early childhood education. So qualities of leadership, character and judgment play a larger role than usual.

Senator Obama has demonstrated these qualities throughout his more than two decades of public service, not just in the United States Senate but in Illinois, where he helped turn around struggling communities, taught constitutional law and was an elected state official for eight years. And Senator Obama is showing the same qualities today. He has built a movement that is changing the face of politics in this country, and he has demonstrated a special gift for inspiring young people — known for a willingness to volunteer, but an aversion to politics — to become engaged in the political process.

I have spent the past five years working in the New York City public schools and have three teenage children of my own. There is a generation coming of age that is hopeful, hard-working, innovative and imaginative. But too many of them are also hopeless, defeated and disengaged. As parents, we have a responsibility to help our children to believe in themselves and in their power to shape their future. Senator Obama is inspiring my children, my parents’ grandchildren, with that sense of possibility.

Senator Obama is running a dignified and honest campaign. He has spoken eloquently about the role of faith in his life, and opened a window into his character in two compelling books. And when it comes to judgment, Barack Obama made the right call on the most important issue of our time by opposing the war in Iraq from the beginning.

I want a president who understands that his responsibility is to articulate a vision and encourage others to achieve it; who holds himself, and those around him, to the highest ethical standards; who appeals to the hopes of those who still believe in the American Dream, and those around the world who still believe in the American ideal; and who can lift our spirits, and make us believe again that our country needs every one of us to get involved.

I have never had a president who inspired me the way people tell me that my father inspired them. But for the first time, I believe I have found the man who could be that president — not just for me, but for a new generation of Americans.
By CAROLINE KENNEDY

Suharto: Twilight of the God

The modern-day visitor to the thousand-year-old temple complex of Prambanan in central Java may be surprised by sculptures with a familiar face or, rather, a familiar smile. And suddenly comes the revelation: the slightly bemused yet severely serene expression on every face of the antique gods of Java, the heart of what has become Indonesia, was perfected by a 20th century general who would rule the country for more than 30 years, as if he himself were a god with the right to parcel out prosperity and peace, a heaven-sent arbiter of life and death. Even after he was forced to relinquish power, Suharto dwelt among his countrymen as if invulnerable to mortal retribution, as if Indonesia could not act against the man who was once its infallible, singular autocrat. When he died on Sunday, January 27 in Jakarta, at the age of 86, the islands of Indonesia shuddered.
The years since a popular uprising forced him to resign the presidency have not brought Indonesia quiet. The predominantly Muslim country's Islamic extremists, long repressed by Suharto's military, came roaring to life, some finding common cause with al-Qaeda, fomenting attacks not once but twice on Indonesia's paradaisical enclave of Bali — the last refuge of the islands' old Hindu gods.

Stability had been Suharto's gift to his country. He had come to power at the head of a junta of generals in 1965, overthrowing the country's flamboyant and charismatic first president, Sukarno, whose friendship with Beijing and predeliction for Communists in the government had brought the country to the brink of economic collapse and civil war. Ensconced in power, Suharto proceeded to purge the country of Communism and anyone suspected of Communist sympathy. No one knows how many died. One estimate has it at 500,000 — among them many Indonesians of Chinese descent. The Communist Party was outlawed and Indonesian citizens banned from having Chinese names.

The result was a cowed and pacified country ruled by a new President —Suharto — with a practiced beatific smile, anti-Communist credentials which a Cold War–obsessed America would reward, a secular philosophy that tamped down religious extremism, and a military that no one could question. He brought an end to the hyperinflation of Sukarno's reign and eradicated the country's widespread hunger by establishing Indonesian self-sufficiency in rice. Stability attracted billions of dollars in foreign investment. "Suharto built Indonesia and we have him to thank for modern buildings, ports and harbors," says Kuntoro Mangkusubroto, a former mines and energy minister under Suharto. "He has made mistakes, and there were consequences for many, but he used that centralistic form of government to build things as fast as possible."

But the new Indonesia also made it possible for a small group of Suharto family members and cronies to earn billions of dollars from monopolies on everything from cars to cloves. Foundations set set up during the New Order regime, as his reign was known, are alleged by anti-corruption watchdogs to have amassed billions of dollars. The Suharto family's wealth was estimated by TIME in 1999 at $15 billion. Transparency International, a group monitoring government corruption around the world, reported his personal wealth at closer to $35 billion.

Meanwhile, the regime brooked no opposition. Behind the President's smile were very sharp teeth. Student activists would vanish, dissident writers and journalists jailed. Thousands were killed in Aceh, where a separatist rebellion simmered for 29 years; and more than 200,000 are believed to have perished in East Timor after Indonesia invaded the tiny Portuguese enclave in 1975. (East Timor has since established its independence from Indonesia.)

But economic cataclysm struck in 1997 and, in spite of all of Suharto's soldiers and all of his money, Indonesia was inundated by the Asian financial crisis. Currency speculation had led to the collapse of Thailand's currency, which started a chain of events that swamped Indonesia's rupiah. The devaluation sent company profits dramatically downward; Jakarta's stock market crashed. Food prices spiked upwards, leading to rioting in the streets and the death of perhaps hundreds of people clamoring for food in the capital. The country's divisions re-emerged: Muslims vs. non-Muslims; Malay-Indonesians vs. Chinese-Indonesians; secular Muslims vs. orthodox Muslims. The ghosts of the old Indonesia that Suharto thought he had exorcised had returned to haunt the country.

Instability now led the repressed opposition to gain an audience not just with the besieged middle class but among the military and Suharto's own ruling Golkar party as well. He exacerbated the crisis by hubristically reminding the country of his mandate, running for reelection in March 1998 — unopposed, as was his practice. The country would have none of it. Once street demonstrations and riots started, Suharto could not stay in power without causing bloody chaos. He resigned in May 1998.

After the overthrow, Suharto spent most of his time living at home with his family in an upscale neighborhood in central Jakarta even as allegations of ill-gotten wealth percolated through the press. Citing declining health and diminished mental capacity, Suharto managed to stay out of court despite a 1998 legislative decree ordering an investigation in all corruption, collusion and nepotism charges involving Suharto. He was constantly in and out of hospitals after suffering strokes and undergoing kidney dialysis.

When it became clear that he would not survive the latest hospitalization, the new rulers of the archipelago came to pay homage and to pray for his recovery. The Golkar party, which Suharto founded and retains the largest bloc in parliament, called for all pending graft charges —pending for a decade now — be dropped. As the ex-strongman lay dying, the health minister instructed all hospitals to provide their best equipment to Pertamina hospital, where Suharto was being treated. But after three weeks, he died of multiple organ failure. He will be buried next to his wife in the central Java city of Solo. It is not clear what will happen to the civil suit brought against him by Indonesia's attorney general for allegedly siphoning off more than $1.4 billion from one of the many foundations set up during his rule.

An era of democracy has now replaced Suharto's despotic rule. And yet, he leaves behind an edifice as sturdy as that millennium-old temple in Prambanan. The way things are done in Indonesia is the system of patronage he set up and it remains firmly in place to this day.
With Howard Chua-Eoan/New York
By JASON TEDJASUKMANA/JAKARTA

Suharto was charming, but lethal

JAKARTA, Indonesia (CNN) -- Responsible for shaping modern Indonesia, Haji Muhammad Suharto was known as the "smiling general," but his legacy as one of the great Cold War era strongmen was built on corruption and a reign of violence that left hundreds of thousands dead.
He died on January 27 in hospital at the age of 86 after being treated for liver, heart and lung disease. He had been admitted to hospital on January 4 suffering from anemia.

He had already been weakened by strokes in recent years that gave him brain damage and impaired speech but prevented him from being put on trial.

Suharto rose to power by crushing an alleged communist uprising in 1965 after his political rivals were mysteriously eliminated.

His iron-fist rule went unchallenged until widespread protests in 1998, when his downfall ushered democracy into the world's fourth largest nation.

Born into a poor rice-farming family on Java island in 1921, Suharto received military training first in the Dutch colonial army and then in a collaborationist unit set up by Japanese occupiers in World War II.

He later joined the Indonesian army that resisted Dutch efforts to regain control over its former colony.

After Indonesia became independent in 1949, Suharto climbed the ranks as a favorite of founding President Sukarno, eventually becoming a five-star general.

A murky military rebellion in 1965 saw his fellow senior officers killed, allowing Suharto to assert his control of the armed forces before easing Sukarno from power.

It was during that period that Suharto embarked on a nationwide purge of alleged communists overseen by his powerful military. Human rights groups estimate anywhere between 500,000 to a million people were killed.

Although Indonesia is still struggling to come to terms with the bloodletting and graft of the Suharto era, many ordinary people also remember the drastic improvements in quality of life experienced under their "father of development."
Before financial meltdown put the brakes on the country's booming economy, Western-educated financial experts helped transform Indonesia from a Southeast Asian backwater into a key regional player, replete with gleaming skyscrapers and soaring toll roads.

But the price of success was high.

In 1975, his troops invaded the territory of East Timor -- with the tacit support of Western allies keen to prop up an anti-communist leader.

The ensuing occupation lasted more than two decades and killed more than 100,000 people, according to human rights groups. His aim was to keep the sprawling Indonesian archipelago together.

Separatist rebellions were quickly crushed, while democratic elections were rigged to re-elect Suharto year after year. Political opponents were routinely kidnapped and tortured.

As billions of dollars of foreign investment poured in to oil-rich Indonesia's transformed economy, huge sums were siphoned off by Suharto's cronies and family, who became lavish spenders in a poor country -- oblivious to growing resentment among its 210 million people.

The Asian financial crisis of 1997 plunged Indonesia into economic free fall and unleashed a wave of anti-Suharto violence. Students led a massive popular uprising, storming parliament, before the dictator finally stood down in May 1998.

In his final years, Suharto lived to witness the dismantling of his regime. Far-flung regions once subdued by force, erupted into violence. East Timor gained independence in 2002 and two years later Indonesians appointed their first democratically elected president.

Many hoped Suharto's wrongs would be exposed in court. Instead, his children were prosecuted. Tommy Suharto, the youngest and the most flamboyant, was jailed for corruption.

Suharto himself never stood trial. Indonesia's Supreme Court decreed that the former strongman, who suffered from strokes and heart problems in his final years, was permanently ill and unfit to stand trial.

Indonesian ex-dictator Suharto dies

JAKARTA, Indonesia (CNN) -- Former Indonesian dictator Suharto -- the "smiling general" who ruled his country with an iron fist for three decades -- died Sunday at a hospital in Jakarta, said his doctor. He was 86.
He was rushed to Pertamina Hospital on January 4 for treatment of a failing liver, heart and lungs, his doctors said.

He had been suffering at home for five days.

His death comes just a day after his doctors said he appeared to be making a remarkable recovery.
"My father passed away peacefully," cried Suharto's eldest daughter, Tutut, according to The Associated Press. "May God bless him and forgive all of his mistakes."

A week of national mourning was declared by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who is taking charge of a state funeral after Suharto's body is flown by Air Force planes to the family mausoleum.

In a televised address, Yudhoyono called on "the people of Indonesia to pay their last respects to one of Indonesia's best sons and national leader who has done very great service to his beloved nation."

Suharto, who, like other Indonesians, only has one name, was president of Indonesia from 1967 until he was forced to resign -- amid immense political pressure and mass street protests -- in 1998. Poor health kept him from court after he left office.

Suharto was vilified as one of the world's most brutal rulers and was accused of overseeing a reign of corruption and, later, economic decline.

Most of the political killings blamed on Suharto took place in the 1960s. Later about 300,000 people were killed, disappeared or jailed in the fight for independence in East Timor, Aceh and Papua, human rights groups and the United Nations say.

But he is also credited with shaping modern Indonesia, a mainly Muslim country of 235million people, by boosting its economy and making the sprawling archipelago a regional power.
"He was known as the smiling general. He could be very charming, but behind that smile was this streak of steel," said Richard Woolcott, Australia's former ambassador to Indonesia.

"In the short term, he'll probably be judged fairly harshly by Australian critics and others in the West, but in the longer term, I suspect historians will see his contributions to Indonesia in a very positive light," Woolcott told CNN.

But Jeffrey Winters, associate professor of political economy at Northwestern University, told AP corruption effectively robbed "Indonesia of some of the most golden decades, and its best opportunity to move from a poor to a middle class country."

"When Indonesia does finally go back and redo history, (its people) will realize that Suharto is responsible for some of the worst crimes against humanity in the 20th century," Winters added.

Starting a Small Business 101

Starting a small business requires determination, motivation, and know-how. Here's a list of available resources to provide you with the know-how to have a successful small business startup.

Identify Your Business Opportunity: Choosing what kind of business to start can be an immobilizing task when confronted with the multitude of opportunities. Here at About, we have identified the hottest business opportunities to give you a few ideas. It's important to determine where your passions lie and to understand your entrepreneurial personality type. So you think you have found the one business opportunity that will bring you freedom, fame, and plenty of profits? Does it meet the 8 simple rules?

Build a Business Plan: For the majority of start-ups, a business plan allows you to gain a better understanding of your industry structure, competitive landscape, and the capital requirements of starting a small business.

If business planning is beneficial, why do so few startups use business planning? Learn the critical steps to writing a business plan.

Name Your Business: What's in a business name? Everything and nothing. The right business name will help distinguish you from a sea of bland competitors, provide your customers with a reason to hire you, and aid in the branding of your company. Apply these 10 commandments when choosing a name for your business.

Choose a Business Structure: Find the best ownership structure for your small business. The most basic of all business legal structures is the sole proprietorship. Other possible structures include the popular limited liability company, a partnership, or an S corporation.

Register Your Business: Starting a small business requires the usual paperwork and regulations. Secretary of State offices register corporations, LLC's, partnerships, and articles of dissolution. Setting up your small business may require an employer identification number. The EIN is also used by state taxing authorities to identify businesses.

Find Start-up Money: Contrary to popular belief, most small business start-ups aren't funded by grants, venture capitalists, or banks. Your seed money will come from your personal savings, friends, family, and any other creative means such as bartering.

Determine Your Business Location: A 2001 Inc 500 survey revealed over 56% of the fastest growing companies were started at home. Discover what you need to make your home office design more productive. If home business isn't for you, learn how sharing office space can aid your startup. Don't forget to review the pros and cons of office space leasing vs. buying.

Get Business Insurance: As a new small business owner, you have the responsibility to manage the risks associated with your business. Don't put your new start-up at risk without getting the proper small business insurance to protect your company in the event of disaster or litigation.

Create an Accounting System: Unless you're a number person, the accounting and bookkeeping aspect of running your business can't be avoided. Setting up your accounting will help you understand the financials of running a business.
Darrell Zahorsky

The Key to Great Romantic Relationships

I've been engaged 3 times - only married once. The first time was to my high school sweetheart - a few short weeks before the ceremony - right before his college graduation - he broke my heart. He left me for another man. Uh-huh, you heard that right. Suffice it to say, we made our way back to each other six years later and have maintained a platonic friendship for many years (we send birthday and holiday cards to each other).

The second time was a rebound off of the previous situation - what was I thinking???

This time there was a wedding - and just as I was about to divorce the guy 2 years later, I found out that my marriage wasn’t legal to begin with - so I got an anullment for sixty bucks.

I spent the next 10 years of my life dating a few guys but I never felt empowered in my relationships with them. Right before I moved out west, I was dating a guy who was 20 years older than myself. One Sunday afternoon, he sat me on his knee (like a daughter) and gave me the talk that I wish my own father had given me around age 14 or so. He taught me what I needed to know about how men think and how to maintain my own standards and self-esteem regarding dating relationships. (By the way, he’s a published author on relationships).

Let me tell you, my whole world changed after that afternoon. I learned that I now had the key to attract the types of relationships I desire - be they of a personal or of a business nature. No longer did I feel like a victim of romantic circumstances! I felt like a caterpillar who had just metamorphed into a monarch butterfly. To this day, when I remember to follow this advice, things always turn out great.

When you truly understand and apply this key to great relationships, the world will treat YOU right.
Holly Stabin

Get an MIT or Yale Education Free

You can finally get that MIT, Yale, or University of Tokyo education you've always wanted without spending a cent. All it takes is an Internet-connected computer and a little familiarity with skills like downloading programs and unzipping files.

A growing number of universities are posting entire courses—often including audio or video lectures, notes, reading lists, homework assignments, and exams—on the Web. Professors won't grade the digital students' work, so the schools won't give credit. But you still get access to an elite education, and you don't even have to apply for admission. Now anyone can watch an MIT professor shoot a bullet in a Physics 1 course to demonstrate velocity or listen to a short Stanford course on the Future of the Internet. For the hundreds of online courses that just consist of notes and reading lists, your local public library can lend the books and articles you're "studying." While most of the courses are in English, there are a growing number of translation sites offering the materials in Chinese, Thai, Spanish, Portuguese, and other languages.

MIT has the most impressive catalog of online offerings, with several dozen complete college courses that can be found here. MIT has also posted reading lists and syllabuses for nearly every course it has offered in the past five years—about 1,800 classes. To get students ready for college, MIT this year even launched a sub-site aimed at high schoolers. It offers fun how-to courses on building stereo speakers and guitars as well as help for students taking AP science and math courses.

Yale earlier this month launched complete videotaped versions of seven of its most popular courses, including astronomy, poetry, philosophy, and psychology. The university plans to add at least 30 more of its courses to its new website.

The Open Coursework Consortium serves as a clearinghouse for dozens of free courses from the University of Notre Dame, Johns Hopkins, and many overseas schools. And those who speak languages other than English can visit the site to find out how to audit remotely college classes given in China, France, South Korea, Mexico, Japan, and other countries.
Kim Clark

Six Reasons to Make a Career Change

Should a Career Change Be in Your Future?
The average person can expect to change careers three to five times in his or her lifetime. One reason for all these career changes is that people often don't make informed choices. While making an informed decision regarding your career is a good way to help insure that the career you choose is right for you, it doesn't guarantee it. Even if you follow all the prescribed steps and choose a career that is right for you, it may not remain your best choice forever. Here are some reasons to consider leaving your current career for a new one.
You Should Consider a Career Change If ...
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."
The Job Outlook in Your Field Has Worsened: Things looked promising for your field when you entered it. Due to changes in technology, the economy, or the industry you work in, job opportunities are no longer plentiful. You should look for an occupation that has a better outlook.
You Are Experiencing Job Burnout:
Once upon a time you loved going to work everyday. You no longer feel that way. You can't stand doing your job anymore and changing employers hasn't helped. It could be time to find a career that will inspire you.
Your Job is Too Stressful:
Some occupations are inherently stressful. After a while the stress can become too much to handle. To preserve your mental and physical health, you may have to find a career that is less stressful.
You Find Your Work Boring:
When you did your initial research, the occupation you ultimately chose had a lot of advancement opportunities. Now that you've been working in that field, you've climbed as far up the ladder as you can go, and you miss the challenges you once faced. A career change can provide you with the challenge you crave.
You Want to Earn More Money:
You may be surprised to learn that money isn't at the top of the list when it comes to job satisfaction. Therefore, don't be surprised if a career that will bring you higher earnings isn't one you will find particularly satisfying. That said, if other reasons are leading you to consider a career change, higher earnings should be something you consider when you choose a new career.
Dawn Rosenberg McKay.

Behavioral Interviewing - Tips for Candidates
Behavioral interviewing (or behavioral event interviewing, BEI) is a standardized method of interviewing designed to measure how you will perform on the job. The principle behind the technique is the belief that the best indicator of future behavior is past behavior.

The Traditional Interview

In a traditional job interview, the interviewer will run through the applicant's resume using open-ended questions to gain more information. Many of the questions a job applicant will be asked can be anticipated in their own mind beforehand. For example:

Tell me more about your last job?
Why did you leave your last job?
Why are you interested in this job?
Behavioral Interviewing

During a behavioral interview, you will be asked a series of standardized questions designed to get you to talk about how you handled or responded to certain situations in the past. With each answer, you'll be expected to describe situations from your past and your feelings and observations about them. The interviewer will use this information to assess your proficiency in one or more job-related areas, which may include anything from adaptability to leadership to problem solving.

Behavioral questions may be 'dropped' into a 'chatty interview' or you may be formally required to answer a set list. You can expect interviewers to have several follow up questions and probe for details that explore all aspects of a given situation or experience.

What are the questions like?

Behavioral questions usually begin with a statement like: 'Tell me about a time when...' or 'Can you a describe a situation where...'.

The following are some examples of typical behavioral questions and the competencies they demonstrate:

Describe a difficult problem that you tried to solve. How did you identify the problem? How did you go about trying to solve it? (Demonstrates problem solving)
Describe a time when you tried to persuade another person to do something that they were not very willing to do. (Demonstrates leadership)
Describe a time when you decided on your own that something needed to be done, and you took on the task to get it done. (Demonstrates initiative)

Preparation Tips for a Behavioral Interview
Preparing for a behavior based interview can be daunting. Here are some tips to get started:

Be familiar with the job for which you're being interviewed. Read the advertisement or job description to identify which personal attributes and behaviors are likely to be key success factors for the role. For Client interviews it is advised that you research the company's website and any external information about them from business directories etc.

Make a note of two or three examples for each personal attribute that will best illustrate your suitability - you may want to bring these into the interview with you as prompts. Remember that different companies and industries may require different personal attributes, even for the same position.

For example, 'self-managing' can mean very different things to different companies.

Be able to draw from a variety of experiences that demonstrate your skills and abilities. A good story can also combine work experience with a non-work experience (shows you can use the skill in a variety of settings). Examples may be from your work experience, your personal life or some social or other situation. Of course a unique work situation story (unless otherwise specifically requested) should take priority. Be as open, expressive and succinct as possible about each experience.

Let others help you out - use examples of quotes from bosses or customers, i.e., "My boss gave me a good performance review, they liked the way I stepped in to get the job done without being told to." This demonstrates your willingness to accept contribution, your flexibility and teamwork skills.

Think 'STAR' - Situation or Task, Action and Result. There are several variations of this acronym in the recruiting industry, but all of them are intended to provide structure and focus to your answers. When asked about a type of situation, the interviewer is looking at how you responded to it by via a specific example. Using the STAR model you would break your answer into the three segments of; description of the task, then the action you took, and the final measurable result.

This makes it easier for the interviewer to visualize and record your specific behavioral responses to specific events and so gain the best impression of your potential future performance. Prepare at least one STAR response for each personal attribute you may be questioned on. Make sure you don't use the same example for all the attributes.

Use recent examples. As you will be probed for detail around the situation, it is better to use events in the last 12-18 months as the detail will be clearer in your mind. Be specific as possible about your contribution and the quantitative results achieved. Specific absolute or relative (%) gains in areas such as cost or time savings will give you the interviewer a clearer picture of your abilities. If specific measurable results don't apply to your example, you might explain how it streamlined processes, empowered others or resolved communication or productivity issues.

Practice telling your stories until they are vivid and concise, one to three minutes long. An interview can be likened to a marketing activity, where you are the brand. You will only get an interview because your resume and past roles suggest that you have the appropriate technical skills set (your attributes). Often what separates you from the other candidates at the interview stage is the interviewer's belief in how you will fit into the company's culture and specific IT team (your personal benefits).
Remember, you are selling your technical AND personal skills. Being able to communicate your adaptability and relatedness at an interview is essential to becoming the leading candidate. This 'story telling practice' is an important preparation tool to assist you in creating a natural flow to your stories so that the interviewer can focus on your potential benefit to the client.

Ask to come back to the question. If you are stuck for an answer to a particular question, it is reasonable to ask the interviewer if you may move on to the next one and you'll come back it.

More Sample Interview Questions:

Think of a problem person you had to deal with, describe the situation and tell me how you handled it.
Describe a situation in which you felt it was necessary to break company policy or alter procedures to get things done.
Can you give me an example of when you came up with a clever way to motivate someone?
Tell me about an important goal you've set in the past and how you accomplished it.
The following is a list of typical questions that you may be asked at a BEI Interview. Do not attempt to learn answers off by rote but be prepared for these types of questions, usually (but not always) mixed in with technical ones.

Think of a problem person you had to deal with, describe the situation and tell me how you handled it.

Give me an example of a colleague/ vendor/ customer who was hard to communicate with and tell me how you handled it.
Describe a situation in which you felt it was necessary to break company policy or alter procedures to get things done.
Give me a general description of your responsibilities in your current or last job.
Tell me about something you've done in your job that was creative. Think of a specific example. Tell me exactly how you handled it.
Tell me about a time you made a quick decision you were proud of.
Tell me about an important goal you've set in the past and how you accomplished it.
Do you know the expression 'to roll with the punches'? Tell me about a time when you had to do that.
When you had to do a job that was particularly uninteresting, how did you deal with it?
Tell me about a time when an upper level decision of policy change held up your work. How did you handle it?
Describe a situation in your last job where you could structure your own work schedule. What did you do?
Tell me about a time when you've stuck to company policy or procedure, when it might have been easier and more effective not to.
Think about a problem you might have had in being decisive, and tell me how you handled it.
Describe a time when you had to communicate some unpleasant feelings to a supervisor.
What's been your experience of dealing with poor performance of subordinates? Provide an example.
In your current position, what sort of decisions do you make without consulting your boss?
Can you think of any major obstacles you had to overcome in your last job? How did you deal with them?
What types of things have made you angry, and how did you react to those situations?
You've told me a lot of your strengths for this job. But I need to get a balanced picture and get some knowledge of where you might need some improvement. Describe for me a time when you made a mistake that illustrates your need to for improvement.
This guide was created to maximize your effectiveness at a behavioral interview to ensure that your skills are clearly communicated. We wish you well in utilizing this information and your ensuing successes!
Bruce Dwyer

BEST CAREERS

Best Careers for a Changing Job Landscape

It has only been a year since U.S. News published Best Careers 2007, yet much has changed. As a result, in Best Careers 2008, we've dropped five of the 25 profiled careers and added 11 new ones.

We've also added a new section on Ahead-of-the-Curve Careers. These 12 careers are too nascent or narrow to justify inclusion as a Best Career, but they are currently viable and promise to grow further in demand and importance to society. If you'd enjoy being on the cutting edge, they're certainly worth a look.

The factors that prompted changes in the list of Best Careers have implications for all career seekers. Here is a glance at some trends and a word on how to search for your best career:

Even college grads might want to consider blue-collar careers. Last year, because U.S. News readers tend to be college educated, we included only careers that typically require at least a bachelor's degree. This year we've added four careers that don't. Why? More and more students are graduating from college at the same time that employers are offshoring more professional jobs. So, many holders of a bachelor's degree are having trouble finding jobs that require college-graduate skills. Meanwhile, society has been telling high school students that college is the way, so there's an accelerating shortage of skilled people in jobs that don't require college. (Why else do you think you have to pay $100 an hour for a plumber?)

The four noncollege careers we added would be rewarding even to many college graduates, especially because college grads are likely to stand out against the competition. Those added careers are: biomedical equipment technician, firefighter, hairstylist/cosmetologist, and locksmith/security system technician. Other skilled blue-collar careers that scored well on our selection criteria: machinist (manufacturers report a shortage), nuclear plant technician (few people are entering the field, yet plans are on the books for building more plants), and electrician/electronics tech (above-average pay, and it's easier on the body than many other blue-collar careers). The takeaway: Many college graduates should consider skilled-trade careers.

Government is becoming an employer of choice. Corporations, fueled by pressures to compete globally, continue to get ever leaner. Nonprofits are increasingly strapped because of donor fatigue and continued scandals. Government, beneficiary of increased tax revenues in good times and often able to raise taxes in bad times, has the luxury of continually paying employees well, whether it's an economically sound practice or not. As the last bastion of job security, government offers good pay, ample sick days, holidays, vacation days, health insurance, and retirement benefits. With signs pointing to the Democrats taking control of the White House plus both houses of Congress, government hiring of nonmilitary personnel can be expected to increase. So, we have added government manager to the list of Best Careers.

Consider a career's resistance to offshoring. Well-publicized failures of offshoring may have led the public to think that companies are reducing its use. In fact, companies are quietly increasing offshoring efforts, even jobs previously considered to be better left in the United States: innovation and marketing research, for example. So, we have added offshore resistance to the criteria we used in selecting the Best Careers. Offshore resistance was one of the factors that led to adding these careers to this year's list: curriculum/training specialist, genetic counselor, ghostwriter, investment banker, mediator, and usability/user experience specialist.

Status may be the enemy of contentment. It seems the pursuit of status is greater than ever. People are flocking in greater numbers to such careers as medical research, medicine, and architecture. Yet recent surveys and other indicators of job satisfaction in those professions paint a less-than-rosy picture. So, we've added those three careers to our list of Most Overrated Careers, which includes other high-status but often unrewarding careers such as attorney and chef.

A list of careers is a great place to start. We've tried to identify careers likely to be enjoyable to many people and to write short profiles that will give you a real feel for what each career is like. But these profiles, like any, should be only a starting place for your career search. If a career's profile appeals, read the recommended website or book.

If the career still turns you on, visit a few people in the career to get a balanced view. Ask questions like: "Would you walk me through your career from the moment you chose it up to today? What's good and bad about the career that might not appear in print? In the end, what ends up being key to being good at this career? Why do people leave this career?"

Next, browse textbooks used in training for this career. Would you be good at that stuff? Finally, volunteer to work alongside someone in this career for at least a week. If you're still excited, you've probably found a career in which you'll be happy and successful. Congratulations.
By Marty Nemko