Best printers for Home

Best Mixer Grinder

Best wired Earphones

Best 43 Inch TV in India

Best Wi Fi Routers

Best Home Theatre in India

Smart Watch under 5000

Best Laptops for Education

Best Laptop for Students

<ul><li><strong><keyword id="6355629" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="google" source="Orion">Google</keyword> has introduced a new tool that will help you prepare for a job interview.</strong></li><li><strong>Google’s Interview Warmup uses AI to review your answers and help you improve them</strong></li><li><strong>Here’s how the Interview Warmup tool from Google works.</strong></li></ul>Going through a job interview is a hectic process and if you are a fresher or are looking for a job after a long time, you are likely out of practice and need to prepare yourself well for the interview as it is one of the most important stages of a job process.<br /><br />Google has announced an Interview Warmup tool that will help you practise for a job interview while getting suggestions from an AI developed by the search giant.<br /><br />“Preparing for interviews will always take a lot of work, but we hope this tool can make it a little easier for anyone to become more confident and grow comfortable with interviewing,” Google said in a <a href="https://blog.google/outreach-initiatives/grow-with-google/interview-warmup/">blog post</a>.<br /><cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Here’s how Google’s Interview Warmup tool works" comment="subhead" text="Here’s how Google’s Interview Warmup tool works"><span data-til="noop">Here’s how Google’s Interview Warmup tool works</span></cmsannotation><br />The Interview Warmup tool from Google consists of various job fields and you can select the appropriate job field based on your profile.<br /><br /><div type="image" title="Capture" msid="91977385" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;The job fields currently offered.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div><br />Once you select the job field, the tool will ask you five questions and you will be able to answer either using your microphone or your keyboard. If you use a microphone, the answer will be transcribed in real time.<br /><br />The questions will be selected from a series of questions prepared by industry experts and are aimed at simulating real-life scenarios.<br /><br />Once you have answered the question, the AI will analyse the answer and will help you understand the job-related terms, most-used words and talking points from your answer.<br /><br />The questions asked by the tool are of three types – Background questions, situational questions and technical questions.<br /><br />While the tool will not provide you with ratings or alternate answers, you will be able to improve your answers based on the insights provided by the tool.<br /><br /><strong>SEE ALSO:<br /><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/the-indian-government-may-soon-have-more-control-over-how-social-media-companies-moderate-content-and-block-users/articleshow/91959142.cms">The Indian government may soon have more control over how social media companies moderate content and block users</a><br /><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/new-vpn-rules-expressvpn-removes-its-servers-from-india-other-companies-may-pull-out-too/articleshow/91959389.cms">New VPN rules: ExpressVPN removes its servers from India, other companies may pull out too</a><br /><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/news/top-selling-cars-in-india-in-may-2022-maruti-tata-and-hyundai-cars-in-top-10/slidelist/91956448.cms">6 out of 10 top selling cars in India in May 2022 are from Maruti Suzuki</a></strong><br />

Here’s how you can use Google’s Interview Warmup tool to prepare for job interviews

<br />
If you are a final year student, welcome to the season of madness that has descended on your campus. Whether in class or canteen, the conversation revolves around placements. Which firms have come? Who has been shortlisted?<br />
<br /> Who messed up the <keyword id="28970" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="100" keywordseo="interview">interview</keyword>? You are unsure about your own choices and goals as you are caught in the herd mentality. You are overwhelmed by the family’s and your own expectations as <keyword id="343" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="40" keywordseo="Friends">friends</keyword> get job offers while you don’t. The only cure for this chaos is to prepare well for your interview. Here’s how.<br />
<br />
<strong>1. Focus on the basics</strong><br />
<br />
Spend at least 100 hours in perfecting your resume, as well as the profile in the placement brochure and on your college website. Create multiple versions of your CV for different roles that you are interested in.<br />
<br /> Invite comments on it from friends, both students and working professionals. Exercise your judgement and decide which inputs are worth incorporating. Get written references and recommendations from ex-employers if you have prior work experience. Clean up your Facebook and <keyword id="28120" type="CITY" weightage="40" keywordseo="Linkedin">LinkedIn</keyword> accounts to remove unseemly pictures and distracting content. Practise for written tests and group discussions if these are part of the standard placement process on your campus.<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>2. Customise content</strong><br />
<br />
Next, go through the placement committee rules for your batch and analyse how these affect your choices. Whenever a new vacancy is announced, understand the job description thoroughly before submitting a customised resume.<br />
<br />
Conduct detailed research on the firm that is advertising, its hiring record for previous years, and the nature of interviews it conducts. Go through its website and related news articles. Speak to the employees of the firm, especially the alumni who were hired the previous year. Make it a point to attend its pre-placement talk on your campus and ask questions to clarify your doubts.<br />
<br />
<strong>3. Build the foundation</strong><br />
<br />
Since your resume gets you shortlisted for an interview, mastering it becomes the first step in your preparation. Be ready to answer standard questions on each sentence in your CV. You should be able to describe your major achie vements and projects in two minutes, or analyse it over an hour as the interviewer chooses. Next, download at least a hundred typical interview questions—tell me about yourself; why should we hire you?; what makes you a <keyword id="353803" type="POSITION" weightage="40" keywordseo="good-consultant">good consultant</keyword> or <keyword id="73301" type="POSITION" weightage="40" keywordseo="Salesman">salesman</keyword>?—from the Internet.<br />
<br />
All campus interview questions can be classified into six buckets, namely work experience, education, technical skills, problemsolving skills, personal goals and behaviour.<br />
<br />
Prepare in a way that you are able to confidently handle a two-hour interview in any category. The first three sets are the easiest and relate to what you already know. Problem-solving skills may include case interviews or application-oriented questions, which require you to practise beforehand.<br />
<br />
The last two types are typically open-ended questions that help employers get a complete picture of you as a person. There are no right or wrong answers to personal preferences or behavioural questions that test your responses to hypothetical situations. The replies reflect your maturity, value system and emotional stability— key components of successful professionals.<br />
<br />
<strong>4. Sell like a professional</strong><br />
<br />
The best prepared answers will get you nowhere if you are unable to present them well. The first step to good communication is to learn how to listen.<br />
<br />
Understand what the interviewer really wants to know and do not interrupt him while he is speaking. Seek clarification if you are not sure about the question. During your preparation, practise speaking slowly, clearly and with a neutral accent. Rehearse and perfect your delivery in front of a mirror or a video camera. Thereafter, involve your friends and family to conduct mock interviews for you.<br />
<br />
Analyse their criticism to understand what works in conveying the right message. Eliminate unconscious fillers from your speech like ‘uhhs’ and ‘umms’, which reflect poor verbal skills. Remember that non-verbal communication, including your appearance, body movement, tone and volume of your voice contribute significantly to the overall impact of your words. Show enthusiasm in your attitude, be willing to admit mistakes and do not use colloquial or insulting words in the interview.<br />
<br />
<strong>5. Control the interview</strong><br />
<br />
An ideal interview is the one where the interviewer asks questions on your areas of strength. The best candidates are able to create such situations by controlling the interview process. This requires considerable planning and practise. To do so, make sure that your response to each question contains a hook that makes the interviewer curious and encourages him to ask a follow-up question for which you are wellprepared.<br />
<br />
For instance, a statement like, ‘my biggest strength is my ability to resolve conflicts in a team’ will invariably lead to the question, ‘can you share a couple of examples?’<br />
<br /> Use this technique during mock interviews to finetune your strategy. If the interviewer is going off track, ask a job-related question like, ‘is knowledge of <keyword id="6383566" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Taxation">taxation</keyword> the most important component of this job?’ Listen to the reply and respond with examples that demonstrate your expertise in taxation.<br />
<br />
<strong>6. Get a better deal</strong><br />
<br />
Once you get a job offer, should you negotiate and, if yes, how? If you are desperate for a job, negotiation is usually a bad idea since you have poor bargaining power and the employer may choose someone else.<br />
<br />
However, if you have prior work experience and are being evaluated as a lateral hire, explore a better deal. Most employers will be ready to discuss your perspective on the value that your past experience will add to the new job. You can haggle past a fixed salary band by exploring options like a sign-on bonus or higher performance pay.<br />
<br />

6 Tips To Score Big In Campus Interviews

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image"></div><p></p></div></div>Last night Sir David Ormand, former director of the intelligence and security organisation GCHQ, stormed out of a live Channel 4 interview while discussing the way spies used private companies to gather information on British citizens.</p>
<p>Ormand, who's held numerous high-ranking positions in defence and government, was <a href="http://www.channel4.com/news/spy-cable-revealed-how-telecoms-firm-worked-with-gchq">debating on Channel 4 News</a> the legality of telecoms company Cable &amp; Wireless, bought by Vodafone in 2012, provided data from millions of internet users worldwide to GCHQ, the <keyword id="6354868" type="COUNTRY" weightage="100" keywordseo="UK">UK</keyword>'s central security listening post. </p>
<p>Ormand was grilled by Channel 4 presenter John Snow, who was hosting a discussion that included German Green Party MP Florian Konstantin.</p>
<p>First, Ormand gets flustered as he answers questions on the <a href="http://www.channel4.com/news/spy-cable-revealed-how-telecoms-firm-worked-with-gchq">investigation</a>, which stems from whistleblower <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/snowden-took-as-many-as-200000-nsa-documents-2013-11">Edward Snowden's leaked documents. </a>Those files show GCHQ formed partnerships - under codenames - with the likes of Cable &amp; Wireless and other communications operators. Channel 4 says it was all part of a spy programme called "Mastering the Internet". </p>
<p><span>But after Ormand hurriedly says his piece, he announces he has to catch a train and darts away from the outdoor set, yaking out his earpiece as he leaves. <br /></span></p>
<h3>Off he goes: </h3>
<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"></div><p></p></div></div></p>
<p>The relationship between telecoms companies and GCHQ is under perpetual scrutiny. It's said British spies for years made use of a transatlantic cables, owned by Indian telecoms company Reliance Communications, which ran from Asia, through the Middle East, arriving in the UK at a rural Cornish farm.</p>
<p>Apparently, security personnel from GCHQ were allowed to access information passed through it, and sent it on to a base in Bude, in the north of Cornwall.  <a href="http://www.channel4.com/news/spy-cable-revealed-how-telecoms-firm-worked-with-gchq">Channel 4 explains</a> it hasn't been able to establish whether Reliance Communications was served with a warrant to authorise the practises. Apparently, GCHQ planned to take a trillion gigabytes of data per second.</p>
<p>The deal alegedly existed until April 2013, but Vodafone claims it never gave GCHQ direct access to its network. Vodafone is particularly under fire due to <a href="http://www.channel4.com/news/nsa-spying-usa-germany-merkel-protest-edward-snowden">allegations German Chancellor Angela Merkel's phone was intercepted</a>. </p>
<h3>Here's the full interview: </h3>
<div><biembeddedobject id="6dbd1bb0-8a26-42aa-c1a2-6511e010438c"></biembeddedobject></div>
<p class="embed-spacer"></p>

Watch Britain's Former Top Spy Storm Out Of An Interview About Phonetapping British Citizens

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="11893879" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="ray-dalio" source="Orion">Ray Dalio</keyword> discussed the stock-market correction, <keyword id="11893898" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="crypto" source="Orion">crypto</keyword> risks, and the dangers of holding cash.</li><li>The investor warned the days of easy money, loose monetary policy, and low inflation are over.</li></ul><p>Ray Dalio warned investors the days of easy money are over, asserted the cryptocurrency craze is overblown, and urged investors not to hold cash in a <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2022-02-03/the-david-rubenstein-show-bridgewater-s-ray-dalio?srnd=peer-to-peer">recent episode</a> of Bloomberg's "The David Rubenstein Show."</p><p>Dalio is the billionaire founder and co-chief investor of <keyword id="11893880" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="bridgewater-associates" source="Orion">Bridgewater Associates</keyword>, the world's largest hedge fund with about $150 billion in assets under management. He blamed the <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/etf/spy-etf-had-its-worst-investor-exit-in-january-qqq-2022-2">recent stock-market downturn</a> on the <keyword id="11895523" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="federal-reserve" source="Orion">Federal Reserve</keyword>'s plan to curb inflation by <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/federal-reserve-interest-rate-outlook-balance-sheet-reduction-goldman-sachs-2022-1">hiking interest rates</a> this year.</p><p>Higher rates will make borrowing more expensive, and reduce the present value of future cash flows, Dalio noted. Asset prices have dropped as investors face an era of tighter fiscal and monetary policies, he added.</p><p>"The easy days where they dump money on you, and you don't have much inflation, and you don't have much tightness — those have passed," he said.</p><p>Dalio <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/currencies/ray-dalio-bitcoin-portfolio-bridgewater-inflation-hedge-gold-cash-2022-1">confirmed</a> in the interview that crypto makes up a "tiny percentage" of his portfolio. However, he warned the digital coins are vulnerable, trackable, and will probably be banned by several governments.</p><p>The hedge fund manager added that the token craze is overblown given the size of the asset class. "Too much attention has been spent on crypto," he said.</p><p>Still, Dalio predicted that people would increasingly question what they should use as a medium of exchange and store of wealth. Traditional currencies would face more competition from digital versions and other rivals, he said.</p><p>The billionaire also offered some personal-finance advice. He recommended people live within their means, work out how much money they need to care for themselves and their families, double that target in case their investments tank in value, and start saving.</p><p>He also advised building a portfolio that's diversified across asset classes and countries. Moreover, he echoed his signature warning that "<a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/i-still-think-cash-trash-ray-dalio-dismissed-dollars-reddit-2020-4-1029079224">cash is trash</a>."</p><p>"The most important thing you could do is not be in cash," he said, highlighting the threats of inflation and taxes. "Particularly now when there's negative real rates."</p><p>Dalio, who closely studies economic and social history, issued a dire prediction about the next US presidential race in 2024.</p><p>"There is a reasonable chance that neither party will accept losing the elections," he said. "A type of civil war of sorts could develop," he continued, adding that he wasn't exaggerating.</p><p>Finally, Dalio touted the benefits of transcendental meditation. Practising it boosts his creativity, calms him down, and makes him feel like he's in a martial arts movie, he said.</p><p>"It's a little bit like being the ninja, and everything seems slower and you can handle it better," he gushed.</p>

Billionaire investor Ray Dalio warns the easy-money era is over — and says the crypto craze is overblown

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The <keyword id="992778" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="UFC">UFC</keyword> restarts its combat calendar on Saturday and has many safety measures in place, which Insider has detailed below.</li><li>Tony Ferguson fights lightweight rival Justin Gaethje in the main event of a festival of fights beginning on May 9 in Florida.</li><li>The UFC reportedly has 1,200 COVID-19 tests that it will administer for athletes, trainers, staff, and the few media attending.</li><li>Some people have already posted videos of their first swabs, which you can watch below.</li></ul><ul class="summary-list"><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</li></ul><p>Insider counted 18 additional safety measures the UFC has in place for <keyword id="9035179" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="ufc-249">UFC 249</keyword> on Saturday, and people have already been filmed getting swab tests for the <keyword id="1754604" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="coronavirus">coronavirus</keyword>.</p><p>The UFC has not held a live event since it was in Brazil for a Fight Night show on March 14.</p><p>Because of mounting health concerns and travel restrictions imposed by the global spread of the coronavirus, the UFC canceled three events and postponed six others.</p><p>But it becomes the world's first major <keyword id="6356028" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="sports">sports</keyword> organization to return to live action as May 9 provides the first of three mixed martial arts events in eight days at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville.</p><p>UFC COO Lawrence <a href="https://twitter.com/Ourand_SBJ/status/1258173959918563330" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Epstein told the Sports Business Journal</a> that the company has 1,200 COVID-19 tests — 600+ for antigen and another 600+ for antibodies.</p><p>Results will take 24 hours and allows the UFC to see if anybody tests positive for the coronavirus, or has had the coronavirus.</p><p>"In the early days of this epidemic, the testing capacity had to be focused exclusively on first responders, healthcare workers, and people who were sick," Epstein said.</p><p>"Now with testing capacity expanding, many of these tests that organizations like ours are getting access to don't impact testing."</p><p>The UFC will administer its tests for athletes, trainers, staff, and the few, select media which traveled to Florida to cover the fights.</p><h2>Prominent people attending have already posted videos of swabs</h2><p>Tony Ferguson, who fights Justin Gaethje in Saturday's main event, <a href="https://twitter.com/TonyFergusonXT/status/1258140959470243841" target="_blank" rel="noopener">posted a clip on Twitter</a>.</p><p>He said it "felt weird."</p><p>Charles McCarthy, an <keyword id="6403489" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="mma">MMA</keyword> coach who trains a UFC 249 early preliminary competitor called Charles Rosa, was <a href="https://twitter.com/CharlesRosaMMA/status/1258137265584422912" target="_blank" rel="noopener">filmed reeling back</a> after his swab.</p><p>Renowned <a href="https://twitter.com/MMAjunkieJohn/status/1258154690585427974" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MMA reporter for MMA Junkie, John Morgan</a>, said he was "really nervous" but was told by the practitioner nurse that it "only hurts for a minute" and would feel like it was going to "tickle" his brain.</p><p>The COVID-19 testing is just one safety precaution the UFC is taking ahead and during its upcoming events while the rest of the United States battles the coronavirus.</p><p>We counted 17 other safety measures <a href="https://www.espn.co.uk/mma/story/_/id/29140125/ufc-249-safety-measures-include-no-interviews-octagon" target="_blank" rel="noopener">listed in two ESPN articles</a>:</p><ol><li>It will be behind-closed-doors: There will be no fans at the weigh-in or the arena</li><li>The weigh-in will be timed so athletes and teams can be kept apart</li><li>Fighters and team-members have individual workout rooms at a hotel</li><li>Room service will be 24-hour and left by an attendee's front door</li><li>Individual workout mats for athletes and trainers will be sanitized</li><li>Fighters have a personal sauna for weight-cutting</li><li>Regular medical screenings which include temperature checks and questions about potential symptoms</li><li>Broadcast team members will be sat on different tables</li><li>Post-fight interviews will not be permitted in the UFC Octagon. The winning athlete will instead be guided to an isolated location and interviewed remotely</li><li>Headsets will be sanitized</li><li>UFC crew will wear personal protective equipment including N95 masks and gloves</li><li>Everyone Octagonside including the referee will wear a mask. The referee may also wear eye protection</li><li>The production crew is reduced from 130 members to approximately 80</li><li>The crew will work in mobile units, separated by plastic partitions</li><li>Social distancing will be practised by everyone in the arena outside of the Octagon</li><li>Fewer than 20 UFC staff and media will be permitted in the arena at any one time</li><li>Officials could disinfect the cage between each and every fight</li></ol><p>The United States is the worst-hit country and, as of Thursday morning, <a href="https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">has 1,228,609 confirmed cases of COVID-19</a> which has helped cause 73,431 deaths.</p><p>Five weeks ago, Dr. Donald Muzzi, the president of the Association of Ringside Physicians, said he would advise against holding combat sports events in the middle of a health crisis but, <a href="https://www.espn.co.uk/mma/story/_/id/29127240/ufc-249-challenges-holding-major-sporting-event-coronavirus-pandemic" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to this separate ESPN article more recently</a>, he now believes live fights can be held safely.</p><p>"In today's world, it's as safe as possible," said Muzzi. "We're living in a new normal. We can do closed events, limiting the amount of people. Those that are working will practise social-distancing."</p><p>The UFC has three events in Jacksonville beginning with a pay-per-view show on May 9, then two UFC on ESPN events on May 13 and then May 16.</p><p>The UFC returns to Las Vegas at the UFC Apex with a Fight Night event on May 23.</p><p><strong>Read more:</strong></p><p><a href="https://www.insider.com/paige-vanzant-posts-nudes-on-instagram-says-everybody-likes-it-2020-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A UFC fighter who posts nudes on Instagram says she does it because everybody seems to like it</a></p><p><a href="https://www.insider.com/conor-mcgregor-could-compete-on-fight-island-ufc-says-2020-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Conor McGregor is ready to fight on 'Fight Island' and the UFC is considering taking a $20 million hit to make it happen</a></p><p><a href="https://www.insider.com/tony-ferguson-cuts-ufc-opponents-commentators-get-blood-showers-2020-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tony Ferguson cuts his UFC opponents so badly that people at cage-side get showered in blood</a></p><p><a href="https://www.insider.com/justin-gaethje-would-destroy-conor-mcgregor-ufc-champ-says-2020-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Justin Gaethje would 'destroy' Conor McGregor in a single round, according to a UFC champion</a></p><p><a href="https://www.insider.com/floyd-mayweather-wants-to-make-1-billion-through-property-2020-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Floyd Mayweather's new goal in life is to make $1 billion through property, doubling the money he made as a boxer, his right-hand man says</a></p>Read the original article on <a href="https://www.insider.com/we-counted-18-safety-measures-in-place-for-ufc-249-2020-5">Insider</a>

We counted 18 safety measures the UFC has in place for UFC 249, and people have already been filmed getting swabs for COVID-19

<ul><li>In our latest series, we talk to brands to understand how they are coping with the new normal and their strategies towards navigating these difficult times.</li><li>In today’s interview, <keyword id="398003" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sumit-Sehgal">Sumit Sehgal</keyword>, Chief Marketing Officer, <keyword id="9088581" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sheela-Foam-Industries">Sheela Foam Industries</keyword> (<keyword id="7738632" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sleepwell-mattresses">Sleepwell Mattresses</keyword>), walks us through all that the brand has been doing in the past few weeks, how they have worked around and modified their <keyword id="852798" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="marketing-strategies">marketing strategies</keyword> to ensure they stay relevant in the times of Covid-19.</li></ul>The past few weeks have been difficult for the world, collectively. We are today witnessing something that none of us had ever anticipated. The spread of Covid-19 and resultant <keyword id="91743" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="lockdown">lockdown</keyword> has affected professions, markets and the global economy.<br /><br />At such a time, how are brands working on sustaining their relationships with their consumers, what is the way forward and how are they navigating this time of crisis, ensuring business continuity and preparing for the uncertain future?<br /><br />We recently caught up with Sumit Sehgal, Chief Marketing Officer, Sheela Foam Industries, the manufacturer of mattresses in India marketed under its flagship brand 'Sleepwell’. We tried to understand how the brand has been dealing with the current situation and what they are doing to minimize losses and stay connected and relevant for their consumers.<br /><br />Edited excerpts:<br /><br /><strong>Q) How have the past few weeks been for the brand, considering the country has been in a lockdown?</strong><br /> <br />The past month has been a difficult time for the world. We are concerned about the well-being of our employees, partners and the country at large. Sleepwell has been a trusted brand for decades and in the current situation, we have stayed connected with our customers and partners through the digital medium with relevant messaging that helps them stay healthy and safe. That is our current priority. <br /> <strong><br />Q) What is your marketing strategy right now? How are you building a connect with your audience? Has there been a change in your media mix?</strong><br /> <br />The spread of the <keyword id="1754604" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="coronavirus">Coronavirus</keyword> is a huge cause for concern for people and is impacting the most important part in a days’ routine – sleep. Therefore, we have launched an awareness campaign to reiterate the importance of sleep which encourages citizens to commit to 8 hours of sound sleep to build up the body’s defences. The #StaySafeWithSleepwell campaign compares the benefits of common healthy habits that we are currently practising in our homes and lays emphasis on the fact that 8 hours of sleep is equally important to stay healthy. Sleepwell further emphasized on the importance of social distancing by recreating its logo. Ever since the lockdown, the brand has been leveraging creative visual storytelling to urge citizens to stay home, sleep well and curb the spread of Coronavirus. Traditionally Sleepwell had been heavy on Print and Radio as a choice of media but with the current context, Sleepwell has started shifting preference to Digital and TV. Post Covid, the brand will be transitioning to a Digital-first strategy in everything that it does, supplemented by PR and TV. <br /> <br /><strong>Q) What are a few key learnings for you as a brand in the last few weeks?</strong><br /> <br />The ‘Why’ for a brand will always remain more important than the ‘How’ or ‘What’ and brands needs to tirelessly pursue this agenda for building long-term brand equity. A brand’s ‘reason for existence’ is a question that they need to find answers to, as going forward, that is going to become more critical for brand success. <br />An organization should never forget that a brand is a being and should behave as responsible beings in such situations. The approach should not be to stay silent but stand together with your customers and offer any kind of physical or mental support. After all, one remembers only those friends who support in the hours of crisis. <br /> <br /><strong>Q) If the lockdown is extended beyond May 3, will you be tweaking your marketing strategy further?</strong><br /> <br />Since the lockdown has extended, we continue our current strategy of imparting education to consumers on the benefits of sound sleep. Our CRM outreach is in regular touch with customers who have experienced with the brand over the last few decades. Our social media handles have become more active in imparting information and addressing consumer concerns. <br /><br /> <strong>Q) There's a thin line in terms of a brand's communication in times of crisis where marketing communications can be misread as opportunist or even insensitive. How are you working around this tightrope and ensuring there isn't any miscommunication?</strong><br /> <br />Sleepwell believes in building long-term relationships with its employees, partners and customers. As a responsible corporate and a brand loved by its customers, we place health and safety of all stakeholders ahead of business. During these times, our utmost priority is to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with all stakeholders and build awareness in this time of crisis so that they #StaySafeWithSleepwell. That is our sole agenda. <br /><br />

Marketing in the times of Covid-19: Sleepwell Mattresses

<p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><ul class="summary-list"><li><strong>First daughter and White House Senior Advisor Ivanka Trump says she doesn't feel she should share her opinions publicly when they diverge from her father's.</strong></li><li><strong>ABC News asked her why she did not speak out against President Donald Trump's policy to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/family-separation">separate thousands of migrant children from their parents</a>, after <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2018/06/19/politics/ivanka-trump-separations-immigration/index.html">CNN reported</a> last year that she had opposed it behind closed doors.</strong></li><li><strong>Trump said it is not her job "to share my viewpoint when they diverge."</strong></li><li><strong>She has defended her father's policies multiple times in the past, and told ABC news that she only considers speaking out publicly when she is not listened to behind closed doors.&#xa0;</strong></li></ul><p>First daughter and White House Senior Advisor Ivanka Trump said she feels she should only speak publicly about the Trump administration's policies when she agrees with her father.</p><p>In an <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/ivanka-trump-concern-special-counsel-robert-muellers-investigation/story?id=60926680">interview with ABC News published on Friday</a>, Trump was asked why she didn't speak out against President Donald Trump's family-separation policy, which saw thousands of children being separated from their families at the US-Mexico border.&#xa0;</p><p>She had opposed the policy behind closed doors when it was still ongoing, <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2018/06/19/politics/ivanka-trump-separations-immigration/index.html">CNN reported</a>. President Trump later signed an executive order to end it last June.</p><p>When asked why she didn't speak out at the time, Ivanka Trump told ABC News that it is not her job <span>"to share my viewpoint when they diverge."</span></p><p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><p><span>She only openly spoke out against the policy after her father signed the bill to end the practise.</span></p><p>She tweeted immediately after the president signed the executive order, thanking her father and saying that ending the practice was "critical."</p><p>Two months later, she <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ivanka-trump-describes-family-separation-policy-as-a-low-point-2018-8">described the policy </a>as a "low point" of her White House tenure.</p><p>ProPublica reported in December that family separations were <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/families-still-separated-at-border-after-zero-tolerance-ends-2018-11">still taking place</a> even after Trump's bill to end them.</p><p><em><strong>Read more:</strong> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/thousands-more-children-separated-at-border-than-previously-known-hhs-2019-1">Thousands more children were separated from their parents at the border than were previously known, inspector general reveals in bombshell report</a></em></p><p>Ivanka Trump has publicly defended a number of her father's most unpopular policies in the past, including <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-39704840">his attitude towards women</a> or the use of tear gas against migrants<a href="https://www.indy100.com/article/ivanka-trump-lethal-force-border-lethal-force-tear-gas-good-morning-america-watch-video-8657586"> at the US-Mexico border.</a></p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><p>But she has also broken with his stances in a few instances, including <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1025010588479631361?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1025010588479631361&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.rollcall.com%2Fnews%2Fpolitics%2Fivanka-trump-breaks-with-father-in-rare-public-criticism">telling Axios in August 2018</a> that does "not feel that the media is the enemy of the people" and calling his comments on the Access Hollywood Tape "clearly inappropriate and offensive.</p><p><span>"I think that when you hear me start to speak publicly on an issue that's active, it's because my voice isn't being heard privately," she told ABC News.</span></p><p>She <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ivanka-trump-critics-influence-white-house-expectations-liberal-2017-9">also hit back </a>at people who she says have "unrealistic expectations" about how much influence she can have other her father's agenda, as liberal critics urge her to be more outspoken.</p><div></div>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/president-donald-trump-ends-shutdown-3-weeks-deal-2019-1">Watch President Trump announce deal to end the government shutdown for 3 weeks</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div>

Ivanka Trump says she will only talk about policy when she thinks the same thing as her dad

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="10746535" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="ian-heinisch">Ian Heinisch</keyword> returns to the Octagon for the biggest <keyword id="992778" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="UFC">UFC</keyword> bout of his life Saturday.</li><li>The next day he celebrates seven years of freedom as he's twice been sent to jail for drug offenses.</li><li>Heinisch told Insider his story ahead of his UFC 258 middleweight bout against Kelvin Gastelum.</li></ul><p>One of the last things Ian Heinisch heard as he left the infamous Rikers Island prison for the last time in 2014 were threats from other inmates. "Wherever you go, white boy, we gon' get you," <a href="https://www.theplayerstribune.com/articles/ian-heinisch-ufc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">they shouted</a>.</p><p>The American MMA fighter celebrates seven years of freedom Sunday and, coincidentally, competes in the toughest match of his life the night before, engaging a middleweight war with Kelvin Gastelum <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/ufc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">in Saturday's UFC 258 event</a> in Las Vegas.</p><p>Insider asked Heinisch if, looking back, he's ever been concerned if his past could catch up with him now that he's making a name for himself as a professional athlete in the UFC.</p><p>He had been talking to us openly via Zoom from his hotel room but that one question made him pause momentarily.</p><p>Heinisch looked away from the screen as he considered his answer before saying yes. "It's prison stuff. That happens. But the odds of those guys seeing me … it's why I don't mention any gang, or boast of that story. But it happened, man."</p><p>One of the most notorious prisons in America, New York's Rikers is known for its <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/08/05/nyregion/05rikers-report.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">"culture of abuse"</a> where new convicts are told to <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-50114468" target="_blank" rel="noopener">"get ready for Gladiator school"</a> as the gates slam shut behind them.</p><p>Rikers will close in the coming years, after becoming - in the words of politician Corey Johnson - "a symbol of brutality and inhumanity." It is regarded as a symbol of how mass incarceration has failed in the city of New York.</p><p>Even Heinisch, who was collared for drug trafficking offenses, said everyone who serves time there will say they're treated like animals.</p><p>These days, Heinisch leads a different life. He's found love and is getting married in the summer. He wore a hoodie for our interview but kept a cross dangling from a necklace on the outside of his sweater. He regularly talks about his relationship with God.</p><p>"I do think about [the past catching up] but I doubt it, highly, because I'm sure those people have moved on," he told us.</p><p>"I'm protected by God, so I'm not fearful, but anything is possible."</p><h2>'My life has been a movie'</h2><div type="image" title="Ian Heinisch UFC prison" height="674" width="1250" msid="80863305" hostid="261"></div><p>In a first-person story on <a href="https://www.theplayerstribune.com/articles/ian-heinisch-ufc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Players Tribune</a>, Heinisch said he was dealing "serious amounts of ecstasy" in Denver, Colorado - up to 2,000 pills a week.</p><p>Before long, he said an armed drug task force shoved him face-down in the concrete parking lot of a Walmart, and took him to jail.</p><p>His mother bailed him out the next day, he said his goodbyes to his friends and family, and then left America to go "on a backpacking trip" to Europe.</p><p>"I fled the country when I was a 19-year-old kid … a fugitive," he told us.</p><p>Every day on the run he said he'd wake up with bed sweats, fearing he'd be found, he told The Players Tribune.</p><p>He found money hard to come by so when another drug trafficking job presented itself on the Spanish island of Tenerife, he took it - even though it meant swallowing 10-gram bags of cocaine to traffic out of Colombia and into Spain.</p><p>Two years later he failed to get through airport security and was sent to a prison in the Canary Islands, the chain home to Tenerife. Unlike his later experience at Rikers, Heinisch felt like he retained his humanity there.</p><p>He found God, learned Spanish, and trained in a specific type of wrestling called Lucha Canaria. It spawned a love for mixed martial arts.</p><p>"[Prison in Spain] rekindled everything that used to drive me, my passions came alive. I kicked my addictions, cured of it from God," he said.</p><p>Heinisch had prison fights, won, and according to The Players Tribune article he'd tell his opponents that they had just lost to a future king in the UFC.</p><p>He eventually cut a deal with Spanish authorities where he agreed to not return to Europe for five years in exchange for a reduction in his sentence from three and a half years to two and a half.</p><p>But within minutes of landing back on American soil, in New York, he was sent to Rikers to serve back-to-back prison sentences in two different countries. The drug charge he avoided in Denver caught up with him.</p><p>"My life has been a movie," Heinisch told Insider.</p><p>"This Sunday will mark seven years of freedom after I was locked up for two and a half years abroad in Tenerife, Spain, on the run at that time for felony charges of drug trafficking in the States."</p><p>The time he served in Spain was the best thing to happen to him, Heinisch told us.</p><p>"I got to wear my street schools, I got my dignity, and I got visits with my girl at the time.</p><p>"I was able to go to school, go to classes, wrestling practise … I basically made a training camp in prison," he said. "At the time it was the worst thing to happen but looking back it was the best thing to happen."</p><p>It was a stark contrast to his subsequent sentence at Rikers. "I never got treated so bad. And all the guys in Rikers would agree, you get treated like an animal.</p><p>"There's some good men in there, for sure. It is a business, there's nothing to reform you, nothing to do, it's a revolving door. No weights, no <keyword id="6356028" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="sports">sports</keyword>."</p><h2>Heinisch trained his body to become a weapon to use in MMA</h2><p>"I trained my body to be a weapon," Heinisch told Insider.</p><p>"And after I got out from Rikers prison [in 2014], I started fighting on Dana White's Contender Series [in 2018], got into the UFC [the same year], and now seven years later almost to the day, I'm fighting on the main card on a pay-per-view against a guy who's arguably a pioneer, who has been fighting the toughest guys since he's 21.</p><p>"It's been a movie, surreal, and I thank God every day I get to do what I do [now]."</p><p>The juxtaposition between prayer and punching somebody in the face for a living may jar for some, but not Heinisch.</p><p>"Fighting is kind of a dark industry," he told us. "And I'm called to be the light.</p><p>"I've been in that bad business, I've been a drug addict, and I've been the guy doing evil things to people. I've had evil thoughts, I've been plagued by demons, and the dreams I used to have were insane.</p><p>"But I've been cured of all that," said Heinisch, noting that he thinks that his faith is what got him through his most difficult moments.</p><p>"It's so great and it's a freaking blessing that I just want to share with the world because I truly believe God put me through all those troubles I went through, for it to be a testimony now.</p><p>"And I use that testimony now to inspire, mentor people, and change lives. People hear this, my story, and it's powerful because there's a lot of people out there who are at rock bottom and they think life can never get better.</p><p>"My story, my life, is proof that it can and it will."</p><h2>Heinisch targets ranked contenders as he chases UFC gold</h2><div type="image" title="Ian Heinisch UFC " height="1128" width="1500" msid="80863312" hostid="261"></div><p>Fighters frequently look at the next fight as their biggest.</p><p>Often, it is true. For athletes entering the match on a win, the next fight can provide a springboard up the UFC rankings. This can mean a higher profile and a bigger payday.</p><p>For those entering on a loss, like Gastelum - who has lost three in a row - there is potentially a fear that they're fighting for their UFC careers.</p><p>"I truly believe that your next fight is always you're biggest," Heinisch said.</p><p>"At the same time, the magnitude of this fight is huge. Gastelum is the guy who's fought everyone, beaten mostly everyone, almost beat the champ [Israel Adesanya in 2019]. And he's the guy in my way.</p><p>"He's a tough opponent, a vet, but at the same time I feel I've grown so much since losing to Derek Brunson and Omari Akhmedov.</p><p>"I'm physically, mentally, and spiritually on a different level," Heinisch said.</p><p>"I believe I belong in the top-five and top-10 right now and I just want to show I'm a threat to be reckoned with in the middleweight division."</p><p>To beat Gastelum, Heinisch said he'll need to be versatile.</p><p>"I'll need to mix things up, be super unpredictable for him. Make him clinch, make him strike, make him wrestle … do everything and keep a pace on him that wears him down. And lets me implement my game.</p><p>"My nickname is the hurricane so I put people in the storm. I come out, it's action-packed. I swing. I wrestle. I strike a lot. It's high-paced, exciting, not a bunch of holding or just stalling.</p><p>"Not much going backward at all, but if it is, it's just to reload and go harder. I'm an exciting fighter. Gastelum is an exciting fighter. The hype is unreal in this fight."</p><h2>Heinisch expects to beat Gastelum this weekend</h2><div type="image" title="Ian Heinisch and Kelvin Gastelum" height="525" width="1000" msid="80863316" hostid="261"></div><p>Heinisch wants to stay active this year, fight and beat ranked contenders and is targeting a title fight in the 185-pound division against Israel Adesanya - <a href="https://www.insider.com/best-fighters-in-mma-ufc-bellator-one-championship-2021-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the entire sport</a>.</p><p>"We'll have to see what the division has to offer," Heinisch told us. "There's a lot of people booked for fights right now. But my goal is to fight four times this year.</p><p>"I really want Israel to stay undefeated and I feel like cementing my legacy would be beating the undefeated champ.</p><p>"He's doing a lot of good things, he's the guy to beat, but I've got the skills and weapons. I feel like he'll keep winning, and I'm rooting for him, as that is the fight that will just cement my legacy [in the years to come]."</p><p>Heinisch added: "I've also got a wedding this year as well. I'm planning God-willing, to get out of this fight healthy, get the finish, and then get another fight booked in a few months, before June before my wedding, and then fight again and again later in the year.</p><p>"God-willing it all works out. But that's the vision, the goal, and what I'm working towards."</p><p>Between his upcoming wedding, his freedom, and his peak years as a professional fighter, these are surely the happiest days of Heinisch's life - a life far removed from his days as a fugitive, or a prisoner.</p><p>"Absolutely," he agreed.</p><p>"When I met my wife - that's the happiest I've been.</p><p>"There's a lot going on and it's such a blessing when I wake up in the morning that I give God all the glory for it.</p><p>"I definitely am living the happiest times of my life, but there's many more to come."</p>

How fighting in the UFC and a faith in God changed Ian Heinisch, who was twice convicted for drug trafficking, forever

Five hundred years ago, when Niccolò Machiavelli wrote his masterpiece, <em>The Prince</em>, little did he know that his guidelines for future rulers would be practised by big business leaders of the 21st century. As trade flourished and borders became more permeable, one may actually say that corporations have become the new kingdoms and the leaders who run them, are the new princes and kings. And that brings us to the important question – do businesses need smart leaders or do they require someone who is wise?<br />
<br />
Last year, Prasad Kaipa and Navi Radjou wrote a book called <em>From Smart to Wise: Acting and Leading with Wisdom, </em>which shines brighter than all other written works aimed at senior business leaders. But calling it just a book for the upper echelon of the corporate would be a myopic view to endorse because anyone who reads this book will benefit from it. If that sounds like a marketing pitch to promote the book, let me tell you this upfront – this book <strong>does not</strong> lay down the steps on how to become wise. It just tells you the importance of being so.<br />
 <br />
<strong>The answer is in the definition</strong><br />
Coming back to the question asked earlier – what we want our leaders to be – let us see how the answer is right there in the definition of ‘smart’ and ‘wise’. Smartness is not an absolute state of being, especially if you look at it through the prism of business needs in today’s highly volatile and competitive world. A smart leader can be called so because he/she might have done a terrific job while handling a tough problem or challenge. That leader might have proven his/her worth by overcoming most of the challenges by unleashing clever business strategies.<br />
 <br />
But what if there is a new kind of problem where the earlier success recipes have failed?<br />
 <br />
The leader is not so smart anymore.<br />
 <br />
On the other hand, wisdom is a state you achieve after a finite amount of time, full of experiences. For some, that period may be short but for most others, it may some considerable time. But once you have achieved it, you are not likely to lose the touch. Such a leader would know how to roll with the tides and most likely come out successful even at the face of a new problem.<br />
 <br />
<strong>Clash of philosophies in business</strong><br /> How great you are as a <keyword id="94268" type="POSITION" weightage="40" keywordseo="Business-leader">business leader</keyword> has a lot to do with how people look at you. Unfortunately, this simple truth has been conveniently moulded into a number of interpretations throughout human history by rulers and philosophers alike. Machiavelli said, “A prince must have no other objective, no other thought, nor take up any profession but that of war.” We have seen in the past how that kind of cutthroat attitude has often yielded success for many <keyword id="2179616" type="POSITION" weightage="40" keywordseo="smart-businessmen">smart businessmen</keyword> such as the Rockefellers, the Fords, the Ambanis and many others.<br />
 <br />
Takeover strategies, culling the competition, earning huge profits – these are the tell-tale signs of smart businessmen, a lot of whom are calculating and somewhat merciless to their rivals. But is that all there is to running a successful company? Many leaders, who do not simply want to nudge themselves into the ‘boss’ role, need to take a more humane look at things that not only affect their businesses but also the lives of people associated with them.<br />
 <br />
The Roman emperor, Marcus Aurelius, in his famous series of texts called <em>Meditations</em>, said, “Do not act as if thou wert going to live ten thousand years. Death hangs over thee. While thou livest, while it is in thy power, be good.” That’s almost a 180 degree turn from what Machiavelli said, but if we look at what Kaipa and Radjou are trying to communicate through their book, we can see similar thoughts resonating in their idea of wise leadership.<br />
 <br />
<strong>Gap between Smart and Wise – Compassion</strong><br /> In an interview for Servicepace.org, Kaipa mentions, “Moving from smart to wise is based on six principles from the Bhagavad Gita that involve the shifting of perspective from what is in it for me to what is in it for other people.” One of the missing key pieces that can turn smart leaders into wise ones is empathy or compassion for others. This does not necessarily mean that only a saint or a highly charitable person can be a wise leader. At <keyword id="6443198" type="CITY" weightage="40" keywordseo="Allianz">Allianz</keyword> Global Investors, senior managers have to undergo a part of their training in total darkness, working with visually challenged co-workers. The idea is to make them realise their own limitations at times and experience the problems others go through. This is how smart thinkers learn to integrate empathy into their daily job of running a business and eventually morph into wise leaders.<br />
 <br />
<strong>Ego – Short word, huge baggage</strong><br />
Another important aspect that separates the wise from the smart is the lack of ego. Not to be confused with pride, ego is often seen as a characteristic trait of many business leaders. When CEOs and other corporate honchos look towards the works of Machiavelli or other military strategy books like Sun Tzu’s <em>Art of War</em> for guidance on business, it reveals a certain air of ego and self-interest in them, something that constantly searches for answers to the question – how can I achieve success through the failures of others? In such a time, Kaipa and Radjou’s book pushes a thought that says knowing when to hold on to or let go of a decision, depending on <keyword id="818773" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="40" keywordseo="The-situation">the situation</keyword>, is one of best ways of attaining that much-sought-after wisdom. Smart leaders may hesitate to give up a plan that had been successful in the past but is now failing, but a wise leader knows when to let go of rigid ideas and how to adapt to changing situations.<br />
 <br />
At the end of the day, no matter how successful or smart a leader is, if his life or work lacks a higher purpose, all of it could very well be pointless. A wise leader does not make that mistake and catches early on to the truth that every contribution, no matter how big or small, needs to be part of a bigger plan that works towards the greater good.<br />

Business
Philosophies That Separate The Wise From The Smart

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div>As the Dutch parliamentary election edges closer, traditional parties fear a victory by Geert Wilders and his far-right Party for Freedom (PVV). But attempts by these parties to win back voters only seem to have strengthened Wilders' nationalism.</p><p>There are only a few days left until the Dutch<a href="http://www.aljazeera.com/topics/country/netherlands.html" target="_self"> cast their votes</a>. Many are still in doubt, but a steady group of angry voters have already made up their minds. They will vote for <a href="http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/12/mp-geert-wilders-guilty-hate-speech-161209103510192.html" target="_self">Geert Wilders </a>and his PVV. Of the 150 seats that the parliament offers, Wilders is predicted to win almost a fifth of them, a huge gain in a parliamentary system that is built for 12 to 15 parties.</p><p>A ban on migration from Muslim countries, closing all Dutch mosques and a ban on the Quran are just some of the controversial commitments that the far-right politician has made in his <a href="https://www.geertwilders.nl/94-english/2007-preliminary-election-program-pvv-2017-2021" target="_blank">one-page manifesto </a>for the upcoming Dutch elections.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>"Those foreigners think that we have always been this rich," says Janine, a retired cleaning lady who says she will vote for Wilders next week. "But many here were penniless. Can you imagine how frustrating it is to see that newcomers get everything?"<br><br>Janine left her neighbourhood in Amsterdam a few years ago after migrants moved in. "I do want to speak with others, but it doesn't work with those people. Maybe not all of them, but the ones I met should all go back to their own country," she says.</br></br></p><h2>Defining identity and immigration</h2><p>Dutch political and public discourse has been dominated by questions of national identity and <a href="http://www.aljazeera.com/topics/subjects/immigration.html" target="_self">immigration</a>, primarily related to <a href="http://www.aljazeera.com/topics/subjects/islam.html" target="_self">Islam</a>, explains Cas Mudde, a specialist in European populism from the University of Georgia. "Wilders is more a catalyst than a cause of this. Surveys show that the Dutch support many of the right-wing issues, but they are not more right-wing than several neighbouring countries."<span></span></p><p>And neighbouring countries will be following the Dutch ballot closely as it will be one of many European elections this year in which populism may prevail. Larger countries such as <a href="http://www.aljazeera.com/topics/country/france.html" target="_self">France</a> and Germany are next. If Wilders does win, it will strengthen the already dominant narrative in the European <a href="http://www.aljazeera.com/topics/categories/media.html" target="_self">media</a> that the status quo is embattled and that "the populist parties are the voice of the people," says Mudde.</p><p>"People should solve their own misery elsewhere, why do they have to come here?" Janine asks.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Peter, a young cafe owner who says he will vote for Wilders, agrees: "I pay a few thousand euros in taxes every month. I have to give all that money to the Dutch state, so why don't we keep it within the Dutch state? We should stop giving it away all the time. We can use some more nationalism in that sense."</p><p>The cafe owner and Janine are just two of the 64 people that were interviewed by Koen Damhuis, a Dutch sociologist at the European University Institute in Florence, who made it his mission to speak with Wilders' voters. Last month, he published his findings from 165 hours of interviews in his new book, Ways to Wilders.<span></span></p><p>"Most surprising to me was the diversity within Wilders' constituency," Damhuis explains. "I've seen every corner of the Netherlands during this project and, on first sight, it seemed impossible to generalise this big group."</p><p>But Damhuis succeeded and has now divided Wilders' voters into three main categories: the ones who feel that they don't get enough, the ones who feel they have already paid too much and those - the smallest group - who are ideologically motivated and fear a loss of Dutch culture and sovereignty. "The last group is closest to Wilders himself," he says.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>It is unique, Damhuis says, that the first two groups are part of the same electorate, as they have traditionally been pitched against each other: the poor, who used to vote for left-wing parties, and wealthier people, who typically voted more right-wing. "What those groups share today is a fear that people who are entering the system do not deserve entrance. A phenomenon that we call 'violated reciprocity'," the sociologist explains.<span></span></p><p>This coincides with a fundamental shift in the Dutch political landscape. Political parties used to be divided economically: left-wing parties were always in favour of a strong social government while right-wing parties preferred a rather modest administration with more space for free-market solutions. "Today, we see that the dominant dichotomy has become globalism versus nationalism," says Ewald Engelen, a professor at the University of Amsterdam.</p><p>According to Damhuis, it is precisely this change in political thinking that has confused the traditional parties. "Some of them haven't decided yet how they want to position themselves," Damhuis says. Labour, for example, is split between those who believe in internationalism and those who advocate for safeguarding the national welfare state. "They are visibly confused."</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div></p><h2>National Identity</h2><p>In an effort to win back people like Janine and Peter, a stronger emphasis on national identity and a more reluctant stance towards <a href="http://www.aljazeera.com/topics/people/migrants.html" target="_self">migrants</a> and globalism has been visible in the campaigns of the traditional parties - the centre-right liberal VVD, Christian democratic CDA and social democratic PvdA - that had led Dutch <keyword id="6358883" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Politics">politics</keyword> for decades.</p><p>"We feel a growing discomfort when people abuse our freedom to cause havoc, while they came to our country because of this freedom," wrote Mark Rutte, the prime minister and leader of the centre-right liberal party, the VVD, at the beginning of this year in a public letter addressed to 'all the Dutch people'.<span></span></p><p>"Act normal or get out" was his main message. According to Rutte, not acting normal includes "refusing to shake hands" and "accusing normal citizens as racists".</p><p>According to the Christian Democratic Party (CDA), the <a href="http://www.aljazeera.com/topics/country/netherlands.html" target="_self">Netherlands</a> is suffering from a moral crisis. They have proposed a tougher stance on migration, reintroducing conscription and singing the national anthem more often as solutions to this crisis.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>"It is a clear form of nationalism," says Meindert Fennema, a professor of political theory and the author of a book on the rise of Geert Wilders. "Just as Wilders, they make the presumption that there is one nation with one common view. That's a totalitarian thought and, just as with the other traditional parties, a way of presenting yourself as PVV-light."</p><p>Even the centre-left Labour Party (PvdA) has adopted a nationalistic approach, Engelen says. "Which they thinly disguise with a term like 'patriotism'."<br><br>The new Labour leader and current deputy prime minister Lodewijk Asscher, wrote - just as Rutte did - a public letter in which he called upon his Social Democratic colleagues in <a href="http://www.aljazeera.com/topics/regions/europe.html" target="_self">Europe</a> to take a stance of "progressive patriotism". According to Asscher, this is an alternative to "the politics that ridicules or even throws suspicion on the longing for community or national identity". The left-wing politician's most important "patriotic proposal" was to restrict labour migration within the <a href="http://www.aljazeera.com/topics/organisations/european-union.html" target="_self">European Union</a>.</br></br></p><p>Freedom of movement of workers is a cornerstone of the European Union but has aggravated many Dutch blue-collar workers who make up the traditional electoral heartland of the social democrats. "A man like my father has been fired because a Polish labourer was cheaper," says a young delivery man from the city of Rotterdam, who voted for Wilders in the last elections. "We should close our borders. Our own lower educated people should get those jobs."</p><p>Adopting nationalist rhetoric to drag disillusioned voters away from the PVV is a political strategy often referred to as "taking the wind out of Wilders' sails", but after years of practising this method, it seems that Wilders' competitors have only blown more wind into those sails. "Of course, it doesn't work," says Engelen. "Why would you vote for the weaker extract of the real thing? If all the parties make migration and national identity the most important issue, but present a weaker version of it than the PVV does, that doesn't work."</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Mudde agrees, saying that adopting Wilders' rhetoric may bring some short-term gains, but it only serves Wilders in the end. "And inflict[s] lasting damage on liberal democracy in the long run." The same goes for parties that present themselves too strongly as the "anti-Wilders party", a strategy that has been tried by smaller progressive parties such as the Greens (GroenLinks) and the Social-Liberals (D66).</p><h2>The growing right</h2><p>Copying the populist message of Wilders has another nasty side effect: while the political landscape moves towards him, he moves even further to the right. "It's remarkable to see that what the PVV said years ago is now propagated by other parties," says Fennema. "He gets more extreme."</p><p>The only thing a party can do, according to the different political experts, is to stay close to their own ideology and adopt a strong narrative that is not defeatist and doesn't radiate confusion about their own beliefs. But Engelen is pessimistic about the chances of political parties adopting such a strategy: "All the major parties in the Netherlands have lost their ideological roots. They turned into parties of pragmatic administrators who are affected by every wave of populism that comes by, rather than being ideologically inspired."</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>The best way of defeating Wilders would be giving him the responsibility to lead the country, Damhuis thinks. "He has made many promises that are impossible to combine with our political system, which is based on coalitions. If he finds partners to cooperate, it will most likely be right-wing parties. Many left-wing promises regarding the welfare state would, therefore, be difficult to realise."</p><p>Janine, however, would like to see how it turns out. "This man has been doing this for years, with a lot of bodyguards around him. That must mean something right?" Janine says. "I admire that. It makes me believe that it's not just talk. Or at least, that's what I hope." <br><br>Most of the parties have out ruled cooperation with the politician, making it almost impossible for Wilders to form a government, even if the PVV becomes the largest party. "He is probably very happy with that because it strengthens his image as an outsider," Fennema says.</br></br></p><p>Besides, Geert Wilders has already shown that he doesn't need to be part of a government to steer the Netherlands in his own nationalist direction. "Even if he doesn't win as a person, his views and ideas will," Damhuis reflects.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/nuclear-weapons-deadly-evolution-power-military-video-animation-2017-3">This animation shows how terrifyingly powerful nuclear weapons have become</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="d2N2I1YTE6mrZP5zQWFl4VQ6rRPYHDEW" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

You Searched For "interview questions practise" and got 10 results

Here’s how you can use Google’s Interview Warmup tool to prepare for job interviews

Sourabh Jain

6 Tips To Score Big In Campus Interviews

Economic Times

Watch Britain's Former Top Spy Storm Out Of An Interview About Phonetapping British Citizens

Joshua Barrie

Billionaire investor Ray Dalio warns the easy-money era is over — and says the crypto craze is overblown

Theron Mohamed

We counted 18 safety measures the UFC has in place for UFC 249, and people have already been filmed getting swabs for COVID-19

Alan Dawson

Marketing in the times of Covid-19: Sleepwell Mattresses

Samarpita Banerjee

Ivanka Trump says she will only talk about policy when she thinks the same thing as her dad

Sinéad Baker,Sinéad Baker,Sin…

How fighting in the UFC and a faith in God changed Ian Heinisch, who was twice convicted for drug trafficking, forever

Alan Dawson

Business Philosophies That Separate The Wise From The Smart

Preetam Kaushik

Here's who's voting for Geert Wilders in the Dutch election

Coen van de Ven

Popular Keywords

Buying Guides