I News India - Empowering Ideas!

This time of the year you can generally see anxiety and stress on the faces of all B-School aspirants because they are continuously preparing themselves for the biggest challenge of their lives. “Cracking CAT”. Those 2.5 hours decide the future of thousands of hopefuls. Strategizing, mock CAT’s, time management: these are all mandatory and have their own importance when it comes to making the CAT attempt meaningful.  After all success is just one correct answer away!

The first and foremost thing to do is set up a schedule for yourself. CAT preparation involves a lot of discipline because it’s all about concentration and reflex. You will have to be mentally prepared to sacrifice your weekend fun and long sleeping hours to practice the mock tests. These mock tests are very important and should be taken very seriously because they help you gauge your caliber very accurately. You get a clear picture of where you stand, what are your strengths and weaknesses and which areas you need to concentrate more on. At the end of every mock test all candidates are given a thorough solution list. Answering more and more mock tests is not the right approach. What is important is to analyze the solutions and use them when you spot a problem of similar nature sometime later on. The next crucial factor is time management. There is hardly enough time to read the question and think about its solution in CAT. You need to be very quick and sharp to crack the code.

You cannot afford to be slow from the very beginning. The momentum has to be build right from the very question itself. Another useful strategy is to know your strengths clearly. There are different sections in CAT. You might be good in some and might need extra time for others. Try to tackle the sections you are good at in the beginning. This will not only boost your confidence but will help you manage your remaining time more judiciously.

Always remember, every person is not a born genius and CAT is not only for those who are blessed with extraordinary intellect. With strict perseverance and discipline, you can also make your dreams come true.

Tags: CAT, CAT Exam, Cat Exam Guide, Cat Exam Help, Management, Mock CAT, Tips, Tips CAT Exam, Tips for CAT Exam

An impactful CV is the first step towards success because it is the deciding factor as to whether you would get to face the interviewer or not. It is not merely a piece of paper wherein you scribble your name, education and job experience. It is a professional document which gives the prospective employer a way to gauge your potentials remotely. So you should be extra cautious while preparing your CV so that it is error free and impressive. Here are few tips which can help you do so.

CV should be concise: Recruiters get tones of CV’s daily and don’t have the time or patience to dig through an incoherent document. Only a punchy CV can get you noticed in the first place. So keep it short and effective. Make it no more than two sides of A4 paper and save the real detail for your interview. The layout should be simple, uncluttered and in an easy-to-read font.

Avoid gaps in between jobs: Even if you were out of employment, you can develop soft skills such as communication, teamwork or project management. You should update your CV regularly, so that you don’t have to recall distant points in your career and there is no ambiguity in your CV.

Make sure it’s error free: One of the easiest ways for a recruiter to throw out a week resume is by scanning it for errors. If you fail to check your CV for basic spelling and grammatical mistakes, you are hammering your own chances of getting a call in the first place. Most errors can be detected by using PC’s spell-checker, but you should also ask someone else to read your CV and give you their opinion.

Be brief with your personal information: Putting in a lot of personal information is unnecessary and it only makes the CV lengthier than required without doing any value addition. Just include your name, contact details and nationality. The recruiter is more interested in knowing your skills and expertise in the field rather than knowing you personally through your CV.

Highlight on your career history and key skills: Your skill set and your career history are the two major things which the recruiter would be interested in. So pay special attention to these two areas. Be as specific and detailed as possible to avoid any ambiguity or confusion to your potential new employers. Give the dates that you started and finished the role, the job title, the company for which you worked and give a short one-line description of the company’s activities and its website. List your key achievements in the roles you mention.

Tags: Career, Career History, Concise CV, CV, Error Free, Gaps in Jobs, Good CV, impactful CV, Interview, Jobs, Key Skills, Personal Information, success, Tips

A blog (a contraction of the term “Web log”) is a Web site, usually maintained by an individual, with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video’s. Many blogs provide commentary or news on a particular subject; others function as more personal online diaries. Everyone from politicians to film personalities to the common man is writing blogs today as it’s an excellent source to express one’s opinions and connect to the world in a personalized way. But what are the essentials to write a good blog? I’m not an expert but can suggest some ideas which might be helpful.

1. Give it a personal touch: Whatever you write just remember that people like blogs that are written by an individual and not corporations. Cite your personal examples to convey the message. Let others get a glimpse of your life through your blog. A personal touch creates a special bond between you and the person reading your blog. Write with passion so that the blog reflects your personality through the text.
2. Use links: I have personally enjoyed more if a blog has links to other web pages which are contextual to the post. This helps in better understanding and makes reading more fun.
3. Try to write smaller posts: You want the other person to read your blog and not snooze away. Keep it short and crisp so that the spice of the article is not lost. Blast your knowledge into the reader at the speed of sound as no one has a lot of time in this busy world.
4. Litter the post with Keywords: Think about what keywords people would use to search for your post and include them in the body text and headers. Make sure the keyword placement is natural and does not seem out of place.
5. Always makes headlines snappy: It’s rightly said that first impression is the last impression. So grab the attention of the reader by giving him a jolt of excitement. If the headline catches the reader’s attention, he would surely go through the text which follows with more attention and interest.
6. Edit your post: Good writing is in the editing. Before you hit the submit button, re-read your post and cut out the stuff that you don’t need.

Tags: Blog, Blogging, Blogging Tips, Post, Technology, Tips, Web Log

Cleaning is the first thing that cannot be avoided to maintain a peaceful environment at home. Keep the house clean and free from dust and molds. Give a regular cleaning to doors, windows and other household articles. Here are some useful tips that can help you during cleaning:

Clean Windows: You can wash windows on a cloudy, but not rainy day. Working in direct sunlight causes streaks because the cleaning solution dries before you can wipe it off. This is the best time to vacuum the frames and sills. Add 2-3 tablespoons of vinegar per gallon of water in case of excess dirt over the window. Use horizontal strokes on the inside and vertical on the outside so you know which side the streaks are on. Use rough newspaper or expensive paper towels to wipe the pane. Wear rubber gloves to keep your hands free of ink.

Clean Doors: Doors should be neat and clean. It gives a positive impression to the visitor. Scrub the door from top to bottom with a rag and soapy water, using a scrub brush for especially tough spots. Take care of the most missed spot, upper side of the door also.

Start from the top: Always start at the top of the room and work your way down. The reverse can make the lower part dusty again when you go for top cleaning. Also take all your cleaning tools with you into each room.  It will avoid unnecessary trips back and forth.

Use baking soda: There should be no foul smell in the house. A house that smells fresh will give the impression of cleanliness. Leave baking soda on carpeting for the night to absorb musty odors, vacuum in the morning.

Use astro-turf mat: On the porch you can put a big astro turf mat to cut down on tracked in dirt. This will help reducing dirt on the floor from outside.

Assign duties: Get the entire family involved. Make everyone in charge of making his or her own bed and picking up their stuff. In case you are alone and need help, hire a helper.

Assign Priority: In case you have not enough time to clean the whole house, assign priorities to your work. If your time is limited decided what is most important. Choose the most important first and go towards lower priorities later.

Make a checklist: Make a list of tasks you have to do. When a job is completed, check it off - you’ll feel as though you are really accomplishing something. This will also help to not forget anything important.

Indoor Plants: If you have some indoor plants, they should be cleaned. Remember, plants get dusty too. You can clean small plants in the kitchen sink, and larger ones with a shower in the bathroom or outside open space if any.

Clean Mirrors: Mirrors got marks of hair spray. Use a little a little rubbing alcohol on a soft cloth and wipe them.

Doorknobs: Always disinfect doorknobs, switch-plates and telephones. They collect germs from everyone who touches them.

Crayon marks on wall: Use toothpaste or ammonia soaked cloth to remove crayon marks from painted walls. Rub at the spots and then Rinse. Let them dry.

Wood floors: to shine your wood floors, put a piece of waxed paper under your dust mop. Dirt will stick to the mop and the wax will shine your floors.

For candle wax: If there is spilled wax on carpets and upholstery, put a brown paper bag over the dried wax and run a hot iron over it. The bag will absorb the hot wax.

For Combs and Brushes: Mix baking soda and hot water to clean hair brushes and combs.

For Glass Table Tops: Rub a little lemon juice on the glass top and dry with paper towels. Polish with newspaper for a clean look. To remove small scratches, toothpaste can be used.

For Polishing Furniture: Dip old toothbrush into furniture polish and brush lightly on carved furniture. To remove polish build-up mix one cup water and one cup vinegar. Dip soft cloth in the mixture and wring out excess of it and wipe on the furniture. Dry immediately with another soft, dry cloth.

Cleaning Tiles: Remove stains and dirt with mild soap and water.

For Wallpaper: Use an art-gum eraser or a slice of fresh rye bread to remove pencil marks and other non-greasy spots from non-washable papers. To remove greasy spots, crayon marks and food stains; apply a paste of cleaning fluid and fuller’s earth, cornstarch or whiting. Brush off after drying.

Cleaning Marble: To remove stains, sprinkle salt on a fresh cut lemon. Rub very lightly over stain. Do not rub hard or you will ruin the polished surface. Rinse with soap-water mixture and then by clean water again.

Tags: Astro-turf, Baking Soda, Brushes, Candle Wax, Checklist, Clean Windows, Combs, Crayon, Doorknobs, Doors, Duty, Furniture, Glass, House, House Cleaning, Indoor Plants, Marble, Mat, Mirrors, Priority, Table Tops, Tiles, Tips, Wallpaper, Windows, Wood floors

Writing a resume is the first step to get a job. A resume holds a very important role in getting a job. If it is not written and presented properly, you can face a immediate rejection whatever be your skills or qualification.

Management gurus says that the resume is the basic tool which can help you getting any job and the interviewer, who have to conduct the interview for thousands of candidates gives a brief look at your resume to decide whether he/she should proceed with the interview or to say a good-bye to the candidate. Resume accounts for about 50 % chances of getting recruited. Hence there is no need to explain the importance of resume anymore.

So to avoid rejection chances give a little time to write an impressive resume. All you need to do is follow a few basic guidelines. Here is some information regarding the subject which can help you:

1> Make a clear Objective: Writing an impressive resume is not so difficult. Before writing a resume, make sure about the needs of the organization where you are applying. Just place yourself in the shoes of the organization to make an easy way. Make an impressive but an honest objective according to the organization, the field or the post you are applying. The objective is the first thing that the reader notices.  Ask yourself some question like “What would the company be expecting from the candidates?”; “Why am I writing this?”; “What are my strengths that I should focus on?”

2> Do not copy: Be aware that you are marketing yourself through your resume to get the job. If it is unable to catch the eye of the interviewer, your job is finished before start. First thing you have to remember is that not to copy the words of any other in making your resume. Usually the candidates copy the resume from their friends by changing personal details. The resume passes through many hands during different rounds after applying and before the final interview. Do not follow this copy-paste rule.

3> Limit personal details: Give brief and necessary personal details only like name, address, the date of birth, contact number and email address. Avoid other irrelevant information like religion, height, marital status etc unless it is demanded by the organization.

4> Order academic details: The academic details should always be written in reverse order with the latest degree or the course at the top then going backwards. The format should be: the name of the course then college and university name followed by the duration of the course. Finally write down the aggregate percentage obtained in that course.

5> List down Work experience: Highlight your earlier work experience if any. This part of the resume will add up a positive mark in getting the job and will boost your chances of getting selected. The interviewer may question you the most from this section. Format should be: the post or the designation, at which you worked, followed by the name of the company and then write the duration.

List down the projects or other responsibilities you had handled in your earlier job.

6> Highlight Skill sets:  List down your technical skills like the soft wares, operating systems or languages you are skilled in. It is an important segment and will take you near selection. Working professionals can list their professional qualifications while the fresher can mention extra curricular and co curricular activities as well.

7> Reference section: At the end of the resumes the references section should be included as most companies require this.

8> Do not stretch: Resume should be concise and to the point. It should not stretch to more than two sides for working professionals and about one side for fresher. Long resumes should be avoided.

9> Avoid errors: At last but not least, read the resume to check any possible spell mistakes or grammatical error. The resume should hold all the information correctly and it should be all genuine. Do not add any false information.

If you takes care all these tips and rules, your resume will be concise and presentable and your chances of getting selected will be doubled. Good Luck!

Tags: Academic, Help, Job, Job Hunt, Job Search, Management, Objective, Profile, Reference, Resume, Resume Management, Resume Writing, Resumes, Skills Set, Tips, Work Experience