GREat Five-Minute Reads: Episode 8

As mindfulness (OED: a mental state achieved by focusing one’s awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one’s feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations, used as a therapeutic technique) becomes the buzzword, scientists are now claiming that the mind is more than what we imagined! This week, we present some audio-visual treats to keep your mind and body happy and humming!

  1. Mind OVER Matter!
  2. Food for Thought: Films
  3. Food for thought: Music
  4. Food for Thought: History
  5. Food for thought: Geography

Look out for a new Reading List every week on Thursday!

GREat Five-Minute Reads: Episode 7

Going into the fourth (and hopefully, final) iteration of the lockdown, forgive us for getting a little philosophical. As the quotidian becomes dishearteningly humdrum — jokes abound on how no one knows nor cares what day of the week it is — it is time to find transcendent beauty and muse on how the ordinary becomes extraordinary with patience and passion.

Here’s hoping this week’s reading helps you find your desire, something you can pursue with diligence and dedication, so, you too can achieve for perfection in an imperfect, kaput world.

  1. Way to go, Einstein!
  2. Slithering their way into each other’s hearts
  3. Bashfulness as a survival strategy: read on introverts…
  4. 105 years old and still fighting…
  5. An exceptional journey that offers a never-before-seen visual delight!

Look out for a new Reading List every week on Thursday!

Lockdown activity: Ten tips to write a compelling resume for your dream job!

Resume, as they rightly say, is your first impression to the recruiter and a testament to your personality, accomplishments, and goals. It is one of the most important steps to landing a good job and building a successful career.
Given the lockdown, we are aware of your boredom and apprehensions about college, job, career, and everything that follows. But why not keep the worries aside and utilize this time for something constructive? Why not pave the way to a great future with just one smart step: One smart resume?

Here are ten tips to shed your fears and start drafting your perfect resume for your next perfect job:

Compile everything meticulously: The first step to drafting a great resume is to carefully compile your work experience, all the jobs, accomplishments, and details of your skill sets. This becomes the main resource for creating your resume as well as preparing for your interview.

Give it a tight edit: The next step is prioritizing and editing the information, with your ideal job in mind. Your goal: To communicate that everything you’ve done in your past is naturally & powerfully leading you to this next role. Eliminate ALL the content that does not lend itself to that story. EVERY point should contribute to the story effectively.

Address all posted job requirements possible: Make sure that you are ticking off everything that the recruiter expects for the position you are applying to. That will only show you in versatile light and speak louder about your experience and expertise.

‘Keywords’ is the key: Remember that whenever there is a writeup, a scanner or a person is always looking for keywords to quickly map everything and make mental notes. Instead of making it very wordy, if you use the right keywords that the recruiter is interested in, your chances of being noticed and filtered increase.

Avoid jargon: Always remember, a simple, precise, original, and honest resume makes much more impact on the recruiter than the one dotted with jargon and unnecessary fancy words. Keep it simple, comprehensive, and realistic.

Leave no gaps in work history: Oftentimes, we forget or choose to not mention a particular work experience for one or more reasons. But evident work gaps serve as a major deterrent when it comes to recruitment and raises red flags. Make sure that you chronologically mention your entire work history and don’t give a chance to the recruiter to question your whereabouts.

Ensure your information is legally accurate and will stand-up to background checks: This is a very important point to consider. Make sure everything you write in the resume is authentic, verifiable, and legally accurate. Even minor discrepancies serve as red flags and threaten your chances of bagging a good job.

Make sure your resume does not contain ANY errors/typos: Edit your resume thoroughly to avoid any errors or typos. A resume reflects the quality of the work you promise to deliver and hence it has to be crisp, well-written, and impressive.

Make sure your resume is “easy on the eye”: Many times, people are inclined to use fancy resume templates with a variety of colors, fonts and designs because they think it keeps the reader hooked. However, it makes the opposite impact. A gaudy resume distracts the recruiter. Hence you must keep it very decent, easy to scan, and absorb. The recruiter typically spends as little as 15 seconds and no more than 2 minutes to assess if you are the right fit. So make sure you provide everything that is necessary to be noted in this brief time.

Put on the hiring manager’s hat: Before sharing the resume, step into the shoes of the hiring manager for a moment, and scan your resume from their perspective.

Has it compelled you enough? Check for all the points and then take the call.

GREat Five-Minute Reads: Episode 6

It seems like the end of the lockdown is in view. Social distancing may soon be a thing of the past, but we would like to start a new trend: social reading! Ask your parents if they remember the now-antiquated public libraries…you can do the same with a click: read and share these articles!

Some forward fodder for you to impress your friends!

  1. Investigating the detective fiction of Scandinavia
  2. Tender Loving Care
  3. Heliocentric, geocentric…eccentric?
  4. Evolution of the HMS Beagle: the ship that was home to Darwin
  5. Saving the earth with just a few cents!

Look out for a new Reading List every week on Thursday!

Confusion created by recent news about H1B and OPT cancellations

The recent news about the proposed cancellation of H1B and OPT visas in various national newspapers has sent a wave of panic among Indian students and working professionals. With considerable experience in these matters, we present to you a clarification of these news items to ease your doubts and future plans of studying in the US.

On 8th May, five US senators and one congressman wrote a letter to President Donald Trump requesting him to suspend H1B and OPT visas for one year in view of the soaring unemployment in the United States due to the coronavirus pandemic.

To begin with, we want to clarify that it is not a petition but only a letter presenting an opinion/suggestion. Such letters can be written by anyone to the President. It does not mean that the President will immediately pass an executive order on the basis of this letter.

Further, acting on the letter is not an easy task. Firstly, only 5 Republican senators out of a 100, and one congressman out of 435, is a very small number to make an impact or drive a decision. Secondly, in the United States, these decisions will impact the two powerful lobbies that hold a lion’s share in their economy: The universities and IT companies. The economy of universities largely depends upon tuition fees from international students and this proposal will directly affect their student intake. Similarly, the majority of IT companies depend heavily on Indian and Chinese professionals who hold Masters degrees from American universities. Thus, the President is unlikely to make such a drastic decision which will have a boomerang effect on their economy.

What we must also not forget is that the letter could very well be a political gimmick, considering the November 2020 presidential elections. Against that backdrop, it is only advisable not to give importance to such letters and news items in the newspapers and go ahead with your study plans since universities and companies will continue to look to India for skilled engineers and tech professionals.

GREat Five-Minute Reads: Episode 5

As GRE-at Five Minute Reads turns “fabulous five” with this list, we would like to commend you, our readers, and present a tongue-in-cheek thank you speech for all those plaudits which are still to come: “Thank you, dear students, for persevering with reading when you would much rather be bingeing, for resisting the temptations of click-baits, and, for providing us with much-required validation on social media! As we stride forth, we want to look back and rejoice!”

So, this week’s list brings you articles on History — that supreme purveyor of lessons, which we never seem to learn!

  1. Dam! That burst destroyed one of the most powerful civilizations in history!
  2. Lincoln Logs: Wartime history
  3. Sticking kids in front of a screen: history of educational television (surely, an oxymoron!?!)
  4. Fun and games from the prehistoric times before Angry Birds and Candy Crush Saga
  5. Environmental history: it is not all fun and games…it is TEOTWAWKI!

Look out for a new Reading List every week on Thursday!