Chinua Achebe found a way to represent for a global Anglophone audience the diction of his Igbo homeland, allowing readers of English elsewhere to experience a particular relationship to language and the world in a way that made it seem quite natural—transparent, one might almost say. A measure of his achievement is that Achebe found an African voice in English that is so natural its artifice eludes us.
Month: May 2017
6 Tips On How To Prep Your CV For More Job Interviews
If you want to get an interview for the position at the company you are applying for, then there are 6 things you should bear in mind. In this article, we will partially focus on cover letters as well as other important resume writing tips.
So, grab a pen, and get ready to totally change your approach to CVs and cover letters.
6 Tips On Successful CV Emailing Process
Address your email to a particular person
Avoid using general opening phrases like “Dear Sirs” or “To Whom It May Concern.” They are impersonal and cannot impress the recipients.
Most recruiters state that emails which are addressed to a specific person get higher chances of being read and paid special attention to. To know who to address your CV to, you can research the company’s LinkedIn account or company website.
Just think about it:
If you are getting dozens of cover letters a day, you are more likely to pay attention to the applicant who knows you by name than an applicant who simply addresses the company in general. So, if you do not want your resume to get into a stack of other similar “impersonal” letters, then address it to a particular person.
Use Keywords
A lot of companies use state-of-the-art technologies to analyze all the emails they get as well as the resumes in them. These technologies function in such a way that they identify the keywords in a letter or resume they receive.
Thus, after you familiarize yourself with a job description, make sure to check its keywords and major requirements. Keep these keywords in mind as you craft your cover letter and resume.
This will not only help a potential employer see you as a perfect applicant but will also help your letter avoid getting screened out.
See Also: Resume Action Words That Will Get You That Job
Be Original
In numerous resume examples one can find online, we see all the same patterns which candidates repeat time after time. Unfortunately, such clichés and standard phrases do not build up a strong image for you. They can even do the exact opposite.
For this reason, we highly recommend that you try to be as original as possible. For instance, check out the story of Sumukh Mehta who created a resume for GQ magazine and structured it in the form of the magazine itself. His resume went viral and still serves as a brilliant example of a CV which can get you not only an interview but the actual job.
Find Connections
You probably know the theory about seven handshakes. If not, then you should be aware of it.
The theory says that all people on the planet are connected through seven handshakes. This means that you have connections with almost everyone through other people you know.
All you have to do is find these connections and use them for your own benefit. If you can get a recommendation, then all the better as you can mention this when you write your cover letter. It can make all the difference.
Write a Bright Opening
You do not have much time to make a good first impression. In fact, professional recruiters say that they only have around 14 seconds for one resume as they get at least 250 applicants a day per position.
So, if you want to be among the people they will likely invite to an interview, remember to create a bright opening. Take one information from your resume and use it as your winning ticket. You can also mention some experience that you had which makes you brilliant for the position.
Write something like “I used to work as a sales manager for this company for a year, and I increased their sales by 30%.” This can draw the company’s attention and stimulate their interest in your resume.
Demonstrate Your Skills
Even if you do not have all the skills they expect from a perfect candidate, you can emphasize the ones you have and sell them to the company. To do that, you need to provide evidence to support your statements.
You can add some numbers that can illustrate how much you contributed to your previous place of employment. Think of your own unique way to present such experience.
We hope that with our practical resume writing tips, you’ll be able to email your CV correctly. We guarantee that if you follow our tips step by step, you will certainly get yourself an interview.
See Also: 16 Worst Resume Mistakes
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A Stunning Mountain Lodge Perched Atop a Valley in Chile
This stunning mountain lodge is located in San Fernando, Chile, itself situated in the heart of the countryside and perched at a height of 339 m (1,112 feet) above sea level. The family-run cabin lodge was designed by SAA arquitectura + territorio in 2012. The property is surrounded by rivers and forests of oak, quillay, and peumo, creating an atmosphere of peace and isolation from the hardships and noise of..
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Running inland from protective fjords, Three Saints Bay in…
Running inland from protective fjords, Three Saints Bay in Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska looks like a calm lake on a still day. The refuge is home to a spectacular variety of landscapes and wildlife. With mountains, rivers, tundra, forests, wetlands and coastline, it’s like seeing all of Alaska on a single island. Photo by Robin Corcoran, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
How To Improve Your Self-Discipline
You’re an intelligent person, right?
You work hard and you’re driven to succeed in your professional and your personal life. You have great ideas that you believe can improve things for yourself and those around you.
But, if you frequently find yourself at the end of the week wondering where the time has gone and why your results do not match up your intentions, you have a problem. You are likely missing out on one key element for your success: self-discipline.
The willpower to forge on with a project can be hard to tap when you’re up against distraction, procrastination, and good old honest laziness.
So, if your inner voice isn’t giving you the support you need to be the person you could be, why not try some scientifically-verified techniques to get back in control of your trajectory?
Here are some tips on how to improve self-discipline.
Reboot with a bang
Setting a due date to begin your new routine will give you stronger resolve to see it through, according to some studies.
Instead of making vague promises to yourself that you’re going to get better, tell yourself that next Monday you’re going to start taking some specific steps. Discipline starts with a plan!
Concretize your motivation
Just as a solid start date can help you start strong, making the effort to write down the reasons why you want to improve can help give clarity to what you’re doing.
List the five top reasons you want to improve your self-discipline and keep that list handy. It will give you strength when you’re starting to wonder why you’re doing all the hard work.
Picture your success
Your written note will motivate your mind but visualizing the success of your project can motivate your soul. By visualizing the effects of your self-control, your willpower will last much longer.
Arm yourself against temptation
It’s one thing to tell yourself you’re going to go the gym no matter what. But, when your friend calls you up for a drink, it becomes a different story.
By preparing for such temptations in advance, you’ll be able to deal with them more favorably when they arise. For example, tell yourself that if a friend calls you for a meet up when you have a workout planned, suggest a game of tennis instead of spending two hours in the pub.
Forge positive associations with unpleasant tasks
If you find yourself unwilling to get out of bed half an hour early each morning to go for a run, try to make it more appealing for yourself. Saving your favorite podcast for your workout the night before can help you get on track.
Hide your temptations away
Out of sight, out of mind, they say. Experiments have shown that hiding the things that are likely to tempt you, like chocolates or your game consoles, can make you less likely to give into their call.
Sleep better
Here’s a guilt-free reason to put greater emphasis on your sleeping life: sleep deprivation actually impairs self-discipline by affecting the way your prefrontal cortex functions.
Start to wind down, like turning off your smartphones, at least an hour before bedtime and give yourself plenty of chance to get 8-9 hours sleep. The quality of your sleep has a profound effect on how one can improve self-discipline.
See Also: Are You Sleep Deprived? 8 Health Risks Of Poor Sleep
Get some friendly support
Nobody likes to be nagged, but you’re more likely to stay in control of your good intentions with regular reminders. If you’re working on quitting a bad habit, like nail-biting or cutting out coffee, ask the people around you to remind you when you’re falling back into that habit.
Take your time
When you make a split-second decision, it is very often the wrong one. The snap answer to “Ice cream with that?” is always going to be “Yes, please!”. So, before you actually blurt out an answer, count to five and think about the options before you commit. That way, you are more likely to make decisions with your mind and not with your belly.
Give yourself a glucose boost
Willpower seems to be closely connected to glucose levels in our blood. If you find yourself unwilling to put in an extra hour at work when it’s needed, try making yourself a drink or a snack with honey in it to bring your blood sugar back up.
Avoid alcohol
There’s a good reason why we associate drinking with regret. You don’t need to be a scientist to figure that out. When you are under the influence of alcohol, you are less likely to reflect on the implications of your behaviors.
It only takes a little reduction of your inhibitions to get you opting for a second slice of pie or to stay out at the party for another hour even though you have work in the morning. When you’re working on a goal, steer clear of the booze and you are more likely to make the right decisions when faced with temptation.
See Also: The Tell-Tale Signs You May Have Alcoholism
Use visual cues
You already have your friends watching your back, but they won’t always be nearby to help you avoid temptation. Most of the time, you’ll need to look out for yourself.
Leaving Post-It notes and other visual reminders around your home and office can help you regulate your behavior just when you need it. Leave a note on your front door to remember your gym kit when you leave for work in the morning. Wrap masking tape around your credit cards so you have to think twice before violating your personal budget.
Do it for you
Finally, return once more to your reasons for working so hard. Your willpower will not be as strong if you are just looking to please other people.
Figure out the importance of your self-discipline for your own goals and dreams and you’ll be able to give yourself a much better shot at success.
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A Contemporary Tree House Near Cape Town, South Africa
Now that we have reached adulthood, when we hear mention of a tree house, we remember our childhoods and think of time spent in fairly small spaces, sparsely furnished, if at all, and of tiny structures coarsely built into trees in our backyards. Not so for Malan Vorster. The Cape Town-based architectural firm has created a contemporary tree house that, once we’re inside, makes us feel like we’re right at..
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The Art Of Effective Visualization
There’s a difference between thinking about something and experiencing effective visualization.
When you look at a person living a lifestyle you envy and say ‘That’s cool’, that’s basically just thinking about it. When you envy their lifestyle and your inner thought goes ‘Wouldn’t it be cool if that was me?’ and you proceed to picture yourself in that person’s shoes and how it feels to be like him — that’s effective visualization.
Picturing things in your mind is just the start of the process. What you do next is what can make your vision more effective. It’s how you act and train your brain to work on what you visualize.
Once you have set up your initial goal, the next part should be pretty effortless. Despite being easy, however, it is what derails most people.
Culturally, we’re taught to second-guess and doubt outcomes that seem too good to be true. We are trained to believe in the statistics that are presented to us as the norm. This way of thinking and believing dampens our ability to create our own desires.
Enforcing what is ‘normal’ has spread so far within our society that we tend to make someone feel foolish or guilty for striving to go above and beyond the enforced ‘normal’ standard. If you grow up surrounded by this kind of thinking, you should expect to face some difficulties.
How To Achieve Effective Visualization
By creating a vision of yourself that breaks out of that norm, you are essentially creating possibilities. The deal breaker now is how you can turn your beliefs around to concentrate on your vision.
This is where most people trail off the path. However, once you learn how to stay focused and on track, it’s actually easy. You must keep that mental visualization crisp and clear and visit it often. Be focused and proactive in reasserting in your mind who you want to become and what you want to experience.
This doesn’t mean taking extreme measures in pursuing your future self. You just have to continually revisit your vision so that it can become the lens through which you see everything.
And that is the magic ingredient that can help you use effective visualization to become a visionary.
When you step through your life aligned with a clear purpose and goal, every opportunity and event related to that goal will be highlighted for you and you’ll be able to proactively grasp it. Whether it’s money, health or love, as long as you hold your vision clearly in your mind, you will inevitably reach your desired goal.
The time from when you set your vision to the time you realize it will depend on the level of transformation the process requires. The more you hold that goal in your mind and the more determined you are to not allow anything or anyone to disrupt it, the faster the process will be.
You can either work hard to achieve it or work hard to stop it.
It’s human nature to want to fit in and belong. However, there are times when we feel that some of the things the people around us are achieving are far from our own reality. We feel that we could never get the same opportunities. The more we think of them as unobtainable, the more we close our minds to the possibility of achieving them.
Conclusion
To some degree, we have all fallen into that category and this is why I love doing what I do. As a life coach, I help put hope back in people’s minds. By sharing these principles and life philosophies, I’m able to literally see people rekindle a connection to the truth we were all born with- that we are the creators of our own lives.
If you commit to the mental process of visualization on an ongoing basis, you are continually confronting life. In a proactive way, you are paying love to what you desire. Every time you give into the process of visualizing, you are rewiring your brain to push your aspirations into fruition.
The more love you give your vision, the bigger and faster it grows.
So, hold your vision clear in your mind and don’t doubt that outcome. Every decision you make from this point forward will either bring you closer to your goal or push you away from being the visionary you need to be.
See Also: What To Do When You Hit A Roadblock: The Power Of The Subconscious Mind
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A Fantastic Execution of Renovation and Repurposing by Waataa
What we see in these images is not just a home, not just a design project. It’s a genius execution of renovation and repurposing. Located in Lisbon, Portugal, this space – once divided into three different units – had previously served a commercial purpose, and was thus transformed by the Portuguese architectural firm waataa in 2017. At first sight, the space is striking. It is white, wide open, with high..
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Enjoy the Climate and Beaches in Rovinj, Croatia to Achieve that Sun Kissed Skin