Time to choose your career

After the board exams the question that every student is faced “What do I want to be?”

Go for it

Gone are the days when engineers, doctors, lawyers and CAs were the only respectable options. There is a whole gamut of occupations you can choose from now, depending on your interests and aptitude. Here are some alternative career options you can look into.

Public Relations

Maintaining relations anywhere and generating positive publicity for a client, be it a company or an individual, is the primary responsibility of a PR officer. A good command over the language is a must. Though no formal education is required, a broad knowledge of many things, including advertising, is of immense help here.

Event Management

Corporate events and conferences, trade shows and exhibitions, product launches, grand openings, festivals, parties, weddings, fashion shows or beauty contests, a never ending list of events you can find yourself organising should you choose to be an events manager. This is a good choice for those who like organising things, with a flair for being creative and innovative. A high school certificate is the basic requirement, but there are many diploma and post graduate courses being offered in this field.

Radio Jockey

If you love talking, and people also love talking and listening to you, then you have found your calling. Add to that an interest and knowledge of different types of music, and you have the makings of a good radio jockey.

RJs are those who anchor music programmes on radio, entrusted with entertaining listeners by playing music or conveying messages in a captivating way.

Apart from a good voice and fluency in the language, an RJ should be friendly, dynamic, witty and have a sound presence of mind with a good sense of humour. Though no formal education is required, there are short courses available which can aid you in improving your skills. These days, many FM stations have started taking on interns also.

Graphic Designing

Graphic designing is the art of creating visual solutions to communication needs of any organisation, in print or electronic form. The scope of a graphic designer is far from narrow.

From designing the layout of magazines and newspapers, promotional displays, marketing brochures, logos to developing material for web pages and interactive media, all come under the umbrella of graphic designing.

Creativity, good communication and problem solving skills are required, as are an interest in computer graphics and design software. It's a creative career that finally rewards you for all those doodles you'd made during classes!

Hotel Management

A career in hotel management is not just a career, but a lifestyle in itself.

With the hotel industry growing, there is a wide scope with opportunities in sales and marketing, front office management, housekeeping, club management, travel and tourism and a lot more. A number of courses and post graduate degrees are available, both in India and abroad.

Foreign language interpreters and translators

With globalisation, the world is becoming smaller, and the need to communicate between different countries and cultures is increasing. If you have a flair for languages, then this might be your calling. In addition to learning the language well, one needs to have an academic degree in foreign languages.

You could make a career in tourism, entertainment, public relations and mass communication, international organisations, embassies, diplomatic service, publishing houses and BPO's.

So, find the best fit for your personality.

Source: The Hindu

Live In The Present

If you are feeling disoriented and out-of-sync, maybe you just need to slow down, says Paula Horan

The first step towards self-healing of either emotional imbalances or physical ailments is to slow down, so that we get a chance to perceive what is really happening in our lives. We can then better observe and understand our inner state of being, for it is mirrored in our outer situation in life. Once we understand this, we can take responsibility and change whatever that is bothering us.

Illness often results when we are too busy or overwrought to pay attention to signals that point to where our true priorities lie. The causal factors of a common cold are a case in point. The two main reasons for 'catching' a cold, for instance, could be that you are carrying a lot of grief or anger and have suppressed your need to cry or that you have submitted your body to too much stress — to a deluge of toxins such as air pollutants, alcohol, drugs (including unnecessary over-the-counter and prescription drugs) and too much or unhealthy food.

These together with excess stress and lack of rest can exhaust the immune system; it now needs to purge itself.

Go slow now

When you slow down, it becomes possible to be in touch with your feelings again, the very ones you were ignoring in the first place. The neurotically busy pace of your lifestyle can make you lose touch with your genuine feelings. When you can barely keep your head out of water, it is easy to not notice what is really going on. When you are speeding along like a rat on a skateboard, there is no time to reflect and feel.

When you slow down, you also begin to get the first inkling of peace — the silent power with you all the time. In ordinary circumstances, we simply do not notice this — neither our innate peace or our own power, because we are never fully present or living life in the 'now'. If you are always engaged in mind games, worrying or planning, you are bound to suffer. In such a state of mind, you overlook your existing

reality — the eternal moment, the now, the inner joy.

Ice Creams are Nostalgic

The next time you order an ice cream, get ready to feel like a busy bee, for a new survey has revealed that these chilled sweet treats can trigger emotions linked to its place of origin.

In fact, the emotions generated vary from one kind of iice cream to another, according to a study of 10,000 adults by Kelly's of Cornwall Ice Cream.

The study was followed by analysis from food psychologist Greg Tucker, reports the Scotsman.

Eating ice cream from Scotland with its sweet, milky taste conjures up feelings of indulgence.

Cornish ice cream may inspire visions of beaches and seaside towns, while Italian ice cream with its swirls creates images of 'bright and interesting'Naples.

American-style ice cream, which contains chunks or pieces, results in feeling 'frenetic and busy'. 

What To Answer In Job Interview

Perhaps this is the most common and famousinterview question of all interview questions. “Tell me about yourself” is the gateway to just about anything to wish to say which is why it can be tricky. When asked the question, the interviewer doesn’t want to know where you were born or what color your hair it. This question prompts an answer that gives theinterviewer a general answer of why you would be good for this job. Your answer may reveal some of your greatest achievements or how your past experiencemight relate to the job you are applying for.

2. Why would I hire you?

For this answer you need to realize that the better answer you give, the easier it is for the employer. It’s up to you so give the employer a reason to hire you. This is a great time to tell the interviewer about any past work experience you have. You might say, “When I was working at XXX, I did XXX. I feel that experience will allow me to excel at this position I am applying for.” Even better, think of a specific example or story to tell about a situation you have been in before and how that could be useful to the company.

3. What are you strengths?

Figure out 2-3 things about yourself that you really like about yourself and elaborate. Always give an example after you say your strength. For example, you may say you are dedicated. Then you should follow up with an instance when at your last you job, you had an important project due and youworked extra hours to make sure it got done.

4. What are your weaknesses?

When answering this question, you always want to give an answer that isn’t really a weakness. You may say, “I don’t speak a second language,” or “when I start a project, I can’t focus on anything else until I get it done.” This shows that you are dedicated and hard working. You never want to truly bash yourself when answering this question. That isn’t the point. The following examples here are easy to discuss and can lead to talking about future growth and learning.

5. What is the most important thing to you in a job?

If there is something really important for you to have in a job, behonest and say it. Remember, a job interview is a tool to reveal thebest fit for the company. If something is really important to you that the company doesn’t offer, it is best to reveal it now.

6. What are you career goals?

Employers want to know this to see what positions you might grow into later on if you were to be hired. They also want to know this to see how long you might stay with the company ifhired. The company may be looking for a candidate they can groom into their next Senior VP. However, you are only looking for a job to cover you for the next couple of years, it might not be the best match.

7. Do you have any questions for me?

Do your research ahead of time and if you truly have a question, ask it. When you ask legitimate, relevant questions, you show the interviewer you put in time toresearch beforehand. However, don’t ever ask questions, just to ask questions or to look good. The interviewer will sense your lack of authenticity right away and that may hurt your chances. Make the time to think of an intelligent question about the job before hand. You may ask, “What is a typical day like for this position?” You can also ask, “What opportunity for advancement does this position have?”

8. Why did you leave your last job?

Whatever the reason was, tell the story of why is / was mutually beneficial for you to leave the company. Never blurt out, “I got fired,” and end it at that. It makes you look bad and can even make theinterviewer feel uncomfortable. Prepare an honeststory with a logical reason that doesn’t reveal too much personal information or company gossip. If you did get fired, you can use this as an opportunity to discuss what lessons you learned and what you would now do differently.

Source: Just For FUN PAK