My PhD Commencement

Pray and belief

There is a story of about a sea captain who skippered a boat taking day-trippers to an island. On one trip, the boat was full of young people.

They laughed at the old captain when they saw him say a prayer before sailing out, because the day was fine and the sea was calm.

However they weren't long at sea when a storm suddenly blew up and the boat began to pitch violently. The terrified passengers came to the captain and asked him to join them in prayer.

But he replied,
"I say my prayers when it's calm. When it's rough I attend to my ship."

Here is a lesson for us......

If we cannot and will not seek God in quiet moments of our lives, we are not likely to find him when trouble strikes. We are more likely to panic. But if we have learned to seek him and trust him in quiet moments, then most certainly we will find him when the going gets rough.

Interview session

Below are the Interview Questions, which were asked in HR Round.....

No one will GET second chance to impress....

Very very Impressive Questions and Answers..... ...


Question 1:

What will you do if I run away with your sister?"

The candidate who was selected answered " I will not get a better match for my sister than you sir"


Question 2:

Interviewer (to a student girl candidate) - What is one morning you woke up & found that you were pregnant Girl ?

- I will be very excited and take an off, to celebrate with my husband.

Normally an unmarried girl will be shocked to hear this, but she managed it well. Why I should think it in the wrong way, she said later when asked


Question 3:

You are driving along in your car on a wild, stormy night, it's raining heavily, when suddenly you pass by a bus stop, and you see three people waiting for a bus:

-- An old lady who looks as if she is about to die.
-- An old friend who once saved your life.
-- The perfect partner you have been dreaming about.

Which one would you choose to offer a ride to, knowing very well that there could only be one passenger in your car?

This is a moral/ethical dilemma that was once actually used as part of a job application.

* You could pick up the old lady, because she is going to die, and thus you should save her first;
* or you could take the old friend because he once saved your life, and this would be the perfect chance to ! pay him back.
* However, you may never be able to find your perfect mate again...

The candidate who was hired (out of 200 applicants) had no trouble coming up with his answer. Guess what was his answer?

He simply answered:

"I would give the car keys to my Old friend and let him take the lady to the hospital. I would stay behind and wait for the bus with the partner of my dreams."

Sometimes, we gain more if we are able to give up our stubborn thought limitations. Never forget to "Think Outside of the Box."


Question 4:

The interviewer asked to the candidate "This is your last question of the interview. Please tell me the exact position of the center of this table where u have kept your files."

Candidate confidently put one of his finger at some point at the table and told that this was the central point at the table.
Interviewer asked how did u get to know that this being the central point of this table, then he answers quickly that sir u r not likely to ask any more question, as it was the last question that u promised to ask.....

And hence, he was selected as because of his quick-wittedness.

This is What Interviewer expects from the Interviewee. ....

"THINK OUTSIDE OF THE BOX"

Think of others

Once there was loving couple traveling in a bus in a mountainous area. They decided to get down at some place.

After the couple got down at some place the bus moved on. As the bus moved on, a huge rock fell on the bus from the mountain and crushed the bus to crumbs. Everybody on board was killed.

The couple upon seeing that, said, "We wish we were on that bus"

Why do u think they said that?

Answer !!!!

*If they had remained on the bus instead of deciding to get down, the resulting time delay could have been avoided and the rock would have fallen after the bus had passed ..!!!*

*Think positive in life always and look for opportunities when u can help others*

Inspirational quotes

Relationship and Communications

Inspirational quotes

Optical illusions

Who do you like more - women or saxophone players?


Are there really just flowers?

Numbers

It is quite interesting that all numbers can be created by using only two numerals - 4 and 8

Optical illusions

Did you see beautiful scene and something more to it?



Did you see the face of a soldier and a man that is bending?

30 seconds speech

How to get good student evaluation

Some inputs:

"Projected a picture of your wife and child on a large screen while the evaluations were being written."

"A colleague who taught a large-lecture format (250 students) introductory logic course always had donuts delivered to the lecture hall the day of class evaluations. (Apparently it worked, to judge by his evaluations.)"

"Let's see: 1) announcing that the final exam will be given before exam week, giving students (and, not incidentally, faculty) exam week off, 2) announcing a curve favorable to grade inflation, 3) carrying the evaluations around for the final two weeks of classes, awaiting a favorable attendance pattern to administer the forms, 4) shifting the final exam to a take-home format, 5) agreeing to drop the lowest exam or quiz grade."

"Taking the entire class out for lunch and distributing the evaluations with dessert. Granted, only works with studio-sized classes, but disgustingly successful nonetheless."

"Chocolate"

"I had a professor use an ingenious method: he gave us two evaluations.
Step One: He first explained that the feedback on the official form was not as helpful as he wanted, and also took several months to receive (no time to implement any critical feedback before the next term). He also told us that the official form was the one that determined things like salary and tenure.
Step Two: He then gave us an unofficial form (simpler and more subjective) that we were to complete honestly and anonymously, and we were to give it to him that very day.
Step Three: After we had written our comments about his teaching (and gotten any need to vent out of our system), he gave us the official form to complete, seal, and send to the department.
This all appeared like he really wanted feedback from us, and was trying to go around the official system to get it. But what he was actually doing was allowing us to exhaust any strongly critical feelings with the first form... and so when we completed the official form, we were MUCH easier on him."

"Here is how I get the students to hesitate to use the evaluation to vent their spleen:
At about 2/3 of the way through the semester, I hand out a checklist labeled "How I Have Participated in the Teaching-Learning Process." This checklist asks the student to reflect on whether he or she has done things such as 'come to class prepared' or 'stayed tuned in during discussions.' I tell the class that they have a right to evaluate my teaching only if they are willing to take responsibility for their part in the process. I also teach my education students how to give positive feedback along with suggestions for change.
So, what I get are statements of 'positive feedback' as well as 'suggestions for change.' I value the suggestions but really appreciate my students' willingness to learn about appropriate feedback given in a spirit of civility."

Teaching evaluation

A retired professor wrote:

I don't know where the pernicious notion arose, that students were somehow qualified to "evaluate" degreed professors. The article implies the obvious, namely that "evaluations" are essentially a "feel-good" way for students to get back at professors who demanded from them a student performance at the real university level. That's what a professor is supposed to do anyway. "Evaluations" are a way of corrupting faculty into compromising academic standards for the sake of supposedly more favorable "evaluations". I can hear it now: "Just put up a cute Power Point presentation, and your high rating on the 'evaluations' is assured!"

C.V, Resume & Biodata

Difference Among C.V, Resume & Biodata

People use the words RESUME, C.V., and BIO-DATA interchangeably for the document highlighting skills, education, and experience that a candidate submits when applying for a job. On the surface level, all the three mean the same. However, there are intricate differences.

RESUME
Resume Is a French word meaning "summary", and true to the word meaning, signifies a summary of one's employment, education, and other skills, used in applying for a new position. A resume seldom exceeds one side of an A4 sheet, and at the most two sides. They do not list out all the education and qualifications, but only highlight specific skills customized to target the job profile in question. A resume is usually broken into bullets and written in the third person to appear objective and formal. A good resume starts with a brief Summary of Qualifications, followed by Areas of Strength or Industry Expertise in keywords, followed by Professional Experience in reverse chronological order. Focus is on the most recent experiences, and prior experiences summarized. The content aims at providing the reader a balance of responsibilities and accomplishments for each position. After Work experience come Professional Affiliations, Computer Skills, and Education

C.V CURRICULUM VITAE
C.V Is a Latin word meaning "course of life". Curriculum Vitae (C.V.) is therefore a regular or particular course of study pertaining to education and life. A C.V. is more detailed than a resume, usually 2 to 3 pages, but can run even longer as per the requirement. A C.V. generally lists out every skills, jobs, degrees, and professional affiliations the applicant has acquired, usually in chronological order.
A C.V. displays general talent rather than specific skills for any specific positions.


BIO-DATA
Bio Data the short form for Biographical Data, is the old-fashionedterminology for Resume or C.V. The emphasis in a bio data is on personal particulars like date of birth, religion, sex, race, nationality, residence, martial status, and the like. Next comes a chronological listing of education and experience. The things normally found in aresume, that is specific skills for the job in question comes last, and
are seldom included. Bio-data also includes applications made in specified formats as required by the company.

A resume is ideally suited when applying for middle and senior level positions, where experience and specific skills rather than education is important. A C.V., on the other hand is the preferred option for fresh graduates, people looking for a career change, and those applying for academic positions. The term bio-data is mostly used in India while applying to government jobs, or when applying for research grants and other situations where one has to submit descriptive essays.

Resumes present a summary of highlights and allow the prospective employer to scan through the document visually or electronically, to see if your skills match their available positions. A good resume can do that very effectively, while a C.V. cannot. A bio-data could still perform this role, especially if the format happens to be the one recommended by the employer.

Personal information such as age, sex, religion and others, and hobbies are never mentioned in a resume. Many people include such particulars in the C.V. However, this is neither required nor considered in the USmarket. A Bio-data, on the other hand always include such personal particulars.

Always Ask, Never Assume

His request approved, the CNN News photographer quickly used a cell phone to call the local airport to charter a flight.

He was told a twin-engine plane would be waiting for him at the airport.

Arriving at the airfield, he spotted a plane warming up outside a hanger.

He jumped in with his bag, slammed the door shut, and shouted, 'Let's go'.

The pilot taxied out, swung the plane into the wind and took off.

Once in the air, the photographer instructed the pilot, 'Fly over the valley and make low passes so I can take pictures of the fires on the hillsides.'

'Why?' asked the pilot.

'Because I'm a photographer for CNN' , he responded, 'and I need to get some close up shots.'

The pilot was strangely silent for a moment, finally he stammered, 'So, what you're telling me, is . . . You're NOT my flight instructor?'

Triple Filter Test

One day an acquaintance met the great scholar and said, "Do you know what I just heard about your friend?"

Scholar: "Hold on a minute, before telling me anything I'd like you to pass a little test. It's called the Triple Filter Test."

The Man: "Triple Filter Test?"

Scholar: "That's right, before you talk to me about my friend it might be a good idea to take a moment and filter what you're going to say. That's why I call it the triple filter test. The first filter is Truth. Have you made absolutely sure that what you are about to tell me is true?"

The Man: "No, actually I just heard about it and ..."

Scholar: "All right, so you don't really know if it's true or not. Now let's try the second filter, the filter of Goodness. Is what you are about to tell me about my friend something good?"

The Man: "No, on the contrary..."

Scholar: "So, you want to tell me something bad about him, but you're not certain it's true. You may still pass the test though, because there's one filter left: The filter of Usefulness. Is what you want to tell me about my friend going to be useful to me?"

The Man: "No, not really."

Scholar: "Well, if what you want to tell me is neither true nor good nor even useful, why tell it to me at all?"

The Best Gift

To a Friend.......Loyalty
To an Enemy.......Forgiveness
To your Boss......Service
To your Child.....A good example
To your Father....Honor
To your Mother....Gratitude and Devotion
To your Spouse....Love and Faithfulness
To Yourself.......Respect
To All Men........Charity
To God............Your Life!!

Phone Interview

A faculty member explained what phone interview is going to be.

He said, basically, the phone interview is a "getting-to-know-you" step in the ongoing screening and hiring process. If the script is the same as with his experience, the interviewee will be asked about his/her pedagogy, general teaching track-record, professional applications of his/her degree (if any) and whether or not he/she is familiar with some of the tenets of being a faculty member, such as proprietary grading system (Like Blackboard, etc.), writing journal articles,and conducting research.

It's not particularly intensive, and he wound up having quite an enjoyable chat with his interviewer.

Some Tips for Interview and Keeping your Job

Interview Tips on How to Be "Perceived" as 10 Years Younger than You Really Are on an Interview

By Stephen Viscusi

Viscusi reveals why your "Interview Age" is crucial to finding a job...or keeping one. How old an impression do you make when you're interviewing? Not "just" the way you look. Of course, we all know that your boss can look up your age in your personnel file, or an interviewer can just count backwards from the year of graduation printed on your resume. However, here's is the truth: "perception" is the new reality, like 60 is the new 50. So you need to learn the fine art of being "perceived" as younger, through conversation and dialogue, as well as looking younger. I want to address both, since that is the most frequently asked topics, readers e-mail me about. Is this fair? Is it even legal? And most importantly, should you give in to such nonsense? I'll put it this way: if you are over 40, you need to read on.

During a "recession", bosses can use that magic "R" word as a blank check to fire almost anyone for any reason. And pay attention, over-40s: the wounded economy is an especially perfect opportunity for higher-ups to fire those senior workers whose high salaries and big egos have outlasted their welcome.

Then, for those who are unemployed, you must do whatever it takes to convey to hiring managers that you are employable. What does this mean? No one wants to hire someone who's stuck in the old-fashioned way of thinking that being qualified, working hard, and being loyal to a company is enough. Your Princeton degree and enviable references won't get you far if you're that naïve.

So back to the age thing. While many workers have learned that good looks and a polished appearance go a long way toward success in the workplace, too many of them fail to realize that cultivating the perception of youth and a high energy attitude is an equally important part of the equation for baby boomers. It's no secret that we live in an age-obsessed society. Like it or not, "Interviewing Younger" is the new catchphrase

"Interviewing Younger" and being perceived as more youthful at the office is a vocabulary, a body language, and a look. And here's a secret: these rules apply EVEN MORE when your boss is your age or even older. It's not like you are following these rules to impress a young person. Whatever the age of your boss or interviewer, you need to create a youthful perception about you. Otherwise, there's someone else waiting in the wings with quicker computer skills and contemporary pop culture knowledge that will be all too happy to fill your shoes.

So how do you do it? I reveal here some of the secrets, that I give in my book, "Bulletproof Your Job" (HarperCollins). But for those know-it-alls who have yet to buy my book (and by the way, it's the type of book you should keep in your desk at all times to remind yourself how to hold onto your job while everyone around you is losing theirs), here is my holiday gift to you.

Be forewarned I mix in the shallow "looks" tip's, that seem to enrage woman the most--along with the "attitude one--some of this may seem tongue and cheek or counter intuitive, either way--they work!

Rule #1: " Crest" Brand- White Strips. Yup, this is a shallow, cosmetic-based tip. But I get so many letters from people who just don't understand that having coffee-stained teeth doesn't do you any favors in the interview department. Stop rolling your eyes, go buy the strips ( and whiten those teeth. Then SMILE. Smiling makes you look and feel younger - not bitter, old, and unemployed. I don't care if you really are bitter, old, and unemployed. It's about perception, remember?

Rule #2: If you are over 40, I want you on Facebook or LinkedIn today. No friends? You already have one: just Facebook me. If you don't know how to join, let your kids show you, or even better, have a young person at work "reverse mentor" you on how it works. Let that same person help you choose your profile picture. No drunken debauchery, please.

Rule #3: Know about and frequently use Google, BING, Yahoo, ASK and Wikipedia. Bookmark them on your computer and set one as your homepage.

Rule #4: Watch an episode of "Family Guy." Discuss. Repeat.

Rule #5: Peruse your local Apple store. At least learn the difference between an iPod Classic, iPod Touch, and iPod Nano and you're on your way. And buy a set of those identifiable white headphones to keep around, even if you don't have the iPod to go with them. It's all about perception.

Rule #6: Don't talk about how you're so addicted to Starbucks, Coffee Bean, or whatever your coffee place of choice is. It seems like this would make you appear younger, but it won't. Spending your day at Starbucks screams "unemployed loser," and ever since Michael Gates Gill wrote "Starbucks Saved My Life", the average age of their customers must have shot up dramatically. (By the way, Michael is a friend of mine who I met at a book fair. He's a lovely man who wrote a terrific book, but he's 68 and well... let's just say that Starbucks is a very early 2000 sort of Devil Wears Prada. Besides, you should never walk into an interview with a coffee cup, especially since you just whitened those teeth.

Rule #7: Pick up a copy of "Entertainment Weekly" before an interview. But for God's sake, don't take it in with you and don't let anyone see you reading it. That said, nothing gets you more up to date on the youthful world of pop culture like an issue of "EW".

Rule #8: Learn how to "text". TWITTER and Skype

Rule #9: Young people get their news online - they don't read newspapers. So don't carry one into an interview with you or be seen reading it at the office like someone's mom or dad.

Rule #10: Make eye contact- and use my famous Viagra handshake (learn all about it in my book, "Bulletproof Your Job" (HarperCollins). Eye contact is so critical to being perceived as young; don't be afraid to use it. Speaking of eyes--COSIDER CONTACTS!

Rule #11: Rarely refer to your children, never your grandchildren, and never ever your great-grandchildren.

Rule #12: Go to the gym... or at least say that you do.

Rule #13: Never talk about the 80s or 90s, and never use words from "your day." Nothing at work is groovy, dy-no-mite or tubular. Ever.

Rule #14: Get a TiVo or DVR, or at least know how they work.

Rule #15: Practice "sounding young" on the phone. Take a small survey of how old you sound on the phone, and then practice with a friend sounding younger (a tip: talk higher and peppier). This is critical. In the same vein, make sure your outgoing voicemail message isn't too long or boring. Short and sweet with a positive attitude is all you need.

Rule #16: Dress is very important: always dress age-appropriate. No 40+ man should be wearing an Abercrombie & Fitch t-shirt, and no 40+ woman should be sporting a skimpy halter top (and these items should never be worn to work, no matter what your age).

Rule #17: Give your hairstyle a long, hard look. No wonder there are so many makeover shows! My advice is to ask an outsider his or her opinion. Someone who loves you won't want to hurt your feelings, or may love your look for sentimental or romantic reasons, but sadly that won't help you find a job. Bad coloring jobs spells disaster for both men and women, and let's face it, hair weaves for men rarely work. Men, don't go overboard on finding a new hairstyle - just clip your nose and ear hair and you're on the right track. Ladies, pluck or bleach facial hair - it's never good at any age, but for the over 40 set; it will scream menopause way before you've even reached it. And, men-the Goatee-Van Dyke thing-just screams, "I have been unemployed a LONG time. Shave it, and if you grew it because your bald, as a decoy. Guess what? You are still bald!

Rule #18: Skip the cologne and excessive perfume. And while we're on the subject, wear deodorant. You may laugh, but many people just don't do it.

Rule #19: Do not "Block" your Phone. It just screams that you have bill collectors after you, and no perspective employer need to call twice. They have plenty of options.

Rule #20: Have your e-mail address on your resume, you would be surprised how many people don't. Okay... feel any younger, or just berated?

Trust me, I just took 15 years off the way you come across. Yeah, some things I talk about here are cosmetic, but most are not. It's all about perception...and perception is the new reality.

Where are you now