How to be brutally honest in your resume and crack the deal

It’s that time of year again when transitions of students from high schools to colleges are on the move and you’re suddenly not considered a kid anymore.

There are new people to deal with, new emotions and perspectives to understand, new situations to grow and evolve under.

Everything seems different yet the same, it gets perplexing. And then one fine day, when everything was going all well, there’s a new term you’re supposed to know and then make one for yourself: ‘resume’.

Interesting.

“Your resume is nothing but a documentation of how far you’ve come in your academic and professional life, and how beneficial you can be to the existing companies to get work done from you.”

If that’s what you’re told, it’s not wrong. But what’s vital to gather is that your resume is a reflection of the kind of interests you hold and what you have for the world to offer.

It introduces your individuality to an unknown employer and reads your attitude and potential to them.

The way you describe yourself and your experience speak volumes about who you are and, if there’s something that drives your passion, what is it. And never to forget, it explains whether you’re self-aware and how well you can sell yourself. Deep.

All of what’s mentioned above simply comes down to understanding how crucial it is for your resume to be vulnerably honest. Since what makes or breaks the deal is not the big names and brands, nor high percentages. It’s your improvements and how well you deal with declines or stagnation.

Let’s dig deeper into how you can be truly yourself in your resume and make it to the selection.

The ‘About Me’ has to be about you

“Bragging only means you’re not used to having it.”

This quote isn’t new to most of us. Among all the pressure of sounding more competitive and purposeful than others, take time to analyze the qualities that make you distinct.

This section must have that one line that hits home to your character. It must relate to the answer of what excites you or drives you.

Keep in mind it’s you selling what you admire and cherish the most about your own self. Each term you use has the possibility of being questioned during unforeseen interviews and you really want to nail it.

There’s absolutely no need to mention any foreign alien word which casts who you’re not, in the desperation of impressing the reader.

And caution! It must relate to the job profile you’re applying for and showcase your confidence and belief in yourself. After all, who would like to hire an applicant who cries about their weaknesses or struggles?

Explain the experience, not the brand

Be it studying in the highest ranked university in the universe or working with some big top names, it’s only how you built your skills with them that matters. That’s what you need to highlight in your resume.

Mention the real scores and important distinctions in specific. It is always attractive to read more about the learnings and growth than about the brand.

This, in no way, means that you don’t need to be associated with known companies. It’s always good. But it does relate to how well you communicate the benefits you could reap out of the experiences.

Keeping the ‘have more than you show, speak less than you know’ approach acts as a plus point and adds to your authenticity, credibility and uniqueness. Be knowledgeable, observant, patient and humble during your experience itself, to shape the best words about it.

Remember that something different from the mainstream attracts the eye and leaves an impact.

Be patient and let things surface

It’s always the hardest of the tasks to wait, but then how enjoyable would be grabbing an opportunity without putting your heart and soul into it?

And by that we mean, it takes courage to stay patient about something you put efforts to get and the process indulges with many emotions as well. Whenever the results strike in and whatever they might be, maintain your inner stability and focus on driving the energy in the right direction.

If you get selected, be humble and grateful and don’t let pride overpower you.

If you don’t get selected, the opportunities aren’t over yet and it’s definitely the better ones that are waiting. Since it’s not always about winning, but about the willingness to win.

Last, but not the least: stay real!

To conclude, be honest with the process, right from making the resume till the results come out.

Give accurate information about yourself and deal with the fear of rejection. You can always reduce the need for exaggeration to beat the competition, since, in the end, you are your own competition.

If you want to learn more about how you can develop your professional skills, you may like this article.

Written by

Vanyashree Chaudhary is a light-hearted Journalism student from Delhi. She’s crazy about her love for graphic designing, Oreo shakes and Daft Punk. Find her the happiest while she’s traveling!

This story will change your perception about problems

When I was little, my mom used to tell me a story. It tells about a man who once found a cocoon of a butterfly.

One day a little opening showed up in the cocoon. He sat and kept watching the butterfly for a few hours, as it attempted to compel its body through that little opening.

At a point, it appeared to quit gaining any progress. It looked up as though it had reached the extent that it could, and it could go no further. So the man chose to help the butterfly. He took a couple of scissors and cut off the rest of the bit of the cocoon.

The butterfly at that point rose effectively, but with a swollen body and little, withered wings. The man kept on watching the butterfly, since he expected that, at any minute, the wings would broaden and extend to have the capacity to help the body, which would contract in time.

But neither happened!

Truth be told, the butterfly spent whatever remained of its life creeping around with a swollen body and wilted wings. It could never fly.

What the man, in his will to help, did not comprehend was that the confining cocoon and the battle were required for the butterfly. The effort would force liquid from the butterfly’s body into its wings, so it would be prepared for flight once it left the cocoon.

As a child, I was completely mad at the man, but now I understand how this story connects with our everyday life.

The sad end of butterfly taught me two main lessons, and they gave me the strength to welcome every challenge with an open heart.

1. Challenges help us in our personal growth

We say we want to have a smooth cruising life, without any issues and problems at all. It is certainly impractical thus, imagine a scenario in which you have a life without any problem? Wouldn’t it bore if everything that happened was what you anticipated?

By chance, if you can accomplish anything without hard work, would you be delighted after you achieve something awesome?

Why people like sports, beginning a business or playing games? Since it is hard, challenging and winning it influences you to feel excited about your achievements.

Problems can be a helpful obstacle that once we manage to get past it, we will gain tremendous insights and experience that will be most helpful to our personal growth.

2. Some problems you must face by yourself

We also saw that the person cutting the cocoon and enabling the butterfly to leave it effectively, out of his own consideration.

Do you believe he was truly helping the butterfly? In a roundabout way, he made the butterfly creep on the floor for whatever remained of its life, despite the fact that it wasn’t his intention.

We have discovered that we should be more mindful of the circumstance before loaning help. Try not to offer help to the individual for a temporary relief. As a long-term goal, it can cause it to become more independent and pass out additional support throughout everyday life.

For example, some of us are really bad at maths, English language etc. I was bad in the English language and could not understand tenses. So I found an easy way out!

I started copying my homework and cheating in my examinations. My friends were glad that they helped me, even though they knew they were harming me in the long run.

Then one day, the teacher changed our seating arrangements, and I had to start studying by myself. Had I not really tried understanding tenses myself and with the help of my teachers, I wouldn’t have been at the place where I am today: writing blogs and writing my own book.

I would never have realized my true qualities.

Give people a chance to develop themselves and sparkle.

I am certain that, not far off, they will be appreciative of you.

Let’s kickstart our day with the lesson from this beautiful story and see every problem as a step to get out of our comfort zone and discover our true potential! ?

And if you know som people who need to have a better acceptance of challenges, how about you share this with them?

If you like this post you may also like: “Golden Routine”

Do you want to step out more to explore your potential by contributing towards United Nations’ SDGs and help us change the world? Check our leadership programs at www.aiesec.in.

Written by

Anisha Bhawanani is graduated in Marketing and Finance and loves writing. She is a happy go lucky girl with a head full of dreams, very passionate about traveling and exploring different cultures. One day she wants to win a man booker prize.

6 Tips to Conquer Your Independence

“Our lives improve only when we take chances and the first and most difficult risk we can take is to be honest with ourselves.”

– Walter Anderson

What does being independent mean?

Today, 15th August, marks the independence day of India. Our country is developing every day more, over the past decades, and people are trying to develop together.

But with all this talk about independence, one question arises: do you like feeling dependent on someone else?

Of course not. Not only are you limiting yourself, you are more than likely to become a burden to this person. You need to learn how to make decisions on your own.

The capability to be independent is something that not everyone possesses, and we need it in order to survive in the world.

Learning to support yourself is important for any success we ever hope to achieve.

It is extremely emancipating to know that you are in control of your own life and your own choices. It is much more beneficial to listen to the voice inside yourself rather than the berating opinions of others. Even in the small things.

For some reason, people think it is weird to go see a movie alone or sit in a cafe by itself. But at the end of the day you’re the person you have to live with anyway, so why not enjoy your own company?

“All the wonders you seek are within yourself.” ~ Sir Thomas Browne

Somewhere down the line, other people’s perspectives go a long way in shaping your own values. But this is the moment when you need to look within and take control of who you are!

There’s a huge list of things you can do that can make you feel more confident about yourself and give you a sense of freedom.

Wandering around the city can clear your mind of all the clutter it has been carrying around. Spending time talking to random people can help you widen your perspective.

So if you feel like it’s time to take control of your life, stay with me. Here are some valuable tips for you!

Here are 6 ways you can start designing your own independence

1. Do what you think it’s right

First of all, it’s important to realize that you have choices.

You make the decisions, you call the shots. Make the decision that you want and accept the fact that it may look a little different from the status quo. That’s OK— no one wants to be the status quo anyway!

Your life is your own. You are 100% unique and blessed in your own way. You have the right to spend your life doing the things you love to do, and experiencing things that bring you enormous bliss.

You are blessed in a way no one else is—and no one else can do what you do quite like you do it! Take a play from the great Zig Ziglar: “You are the only person on earth who can use your ability.”

2. Cook your own food

I don’t have time”. “It’s too expensive”.

“I don’t know how”. “It just convenient”.

These are some of the most common reasons why people don’t cook their own food. So they must be true, right?

Wrong!

As difficult it may sound, cooking can be quite therapeutic and help you release all the stress. When you’re cooking, you are in absolute control of what’s happening and that in most ways is the most independent feeling one could experience.

It also requires the responsibility of choosing what to cook, thinking of what you like, and what’s healthy for you.

3.Develop your own career

Once you realize you’ve got choices, the next step is to spend a bit of time with yourself and figure out what you want those choices to look like. Try creating a blueprint that nails down just what you want your life to look like.

Maybe you have a love for music and travel, and you want to design a lifestyle that embodies those things.

Perhaps you love deep sea fishing, and you want to design a lifestyle around that. Sit down, do some good, hard soul searching, and figure out exactly what you really want your time on this earth to look like.

Babe Ruth once said, “It is hard to beat a person who never gives up.”

Don’t let things like lack of experience, fear or insecurity get on your way! You must realize where you are going and move towards that, despite anything. Nothing starts without a dream.

Write down your goals, and then imagine the satisfaction of fulfilling your dreams. Believe in yourself and the mountains will begin to move.

4. Earn your own money

When it comes to personal independence, there is no satisfaction comparable to the ability to pay your own bills. Being able to afford your way through life reduces dependence on your parents, friends, spouse or whichever person you used to lean on.

Financial independence means that you control your income and spend drift and you are not answerable to anybody.

The more that you learn to become financially independent, the less stress you may have in your life as you are more in control of your financial outcome. So go ahead, take that job or that internship that you’ve been meaning to take since so long. Earn your own money and make your way through life independently.

As I just mentioned, all it takes is a bit of courage, a lot of determination and a first step.

5. Control your budget

The most important money principle for everyone is to spend less than you earn. So knowing where your money goes is key to proper budgeting.

Track where you are spending your money, be it a spreadsheet, a journal or a notebook. Maybe use an app that helps you keep a track of your money. Apple store and Google Play are filled with them.

Sort your priorities and spend money accordingly. Get creative and make your own piggy banks in order of project of preference. Something that will work both as a reminder of things that you should focus on and also keep a track of your financial status.

6. Go on a solo trip!

Being ‘on your own’ whilst travelling is a great test of yourself and helps you grow as a person. You won’t have people you can rely on, you’ll have to motivate yourself and make sure to make the most of your journey.

You will grow in heaps as a person and it is something that will help you gain so many life skills – from budgeting to communication skills.

If you don’t take control of a situation or adapt to the place you’re in, you won’t be able to truly enjoy. If you don’t talk to people or do your own research on what to do and where to go, no one else will do it.

No one is going to be there holding your hand and doing everything for you. You’ve got your own back.

So if you haven’t gone on a solo trip yet, maybe you should start planning one! Especially if you already followed the last tips and you’re paying for it yourself!

You’ve earned the money, you’ve planned the trip, you’re living the dream… What more could you ask for?!

Living your life on your terms starts with living consciously and being true to yourself.

It may mean letting go of the things you have amassed and unlearning all that you have learned until now.

It may mean fighting a lone battle or even holding on to your belief in the face of reproach, disapproval, and discouragement. But it’s worth doing.

So go ahead and crush the fears, demolish the doubts, overpower the naysayers, and take that one leap of faith to be who you want to be.

No matter what your age, gender, culture, or boundaries.

At the end of the day, you only have yourself to fall back on, so it is exceedingly important to be able to handle things on your own. It is all about being secure with who you are and what you believe in.

Be your independent self!

What kinds of things do you do to come out as the independent person that you are or want to be? Let us know in the comments section below!

If you like this post and wants to take the first step to be more independent, you may also like: “5 Ways an Internship Abroad Can Transform Your Career”.

Written by

Studying bachelor’s in biotechnology, Aayushi is a really passionate person, who loves to read and travel. She believes people, places, and stories have the power to change anyone and help them understand the purpose of life.

When will the world wake up to freedom —from pollution?

“Saving our planet, lifting people out of poverty, advancing economic growth… These are one and the same fight.

We must connect the dots between climate change, water scarcity, energy shortages, global health, food security and women’s empowerment. Solutions to one problem must be solutions for all.”

– Ban Ki-moon

We cannot deny the fact that our environment is subject to constant change.

With the change of conditions, it is necessary to become more aware of the tremendous problems encircling our habitat. And as inhabitants of this planet, we have to be aware of the various types of environmental issues that the world is defying. Pollution and global warming, for instance, are some major issue today and they have become an inseparable part of our livelihoods.

Our planet is gradually warming up. And apart from this, several other environmental problems are coming forth. Every now and then, people all around the globe are tormented by old and new effects of these problems. While some of these problems are small, several others are drastically affecting our planet.

We are on the brink of tremendous environmental crisis. We, humans, have been contaminating the air, land, and water of our planet. Exploiting its resources and scattering tons and tons of waste.

Human being’s excessive greed to live a life full of luxury is making people blind to the consequences of this extravagance. If the massive exploitation of earth’s resources is not minimized, the earth will not at all be a favourable place to live in for our future generations.

Where are our actions leading us?

Among the most dangerous results of environmental pollution, global warming tops the list.

This is expected to change the climate of several places, giving rise to lack of rainfall, reduction in the number of rainforests, unfavourable living conditions, and malnutrition. Moreover, with the rate at which new buildings are constructed all over the world, soon we will be left with very scarce space for growing food crops for all.

As an outcome of water pollution, 1.7 billion people cannot afford clean drinking water.

Polluted air is causing all sorts of breathing problems and giving rise to new types of incurable cancers.

Pollution is also making life miserable for wild animals and birds.

Now we are in the era of the unprecedented and unknown. What we know for certain is that this intensity, variability and ferocity of weird environmental conditions will get worse. We are the cause and the victims of the world falling apart.

Where Do We Go From Here?

World today is living on the edge of disappearance, due to pollution.

If travelling in time was possible, then we could have seen some extraordinary views. Like a fresh painting of Monalisa, or the mesmerizing Eiffel Tower, or white marbles of the Taj Mahal.

Don’t we all want to live in a place where we feel safe and secure? Don’t we want to live a happy and healthy life?

The answer is, definitely, “yes”. The change starts with us, and is not that difficult!

Most people think going green is a challenging task, but everything is easier when you really want to make a difference and induce a change. What you do daily can bring a big difference between preserving the environment and destroying it.

Taking care of the planet, it’s more than a responsibility. It’s a privilege.

Here are 3 changes you can do to reduce pollution and preserve the environment.

1.Going Green In House

Here are some low-stress steps to adapt in the house to create a healthier home, and lower your monthly bills to boot :

– Close the running tap water, when not needed. By this way, it is estimated every home can save more than a gallon of water!

– Only use the dishwasher when it’s full. Try to avoid using it more often, for every single plate.

– Turn off all lights during the daytime. Besides saving energy and money, it is good to open windows and screens to let sunlight in and fill the house with warmth. After all, sunlight is essential for the body in the form of vitamin A.

– Install compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) when your older incandescent bulbs burn out. They last more and are more ecological.

– Use a water filter to purify tap water instead of buying bottled water. Not only is bottled water expensive, but it generates large amounts of container waste.

– Unplug appliances when you’re not using them. Or, use a “smart” power strip that senses when appliances are off and cuts “phantom” or “vampire” energy use.

– Wash clothes in cold water whenever possible. As much as 85 per cent of the energy used to machine-wash clothes goes to heating the water.

– Avoid throwing plastic away: reuse it as much as possible!

– Switch off the AC and open some windows when you’re not in the room.

2. Less gas = less pollution + more money (and better health!)

Making simple changes can go a long way to help create a greener planet (and saving money).

– Walk or bike to work. This saves on gas and parking costs while improving your cardiovascular health and reducing your risk of obesity.

– Consider telecommuting, if you live far from your work. Or move closer. Even if this means paying more rent, it could save you money in the long term.

– Carpooling or vehicle pooling can save the environment from three or four times the pollution. Carpooling can be done with friends, neighbours, or relatives working in the same direction as yours, not necessarily the same company.

3. Recycling and Reusing

Do you want to prevent the creation of waste at the source? Here’s how you can contribute in making a sustainable change :

– Give away unwanted or unusable materials to service organizations is a better way to start going green. They’ll have a good use for it, and you won’t add to any trash.

– Reusing the furniture would save some extra money spent on newer furniture. For example, one can remodel a table by adding sheets of wood to it and create his own wardrobe.

– Keep a reusable water bottle with you at all times, preferably aluminium rather than plastic.

– Recycling paper, plastics, glass and metals could also be done. Do some research on local trash pickup service, or even start an initiative in your building.

– Instead of simply throwing older items, one can use his creativity in recreating the essence out of them. For example, the older screen cloth could be stitched with flat sheets and made as curtains or cloth piece covering the shades of the lamp. They are easy and cheap in terms of interior decorating materials.

The change starts with you!

Probably no one can change the earth, but if we all work together and choose to make the right change, we can make our planet a better home. Earth needs immediate help and our daily choices matter.

While we can’t be perfect, we can be more conscious global citizens. So, what will you do today, to help make this earth a cleaner and greener place to live in? Share with us!

Do you want to go deeper into the changes and get a hands-on experience? Find your opportunity to impact sustainability at aiesec.in

If you like this post, you may also like “17 Reasons Why”

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Sheemara – an odyssey of love in a foreign land

Sometimes in life, we are lucky enough to take chances that will change us forever. With these we meet people, we know places, we find love, we grow.

But there’s always that one experience which is greater than anything else.

When Bhumika decided to volunteer in Sri Lanka, she was hoping for a beautiful journey, but she never expected to find the purest kind of love. The type of love you take for your entire life.

This is her story.

“Before going for exchange there was one thing I was sure of: I wanted to work specifically for people with Down Syndrome.

I aspire to become a business-woman and I have a business plan named “Saransh”, which aims at giving training and employment to differently abled people. I wanted to learn how to teach and empower them and what are the various fields to create employment for them.

The inspiration of the idea comes from my younger brother, Saransh, who also has Down Syndrome. I want to work for him and for people like him, for their equality and basic rights in the society.

That’s why I decided to volunteer for them.

And what could have been a better option than AIESEC? So when I found this amazing project in Sri Lanka, I had no doubt: that was it. I took the leap, packed my bags and left for my big adventure.

There I worked in Diri Daru Piyasa, a school for kids with Down Syndrome and Autism. There I was working directly with the first group.

Once in a lifetime, we always come across someone who impacts us, who changes our life. For me, it was this beautiful girl, Sheemara.

She was the one who impacted me the most during the exchange. She influenced my entire thought process about life and I fell in love with her, I love her so much that I wanted to bring her back to India with me.

If you don’t know yet, people with Down Syndrome have an extra chromosome and this genetic condition slows down a person’s mental and physical growth. We never understood everything that the kids wanted to say, because of the language difference. So we developed ways of communicating with each other, as love has no language and it can simply be felt.

Sheemara was that one girl who used to place her palm on my forehead and used to say, “baa”. I don’t know what “baa” means, but it was for sure her way of showing acceptance and love.

I still remember the way she used to giggle while repeating that gesture.

She was a little aggressive and had mood swings, but I think that when you love somebody it doesn’t matter. I just learned to love her even then and to have a lot of patience. I learned that there are ways in which we can teach them, that there is so much more to life than the daily hustle we are so engrossed in.

Trust me, when the time came for me to return, I held her and cried. I wasn’t sure if she’d miss me. I wasn’t sure if she’d understand that I was going back to India and I also wasn’t sure if that was a good or a bad thing if she didn’t understand. But somewhere in my heart, I wanted her to miss me, as I’d miss her.

And she did.

One day she woke up from siesta and said “Bhumi” many times. My friend says maybe she dreamt about me. I visit her in my dreams too. That day we saw each other over a video call, whenever we do that, it just makes my day.

I think it’s magical how much love we have in our hearts which we can be spread. We can go to foreign lands and find love, then we live with a craving and some hope in our hearts to meet again.

I’ll go back there again someday, she’ll be a grown up till then. I’ll buy her a computer because I want her to learn and educate herself as much as she can and I want her to play and enjoy life. I want that little girl to receive all the love in the world.

You can make someone’s life beautiful. Just go out and find out how much happiness you can bring into the world.”

And you, have you ever find such kind of love?

Did someone leave a mark for life? Share your story in the comments!

If you also wish to volunteer like Bhumika, access aiesec.in/global-volunteer and find your opportunity!

And if you like this post you may also like: “The Magic in India’s Teardrop”.

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