Why We Read - Good Books and Great Books.

What most appeals to us in books, as in people, is the extreme honesty of the speaker. For that reason alone we respect authors like Herman Melville and Ralph Waldo Emerson, even if sometimes we don't understand each and every word they write. We respect their attempts to make it as clear as possible with their long-drawn explanations, even if they sometimes cite canons and use liberally the G word (aka God) most rational beings know to be a mere fantasy. Ah, but a deluded author is all the more intriguing. I don't have the heart to deride such a one as who befriends exotic cannibalistic pagans named Queeqeg or one who wanders off with his stout neighbour as a squire to redeem the world with his knight-errantry, on a horse named Rosinante.

The main thing I think, the key charm of a great book is the element of mystery in it, evinced by the presence of certain unmentionable, inexplicable elements. Who would worship a God or a Superhero (Hey I don't judge!) that was all too familiar and every aspect of his demeanour rendered predictable. That is why masks work, they stir up intrigue. (Digression: Why do Superheros need masks ? If you've seen the tiny trail of hair on the innermost ridge of their nostrils or you've traced delicate lines across their eyebrows... If you're familiar with their scent and the shapes of their toes, you wouldn't find them heroic. You would find them just like you - Human.)

This love affair with people and books hinges primarily on one fact - the inaccessibility, the romantic ideal that can be best kept alive from a distance. Perhaps, this explains the urge of "not wanting to get closer" to something we admire or idolise. The distance is a sign of not merely reverence but also of an admittance that we don't comprehend this, we don't wish to comprehend this, we are happy pouring adulation from a distance lest we come across flaws in the thing we love so dearly.

Then on the other side of the chasm are the critics who will stop at nothing to pick hairline cracks and split ends in the hopes of finding something incongruous or grotesque in the works we hold most dear.
I believe they dive in too deep, sometimes missing the beauty of the forest for the trees. They dedicate their lives to uncovering dirt and hope to add value to the world by dint of their "gems of truth".
But a critic's rendition of an author's literary style and merit, makes the author wholly repugnant, more so if he has been gloriously praised by one of these people,who I feel have a dearth of ideas yet a diction so abrasive they are qualified to nitpick and poke holes in our favourite vessels.

A true book has only one quality, it makes you feel one with humanity. It is the only world where a ten-year old can not only relate to but also understand the goings-on within the heart of a savage brute, the only one where a staid middle-aged woman can fully sympathise with a hardy old whale-hunter out at sea to wreak vengeance upon the white whale that tore off half his leg. It makes the world a little bit snug, don't you think, despite the vast tracts of cold that permeate it. This is what books do - they throw a cosy blanket of understanding, of closeness, of the will to live on in the face of a thousand gory tumults, over all of us. They have a quality much deeper than a tangible hug. The understanding, wisdom and succour offered by books unto our mortal souls can at times, surpass all physical comforts.

While a good book makes you feel understood, a great book goes all the way in- it resolves all of your psychogenic troubles. While a good book leaves you happy and relieved, a great book leaves you light and all chewed out, you can no longer feel your petty soul. All there is, is a personal levity that comes crashing down the moment you try to share it with someone. (This is why I have not yet started my own Dead Poets' Society, though I am tempted to, every time I watch the movie. Robin Williams is adorable, ain't he.)  Nobody can really put into words what it is to read, feel, ingest and ruminate after a really great book meal. It'd be like trying to unravel the teleporting properties of certain sounds or smells.
But a great book is a different kind of teleporter, not merely a flashback prompted by a song or just a temporary redolence kick-started by a whiff of that peculiar nostril-greeting smell. It is much more than that, an overpowering of the senses, a wilful surrender to a multidimensional milieu inhabited by all the characters and you taking it all in as a mute spectator or an alterego of one of the characters. And don't tell me you have never done it, stepped into the page bestirred by a single sentence and replayed the scene with you instead of a specific name, the earlier denizen of that page. You feel all he feels, you feel even more as you continue your reverie, long after it has jumped off the book's edges. I guess 'fan-fiction' is a deplorable term for so intricate a process. If I were asked to assign a word to it, I'd venture something like 'plot-hijacking' or 'self-dissolution'. For is that not what it is. I'm not merely a fan writing fiction inspired from yours, I am an intruder who has slain her most doted upon character in order to take his place. If I were to pick up Alice in Wonderland yet again, by now I'd have killed Absolem and snatched up his hookah pipe and his fancy glasses, plonked myself comfily on a juicy red mushroom, and started puffing my way to another reverie of me as Alice, who after breaking out of the tiny trapdoor into the Red Queen's garden transforms into the Cheshire cat. I'd now be floating up smiling into the trees, light as a feather. (Okay I know you get the picture.) I am not myself, I have dissolved. I've been teleported permanently. No tentacle of reality can touch this reverie of mine, I can access it anytime, over and over till I find something as captivating as the last work of fiction that I commandeered using nothing but my brainwaves.

A good book leaves me amorphous, my idiomorph  lets go of me as I turn all gooey and blubbery. A great one leaves me disassembled entirely, I am the Cheshire cat and as I float up smiling into the trees I'm Absolem again, I flit about on leaves still smoking my pipe using every downward puff of smoke as thrust that propels me towards the open skies.

How To Be More Employable- Get A Job.

If you are looking for a job or a change from the one you are currently doing, then this article is for you. 

Enhance your Employ-ability: 

1) CV/Resume: Have a neat and professional CV(Freshers)/ Resume(Experienced Professionals) ready.
2) Online Job Portals: Go to all the major job portals and build your profile. Make sure there is no discrepancy between your CV and what you fill out on the sites.
3) CV Title: This is the most important line as it will direct headhunters to your profile if the keywords in your CV Title match with the words in their query. While updating your CV, under the column-CV Header/Title fill out only this-  "Your Qualification+Work Exp+ Job Profile you are seeking." 

For example, MBA-Marketing Fresher seeking Sales/Marketing Profiles in Mumbai. 

Or if you have considerable experience and know the exact industry you want to work in then make it more specific. (The more specific your CV Title, the better callbacks you are bound to get.)

For example, B.E.-Mech with 4 years Exp seeking Consulting Profiles in IT/ITES. 

4) Keywords: Recruiters search with keywords that are special skills or the name of the products/services offered by the companies they are recruiting for. Make sure that your key skills and areas of expertise are clearly highlighted in your Profile.

5) Update your Profile every alternate day: If you update your Profile(s) on the various job sites every alternate day it will ensure that they will keep popping up in the search results of recruiters. By updating I don't mean make changes every time, but once you have uploaded after that every one or two days just click edit, make no change if not needed, click Update. Simple.

6) Applying via Email: If you have a clear idea of the industry you want to work for or the kind of companies you want to work for, look them up on the Internet- collect the email ids of their HR Managers or contact id whichever is available. Send them an email with your CV/Resume attached. The body of this email should not be more than 4-5 lines, highlighting your Achievements, Skills and Educational qualifications.

7) Tweaking Your Profile(s): If you are applying to more than one kind of profile, you need to customise your Career Objective/Email content to fit in with the job description you are applying for. Don't just send all the companies the exact same mail.Keep the skills and past achievements relevant to that profile at the top.

8) Talk to People: To keep your morale high and build relationships talk to people around you or those who are known to you, esp if they are in the same field that you are interested in. They might be able to give you a clear scenario of the kind of skills and knowledge base required to succeed in that particular field.

9)Selection Process Prep: Start working your Communication skills, obtain the additional certification/diploma that might take you a step closer in the direction of your dream job. Do not go for the interview unprepared. Most companies have an Online Aptitude Test that test you on your Basic Mathematics, Reasoning and Verbal abilities, General Knowledge and Business Awareness. There could also be a Psychometric Test, followed by one or more rounds of Personal Interviews.
(Read more on How to Prepare for the Personal Interview here- http://konikasharma.blogspot.in/2013/04/personalinterview1.html)

10) Keep Going: The job application process, selection for interview, clearing all the rounds till you finally land a job is as you can see a process that takes time. Don't be disheartened, keep applying and keep giving interviews. The average interview success rate is 1 out of 7. Have you taken at least 7 interviews yet ? No, then keep applying. (If you have taken 7 interviews or more and you still have not been selected, there might a serious flaw in your CV or a gap your profile that you need to fulfill asap.)Your dream company is not the only company on Earth, you will definitely find something better if you refuse to give  up.

All the Best. :)

PS- If nothing works, you can always start your own company. Starting something of your own can be way more empowering than working for someone. But this is advisable only if you think you have that entrepreneurial itch and the willpower to make it happen. Find out whether you have an entrepreneur or an intrapreneur inside you - http://konikasharma.blogspot.in/2013/06/for-idea-people-are-you-entrepreneur-or.html

- TCM.

For the Idea People: Are you an Entrepreneur or an Intrapreneur ?

Would you describe yourself as "highly creative and goal-oriented" ?
Do you "never want to do a boring 9-5 office job" ?

You could be a future Entrepreneur or an Intrapreneur. Read on to find out more.

Entrepreneurship:
This is for those of you who harbor the dream of going into business some day.
A lot of us have the entrepreneurial spirit and the independent mindset that makes us incapable of working for anyone else. If you are in this category and already you know it, then great. If you believe that a job is not the right choice for you, then you should start your business ASAP (as soon as possible.)

A few things I want to say to those of you who want to start something of your own:

1- If you don’t have the confidence to fund your own venture then how can you expect someone else to do so. Make a financially sound business plan with the time it will take to recover the initial investment clearly mapped out. 
2- Try to launch a test version or a different smaller business model that you can put your own money into. Then turn a profit and sell this off to fund your big venture or show your small scale success to attract big investors.
3- It is not about what business you are into or what you are selling. It is not even about whether you can do it or not. It is about how soon you give up. In order to increase your "hanging on" power, start a business when you have adequate risk-absorbing capacity i.e. enough funds to get back on your feet if you fail the first  few times. 
4- It maybe very difficult to hang in there and have everything just the way you wanted it but remember the more you allow other people to invest in your venture, the more your share gets diluted. It is your baby and you should want to be responsible for all of it. Nothing ruins a business like  ‘collective corporate brain’ and ‘future forecasts’.
5- It is a tough road ahead, there are times you will question everything from your business idea to it’s financial viability but remind yourself that success in business depends very little on external factors but a whole lot on internal factors.
6- Stop watching reality TV and stay as far away from ‘realists’ as possible.
7- Your biggest business investment is your brain. This is war so start building bullet-proof armor for your brain – invest not just in business tools but also in friendships, literature, philosophy and poetry.

All the best J

Intrapreneurship:
To those who have a lot of ideas but they know they don't have the mindset of an entrepreneur, the high risk-high reward model of entrepreneurship doesn't excite them but they definitely know they have new ideas about how to make the business better. You are what in today's lingo is called "an Intrapreneur".

An intrapreneur is the person who comes with up strategic ideas to increase business and receives resources from the company to implement them with full freedom. The only catch here is that since the company is trusting you, it must be a solid idea backed by numbers. Since you are your own boss, your actual boss would be more of a guide or a mentor, not with you every step of the way. The company name and reputation will be at stake so if your idea bombs then you bomb with it- the full responsibility is yours.

Intrapreneur: The New Breed of Risk-takers

This is a highly exciting state of work for those
who have genuinely wonderful ideas but little or no backing, finances, team members etc. Successful Intrapreneurs are more valuable to an organisation than regular employees. Mostly they are indispensable to the growth of the company and hence enjoy greater autonomy within the office setup.

So now that you have some idea of the difference between an entrepreneur and an intrapreneur, you should start working on your business idea, alone or with a group of trustworthy peers. Go out and be creative.
Do not let the "jobs are boring" syndrome get to you- they are not. The kind of work that is right for you is never going to be boring. You are after all a smart individual who is capable of achieving anything he/she wants - so go ahead and make it happen. :)

What You Don't Want To Do

Do You know -What you don't want from your life ?

Have you ever imagined your perfect life, well if that seems too big a task, have you ever imagined your perfect day ?

I mean this, mainly in terms of work. How would a typical work day look like if you were on the career path of your dreams ? Have you given it serious thought ?

Have you ever wondered what exactly you want or do not want from your life.

I have a couple of questions I want to ask you today, especially to those of who have no clue what they want to do in life.

First begin with what you don't want. That might help weed out a lot of unwanted choices and will ensure that you don't get stuck doing a job you hate ! Yes, ouch that hurts bad. So get started on this list.

All done okay so let's eliminate those career choices based on the fact that they involve doing something so loathsome that you know for sure you don't want to do it. I hope you have based your decisions on proper information from authentic resources  i.e. people working in that field. But most of the time you won't need to talk to people in that field to know something you absolutely hate. E.g. "I am terrified of blood and needles so it was a no-brainer that I didn't want to be a surgeon." - Shruti

List down 3 things YOU DO NOT WANT IN YOUR CAREER.
 E.g. Shruti's List:

- Blood and Needles (No Surgeon/Hospital related work)
- A lot of Boring Paperwork (No Banking/Accounts/Tax related work)
- Too much Physical Activity (No Agriculture/No Sports/No Travelling Jobs)

Okay now you know for sure what you don't want, lets get onto what you do want.

So in order to help you figure out what you really want from life, I have devised a list of questions.
Answer them honestly, take no more than 10 minutes for the entire exercise.

At the end of it all, you will have at least 50% clarity about your career. If you do this exercise sincerely, it can help you chalk out a career plan for yourself. And let's be honest not many people know what they want to be or do in life when they are barely 15 years old but there are many who do manage figure it out very early in life. Let's give it a try:

Assume -  Money is not a constraint and Failure is impossible.

1) Imagine you are living your perfect life. How is your office ? What exactly are you doing ? How are your colleagues ? What kind of a work space is it ? How many hours do you spend commuting to your workplace ? What kind of perks you enjoy in the job ?

2) Imagine you are dead but can still see things on Earth as a ghost. You see your grave and on the stone are written these words... "Here lies........................................................"

What does your tombstone say about you ?
You can also imagine your obituary in the newspaper but that is too predictable hence I prefer this exercise to be done with the hypothetical Tombstone.

3) You have all the money in the world (You are a billionaire or gazillionaire, whatever spells 'all the money' in your dictionary) and you still have to work 8 hours everyday in order to not die of boredom. What would you be doing ? (The money you have in this scenario is not to be used for framing this answer, this money is all saved up for future use, the point is you are working but not merely for sustaining your life.)
What do you see yourself doing ?

 ----------------------------------

When you are done with the exercise, share your answers with a friend or a mentor. This will help you narrow down your career choices and eliminate the bad options for you.
This list will be different for different individuals so if you are doing this with your friends please don't expect all the lists to look the same.
Read my previous post on 'How to Figure out Your Career Path' here -
http://konikasharma.blogspot.in/p/take-career-quiz.html

You can also share your answers with me at <konikasharma1003@gmail.com> if you have trouble interpreting the answers on your own.

- TCM.

How To Prepare for The Personal Interview - 1

Personal Interview (PI): Know Yourself

Here are some basic things you need to prepare before you face an interview panel.

Introduction

Prepare a proper ‘Formal Introduction’ of yourself.

Write down your answer in a notebook and read the notebook before you go for interviews.

Introduction 1: The ‘Summary of CV’ Introduction.

This is the type of introduction you give when nothing is specified. The panel simple asks you a question like ‘Introduce Yourself’ , ‘Tell us something about yourself.’

It is best to keep this answer to around 4-5 lines. Do not keep going on and on.

Your answer should cover your basic details and thus it is like a short summary of your CV. It usually includes (this is not exhaustive, just the basics but make sure you keep it genuine and not end up sounding like a parrot who has mugged up the lines word for word):

-          Your Name

-          Your Educational Background (with specialization)

-          Your Native Place

-          Your Family Background

-          Your interests/hobbies/goals/strengths (One thing that you love talking about.)

The last line of your introduction is the most important as it is a directing statement or a leading statement. 

Example:

“Good Morning, I am Rahul. I have done my engineering in Electronics from XYZ College in Delhi. I belong to Chandigarh and my parents are both working in the service industry. I like to watch cricket and I’m a very optimistic, easy-going person.”

Here the panel can ask Rahul any one of the following questions:

-         -  "Tell us more about your Family"

-         -  "You watch cricket: Who are your favorite players, What qualities you like about them the most…. Etc.?"

-         -  "Can you cite an instance from your life to prove that you are optimistic and easy-going ?"

OR

They can simply move on to the next question which may not be directly related to your answer.

But it is always best to end your introduction with something you are really passionate about/ are really comfortable talking about.  

Introduction 2: The ‘Not in the CV’ Introduction

A lot of interviewers like to ask this question: “Tell us something about yourself that is not already in your CV.”

They already know what marks you scored, they already know what college you graduated from hence they feel it is unnecessary for you to repeat the same things in the interview. So you should be well-prepared with this part also.

How you handle this question will determine your first impression on the panel, so make sure you know exactly what you are saying. 

You can mention the following:

-          Your Name

-          Your background highlighting your strengths

-          Hobbies/Interests
-     Future goals

(Keep it short, keep it natural.)

Example 1: “Good Morning everyone, I am Karan. I am one of the top 15 students of my graduating batch. I have been an active participant in many extra-curricular activities during my school and college days. My 2 year stint with XYZ company helped me realize the importance of team-work and good leadership. I like listening to music and reading magazines. I am a very dedicated person.I want to pursue an MBA in Finance.”

In this example the candidate is likely to be asked questions about any of the following:

-          - His Graduation Subjects (Proof that he knows his subjects well, also shows he is a dedicated person)

-          - His extra-curricular activities

-         -  His work at XYZ Company (The way he talks about it can show that it was a good learning experience.)

-          - Music and magazines he likes (He should be well aware of the names he mentions.)
-     His career path in Finance and what he wants to do in the field. 

Do not mention anything that you do not want to be asked more about.

Example 2:  “Good Morning Sir, I am Kiran, I am a curious person with a keen interest in human psychology. I am a hard-working student; I am open to new ideas. I like reading and dancing in my free time. My role model is Steve Jobs.”

In this example the candidate is likely to be asked questions about any of the following:

-          Psychology (The panel might ask her what she thinks about them and their personalities etc. trying to gauge her confidence level on the matter.)

-        -  Explain why she calls herself a curious person

-        -  Favorite books/dancers/dance-forms

-       -   Steve Jobs

Be honest and try to present a picture of yourself that you can justify. If you don’t think there is any particular thing that defines you or makes you stand out, talk to your friends, mentors, teachers, parents and get to know yourself better. (Doing a SWOT Analysis can help a lot.)

Define yourself/ Describe yourself in 1 line/Describe yourself in 1 word:

This is the essence of your personality. So choose wisely what you are going to say. The only thing that matters is that you should be able to justify what you say, by validating it with your past achievements and your behavior in the interview.

What you say and what you are should be the same, hence pretending to be someone totally different from yourself will not work.

You just have to tell the truth attractively.

Example 1: “I am an open-minded, easy-going person.”

Example 2: “I am focused, sincere and goal-oriented.”

Example 3: “I would like to define myself as a traveler – I like to explore new topics, new areas and new places.”

Try to think of 5 simple, positive words/qualities that describe you best as a person.

You can choose from this list in order to frame your answer: Caring, friendly, honest, upfront, sincere, hard-working, open-minded, optimistic, meticulous, good decision-maker, strong leader, enjoy working in a group, enjoy getting to know people, punctual, task-oriented, goal-oriented, helpful, analytical, imaginative, creative, organized, systematic, methodical, open to new ideas, new challenges, quick learner, patient, tolerant, passionate about abc thing, logical, self-motivated, persistent. 

(Make sure whatever you say fits your marks, your achievement levels, information given in your CV. Do not try to be over smart. Try to use simple phrases to describe yourself instead of using big, hi-fi words.)

Very Important:  Do not lie. Be genuine, be yourself. Your confidence level in the interview will depend on how comfortable you are being yourself. For eg. If you have a gap in your education you need to comfortable talking about it, you need to show that you realise whatever the reason for the gap, it was a gross neglect of your education and it is a mistake you do not want to repeat. Focus on your positive qualities and your future career goals, about which now you are very serious. 

Always validate your points with factual evidence. Do not claim to be a sincere, hard-working person if your marks are below 70% and you are a fresher. If you have work-experience use achievements at the work place to justify your strengths. 

So before you start preparing all the answers, just spend some time with yourself and talk out your issues. Your biggest doubts and things about yourself that you don’t like will come out like a waterfall if you don’t start building the dam now.

Learn to respect yourself for what you are and it will help you ace any interview.  All the best.

- TCM.

Group Discussion: B-school Admissions

Group Discussion: DOs and DONT's

You can have all the fabulous points in the world but if you don’t speak at all they are of no use. You can speak some points but if they are not good content-wise or irrelevant to the topic then it won’t make much difference. You can speak a good point but if your voice is lost in the crowd or if your voice is too soft, your speech too fast, your English too messed up, then it is of no use.

Your body language in a GD reveals more than your CV. The kind of person you are comes out clearly and the panel can see it when you are trying to be someone you are not. Do not pretend. Practice !

Do you overspeak or do you underspeak ?

Yelling will not help but sitting quietly for 15 minutes will not help either so you have to strike a balance.

After all, in a GD of 10 minutes, a group size of 10 candidates would mean 1 minute of speaking time for each person.  2 out of 10 people will speak for less than one minute and 2 or more people will speak for more than one minute so where do you fall?

Try and work on striking a balance. If you fall below 30 seconds or above 5 minutes then you might need a new strategy. Not speaking at all or going on non-stop, cutting everyone and not letting anybody else contribute much are both signs of immaturity. 

Talk, speak, listen, discuss and enjoy the discussion. Don’t try to be all high and mighty; also don’t try to hide in a corner.

So start practicing for Group Discussions and always remember:-

1. Don’t Be Late, Don’t look messy: Reach the venue well in advance, be properly dressed. Always carry a handkerchief, a small comb, blazer, small shoe polish liquid with you so that you can spruce yourself up in seconds and even if you reach the venue looking a hurricane- make sure you enter the GD Hall looking like a well-groomed manager. Avoid greasy hair, dirty shoes, too much perfume etc.

2. Introduction: Have a simple 2-3 lines short introduction of yourself already prepared.  Write it down and memorize it before going for the process. (Refer to previous post for what to say in your Introduction.)

3. Understand the Topic properly: Do not give irrelevant points, do not find faults with the topic. Manage the best you can by first attempting to understand the topic properly. Jot down your points on paper before you begin speaking. (I will tell you how to create points for any GD topic in my next post.)

4. Try to give structure to the GD: If you cannot instantly think of good points or if you have too many and are getting confused, then just start off by giving a framework for the discussion i.e. a step by step agenda for the discussion. This can also be done when there is general chaos in the GD. Make sure you listen, add some good points of your own and try to give a well-balanced conclusion to the whole thing.

5. Don’t pick a personal fight: Do not tell other members what to do, never say negative statements in a forceful manner. Avoid saying things like “No, No, No....You don’t even know about the topic, the real facts are these…” “You are wrong”. Don’t try to correct anyone; the panel can already see when a person says something that is factually or otherwise incorrect. Just take care of your own content and expression of that content in a well-behaved manner.

6. Stick to the Topic: e.g. TOPIC: Cricket Celebrities as Brand Ambassadors – Good or Bad?

Do not waste your precious 1-2 minute window of opportunity in talking about cricketers or giving facts about cricket matches etc. A stupid thing to do in this GD would be to talk about Movie celebrities/Bollywood actors as brand ambassadors. You should talk about only those cricketers who have endorsed famous brands and try to analyze how they have helped or not helped that particular brand.

Always make sure you read and understand the topic properly.

7. Always validate your points with examples: Just giving your opinion in a GD isn't enough, you must explain why you think so. Followup your point with a proper example or logical reasoning to explain why you are supporting that point. 

8. Be assertive not aggressive. Express your thoughts and discuss the topic without getting too emotional or angry. Your body language should not display impatience, hostility etc.

9. Do not repeat the same point over and over again: Unless you feel your point was not properly audible the first time, don't repeat your words. Saying the same thing over and over again only shows that you don’t have anything else to say.

10. Do not criticize, but always agree when there is good reason to: If someone gives a good point, you can agree and add more to the point or fit the point in the framework of the GD and show how it is relevant to the discussion. This shows that you are a good listener, a team player and also displays your ability to see the big picture.

11. Rate of speech: Do not speak too fast like you are in a hurry to catch a train, do not speak so slowly or stutter so much that it becomes very easy for anyone to interrupt you.  Make sure you are audible but do not yell. Do not use flowery English or fake accents and do not smile too much, especially during a serious discussion.

12. Eye contact: You can smile a little when you enter the room or when you greet the panel. During the GD just be yourself. While the GD is going on, make sure you don’t keep looking at the panel, maintain eye contact with all members of the group while you are speaking. If you are constantly looking in one particular direction, someone from the other side can easily cut you off.

If the moderator/panel member is playing an active part in the GD, then it is okay to look at him/her during the GD while he/she is explaining something. 
For the most part, forget that anyone else but the group exists. Be focused towards the discussion, be alert and aware. Do not look out the window or here and there unnecessarily, during the GD.

13. Summary vs. Conclusion:  A summary is the sum total of all that has been discussed by the group. When asked to summarise make sure you start from the beginning, cover the most important points spoken, like you are giving a small press release about the GD that just took place. Do not give any new points. A summary is a test of your listening skills.

A conclusion is “your final words on the matter”. Your opinion must be given when you are asked to ‘conclude’.  Cover the most relevant part of the discussion based on the central theme of 'how you feel about the topic'. You may disagree with the group, if you can back up your point with strong, valid reasoning. It is not about being politically correct, it is about how well you understand the topic. 
These final statements are a test of your thinking ability and understanding levels, they also determine your 'last impression' on the panel. The impression they are more likely to remember, if you handle this part well.

Note: Having a glass of water just before you start the GD really helps clear the mind and the throat.

All the Best. 

-TCM.

Formal Education vs. Self-Education

When a degree is a mere piece of paper and costs a substantial amount to acquire (often without any real promise of a job attached to it) one begins to wonder if formal education is a waste of time and money.

It is not, not for everybody. For some people formal education is good but self-education is a must for everybody. You cannot rise in life without being a learner everyday.

A formal education also grants one the privilege of being able to sustain oneself on this planet. The right degree from the right college will help you pay your bills and fulfill all your basic needs, maybe even more.

But self-education is what will decide how far you will go and the rate of your learning will be directly proportional to the rate of your growth as a person, as a professional, as a human.

Formal Education vs. Self-Education

The Combination Approach

After making tonnes of mistakes and switching between several jobs over the last few years, I realised something. The best approach is to combine the two. 

1) Formal Education that leads to a job must be taken up for practical purposes, but this too needs to be tailored as per your own inclinations. Formal education still remains an optional choice. 

2) Self-education must be started so that you can move towards your 'dream career' and in the process create your 'dream job in case it doesn't already exist. For those who are satisfied with a formal education and what it entails, those who can live with taking orders and doing as directed, need not worry. 

Self-education is a must for the dreamers, the creators, the people who can see things as they should be and it kills them to see what they are actually. The people who want to change things and direct that change need to invest heavily in self-education. 

Everyone benefits from self-education, actually psychologically this is the only way we learn. Your teacher did not teach you Mathematics, you did. Your own diligence, practice and curiosity is what taught your brain to solve those sums. 

This is compulsory in my opinion. Do not depend on formal education alone. If possible finish your formal education by 15 years of age and from then onwards rely solely on self-education. 

I say this because the goal of formal education is employment and for that basic reading, writing, arithmetic is enough along with some common sense and communication skills. 

And  in terms of return on investment for and employment 15 years of formal education is more than sufficient. In case you have the privilege of being born in a wealthy house then by all means continue further your labor of love but always remember that formal education of the higher level is a luxury, an unnecessary luxury. 

Let experiences be your guide and let your inner voice be the compass. 

How to get the most out of life: 

1) Career Path

What is the thing that you want most in life ? Plan accordingly and follow it through. No matter what. 

2) Personal Mentor

A personl mentor will guide you through all the confusing times and will believe in you long after you have given up on yourself. This can be a real or an imaginary person who uplifts you and does not want anything from you. His welfare is not linked in any way to your career progress, he is merely an impartial observer of your life. Only this person deserves to be your true mentor. 

3) Multiple Sources of Income

Combining formal education with self-education will accelerate your career progress and you can generate income from more than one source. It is not wise to depend on things because things are most definitely uncertain. People who cry after they have lost their jobs are those think they cannot do anything else. 

A wise person in a crisis would be able to deal with life's uncertainties because life's joys do not lie in its stability but in its unpredictability and the new things that constantly catch our fancy. 

4) Freedom and Structure

Formal education will keep you educated enough to sound like a refined person, worthy of being promoted in life. Self-education is what will keep you going when everything around you is falling apart. 

Combine the two and you have the perfect balance of freedom and structure. You will never go hungry and you will never be bored or disenchanted with your life. This is a juggling act because life is a juggle, between personal life and work life, between the easy thing and the right thing, between the lazy thing and the hard thing, between the mundane and the awesome. 

You have abundance of time, abundance of curiosity and something that will definitely catch your fancy so go ahead and  do it all. Juggle, take on more than you can, learn and apply till you become the master of the things you love doing. Everything you learn will help you in one way or the other. 

- TCM.