Education360 - Where Learning Begins!
GATE 2015: Things one should know before applying
The application process for GATE
2015 shall commence on September 1, 2014. Interested candidates
will have to apply online through the zonal GATE websites of IISc
or any of the seven IITs.The GATE 2015 score will be valid for a
period of three years from the date of announcement of results. All
the papers in GATE 2015 will be held in online mode only and some
examinations will be conducted in multiple sessions.
According to GATE 2015 website, the GATE examination will be held
on January 31, February 01, 07, 08, 14, 2015. There are some
important facts aboutt GATE 2015 that candidates should know before
applying and preparing for the examination.
The Online Computer Based Test (CBT) will be held for all the 22
papers. The online examination paper will contain some questions
for which numerical answers must be keyed in by the candidate using
the virtual keypad. Rest of the questions shall be Multiple Choice
Questions (MCQ).Candidates will have to go through biometric
information (photograph and fingerprints) verification before the
start of the examination.GATE 2015 examinations will be held in two
sessions - forenoon and afternoon sessions on alternate weekends
(Saturday and Sunday) between January 31, 2015 and February 14,
2015. Examination for some of the papers in GATE 2015 will be held
in multiple sessions.Subjectwise examination schedule will be
notified later. For GATE 2015, the entire process of filling up of
application form, uploading of certificates/documents etc. will be
online and the candidates should not send any hard copy of their
application form/documents, etc. to any of the IIT/IISc zonal GATE
office.
Payments of application fees will be accepted only online through
different modes like net banking, debit/credit card, e-challan,
etc. The admit cards for GATE 2015 would be available through the
online process only. Candidates can download their admit card from
GATE 2015 website. No hard copy of admit cards will be posted to
the candidates.
16 Things You're Doing All Wrong on
LinkedIn
It's not enough to just sign up for LinkedIn, you also have to use it
properly. And there's the rub – click around the professional
social network, and you'll notice a spectrum of what users call
proper that perhaps they shouldn't. Here are just 16 examples of
things they, and you, could do incorrectly on
LinkedIn.
Not including a profile
image.
No
profile photo conveys that you have something to hide, and you
don’t want to leave a potential employer guessing what that may be.
It’s also just lazy and creepy, so find a photo of yourself and
slot it in the space. It takes two seconds.
Not including the right
profile image.
OK, maybe it takes longer than two seconds. Make sure the photo you
choose is recent and professional. It doesn’t have to be a glamour
shot (remember those?) but you
do have to comb your hair. It's OK to show personality, but
not so much pizazz that you appear goofy.
Botching your
professional headline.
You have 120 characters at the top of your profile to grab the
attention of viewers and inform them of what makes you special professionally. "Teacher,"
"therapist" or "consultant," don’t pass muster. Be specific and
explain what value you add to your field and for a company.
Leaving the summary section blank.
LinkedIn's summary section is the bridge between the
professional
headline and sections for experience and skills.
Think of it like an elevator
pitch. It gives an overview of who you are, what you’ve done and
what you hope to achieve as a professional. Plus it should make
the reader want to continue
scrolling down your profile page. Bonus: You have up to 2,000
characters to tell this story.
Listing facts and figures only.
A Google search will tell a recruiter where you’ve worked, what you
did and for how long. Use LinkedIn to tell a story Google can't.
Explain your responsibilities. Highlight the projects you’ve worked on, and contextualize
your skills.
Cutting and pasting in your résumé.
This is your chance to break away from a résumé’s constraints. On
LinkedIn you can go into great detail on your experience and
accomplishments, whereas with a résumé you have only one or two
pages. On LinkedIn you can upload visual work samples that you may
only refer to on a résumé. Plus you can update your profile to show
in real-time what you’re working on or have just completed.
Fudging your skills and accomplishments.
Lying about your qualifications is grounds for firing, and it
doesn’t matter whether you directly told the lie with your lips or
indirectly deceived someone with your résumé and LinkedIn profile.
Be sure that you’re giving an accurate assessment of your
professional life.
Cold contacting and connecting.
You should have many LinkedIn connections, and it’s OK to connect
with people you don’t know. But attempting to connect with those
you neither know nor have any common ground with is awkward.
Remember the website’s purpose, and form connections with people
with whom something overlaps: like your profession, company,
industry or alma mater.
Using the default LinkedIn connection
language.
The standard “I’d like to connect with you on LinkedIn” message has
been around since the website launched, so it's time to put it to
rest. You don’t want to sound impersonal or seem lazy, particularly
if you’re reaching out to someone you don’t know or don't know
well. Take a minute to tailor the request to the person who is
receiving it and explain why you’d like to connect.
Not making your intentions known.
While on the subject of LinkedIn connections and messages, you
should be transparent about who you are and what you want when you
don’t know your new connection. For instance, if you’re planning to
pitch business ideas, be upfront. If you’re a recruiter who likes
to keep tabs on promising engineers in the Seattle area, state as
much.
Neglecting your privacy and broadcasting
settings.
Your profile should be public, but your activity doesn’t have to
be. It could be annoying to your connections and embarrassing for
you if every little profile update is broadcast, so go to Privacy
& Settings to adjust what activity people can see. For stealth
LinkedIn users, there's also an option to remain anonymous when
viewing other people's profiles.
Being a bugaboo.
If someone denied your connection request he or she won’t
reconsider on the second and third attempt. Don’t clog up your
connections’ timelines with excessive updates. Don’t use LinkedIn
Groups just to self-promote. In other words, use common
sense.
Recommending and/or endorsing everyone.
It’s easy to endorse connections for skills that they may or may
not have, because LinkedIn asks if you’d like to. Reserve the
endorsements and recommendations you dole out for those with whom
you’re familiar. Keep in mind you can tweak your settings by
selecting “Edit Profile,” then unchecking the box for “Show me
suggestions to endorse my connections” in the Skills &
Endorsements section.
Being stingy with recommendations and
endorsements.
Don’t take the previous slide to mean
you shouldn’t recommend or endorse anyone. The best LinkedIn
connections are mutually beneficial, and it looks bad to other
users if you’re always a taker and never a giver.
Using LinkedIn as you would other social networking
sites.
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Match
all serve unique purposes, so use them as such. LinkedIn is
primarily a business networking site, not a place to share your
kid’s first steps, rant about social issues or flirt.
Not using LinkedIn in the first place.
According to Jobvite's 2014 Job Seeker Nation Study of 2,135
adults, 94 percent of recruiters are active on LinkedIn, but only
36 percent of job seekers are. Are you part of the majority or
minority? If you have a professional services or corporate
occupation, you especially need to have a profile where you avoid
all the aforementioned mistakes.
