IELTS, what! Why! and how?

IELTS, what! Why! and how? Home career IELTS, what! Why! and how??careerCollege CampusesIELTS, what! Why! and how??By Megha Bali - March 26, 201911570Facebook Planning to settle abroad or ready to pursue higher education in distant countries? Then you must be well trained enough to clear the IELTS exam. IELTS is a standardized examination to test your English language proficiency and is jointly managed by the British Council, IDP: IELTS Australia and Cambridge Assessment. Why IELTS? Contents hide 1 Why IELTS? 2 About IELTS 3 Is IELTS compulsory? 4 How to prepare for IELTS? 5 Understand the test format 6 Practice with sample test questions 7 Official IELTS practice material 8 Consider a preparation course 9 How many times IELTS exam is conducted in a year? 10 All you need to know: 11 Points to keep in mind for IELTS in CANADA 12 Top places to study for the IELTS examination 13 IELTS exam syllabus 13.1 IELTS is divided into 4 sections: reading, writing, listening and speaking. 14 Conclusion A lot of students and get confused whether why do they have to apply for IELTS and what is the importance of this examination. The simple answer to this question is that foreign universities and visa agencies need to be sure whether you are well versed with the language of that country or not and how will you be able to communicate.About IELTSScore/grade validity 2 years Score/grade range0 to 9, 0.5 band incrementsValid inMore than 140 countries Annual number of test takersMore than 3 million in 2018Knowledge tested Listening, reading, writing and speaking of the English languagePurpose To assess the English language proficiency of non-native English speakersIELTS is an English language exam that is required to be taken by international candidates considering studying or working in a country where English is used as the primary language.To give an attempt for this examination your age must be 16 or above and you must have a valid passport. A candidate can apply for the e xamination if you are planning to study in UK/Australia/Canada/New Zealand/USA or if he/she is a medical professional, planning to work or study further in UK/Australia/USA.Is IELTS compulsory?No IELTS is not compulsory and a lot of universities do not even consider the score of the examination but if you have not applied for the examination then your chances of getting a student visa might hamper as the visa officers may not be convinced about your English proficiency without IELTS scores.How to prepare for IELTS?IELTS is not a rocket science and can be cleared easily if you keep some important points in your mind before giving it a shot.Understand the test formatTo start preparing for IELTS you must make yourself with the pattern of the examination, the questions asked and the rules and regulations.Practice with sample test questionsGoing through sample test materials and last year questions is always very helpful and also gives you an idea about the questions that will be asked.O fficial IELTS practice materialThere are official CD’s available in the market from which you can study the last year exam papers and can also get your hands on new and revised questions to crack this examination like a cake walk. The study material is also available on Cambridge university site or you can also visit the test centers personally and grab a copy of study material from there.Consider a preparation courseIf you want to get assistance in your preparation then you can easily enroll in different courses held at the IELTS centers and language schools. Visit your nearest center and apply as soon as possible so that you can get maximum time to prepare before the big day!!How many times IELTS exam is conducted in a year?IELTS examination is held many times in a year. As the test is offered up to 48 times a year it can be taken by candidates at their convenience to meet their individual admission / deadline requirements. The result of IELTS is not declared as pass or fail but they declare it in a proper graded manner.Candidates are given grades according to their performance ranging from 1 to 9 for each consisting of â€" Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking. The results combined from all four sections will then reflect your final score which will be declared within 13 days and is valid for 2 years. Each year thousands of students fill their forms to apply for universities in USA and if you are one of them then you must keep in mind that if you want to be ahead of the crowd then you must apply for IELTS as it double your chances of getting a student visa very easily. All you need to know:There are more than 3400 institutes in USA who consider IELTS as a compulsory score.Take a quick tour and do proper research before applying in any of the colleges as there are many institutes like British council that also provide scholarships to the students. If you are planning to study or settle in Canada then consider IELTS to be you first step towards attaining your goals. The test scores are considered by the Citizenship and Immigration department of Canada and are also compulsory in all the 340 universities across the country.Points to keep in mind for IELTS in CANADAIELTS is considered the first major score that is checked by all the universities in the country to make sure that you will be well versed and understandable by the localities over there.This exam score is also important if you are applying for immigration to Canada as it acts as a proof of as proof of English language proficiency for express entry and for the Quebec-selected skilled workers.You must clear all four sections of the examination with a minimum score of 1.0 to be eligible to apply in the country. Top places to study for the IELTS examinationIELTS is not just about checking your English ability but it is also the first major step that you have to clear if you want to achieve your dreams. There are a lot of test centers and institutes that provide classes and ses sions that are helpful in cracking the score. Let’s’ take a quick look at some top institutes that will help you beat the score very easilyBritish Council: one of the oldest and the most loved institute offers free resources, best expert advice, convenient test dates, easy booking and best results to all its students.Jamboree: with centres in almost all major cities in India and neighboring countries this institute covers all aspects and sections of the exams along with mock test, real-life scenarios and extra expert support and guidance to help you get the best scores.Camford academy: a well known name for all IELTS aspirants this institute offers a full fleged 2 months course and also has some crash courses varying from 1 week to 3 weeks. IELTS exam syllabusIELTS is divided into 4 sections: reading, writing, listening and speaking. Reading: Thereadingmodule consists of three texts of general interest with issues which are for candidates entering postgraduate or undergraduate c ourses and is followed 40 questions that have to be answered in 30 minutes. The questions asked are of different types ranging from multiple choice sentence or summary completion, identifying data for short-answer questions, matching lists or phrases and identifying writer’s’ views/attitudes.Listening: TheListeningmoduleis divided into four sections in which you will be given conversations to listen and then interpret your observations. The first two conversations will be directly related with social needs, while the last two will be with situations more closely related to education. A variety of question types will be asked on the conversations like multiple choice, short-answer questions, notes completion, sentence completion etc.Writing: short essays, general reports and speech all together form the writing section of the exam. This section has 2 questions that have to be attempted in 60 minutes and are divided in the form of 2 tasks. Speaking: As the name suggests this secti on will be a personal interview and will be totally focused on the way you present yourself. It will reflect your communication skills and knowledge. ConclusionHurry up and get ready to clear this exam and fly away to accomplish your dreams and to build a better career. Register yourself for the course in your preferred institute and start preparing for the upcoming IELTS examination date.

Job Searching How to Avoid a Bad Fit

Job Searching How to Avoid a Bad Fit Most job seekers commence a job search with a rather wide  objective: to get a job.   Yet, often people forget to  consider what type of job they truly want, or fail to evaluate how the role matches their short and long-term goals and current skill sets. Can you relate? Skipping the job assessment step is one of the leading causes of bad-fit placements, and poor job placements can negatively impact an entire career path and quality of life. The US News recently published an article Avoid Accepting a Job That is a Bad Fit, which I contributed to.   In preparation for my pitch I gathered lots of content on this topic, including the following tips that can help job seekers better assess employment opportunities to ensure better-fit placements: 1. Review  employee feedback. Search for commonalities in employee discontent, which are a big red flag.   When conducting research on a company (on a site like Glassdoor.com) you will likely come across lots of undesirable employee feedback, but repetitive and consistent comments around similar issues, including company culture, work-life balance, or process confusion should be cause for concern.     2. Evaluate company social media pages (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn) and carefully read poor reviews or negative comments. Check out the LinkedIn profiles (or social media accounts) of employees in the company to see what types of company details they share.  Finally, do  employees have blogs you can locate and scour?  Make note of the topics shared and the overall tone used when addressing work requirements and company culture.   3. Reach out and connect with current employees (through your network or through LinkedIn) to conduct informational interviews.  Ask open-ended questions specific to job satisfaction, company perception, work-life balance, and company culture.  Dont force or pry, but start a conversation that gets information flowing. Make careful note of discontent or troubles and try to delve deeper. 4. Analyze organizational performance. Read company websites and do a Google search for recently published information on the organization.   Has the company been in the news lately; if so, on what issues?   Has recent company coverage in the media been positive or has there been indication of poor performance or financial challenges?  Set up Google alerts to get latest notices and posts and watch for any red flags regarding restructuring, downsizing, or layoff notices. 5. Ask good questions during the interview. If you get selected for an interview, use the opportunity to flesh out the company culture and identify job fit.   Ask things like: Can you describe the work environment here?, or Are there formal metrics in place for measuring and rewarding performance over time?, or even Do you foresee this job involving significant amounts of overtime or work on the weekends?.   If the interviewer struggles to answer positively, or answers defensively, you should consider these warnings that require further investigation. Take this example A recent client of mine interviewed at an insurance firm which required on-call work.   During the interview she took the opportunity to ask about the company’s vacation policy and overtime pay for on-call work, to which she was told there was limited paid time-off for overtime accrued.   If the client  hadnt  specifically  asked she may have found herself in a job with no support for work-life balance and less overall compensation.   Suffice it to say she turned down the offer and felt better knowing her reasoning supported her personal objectives. If you do find yourself in a role that seems to be a poor fit, start by seeking opportunities for improvement.   Request additional or focused training.   Provide constructive feedback with superiors to gauge reaction and garner potential support.  Pursue new tasks or challenges in better-suited areas.  If all attempts at improvement fail you will likely have to explore other opportunities and get yourself back into the job search. Yet moving forward apply the above tips and strategies to avoid future set-backs.

CES2019 - First Impressions and Whats Hot

CES2019 - First Impressions and Whats Hot Wondering what youre missing at #CES2019?   Heres the sneak peek that members of the media were given prior to the shows official opening.   Remember, this is only a small sample! Now that youve had a look at the show, heres Ms Career Girls take. The first impression of #CES2019, as with all the other years of CES, is a bit of awe.   With over 4,000 exhibitors from every corner of the world and representing virtually every area of technology, its the techies dream come true. For the outside observer,   using as few words as possible, wed sum up CES2019 as Its About Time, and Connecting Everything To Everything CES2019 Its About Time As so many parts of our everyday life, both personal and work, become ever more affected if not immersed in technology, its easy to lose touch with the why of it all.   But theres a definite intention in the spread of adaptation of technology. In spite of all our scientific and technological advances, theres one thing we cannot make more of time.   Many of the products that are showcased at CES are about saving time, by creating ways to get nearly everything done more efficiently and quickly.   We may not make more time, but we make more of our time available to do the things wed rather be doing. CES2019 Connecting Everything To Everything The internet of things (IOT) is in the midst of an explosion.   Objects and things that seemed unlikely candidates for connectivity just a few years ago are being inducted into the IOT at an incredible pace, and their use adapted to improve both utility and functionality. All of this connectivity is directly related to the efficient use of time, by making it possible to control our day, our work, and our lives.   Imagine bringing together all the parts of an orchestra.   Alone, each has an individual function.   Together, the harmony of the whole is untold by the separate parts. The journey to tomorrow is moving more quickly every year, and its fueled by the imagination of the creative genius behind thousands of companies that showcase their creations at CES.   If you ever have the opportunity to attend this (not open to the public) event, its one you wont want to pass up. Be sure to catch our post this coming Friday as we share a few of our favorite finds!

How to Plan Your New Years Resolutions Early

How to Plan Your New Year’s Resolutions Early The problem for a lot of people with New Year’s resolutions is sticking to them. One of the main reasons for this could be that everyone only starts to focus on whatever their vice might be in the cold, dark days of January after enjoying the festive period of excess, which can make it harder. In order to make it easier to start and stick to whatever your New Year’s resolutions may be, it could be a good idea to begin planning and working on them earlier. Stop Smoking Quitting smoking is one of the most common New Year’s resolutions, but it also seems that many people fail with their endeavours. A better tactic rather than going full-on cold turkey is to start to ease yourself out of smoking at the end of the year, so that you can completely stop from January 1st. Using nicotine patches, gum or stop smoking groups to help you stop are great ways to get the extra boost you might need to get clear of cigarettes forever. Exercise More According to a ComRes poll, exercising more is the top New Year’s resolution with 38 per cent of people claiming it to be their goal. Going from a couple of weeks of over-indulging in fatty food, chocolates and alcohol with the only movement from the kitchen to the sofa, isn’t good preparation. Instead, try to schedule in at least one run a week over the festive period so that you have some level of fitness as a starting point. Then in the New Year you can build up to doing two or three exercise sessions a week straightaway. Eat Healthier Stuffing yourself over Christmas can make switching to a healthy diet in one go difficult, and is more likely to result in fatigue and burn out. This will ultimately lead to you failing to keep up with your healthy eating plan. Instead, prepare and eat a few healthy meals over the festive period, especially if you’re cooking just for yourself at times. Don’t turn down the turkey but maybe cut down on as many takeaways when you could easily whip up a pasta salad. Save Money This is probably the hardest one, as Christmas involves spending a lot on presents, parties and more. Start by budgeting how much you will spend on all these things a couple of months in advance, so you can spread out your spending. Rather than splurging hundreds over one weekend, this should make it easier to manage your money and get you into a good habit. Preparation is key if you’re to stick to any New Year’s resolution, so get planning as soon as you can.

3 Ideas to Get Your Freelancing Career to a Good Start - CareerMetis.com

3 Ideas to Get Your Freelancing Career to a Good Start Everyone who is a freelancerhas their own set of skills, however there’s often little help out there for people who want to brush up a little on their chosen field.Being self employed, and often with little other qualifications, means those of us just starting out on a sole trader status could do with a lot more advice and opportunities that people in traditional jobs get.Here’s some ideas for you to look into if you feel you don’t have a lot to your name and you’re trying to get your freelancing career off the ground.Source : Pexels.com1. Construct a TimetableevalevalIf your turnaround time is where you’re lacking with your skills, try to structureyour working hours a little better.If you make a plan and try to stick to it, or you set aside some time each day to look into practicing what you do or taking up a hobby that can complement what you offer, you have a good way to pad out a resume and stand out amongst the competition.It also means you’ve got a lot more time in a day or week to take on more jobs, or leaves you with extra time to spend on yourself or looking into better administration for your business.Remember that it’s simply a general rule to make sure everything runs smoothly by including others in your operations; it’s a great way to save time and effort, which could always be better spent elsewhere!2. Use Online LearningFinding the gaps in your knowledge is one thing, but finding ways to improve it is another thing: E-learning is accessible and works for everyone!Learning using the web happens everyday, as you can just research something with a quick keyword and discover a wealth of knowledge. However, when it comes to actually getting a qualification, or being recognised for your knowledge, it takes a little more hard grafting.Just because it’s untraditional doesn’t mean it doesn’t work! Turn to services such as CSUSM Extended Learningfor some more education on your CV and a bit more substance to any proposals you draft. If you have something to show off, make sure it’s written down!3. Try to Network Some More!evalIf you know people, you know plenty of opportunities to go down. This way, you can garner more and more ideas and be ready for more and more jobs in your chosen field.Simply put, making friendsmakes you more money at the end of the day.More heads means more perspectives, and you can pick up a lot of advice both big and small from people qualified in the same way you are. Maybe they’ve found something you haven’t, and thus sharing and sharing alike opens up something for everyone!It’ll take some effort, and you’re going to be practicing it for a while, but working well with your freelance skills is always going to take you higher! Put some effort into yourself and your results will get a lot better.

Keep a Job Search To Do List

Keep a Job Search To Do List Today while facilitating a monthly Netshare meeting in New York City, one of the participants mentioned the fact that one of the difficulties in job search is that there is often no way to gauge daily success and job seekers often wonder if they are being productive and conducting their search in the most efficient manner.In order to feel productive and not wonder if you are simply spinning your wheels I recommend setting daily and weekly goals for your campaign. These goals will help you remain focused and motivated and will help you realize the small successes that can eventually lead to a larger success in conjunction with your job search. Here are some examples of weekly goals.Set up at least 2 networking meetingsResearch 10 target companiesFollow up on 10 cold calls made the week beforeSearch for and follow up on 10 potential contacts on LinkedInOffer at least one hour of your time in a volunteer capacityAttend at least one professional networking eventAttend at least one social networking eventSpend one hour per week monitoring aggregate and niche job boardsComplete one marketing document (i.e. resume, bio, personal marketing plan)Do at least one non job search activity that is just for youKeep track of daily and weekly progress either by keeping a journal or using a job search contact and information management tool such as Jibber Jobber. This strategy will help you monitor progress on each activity, make decisions about what is working and what is not, and uncover where you need to spend more or less time.View looking for your job as your full time job for now and plan to spend 35 hours per week working your search. Stay focused on your activity list and hold yourself accountable for its completion. Partner with someone else in search if you think you need someone to keep you on track and give you a gentle nudge.If you are consistently incorporating these types of tasks into your search campaign, you are making progress towards your end goal. It is the consistency of the activities that often leads to the opened door, finding the needle in the haystack job spec, or reconnecting with the colleague you thought you would never hear from again. And if you need affirmation that you are on the right track, find a local job search support group to hear what others are doing and share new ideas and best practices.

What to Include in a C-level Executive Biography

What to Include in a C-level Executive Biography Many executives make the mistake of simply rewriting their resume and calling it their biography. Including a lot of numbers, statistics and data may look impressive, but it’s not necessarily what needs to go on an executive profile. This is your chance to tell a story about your career that you can’t necessarily state on a resume. You should also reiterate and strengthen your brand when writing an executive bio. Here are some tips for what to include in your c-level executive biography. The First Paragraph Must Grab Attention If the first paragraph of your executive profile is bland, you’ll quickly lose the attention of your reader. Instead, start off your bio with a quote that highlights your brand, or make a strong statement to capture your reader’s attention another way. The more attention-grabbing the first sentence and paragraph is, the better chance you’ll have of the reader reading the entire biography. Highlight Soft Skills And Attributes You can’t include soft skills on your executive resume, in most cases. When writing an executive bio, you have a chance to not only demonstrate your soft skills and attributes, but also tie them in to how they enhance your brand and bring value to companies. Provide examples of how you’ve applied your skills in the past to bring them to life. Support Your Success With Data You shouldn’t pollute your entire executive profile with data, but sometimes it’s appropriate to provide some numbers for support. However, think of data you don’t already have on your resume. And instead of simply making a one-line statement to support your success, tell the story of how you were successful, including all the twists and turns. Just don’t take up too much of the reader’s time when you do so. Provide Some Personal Insight An executive resume service can help you write the first aspect of your bio, but there’s another point they can’t help you with as much. The part which deals with your personal life. You don’t want to get into many details about your life, but people want to know if you have a family, what ages your kids are, what your spouse does and what your hobbies and passions are. People connect with other people based on their personal interests rather than business success. When you have similar personal interests with other executives, they’ll be more likely to reach out to you since it seems like a natural fit. At Professional Resume Services, we can help you piece together your executive profile to help it flow naturally. One of the hardest parts of an executive bio is making it easy to read and captivate the reader’s attention. When you’re ready to sit down and write your c-level executive biography, consider giving us a call to help you get started.