Of birds and bushes

"A bird in hand is worth two in a bush"

But a bird in a bush is so much more exciting!

HR Interview

I just attended a talk on getting a job. The speaker was an HR person. I knew most of the things, but some of them got reemphasized, such as :
a. The need for a 1 page resume, and what essentials it must contain-experience,skills; and what it need not contain-publications, courses, teaching or other unrelated experience
b. In the age of databases, the need for putting in keywords that a computer can search out
c. 80% of all jobs are unadvertised; the remaining 20% receives the bulk of applications
d. The importance of networking

But the most valuable insight I go was regarding HR interviews. As a technical person, one may believe that an HR interview is less important than the others, but rest assured, the HR interviewer does not share the belief. Any person who is interviewing you has the authority to reject your candidacy, or else the interview would not be taking place. The speaker mentioned behavior traits that are strongly undesirable:
a. One or two word answers
b. Long and chatty answers, sometimes with personal information
c. Condescending attitude
d. Answers full of technical jargon. It is important to speak in the language of the other person to get information across. Speaking in terms that don't make sense to the listner conveys the same amount of information as saying nothing. Also, it is rude.

Remember that communication skills are valued by all employers.

The maze

Have you ever solved a maze? The childish ones, where one has to find a way for the bunny rabbit to reach a bunch of juicy carrots? It was mostly easy, wasn't it? It was easy. It was easy because we could look down at the entire maze, and our eyes would find a countinuous path between two points. Now, had we been inside the maze, unable to see past boundaries, life would be so much harder.

Sometimes, life is like a maze, confusing, frustrating, and it helps to detach oneself and to look at life from an elevated position. From there, one can see the options and the paths clearly. From there, one can see past the barriers of confusion and doubt.

Knowing what to do vs. doing it

Most adults have a fairly good idea of what they should be doing. Few do it. Our brain, which is so good at distinguising the correct from the wrong, the desirable from the undesirable, gives us a teeny weeny bit of self control. We repeatedly do things that we know are harmful to ourselves.

With many of us, the problem is addiction, which is more common than we may care to admit. Watching a certain TV show regularly is a relatively harmless one. Playing a video game continuously until it is won is more serious. Video games are a >$10 billion industry.If you can play 15 minutes each day, it is fine. But then, you are not the subject of this posting :)

Another common manifestation of our lack of self control is laziness. Amazing how some people get away with it. If you are in a job, you surely have seen a specimen. Does absolutely nothing and blabbers nonsense without giving any thought at meetings. Managers! Not necessarily.

While my car was broken, I had to commute for a few weeks. I would see the train from a distance. Two parallel roads to cross, the walk signs still red, the train pulling in, the knowledge that it would pull out in less than 30 seconds; getting to it almost impossible. Amazingly, when I decided to try, more often than not, I would make it just in time. If only I had the same spirit in my research... that would be cool! I'm trying... I'm trying...

A silly joke

Sorry, this one is only for folx who understand Hindi. It came with one of the many mails that go around.

Ek gadha ped par chadha to oopar baithe haathi ne poochha, "Tu kyun chadha ?"

Gadhe ne kaha, "Apple khaane".

To haathi ne bola "Lekin buddhu, yeh to Mango tree hai!"

Phir gadhe ne kaha, "Maloom hai, main apple saath laaya hoon."

-Did this make you laugh? Maybe not. The first time I read it, I found it hilarious. The haathi, gadha, Apple, Mango, the situation - all add up to it.

Good and evil

This thought has occurred to me in the past.

It never feels good to be wronged. But people respond to it in different ways. Some feel bad, and resolve not to wrong others in the same way. Others decide that since they have been treated unfairly, they will treat others in a like manner.

That is perhaps the point where the good and the evil part ways.

Hi and welcome!

This is my first post to my blog.

I was reading quotations by G.B.Shaw, and came across some witty ones. Maybe they were funny cos they reminded me of people I knew. In any case, here are a few :)

"I learned long ago, never to wrestle with a pig. You get dirty, and besides,the pig likes it."

"She had lost the art of conversation, but not, unfortunately, the power of speech."

"Patriotism is your conviction that this country is superior to all others because you were born in it."