How Creative Can You Really Get When Applying for a Job?

You’ve been told for years to “get creative” when applying for a job as the applicants who “stand out” are the only ones who actually get hired. Sure, we’ve all read amazing stories about the guy who spent his last few dollars on a giant billboard outside a company’s office. Or the person whose comic video resume went viral. But for every one of these successes there are, literally, thousands of failures.

The reality is that there is often a fine line between being tastefully creative and awkwardly off-key. As someone who has interviewed hundreds of candidates over the years, I can assure you that when a “creative” candidate does not hit the mark, it can be incredibly damaging for his/her application. So, how far should you go to try and deviate from the norm and make your application truly memorable?

 

Human vs computer

Applicant tracking systems (ATS) are becoming more commonplace in today’s recruitment world so it is important to determine if your resume will be passed through one (hint: if the company has more than 500 employees, it is almost certainly using an ATS). If so, you should be aware that an algorithm will determine how relevant your resume is. In such a case, you probably don’t have much room to be creative on as your resume is being evaluated mechanically and unemotionally (for better or worse). As such, don’t spend a great deal of time and effort creating an interactive and graphically rich resume as an ATS will probably not be able to properly evaluate it.

 

Know your audience

Before you invest in creating a wonderfully creative and unique resume, take a step back and determine if your intended audience would actually appreciate such a gesture. (It should also go without saying that the industry into which you are applying bears some consideration as well.) In some cases, a company may actually have some fairly strict rules about the types of resumes they are willing to accept. Sure, this may not sound terribly inspiring, but every company has its way of doing things and will immediately disqualify candidates who do not follow their guidelines. Unfortunately, this is a mistake that many candidates make all too frequently as they take the "get creative" advice a little too blindly.

 

Get personal

I recently mentioned that a very strong candidate will not be shy to get personal in an interview. For instance, when applying for a job, do your best to determine who is involved in the hiring process and see if you can learn their names and positions ahead of time. Even better: see if you know anyone within the company to provide you with some insider knowledge. With this research, you will be able to plan for a more personal and impactful approach. For example, I was looking for a social media intern a few years ago. One candidate had taken the time to follow me on social media and had noticed that I was extremely active on Facebook. So, when applying for the internship, she decided to create a Facebook page dedicated to her candidacy rather than send me a traditional resume. Taking the time to approach me through a non-traditional medium was extremely creative and personal and left a very favorable impression upon me.

 

Be bold not reckless

Fortune favors the bold so it is certainly worth taking some measure of risk when applying for that dream job. Having said that, do not enter into the process like the proverbial wrecking ball. If you are considering doing something that is non-traditional, I would strongly suggest you solicit some feedback from friends or family (and ideally someone within the same industry). What may seem like a good idea to you could be actually be a tragically flawed approach. Here's one embarrassing example from my younger years: when applying for an editorial position, I wrote my cover letter in rhyming verse (as the editor was a reasonably well-known amateur poet). I never did get a callback and only now do I fully understand why. A sanity check is always a good idea.

 

Get to the point

Regardless of how you choose to apply for a job, you should always adhere to a universal rule: be clear and concise. If you are able to re-package your job application into something that is entirely unique and memorable, that's great. But don't sacrifice function for form. Keep in mind that your ultimate objective is to represent your strengths and qualities in an easy-to-understand format. If a recruiter has to spend any extra time deciphering who you are or what your application represents, you have gone too far astray. Stay on message and let your talents do the rest.

Teaching Your Kids About Money

    No matter what is happening to the economy, it's always a good time for teaching financial education. Here are six great ways to start teaching ur children and kids about money:

1.The Money Diary
Help your children see where their money goes every week by having them keep an ongoing log or diary of every naira that comes in and goes out of their pockets. On the day you start this project,give your each child a special notebook with pocket dividers for keeping receipts for every transaction.
Make it fun by telling them that you would conduct surprise "audits",and if they can show receipts for every transaction there will be a reward.
When you conduct an audit,remember that the purpose is to give positive reinforcement not to find errors. If u do find errors, offer helpful suggestions to improve. When u find success,give them small rewards like a night off from helping with dishes or small gift.

2.Mini-Budget
Having a party or go in on a trip?
Give your kids a budget and let them work together to plan the event.Be sure to start them out with clear goals for what the money has to cover like all the food,entertainment, transportation costs,hotel etc .
Require the kids to present a written budget for your approval,as well as an itemized list of all purchases to be made. Their built-in reward will be getting to make most of the decisions about the event,but you can offer additional incentives such as putting a percentage of what they save in their savings accounts.

3.Beginning Banking
If u want to start ur children on the life-long habit of saving money,show them you are serious. Help them open a savings accounts while they are still in primary school. Firstly,visit several banks together and talk to the customer service or new accounts departments about their interest rates and services.
When you choose a bank,take your children with you to sign the signature cards and open the accounts. Encourage the kids to make deposits at least once a month by helping them find extra ways to put money aside for savings, such as doing extra chores for neighbors. In fact most banks offers promo for children account which could be a plus.

4.Benefits Of Compounding Interest
Ask your kids whether they would rather be paid N100 a day or N10 a day for doing an imaginary job for 28days. Tell them that if they choose the N10,you would double it each day. Have the kids get their calculators and compare how much money they would accumulate with each method at 7 days,14 days,21 days,and 28 days. Explain to them that money in their savings account won't double everyday, but they do earn a special type of interest called compound interest. Help your children use calculators available on the interest to,see how fast N100 in savings will double at various interest rates.

5.History Of The Stock Market
News commentators are always talking about how much the stock market went up and down. Do your kids know why? Click here to research the history of the stock market originate? What is the Nigeria stock exchange All share index?How do people make money on the stock market? Explain to your kids that that the stock market has earned an average rate of returns higher than savings rate offered by banks for the past years save for the last 2-3 tough years. How fast would the money in their savings account double if they earned 10% for instance? Point out that there have been times in the past when the stock market has gone down significantly,but
the stock  market has always rebounded. See if your kids can predict what stocks will be good investments for the current economic climate. Show them how to start tracking these stocks daily to see if they are right.

6.Shopping For Investments
Kids are some of the greatest stock pickers in the world. They are very aware of the trends. When you go to the mall,the grocery store,or out to eat with your kids,make it a game to be on the lookout for products or companies they think might be good future investments.
Have them keep a list of their picks,and teach them how to research the companies to see how they performed in the past. Send off for annual reports,and watch the news together for story about these companies. Have your kids create mock portfolios of their stock picks and follow them for six months. What would have happened if they had invested N10,000 in real money in this portfolio?

Top Amazing Ways To Increasing And Developing Your Mental Accuracy And Ability

I have had so many people complain about their low mental ability and activeness thereby arriving at the conclusion that they aren't just fit for formal education so should just opt in for something less brainy.
Having high mental activeness goes far beyond the school thing. It is needed in all ratification of life. In daily activities and relation with friends.
How fast can you think ?
How quick can you proffer solutions to issues ?
How best can you approach critical matters ?
Take it or you leave it, no one is born dull, we were all born with equal mental status but the way we develop it is what matters and differs.
The area where you channel your thinking and concentration also determines where you will be best active.
What stuffs do you do ?
What do you read ?
What type of games do you play ?
What type of mental challenges do you engage in ?
I happend to chat with a friend in one of my semesters in school. He was the best student in the department. We were walking down the road one fateful day, when we met a girl whom my friend attend a secondary school with. They exchanged greetings and departed.
After a little stroll, he told me " that girl was the most brilliant girl in our school then. MY BRAIN WAS DEAD THEN, he concluded"
I wondered within me, a once dead brain now the best. There was a transformation, a discovery and an awakening. Are you reading this and you hope to be better mentally, it is very much possible.
What you do with your brain is what your brain will perform. The theory is garbage in-gabage out. The more you invest in your brain, the more productive it becomes.
As a student or non student, the best asset and resource you can have apart from time is your brain.
When it comes to the functioning of your brain and your memory the saying is “use it or lose it”. But there are plenty of other things you can do to stay mentally sharp and keep your memory strong.
The operation of the brain is like a machine, the more you use it, the more active and the less you use it the less active.
There are even ways to get a better memory at any age, with science showing us that neuroplasticity puts an end to the thinking that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.
For humans anyway, anything is possible.
Your age has nothing to do with you sharpness, don't say you will get mentally better when you grow,NO pursue it NOW!
I have been to school and I know you have bee there also, you will agree with me that the best thing that can happen to you, earn you respect and good reputation is your high mental accuracy. Forget the swag and pretty look thing.
Below I will be stating some crucial things that will help boost your brain.

1. Dare Your Brain:
it is important that you dare you brain. Challenge it, test your self. You know your capacity, desire to step above it. Get involved in more brainy and tasking things.

2. Take Foods That Will Help Your Brain :
Seriously there foods that will help build your accuracy, don't just eat any thing called food. Get things that springs up your mental ability.

3. Quit Negative Intake :
Drugs doesn't make you sharper or wiser neither does smoking does but you taking decent and good things makes you better.
Google up the adverse effect of drug and smoking to the brain and see for yourself.

4. Play Brain Boosting Games :
One thing you might not know is that there are some games that help you improve mentally. Quit those shooting and sex games and go for good ones. They are all over the net.

5. What You Hear And See :
What you hear and see store more in your brain and can be easily remembered. So the questions are ;
What do you Hear ?
What do you See or Watch ?
Some other things that will improve you mentally are
6. Investing in books,
7. Developing desire for learning,
8. Practicing often,
9. Engaging in sensible and developing chats and talks,
10. Relating with people who are mentally sharp.

11. Becoming observant etc.
You can make it.
Its not time to give up, the best you can be is you.

How to pass your exam

1. Ask the teacher

As far as you're concerned, teachers probably have a single function: to help you pass your exams and either get a job or move on to the next stage of your education. Teachers themselves see things a little differently—don't forget that they have to get hundreds of students through exams each year—but generally their aims are in tune with yours. Remember that your teacher is not your opponent or your nemesis: he or she is not out to frustrate you or irritate you. However it might seem at the time, teachers are always trying to help you. Take advantage of that help and you'll never regret it. Ask for help whenever you need it: that's what teachers are there for.

2. Beat the teacher

Having said that, as you'll have discovered for yourself, there are many good teachers and quite a few bad ones. Most of your teachers care passionately about how well you do (even if they don't let on) and one or two truly couldn't care less what happens to you (especially if you don't care very much yourself). The first top tip I have is not to rely on teachers to get you through your exams. Teachers will help you enormously, but ultimately it's your job and yours alone. The older and more senior you get, the more you'll find that teachers and lecturers put the responsibility of passing exams onto their students. What does that involve in practice? The first thing is to understand the curriculum or syllabus you're studying and exactly what you're expected to know about each subject. Ask your teacher to supply you with a copy of the curriculum you're working to or look it up for yourself on the Web. (Note that different examining bodies may use slightly different curricula, so be sure to find the correct one.) Armed with this information, you will at least know what you need to know, even if you don't know it. Got me?


Photo: Once you're in the exam, you're on your own—without even your phone to help you. Make sure you're prepared. Photo by Brien Aho courtesy of US Navy.

3. Understand the marking scheme

Before you go anywhere near an examination, it's vitally important to understand how the marks are allocated. You might find that 75 percent of the mark comes from the exam you sit at the end of the academic year, while the remainder is allocated by your teacher based on coursework or projects you do during the year itself. It's very important you understand the marking scheme, whatever it is, right at the start. If 90 percent of your mark comes from coursework and you do that poorly all year, you can't expect to save yourself at the last minute with a sudden good exam performance. Similarly, even if you've done brilliant coursework, if it counts for only 10 percent of your total mark, you still need a good performance in the exam. If you understand where your marks will come from, you can allocate your efforts accordingly.

4. Plan your revision

More than 20 years after I last sat an exam of any kind, I still get a recurring nightmare about not having started my revision in time! Chore though it is, you can never really spend too long revising. Teachers will tell you that it's generally easier to spend a small amount of time each day revising over a long period than to try to cram in all your revision the night before your exam. But different strategies work for different people. Some people find concentrated revision suits them best. Some prefer to revise one subject entirely before proceeding with another topic; others prefer to alternate revision between different subjects. As you become proficient at exams, you should find a pattern that works for you. One good tip is to make revision a habit: treat it like a job and make yourself revise between certain set times of the day whether you feel like it or not. No-one ever feels like revising, but if you get into a routine where you always begin and end at the same time, you'll find it a whole lot easier. Another good tip is to intersperse your revision with relaxing activities to stop your brain overloading. Go for walks, listen to music, hang out with friends, play sports—whatever you like— as long as you understand the distinction between break and distractions. Probably give reading books a miss until your revision is done, however.

5. Prioritize weak subjects

Aim to revise everything but devote more time to things you don't understand or know less well. It sounds obvious, but it's surprisingly hard to do. Why? Because we like doing easy things—so our tendency, when we revise, is to concentrate on the things we already know. If you're not sure what your weaker subjects are, ask your teacher or look at the marks you've received on coursework through the year. Prioritizing weak subjects also goes back to understanding the marking scheme. Let's suppose your examination involves you writing three essays. Most likely they will carry equal marks. Even if you know two subjects off by heart and get perfect marks, if you can't write a third essay you risk losing up to a third of the marks. So weak subjects will have a disproportionate effect on your total mark, dragging your overall grade down much more. That's why you should give weak subjects most focus.

6. Be honest with yourself

What are you good at and what are you bad at? Maybe you think you're good at everything, but you'll still have weak points you need to focus on. And if you think you're bad at everything, that's probably not true either. Ask your teachers to spend a little time with you helping you to understand where you need to focus your efforts. Most often they'll be happy to oblige.

7. Practice makes perfect


Now, as teachers often tell you, exams are theoretically a way of testing your knowledge and your understanding and the object of studying is to get a good education, not to pass exams. But exams count for a lot and a great deal of our education is geared specifically to helping us to pass them. Like it or not, you'll be sitting an awful lot of exams in your life. It makes sense to practice exams like you'd practice a sport or a musical instrument. Most likely your teachers will get you to try out real exam questions or past exam papers. If not, get hold of those questions and papers yourself and test yourself under real exam conditions. Can you really write a good essay on the causes of the first world war in three quarters of an hour? Try it and see. Practicing exam questions and papers under time pressure is one of the best ways to improve your exam performance. Don't forget that teachers are creatures of habit as much as anyone else; exam papers are often set by the same people from one year to the next so particular topics will crop up over and over again.

"Set yourself mock questions under real time constraints."

8. Use memory aids

It can be quite hard to remember all the things you need to know in an exam, so use memory aids if you need to. No, I don't mean write the answers on your arm! When you had to remember the colors of the spectrum, you were probably taught to use a memory aid such as "richard of york gave battle in vain" [red orange yellow green blue indigo violet]. You can take this idea a stage further and memorize lists of things you need to remember or even entire plans for essays you might have to write. All you have to do is take the initial letter of each thing you want to remember and make up a sentence that helps you remember the letters. You can then remember in order half a dozen essays simply by memorizing six simple sentences! I memorized dozens of essay plans this way when I was a student. The only thing you have to be careful about is that you do actually...

9. Answer the question

It's possible to do your revision so well that you think you know your subject inside out, back to front, and every which way. That's brilliant! But just remember, in the heat of the exam, you still need to be certain you answer every question properly. If you memorize essays ready to write them back in an exam, be sure that the essay you write is the one the examiner wants to read—not the essay you just happen to have revised. So take time to read and understand the questions on the exam paper. The more senior you are, the more likely you are to find that essay questions on exam papers aren't completely straightforward. You may need to read between the lines before you realize "Oh yes, this is actually a question about x/y/z. They've mentioned such-and-such, but what they're really asking me about is so-and-so". Again, practicing past exam papers will help you to recognize what you're being asked and demonstrate your knowledge in the way the examiner is expecting.

10. Remember why you're studying

Yes, you want to pass your exams. But don't forget that you're also trying to learn and understand things and get a good education. Try not to let yourself become an exam-passing locomotive. Ultimately, even if you like pieces of paper with "A" printed on them, that's not the object of the exercise. If you love a subject and you really like learning about it, that may be much more rewarding in the end.

Tips on how to save money and spend wisely

1. Shop Generic labels

Most times, generics and store brands have exactly the same ingredients, but cost far less than name brands.

2. Clip Coupons

Coupons will save money on the brand names you insist on using. Take advantage of store double coupon days. Watch the stores' weekly ads for good prices and a chance to add your coupons to the sale prices for even more savings.

3. Comparison shop

This is especially important on big-ticket items like appliances, furniture and automobiles. Read product reviews to learn about quality and the best value.

4. Buy second hand

Whether it's a used car or books from your local library's used book sale, buy second hand! Yard sales and flea markets are great places to find deals.

5. Sales

Watch for sales on items big and small. Why pay full price for an item if you can get the same thing on sale. Stock up on smaller sale items from the grocery store and take advantage of the savings.

6. Magazine subscriptions

If you find yourself picking up the same magazine each month at the checkout line, subscribe to it instead. The per issue cost is lots less with a subscription than paying issue by issue.

7. Buy a freezer

It doesn't have to be a large one. Once you get beyond the initial cost of the freezer, you'll be saving a lot of money by bulk purchases of meats and other freezable items. (Of course, comparison-shop before you buy that freezer!)

8. Scratch & Dents

Often, appliances and other items are discounted if they have a slight scratch, dent or other flaw. Discounted seconds can also be of good quality, but slightly flawed. Sometimes these savings can be substantial and are certainly worth investigating.

9. Buy a crock-pot

An investment in this small appliance will help you save money on groceries. It's so easy to be creative on meals with economical meat cuts and vegetables in the fridge.

10. Purchase clothing after season

Fantastic end-of-season clothing sales can really save you a pretty penny, especially if you select non-trendy styles that will last a few seasons. Select separates that coordinate for more flexibility.

11. Restaurant coupons and early bird specials

You don't need to give up dining out just because things are tough. Select more economical restaurants and take advantage of half off coupons. Early bird specials will also save you money. Plus, skip dessert! You'll save on calories and money too.

12. Rebates

Remember to mail in all the required receipts and the money back rebate coupons on rebate items you've purchased. It's sure nice to find that check in the mail six weeks later.

13. Have a yard sale

It will give you a chance to clean out closets and shelves, as well as giving others an opportunity to find a bargain. Take those extra few dollars you make from the sale and recycle them into some wise spending from numbers 1 — 12 above!Spend wisely by trying some of these money savings tips. Not only will you be helping to stimulate the economy, but you'll save money for your own piggy bank, as well.