Have a Balanced Work Life

Everyone wants to have a balance between work and personal life. But many times it becomes very difficult to separate personal and professional life. Due to this we think of home at work and of work at home. If you are also going through this then here are some tips to help you:

Manage Yourself
When we talk about balancing home and work then first of all we should think about time management. If you are spending more time at the office then it does not mean that you are more productive. So we must understand job discipline and should stop wasting time in excessive gossips and coffee breaks.

Make Priorities
You can be successful by not having balance between personal and professional life but you may never be happy in this routine of life. To achieve that happiness you must concentrate on four things:-work, family, friends and yourself. If you can manage to handle all four of these and are also disciplined at the same time, then you can be both successful and happy.

Do What Interests You
Many times we should do other things of interest apart from work. Stop worrying about work when you are with family and friends. Be relaxed during work and make a habit to enjoy everything.

Learn to Say No
It is good to take initiative and do something but many times it is better to simply say no to things that you think you are not fully capable of doing. Saying no to your boss and co-workers will not necessarily affect your carrer in a bad way.

Enjoy Your Work
Always think clearly about the kind of work you want to do before joining any job. If you are enjoying your work then stress will stay away from you and you will have your balance of personal and professional life.

Boss! I Need a Leave

When ever we want to take a leave from work then we make some excuses or give applications for that. But we keep worrying if we will get the leave or not. Well there are some ways to get your leave approved.

Complete your work on or before time
If you want leave for some days then its important to finish your work before time and then talk with your boss. It is also beneficial to do your work more effectively when your boss is on leave.

Company Policy
There are policies for taking leaves in every company. You should have complete knowledge about the paid leaves and leaves for other reasons like medical etc. Many companies have the policy to lapse the leaves if you don't take them. So you must make wise decisions about them.

Boss is always right
If work load is more in your company then discuss with your boss about your schedule,results, meetings, deliveries etc before applying for leaves. Then talk about taking the leave and let him decide and adjust your work load accordingly and by this you will also be relieved from unnecessary tension and anxiety.

Create backup
When going on a long leave and there are less employees availabe then make sure to have the backup of your work prepared. This will help your boss to have your work when its needed and you will get your leave easily.


Many times other employees also apply for a leave at the same time with you, mostly on festive seasons. So its better to adjust your leaves according to the work load. Understand the situation and do what s required from you.

Think Before Changing Your Career

Everyone feels great about their first job, but for most people this feeling slowly starts to go away as more and more time passes in that job. Then after sometime a voice calls from inside that I should have selected a better career and from here our mind starts thnking about other options. You are thinking to switch careers but do you know that this decision can bring a whole lot of challenges and problems. So its better to think carefully before switching for another line of career.

Today's young generation change their careers very often. There are some benefits as well as some risks involved in this approach. Think about many things before changing your career otherwise this decision can be dangerous.

Why Think About Money Only 
You may think that your current job is offereing less salary, so why not find some other job which offers more money. But this thinking is very wrong. Comfort of working at you work place, time spent in travelling and pay increments are other factors to think about. So it is not wise to base your job change decision on money only.

Success Demands Hard Work
Many people think that some careers demand less work and offers more growth. Having a positive thinking about this is good, but you will greatly regret after switching careers if you dont have the required skills, or you are not working enough. Success comes to those who works and prepares for it. If you can change your working and learning habits drastically then only proceed.

Analyze Deeply
Many times we chose a career which looks attractive from outside which should'nt be done. Things which are far always look good. So its better to analyze the problems and challenges that can come in any career before going for them. You can even consult any career councellor or a specialist for this.

Growth and Learning
Many jobs attract us which offer good money, but the thing to see is that how much and how fast we can grow in them. If you are thinking to switch career then first analyze and calculate the growth and learning opportunities that you are getting in your current job. If you are growing faster than others then why worry about changing your career.

Never Copy Others
We should never base our career changing decisions on the success of some relative or friend in their careers. It is not necessesary that their careers can help you in attaining that success. Compare your needs and personality with their careers and jobs and then make any decision. If you try to copy then most of the time you will find yourself going nowhere.

Searching Jobs Online

Most of the people think that social networking websites are a tool to remain in contact with family and friends. But these websites also allow you to do a lot more like getting information about different brands and products. They become more important for people who are looking for a job. By showing some smartness you can easily land on a good job interview from the convinience of your home.

Create Professional Profile
You can impress a lot more people if your social profile has a professional touch. To accomplish this create your presence on most of the popular social networking websites. Some of them are listed below for you:

• Facebook
• Google+
• Twitter
• LinkedIn
• Myspace
• Tumblr, etc.

Populate your profiles with the data and headline related to your field of interest.

Profile should be Factual
Your profile should be completely fact based. On the interenet you are identified by your picture so have a good profile picture put up on your profiles.The information that you share about your capabilities should be appropriate and correct. Also mention your future plans and tell about your creative ideas.

Stay active on the Internet
Be internet active. Join various groups related to your niche on different social media and networking sites and take part in the ongoing discussions sharing your thoughts with other people. Share your ideas and knowledge with others to increase your online presence and visibility. Also keep updating your profiles regularly.

Have attractive profiles
If you are writing a blog or you are connected with a social group then do mention this on your social profiles because this is a very good way to increase your network. By this way people can know about your knowledge and capabilities in different fields. Stay away from poor jokes and comments and display facts to improve your online status so as to attract more people towards your profile.

How to Do Your Assessment for Performance Appraisal

Whenever there is a time of performance appraisal in the office, then everyone eagerly waits for his/her work assessment, and when results come out then some seem happy and some not so happy. There are many things in such performance assessment reports about which most of us don’t know. So if you are not happy with your work assessment then take a look at these points:

Meet With Your Boss
It can be the case that your performance is not according to what the company is expecting. So if you are not happy with your work assessment then meet with your boss by taking appointment at right time and then try to find out that what is missing in your work. Assess yourself without comparing yourself with others. See where you can improve according to the projects that have done.

Control Your Mood
Don’t get overexcited when your work assessment is good and likewise don’t get angry due to bad results. Analyze yourself where you lacked in your work and then try to improve in that area.

Do Something Different
To look different among everyone you have to do something different. Try to take on extra work and perform well in that work. Many times employees don’t take credit for their extra work which should not be done, tell your boss about all the extra work that you have done in a brief and data based manner.

Talk to Immediate Boss
Don’t wait to get feedback from the company, which can take a long time. Instead talk to your immediate boss for fast feedback about your work.

Never Discuss with Co-Employees
Never share your views about your performance report with your co-workers, they can do more harm instead of helping by disturbing you emotionally.

Things on which Performance Appraisal is Based
Apart from your work performance there are many other things on which your performance appraisal is based like your behavior, discipline etc. Your commitment towards your company also matters a lot.

Meet with the Managers
If you are completely sure about the work that you have done then you can meet with your senior managers as well and tell them your side of the story.

Don’t Share Information
If somehow you get informed about the promotion that you are getting or about some kind of pay increase then never discuss this with others because most of the companies don’t take this in a good way. Keep all the information to yourself and wait for the right time.

General Discussion : Money Saving Tips for Students

In this post we will discuss on a very common but often neglected topic; that engineering students usually spend more money than they need to. If you note down all of your expenses per month you will find that how much money you actually waste. Here we are giving a list of various ways in which you can prevent needless expenses that a common student does, their advantages and disadvantages.


Don't buy books
You don't need to buy any books because you can always get your study materials through library or by photo copying from your friends. Thats way too much cheaper then buying costlier books. Don't even buy second hand books because that will also cost considerable amount of money.
Advantages : You will have to spend less money on books, also the books will not be of that much use to you after the end of the semester.


Don't buy branded clothes
Branded clothes are very expensive, they can easily burn out a good amount of your cash. So to save money buy cheap clothes which are available in the same style as the branded ones.
Advantages : You can buy a lot more clothes in the same amount that you spend for branded clothes, you can also buy new clothes more often than normal.
Disadvantages : you may look less trendy when being with people wearing branded clothes.


Find a vehicle partner
Students have to spend a lot of money in travelling. So its better to have a vehicle partner, you can offer to share the fuel expenses or maybe you woulld'nt have to pay anything at all.
Advantages : Less money to spend on travelling.


Live with roommates
If you are living outside of hostel then its better to share the rent with friends or roommates.
Advantages : Less money to spend on rent and have company of friends 24/7.


Don't smoke and drink
Smoking can burn out a lot of money as also can drinking. So its better not to smoke and drink alcohol at all.
Advantages : Save money and stay in good health.
Disadvantages : Damage your health in a way that will adversely affect your life greatly.

Don't have any boyfriend/girlfriend
You will have to spend a great amount of money on your relationship(more for guys). So to save money its better not to have any relationship at all.
Advantage : You will save money and will have more time for yourself.
Disadvantage : You will miss the fun of having a boyfriend/girlfriend, and the chance of having a long term good relationship.


Don't get backlogs
Try to pass all the exams and do not get any backlogs, because you will have to spend money on re-evaluation forms and backlog exam forms.
Advantages : The obvious advantage is that you will be pass the exams which is why you are in college.


Follow college rules
Follow all the college rules and don't break any rule so as not to give any fine to the college. Many colleges take fine for breaking of various rules so why give them any chance to take money from you!


Cheap birthday treats
Give your birthday treats at cheap places and invite less friends, you will save a great deal of money by doing this.
Advantage : Save a good amount of money.
Disadvantage : Risk your social life and chance of not being called at good parties of your friends.


Don't lend money
Don't ever lend money to anyone including friends. Friends usually take a long time to return money and in many cases don't return money at all.
Advantage : Save money by not lending money to anyone.
Disadvantage : Many times you will have to help your friends financially, so save money and lose a good friend.


The above money saving tips are provided for the sole intention of saving your money and not for the destruction of your social life, many of you will even find them funny but hey, you can save money by following them.

Career Advice : Freelancing

Freelancing today has become a very popular choice among young graduates for both part time as well as full time career option. Freelancing simply means to find work on your own and reap the full benefits of completing that work. All you do comes to you and there is no boss or company to share the profits of your hard work. Freelancing when done with proper planning and persistence can be much rewarding than the normal 9-6 job in the long run, many successful freelancers even end up starting their own company! So the question which must be arising in your mind must be how to start off as a freelancer? Well thats why this guide is prepared, follow the guidelines below to start off as a freelancer:


Starting Off
Starting to work as a freelancer is the hardest part. First you need to identify the skills that you have or the services that you can provide to your clients. Here is a list of most popular freelancing areas :

• Making Websites and Softwares.
• Web Designing.
• Writing.
• Data Entry Work.
• Marketing.
• Search engine Optimization.
• Education and Tutoring, etc.

Make a list of the skills that you have and select those in which you are good. You will need to polish your skills before taking any projects from the clients because a bad initial reputation will hurt your freelancing career greatly.

Finding your clients
Now a days to get clients you don't even need to get out of your home. All you need is computer and an internet connection. There are a lot of freelancing websites which allow people to hire freelancers, and freelancers to get clients. In most cases the websites act as a mediator between the two parties. All you need is to create an account on them, list your skill sets and start finding projects. There is a bidding system on these websites, meaning that you will have to bid on the projects, lower bids have more chance of getting projects but it depends on reputation of the freelancer as well. Here is a list of some freelancing web portals that are very popular.

• Freelancer
• Guru
• ELance
• oDesk
• Scriptlance

Freelancing through internet is mostly done for products and services which can be deleivered by the means of internet, like information technology products and services.

You must also not neglect your local market. Look for freelancing work in the local newspaper classifieds, or use your professional network for that. If you are still in college then you can offer to make some software or website for your college for free if required.

You should charge less in the begining or even you can work for free, this will help you create your professional profile, and if your work is good then this will help in getting more clients and building references.

Marketing Yourself
Marketing yourself is very important, if no one knows you then you don't exist, its simple as that. You can market yourself by creating a professional portfolio, either follow some online guide for that or better to ask someone experienced in this. You can also follow these guidelines to do that:

• Set up your website with your accomplishments, projects delivered and refereces of clients on that.
• Create your business cards with your name, phone number and website address on that. Give those cards to anyone you think will be helpful in getting clients.
• Set up social media profiles on facebook, twitter etc.
• Create a blog and update it frequently to get noticed by search engines.

Benefits of Freelancing:
Freelancing has benefits which attract many people in doing it. They are:

• Be your own boss.
• Freedom to choose your work.
• Work when you want, with you want.
• Sleep and wake up when you want.
• Spend more time with family.
• You may not even need a degree.

Freelancing has also some drawbacks as with every good thing in this world:

• There may not be regular income.
• Spending more time in finding work than doing it.
• No regular job benefits like pension, paid leaves etc.
• Difficult time management.

Legal Issues
In different countries there are different legal issues while working as a freelancer. Most of them are financial issus like tax payment. Be sure to get the required knowlede about all the legal issues if you continue to work as a freelancer and recieving payments. You may also need to sign legal contracts with clients, taking money from escrow etc, so always be attentive to them.

This is just an overview of freelancing, you can look online for help in specific freelancing areas to gain more knowledge about it.

General Discussion : One Night Stand Before Exam

Let us talk about that famous kind of study of one night stand followed by the engineering students. First let me tell you what one night stand before exams is for those who don’t know it. One night stand before exams is a kind of study in which one tries to complete most of the syllabus in the night before the actual exams, then after giving the exam manages to get passing or good marks. Many of the students talk about it and somewhat feel proud by doing this (it is actually very difficult to complete syllabus of an engineering subject in one night). So what actually happens in a one night stand for exam next day that many students manage to pass the exam…?

First of all understand this that no one can complete an engineering subject in one night; having said that we also know that one night stands are actually successful and many students crack the exam by doing this. So how does this happen anyway….? The success of one night stand depends on many factors and they are:

Luck 
Yes luck is one important factor here. It purely depends on your luck that which questions will come in the exam; the ones you have prepared or the ones that you have not. You may argue that luck is nothing but being prepared when opportunity comes, but lets not go into that here (we are talking about one night stand that means we cannot have much of a preparation).

Kind of subject

There are many kinds of subjects in any engineering syllabus. There are around 45-50 (this may vary for different branches) subjects in all the semesters of engineering. So the success of one night stand depends on the difficulty of the subject; all theory subject and you can be assured of passing that, all or most part of the subject being numerical problems then just forget about passing through one night stand.

Group Study

The success of one night stand study greatly depends on this. Study in a group has its benefits, let different people study different things, and then discuss what you all have studied with each other. A great amount of time is saved in this way and also more syllabus is covered.

Prior knowledge

If you have some prior understanding of the subject through the classes then you have increased chances of passing the exam through one night stand.

One night stand is very important for engineering students as many of them don’t study for the whole semester. The advantage of this is that you can have all the fun and great time of the engineering life without the worry of exams, the obvious disadvantage is having back logs if failed to pass the exams.

I would say not to totally depend on one night stand, start your preparation 8-10 days before exams, give a good fight in night before exam and the actual exam and you can be assured of passing any subject.