YOUR RESUME IS YOUR TRUMPET

Your resume is a document that speaks for you and along with the covering letter should be tailor made to a specific job. Resume is your showcase and the first tool to be used in marketing yourself. A perfect resume achieves the objective of getting you shortlisted for an interview and becomes a stepping stone for the dreamt job. A cover letter on the other hand creates the first and lasting impression about you. Both your cover letter and resume should compliment each other and together determine whether you will receive an interview call or not.
If you send your resume and cover letter through courier or post then adequate care should be taken to ensure proper printing or typing of the contents and points of importance should be highlighted with the use of bold dark print or a highlighter. In case where the internet is being used to send your cover letter and resume then you must follow proper net etiquettes.
Ideally a resume should be two pages long, well written and sans errors of any kind and cover letter should not be more than a page long, neatly written with summarization of capabilities in a few sentences.
A Curriculum Vitae (CV) is more elaborate than a resume but both terms are used interchangeably. A career portfolio is more specialized and can contain multimedia files.
One should seek professional help in creating a beautiful and interesting resume and make full use of the latest resources available on the internet as recruiters appreciate a resume in which information is systematically organized in clear cut sections and in a chronological order highlighting keywords that are relevant to the job being applied for, this ensures that your resume is appealing and rightly targeted.
Basically there are three types of resumes Chronological, Functional, Combination
1) Chronological resume is the more traditional structure for a resume. The Experience section is the focus of the resume; each job (or the last several jobs) is described in some detail and there is no major section of skills or accomplishments at the beginning of the resume. This structure is primarily used when you are staying in the same profession, in the same type of work, particularly in very conservative fields. It is also used in certain fields such as law and academia. It is recommended that the chronological resume always have an objective or summary, to focus the reader.
Advantages: May appeal to older more traditional readers and be best in very conservative fields. Makes it easier to understand what you did in what job.
Disadvantage is that it is much more difficult to highlight what you do best. This format is rarely appropriate for someone making a career change

2) Functional resume highlights your major skills and accomplishments from the very beginning. It helps the reader see clearly what you can do for them, rather than having to read through the job descriptions to find out. It helps target the resume into a new direction or field, by lifting up from all past jobs the key skills and qualifications to help prove you will be successful in this new direction or field. Actual company names and positions are in a subordinate position, with no description under each. There are many different types of formats for functional resumes. The functional resume is a must for career changers, but is very appropriate for generalists, for those with spotty or divergent careers, for those with a wide range of skills in their given profession, for students, for military officers, for returning homemakers, and for those who want to make slight shifts in their career direction.
Advantages: It will help you most in reaching for a new goal or direction. It is a very effective type of resume, and is highly recommended.
Disadvantages are that it is hard to know what the candidate did in which job, which may be a negative to some conservative interviewers

3) Combination resume includes elements of both the chronological and functional formats. It may be a shorter chronology of job descriptions preceded by a short "Skills and Accomplishments" section (or with a longer Summary including a skills list or a list of "qualifications"); or, it may be a standard functional resume with the accomplishments under headings of different jobs held.
Advantages: This combined approach maximizes the advantages of both kinds of resumes, avoiding potential "turn-off" of either type.
Disadvantage is that they tend to be longer resumes. Another is that they can tend to be repetitious - accomplishments and skills may have to be repeated in both the "functional" section and the "chronological" job descriptions.

Numerous variations and hybrid versions combine the Chronological and Functional, but these two basic formats, once mastered, will provide the guidelines for any resume. These two forms vary mostly in the way that they layout and prioritize work history information.
Whatever the type of resume it basically serves to highlight your suitability for a job in your absence and thus must be cogent, easy to read, neatly formatted and contain vital info about your personality in terms of career objectives, summary, work experience and academic achievements. Resumes must be free of shortcomings such as grammatical errors, poor presentation and disorganized data.
Before finalizing your resume check its size, format, presentation, contents, authenticity of information, language use etc. Do not include references and salary history unless specifically requested.
A good commanding resume makes you win half the battle the moment it is presented.

Gahwa - The desert drink

Gahwa -- an age old custom
The preparation, serving and drinking of gahwa -- Arabian coffee -- are each individual rituals derived from Bedouin hospitality; traditions that are still bound today by the same ceremony and etiquette which have ruled for centuries.
According to legend, coffee-drinking began in Arabia almost 12 centuries ago when a goat herder named Khalid noticed that while the afternoon sun made him drowsy, his flock frolicked and gamboled after nibbling at the berries of a certain evergreen bush. The ingenious Khalid ground and boiled the agreeable berries and so invented a phenomenon that has worked its way into the marrow of everyday life.
The gahwa ritual starts when the host places a set of four coffee pots, called della, next to an open fire. He pours the coffee beans onto a mahmasa, a shallow, long-handled iron pan which he holds just above the flames. He stirs the roasting beans from time to time with a yad al mahmasa, which is attached by a chain to the small pan. When the beans are cooked they are left to cool before being pulverized with a pestle in a mortar called mahbash. When pounding the beans it is necessary to strike the side of the mortar occasionally with the pestle to free the grounds from sticking together. This noise is considered music and the guests should listen carefully and show appreciation of the host's artistic expression.
The largest della contains the coffee grounds from previous days, so water is poured into the second largest pot, to which the freshly ground coffee is added and then boiled over the fire. Meanwhile, the host pounds the cardamom seeds, and sometimes a pinch of saffron, in the mahbash. These spices go into the third della which is then filled with the freshly brewed coffee from the second pot and brought to the boil again. Finally the gahwa is poured into the fourth and smallest pot ready to serve.
It is always the host's privilege to serve his guests, although a servant may assist by holding the tray of small, china cups without handles. He may pour himself a small cup first in order to taste it, but strict rules of etiquette are observed in the serving order. When only men are present, the most important person in the room is served first. Age takes precedence if there is some doubt as to rank. Until a few years ago men were always served before women, but today that custom is often reversed, particularly if Westerners are among the guests.
The cups are only half filled, but guests may have several refills. It is polite to accept an odd number of cups -- one, three or five. When the guest has finished he should jiggle the empty cup from side to side, indicating to the host that he has had sufficient. To refuse the first round is considered not only bad manners but also an insult to the host.
Gahwa is never sweetened with sugar. Instead, fresh dates are offered as the standard accompaniment to the aromatic brew. The papery-skinned fingers of fruit contain 55% natural sugar which refresh and sweeten the palate between each sip of gahwa.
The proportion of coffee and cardamom in recipes for making gahwa varies considerably from region to region. The Saudia Arabian Airline offers its passengers a blend made from 25 grams of ground Arabic coffee, 35 grams of crushed cardamom and 1 litre of water. To be served a cup of this unique beverage is more than just refreshment, it is unfailing proof that the guest is still revered and honored in Saudi Arabia. In offering a cup of gahwa the host is saying Ahlan Wa Sahlan, welcome.

The Rise and Fall of Dubai

Way back in 1985 on my very first visit to this Emirate Dubai collectively known as United Arab Emirates comprising of 7 Emirates and with Abu Dhabi as its Capital I had visualized its growth. The desert was slowly being converted into a concrete Oasis.
I very well remember the stretch of road connecting Dubai and Sharjah having barren desert on either side with the exception of two outlets , one the world famous KFC and another a petrol pump on the right hand side after traversing a small distance from Dubai towards Sharjah .
Over the years UAE specially Dubai saw a massive growth and development with people from all walks of life from around the globe flocking for travel and conduction of business. Dubai became the Hub of business with its liberal policies, simple visa procedures, friendly atmosphere and its location acting as a Transshipment point in connecting the entire Gulf with South Asia and Far East countries. Businesses, industries and tourism blossomed and the government succeeded in portraying Dubai as a travelers delight by bringing to its land the best of both East and West, Dubai became a second home for the Asians especially Indians and Pakistanis.
In this span of 25 years Dubai became synonym with luxury, tourism and multinational businesses. The construction Industry was the most prospering business, growing and developing four folds in comparison to the entire world as everyone wanted a property in Dubai. The Construction bigwigs saw this as a big opportunity which eventually led to heavy competition amongst them as they started acquiring real estate at exorbitant prices thereby escalating real estate to a superficial level.
Dubai which was a destination for an average traveler became viable only for the ultra rich, along with real estate all other amenities and necessities skyrocketed.
Now, the last quarter of 2008 brought in the world recession which indeed is a difficult time for the whole world but more so for Dubai as it was placed in a superficial arena and main source of income for the government was from tourism which was inadvertently affected as wise persons curtailed their expenses and bid adieu to luxuries.
Now hundreds of accommodations, apartments and buildings are lying idle with no takers in sight in spite of rock bottom offers and baits being offered by the real estate developers. The industry is reeling under heavy losses and interests burden. Even the government is feeling the pinch as tourism is on decline and their coffers are rapidly draining and are in no position to bail out the construction Industry. This has also affected other industries and businesses which have shown signs of panic and are deporting and marginalizing their workforce to sail over these bad times.
Unfortunately Dubai’s income was entirely dependent on tourism and is not a oil rich emirate as in comparison to Abu Dhabi which is the richest and prosperous Emirate of UAE.
Dubai is now negotiating with Abu Dhabi to bail them out of these crises which they have agreed to but for a stipulated time frame and in lieu and consideration of projects and takeovers.
Dubai will be sinking further if the recession prolongs and will take years before they can make up to the lost glory.

American restriction on Indian medicos

Indian hospitals reeling under a lack of doctors and nurses since quite sometimes can now be releived after the announcement made by the US President curtailing the migration of these professionals to America. The medicos opted for higher paying jobs abroad as they spent a fortune on their education and also absence of jobs for fresh graduates, tinsel stipends for resident doctors in India further motivated them to cross the seas. The Health ministry believes that Indian government hospitals have been reduced to training grounds for nurses and para medics who after gaining one or two years experience fly abroad for better paying jobs. Apart from salaries, other factors like work pressure, poor patient-nurse ratio and lack of policies for nurses are the other reasons for their migration.

Now with globalization and improved government policies one can witness a new era of highly specialized Hospitals and Health Care Centres mushrooming all over India,whereby generating employment opportunities to talented personnel along with hefty pay packs and benefits in sync with international standards.

Hopefully this talent remains in India and serves it rightly.