Job Application Videos - The Basics

More and more companies are requiring job applicants to send in a video of themselves as a precursor to an interview. What this means is that whether or not you get that precious invitation to appear for an interview depends on the effect the video you send will have on those in charge of the hiring process. 

Another key fact to keep in mind is that although the video might also be complementary to an applicant's CV, there are times when it is the only piece of evidence firms will ask to see, meaning that you will have to condense education, experience, achievements and personal interests into a short minute or minute and a half audiovisual commodity.

Many are at a loss about where to start or what to cover in their application videos as soon as they discover that a prospective employer requires one to be sent, which is why the following post was drafted. In it, applicants can focus on 

a) the factors that a video brings into play that CVs do not

Eve Merriam - Willow and Ginkgo (Overview)

This poem is a classic. It is taught in English-speaking schools to demonstrate how similes work in favor of descriptions and students are often assigned to write their own poem which should include a number of similes. This is an activity I heartily applaud as it introduces poetry to a younger audience, enabling every imaginative dreamer to experiment with novel ways to express their creativity and inner world.

Merriam's gift is to balance her thoughts perfectly as she weaves her argument, sweeping us with her objective and inventive comparisons, making us think this is a neutral, matter-of-fact exposition of two trees, then hitting us with an emotional viewpoint to draw the matter to a close.

Ray Bradbury - The Utterly Perfect Murder (Overview)

Murder will out. It always will. 

Well, not quite in the way we anticipate it will in this story by Ray Bradbury. 

Taught in schools at a somewhat earlier age than expected, it is a tale of revenge, self-loathing and reconciliation you'd bank on adults to fathom to its fullest extent. However, it's never to early to make young adults aware that their actions tempt fate, and fate is never kind to those who snub it.

When a 48-year-old man comes up with the insane idea on his birthday to return to his hometown and kill his so-called friend of 36 years ago, you expect the short narrative that ensues to be insanely interesting. 

Oracle & Folly du Jour - On the Extent of Man's Fallen Nature

Grammar - Who's versus Whose

Many students learning English often misspell a number of words that sound the same but have a different spelling (such words are known as homophones). What is surprising is that there are a number of native speakers who also make the mistake of confusing such like-sounding words.

The difference between who's and whose is easy to spot because of the apostrophe, making it simple to differentiate between the two words.

10 More IELTS Speaking Cue Card Questions (part 3)

Please note that the following questions can be used by teachers and students or anyone who wants to improve their spoken English. All you have to do is talk about the topic with your speaking partner or tutor or even practice with the help of a stopwatch by timing your answer. A reasonable answer should last about 2-5 minutes.

For those preparing for the IELTS exam, this is the third list of cue card questions for Part 2 of the Speaking component. You can find the first list here and the second one here. Practice these questions by timing yourself and sticking to 2 minutes for each topic.

Hwang, Sun-won - Conversation in June about Mothers (Overview)

If there were ever a more trite statement made about literature, it would be that reading stories from different literary cultures enriches people's experience of the world. However, "books take you places" isn't just another platitude rehashed by publishers, Reading teachers or something you'd find pasted on a cardboard sign in a Fox Books megastore from Nora Ephron's You've Got Mail. It's an observation, albeit somewhat hyperbolized due to its dependence on personifying books, founded on readers' escapades with every book cover opened. 

This feeling of being transported to a new kind of reality is what I sensed after reading Sun-Won Hwang's "Conversation in June about Mothers", a short story born out of the Cold War which presents facets of the mystery that is motherhood. 

Oracle & Folly du Jour - On Others' Happiness

Grammar: Causatives

Please read the first two paragraphs from Grammar: The Subjunctive by way of introduction to this series of blog posts regarding grammar.

Using a causative construction demonstrates a better knowledge of English, which is why it is taught to students preparing for a B2, C1 or C2 level English examination (IELTS, ECPE, ECCE, ESB, LRN, MSU-CELP, MSU-CELC, TOEFL, TOEIC, ALCE, to name a few).

The reason why we use the causative voice is because we want to say that we didn't do something on our own, but 

Oracle & Folly du Jour - On Becoming the next Nietzsche