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CV Writing Guide: Writing like a professional
A CV is a document that highlights a persons academic and career background. A CV is usually the most important single document that determines whether an application would be successful or not, and for this reason, it is good practice to give a good first impression through your CV.
Whether you are looking to get a job, apply for graduate studies, or apply for a grant, a mastery of how to write a CV will certainly set you in a more favorable position.
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Polymer Use: Advantages, Disadvantages and Their Respective Impacts on Society
What are polymers?
The term “polymer”, ‘poly’ meaning ‘many’ and ‘mer’ meaning ‘repeating unit’ are substances composed of macromolecules (large molecules) commonly used in the making of composites and plastics in its industry. A polymer is defined as a chemical compound which is comprised of long chains of repeating molecular organic subunits called monomers (meaning one individual molecules).
What are the commonly used polymers?
Commonly used natural polymers include proteins (e.g. hair and nails), starches in plants (e.g. maize and potatoes), cellulose (in trees), DNA, wool, silk and rubber.
Commonly used synthetic polymers include polypropylene (e.g. upholstery), polyethene low density (e.g. plastic bags), polyethene high density (e.g. detergent bottles), polyvinyl chloride (e.g. piping) and polystyrene (e.g. foam).
Polymer types and respective properties
Polymer forms can be altered depending on their desired use. Factors that affect their properties include impact resistance, ductility, elasticity, translucence, reflectivity and brittleness. These traits seen in polymers are due to the type of polymerization reaction, such as addition or condensation reactions and how the process is specifically carried out, e.g. altering temperature and pressure. Polymer chains that are tightly twisted result in a stronger physical structure than monomers that are loosely bonded which are more likely to possess flexible and stretchy properties.
Polymers are economically efficient due to low cost to manufacture and are efficient in serving to fulfil the demands of society. However, issues arise when it comes to the practice of disposing polymers once their use is lost. This is usually the reason why landfill around the world and marine plastic pollution continues to increase.
Plastics have many pros and cons. Whilst their disadvantages seemly overpower their usefulness, plastics remain as one of the most influential and useful materials in society. However, plastics are integral to this society, we are very dependent on them and an outright ban on the use of plastics would see many adverse effects on the productivity of our society and would have many economic repercussions. Similarly, the continued use of plastics would lead to ongoing detrimental effects on the environment. A solution to this would include an international effort working towards decreasing the release of harmful byproducts into food, ecosystems and the environment by using more efficient and safe solutions to remove polymer waste such as biodegradable/compostable polymers, reuse alternatives and as a society to be less dependable on harmful plastics.
4 Soft Skills Every Top Executive Has
For every top professional, soft skills are just as important as technical knowledge
To get, and keep, a job you typically need a repertoire of technical skills. An accountant needs to know how to balance the books and a marketer needs to know how to create a marketing strategy. However, beyond technical skills, if you were to visit a bank, which accountant would you rather approach, the one who seems pleasant and takes time to resolve your issues or the one who treats you like he/she is doing you a favour? The one who has a great work ethic and encourages his colleagues is the one who will, most likely, excel in his position and organization.
In these situations and all the others like them, it’s the soft skills that matter.
Many people choose to list soft skills on their CV but a simple personality test will reveal how strong your soft skills are. With the right set of soft skills, you can succeed wherever you work – your presence will be felt no matter what.
Some people might think these traits come naturally but here’s the thing – they can be learnt and understood. Jobberman Nigeria is currently running a FREE soft skills training course to help jobseekers out there become more employable and employee’s become more retainable. Thousands of young Nigerians have been trained and certified already, take a look at how it has opened doors for them –
Communication and collaboration skills - A leader needs to be able to “lead”. Successful people in business are those who possess excellent people management skills; they know how to work with people, how to lead, control and motivate teams. Top American real estate guru, Barbara Ann Corcoran once said “People want to do business with someone they like. If people like you they are going to do business with you. And if they don’t, you’re going to have an almost insurmountable obstacle to overcome”. Being a people person in the world of business is crucial to your success.
Creativity/Critical thinking skills – For executives, creativity might be more recognizable as thinking outside the box. Right now, everybody must get creative to keep their business afloat, and there’s some great leadership going on in this space right now. You must think creatively when making decisions, solving problems and ideating. Top executives need to always think on their feet which is why they tend to recruit people that can do the same, they’ll ask “Can you work under pressure?”. With critical thinking, you assess a problem and then offer a productive solution. Critical thinkers also have a high degree of flexibility. You’re not in a fixed mindset but prepared to accept solutions that may be outside the norm.
Source: Jobberman
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