Effectively present all of your IT skills with the IT Technical Skills Summary – an exceptionally powerful document that should form part of every resume submitted.

The IT Technical Skills Summary ensures that every IT skill you have acquired – computer software, computer hardware, applications software, and so on, will be indexed in resume databases or viewed by hiring managers or recruiters. It will prove to be a valuable tool in helping you to get the job interview that will lead to the right job.

The layout uses 4-columns to allow you to effectively present a complete, quantified, qualified, very easy to read, summary of the IT technical skills and experience that you have acquired over the course of your career.

The 4-column layout enables an employer to quickly scan, in a matter of seconds, the complete document to see if you have the technical skills and experience that they need.

Resume databases are used by most recruiters, headhunters and employers. Every word – every skill – that is included in a resume is indexed when your resume is added to the database. If the skill or experience is not inlcuded in your resume because you have edited your resume down to one or two pages then vital skills that may get you interviewed are missing.

The IT Technical Skills Summary ensures that your resume is database ready and that each and every skill that you have worked so hard to acquire will be indexed when your resume is entered or scanned into a resume database.

When is searched is done for a required skill, or set of skills, your name will be part of the top search listings – if your skills match the skill-set needed.

Your acquired skills are what make you unique and of potential value to an employer. Differentiate yourself. What is considered an acquired skill? Just reading a book about something does not count as an acquired skill.

Generally, to be considered “acquired” the skill has been used in a work environment, in unpaid work done for a volunteer organization or learned through formal instruction in a school, college, university or on-the-job training. Of course, there are always exceptions and the skill could have been acquired through self-study and work.

People are constantly bombarded with the idea that a resume should only be one or two pages long. Nonsense. The number of pages required will depend on how long you have been working and how many skills you have acquired. The greater the number of years worked and the greater the number of skills acquired, the more pages required.

It cannot be too long if the IT Technical Skills Summary includes the skills that you have acquired over the course of your career.

You need to present your skills so that employers and recruiters know that you have them. You have worked hard and made a large investment of time and money to acquire your skills.

So get out your pen and begin to write down every skill that you have acquired and prepare your own IT Technical Skills Summary.

Richard E Ward is a Sounding Board, Communications Consultant,Guide who uses his eclectic experience in life, business, government and holistic healing to help his clients. He has more than 40 years experience as a personal coach, guide, sounding board, author, political organizer, communications consultant, business owner, headhunter and shamanic practitioner.

Having clear goals and desires for our future, and planning for their fulfilment are vital steps if we are serious about self improvement and achievement.

Delayed gratification is something that is practiced by many successful people, even if they aren’t aware of it. In simple terms, delayed gratification means making sacrifices now in order to achieve greater rewards in the future.

Most successful people become successful because they take actions and make sacrifices that less successful people are not prepared to do or make. However, in order to live a well rounded life and enjoy a rewarding lifestyle, we also need to be able to make the most of where we are at any given time.

Most of us have on ongoing internal dialogue within our minds, even if we aren’t aware of it. We rehash events that have happened to us in the past and replay them in our minds, both good and bad. We also visualise events that we expect to happen to us in the future, both good and bad. When we’re at work we spend time thinking about our domestic lives, and when we’re at home we think about our problems at work. If we’re not careful our days can slip by without us really noticing.

This can happen so easily, that we sometimes need to make a concerted effort to enjoy each present moment – or run the risk of depriving ourselves of a lot of pleasure. Planning for the future is essential, and we can all learn from the past. However, savouring the present moment and enjoying the simple pleasures, like a beautiful sunset, or the joy of a laughing child, or a walk on a deserted beach with a loved one, can make our lives infinitely richer.

Self Improvement Quote of the Day:

“Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.” – Buddha

Most people when thinking of quitting smoking become focussed on the future. Not next month or next year, but the hours and days after they quit.

The fear of being without a smoke may seem to be in the future however a craving is never off in the distance it is right now! The only time you need to manage your craving is in the present.

But the problem is that is where the fear and anxiety also live. However there is a way to use your past to let go of your present craving fear and anxiety.

A popular method used in Neuro Linguistic Programming and in my Calm process is to revisit a time rom the past and bring it into the now.

I ask my clients to clearly define how they will feel when they have successfully quit. The common answers are proud, happy, free or successful.

I then have them recall a time in their past when they felt this way. The most common answer was when they first held their child. Other answers include winning, an event, buying their first house, and riding their motorcycle the first time after getting their license.

The next step is to revisit that memory. To deeply remember and feel the event, to recall the exact time, place, people and most importantly their feelings and where they are located in their body.

This process is established in the first Calm session, and their homework is to revisit these memories as many times as possible before the second session when they quit smoking.

The second Calm session is when we make a dive into the unconscious mind, to dig out all of the connections habits and beliefs about smoking. Usually mid way through the session I will have them recall the positive feeling, then dismiss it.

Next I have them imagine a situation where there might be tempted to smoke, and rapidly I have them bring back the good feeling to completely squash the smoking feeling.

We repeat this process three times imaging different smoking scenarios, each time having them win the battle over smoking and have them feel good about their victory.

In the coming days and weeks any time they feel any cravings or urges to smoke they will revisit this feeling. In addition they will stack at least two more strategies to ensure that they remain a non-smoker for life.

Racially motivated hate speech should be taken seriously. Any statement that is made by anyone in the society that intends to insult, degrade, intimidate, create anger or incite violence against someone based on religion, ethnicity, race, gender, origin of country or regional identity or any other forms is dangerous and harmful should be a matter of grave concern. Anti-religious prejudice, malicious intent of dehumanising others is not only illegal but can create huge social unrest and even violence. Such act should be avoided by anyone and as such should be condemned by the society without any reservations or personal interest. This is not only insult to the victim, individual, group, or the community but to the entire society and humanity.

This has happened recently in the Bangladeshi Community in the UK. Channel S TV presenter and founder of the same channel, Mahee Ferdous Jalil made such inflammatory comments on the programme “COVID-19″ that was live between 12 noon and 2.00 pm on channel on the 3rd May 2020. The derogatory and highly offensive remarks that were made have created a huge outcry among Hindu communities and others in the UK. Immediately, it went viral in various social media channels and people have expressed their condemnation. Local political and community leaders were informed. Multiple petitions have been launched and a serious community movement against this hate crime has been galvanised. A number of official statements were issued by the local Mayor and the Member of Parliament, with both John Biggs, Mayor of Tower Hamlets and Rushanara Ali have issued powerful condemnations of the racist comments made about Hindus, stating that the remarks were disgraceful and derogatory. Mr Biggs demands an unconditional apology and further asserts that such “disrespect and religious prejudice” has no place in community. Tower Hamlets has the highest Bangladeshi population in the UK and become the largest ethnic group with over 81,000 (according to last census) making up 32% of the population.

What Mr Jalil said? (The programme was aired in Bengali; the key message is translated in English below).

“Muslims who came to the UK from Bangladesh have inherited the low, impure and heinous blood of Hindus causing problems in the community. Due to the inherited blood of Hindus, Muslim shopkeepers cheat their customers—-”.

We are living in a free society in which freedom of expression is well protected and respected. The capacity of everyone to express their individual views are always respected and should not be threatened. Article 10 9Equality and Human Rights commission in the UK) focuses on the freedom of expression that protects individual right to hold their personal opinion and express them freely without fear or any interference from government or regulatory bodies. However, if personal views encourage religious or racial hatred or if it is dehumanising or derogatory, in which case the authorities can restrict that freedom of expression and such comments or views can be viewed as unlawful. Free debate, good actions, convincing arguments are important to counter hatred. Civil society, society at large and Governments should condemn hatred, or that which might fosters hatred and set the right examples by bringing those behind such conduct to justice. There is certainly no room in this world for odious and mendacious comments that have at their heart prejudices or twisted notions of those who may be different or hold different beliefs.

Mr Jalil finally apologised. Channel S also issued an official statement of unreserved apology on the 9th May and asking for forgiveness for the comment’s TV presenter made that may have caused distress. There was no “may” about it, the comments were deeply offensive and have hurt and alarmed a lot of people.

Is apology enough to heal the community? Was the apology done in most effective and sincere way?

It is not good enough just to convey apology or say sorry. As sometimes some apologies are insincere; and are often driven by ulterior motives such as fear of public censure or loss of business. It is logical that people will not forgive someone until they receive an apology and that should be unreserved and with remorse. Inability to convey apology correctly when it is legitimate indicates the dysfunctional life of an individual. An appropriate apology is paramount to heal the emotional and physical wellbeing of the victim. The right apology has the great power to transform both the individual who made the intentional or unintentional comments that hurt, degraded, or angered others. However, such apology should come with sincerity and remorse. Some are quite legitimately wondering whether Mr Jalil’s apology was said with true contrition. An apology like gratitude, appreciation or kindness has profound impact on an individual and society and can transform the world if it is done at the right ways, at the right time and right place. An effective apology validate that the person realised that a wrong act has been committed for which he/she has showing his/her regret or remorse and the person is committed not to do the same wrongful act in future and offer for repairs. Realisation, remorse, restoration, and request for forgiveness are some of the key elements of an unreserved apology and seeking for forgiveness.

It is sad to observer that community is not always working unitedly. People have different agendas and individual interest. Therefore, many such crimes never get the right justice and the punishment and hence, as a society we do not get the best outcome. I am sure over time this also will be deemed yesterday’s news and people will forget about this. Community become fragmented and divided, and sadly at times put profit over principle. Regrettably, those who want to ensure matters are properly resolved often see matters superseded by others pursuing their own interests. Sadly, as a consequence society is the loser.

Why society cannot be united for a common goal?

It reminds me the next quote: “What does it profit a man, if he gains the whole world and loses soul? (Mark 8.36)

This quote helped us to revisit the world social order and humans’ attitude. I am compelled to recall a salient truth in Gandhi’s observation “Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s need, but not for every man’s greed”. We are living in a society of intoxication that is based on estimation, quantification of humans. Maximisation of wealth is becoming the theory of normality, an accepted mantra. This has become the norm of the society. In 1973 E. F Schumacher published his one of the most influential books on earth titled “Small is beautiful… “. He realised that if the current form of economic, technological, and scientific specialisation is not replaced by a simple form of economic system then the world will face a boundless and endless misery. Now we see the outcome of his prediction.

Society is too much greedy. We all are running after profit and wealth maximisation. To do this, crime, dishonesty, bribery, multiple dishonest and unethical relationships, falsification, fabrication, unethical acts all are acceptable norms. We do not want to ask, we all are here to enjoy, increase our pleasure, increase status and attention from others. This is the degradation of human values and morality. The loss of soul is the loss of peace and happiness. If we lose it, we accept misery what is happening now in our society. If we neglect our soul than loss is inevitable.

A wrong is a wrong

If there is one lesson that we must all learn from this most unhappy of episodes is that we cannot be sectarian about grievous wrongs and injustices. A wrong is a wrong regardless of who it comes from. If we choose to stay silent about it there is always the danger that we give the impression of our tacit approval. We need to speak out, if necessary, to censure members of our own community, for like a child, if we never tell them when they have done wrong how will they ever learn. It is essential that we use temperate language and be measured in our approach. A person can express their hurt, displeasure or indeed anger, without having recourse to threats and abuse. Each of us must strive to behave with dignity and mutual respect. Slanderous, libellous, or highly offensive comments warrant prompt and decisive action. We all need to work assiduously for a kinder and more respectful world.