What I learned from PPD......

What I learned from PPD......

As I have already said in my previous posts,PPD molds us into an efficient individual who is ready to face the world and solves all the problem confidently and effectively......

 It is your way to a better life, to become an improved version of yourself. As a University students we want to pay more attendance to this unique subject then we can learn a lot through this PPD lesson. Throughout this year we did so many useful activities such as:

• Trust Walk
• CV Writing
• Self Reflection
• Expert and Pen Game
• Session in WSO2
• Emerging Technologies
• Cake Activity
• How to face an Interview
• Story Chain
• Paper Rocket

Every session of PPD tought us many lifelong lessons which we have to follow in our professional as well as personal life.

• Leadership Quality
• Communication Skills
• Decision Making
• Self Confidence
• Team Working
• Creativity
• planning Skills
• Presentation Skills
• Public Speaking
• Problem Solving
• Time Management
• Overcome obstacles and achieving goals
• Adjusting to the changing environments
• Improving personality and confidence

HOW TO WRITE A CV????

What is a CV?

A CV (curriculum vitae) allows you to summarize your education, skills and experience, selling yourself to employers.

In the USA and Canada it's known as a résumé, and tends to be a more concise document.

How long should a CV be?

A standard CV should be no longer than two sides of A4.

Only include the main facts; if your CV is just one page, that's fine, as employers only want to read relevant information. Some medical or academic cv may be longer depending on your experience.

What to include in a CV

• Contact details - Include your full name, home address, mobile number and email address. You do not need to include your date of birth or a photograph unless you're applying for an acting or modelling job.
• Profile - Placed at the beginning of the CV, a profile is a concise statement that highlights your key attributes or reasons for deciding to work in a particular field. Pick out a few relevant achievements and skills, while clearly articulating your career aims. It must focus on the sector you're applying to, as your cover letter will be job-specific. You should keep it short and snappy - 100 words is the perfect length.
• Education - List and date all previous education, including professional qualifications, placing the most recent first.
• Work experience - List your experience in reverse chronological order, making sure that anything you mention is relevant to the job you're applying for. If you have plenty of relevant work experience, this section should come before education.
• Skills and achievements - This is where you talk about the foreign languages you speak and the IT packages you can competently use. Whatever you list should be relevant to the job and not over-exaggerated, as you'll need to back up your claims at interview. If you have got lots of relevant experience you should do a skills based.
• Interests - Simply writing 'socializing, going to the cinema and reading' isn't going to catch the attention of the recruiter. However, when relevant to the job, your interests can provide a more rounded picture of you and give you something to talk about at interview. Examples include writing your own blog if you want to be a journalist, or being part of a drama group if you're looking to get into sales.
• References - You don't need to provide the names of references at this stage. You also don't need to say 'references available upon request' as most employers would assume this to be the case.

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CV format

• Avoid fonts such as Comic Sans. Instead, choose something more professional such as size-10 Arial.
• List everything in reverse chronological order so the recruiter sees your most impressive and recent achievements first.
• Keep it concise and easy to read by using clear spacing and bullet points. This type of CV layout allows employers to skim your CV and quickly pick out the important information.
• If you're posting your CV, go with white A4 paper. Only print on one side and don't fold your CV - you don't want it to arrive creased.
  

TRUST WALK....

As we live with other individuals or as such we live in a general public with various types of individuals. TRUST is something essential when we live with those individuals. We ought not confide in individuals indiscriminately but rather with great comprehension.

In last PPD session we were requested to discover an accomplice. At that point we were told to cover the eyes of the accomplice. The other individual needed to offer directions to the visually impaired individual about the snags, ways, where to turn and so forth. So there the one individual assumed the job of an audience and one assumed the job of a teacher. The educator ought to explore the audience to the last goal. This movement had two rounds where the audience of the first round turned into the teacher in the second round and the other way around.

When we continue the way we needed to go over stair situations where we needed to educate the visually impaired individual with the no. of steps and where to stop. There were white board markers on the way and on the off chance that someone put the leg on it, the person may fall. That is the reason we were told to listen the educator well. At the first round we needed to come the way and tap a block. While in the second round we needed to tap on two solid squares and the block. In the first round all most every one of the understudies strolled and tap the block with the right guidelines. Be that as it may, at the second round a few understudies overlooked what to do. Some neglected to tap on the block in the wake of tapping he solid squares.

When we believe somebody we ought not confide in the person in question indiscriminately. Despite the fact that we can not see anything we have a cerebrum to think and examine. We can pick what we ought to do and what ought not. We can teach the other individual when the person completes a wrong thing. In this event likewise a few teachers neglected to tap the block in the wake of tapping the solid block. In the event that visually impaired one spoke with the teacher well they won't do such an error. Miss Sarasi never denied the correspondence between the educator and the visually impaired individual.

When somebody keeps his or her trust on us, we have a duty of securing it. Trust resembles a glass. When it is broken we can't completely make it in to what it was. A few times a few people keeps their life on another people hand confiding in him. In this action likewise the visually impaired one keeps trust on the teacher. In the event that one stage was taken wrongly now and then the visually impaired one may fall. So we should e a decent teacher to the others. Ensure the trust that somebody lay on us.

Dazzle individual likewise should give the greatest help. In the event that he does what he needs to do, it is extremely irritating for the teacher. We ought to be a decent audience and trust the accomplice. Help hello there or her to do their errand. Right their way when they go a miss.

These things are extremely critical when we live in the general public. When we work we need to trust such a significant number of individuals and pursue their ways. Be astute. Trust the general population. Be that as it may, don't aimlessly trust.

SELF REFLECTION.......

SELF REFLECTION.

What is self reflection?

Self reflection is like looking into a mirror and describing what you see. It is a way of assessing yourself, your ways of working and how you study. To put it simply ‘reflection’ means to think about something. Reflecting and composing a piece of self reflective writing is becoming an increasingly important element to any form of study or learning.

Why is self reflection important?

Reflecting helps you to develop your skills and review their effectiveness, rather than just carry on doing things as you have always done them. It is about questioning, in a positive way, what you do and why you do it and then deciding whether there is a better, or more efficient, way of doing it in the future.

In any role, whether at home or at work, reflection is an important part of learning. You wouldn’t use a recipe a second time around if the dish didn’t work the first time would you? You would either adjust the recipe or find a new and, hopefully, better one. When we learn we can become stuck in a routine that may not be working effectively. Thinking about your own skills can help you identify changes you might need to make.

Reflective questions to ask yourself:

• Strengths – What are my strengths? For example, am I well organised? Do I remember things?
• Weaknesses – What are my weaknesses? For example, am I easily distracted? Do I need more practice with a particular skill?
• Skills – What skills do I have and what am I good at?
• Problems – What problems are there at work/home that may affect me? For example, responsibilities or distractions that may impact on study or work.
• Achievements – What have I achieved?
• Happiness – Are there things that I am unhappy with or disappointed about? What makes me happy?
• Solutions – What could I do to improve in these areas?

Although self reflection can seem difficult at first, or even selfish or embarrassing, as it does not come naturally. you will find it becomes easier with practice and the end result could be a happier and more efficient you.

EXPERT GAME...

EXPERT GAME...

"The day I missed "
In last PPD session Miss.Sarasi has instructed the class to engage in a new activity which has been very interesting. Unfortunately I was unable to attend.

On that day Miss. Sarasi has divided the class in to 4 groups and has asked to pick 3 areas that the group members are specialized in. Then come up with an innovative product which can be implemented with those specialized 3 areas.

When we work it is really difficult to find people with same ideas, same talents etc. We should have the ability to manage the abilities according to the need. It is really essential when we become professionals and perform as a team.

Our teams have come up with many ideas and presented it.

Team 1
       Areas: Handmade things, Bike riding, Reading
       Product: Eye glass cover

Team 2
      Areas: Taekwondo, Painting, Gaming
      Product: Taekwondo video game

Team 3
      Areas: Gaming, Chess, Painting
      Product: Chess video game

Team 4
       Areas: Cricket, Painting, Gaming
       Product: Cricket video game

This activity can guide us to practice think beyond the box and make new products.

      

TECHNICAL WRITING..

TECHNICAL WRITING..

AT WSO2.

September 12th of 2018 we went to WSO2 for a consultation which was prepared by way of  WSO2 in Colombo with quite a few attempt of our madam. They planned to begin the session at 9:00 am in the morning and rather we reached before 9. in order that they simply satisfied and favored our time of arrival and started the session at 9:00 am in the morning. to begin with a few speeches have been introduced by them and that they started to educate us approximately the technical writing. It is very beneficial for us and then they grouped us and gave a subject to jot down the technical writing. the topic changed into the atm carrier for the client and all of us attempted our pleasant and that they decided on a collection because the winners and they got t-shirts because the prize.
It is very useful for us and then they grouped us and gave a topic to write the technical writing. the topic was the ATM service for the customer and we all tried our best and they selected a group as the winners and they got t-Shirts as the prize.
Then we all got refreshment and after that we had another interesting game. Really what happened was Once again we were grouped and we wanted to find the word which was silently 
told to a member of a group and then the member showed some signs relative to the word. In that game Deshanjali's group won and they got a chocolate. Finally the session was finished sharply @12:00 pm. It was a well organized session and we learnt a lot from that session from the beginning to end.

PREPARING FOR AN INTERVIEW......

 WANNA  FACE AN INTERVIEW WITH CONFIDENCE?THIS IS WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO!!!!!

You applied for a job and got a call from a real-live human being who wants to meet with you. Congrats! But your work has only just begun.

Even the smartest and most qualified job seekers need to prepare for their job interview.Why, you ask?Interview skills are learned,and there are no second chances to make a great first impression.You have to consider many things before attending an interview for starting your carrier.

1.CONDUCT INTERVIEW.

You should conduct research on the company and the position before the interview.Find about the company's history and its focuses by searching the local newspapers and trade magazines for the stories on the company.Check the company's website.You can also speak with people with knowledge about the company.   

2.TRY TO KNOW ABOUT THE INTERVIEWERS.

It is benefit if you know some details about the interviewers.Its difficult to find the interviewers but if you can know their names,you can use professional accounts like LinkedIn to find their position in the company,their specialty in the field,etc.Don't try to focus their personal details.

3.TRAIN YOURSELVES FOR THE COMMON QUESTIONS.

Prepare your answer to the common questions:"Tell me about yourself, and why are you interested in this role with our company?" and "What are your personal strengths and weaknesses?". The idea is to quickly communicate who you are and what the value you will bring to the company and the role.

4.SHOW INTEREST.

You must express your interest in the role.Do not assume that the interviewer knows you are interested simply because you agreed to the interview.Be enthusiastic and explain why you are interested in the position.Ask questions about the job and the company.Avoid looking bored or tired during the interview.

5.RECRUIT A FRIEND TO PRACTICE FOR THE INTERVIEW.

Actually practicing your answers out loud is an incredibly effective way to prepare.Sat them to yourself or ask a friend to help run through questions and answers.You'll find that you gain confidence as you get used to saying the words.

6.BE PREPARED.

Prepare everything before attending the interview.Make your folder in order like keep important things such as resume in the front and certificates sorted in yearly order.Don't take too much time searching for the document when you are asked for it.I t shows your unpreparedness.

7.BE PUNCTUAL.

Don't be too early or too late.Make sure that you arrive the place on time.If you are choosing public transport, make sure that you have a backup plan in case there is a delay or closure.If  you are too early stay somewhere near to the company and arrive before 10-15 minutes for the interview.

8.DRESS FOR SUCCESS.

When it comes to an interview, it's crucial that you make a great first impression.The best advice is Dress for the position that you want.You will be more confident when you look well groomed and your clothing is wrinkle free and professional;there is nothing more distracting than an interviewee who is fidgeting their clothes on hair.

9.PRACTICE GOOD MANNERS AND BODY LANGUAGES.

Positivity goes a long way in an interview.A genuine smile can put everyone at ease and show your interviewer that you are truly enthusiastic about the job.Be sure to make eye contact and be aware of your body language.Above all,avoid the temptation to make negative comment about the former company.

Story Writing

EACH WORD ...NEW STORY....
On the same day,after the plane activity,we were given another task.The output of the activity was really funny but yet made us to think.
Ok !!!This was the activity.
          This time we were divided into 3 groups and were asked to sit facing the walls (not to look at the white board).Each team was given markers.Mam told us to make a story but each should write only a word at a time and each of us got four chances.
  
The activity looked easier but it was really challenging .We  read the story only when we were standing in front of the board and then we had to decide the word quicker.

At the end of the session we read our stories and couldn't control laughing.There were two horror stories(not exactly but yet we had to give them a category.So we somehow agreed them as horror stories) and  a story without a story.

What did we learn throughout the activity??

• Every individual is unique and it's really hard to follow their ideas without communication.Hence we must have proper communication .
• There may be some situations where we have to  continue an unfinished project and we must be prepared for such situations
• Being a team we must be able to follow other's idea and should not work in our own without considering others .

Paper Plane........

Software Engineers to Pilots...

You can all think the title is weird.Ofcourse! when our sarasi mam asked us to make planes,we also thought "what is the connection between software engineers (don't mind calling ourselves software engineers without completing the degree) and the planes?!".But at the end of the session we understood why we were given a task to make planes.

           Some of you might think "Planes!!this people won't even make some toy car .Then how is this possible?". Hehe...they are actually some paper planes ,what we used to make and throw to our friends during classhours of our school time. 

      

       Let me tell you all what happened during our last PPD session(01.06.2018).

     Mam first divided us into two groups ,one containing nine people and the next containing eight people.Then she gave us yellow six colour sheets and six blue colour sheets to the next team.The task was to make planes as much as possible using those papers within the given time.After the end of the given time ,two members from each team has to come forward and throw the planes over the boundary line to score points.

              At the beginning we got 5 minutes to plan the strategy and then thirty minutes to execute the plan.So, in the first 5minutes we made a sample plane and threw it for trial and then we started making the planes.At the end, we were able to make only 29 planes while our opponents made 36.

                     After the huge construction of our planes,our pilots aashiq and rama were ready for launching them...but unfortunately our team was able to make 19planes cross the boundary.Hence,the blue team was consideres as the winners because they made more planes to cross the boundary line.

Mistakes that we realized :

• not everyone took part in making the plane and we were divided into sub groups among ourselves.
• we couldn't make make more planes within the given time although we had papers remaining.
• we made many fouls when throwing the planes amd our planes were wasted.
• The most important is we didn't take the activity seriously.

Lessons we learned at the end of the session.

• while doing some work,our concentration should be in that work.
• being ITpeople ,the most important thing is we have to plan well before starting a project and finish the project within the given time.

• team work and participation is a must in our field.
• learning to get use if the resources available.

LOOKING BACK OUR PPD SESSIONS....

     LOOK BACK..


Remembering our first day of PPD,we were sitting without knowing anything about   PPD .Even we don't know that PPD stands for Personal Progress Development. But now,I'm writing the last blog of the second semester😂😂😂😂...

From the interesting activities , we learned many things without our knowledge.When looking back,I'm wondering about the positive changes in myself👍👍..

We learned to work as a team,which is very much needed in business environment.To work as a team ,we need to improve skills in effective communication,collaboration,time management and decision making.When working as a team,each and everyone should participate and  hold responsibility .

 When working together,we have to face many challenges.We have to deal with diverse group of people in various locations.But PPD sessions taught us to overcome the issues and to achieve our personal and professional goals.

Activities such as barter puzzle,paper tower,egg protecting shell and outbound training  improved the much needed qualities such as,

• loyalty.
• compassion.
• humanity.
• honesty.
• respectfulness.
• responsibility.
• decision making.
• time management, etc.

At last,when looking back the journey we have came so far ,we became better and moreover we created very beautiful memories.

Thank you sarasi madam for helping us to become the better persons💓💓💓............

OUTBOUNDING TRAINING....

        OUTBOUNDING TRAINING....

On the 9th and 10th ,we (first year and second year students of Software Engineering) went to Outbounding training to Trincomalee Navy camp with the guidance of 3 lecturers including our Sarasi madam.

On 9th morning ,we started travelling at 3.30 am in two buses..both first and second years were in the bus.Our bus stopped in Kandalai river.There we could see the beautiful river in one side of the road and green paddy field in other side.There we took some fresh air and then started our journey back.

We reached Trinco at 10.30 am,There we  were provided with accomadations.Then we were given time to get ready. then we got ready and took our unch there. After that our training activities were started.

ACTIVITY 1:
    We were seperated into four groups.I was in the fourth group "DELTA".Then we were asked to select 8 persons from each group.The activity is to go through the square which was made of bamboo.Actually the square was small and above the ground level. We should go one by one and if any body part touches the square we have to start again.We were very excited and did the activity with much interest.At the end of the activity,the officer told us our plus and minus.We understood that our team need a captaincy and we selected one from the group for the upcoming activities.

ACTIVITY2:

      The second activity was also very  interesting and needed strategy and coordination.In this activity,we had to pass a marble through a PVC pipe.We had to select 8 to play and one to give instructions.Prasanth was giving us instructions in this activity.We had to join the PVCs ending to prevent it from falling down.We did our best in this activiy and finished before five minutes.

ACTIVITY3:
     This was the most interesting and enjoyable activity we did during the two days.We were given a  cylindrical pipe with hollows around it and non covered in the bottom.We had to fill the pipe quickly by using our hands and our mouth. So to make the bottom covered ,we made Kishanth to lay down and kept the tube above him.Then we ran to the beach and collected water and filled it.We filled the t
ube in just two minutes.So the navy officer took our photo.




ACTIVITY4: They gave us bricks and each of every one wants to keep the brick in their stomach and  the person who in front wants to keep that brick without falling down by pushing it with his back and also  every one should  keep their hands on the back side of the head. Then the group asked to move to the boundary line which was kept by the officers without letting  down any bricks if any brick fall down then the team should  start from the beginning. But we couldn't do the activity.




ACTIVITY5:
    The fifth one was volleyball but here we had to serve the ball by keeping it in the square shaped cloth hold by one in each end instead of using hands.When the ball is served there will be one standing in the opposite side.And that person have to catch the ball.If that person catches one point will be given.Each team were given 15 chances and our team scored 5 points.

ACTIVITY6:
    The last activity of the first day was tug of war.Our team won in the first round (2-0).But we couldn't win the next round as our teammates were very tired.But in this only boys took part,we girls wanted to take part.So we divided into two teams between ourselves and played.In that our team won.

After that we went to our rooms provided for us to refresh ourselves.At first boys were asked to wear formal and girls were asked to wear sarees. But then they said that girls need not to wear sarees,we can wear some casual .And we girls were very happy as we all were allegic to sarees.

Then the campfire night started.Each team was asked to perform and our team did a drama along with a song.Actually it was such an amazing experience which I can't forget in my life. We had our dinner in the beach enjoying the cool wind.

DAY 2....
Then we got ready and took our breakfast at about 7.30 which was arranged by the navy officers.

After that we were again divided into groups for the adventurous activity.We had a map and a compass and we asked to reached the elephant point by using the map and the compass and its 2.5 km distance.so first the officers taught us how to use the compass and they came for support us.

Then we started to  move toward our destination with our team. When we was walking suddenly we saw a man who was severely injured ( acting as injured ) and then we tried to save him .But some of  our members didn't take it seriously and was  laughing and we poured  water over him but unfortunately he was died ( acted as died ). Then the officer who acted was got up and pointed our mistakes which we did and then we continued our journey walking through the little forest with trees and glass pieces around everywhere.We had to be careful and watch our moves and also we had to hold ourselves with our team to avoid missing the path. And finally we reached the destination and had a good time there  and relaxed for a while.

Finally we went to the navy museum and watched different types of submarines and parts of the submarines,boats,ships and also many guns and shells ,medical kits.

Then we took our lunch and thanked the navy officers for giving us the golden opportunity and for spending us their valuable time in training and teaching us different things.We started travelling back at 3.30 pm.