The GradProSkills team members were very fortunate to have the opportunity to participate in a workshop on classroom management with Carol Hawthorne from Concordia University’s Centre for Teaching and Learning. This workshop discussed useful strategies that can be implemented to plan and execute a meaningful learning experience. Read more

The approach of the beginning of September means it's time to seriously consider how you want your academic year to unfold. You can start by focusing on three important areas: funding, student-supervisor relationships, and Concordia University resources. Read more

If you’re a smartphone user, you already know that the range of activities you can do on your phone vary from browsing videos and reading news articles to catching up with social media and finding out how to get to a location. One of the obvious benefits of these multi-use mobile devices is the addition of apps (applications) that change your user experience and provide entertainment, like Candy Crush. But have you considered how you can use your phone to optimize your graduate school experience? Read more

Teams can produce amazing results. If you are working by yourself, you have only one way of thinking. In a group – you can feed from each other’s ideas and build on each other’s knowledge and experience. But working in a team is not always easy, especially when members have very different interests, personalities, and motivations. In today’s global market teams are here to stay, so the demand for effective team leaders is increasing exponentially. Worry not, you will be prepared! This week’s blog post aims to provide you with practical tools and strategies that will allow you to lead your team to success in any situation. Read more

At least once a year, GradProSkills, in collaboration with Concordia Libraries, the Student Success Centre and Health Services, organize Thesis Boost — a 3-day writing retreat for graduate students in the mid to late stage of writing their thesis. In this week's blog post, Lara Khattab, a Concordia PhD student in Political Science and a past Thesis Boost participant, will share with you four reasons why you might want to attend the event this summer. Read more

You have just received a job offer. It is a great position, but the salary seems a bit low. “I am not going to mention anything,” you tell yourself. “If I try to negotiate, I might make a bad impression. What if they rescind the offer? I am going to accept it anyway.” Does this situation sound familiar? If your answer is yes, worry not. This week’s blog post will equip you with handy strategies for negotiating your job offers like a pro. Read more

With many tasks and little time, the idea of taking a break may sound ludicrous. Yet, letting your mind recuperate during times of increased cognitive activity is exactly what you need to do to stay happy and productive. For this week’s blog post, we have collected a number of ideas to help you take truly rejuvenating breaks. Read more

Have you ever spent what felt like hours crafting the perfect detailed and comprehensive email, only to receive a brief and unhelpful response? Have you ever felt drained by long and unproductive email exchanges? Emails are one of the most common forms of communication within the academia and beyond, but they are not safe from pitfalls. In today’s blog post, we will discuss five useful strategies for mastering the etiquette of drafting a professional email, as highlighted in our workshop Professional Writing: Emails, Executive Summaries and Briefing Notes. Read more

Is a healthier diet one of your New Year’s resolutions? Are you searching for a way to eat nutritious and tasty food on a budget? Look no further! We have a great solution for you – start growing your own sprouts. In this week’s blog post, we will guide you through the process of starting your own mini sprouts garden – an endeavors that will boost not only your mental and physical health, but also your finances. Read more

Graphic design can be found everywhere around us – from print-based materials to digital publications, from tiny flyers to entire websites. Even your thesis is an example of graphic design at use. But what do these different materials have in common? They all use images and text to convey a particular message to a particular audience. In other words, they communicate information visually. Yet, not all designs are created equal. Some get the message across in a swift and compelling way, while others fail to do so. This week’s blog post will equip you with six simple ways of communicating your visual messages more effectively. Read more