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

With the vacation days coming to an end, another busy semester starts for the graduate student community. Assignments, classes, and work-related responsibilities will soon begin to pile up, and juggling them all might become overwhelming. Yet, the stress is not inevitable! Adopting the right productivity strategies early in the year will ensure that you can easily, quickly, and effectively tackle all graduate school challenges coming your way. Below are our 7 tips for a more successful and productive semester! Read more

With the fall semester coming to an end, assignment deadlines are already knocking on the door. How are you going to finish everything on time? “I have a plan,” you might say. “I am just going to drink more coffee, stock up on frozen food, sleep less, and put a hold on my social life until the end of semester.” Well, that might not be such a great idea. As discussed in our most recent blog post, an unhealthy diet and the lack of sleep and social support will most likely harm your mental well-being, and ultimately your academic performance. So how could you best tackle those pressing deadlines? Well, today’s blog post will equip you with four strategies for writing your papers more efficiently that will not harm your mental health. Read more

As the end of the semester rapidly approaches, stress levels are ramping up within the graduate student community. With pressing deadlines and a multitude of responsibilities, it is understandable to feel a little anxious and overwhelmed. Yet, if those feelings are starting to diminish your quality of life, maybe your mental health needs a little boost. Don’t worry! For today’s blog post, we consulted Concordia Health Services’ health promotion specialist – Gaby Szabo – to provide you with five simple, scientifically-proven strategies to improve your psychological well-being! Read more