Employability First

The New Face of the Employability Blog

2009-11-19T12:01:00.000+05:30

For all those who have been visiting this blog we have a good news, we have created or I rather say revamped the blog , gave it a new face and we're putting loads of efforts to make it more usable and readable

www.employabilityfirst.com

The underlying purpose of the blog:

About the Blog:

Employability First, an initiative from the TMI Group is India’s first Employability weblog to create awareness about a wide range of issues pertaining to employability for people from all walks of life. By doing so, all of us could pool in our resources pertaining to education, employability and employment in this blog. Thus, creating a platform for people to come, see, learn, discuss and debate on a wide range of topics pertaining to Employability.

Hope you enjoy your time in our blog.

Cheers!!!

'BELIEVING IN MYSELF' – CAN BRING SUCCESS

2009-06-11T12:16:00.013+05:30

Confidence, like art, never comes from having all the answers; it comes from being open to all the questions.’- Earl Gray Stevens.
Ever had the blues ’cos you had no shoes? Or the nice house yonder? Or may be the car that you have always dreamed about? Do you find your self-confidence and belief in yourself at an all time low? I do too, sometimes. It is at times like these, that I am reminded about an old verse.
I had the blues because I had no shoes,
Until upon the street, I met a man who had no feet.

Success and failure are part of life; what matters is your ability to keep faith in yourself, even in the midst of adversity. Here is a true story, told by Charles Badenhop, an Aikido instructor from Japan. This is just one story, but its moral is universal; therein lays its appeal. The story is about a businessman who never lost faith despite many failures and repeated setbacks and overcame all odds to emerge successful.

The businessman in the story had to face numerous bankruptcies. After his first bankruptcy he said, “even though my business has failed, I do not feel I have failed. I still have confidence in myself. I still know that I can do something good. I just continue to believe in myself, and in the vision that I have." With the first bankruptcy behind him, he borrowed some more capital, and started a new business, which also went bankrupt in a fairly short period of time. He still did not lose faith. He focused not on what had gone wrong, but on what had worked. He was confident he could still fulfil his dream of becoming successful. He once again borrowed some money to start a new business and managed to go bankrupt again.

After three bankruptcies and big time failures, people started doubting his abilities and sniggered at him behind his back. Despite this, the businessman still refused to throw in the towel. Back on the streets, he could only borrow a very small sum of money from a relative. Not being able to start a "real" business with such a limited amount of cash, he rented a pick-up truck. He shopped around in various wholesale markets and wound up deciding to only buy reasonable quality items that he could sell cheaply. He loaded his goods into the back of his tiny pick-up truck and parked himself on a busy street where he hawked his wares to the passers by. That was the beginning. He went from strength to strength and over time parleyed the success he had with his tiny truck, into a chain of highly successful retail stores.
When asked to what he attributed his success, he replied, "believing in myself, and not picking apart all of my pluses and minuses." He said, "right from the beginning I knew that I could be successful. I knew that the formula for success was already inside of me, and that my job was to find a way to allow this formula to be expressed. I didn't try to understand what to do, I tried to get myself to the point where I was already doing what I needed to do."

We have all heard of people like Abraham Lincoln, Marie Curie, Thomas Alva Edison, Hellen Keller and numerous others who have battled odds to emerge victorious. Almost every highly successful and respected person has had to face disappointment, public ridicule and umpteen failures before he or she could finally taste success. What sets them apart is their never say die spirit and unwavering faith in their ability to succeed. The seeds of failure, when sown in fertile soil, reap success. Here, soil is our attitude and our belief in our selves. It is important that we know ourselves deeply in mind and body. If you know in the heart of your hearts that you have it in you, you should let nothing stand in your way!
Never let defeat have the last word. Ever!

Learn to handle your mistakes

2009-05-31T08:00:00.000+05:30

"To err is human" is a saying that is overused quite often. But it cannot be used as an excuse one makes a mistake. In an organisation there are many such cases when we commit mistakes knowingly or unknowingly. Some times the circumstances may be outside of our control and sometimes it might be because of our own negligence. Once a mistake is made, there is no use crying or obsessing over it. There are a few things that one must do in order to limit the damage caused.

Accountability - The first step to redemption is to accept responsibility for your mistakes. Never try to justify your acts or push the blame onto someone else. Do not try to convince yourself that you were not at fault. You would only be deceiving yourself by doing so. Always offer a credible and truthful explanation.

Repent - One must acknowledge the damage done and apologise to any people that may have been offended/hurt. This helps limit the damage and clear up the mess. Show genuine remorse for what you have done, and look for ways to ways to redeem yourself in the eyes of your co-workers.

Learn from your mistakes - Get over the initial phase of denial. Once you have accepted your mistakes, its much easier to work on them. Look closely at your actions and figure out what went wrong. The mistake might have been avoidable or unavoidable. Look at the ways in which you could have handled the situation better. Get to the root of your problem so that you make sure you do not repeat your mistakes.

Bounce back - Its easy to obssess over whats done and wallow in self pity, but one must not get bogged down. Work with caution and responsibility. Do not live in the fear of making mistakes. They are just part of the learning curve. Everyone makes mistakes but the key is to learn from them. Strive to bounce back from your mistakes and emerge as a better professional.

Set your sights on the goal and score!

2009-05-29T08:00:00.006+05:30

Goal setting is an integral part of becoming successful. By setting goals we give ourselves a direction and a purpose. Goals serve as a constant reminder of what we are working towards. Goal setting is essential at the workplace as it acts like a measure of our progress. Without a goal in mind one may be under the false sense of accomplishment. Setting a goal is not an easy task as it needs to be realistic and challenging at the same time. Always keep these things in mind while setting goals -

Put them in writing - Its best if you put down your goals on paper so that you are constantly reminded of what targets you have set for yourself.

Set reasonable goals - While setting goals, one must keep in mind that they are realistic. If the target is to actually achieve the goal, there is no point setting goals that are out of reach. At the same time it should pose a challenge to your abilities.

Set measurable goals - Keep in mind that you should be able to measure your progress with respect to your goals. Also while setting long term goals, it might be a good idea to break it down into smaller sub goals. This would make your job easier.

Set a precise goal - Be sure of your objectives while setting goals. Setting a time frame within which you should accomplish your goal is a good idea. This will ensure that you dont waste time on the job. Also have a clear plan as to how you intend to go about achieving your goal. Having a vague goal does not help as you will not be too sure of what you have achieved.

Learn to adapt - We set goals under conditions which may change. One needs to be flexible enough to alter things when the need arises. Sometimes unforeseen circumstances may demand a change in the nature of your goal.

Remember - Never get disheartened if you don't accomplish your goal on your first attempt. Evaluate what you've done and try to figure out what went wrong. Setting goals lets you quantify your efforts and also gives you a sense of your capabilities. Looking back at the goals you achieved gives you a sense of accomplishment which goes a long way in boosting your confidence and self respect.

Employability and Economic Growth

2009-05-27T08:00:00.002+05:30

The Economic Times recently published an article which provides valuable insight into the close link between employability, and the economic growth of a nation. The article looks at the problems that lie hidden beneath India's economic success story over the last year or so. It also talks about the the main problem that the workforce of this generation faces - a large gulf between employment and employability, arising out of a disconnect between what employers are looking for and what the students are taught in the present education system. It explores the cause for this growing lack of skills and competencies, which could eventually hamper the aspirations of a young and vibrant economy.

To view the complete article, click here.

Finding the right employer

2009-05-25T08:00:00.000+05:30

WHEN it comes to making the right decision about choosing an employer, no one wants to make a mistake. Yet, with an average employment expectancy of 2 years (for IT) and 3 years (for non- IT), it appears that many are making serious mistakes in their approach to finding the right employer.

A career consultant has five golden rules for evaluating a prospective employer.

Choosing your employer should never be based on monetary reasons alone.

Though one needn't agree with this, there's a profound truth here. Money alone should not be the basis for employment. Money is the result of a good marriage between an employer and employee. When the other ingredients are right, money will automatically follow.

To reiterate, you can't build a relationship on money alone. You need a lot more.

Here are five questions you must ask yourself if you're serious about finding and keeping a good employer.

To view the complete article, click here.

Slackers will always get the pink slip

2009-05-23T08:00:00.001+05:30

Two IT majors in India recently handed pink slips to about 500 employees each on the basis of their poor performance. On the face of it, it appears like a simple outcome of an evaluation test but a closer introspection suggests otherwise. The job cuts cannot be looked at as a case in point – exclusive of the surrounding factors of influence. The job cuts are a culmination of recent economic and financial trends and to interpret them, we first need to understand the way Indian IT industry operates.

To read the rest of the article, click here.

Is it easy to be an achiever?

2009-05-21T08:00:00.001+05:30

Have you ever made a resolution? Did you achieve what you wanted to achieve?

We find many people making resolutions that they will do a specific thing, but end up making the same resolutions again. Why does this happen? Why do we fail to achieve our resolutions and ambitions? The answer is - Lack of willpower.

Willpower makes you the strength to face any force; external or internal; that prevents you from achieving your goals. If you work towards developing a strong will power, your confidence automatically increases. You begin to think positively. When you have control over your mind, you can complete your tasks with ease.

A few points that you must remember are:

Meditate: Meditation is the most wonderful gift that god has given to mankind. Daily 20 minutes of meditation in the morning will work wonders for you. It relieves stress, increases your concentration power.

Maintain an optimistic attitude: Always be an optimist. It helps you look at things from a positive angle. Don’t let questions like can I do this, will I succeed to bog you down. Remember that nothing is impossible in life. Read Impossible like I-AM-Possible.

Read about people who inspire you: Each of us have role models. We like a few people and admire their will power because of which they became successful personalities. Reading constantly about them will help you motivate yourself and achieve your goals.

Avoid the company of pessimists: Pessimists are people who think negative. They look at things in a negative angle. Incase you are in their company; you may start looking at things from their point of view and slowly develop a pessimistic attitude. Therefore avoid them.

Working towards developing your employability skills, building your self-confidence, and enhancing your will power will take you to newer heights. You become employable!

Be an "Active Listener"

2009-05-19T08:00:00.000+05:30

Active listening refers to focussing on, and understanding what the speaker is saying. If you are an active listener, you will easily be able to comprehend what the speaker is trying to say.
If you want to become a good listener, you must practice active listening. In order to do this you must understand and pay complete attention to what the person is saying.

Dont get distracted by your sourroundings. The barriers to active listening can be external factors as well as internal factors. External factors could be niose, other people talking in your surroundings and internal factors can be thoughts that are going on in your mind.

To become an active listener, you must

Pay complete attention to what the speaker is saying
You must show that you are listening by participating in discussions and asking questions to the speaker
You must share your views
Never interrupt the speaker
Incase you are asked to answer a question by the speaker, respond to the him and answer

Ultimately it takes a lot of concentration to become a good listener. Be an active listener and become a better communicator.

Is a not so good appraisal the end of the road?

2009-05-17T08:00:00.000+05:30

The current economic scenario has left a lot of people fearing for their jobs. In these conditions one bad review or appraisal can leave you on the edge. The prospect of losing your job will haunt you day and night. But is one bad review enough to take away your job and leave you feeling helpless? Our first reaction to a bad review is to panic and go into depression. But this isnt the way to respond. It serves as a good wake up call for you to buck up and put in a better effort.

1) Don't panic, keep your cool - The first thing that one should do is to stay calm and not panic. A bad review doesnt mean that youwill get fired immediately. Keep your anger and negativity at a safe distance as this will affect your actions adversely.

2) Take criticism constructively - A lot of work is put into an appraisal, and hence one cannot disregard its contents. Learn to take the criticism and feedback in a positive light. Keep an open mind when you listen to the report and you will find it easier to identify the problem.

3) Seek advice - Go to a mentor or close friend and ask for advice on how to turn things around. Dont complain about your situation to other people. Instead try and ask co-workers to help you identify what went wrong. Also dont try and keep your feelings to your self. If you feel wronged, talk to a close friend about your predicament.

4) Reflect and assess - Go through the appraisal and try to identify where the mistakes were made. Look at the mistakes that you made and look at how they could've been avoided. If you feel that some points aren't accurate, you might want to take it up with the appraisal team. But have enough proof at hand to prove that you weren't at fault. Assess your overall performance and look at areas you can improve upon.

5) Accountability - After the discussion, you will be able to look at the appraisal form the point of view of the management. At this point you should take responsibility for the mistakes that you have commited. Remember, shifting the blame onto someone else will not help in the least bit. Honesty and humility are key at this stage.

6) Use the appraisal to identify your weak areas and work on them - Consider the appraisal as a timely assessment. Use the observations made in the appraisal to work on your shortcomings and help mitigate your losses. The management will definitely look upon this in a positive way. Keep working towards proving your value to the management. If you have the capabillity, ultimately, you will succeed.

Bad reviews aren't the end of the road. Though it may seem like it, a bad review or appraisal doesn't necessarily lead to a pink slip. It might just be a wake up call that will ward off complacency. Use it as a stepping stone to work on your faults and better yourself as an employee.

Enhance your self-confidence

2009-05-15T08:00:00.000+05:30

Self-confidence is one of the most important characteristic every human should have. Only if you have confidence in yourself, will you be able to take life as it comes and emerge successful out of the most difficult situations in life.

Self confidence is something you will have to develop yourself. I am sharing with you some tips that will help you enhance your self-confidence.

Positive Thinking:
This can work wonders for you. If you are positive about life, then automatically things will fall in place. Always dream big. Dont get dejected by harsh comments that others pass. Think its for your good and be positive always.

Spend time to know yourself:
It is very important to know yourself. The first step would be identifying your strengths and limitations. Once you know what your strong and weak areas are, work towards improving them.Believe in yourself. Once you know what you want in life, you will come out with greater self confidence.

Be prepared for challenges in life:
You have been assigned an important task. Dont be pessimistic about it. Put in your best. Be prepared. Find out even the minutest information that will help your perform your task better. Think about how can you make it unique. Unless you prepare for something well, you will not develop confidence in yourself.

Set Goals and work towards achieving them:
Every one has goals. But how many of us work towards achieving them? Working towards achieving your goals helps you build your confidence. Think that you will achieve it and you will.
The more goals you achieve, the more good you become at it. This will help you set greater targets in life.

Dont crib about things:
Like every coin has two sides, when working on your goals, you will face difficulties. But dont crib on them. Learn to fight them out with confidence. If you start cribbing about things, you will never learn to overcome difficulties. Let your focus be on the solution and not on the problem.

Encourage yourself with positve talks and boost up your confidence.

Common mistakes that freshers make while on a job.

2009-05-13T08:00:00.000+05:30

A fresher or a new recruit faces a lot of challenges in his/her first few months of work. It can be tough to settle into a new job instantly. Some people might fit in quickly but most people take time to get used to the new environment. This is mostly because of the change in the work environment, work culture, co-workers, rules of the organisation, etc. There are some golden rules regarding behaviour at the workplace and any violation of these may have grave repercussions. The image you create for yourself in the first few weeks of your job may turn out to be very important.

As a fresher, some critical mistakes you might want to steer clear of are -
1) Never be late - As a fresher, you cannot afford to walk in to work, at your own time. You must be punctual.You must follow the office in time. Also schedules and deadlines have to be adhered to. Don't waste time at the workplace as this will reflect on your levels of productivity.

2) Never gossip about your boss/co-worker/organisation - You must never talk badly or gossip about your organisation or your boss. No matter what you think about your boss, do not go around saying bad things about him/her. Also avoid talking about co-workers. Do not criticise them in any way based on performance or behaviour. Do not hang out with the employees who have a bad image within the organisation. Associating yourself with them will only lead to other people distancing themselves from you. Also do not indulge in workplace gossip as its a waste of time and will only cause bad blood between employees.

3) Dont find fault with the management - When you are new to the organisation you cannot afford to comment or pass judgement on the decisions that the management makes. This is because you are new to the organisation and may not know the ways in which it functions. Its better to stick to the job on hand and observe the way the organisation functions.

4) Always be willing to learn - Remember that one can never be all knowing. Try and learn as much as you can from the peoe around you. Pick up new skills that might help you later on in your career. Never let your ego get in the way of your learning. Be receptive, and you will pick up the skills required to help you survive at the workplace.

5) Do not show off or talk about personal problems - No matter what your qualifications are, you cannot go around telling people that you are better than they are. Remember that when you work, you work as a team. You cannot be individualistic and take decisions on your own. Also never talk of your personal life at the workplace. Your personal and professional lives are to be kept seperate.

6) Never give up - When you first join your new job, you might not like it. You might find it monotonous or may take time to settle into the new surroundings. But this isnt reason enough to give up or quit. Persevere and you will find that success will come your way.

Must-have qualities for a bright career.

2009-05-11T08:00:00.000+05:30

Is there anyone who can be termed as a perfect employee? If yes, what are the qualities that such a person should possess? When an organisation looks at a prospective employee, it looks at the various qualities of that person. To be an outright favourite to land any job, there are some qualities that are absolutely necessary. Some of them are-

Knowledge - A good education with a healthy foundation is the first pre-requisite for any employee. You should have the right qualifications for the job that you are applying to. When it comes to freshers, companies look at your academic records as far back as your 10th exam scores. Good consistent performances throughout school and college help a great deal. Also prizes in co-curricular activities, scholarships, and awards in competitive exams add value to your candidature.

Communication Skills - Communication skills are the next most important quality that one must possess. You should be proficient in spoken as well as written communitcation. Also one should be a good listener so that one can carry out tasks assigned effectively.

Ethics - One should possess a good value system. Honesty, integrity, and reliability are some of the values that one must possess. Employers do not entertain employees who are dishonest or have no scruples.

Focus - The focus of any employee should be the task on hand. One cannot afford to divert attention away from the job assigned. One should be able to set priorites and goals and work towards achieving these. At the end of the day results are what matter the most. They are result oriented and dont get swayed away from their goal easily

Adaptability - One should be willing to adjust to any situation as quickly as possible. The world today is in a state of constant change, and we must be flexible enough to change with it.

Leadership and teamwork - Employers look for people who can lead from the front. This includes the ability to take decisions, motivate people effectively, and helping out in all aspects of work. Also they must possess the ability to work with others without creating any sort of problems. Employers prefer people who dont need constant instructions and reminders regarding their duties.

Self Evaluation - Great employees dont wait for appraisals to find out their strengths and weaknesses. They evaluate their performance themselves, and work on correcting their flaws. They look at things from an unbiased perspective and analyse each step that they take.

The most important quality that anyone must possess is that of dedication and commitment. Hard work is the most basic ingredient for a successful career. These qualities arent necessarily inborn. They can be developed over time and definitely go a long way in ensuring a long and prosperous career.

Gloom forecasted for IT industry freshers

2009-05-09T08:00:00.001+05:30

A recent news article on expressbuzz.com forecast more gloom for the freshers in the IT industry.
A lot of market analysts have recently predicted that the IT industry could come out of its slump by the end of this year. But even this wouldnt reduce worries for freshers. The current figures estimate that the industry has 50,000 freshers more than requires. This in turn has lead to most companies cutting recruitment plans for 2010. Also a shortfall in business has lead to a lot of employees being discharged or benched. This means that though the demand for freshers in 2010 may go up again, the effective number of freshers being hired will be lower because of the deferred hirings. Companies will also have higher standards that these freshers will have to meet in order to get jobs. Thus, all signs point towards 2010 being a tough year for freshers with increased competition for jobs.

To view the complete article, click here.

Pre-job training and employability skills.

2009-05-07T08:00:00.000+05:30

An article on campus training appeared in the Business Standard dated May 6th, 2009.

This article looks at the emerging trend of pre-job training. The basic concept at work is to train college graduates to make them more employable. The first companies to spot this trend were the IT companies, but other organisations seem to have taken to this idea. Among the other companies are BPO and IT services companies, vocational education firms, and even an affiliate of the UB Group.

These companies aim to make freshers project ready before they begin work on their jobs. The basic aim of this move is to reduce the training time and costs incurred on training freshers. It creates a situation in which all three parties; ie, students, companies and clients; prosper. While this move is a good one for most parties involved, it just illustrates the gap in skills acquired by students in professional courses, and the actual level of skills required on the job. The full benefit of such programmes is yet to be seen as its a new concept. But this is definitely a big step towards making students more employable.

To view the complete article, click here.

Stages of an interview

2009-05-05T07:00:00.005+05:30

Generally, an interview can be divided into three (3) stages.

The Introduction phase
The Question & Answer phase - Further divided into Interviewer's phase and Interviewee's phase.
The Closure phase

Lets look into what happens actually in these phases.

The Introduction phase:
This is the initial and most important phase in an interview. Here the interviewer and the interviewee greet each other. This is the time the you should show your confidence. When shaking hands with the interviewer, you should always give a firm handshake. Look into the eyes of the interviewer but be careful. Dont stare and make the other person feel uncomfortable. This can create a bad impression. Be proactive.

The Question & Answer phase: This phase can be further divided into two phases.

The Interviewer's phase: During this phase, the employer asks questions about you, your education, work experience if any, your ambitions and much more. The key is to answer with confidence. If you do not know the answer to any question, please be honest in accepting that you do not know the answer rather than beating around the bush.

The Interviewee's phase: This is the time you should ask questions to the interviewer about the organization. Before going for an interview it is very essential for you to do a research about the organisation that you wish to join.

The Closure phase:
This is the last but important stage of an interview. Always ask for a business card if you have not received one.Ask them what would be the next step and who would inform you about the same. Ask them if they want you to do a follow up. Before leaving the room, thank the interviewer for his time and shake hands with him again.

An Internship can be a launchpad for a better career

2009-05-04T07:00:00.004+05:30

Anushka, after completing her graduation, joined a company to pursue her internship with a top recruitment company. At the end of three-months , she was offered a full time job in the same company.

Sachin, a third year engineering student interned in two different companies in the first two years of his course, and is now looking forward to an interesting stint with a third, coming summer. In both the companies he formerly interned, he had the opportunity to work on important projects. "I was expected to come up with suggestions and participate in the decision making process just like all the other employees. I got the opportunity to work on noteworthy projects. ” says Sachin.

More and more students are converting their internships into launch pads for their careers. The growing demand for skills is fuelling the trend of converting interns into full time hires. “ If given a chance, I would like to always go back to interns who have performed very well when compared to freshers who are just starting their career afresh.” says Mr. Ram Prasad of a recruiting firm in Hyderabad.

Planning and hard work are your keys to success. You need to take up your internship with a positive attitude . Be proactive in taking up the opportunity that comes your way. This will help you have an edge over the others who are looking out for jobs. Once you join a firm, interact with people. Build a healthy rapport with them. Take their help if you are not able to understand anything. You must show your enthusiasm as this will guarantee you an opportunity to work for organisations that deliver on responsibility and provide interns valuable experience.

It is always important to understand the work culture of a company if you plan to stay with them on a permanent basis. Be on time to work. Winners always aim to be one above the crowd and not one among the crowd.

Take your internship as an opportunity to showcase your abilities, employability skills and most important of all, your attitude. Make the most of your potential, and make yourself employable.

Listening skills

2009-05-03T07:15:00.000+05:30

What is listening?
Listening is nothing but a way of responding to others. Listening skills are the most important part of effective communication. One should be able to easily comprehend what the others are saying. This does not mean blindly agreeing to what they say, but understanding what others say. One should always focus on the subject.

Stages of Listening:
The process of listening can be divided into 5 stages broadly -
Hearing: The first stage of listening is hearing.There is a big difference between hearing and listening. Most of us feel that both are the same but they are not. Listening is through the mind and hearing is through senses.
Focusing on the subject: The focus of a listener should always be on the subject being spoken about. A lot of external and internal factors can influence your concentration but an active listener will overcome all obstacles and focus only on the subject.
Comprehending the message: It is very important to comprehend what one says. Improper comprehension can lead to misunderstanding and misinterpretation of the message.
Responding: Response is an important factor in any communication. If one dosent respond to the message, it reflects badly on the person who is not responding. This may also demotivate the speaker. Therefore responding to messages is very important.
Remembering: During important conversations as well as general conversations, it becomes very important to remember what has been said. This helps in better understanding.

Some common points to be an effective listener are:

Always maintain eye contact with the speaker. But be careful. Dont stare in such a way that will make the speaker feel uncomfortable

Take notes of the important points, effectively

Avoid negative mannerisms

Exercise your listening muscles

Encourage others to share their views

Adjust to the situation

Follow these simple but effective steps to become a good listener .

Presentation Skills

2009-05-02T07:00:00.001+05:30

What is presentation: Presentation is nothing but the display of concepts and ideas to either an individual or a group of people.

Public speaking is one of the most feared things for many people. If you lack proper presentation skills you could make a fool out of yourself.The essential skills required for presentation can be developed easily.

The first and most important step would be to plan your presentation. This would involve taking into account the layout and content of your presentation. As a presenter you should be clear as to what you want to present, why you want to present, where you want to present, how you want to present and who your target audience is.

Before starting to work on your presentation you must try and analyze what the audience need. You must be able to present your ideas in a way that captivates the audience. The objective of the presentation must be clearly defined. You must be clear on what exactly you want to communicate to the audience.You must anticipate what questions the audience might ask you. You must be well prepared as it wont look good if someone shoots a question and you are left looking blank.

Present what you are confident about. Dont put in any content that you are not sure about. If it is necessary to add the content, then prepare yourself on the points.Do your homework without fail.

Things to remember:
- The presentation should be designed well. You must get the attention of the audience by adding some facts, story, questions, humor etc.
- You must always motivate the audience to listen.
- Add in a lot of appropriate visuals. This will help you catch the attention of the audience.
- Maintain a logical sequence.
- Highlight the important points.
- You should be active and move around.
- Control the pitch, volume and speed of your speech

The Key: Always prepare, channelize your fear, and interact as much as you can.

Being "benched", and how to deal with it.

2009-05-01T08:00:00.003+05:30

An article was published in The Hindu on the 8th of April, 2009 regarding surviving redundancy and getting off the bench.

Most freshers inducted into IT companies these days are being consigned to the "bench". The term "bench" usually brings up images of inacitivity and stagnation in the minds of these freshers. A large number of freshers get frustrated as they possess the skills to perform but aren't given the chance to do so. This period should not be looked at as time wasted, but as time gained. Consider this as a chance to hone your skills and in turn impress the management. Do not spend time wondering when you might be handed a pink slip. Instead, follow a few simple steps and get ahead of the competition.

Be Professional - Do not act unprofessionally by complaining about your situation. Instead, go about your work with dedication and enthusiasam. Look at different training programmes that you can enrol under. Develop new skills which will make you stand out among the crowd.

Interact - Be proactive and maintain good relations with your co-workers. If there are employee forums, take part actively and always stay in touch with people from all departments. This helps you develop a healthy network at work. Also remember to express your opinion and come up with new ideas. This will make sure that you stand out amongst the thousands of employees.

Evaluate - Most companies follow a strict evaluatiuon process which ensures that poor performers are shunted out of the organisation. Look carefully at the way employees are evaluated. Get constant feedback regarding your performance. This will give you an idea of the areas you fall short in. Be consistent in your performance and remember that learning is a continuous process!

Be Creative - Don't always wait for things to come your way. With the cut-throat competition that is seen in companies you cant wait around for your turn. If the company offers you a project that doesn't necessarily come fall under your area of specialisation, do not hesitate. Look at this as an opportunity to diversify your skill set. Working on any sort of project is valuable experience, and is definitely much better than wasting time doing nothing on the bench.

Remember that no one can take his/her job for granted in the current economic climate. So the best thing that any employee can do, is to WORK HARD. Performance is regarded as the most important parameter in any organisation. Set high standards and work towards achieveing them. This will ensure that you move up the ladder of success.

To view the complete article, click here.

Links to various career tests available online

2009-04-30T04:44:00.002+05:30

Planning your career is the initial and most important step. Bad planning may take a heavy toll on your career. To help you out, there are many free tests that are available online. I am sharing with you some useful links. They might take 15-20 minutes of your time and i am sure you would not mind spending this time on planning your career.
Links you may visit are:
http://www.psychologytoday.com/pto/self_tests.php?cat=Career
http://www.questcareer.com/career_assessment_resources.html
http://www.typefocus.com/s_complimentary.html

You may visit these sites and take free personality assessment tests and career tests that will help you identify your strong and weak areas so that you can work towards enhancing your skills.

The Tech Mahindra - Satyam Deal and it's impact on employees.

2009-04-29T11:06:00.007+05:30

The Week magazine recently published an article about Tech Mahindra's acquisition of a fallen software giant, Satyam. The article looks at what the future holds for Tech Mahindra. The immediate challenge that Tech Mahindra would face is that of work force management. The first people to feel the brunt of the takeover, will most likely be the 6000 odd freshers that Satyam had recruited last year. Analysts feel that employees of both companies may be in trouble, especially Satyam employees based abroad and those who are currently on bench. While this may seem like a win-win situation for Tech Mahindra (thanks to the new businesses that they have acquired) its the employees who are feeling the heat right now.

To read the complete article, please click here.

Get your people skills right!

2009-04-28T07:00:00.003+05:30

As a person, whether you run a business or work for a company, the one essential skill you need to master is managing people at work. This can be mastered through exposure. However it is easier if you have a natural capacity to get along with people.

Be an ideal leader and a good guide: People working with you, expect you to lead them and guide. Many would expect you to lead them in times of crisis and expect you to have instant solutions to their problems. Managing and living up to expectations is a tough job and only practice can help you get there.

Don't play the blame game: As a good person, you need to know what your responsibilities are. You must know the art of delegation since you would be responsible for your work as well as your subordinates. So you must always be diplomatic and never blame anyone if things don’t work your way. One must remember that everyday is not our day.

Output: You are expected to deliver all the time. Your subordinates will always look up to you to lead them to success. All this becomes easy if you have natural tendency to get along well with people. Therefore to get the best out of your team, you need to build and maintain a good rapport with them. Make an effort to understand their aspirations and what they want from life. When you understand them well, you can predict what they want to say even before they do. It will also help you develop the right dynamics in your team so that they can work together smoothly and efficiently.

Ultimately, to get your people skills right, you need to get along with people, be a little subtle, prepared to change and leave a little of that pride that comes with your position. Success will definitely be yours!!

Stay connected with your future

2009-04-26T07:05:00.000+05:30

Are you future-savvy? Are you up-to-date with the changes taking place in the workplace? Well, lets accept it we are living in an age of constant change; especially in the way business or work is being done. There is a need to be smart and efficient. Adapting oneself to the changes taking place can make us fit to face the challenges of tomorrow..

To succeed in such an environment one must work like a legendary. Paying attention to the future will help you keep yourself updated about the future so that you can move forward to the next level.

Below are some points that will help you....

Be a flexible person: Be supple and open to change to move ahead. Flexibility is the key. Look at new developments in your field and market trends. This will help you to focus on specific areas for your professional development.

Raise your vision: You need to expand your horizons. You are still developing your career; so make it in sync with developments in your field.

Enhance your skills: Your skills must not be limited to what is in your resume. You must always develop your skills to get an edge over the others.

Prepare for globalisation: Businesses are expanding on a global scale and the trend indicates increase in the future, so prepare for it. You can prepare yourself for such an expansion by learning a foreign language and studying other cultures.

Willingness to learn: Another trait required is the willingness to learn. The interest and zeal to learn are essential.

Interpersonal skills not only include the ability to get along well with others but also the ability to solve problems as a team. These are what companies will look out for in employees. So spruce up your team building skills.These are some of the skills you need to develop to succeed in the workplace of the future.

Determination

2009-04-24T07:00:00.000+05:30

Self-determination is the expression of one's mental strength. Our objective must be to make our self determination for us rather than against us. Believe me..

Sit back and think of your small or big achievements in the past. What will you find? You will find that you could achieve all of that only because you were determined to do so.
Ultimately determination becomes a way of life, but that is not where it begins. To develop the mental strength – determination in yourself, there should be something that you desire the most - Your Goal.

The passion to achieve your goal should be developed. It must always be on your mind. You must fall in love with that idea. This will help you magnetize yourself to every part of the idea.
Self-determination give you the freedom to lead your life the way you want to. It gives you the authority to control your own actions and will lead you towards your goal.

A self-deternimed person becomes responsible for his own actions. Determination will develop your dream, and enable you to reach your goals.

Often when we face obstacles in our day-to-day life, our hurdles seem very small in comparison to what many others have to face. Dreams that seem impossible can be realized with determination and persistence, no matter what the odds are.