March 8 –International Women’s Day, celebrated across nations to cherish and acknowledge women who have been a part of our lives. Corporate India is more so celebrating it to reward its women employees and appear all women friendly.

November 19 – International Men’s Day – I don’t even remember celebrating it here in India!

This difference, in the way these two days are celebrated sets me thinking. Is it that Women’s Day is celebrated only to make women “feel” that they are respected and regarded as one among the men? photo © 2010 Moyan Brenn | more info (via: Wylio)

The role women have played in society has changed drastically in the past few decades, especially so in India. They have grown from strength to strength, from being home makers to leading some of the biggest corporate houses today.

Though women have proven their mettle time and again, their ability is often questioned! Some question their strength, some their commitment while others question their ability to perform professionally, vis-à-vis their male counterparts. Women have been facing the “glass ceiling” effect ever since they tried venturing into the male dominated business scene.

This glass ceiling can be felt in more ways than one. For instance, women are paid differently for the same work when compared to men, or they are often excluded from informal networks, etc. They also face another ceiling called the “hour glass ceiling” which means they’re discriminated against, based on the number of hours they work. Women also face a lot of hindrances in progressing upwards in the corporate ladder, and not to mention – Sexual Harassment too! These noticeable and commonly known issues relating to working women, proves that corporates tend to have preconceptions and stereotypes about women workers and their abilities, which makes them behave in a way which is discriminating against women and their spirit.

I wonder how this discrimination even came in. I don’t want to be a sexiest and blame all the men for it! From a rational point of view, I fail to understand the difference in what women and men do. Men work outside their homes to earn a living while women work equally hard to run a house and raise a family of well groomed individuals. Both men and women put in the same amount of work. As far as I understand, “the man” being superior came in when they started taking part in commerce from where they earned money, and money being a way to buy things that one wants made women depend on them ages ago. This dependence is seen fading off in today’s age and often men find it difficult to accept this change. I do not blame them for not liking the change, after all most of us don’t like change!

Workplaces need to be more responsive and to create situation where men and women are treated with equal dignity. Corporates need to be more open to women leaders who have the ability to cut through a male dominated work place, and make their own mark.

There is a common thread that unites all women. They were strong, intelligent, individualistic, and comfortable with themselves as women. Strong women don’t need male pretensions and don’t emulate male behavior. There are lots of examples of women who have stood their ground in testing times and emerged victorious. To name a few – Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, Chanda Kochhar, Indira Nooyi, Barkha Dutt, Kiran Bedi. The women on my list achieved what they did before the feminist movement told us that such feats were not possible for women living in a “man’s world”. These women achieved great stature, not by adopting male behavior, but by using the strengths that are unique to women and not possessed by many men.

(This is dedicated to all women at Sutra)

Cheers to Women Power!

(This article is not in favour of women and against men. It is a perspective on the Glass Ceiling that women face in spite of being capable and worthy)

There is an old adage in psychology: “It’s okay to have butterflies. Just make sure you get them to fly in formation”.
photo © 2010 insideview | more info (via: Wylio)

This good old saying is pretty apt when it comes to sales jobs which are often very pressurizing. But at the same time, if the pressure can be controlled and channelized well, it can be highly rewarding. So here’s our perspective about the “Pressure VS Pleasure” aspects of a sales job:

• Achieve Targets and get Comparable Incentives

Achieving targets can be highly pressuring for a sales person. This pressure can be quite heavy to bear at times. However, most of the times a sales job is incentive based which makes it highly performance driven. Simply put – if you sell more, you pocket more!

• Different People but Same Concept

Sales jobs can often get monotonous to the disinterested souls. What’s worse, some potential clients are difficult to deal with and can put one in a fix with their unpredictable/unreasonable behavior. The positive side to this is – it can enrich a sale person’s knowledge about different cultures, ethics, beliefs and ideas. Selling the same concept to different kinds of people can be quite interesting, and a great life skill to acquire.

• Challenging Clients and Joy of Winning them Over

Several attempts to get in touch, multiple interactions, and a big effort in convincing the customer to buy a product or a service – all this can seem like never ending cycle OR an attractive challenge to beat down. If you’re able to convince a rude, stubborn and hard to catch client, to buy your product or service, you know you’re good at this. The joy of “winning over’ is rewarding!

• The Boss and the Team

Ok now don’t roll your eyes and starting ‘bitching’ about your boss. Not all bosses are bad. If you have a very demanding boss who doesn’t understand you, it could be difficult, but if you have a boss like we have at Sutra you would jump up with joy! (Yes, my boss paid me for this ). To have encouraging and supportive seniors is a blessing as they can help you overcome work stress, when it becomes difficult for you to handle.

• Use Results to Gain or Lose

There might be extreme pressures from your colleagues, or your superiors to ensure the company doesn’t lose a valuable client, in tough situations. At the end of the day, you might feel you’ve stretched yourself beyond protocol, in order to satisfy a client’s requirements. BUT, that pressure of holding back a last minute loss can end up quite positively in the end. A client who goes back home thinking well of your service, is bound to spread his/her  happiness with friends and colleagues. For instance, Snigdha Manchanda, a seasoned Social Media Consultant, recommended SutraHR to Bhairavi Sagar of Onion Insights after she used SutraHR Services to hire. You see what I mean now?

To sum it up, a sales job can be highly pleasurable if the sales person enjoys the whole process of making a sale. Rather than looking at the high pressures of this job, why not look at the pleasure of victory!

The world around us is shrinking. Each one of us is more connected, well informed, and increasingly aware about the world at large. The internet is the primary reason for this extreme connectivity, and the number of people joining various networking websites on the internet is increasing by millions every year.

photo © 2010 Yuichiro C. Katsumoto | more info (via: Wylio)

Some interesting facts about this phenomenon:

• 45% of employers today evaluate potential employees using social media
• 13 % is the traffic growth rate over the last year on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn
• Over 2 billion people use the internet as of 2011

Now, if we put this into the business perspective, one aspect becomes very clear – the virtual world has the potential to represent a company in a big way. They can help build reputation, customer relationships and loyalty. However, on the flip side the internet can be a furious tool when it comes to hurting a company’s reputation too! So use it with caution. (I am sure the Vodafone case is still fresh in your mind, where it sued a customer for posts on his Facebook wall that criticized the company. http://cot.ag/jWg5LB )

What is being said about your company is important because that is going to affect the way you do business. If the news going around the industry is positive, you will gain customers; where as a negative reputation will make it difficult for you to gain new customers as well as retain existing customers.

· Brand Authenticity: Credible and relevant news circulating in the media gives your brand authenticity. What opinion leaders say about you often reflects in your customers’ buying decisions. People trust people more than companies – being in the good books of influential people will matter!

· Acknowledge Your Mistakes: If you have fumbled, acknowledge it! Accepting your mistake openly isn’t very easy, but if you have the courage to do it, it speaks volumes about your brand’s values and company ethos. However, be careful not to overdo it. Once you agree to your mistakes make sure to rectify it and deliver as promised. The idea is to under promise and over deliver to get back into the race.

· Co-creation: Your customers are the ones you want to keep happy; then why not take their help? Co-creating will add value not only to you but to your customers as well. Real time online feedback sessions, fan page contests, etc., are a couple of ways you can do this.

· Influence Opinions: What is being said about you in the media is partially under your control but is largely others’ opinion. What you can do is influence other’s opinion to your advantage. Project yourself the way you want to be perceived.

· Be in the Right Place @ the Right Time: Know where you need to be present at the right time. Making sure you have ample media coverage is one thing, but what is even more important is to be in those streams where you can reach your audience.

Social Media is a powerful weapon which can be used to your advantage if you know how to leverage it well enough. Your public image will determine who associates themselves with you. The media can act as your business card, which is the face of your company. So use the space wisely to get maximum ROI.

Our team has gown from the last time we wrote about “You know you are at Sutra if…”. Today we are strong team of 30 who make it a unique place to work at.

Here are 15 points which make Sutra a fun place:

1. The average number of candles on every birthday cake, never exceeds 23 (max 24).

2. One of the first sounds any visitor will notice are: HAHAHA or HEHEHEHE (scooby doo style) or HOHOHOHAHA. These are just a few of the various varieties of laughter you can discover, which you never thought existed or are humanly possible.

3. Walk in, anytime. Walk out, anytime. Just make sure there’s 9 hours between the “in” and “out” OR there’s a proof that you’ve earned your team some good amount of money that day (cheque or closure).

4. During lunch time, you’ll forget which dabba is yours’ and end up having cuisine from all around India.

5. You find the bosses washing plates or serving coffee to everyone in the team.

6. Training and development starts with how to sit on your chair, or switch off the fans/lights/plug points when you leave.

7. Jay is about employee management (work hard) where as Waqar is about employee retention (party harder).

8. Everyone is single and the only married person never tells the new guy she’s married.

9. Calories are discussed with lots of seriousness, and promises are made to join the gym or climb up the stairs to office next day. Few minutes later you’ll here things like, “hello? yeah, please send a large cheese burst, with extra chicken toppings” OR “bhaiyya ek paneer roll bhejna jaldi” OR “ek plate sev puri, doh plate bhel puri, aur dahi papdi chaat”

10. Wearing formals is considered “weird” and sometimes even a sign that you went for a job interview somewhere else!

11. After 9pm you’ll hear rock/trance/bollywood/hip-hop music in the private terrace lounge of our office, and the air will be filled with the smell of Apple, Pan Masala, Kacchi Kairee, and god knows what! (various hukka flavours).

12. Every Monday the office looks like that scene from the movie “Hangover”, when everyone wakes up and can’t remember what happened last night. Basically, like a place where you know someone had a rocking weekend!

13. Ex employees are often dropping by to say how much they miss us. Basically, you might stop working here but will never stop hanging out.

14. Don’t be surprised if you find an email in your inbox with the Subject: “Please Flush Your Shit!” (if you ever don’t flush after, ahem)

15. You hear a Bengali guy from our hacker (dev room) room, shouting like an Arab – “WaaaaalLLlllAAaaahhHH! Tum kya karti, WaaaaalLLlllAAaaahhHH!”

So if you want to join the mad gang, drop us a line on mansi@sutrajobs.com

Children in India are expected to earn top ranks, score extraordinary percentages, and eventually secure a gold medal at the university perhaps. There’s often lack of attention to their overall personality development, their knowledge beyond books, and their ability to judge situations and react appropriately. What’s worse, a lot of companies often extend this mentality into their recruitment process, by categorizing candidates on the basis of their “marks”.

Our recruitment industry experience coupled with a keen observation of trends in job seekers, we’ve concluded that more often than not, the candidates with extremely high academic focus tend to be dull and ineffective in the practical world. They lack the practical experience, life skills, presence of mind, people skills, general knowledge and the nitty-gritty to perform the job efficiently.

For everyone out there looking to hire freshers or entry level candidates, we have a simple advice for you – Don’t look for Marks. Look for Sharks!

(Disclaimer: Education is important, but not the only way to judge a candidate’s mettle.)

Shark photo : photo © 2005 Neil T| via Wylio

The real gems are those

• Who’ve not restricted their knowledge to college text books. They’re voracious readers and up-to-date with the current affairs around them

• Who are often involved heavily in extra-curricular activities in college. They’ve probably done odd jobs during their summer vacation and some brave hearts continue those even after the vacation

• Who don’t hesitate to speak their mind during an interview with you.  In fact, they’d do a good job influencing your opinion towards theirs

• Are part of a band or a social club in college, and fuel a parallel ambition (music, dance, arts, etc) besides their professional one

• Who’ve led their college football team to championships

• Who research extensively about your company before the interview, and also hold in-depth knowledge about topics besides their area of interest

• Who has done his/her own part time business while pursuing studies

We call such vibrant, energetic and opportunistic youngsters as “Sharks”.

If you’re hiring newbies, freshers, or entry level graduates, look out for qualities of a shark in them. Sharks are progressive, sharp, aggressive, decisive, dependable and quick learners. They won’t lose a chance to grab any opportunity coming their way.

Of course, how to spot this talent in the candidates is a skill that we have to master. You probably have to be a shark to spot a shark.

So good luck in finding a shark who can add value to your company!

Did we confuse you with the title? Of course we did. When everyone around the world is trying hard to find and hire the best talent, we have been preparing a theory on why one should NOT hire the best.

When you come across the “best” candidate, in your excitement of finding a gem you often miss the fact that s/he might not necessarily be the “best fit” for that job. This generally happens because we use the words ‘best’ and ‘right’ so interchangeably that we ignore what they mean in essence.
photo © 2010 opensource.com | more info (via: Wylio

• Working with your competitor, does not make him best: Your competitor might have a different work culture. His ability to perform there might not be sufficient to perform with you.

• Great performance in last job does not make him best: There is no guarantee of why his performance was good previously. May be luck, may be the product/service was easy to sell/serve, or other such external factors.

• High enthusiasm in your job, does not make him best: The candidate may show lot of enthusiasm/interest in your job, but this does not necessarily make him eligible. Rather than jumping to conclusions about his suitability for your job, perhaps you should test drive his capabilities “live” or with a real “case study”.

• Worked in a “well known” company, does not make him best: Just because s/he has worked in a good reputed MNC does not mean that he has better set of skills than another candidate from lesser known smaller company. In fact, often smaller companies serve as a better training ground for employees to hone their skills, than major corporations.

• Having an MBA degree, does not make him best: This is often an argued matter. An MBA from the best of B-Schools might still not be enough to toughen or train the candidate for your kind of work. Does s/he have the EQ (oh yes, not IQ!) to handle your job?

When recruiting for your startup, try and find a combination of factors in a candidate, that make you feel confident of him/her being the ideal fit for your job. Of course, no one can gauge whether the guy will perform or not, but what matters is not the absolute level of a competency or skill, but the right level and fit of that competency or skill for your specific job.

So, forget the perfect “catch” and find your perfect “match”.

One of the first qualities that come to my mind when I think about startup people is – ATTITUDE!

If you’ve got the “right” attitude, you’ll have ample access to a nitro boost whenever you’re in a difficult situation. Of course, attitude is not the only quality to look for in a startup teammate.
photo © 2010 Kenneth Verdier | more info (via: Wylio)

Here’s a list of 7 other noteworthy qualities you must have, to be THE startup teammate:

1. HUNGER – The hunger to make things happen. Hunger to pursue a goal, until it’s achieved. You may fail once, twice, thrice but when the fourth attempt is around the corner, others give up – while you give that last shot, and succeed.

2. PASSION – Nothing in the world has ever been accomplished without passion. Period. If you’ve got passion, you’ve got the fire to survive any drawback. Passion works as an automatic motivator, which pushes you beyond limits.

3. STREET SMART – You use common sense, more often than others. You’ve mastered the art of sneaking out of messy situations. When others were busy making sales presentations in their MBA classrooms, you were out there, learning it the hard way.

4. LOAD RUNNER – You can bear pressure more than your mom’s pressure cooker, and outperform yourself each time. Multi-tasking and handling critical responsibilities, comes naturally to you. Basically, your speed and accuracy remain consistent, even with immense load on your shoulders.

5. INTEGRITY – Although you have a knack to get your way, and ability to “convince” people against their will, you are a man of principles. Compromising on honesty and integrity don’t go with your personality.

6. TOLERANCE – You are very opinionated, and have your strong views about all kinds of subjects. However, you’re mature enough to accept and respect a difference in opinion with your teammates.

7. KNOWLEDGE SEEKER – You’re a voracious reader, and always up to date about the happenings around you, especially about topics related to your field of interest. You have an obsessive compulsive disorder, to seek more information about almost every that comes across you.

If you have ALL the above qualities, packaged into YOURSELF – you are a diamond in a coal mine. Of course, it’s rare to find someone like you. However, even a significant presence of these qualities in you, is enough for you to have faith in your ability to add value to your startup.

Anything related to a startup is generally unusual.  I mean, if you’re in a big company, with a routine job, and have a “salary” that helps you run the rat race – you’re usual. But the fact that you’re associated with a startup, either as an entrepreneur or an employee, you’re unusual. This unusualness could also extend into your interview process in the form of tricky, odd and unusual questions, which gives you an edge in judging/evaluating a candidate’s suitability with your startup.

Why ask such tricky, odd and unusual questions? Well, as a startup you need to be very sure that you’re hiring someone who’s not an average guy/gal with an average thought process.
Note: Average is relative+subjective to your startup’s standards.

We’ve compiled a quick list of 5 unusual questions that could help you in spotting the right talent.

photo © 2008 Valerie Everett | more info (via: Wylio)1. Catch them off guard: Why are manhole covers round? How many months have 28 days? There are 10 cards and you take 7 away, how many cards are you left with?

This will help judge their presence of mind and how they react to an unusual situation.

2. Mr. Diplomat: What if you’re caught red-handed doing something wrong – how would you get out of the situation? What if I’m homosexual, will you still work with me?

This will help you analyse the risk taking capacity of the candidate, and how tactfully s/he can talk their way out, or how well can s/he take control of a situation.

3. All talk no C*ck: So you’re passionate about startups, eh – Who is that one person you have high regard for and why? You said you’re gung-ho about ecommerce industry in India, why? Why have companies like google, facebook, twitter, etc., succeeded in their ventures so far?

This will let you determine the set of ideologies the person has which will help you understand if the candidate can fit into the start-ups culture.

4. Brother from another mother: How to you de-stress yourself? What do you do in your free time? You said you like music, what type of music and why? Which is your favourite movie, why? Goa or Shimla, why?

This will help you relate to the person on a more personal level. It can also ease the candidate and give him a chance to be more candid about himself.

5. The Winner: What do you consider to be your most prominent achievement so far? If you’re rejected here, what next?

This will help you understand if the person believes in setting and achieving goals. If he is result driven or not.

These are just a few of more such potential creative ideas of interviewing for your startup jobs. If you have more ideas to share, please pour them in. We’re looking forward to hear from you!

In April 2011, as part of a special series on the rise of student start-ups, Mint published a two-page report highlighting some amazing facts:

• 45% of start-ups in India came from non-metropolitan cities
• More than 54% of the co-founders were first-generation entrepreneurs
• Only 4% belong to families with annual incomes of over INR 25 lakh, and
• More than 70% plan to continue their careers in entrepreneurship

photo © 2010 Michael Lewkowitz | more info (via: Wylio)

In January 2011, NEN (National Entrepreneurship Network) conducted “NEN First Dot” in Chennai. This event was an indication of the vast majority of college students starting up in their graduating years compared to earlier generations who were more likely to choose conventional careers.

The number of “Weekend Startup” events across colleges in India and abroad is another indication of the growing interest in entrepreneurship by young college students.

There is a lot of advantage when one starts off early. Students have enough time to experiment, test and try and hence, learn a lot in the bargain. Also, being a student entrepreneur, one starts off with no experience. The thought process, though a bit unstructured is pure, creative and versatile; something that ceases to exist if one has worked in a structured work environment.

A student entrepreneur also has the energy, enthusiasm and vitality to take on new challenges with fewer risk factors. Due to this, young entrepreneurs in their early twenties are more likely to have a steep learning curve.

There may a flip side to this as well. Being young may also mean lack of experience and knowledge accompanied with overconfidence. The tendency to overlook critical aspects of a business may make them highly vulnerable.

However, I believe, starting off early gives you that head start to learn, experiment, to fall and get up and finally succeed.

“Entrepreneurship is living a few years of your life like most people won’t so you can spend the rest of your life like most people can’t” – A student in Warren G. Tracy’s class