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| CAREER GUIDE |
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Communication — a
vital tool for growth
XLRI batch
bags lucrative offers KIIT gets
deemed varsity status
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Communication — a vital tool for growth Mr Vinod Sawhny, CEO and Director (Mobility), Bharti Mobile Ltd, AirTel, says, “Organisation attach great significance to good communication skills in this competitive environment. Any young boy or girl dreaming to enter the corporate field should master this art. Companies, be it in the telecommunication, insurance, banking, engineering, or manufacturing sectors, are looking for
professionals, who have an in-depth knowledge of the subject and are able to communicate effectively.”
“It is the ability to give the desired response. Anyone who does that is an effective communicator,” says Mr Sanjay Wadwalkar, Chairman, Department of Mass Communication, Panjab University. He says “excellent communication skills” has become a catchphrase in corporate parlance, but its true value still remains to be exploited. All CEOs, managers, directors and middle-rung managers, who are unable to communicate properly with their subordinates, seniors, stake-holders and customers, find it difficult to run their
organisations properly. Most of them find a shortcut by adopting an ‘authoritarian’ attitude in the ‘hire-and-fire’ environment. However, entrants should try to master the art of effective communication.
How to master the art Dr Manoj Sharma at University Business School, Panjab University, maintains that like any other skill, communication skills can also be acquired. Most business schools have a separate exam in communication. “We teach students through group discussions, case studies, report writing, etc. Companies like Vardhman and Asian Paints organise special in- service training programmes for their managerial staff in communication skills.” A number of “English speaking institutes” have cropped up in the city, but there are few that can be termed good. Dr Sharma adds that there are some good books on business communication like “Effective Business Communication” by Murphy and “Basic Business Communication” by Lesikar. One can also join some public speaking club to update one’s skills. In addition, one should try to speak for five minutes everyday in front of a mirror or should use a tape recorder to improve one’s skills. Mr Vinod Sawhny says those who want to enter the marketing, sales and managerial jobs, should hone their verbal skills through practice. Though in financial, accounting and some other jobs, he says, one may ignore its importance, yet if one wants to rise in one’s profession, he or she will have to master the art of communication. They should learn to express themselves through writing, presentation and inter-personal communication.
Good communication — a way of life Good communication is not a strategy, but a way of life. One needs this skill for success in day-to-day life as well, says Mr Sanjay Wadwalkar. He adds that proper hearing, empathy and patience are the key ingredients of successful communication. |
XLRI batch bags lucrative offers Jamshedpur:
Well-known B-school Xavier Labour Relations Institute (XLRI) has had record-breaking placements, with the entire batch bagging great offers in a matter of a few hours on day zero during the Campus Recruitment Process (CRP) here on Tuesday. The highest salary offered this year was by Coke, the figure being Rs 8.78 lakh, which was, however, less than the previous year’s while the average salary had gone up this year at Rs 7.14 lakh, XLRI sources said. A total of 162 offers were made and out of 67 companies, 22 had to turn away since the talent pool was exhausted much before the expected time. The standard deviation for the compensation figure was 0.85 lakh with the lowest salary figure being Rs 4.2 lakh. Placement Secretary Harshvardhan Singh said 124 students were picked up, out of which seven were female. He said the upbeat mood in the economy was reflected in this year’s CRP, which was a great success. The IT and the FMCG sectors were tied at the top, with 32 accepted offers each, he said. The top recruiter was Wipro, which recruited 10 candidates, followed by Accenture which picked up eight. Major recruiters from the core sector like Murugappa, Tas and the Aditya Birla group saw 13 offers being accepted. The class of 2004 at XLRI saw 20-odd pros and more than 30 lateral offers being made.
— UNI |
KIIT gets deemed varsity status Bhubaneswar:
The Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) has been recognised to join the prestigious league of deemed university status in the country. According to a communication received from the Union Human Resource Development Ministry and the Department of Secondary and Higher Education, the Centre, on the advice of the University Grants Commission (UGC), had declared the KIIT as one of the nine deemed universities in the country. The deemed university status was given to the KIIT as per the provision of Section 3 of the UGC Act, 1956. KIIT sources claimed that it would be the youngest-ever institution in the country and the only of its kind under the De-Novo category to be selected for the deemed university status.
— UNI |
Agriculture offers numerous career opportunities Forensic science Q I will be appearing for my Class XII exams (PCMB). I am interested in forensic science and criminology and wish to do BSc in these subjects. I would like to know the job prospects if I specialise in forensic science. Kumar Pradeep, Kulu. AOften the fate of a criminal case in court hinges on the availability of forensic evidence. As forensic science is all about applying scientific principles for crime investigation, forensic experts are drawn from a wide range of scientific disciplines. They work closely with the police to provide scientific evidence that is admissible in a court of law. Due to the sharp rise in the incidence of crime and fraud, there is an acute shortage of forensic scientists in the country. Opportunities exist in government organisations such as the Intelligence Bureau (IB), the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the CID, the Central Police Organisation (CPO), the crime cells of state police forces as well as in large private detective agencies. Forensic experts essentially work in forensic labs to establish the link between the criminal and the crime by analysing the physical evidence (hair, fibre, fingerprints, blood, semen, discharged bullets, etc.) obtained from the scene of the crime. They match voices, examine bullet injuries to determine the trajectory of the bullet, investigate signs of struggle before a victim was killed, conduct experiments with dummies to establish how the crime was committed and carefully reconstruct the scene of the crime to find vital clues. Contrary to what you see in films, this is not a glamorous field. Instead, there’s a great deal of hard work involved. You may have to make endless appearances in court. Although the satisfaction of having cracked a tricky case or nailed a criminal is tremendous. Even law graduates with a science background would find knowledge of forensic science very useful in framing their arguments and countering the opposition. However, autopsies can only be conducted by an MD in forensic medicine. IITs Q Please tell me about entry to the MSc programmes at the IITs. How can I apply and what is the eligibility criteria? Rajesh Malhotra, Faridkot A All IITs will now admit students to their two-year full-time MSc programme through an All-India Joint Admission Test (JAM). The first JAM (for 2004-’05) will be conducted by the IIT-Roorkee, which has been appointed as the organising institute. The test will be held on May 8 and 9 all over the country and admission to the respective programmes will be on the basis of merit/ rank in the test. The application form and the information brochure are on sale at designated banks and IIT counters. You can get your form by post from IIT-R. Online registration is also possible on their website (www.iitr.ernet.in). You must have a first-class BSc degree (3-year) in the subject you wish to specialise in, or in a related subject. The MSc programmes run by the IITs are: IIT Mumbai: MSc in Applied Geology, Biotechnology, Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics, Applied Statistics and Informatics. IIT Delhi: MSc in Chemistry, Mathematics and Physics. IIT Guwahati: MSc in Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics and Computing. Chartered Accountant Q I am a student of Class XII (Commerce). I want to know if there are job options for a CA or an ICWA in the government sector. Please advise. Ashwin Mehrotra, A As a Chartered/ Cost Accountant you can look for jobs in accounts, finance, and taxation, audit and costing in industry or in the government. Some of the openings in the government for CAs/ICWAs are: 1. Staff Officer-Grade "A" in the Unit Trust of India (UTI), the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) 2. Staff Officer-Grade "B" in the RBI 3. Apprentice development Officer in the Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) 4. Assistant Administrative Officer in the General Insurance Corporation of India (GIC) 5. State Audit and Account Services, Co-operative Services. Also as a CA/ICWA (Inter), you could apply for the examinations for state-level Junior Accountant/ Tehsil Revenue Accountant through certain public service commissions such as Rajasthan. QI am doing BSc (Agriculture). Could you please tell me about the range of options in this field? Prem Kirpal Singh A By far the most important sector of our economy, agriculture continues to be largest contributor to India’s GDP (despite declining from 52 per cent in the ‘50s to 26 per cent presently). It also provides livelihood to 65 per cent of our population. Our agricultural performance has been globally acclaimed and food grain production is expected to touch an all-time high of 211 million tonnes. The growth of the industrial sector also depends on raw material from agriculture. There is a huge demand for agro-based products, both in the domestic as well as international market. A truly vast and diversified field, agriculture offers numerous career opportunities in farming, horticulture, floriculture, sericulture, tea and coffee plantation, cultivating rare medicinal herbs mushrooms and hybrid seeds, dairy, poultry and fish farming, commercial forestry to food processing — all of which are lucrative options. With the application of scientific research and technology, the output and profitability of this sector has increased dramatically in the past few years. From soil, water and pest management to post-harvest technology and agri-business marketing and management, qualified professionals are required at levels. The government is the largest employer of agricultural graduates. A number of government agencies, state departments of agriculture, banks and various trade organisations also hire agricultural graduates. The respective state public service commissions recruit candidates for jobs in state departments. The educational requirement is a degree in agriculture or allied fields. The Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR), the premier body engaged in agricultural research recruits scientists and research scholars (preferably with MSc and higher qualifications). Organisations, such as the Institute for Horticulture Research, the National Dairy Development Board and various NGOs are on the lookout for trained professionals either on a permanent, contract or project basis. Consulting is yet another option. Nationalised banks that have a rural banking department and rural banks such as the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) also hire professionals from this field. A number of related careers have also emerged within agribusiness and agro-industry. As a result, several industries are involved in producing, processing, packaging, transporting, distribution and marketing of farm products. Also included are those businesses that supply farmers with goods and services like machinery, seeds, fertilisers, credit and management information. Kisan call centres manned by agriculture graduates in eight states to provide answers and advice to farmers who dial a toll-free number being launched by the PM also hold an interesting potential. Similarly, with the increasing shift towards contract farming and where the contractor (big players like Rallis India Ltd, PepsiCo, ITC, Graintec India Ltd (in collaboration with Escorts) supplies agri-inputs like pesticides, insecticides and technical know-how to the farmer in return for his captive crop. In addition to plant entomologists and pathologists who are sent to visit the "contracted" farms, agri-grads are hired to conduct multimedia presentations and training workshops for farmers. The Ministry of Agriculture, in association with NABARD, has launched a unique programme to provide free two-month start-up-training programmes comprising entrepreneurship, business management and skill improvement modules in your chosen area of expertise. On completing the training, you can also apply for special start-up loans for your venture. Irrespective of whether you are a fresh graduate or currently employed, the course will equip you with the skills to open your own agriclinic or agribusiness centre to provide professional extension services to farmers like advising them on crop selection, best farm practices, post-harvest value-added options, key agricultural information, etc. — Pervin Malhotra, Director, CARING Please send in your query, preferably on a postcard, along with your full name, complete address and academic qualifications to: Editor, Query Hotline, The Tribune, Sector 29, Chandigarh-160020, or at
careerguide@tribuneindia.com |
FORTNIGHTLY QUIZ-201 1. Who is emerging as the front-runner Democratic candidate for the US presidential election in November this year ? 2. How many years ago did the Islamic Revolution take place in Iran? 3. Who is the President of Iran? 4. Name the architect of 'white revolution' in India. 5. How many Sundays are there in this year's February? 6. Expand BPO. 7. When is the planet Venus due to pass across the face of the sun this year, an event that last happened in 1882? 8. What is the full form of RITES? 9. Name former President of the USA and ex-Soviet leader who were recently given the Grammy awards. 10. Expand FEMA. 11. Which country recently won the women's fifth Asia Cup Hockey Championship? 12. What is the highest one-day score made by any country in Australia? 13. Name the third world heavyweight boxing champion after Gene Tunney and Rocky Marciano to have decided to retire while still being the world champion. 14. Who recently became the first New Zealander to surpass 6,000 runs in the one-day international cricket? 15. Who recently won the Mumbai International Marathon? Name ............................... Class ................................ School address ............... Winners of quiz 200: The first prize by draw of lots goes to Vikrant Das, VII-C, DAV Public School, Lawrence Road, Amritsar. Second: Chhavi, XI-A, Govt Model Sr Sec School, 19-C, Chandigarh. Third:
Ranjodh Singh, 7th Rose, Baba Farid Public School, Harindra Nagar, Faridkot. Answers to quiz 200: Uttar Pradesh; India; Opportunity; H5N1; Lt-Gen AAK Niazi(retd); Dr I.V. Subba Rao and Dr Suman Sahai;
Music (violin); Mahendra Kapoor; Astrophysics; Beating the Retreat Parade; Tbilisi; Justine Henin Hardenne; Roger Federer; Leonidas da Silva; Steve Waugh. Cash awards of Rs 400, 300 and 200 are given to the first, second and third prize winners, respectively. These are sent at the school address. — Tarun Sharma
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CHANDIGARH:
Besides a sound knowledge of one’s area of work, communication skills have emerged as one of the key factors to get jobs and enhance one’s career prospects these days. Career experts say companies are on the lookout for persons, who will not only push their product in the market, but also build a brand image of the company through excellent communication skills and right body language.