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Work, management
In a couple of weeks, another batch of trained management graduates will have crossed over from studenthood to the fast paced rat race of executivedom, with weightier pockets and the zeal to change the world, the business world.
More significantly, another batch of young hopefuls will be taking their places, having slogged virtually their entire student lives for what is today increasingly being perceived as the most sought-after career. Every year, thousands of hopefuls spend enormous amounts of time, much money and many anxious nights trying to get into a good management school. Management is possibly the most popular qualification today. With the steady growth of multinational competitors, the business community, whether Indian or foreign, has recognised the urgent need for systematic and efficient management practices. Not only in the organised sectors of commerce and industry, but in traditionally non-organised areas like agriculture and handicrafts as well, and in non-commercial establishments, such as welfare, health, and development too. This has opened up enormous opportunities for both men and women, from diverse spheres with the promise of lucrative salary packages, good status and scope for professional and personal growth.
Job profile
The popularity of a career in management is largely due to the large salaries and perks offered to managers by organisations looking for the best talent. But it is also because management education is required for every sphere of economic activity. Management education institutes impart the training required by companies, and link the study programme to the job market, making an MBA the most sought-after course for young people. But many chasing such courses are unaware of what management is, and the job profile it offers. Management is an activity that makes best use of available resources—human, physical and monetary—to achieve an objective. Management involves taking decisions based on a number of factors so as to utilise the resources of an organisation for maximising its growth and profits. Management techniques and skills are, therefore, required in all areas of work. This is largely because managers broadly perform five important tasks required for the smooth running of any organisation. These are: Planning: This is the process of developing or formulating an agenda for action towards a specified goal. Organising: Involves determining the activities that are required to be undertaken and grouping, assigning and delegating them to various people. Staffing: Recruiting and placing individuals with the appropriate qualifications and skills and training them according to the needs of the organisation. Directing: This includes channelling, influencing and guiding subordinates. Controlling: To ensure that activities undertaken conform to a pre-arranged plan.
Areas of activity
A management professional can work in any field, whether fashion or music, agriculture or development, banking or healthcare. They can, however, work and specialise in several functional areas. The major functional areas of work for professional managers are — finance, production, marketing, personnel or human resource development, and information services. While marketing and finance are considered the most ‘paying’ and, consequently, the most popular specialisations, there is an increasing focus on other areas too. Marketing & sales: This is responsible for the flow of goods and services from the producer to the consumer. Marketing involves research and analysis on current and future needs of customers, testing new products or services, and dealing with customers. Finance: Specialising in finance puts you in charge of budgets, executing financial programmes and profitability appraisals. Personnel Management/Human Resource Development (HRD): Making the most effective use of people. It includes handling recruitment, placement, training, benefits for staff and being responsible for their welfare. Production: Production controls the operational aspect of an organisation, and the efficient use of its assets: men, machines and materials. Production includes planning, purchase and control of materials, running and maintaining equipment. Management Information Services involves the collection and dissemination of information for more efficient functioning.
Other streams
There are also many other specialisations in management. These include international management, dealing with international trade and business, technology transfer, public service management, which includes management of public enterprises, non-governmental organisations and co-operatives, hospital management responsible for the efficient running of hospitals; hotel management concentrates on all aspects of hotel administration; IT management, which specialises in all aspects of information technology including policy, financing and marketing of IT products and services; rural management concerned with management of rural resources, environment producers, communication management, responsible for management of media services, including print, advertising and TV, and many others.
B-school bound
The best way of gaining entry into the hallowed portals of a management job is obtaining the right training and qualifications. This is easier said than done—the marathon must be easier. The most difficult task must surely be getting admission to a top ranking management institute in India. Studies show that it is easier getting into Harvard Business School than it is getting into one of the IIMs. Of course, this is largely due to the number— while one in every 8 prospective candidates makes it to Harvard, the ratio in India is 1:80! You can apply for admission to an undergraduate or postgraduate degree or diploma in business management after study in any discipline. The under-graduate business management programme is a degree programme and normally for three years, while the postgraduate course, which can be a degree or diploma, is normally of two years’ duration. The two-year MBA programme also includes a period of hands-on training in a commercial organisation for a period of about two months. n Admission to the three-year BBS (Bachelors in Business Studies)/ BBA (Bachelors in Business Administration) course requires plus two with any subject, is based on an entrance exam. Most institutes hold their own entrance tests. n The two-year MBA (Masters in Business Administration) courses are open to graduates in any discipline. The minimum percentage required is 50 per cent.
CAT call
Most good business management schools offer admission to the MBA course through the process of an entrance examination called CAT or Common Admission Test held in December each year. There are several all-India exams for admission to MBA programmes. CAT, the Common Entrance Test, is held in December/January for admission to the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) at Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calcutta, Lucknow, Indore and Kozhikode, and some other prestigious management schools. For details check www.iima.ac.in. The MAT (Management Aptitude Test) is conducted by the All India Management Aptitude Testing Service for selection to many management institutes that are not covered by the CAT. The Xavier Institutes of Management and some other management institutes hold XAT, while the Symbiosis group of institutes organises SNAP. Other institutions are covered by other entrance exams such as CET, and JMET for the IITs MBA programmes and others. In addition to this there are some Institutes conducting separate exams like FMS, S.P. Jain Institute of Management, Narsee Monjee Institute of Management , Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (Delhi). The format of all the exams is the same. They gauge verbal and problem solving abilities, comprehension and data interpretation. Those who clear the written test are called by the institutions they have applied to, to participate in a group discussion, where they are observed on their ability to handle a discussion, leadership qualities and so on.. In the final stage of selection the candidate is called for an interview by a panel of faculty members to assess the candidate’s personality and ability to handle a management job. Most universities now also offer Business Management studies at the under-graduate and post-graduate level - the Faculty of Management Studies of Delhi university is rated among the top ten MBA institutes - and there are hundreds of other institutes for part-time and even correspondence courses in management. At the top of the ladder are the national institutions like the Indian Institutes of Management in Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calcutta, Lucknow, Indore and Cochin., which are autonomous institutions reputed within the country and abroad. There are also several private academic institutions such as the Xavier Labour Relations Institutes at Jamshedpur, and Bhubaneshwar, Jamnalal Baja Institute of Management Studies, Bombay, SP Jain and Narsee Monjee Institutes in Mumbai, and several others with high technical standards and excellent results and placements. However, the great demand for MBA degrees/ diplomas has spawned a mushrooming of business schools around the country. It is advisable to find out all about an institution, the courses it conducts, and its faculty and company placements before enrolling.
Job prospects
The job prospects for an MBA student is probably better than for any other career. Most companies today recruit business graduates with an MBA qualification as they have the necessary knowledge and skills for the job ahead of them. Fresh Management graduates are usually recruited on-campus. Corporate organizations, multinationals, foreign banks, foreign financial institutions, and others attempt to woo students from the top management schools with lucrative job offers. Most of the major business schools have also initiated career placement schemes for the benefit of graduating alumni and possibly the best way of judging an institute is by the companies that visit for campus placements. Industrial houses, manufacturing companies, business corporations, multinational companies, export or trading companies, banks and financial institutions, marketing organizations and public sector enterprises mostly recruit MBAs for all their management positions. After an initial period of training in an organisation, the newly qualified MBAs join as executive or assistant managers. Larger development agencies/ non-governmental organisations, and international agencies like the World Bank, UNICEF and other UN bodies, OXFAM, also prefer to recruit MBAs. In recent years, MBA graduates are also looking at entrepreneurial ventures, some even giving up lucrative job offers to chart their own business path. Some, after gaining some experience choose to venture into consultancy services planning marketing strategy, providing technological or other expertise, or services to other organisations. In other words, MBAs can work anywhere, and rise to whatever level they are capable of. While there are many students who aspire to get into management, it is important to keep in mind that all are not necessarily suited for a career in management. Managers require to have High IQ, strong analytical skills, numeracy; ability to quickly grasp changing business acumen; some entrepreneurial flair, decisiveness and high motivation and achievement orientation. Managers are team leaders, and at all levels must enthuse subordinates into carrying out tasks in a way that they themselves would wish to have done them. They are also expected to ensure that operations run smoothly in their particular field or department. Communication is also one of the most important aspects of management as managers spend 70 per cent of their time talking to people. There is moreover a lot of scope and promise in the future with the Indian economy growing at such a fast pace, and new areas like retail, lifestyle, housing, real estate among others facing a shortage of qualified managers. So if you have what it takes, and are willing to work the 28 hours a day expected of MBAs, then you know which way you are headed. The writer is a career expert
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Tiding over the talent crunch
With attrition levels at about 25 to 30 per cent, companies are not just trying hard to retain talent but also attract new skilled hands. There is high attrition at the frontline, the field level in most of the companies with poaching by financial institutions and insurance companies that offer fancy designations. It is not limited to one segment or one sector. The drug and pharmaceutical industry is worried a lot by attrition where it is over 30 per cent. At Pfizer, where attrition is about 20 per cent, is encouraging its people to grow in their career through training. Even mid-level drug companies are losing employees to the expanding financial and services sector. Attrition has increased in recent years because recruitment patterns have undergone a drastic change. Competitive organisations are moving from skill-based to potential-based recruitment. Ranbaxy tries to stem attrition by being transparent with employees, through periodic open-house sessions and recognising successes at regional and functional levels, among other things. At Nicholas piramal, attrition is 20 per cent at the field level, but lower at the higher levels. Supply and demand mismatch of high performing talent has become the main concern. Skills such as merchandising and customer retail management in retail, specific technical and marketing positions in real estate are few and far between. It is now important to develop such talent in-house through training, according to an HR head. Now companies have started hiring less people as compared to last year because of slowdown in business. Infosys technologies plans to hire about 25000 candidates this fiscal — 8000 less than it did last year. The company has been investing about Rs 700 crore each year towards training its employees. Infosys has a training centre in Mysore with a capacity to train 13,500 candidates every quarter, the largest training facility in the world. TCS will, however, add about 30,000 seats in fiscal 2009 to enhance its delivery network in India. The company will be adding seats in Tier I and Tier II cities in the next 18 months. Accenture, the IT consulting major in India, has launched a training management programme for its employees with the Indian School of Business at Hyderabad, and an online classroom and a on-the-job training programme for its middle management, to curtail attrition. India is a strategic market for Accenture, both in terms of access to talent and business opportunities. At a press conference, its chairman said the company was not facing a crunch in the availability of talent in India. “We spend about $ 780 million in training worldwide and a significant part of it is invested in India.” Poor employee selection too is damaging companies with as much as 40 per cent of candidates selected during interviews failing to live up to the requirements they were originally hired for. This has brought the entire hiring process and talent management in sharp focus in companies, making the human resource department a critical part of an organisation. According to Susan Meisinger, president and CEO of Strategic Human Resource Management, not much HR expertise is available in India today compared to the growth of the country. Also, there is a huge gap between what universities churn out and what the market needs. Hence, there is a need to enhance HR knowledge in India that focuses on putting leadership skills into practice with technology playing a significant role. Increased use of technology will relieve HR managers from doing personnel work, and allow them to do more management functions which focus on neutralising talent drain.
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Education portal ‘Shiksha’ mooted
Info Edge (India), provider of online recruitment, matrimonial and real estate classifieds and related services, plans to launch a portal exclusively focusing on education, a top company official said here.
“We are all set to launch an education portal, Shiksha, in the next two-three weeks,” Info Edge (India)'s Chief Operations Officer and Director Hitesh Oberoi said. The company plans to invest USD 5-10 million in the project over a period of three years, he said. Info Edge already has portals like naukri.com, 99acres.com and jeevansathi.com. Shiksha would offer information about educational institutes in the country as well as overseas, he added. “The portal will have the entire gamut of information on education, ranging from the name of a college, the courses offered, course content to the fee structure.” Oberoi said instead of targeting the entire education market, which is very huge, it would focus on advertisement which is a great source of revenue. “The education market is very huge and so we are not targeting the entire education market. Our focus will be on advertisements as it is the biggest revenue-generator for any application. For print especially, it is the number one revenue-generator,” he said. Oberoi said the company has identified 5-6 segments on which it intends to focus. “There are 5-6 segments like vocational training, professional courses, overseas education, coaching classes for MBAs, IIT-JEEs which are big. Besides, there are several government colleges and universities and private players providing these courses,” he said. Shiksha would provide a space wherein the education provider and seeker would both be mutually benefited. “We will provide a platform both for the education provider and seeker. The providers will be able to feature their entire content while the seekers will get solutions for their requirements,” he said. The education seeker could also ask any information from experts through this portal, Oberoi said. The company will not charge any college for listing the latter's basic information but will charge for uploading campus photos and videos, he said. Info Edge clocked a turnover of Rs 240 crore and a profit after tax of Rs 55 crore in FY'08.
— PTI
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Face interview with confidence
Remember, an interview is a test of your self-confidence and nerves. It is a direct judgement of your abilities and capabilities. Here are some useful tips to make your interview a great success.
Dress code
When you have been called for an interview, make sure you are dressed properly and reach the venue well before time. An interview is a formal occasion and you are expected to be dressed accordingly. Men should wear a freshly ironed formal full-sleeved shirt (no party or designer wear, please), trousers, polished formal shoes (black or brown), belt and a tie (knotted properly). Do not forget to shave on the day of interview. Before you enter the interview room, comb your hair. Women can wear a churidar/saree/skirt and shirt. If you have long hair, neatly plait it or tend to it in a manner that it does not look unkempt. The bit about formal shoes applies to women too, although sandals meant for formal occasions are fine.
Making an entry
You may be asked by an assistant to enter the room. Control your gait, don’t rush to the table. Greet the panel (using the appropriate time of the day) with a smile. On being asked to sit down, thank them. Be your natural self. While you might feel that you need to ‘project’ yourself to the panel, the ‘real you’ will end up showing itself by way of your body language.
Body language
Members of the interview panels are experts who can easily spot the inconsistencies between what you are saying and what your body language conveys. The first few minutes are very crucial. Begin well and try to better your performance during the interview — that’s the key. Be clear, precise and positive. Make short statements, but don’t answer in monosyllables. Sound warm and eager. Keep comparing your experience with happenings in the company from the information you have gathered. Try and avoid dropping big names — that may end up making the interviewer feel small. But if you have received recognition or praise from big names, mention it discreetly, as though it were an honour. During the session, look directly at the person asking the question, and do not stare at anyone or anything. And if faced with a confusing question, don’t panic. If you do not know the answer, admit it and go on from there. Trying to fudge will reflect negatively on you. Say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ wherever necessary. Do not lean back in your chair and cross your legs while answering. You will be marked as overconfident and arrogant. Don’t sound casual or don’t joke unnecessarily. If your discussion comes to the salary, be sure to produce a sheet which has your salary details in full, including hidden perks and likely future increases. Don’t discuss your personal philosophies, politics or religion. Don’t try to control the interview, let it remain in control of the flow of questioning. Don’t criticise or bad-mouth your present or previous employer. It’s in bad taste. Don’t cite money as the reason for leaving your job. Unless it’s much below the industry average or if there has been a freeze on increments. Don’t chew gum or smoke a cigarette while in an interview. Develop clarity on your objectives. Be clear on your strengths. Do not use ambiguous terminology like ‘may be’, ‘could be’, ‘I think’, ‘I am not sure’, etc. It betrays hesitation and a lack of confidence. The ability to articulate is vital for an interview. Try having some practice sessions with your friends, rehearsing the answers before you appear for the interview. This will help you a lot.
What interviewers
look for
Candidates who have clear ideas, breadth and depth of knowledge, and the ability to look at things in a balanced manner are desired. Interviewers also look at the moral and ethical value system of the individual concerned. The job of an interview panel is to determine whether you are a suitable candidate for the post.
Frequently asked questions: Two important questions:
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Rising by resolution
Only 12 percent of workers made career-related resolutions at the beginning of last year, but nearly three-quarters of those who did achieved their goals by the end of the year, a survey by staffing agency Accountemps found. The top career resolution: to learn new skills. Resolving to earn a raise or promotion and improve work/life balance were close behind. These goals can seem simple enough, but as with losing weight or paying down debt, the path to lasting success can be complicated. The secret is to break those big goals into small, manageable tasks. And don't think you have to go it alone. Help is available. Here are a few of the most common career-related resolutions and some resources that can help you simplify things and stay on track throughout the year.
Learn new skills
This is the most popular, and it's also the most accessible if you think broadly about your paths for learning. It doesn't mean you have to return to campus full time or spend a lot of money. Find out whether your company offers tuition assistance, and if so, how to qualify. Ask whether there are any classes or training being offered on-site. Consider community colleges and online options. They can be cheaper and are likely to offer more convenient hours for working adults.
Improve work-life balance
Family duties, long hours and crushing commutes leave plenty of us frazzled. If moving or changing jobs isn't possible, look for ways to steal back some time at home. A professional organiser can help you streamline your daily routines and contain the chaos. One way to find one is through the website of the National Association of Professional Organizers (www.napo.net). Services range from general clutter-busting to feng shui makeovers. Have the organizer start with that disaster you call a home office.
Increase your earnings
First, find out whether your pay and benefits are in line with market norms. Then, be specific about just how much more you want to make. Ten percent? Rs 25000 a month? Once you have a reasonable number in mind, create a strategy that will help you reach that goal. As part of your annual review, ask your boss to help you come up with the criteria to merit the raise. A lot of people get the shivers at the merest thought of bringing up this topic. To overcome this, start by reading a guide to negotiating, such as "Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In," by Roger Fisher, Bruce Patton and William Ury. Short on time? Check out “Next-Day Salary Negotiation: Prepare Tonight to Get Your Best Pay Tomorrow,” by Maryanne
Wegerbauer.
Change careers
If it's not just the job that's got you down, but the profession as a whole, it's time to switch careers. A professional career coach can guide you through this decision and the individual steps to make it happen. A pro can be especially helpful if you're not quite sure what the next step can be. As a bonus, many coaches are also professional resume writers and can help you translate your experience into language that prospective employers in your new field will understand. You can find one through the web site of the Professional Association of Resume Writers & Career Coaches
(www.parw. com).
Start own business
If you hope 2008 will end with your name atop the company letterhead, check out the Small Business Administration's online assessment (www.sba.gov/assessmenttool/index.html). This tool will walk you through a series of questions to determine how ready you are to start your own company and where you need help. When you're finished, you'll have a list of recommendations on key topics, including funding and taxes. — LA Times-Washington Post
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Career Hotline
Q. What is the cost of acquiring a Seibel Administration certification and how to get it? Do I need to attend a training programme organised by Oracle or can I do it by myself? If I can’t clear it in the first attempt can I get a second attempt?
— Brijesh Ohri A. You'll need to do ORACLE Siebel 7.7 Essentials Course + Siebel 8.0 Case Study Course to be able to take the Certification test. You can't do it by yourself, you'll have to take the coaching from Oracle University and this can be pretty expensive. I think $ 195 is just the exam fee and a whopping $2625 is the training fee. You can get the exact prices on the Oracle / Siebel website or on
https://metalink3.oracle. com As far as the number of attempts is concerned, you can try as many times as you want, but you'll have to wait for a period of 14 days between tests.
Added attraction
Q. I am in Class XII (maths with comp sc). Please give me some information about integrated M.Sc courses which can be done straight after school. A.
Other than the IITs which offer integrated M.Sc (as well as M.Tech) programmes in subjects like Biotechnology, Physics, Chemistry, Industrial Chemistry, Applied Geology, Exploration Geophysics, Maths & Scientific Computing, and IT, several other universities e.g. the Indian Institutes of Science Education & Research, (Pune, Kolkata, Mohali), patterned after the IIS, Bangalore, offer such programmes. Admission to all integrated Master’s programmes is also on the basis of the respective entrance exams (JEE, AIEEE or state-level entrance tests). Pursuing an integrated course is a good idea only when you are absolutely sure of your choice of subjects right at the outset (Class XII). In which case, it saves you a year or so. Also, unlike the usual BTech/BE or BSc course after which you have to take an entrance exam like GATE etc, for admission to MSc programmes in the IITs for instance, you directly move into the postgraduate level of the integrated programme. For the IISERs Elig:
Class XII (Science), IIT JEE/KVPY, Indian National Olympiad (2nd stage) / CBSE toppers KVPY tests your comprehension and analytical abilities. Objective-type test to assess your mathematical and reasoning skills. To Prepare: Quantitative Ability by RS Agarwal Mathematics (Tata McGraw Hill) Test of Reasoning by R.S. Agarwal Books by Edgar Thorpe & Tata McGraw Hill Some of the other such programmes in North India are: Amity University, NOIDA (UP) Birla Institute of Technology & Science (BITS) Pilani (Raj)
(www.bits-pilani.ac. in ), Dr BR Ambedkar University, Agra (Maths, Comp Sc) Guru Ghasidas University, Bilaspur (IT) Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, Delhi. H N B Garhwal University and IIITM Gwalior (MSc IT) etc
Prospects with physics
Q. I am a final year student of B.Sc (Physics). Due to certain family constraints I won’t be able to pursue long-term higher studies. Can you give me an overview of the jobs available to physics graduates? — Pushkar Mehta
A.
Besides opting for postgraduate studies in pure and applied sciences, science graduates can take up any of the following: Teaching: You can become a school teacher after a doing B.Ed. To teach at the high school level, you need an MSc in the subject in addition to the B.Ed. Laboratory Assistant: This job, which, may have alternate names like ‘Lab-technicians, demonstrators etc., essentially revolves around taking care of the laboratory and its equipment. Lab-assistants arrange the instruments and apparatus for various experiments to be conducted in the lab. They also clean and store scientific apparatus, equipment, examine slides, etc. A PG Diploma in Medical Lab Technology would be a better option though. Scientific Assistant: A scientific assistant works under a scientist and may have responsibilities like recording routine readings of instruments, scanning books, internet and journals for reference material, compiling working notes, etc. Depending on the nature of duties, they may be known by different names like programme assistant, shift assistant, professional assistant, etc. Forestry: Science graduates are eligible for the posts of Forester and Forest Ranger. Defence Services: Science graduates and post-graduates who meet the prescribed physical and medical requirements after clearing the entrance tests are eligible for appointment in the Indian army, Indian Navy and Air Force, and in the Defence Science Service. Sales: Science graduates are specially suited for sales of commercial products like pharmaceuticals, scientific instruments, biotech products etc. Medical Representatives are hired by all pharmaceutical and medical equipment manufacturers for promoting and marketing their products to doctors and hospitals. Apprenticeship: Many industrial undertakings recruit science graduates for paid apprenticeship in the chemical, mechanical or other relevant engineering department. They are paid a stipend during training and may afterwards be absorbed in the factories and laboratories. Management Trainees: some business houses employ promising science graduates from top-rung colleges as management trainees on the basis of a selection test and interview. On completion of training, they are employed as executives or Junior Managers. Good communication skills could open up avenues in technical writing and content creation while a course in library and information science would open up opportunities in library and information management. The possibilities are numerous.
Science and sensibility
Q. I am in Class X. I have to choose my stream this year. Every one says that science has many options. Please tell me what are all the choices. — Jasleen Kaur A. Options related to the sciences are many and varied -- engineering, architecture, technology, civil aviation, merchant navy, computers, medicine, pharmacy, biotechnology and related fields including microbiology, biochemistry, forensic science, agriculture, pure and applied sciences (physics, chemistry, maths etc), environmental science/technology, meteorology and many others. If you are academically inclined, you can go into research or teaching. If you are application-oriented, you can go into engineering or technology-related careers in industry. Alternatively, you can opt for a degree in business management at the postgraduate level if you wish to broad base your options. Moreover, after completing your plus two with science, you can choose to pursue just about any field open to humanities and commerce students ranging from law to design and mass communication - adding up to a mind-boggling choice of 3000-plus career options! Do make it a point to read up and talk to people about various possibilities and options that interest you. If you do this consistently, you’ll be amazed how much you pick up. The more informed you are, the better equipped you’ll be to rule out several of the inappropriate options and flag the “possible” ones. After you’ve found out some more about what is involved in pursuing each of these, you will be able to further pare down the list. What you really need to do at this stage is to try and narrow down your choice(s) to one or two broad options and then concentrate on planning a career around it. Take a good aptitude/personality test to help you identify the fields that are most suited to you.
Love of labour
Q. I am very keen to work with the ILO. How do I get an assignment? — Pratima Ahuja
A.
Since you have not mentioned your present qualifications or field of work, let me give you a general picture. The International Labour Organisation (ILO) is a UN body. Its primary aim is to promote opportunities for men and women to obtain decent and productive work in conditions of freedom, equity, security and human dignity. India is one of the founding members of the ILO and has been a permanent member of its governing body since 1922. The ILO recruits in two categories: The general services category: is concerned with three major occupational groups viz. administration related support work, technical support work and manual trades and other support work. The basic requirement is a good knowledge of the prevailing labour issues and laws, nationally as well as internationally. At the national level, applicants must preferably have local expertise/experience in a labour organisation e.g. lawyers specialising in labour issues, social scientists and people associated with labour organisations. Professional services category: deals with the theoretical or practical aspects of fields such as finance and accounts, law, education, social science, economics, business and administration, managerial and other technical specialisations. Most of these require substantial academic preparation, normally at the advanced university level. The ILO also conducts an internship programme for undergraduate and postgraduate students (involved in a specialised field related to ILO’s work) where they can complete their studies by acquiring practical knowledge and a better understanding of ILO policies and programmes. Interns are assigned either to the ILO Headquarters or its field offices. For the ILO’s Associate Expert Programme, you must have a Bachelor’s or Master’s or an equivalent technical qualification along with some years of work experience. The typical age limit is 32 years. The assignment varies from 2-5 years depending upon the policy and financial possibilities of the donor. The ILO essentially looks for candidates with multi-disciplinary knowledge about various labour issues; an awareness of international developments; and a ‘can-do’ and acceptable personality. For further information log on to:
www.ilo. org The writer is a noted
career consultant
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BITS & BYTES Considering the importance of English communication skills in IT, ITES and a host of other services industries, a school to impart quality training to professionals and job-seekers will be set up at the Technopark here under the initiative of former UN Under Secretary-General Shashi Tharoor. The venture, Afras Academy for Business Communication (AABC), was primarily meant to offer short-duration courses in speaking ability and presentation skills, Tharoor, chairman of Afras Project India Pvt Ltd, told newsmen in Thiruvananthapuram recently. Ability in English communication was an important tool for professionals in a host of service ventures, and this was especially so in a state like Kerala which had great potential to emerge as a hub of knowledge industry, Tharoor said. To start with, AABC would offer a two-month core course with three hour classes in five days a week with the help of qualified professionals and state-of-the art technology and software, he said. — PTI Animation course
Global leader in animation and multimedia training, Arena Animation, has announced the launch of the brand new version of its comprehensive high-end animation-training course, the Arena Animation Academy Specialist Program (AAASP 2008). This specialist programme is aimed at training students in the latest industry relevant technology so that they enter the world of animation as trained professional animators. Through project-based work in conjunction with theoretical and practical experience, students would get an opportunity to explore different ways to put ideas into practice for developing their portfolios.—TNS
IBM-India, ISB tie-up for services sector
IBM-India and the Indian School of Business (ISB) recently announced the signing of the first open collaborative research agreement in Asia aimed at improving the competitiveness of the services sector in the region. This research will support companies to redesign their project management structure, reduce attrition, and also help the high performance groups to move up the value chain, ISB dean M. Rammohan Rao
said.—PTI
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In an attempt to tide over the shortage of trained manpower, a number of companies have started investing in training academies. This is one of the steps companies are taking to address the problem of attrition, which has become a big risk to corporate stability and security.
You have received an interview letter. You are glad and enthusiastic. You start preparing earnestly for D-day.
Workers who make career resolutions, and create a plan to make them happen, can see benefits that pay off for years.
— Laveena Babbar
