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| JOBS & CAREERS |
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CAREER HOTLINE
Education loan: Demand never ceases
Office Mantra
Employees who surf the web may actually be doing their bosses a favour
State-owned banks to hire 30,000 in FY’10
British Columbia beckons Punjabi entrepreneurs
Growing network of specialists
Exports going down
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Writing a perfect CV
This is the time of the year when first-time job seekers are preparing themselves for the world of work. In these recessionary times, when the competition is immense and there are hundreds of highly experienced professionals looking for jobs and suitable assignments, finding a job is hard work. It demands lots of time, energy and patience.
And that is where your CV (Curriculum Vitae or resume) becomes the first important aspect of your job search campaign. It is through CV you present yourself in print. A CV is designed to get you an interview. It is a marketing document that markets you as a person. To write a good CV, you need to get your trumpet out and start blowing it! And if you are to make sure the picture you create of yourself on paper doesn’t end up in the waste paper basket like hundreds of others, you need to prepare a winning CV. There are many ways to develop a CV that works. Basically, your CV is a document that showcases you and your professional achievements, and opens the door to enable you to pursue exciting job opportunities. A good CV is like an advertisement for you. If the ad prompts a prospective buyer to check out more about the product – that is you – it has done its job. So a good CV should reveal information about you to open doors. It should also capture and reflect some hints about your personality. It should stimulate enough interest in the person reading it to decide to call you for an interview. During the filtering process, your CV literally has ten seconds to make an impact before its shown the way to a bin. Keep in mind, the basic purpose of a resume is to: Get the attention of the reader: Your CV should attract the attention of the reader, and provide quick and lasting impressions. Whether it is through your choice of language, length or brevity of the document, its design and layout, or the way in which it presents information about you, your CV should set you apart, without distorting or misrepresenting facts. There are many different kinds of CVs and you can check out different samples, from books and the Internet, and come up with one that reflects the kind of job, level and area of work that you are interested in. Provide appropriate information: As your CV is an introduction to you, in your absence, it must provide the kind of information that will enable the reader to know more about you, your educational background, area of skills and expertise, as well as something about your personality. There are different ways to organise the career information that you are presenting. The three basic formats are: Chronological — the most commonly used, which begins with the most recent career and educational history and works backwards; Functional — organises information in functional areas drawn from the entire span of work experience, and good for those planning a major career change; Combination — which organises functional experience in a reverse chronological order. If you are just out of school or college you can use the chronological format, beginning with your most recent educational qualification and then detailing any experience you have gained in extra-curricular or work activities, and the skills you have developed. All CVs must contain three key areas of information: Contact information: Who you are and where you can be contacted. Work history: This can contain a list of credentials, organisations you have worked with, clients you have served, projects you have worked on and so on. All this information should be listed in reverse chronological order – the latest, first. If you are just out of college, this is where you record any internships, summer jobs, or work experience that you have. Education and training: List your highest level of education first, and work backwards. If you have a professional or specialised training related directly to your job objective, list it first. Also list any honours and awards, which highlight your educational achievements. Convey your skills and accomplishments: Describe accomplishments, not responsibilities. What you have done in the past gives employers clues and expectations about what you can do for them now. Give number of projects handled, savings of cost or time, skills developed, and other information on expertise and credentials, which can enhance your stature or position at the workplace. If you have attended any courses, seminars, workshops or training programmes, be sure to include them, along with what you have learned from them. First, start with your past experience. It is usually possible to identify one to three areas within which all your experience falls. You can kick off your profile with the following kind of phrase: “With 10 years’ experience in marketing and customer service…,” adapting this to suit your own background. Next, pinpoint some key skills and abilities. This will focus the employer’s attention on a couple more reasons why you could be right for their job. To return to our example, you could highlight abilities such as “customer-handling and administrative skills”. With your background established, you can now state what you’re looking for and where you’d like to go in the future. Don’t worry if you haven’t a clear idea of this. You can still construct a goal that sounds right for the kind of jobs you’re applying for. For example, “seeking to develop my career in the field of retail marketing…”. The key here is to make sure that your CV is tailored for the position that you are applying for. You may need to have different multiple copies of your CV to be used for different kinds of jobs, and organisations you may be applying to. You need to play on the strengths and experience you have gained from previous positions and show that you have key transferable skills that can be applied in the new position. So, if you are going for a chef’s job for which you have three years’ experience, but have an experince of five years at a receptionist position, it would be best to play down the latter, and focus on the cooking expertise and experience. Keep in mind that in today’s competitive job market, there can be scores and even hundreds of applicants for the choicest jobs. This means that the average or poor CV will be speed-read or skimmed over at best. So what can you do to increase your chances of standing out in a welter of applications? The answer is to write a captivating profile at the top of your CV, which will entice the employer to read on. The profile’s job is to convince the reader that this applicant could be the one and that their CV deserves to be read carefully. The average reader spares less than 10 seconds for a first look at your CV. So, in this time span, if a lasting impression or a bit of information does not capture the reader, the resume will most probably be thrown away. So finally, look at your CV and the information in it, and honestly ask yourself – would you hire yourself? If your CV succeeds in hooking the reader immediately, he/she is sure to spend more time reading your document - almost for a minute. So, the trick is to try putting yourself in the prospective employer’s place and frame an impressive resume accordingly. If you give it some careful thought, and tweak it now and then to suit the different jobs you apply for, your profile will make you sound organised, self-aware and excellent at communication. In short, it’s the spark that will set your CV alight! Good luck with the
job hunting!
Do’s and don’ts n
Anything longer than four pages go into the waste paper bin. Two pages are ideal.
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CAREER HOTLINE
Q. I am a student of class XII. Music is my passion. My voice is also good. My voice suits western songs and I want to make a career in this. How can I pursue it and what should I do? I am very tense.
— Meera Tewari
A. If you want to be the next Indian Idol, nothing can stop you - provided you have the three Ts: talent, training and tenacity. In every sphere of music — be it vocal or instrumental, classical or light (non-classical/semi-classical or pop), stage or playback — the competition is very keen, as there are several professionally qualified and talented musicians. For every one singer who makes it, there are thousands of equally talented aspirants waiting in the wings for their chance at fame and success. You just have to tune into any random episode of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, Amul voice of India or Indian Idol to experience the dazzling abundance of musical talent in our country. To launch forth as a professional vocalist, you need proper training and regular practice to fully assimilate the theoretical as well as practical aspects of music. While pop singers are often self-taught, image and stage presence are equally important — you must have that certain star quality! It’s important to train regularly and intensively and groom yourself well. Besides private music schools of many established performers also run their own music schools and take private students. To begin with, audition for contests – local or national and grab every opportunity to perform on stage and at public functions. Join or form a local band. Also, get in touch with good sound recording studios. You can do ad jingles and voice-overs for radio and TV to gain some confidence and earn some pocket money. Record brief pieces of your repertoire on a CD to showcase your range and talent. Armed with this professional ‘introduction,’ you can now approach recording companies and music composers or even bands and pop groups to give you a break. And if you are easy on the eyes, you can move from the recording room to centre stage. Playback singers in Bollywood have moved from backstage to in front of the camera with a song on their lips. Also, a suggestion: don’t confine yourself to western. If you look at today’s crop of singers you’ll see how easily they combine Indian and western and move from one to the other.
Add to your pocket, skills this summer
A. Plenty! Here are some: Fun learning – especially about areas you are interested in —a chance to explore. Learning something new will help further your career and hone the talents you possess. It may well turn out to be a lifelong asset rather than a mere two-month fling, besides adding weight to your resume. Pocket money – which you can spend the way you want. Confidence building opportunity— you can interact with a wide cross-section of people from various fields. Experience – you’ll get a taste of work-life. Networking — you’ll get to make contacts that will be very useful later. Flexible work hours, 4 to 24 hours a week, a short-term job allows you to make mistakes and learn, as it doesn’t usually carry too much responsibility. Any kind of productive job that requires effort and initiative is fine. Fast Food Joints (McDonald’s, Pizza Hut,
Barista, Nirulas, Café Coffee Day, etc), Sales Promotion (Consumer goods manufacturers), Market Research, Research, Event Management, NGOs, Youth Camp volunteers (you get to holiday for free!), Customer Care
(BPOs Banks etc), Departmental Stores, Private Educational Institutes (take on student “counsellors”), Modelling etc.
Aim for excellence to secure job
A. At a time when rapid technological and global economic changes keep throwing up new jobs while rendering several others redundant, it’s hard to predict which industries will continue to boom over the next two decades! Who would’ve imagined that the IT or financial services sector (amongst several others) would take such a beating! Even Alvin
Toffler, the noted American futurologist (Future Shock) admits that it’s impossible to forecast the future with any certainty because it doesn’t move in But we can clearly see certain forces at work. For instance, the perceptible shift from blue-collar jobs in the manufacturing sector to white-collar jobs in the services sector, which is projected to have a massive growth in the years to come. Having said that, certain sectors such as education, healthcare and legal services are relatively evergreen – in the near future, at least. Beyond that, who can say! Remember, boom time or bust, people are needed. If you are really good at what you do, your job will remain relatively more ‘secure’. Rather than trying to locate “secure” sectors, focus instead on building and developing skills that are ‘portable’ across sectors and aiming for excellence in whatever you do.
ITIs only offer diploma courses
A. No the ITIs only offer certificate-level courses (typically of one-year duration), in a number of technical disciplines. After this you can proceed for a diploma in engineering and thereafter, you can get lateral entry into the second year of a regular BE/B.Tech programme. You can also enrol for the associate membership of professional bodies such as the Institution of Engineers or the Institution of Electronics & Telecommunication Engineers. Upon clearing all the exams, you will be considered equivalent to a BE/B.Tech. Since you have already completed class XII, you can directly opt for a diploma in engineering (three-year) in the field of your choice, e.g. mechanical, civil, electronics, electrical, IT, etc.
A. M.Phil is normally pursued by students who wish to take up research or academics as a career option. Most universities across the country offer M.Phil courses although the criteria and admission procedure varies from institution to institution. According to the new guidelines, you should have qualified the UGC/CSIR-NET exam to be eligible for the post of a lecturer. Ph.D holders continue to be exempted, but only provided the research is undertaken as per the new guidelines (admitted on the basis of an entrance test among others). You should go for M.Phil if you really wish to pursue research in your particular field. But even after doing your M.Phil you will have to qualify the NET exam if you wish to take up academics as a career. So, it may be a good idea to enrol for an M.Phil via distance learning while at the same time appearing for
UGC-NET exam. This way you won’t waste your time just waiting to complete your
M.Phil. However, let me warn you: clearing the NET is no cakewalk. Only a miniscule percentage of candidates manage to clear the exam. But the silver lining is that after you complete your M.Phil you can continue to study for your PhD while you keep trying to clear the NET. World of colours awaits you
A. With an MA in drawing, you have several options. Join a good design studio or the creative department of an advertising agency. Start doing illustrations for book publishers (children’s/scientific). You can even start doing freelance work, making cartoons, caricatures for newspapers, magazines and books and other specialist publications. You can also specialise in making portraits. You can work as an art teacher in a school or polytechnic. An M.Phil will be useful if you want to teach in college or pursue academics or research. However, it won’t serve any purpose if you wish to practice your art or become a professional artist though. A course in CAD or multimedia would be an asset.
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Education loan: Demand never ceases
The slowdown has not have any significant impact on education loan portfolio of banks — especially the public sector banks. Banks are optimistic of registering over 40 per cent growth in their education loan portfolio despite the uncertainty in the job markets.
According to one of the general manager of the State Bank of India, chances of defaults surfacing in this segment seem to be very slim in future. People who have lost their jobs are primarily unskilled labourers in the export and gem and jewellery sectors. Banks extend educational loans only for professional courses and higher studies. Most of the banks are encouraging loans for only science and management courses. Further, banks usually extend educational loans based on the course the candidate wishes to pursue and the job prospects in the field. Courses that get easy loans As it is, the tax benefit under Section 80(E) for interest paid in respect of education loans is confined for higher education, which has been defined to mean engineering, medicine, management education or postgraduate course in applied science and statistics. May be the government’s perception is that these are the areas that need to be encouraged. When Scandinavian countries can make education free, then why can’t our government allow generous assistance to those who are passionate about studying anything useful from recognised institutions. “Banks still consider that job prospects in areas such as engineering, management, aviation and pilot training are good and there is no fear of loan turning bad,” said one of the chief managers of the State Bank of Patiala, Chandigarh. Banks are, however, planning to be more cautious in the segment and scan the course and job prospects more carefully in order to arrest fresh slippage, if any.
Growing market The Finance Ministry initiated a move to set up the model educational loan scheme on the basis of observations by a parliamentary panel. At present, the interest rate on education loans is between 11 to 13 per cent. Public sector banks cannot charge more than their benchmark prime-lending rate for education loans up to Rs 4 lakh. And for loans over Rs 4 lakh and up to Rs 20 lakh, the maximum rate of interest cannot be more than one percentage point above PLR. The education loans portfolio of public sector banks is likely to touch Rs 30,000 crore by the end of March 2009, against Rs 25,000 crore in March, 2008 and Rs 19,800 crore in March, 2007. This has been possible because of aggressive disbursal plans of public sector banks. Up to December 2008, the total disbursal of education loans by the public sector banks was to the tune of Rs 26,303 crore. The educational loans have grown by over 600 per cent since March 2004, which was merely Rs 4,500 crore.
Approaching a bank Funding education out of parents’ pockets is no longer an easy option, with the rising cost of education and aspirations to study abroad. If getting admission into a private college is a costly affair. Why not consider an education loan to foot the bill for the course? First approach banks with whom your institution/college has a tie up, these banks my offer loans at lower rates and may be more responsive. If you cannot find such an option, consider the bank in which your parents/guardian has an account or the banks that are in your locality. Now most of the banks have started accepting online applications wherein you need to fill your details and the bank representative will get back to you. The criteria is more or less the same for most banks. Pursuing higher education may call for many expenses other than the course fee. Make sure you factor in these while applying for the loan. No security is required for a loan less than Rs 4 lakh. However, security in the form of third party guarantee is required for loans ranging between Rs 4 to Rs 7.5 lakh. There might be exceptions if the bank is satisfied with the net worth of parents who would be executing the documents as joint borrower. For loans above Rs 7.5 lakh, tangible collateral security of suitable value, along with the assignment of future income of the student for payment of installment, has to be produced. All loans are secured by parents/guardian of the student borrower. In case of a married person, co-obligator can be either spouse or the parents /parents in law. Usually, education loans carry no processing fee or upfront charges, but banks charge a processing fee on loan above Rs 4 lakh for overseas loans. Repayment tenure for the loans is between five to seven years. Under sector 80(E) of the IT Act, tax exemption can be claimed for the education loan for spouse and children. Interest on the education loan is totally exempted from tax for the beneficiary. For this purpose, loans have to be taken either from the bank or from the employer. The banks also provide a rebate of one per cent on the interest paid, if the loan is repaid regularly without any default.
Special attraction for girls The Indian Banks Association (IBA), in a circular dated February 4, has asked banks to make available new loans to girl students at concessional rate of up to Rs 10 lakh for studies in India and Rs 20 lakh for education overseas. On this basis, public sector banks have decided to provide a special discount of at least 0.5 per cent point on the interest rate to them.
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OFFICE Mantra
Your rude behaviour virtually poisons your relationships with your colleagues. You are not a born bug! Probably you always talk as if biting the other fellow. Your taunting tone is not a good quality. Everywhere people dislike the one who doesn’t know how to talk well. Nobody likes to talk to a person whose behaviour is rude. But yours is not a case that can’t be improved for the better. The good news is that you can become as pleasant as you intend to do, provided you take certain constructive steps in the right direction.
Stop pretending
You must be having a colleague who is always in a pleasant mood. He is always sweet tongued. Crystal clear from the core of his heart, he is always eager to be of help to the other fellows. People like such a person a lot at a workplace. But to use sugar-quoted language and meaning the reverse is often disclosed soon. Homer tells in his epic ‘Illiad’: “I detest the man who hides one thing in the depth of his heart and speaks forth another.” This type of nature also makes human relations bitter at the workplace.
Think cool
Human behaviour is contagious. One angry man can make others also angry. In a moment the whole scenario at a workplace can change for the worst. Who would tolerate such an angry person? So, in order to be a good worker you must learn to think cool. You must learn to handle yourself in such an awkward situation. Better keep quite when your colleague has got into an angry mood. It is always better to keep cool than to retaliate to what angry colleagues say even about you. Just think about your own whims. Are you always cool and calculated? No. You too lose your temper, may be at home. No one is free from one weakness or the other. It is human nature. So when your colleague is in an angry mood, just pity him. Use sweet words for him if at all you have to reply to him. It may seem difficult at first, but practice can make you perfect in the art of mood handling. Once you learn to handle your mood swings, your relationships with even an angry colleague shall start improving.
Perk up your mood
Mornings are the best time to set your mood in order. Ten minutes before the sunrise up to 10 minutes after the sunrise is the best 20-minute time to set your temper in order. That’s why this is the best time for prayers. At this time, the energy of the sun is most effective, provided you are tuned into a flow with nature. Just watch the lovely blossoms, the tender leaves, and the flowing water of a river. Feel as much peaceful as you can. Fill your mind with the sweetest of thoughts. Even the anger, if there is any inside you, shall be channelised into a workflow propelling you to start doing something productive and constructive. Even if you used to be angry earlier, forget those past outbursts of anger. Past is gone. Future is yet to come. Present is the only time with you. Your past can’t be changed, nor can you see your future. Your present will become the past, and future will turn into your present. So handle your present with the best possible efforts remaining calm and peaceful. When you act in peace, your work will be better done, and more will be done in a little time.
Read peaceful quotations
To avoid your anger, create a time in your life where you can give yourself inspiration. Inspire yourself with peaceful quotations in the morning hours. That will set your mood in order. Read such quotations full of peace and tranquility while relaxing and having deep breathing. It can turn your mood into a peaceful one even when you are otherwise tense and irritated. Don’t worry how many breaths you take. Just keep your mind relaxed. Quotations providing peace sink better when you make your mind blank as you breathe. You get angry because you have been dwelling upon some irritating thoughts. Thoughts of resentment bring irritation into your mind. Forget those resentments. Learn that the past can’t be changed. Feel that your present efforts can erase even the past mistakes, grievances, hurts and pains. Once you turn your mind into a peaceful state, your mood shall become uplifting. An uplifting mood never makes one angry at all. Rather peace dwells in such a person. And when a worker exhibits peace, his colleagues start coming closer to him.
Add a zing of music
Learn to hum as you leave for your workplace. A humming tune filled with a passion and zest for work, does wonders. It just elevates the human spirit to do something worthwhile. If you keep humming very often, you can achieve the impossible even. Music has tremendous power in it. In the past, wars were fought beating musical drums to boost the morale of the soldiers who were standing in front of the enemies. So humming itself is a musical sound. No need of an instrument. Just the vibration of your vocal cords can produce an inspiring humming tune. Practice, and you shall see how much effective it can be. Treat your workplace as a temple. You know a temple has a peaceful atmosphere. We lose all feelings of envy, jealously, and competition there. And we feel thrilled by the peace we get there. When you have similar feelings at a workplace, you can be a winner. Others will respect and cooperate with you. So never poison a workplace with your anger. Gain, and let others gain.
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Employees who surf the web may actually be doing their bosses a favour
The border between work and personal life created by the Internet is a boon for employees and employers, said Massey University student Andrea Polzer-Debruyne, who conducted the study for her psychology thesis. She found that people whose employers tolerated a reasonable amount of personal e-mailing and other Internet use at work tended to be more open to doing work from home or making themselves available online to deal with clients or handle after-hours matters. She said this was one of the few studies that looked at the reasons and attitudes behind the ubiquitous practice of personal Internet use at work. Some workers she surveyed said they felt the boundary between work and life is becoming increasingly blurred, with growing expectations of being available online for work at home. Consequently, workers feel justified in shopping, banking and paying bills online at work and are therefore less resentful of being expected to carry out work duties outside office hours. Using the Internet for personal use at work may also reduce stress for employees, giving them mini breaks that can potentially make them more productive, she suggested. “Using the Internet for private use at work can be good for an organisation,” said a respondent. “If an employee orders a present or groceries over the Net at work, it takes half the time it would if they had to leave the office and do it. In reality people can be more productive and balance their work and private lives better.” – IANS
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State-owned banks to hire 30,000 in FY’10
New Delhi: Public sector banks will hire 30,000 personnel during 2009-10, even as India Inc, facing the heat of the global financial meltdown, has put a virtual halt on recruitment.
“As per the preliminary estimates, public sector banks are expected to hire over 30,000 people during 2009-10,” Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) Director M Balachandran said. The institute, promoted by PSU banks and the Reserve Bank, has been rendering assistance to financial sector in the activities of employees’ selection, promotion and placement. A large number of employment opportunities have emerged in the banking sector owing to branch expansion by various lenders, business growth and aggressive marketing, he said. Balachandran, former chairman and managing director of the Bank of India, said recruitment would also fill up the gap created due to large scale of superannuation in many banks. At the same time, in a bid to increase fee-based income banks have started activities like distribution insurance policies, mutual fund schemes and other financial products.This has created need to recruit some specialised manpower in those segment, he added.
— PTI
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British Columbia beckons Punjabi entrepreneurs
Chandigarh: Despite the global economic meltdown, the government of Canada’s British Columbia (BC) province is all set to establish a business investment and skills liaison office here to foster entrepreneurs and to encourage trade and investment from northern Indian states in BC
“There is tremendous potential to increase trade relations between BC and northern states of India, especially Punjab. We would explore the prospective areas and facilitate entrepreneurs from both countries to invest in those identified areas,” said DJ Sandhu, BC’s in-market business investment and skills liaison representative, here. He said plenty of opportunities were available in BC owing to its vast area and an assortment of unexplored fields there. “The new outreach office here will help entrepreneurs from Punjab to invest and migrate to British Columbia for setting up businesses there,” Sandhu added.
— IANS
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Growing network of specialists
Network specialist is a technically qualified professional who is responsible for designing and maintaining the network with which all computer systems within the various departments in an organisation are bound together. The job of a network specialist is very important, as smooth functioning of any organisation depends on him. A network specialist is responsible for designing and security of a network. His job includes server deployment and network connectivity throughout a company’s LAN/WAN infrastructure. He needs to maintain both computer hardware as well as software in an organisation. A network specialist plays a very significant role in an organisation. Constant technological innovations require migration from older versions to newer technologies. Also, different organisations use different technologies, thus creating a need for a common platform to share and exchange information. These tasks require specialised skills and expertise, therefore, calling for an increased demand for a network specialist. The job of a network specialist carries a lot of responsibility and involves the following tasks:
n
development and maintenance of LAN (local area network), that is, connecting computers on the same floor or building; Career prospects
Networking is a promising field in contemporary times. Increased usage of computers in all sectors of business, trade and entertainment, has simultaneously increased the need for networking. This is opening up great career prospects for networking professionals. A study by Evalueserve suggests that the current demand for networking professionals in India stands over two lakh. However, only 1,40,000 are currently available, indicating a deficit of more than 60,000 professionals. This deficit is expected to grow at a CAGR of 21.64 per cent till 2010. In short, this current demand-supply gap is expected to widen further, posing serious concerns for the growth of BFSI (banking, financial services and insurance), telecom and BPO/ITES verticals in the country. BFSI, which currently accounts for 20 per cent of total demand for networking professionals, is expected to witness an additional demand of over 41,000 networking professionals during ’05 to ’10. The telecom sector, which currently accounts for around 16 per cent of the total demand of networking professionals, is expected to witness an increasing adoption of disruptive technologies, creating an additional demand for over 75,000 professionals during the same period. BPO/ITES is the segment that will witness the highest growth in demand for networking professionals, growing at a CAGR of 35 per cent during this period. These figures are very encouraging for people to take up this profession. Apart from our own business needs, growth of the BPO sector, the need for networking has increased manifold. This is the right time for any student to consider and explore networking as a career. May it be manufacturing, retail or banking, demand for networking is huge and offers brilliant growth prospects. Moreover, the field of networking is a very dynamic one with technological advancement occurring quite frequently. There is quick transition of existing technology into more advanced and sophisticated one. A networking professional has to be technically trained enough to handle these changes smoothly.
Training
Networking is a specialised field and requires intensive study to acquire expertise. N-Power, the Hardware and Networking brand of Aptech Ltd, is once such institute that offers industry relevant courses in networking. The NCESE programme of N-Power is designed in a way to provide training in internationally accepted technology so that students are prepared for a global career. Digital electronics, CompTIA A+, MCSE Windows Server’2003, RHCE, routing technology, etc., are covered under this programme, leading to international certifications like CompTIA A+, MCSE on Windows server’2003 with MS- Exchange Server’2007, Red Hat & CCNA.
Institutions
N-Power, CDAC, Engineering Colleges & Polytechnics are a few institutes which offer diploma and degree courses in hardware and networking.
Salary
Pay packages are also very attractive in this field. A student can get trained right after Class XII and start a career with an initial pay package of around Rs. 15,000. However with those with vendor certification courses can expect a starting salary of Rs 20000-25000. With a little industry experience, a professional can earn up to Rs 40,000 per month. The writer is zonal head
(north and east), N-Power
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The meltdown
Mumbai: In view of the global recession coupled with mounting financial losses, Naresh Goyal-run domestic private air-carrier, Jet Airways, has slashed salaries by up to 25 per cent of all its employees drawing a gross salary of above Rs 75,000 per month.
“Huge financial losses have forced the airline to slash salaries by up to 25 per cent to all its employees drawing a gross salary of above Rs 75,000 per month,” said an industry source. A Jet Airways spokesperson confirmed the pay cuts but said that the move was only temporary and once the situation improved, it would do a revision. The salary cuts range from 5 to 25 per cent and include the top management. In addition, other perks like car facilities and car maintenance allowances have also been withdrawn from May onwards, the source said. While the top management faces a 25 per cent pay cut, those drawing a salary of Rs 5 lakh and above would have to take a 20 per cent cut, the source said. Salaries of employees in the Rs two to five lakh bracket have been cut by ten per cent, whereas those employees getting Rs 75,000 to Rs 2 lakh have to take a five per cent cut. Jet Airways would discontinue some senior management perks and undertake a graded salary reduction for its management cadre to be effective from May, the spokesperson said. This temporary salary reduction would only apply on employees earning a gross salary of Rs 75,000 and above, the airline said. The move was a part of a cost-restructuring exercise, which the airline has undertaken to meet the challenges of the global downturn and in the aviation sector in particular, the spokesperson said. “While announcing the pay-cuts, the management has said that the financial position of the airline is becoming precarious and that is why it was resorting to such a step,” the source said.
— PTI
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Exports going down
Jaipur: When almost all the sectors are feeling the pinch of ongoing recssion, how can export sector be far behind. Decling demand in the internatinal markets have hit the exporters hard. This is a difficult phasefor them with markets shrinking due to the global economic meltdown, according to Federation of Indian Export Organisation (FIEO) chairman JK Jain.
There were many foreign trade policy and banking issues which required to be addressed on priority, asserted Jain. Meanwhile, Rajasthan Additional Chief Secretary Rukmani Haldia has said the state government will help exporters and make efforts to solve their problems. The exporters sought special relief for the key industry sector of Jaipur — Handicraft.
— PTI
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Q. I am a student of class XII. Music is my passion. My voice is also good. My voice suits western songs and I want to make a career in this. How can I pursue it and what should I do? I am very tense.
— Meera Tewari A. If you want to be the next Indian Idol, nothing can stop you - provided you have the three Ts: talent, training and tenacity. In every sphere of music — be it vocal or instrumental, classical or light (non-classical/semi-classical or pop), stage or playback — the competition is very keen, as there are several professionally qualified and talented musicians.
Public sector banks are seeing a great surge in applications for education loans. Up to December 2008, the total disbursal of education loans was to the tune of Rs 26,303
crore, an increase of over 600 per cent since March 2004
Nobody prefers a person in the office who doesn’t know how to talk. By behaving rudely, you are not only hampering your growth prospects, but also putting your job on the line. The faster you mend your ways the better it is 
A career in networking seems to be a safe bet during the times of recession. Increasing dependency on computers at workplaces has ensured that networking specialists are in great demand 
The meltdown
Q. What are the advantages of doing a summer job? What type of summer jobs should one go for?
— Surinder Pant
Q. Due to financial and family constraints, I had to take up a job. I started working after graduation. Now I am relatively independent and wish to build a proper career even if it means taking up a professional course. Which field will offer security and money for the next 20 years or so until I retire?
— Gopal Baxi
Q. I passed my class XII examination this year. I want to do a course from an
ITI. I want to know is it equivalent to engineering or not?
— Suresh Kumar
Q. I have done MA in history. Now I am working and want to take up M.Phil through correspondence. Or should I go for
UGC-Net exam in order to be eligible for a career in academics?
— Gauri Dixit
Q. I have done MA in drawing. I am not able to decide what I should be doing now. After doing M.Phil in this subject, what career opportunities will I have?
— Jaspreet Walia
To encourage girl students for pursuing higher studies, public sector banks have started offering attractive discounts and products. 
Do you work hard and still have a problem of not having good relations with your colleagues? Do your colleagues dislike you inspite of your tremendous output? You need to have an intensive look at your own behaviour. Remember, your behaviour at the workplace is the key to getting your value and worth recognised.
EMPLOYEES who use the Net at the office for sending or receiving e-mails or browse the web may be doing their bosses a favour because they are more amenable to working after office hours or from home, according to a new study.
The global recession has had its effect on most of us. But why waste more time worrying and grumbling over the present crisis? It is a better idea to look for greener pastures and take the safe path. Continuing our discussion on ‘recession proof jobs’, let us give you one more career option within the hardware and networking industry that offers good prospects. Today we are discussing in detail about the job and growth prospects of a network specialist.
