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The new face of Rural Punjab
Career Hotline
A buoyant jobscape
Attrition bug in police force
FIELD NEWS
The sweet fruit of FOCUS
Happiness @ work
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The new face of Rural Punjab
The rural social fibre has been known for its strong conservative thread and an orthodox warp of stereotyped roles for women. But all this seems to be changing as many young girls from the rural and semi-rural areas of the state are dreaming beyond the stereotyped roles and are scripting success stories for themselves. These girls have been able to convince their ‘orthodox’ parents that hospitality is a great career option for them today.
Thanks to television and penetration of the Internet in this prosperous state, a new awakening is dawning on rural parents, too. They no longer hesitate to ask, “If city girls can make it, why can’t our daughters do it?” Their firm resolve gets reinforcement from their kith and kin settled abroad, who are constantly pushing them to improve the lives of the young ones back home. No wonder then that the winds of change are slowly blowing in the dusty streets of Punjab where girls from rural areas and small towns are slowly catching up with their city-bred counterparts. They have not only graduated from simple salwar-kameez to jeans but also aspire to hone their communication and professional skills to bring a complete change in their lives. Contrary to various myths associated with the hospitality sector, it is one of the most lucrative and growing industries in India today with a shortfall of 1.5 lakh rooms. With about 10 new hotels coming up in the region, the crisis may be over in a short span of time. Moreover, it is no secret that a girl with a simple Plus II qualification can earn close to Rs 70,000 per month as an air-hostess with reputed international airlines. Rewards are good in the hotel industry, too, with faster professional growth. The salaries can shoot up to Rs 25,000 to 30,000 within a couple of years of joining the profession. Booming business of PG accommodation in cities like Jalandhar, Amritsar, Ludhiana and Chandigarh is really proving to be a boon for these girls, who are out to bridge the rural-urban divide. Living far away from their parents, they have taken up various Travel and Tourism, Hospitality and Aviation courses at various private institutes in these cities. The modern trend is to go for a professional diploma course along with a regular degree in city colleges. “Girls from rural backgrounds have an advantage when it comes to good health, good conduct and good height, which are the prerequisites for the hospitality sector,” says Sarabjit Singh Kwatra, a personality development expert with Frankfinn Aviation Academy, Jalandhar. “Though they lack in English and communication skills, they do gain a lot of confidence after a couple of months of grooming. Their plus point is they are very much open to learning something new,” adds Kwatra. According to industry experts, while over-confidence and ego are considered a big ‘no-no’ and ‘inhospitable’ attributes in the hospitality sector, a simple service with a smile — woman’s biggest natural asset — can make a world of difference. “Traditionally, girls from the rural areas are more humble and know how to make their guests feel at home, and this is the top-most trait that we look for while recruiting people,” says Rajiv Wadhawan, an HR Manager with five-star Radisson Jalandhar. “They might lack in some areas, but we can always polish them on the job. Since most of hotel jobs are managed by women, we put them through paces slowly and steadily,” he adds. According to 20-year-old Harinder Kaur, who is working in the Food and Beverage section of Amritsar’s Ista, a five-star deluxe hotel, if a girl has the right attitude and aptitude then the sky is the limit for her today. Hailing from Babbri Jeevanwal village of Gurdaspur district, Harinder got her first job immediately after completing a diploma in Aviation, Hospitality and Travel Management from a reputed private institute in Jalandhar. “While many parents are apprehensive about letting their daughters join the hotel industry because of odd working hours and nature of the job, but my parents, though illiterate, backed me to the hilt. I owe a lot to my dad...they feel great on seeing me interacting with foreign customers
with ease,” says convent-educated Harinder, who is living in her hotel PG in Amritsar. Working as a Guest Relation Executive in Jalandhar’s Maya Hotel, Gurvinder Kaur (28) of Wadala village in Kapurthala district is doing her parents proud by rising to such a position by her sheer hardwork and dedication. Though she has a degree in aviation, she preferred to enter the hotel industry because she likes interacting with people. Her extrovert nature is paying her rich dividends today. “There are unlimited opportunities for rural girls as apart from the front desk or food and beverage sections they can do well as chefs too,” says Gurvinder, adding, “But unfortunately they don’t use their skills. The need of the hour is to change the mindset of their parents, too, who still feel that hotel jobs are not for girls.” Her colleague, Bhawanjeet Kaur (20) from Sheikhupur village in Kapurthala district has been working at the front desk of the hotel for close to eight months now. After doing her BSc in Hospitality and Tourism Management from the Institute of Hotel Management and Catering Technology (IHM, Bhopal), she aspires to do her Masters in New Zealand. Recalling her initial days in the profession, she says, “All my relatives were against my joining the hotel industry, but my parents did not listen to them. I am sure that after I settle down in New Zealand in the next couple of years, tongues will stop wagging. I want to be a role-model for other girls in my village.” With manpower in hospitality, aviation and tourism sectors in high demand in India and abroad, a host of private education institutions have come up with industry-specific courses. For example, at Lovely Professional University (LPU), Jalandhar, over 500 students are enrolled for the seven courses in hospitality. These include: BSc (Airlines Tourism and Hospitality), BSc (Hotel Management), BHMCT, BSc (Hotel Management- Twinning Programme), MBA (Tourism and Hospitality), MSc (Nutrition and Dietetics) and MSc (Hotel Management). For Jasleen Kaur (19) from Mullanpur village in Ludhiana; Gurbir Kaur (20) from Jetuwal village in Amritsar; and Amarjeet Kaur (21) from Bhalojla village in Beas, it would be a dream-come-true for them to able to fly and see the world after graduating from LPU. They are very much aware that the glamourous job of an air-hostess involves a lot of hard work to be able to soar higher and fulfill their parents’ dreams. These three girls, who have a modest farming background, are out to prove themselves in the aviation world by brushing up their English language skills too. Girls like 19-year-old Sarita Mandal from Jalandhar Cantt, who is currently working as an air-hostess with SpiceJet, serve as the right role models for other girls. Hailing from an Army background, Sarita’s career is soaring as she is earning to Rs 40,000 a month after doing her one-year diploma from Frankfinn Jalandhar, after Plus II. “Contrary to popular belief, good looks come last when it comes to getting selected for an air-hostess’ job. All that the airlines want is that the person should be able to serve with a smile in the air and always be ready to learn. A good air-hostess can make up to Rs 75,000 a month in an international airline,” says Sarita who owes her ‘flying success’ to her parents. On the flip side, top guns in the hospitality industry like Arun Kaul, the General Manager of Radisson Jalandhar, laments the lack of good and experienced staff in the hospitality industry. “Today, every girl likes to make more money either by becoming an air-hostess, or by getting experience here and flying abroad. With more hotels coming up in the region, we are always short of female staff,” he says. Deepak Paul, Principal of CT Institute of Hotel Management, Jalandhar, too, shares Kaul’s views. “Hospitality is a very good career option for girls today but they don’t stick to the profession for long. Many join the industry to gain valuable experience and fly abroad to greener pastures,” says Paul, an IHM Calcutta graduate with close to three decades of experience in the industry. D.J. Singh, the Principal of Hotel and Catering Management Institute in Dera Bassi, Mohali, is of the opinion that the general perception about girls in the hotel industry is changing fast. “With our government promoting rural tourism in a big way, our girls from the rural region can prove to be a great asset to the hospitality industry. Their patience and personality help them perform their professional duties in a better way. Contrary to popular belief, our hotels are much safer today with CCTV cameras and hotels own security everywhere.” All said and done, thanks to the better training and education, coupled with a safe work culture, our rural girls have also started taking long strides in the hospitality industry.
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Career Hotline
Q. I am studying in Class XII. Unlike most of my friends who are opting for garment and textile designing, I am keen on doing something in the footwear industry, preferably as a designer as I just love shoes (and have a large collection of them. Please tell me about the prospects in this field.
— Akriti Singh The industry, which turns out over 2.06 billion pairs of shoes in different categories, employs over one million people. Several international brands are shifting their sourcing and manufacturing base to India. What’s even more encouraging is that India allows 100% FDI in this sector. There are primarily three segments in this specialised industry that requires sophisticated machinery and technically skilled manpower: designing, manufacturing and marketing. Designers handle the creative part of the job, which involves creating new footwear styles and patterns. They are hired as Technical Designers who have formal training in shoe pattern-making, cutting, designing and sample preparation, or as Stylist Designers who need to be clued into the current international fashion trends and can conceptualise an attractive and saleable product. Armed with technical skills, precision and computer savvy (CAD/CAM) which a good course in footwear design would provide, you will be taken on as a designer — either on the rolls or as a freelancer. Since footwear is an integral part of the booming fashion industry, footwear design is a hot career choice. Thousands of new designs are flooding the market to keep pace with increasing brand and fashion consciousness. So on completing your course you could either work with shoe manufacturers or handle independent projects for them. Understandably, jobs are not hard to come by. In this industry, career progress is purely performance-based and innovative designers can rise quickly through the ranks of Junior Stylist and Senior Stylist to become the Chief Designer of a plant or a company.
Safe and healthy
Q. I have done B.Pharma. Please suggest something interesting I could do with this qualification. Could you tell me something about pharmacovigilance? — Sagarika Sawant A.
Pharmacology is the science and method of detecting, evaluating, understanding and preventing adverse effects of medicine related problems. The main purpose being to improve patient care and safety related to the use of medicines and other interventions. India has over half a million qualified doctors, and 15,000 hospitals with 6.24 lakh beds. It is the fourth largest producer of pharmaceuticals in the world. India is emerging as a hub for clinical research. And with the introduction of many new drugs in the country, it’s imperative we have a vibrant pharmacovigilance system to safeguard the population from the potential harm that some of these drugs may cause. Even a few cases of morbidity or mortality among patients can destroy the credibility of the drug and in the worst case scenario, the pharma company may have to withdraw the drug from the market — something that every drug manufacturer dreads, considering the huge costs involved in developing and launching new drug, not to mention the loss of reputation and ensuing law suites. This demand for professionals in this field is growing rapidly. So you could look at an interesting career in this field. The Institute of Clinical Research India (multi-location), www.icriindia.com offers a P G Diploma in Clinical Research & Pharmacovigilance (12 month) in collaboration with Accenture. Eligibility: Degree/ Post Graduation in medicine, dentistry, pharma, life sciences Accenture will hire diploma-holders after due screening. The course covers basics of pharmacology, clinical research, pharmacovigilance and regulations, case processing, aggregate report, risk managemnt, signal detection etc.
Paying Research
Q. I have completed my final year of M.Sc Biotech. Now I’m very confused whether I should go for further study (PhD) or do an MBA etc instead, if the prospects in research are not that good. — Mayank Gujral A.
There are vast opportunities in biotech particularly for those who have specialised in areas like clinical research and manufacturing, field testing of GM crops, regulatory affairs such as IPR and biosafety, pharmacovigilance, consultancy for business planning and global collaborations. The need for trained manpower in biotech has increased as the industry has grown at the rate of 35 per cent p.a. in the past
four years. While there is a sufficient number of candidates having an MSc in Biotech, more quality PhDs are required. India needs biotech schools with state-of-the art facilities to produce biotech professionals for the industry. India can become a global R &D hub if adequate incentives are provided for research on a long term basis. The country’s future growth would mainly depend on innovation and ability to bring new technology from overseas. Our scientific pool of qualified researchers and the largest number of USFDA approved plants outside the US, would also help us grab a large chunk of the $ 100 billion contract manufacturing and research pie, which is expected to grow manifold in the coming decade. So if a career in research interests you, you have little to worry.
No handicap
Q. I am a disabled JCO confined to a wheelchair. What types of career opportunities are available to me at home? — H. P. Sahu A.
While many disabled people successfully work at jobs in the corporate, industrial, government and non-profit sectors, home-based businesses offer an attractive alternative, as well. The best opportunities will result from the intersection of your skills and interests with the needs of an employer or customer. Self-assessment is the initial step in determining your direction. If you are confused about what field to opt for, or if you are not quite sure of the range of career options that are compatible with your personality and interests, you might consider taking the i-Opener Career Selection Exercise. (Just click on www.careerguidanceindia.com for details). Consider whether you see yourself working with people, data or more tangible objects. Depending on your skills, if you choose people, for example, you might pursue tutoring, advising or telemarketing positions. The BPO sector offers numerous opportunities: Voice and web-based jobs in customer-care, technical support, medical and legal transcription etc are easily available. Data could lead you to bookkeeping, researching or computer-related work like database management, data warehousing etc. The BPO sector has sufficient requirement for those with a commerce background for verification of insurance claims, loans and accounts. A preference for working with tangible objects might direct you toward greenhouse gardening, assembling or repair. Disabilities aren’t a limiting factor in entrepreneurship. I know several such successful entrepreneurs ranging from those involved in network marketing, e-commerce and franchising to people who run thriving baking and computer-maintenance and online tutoring businesses. Don’t let what you can’t do interfere with what you can do. In other words, focus on your abilities, rather than your handicap.
The writer is a noted career expert and director, Career Guidance India (CARING). Please send in your queries with your full name, complete address
and academic qualifications to: The Editor, Jobs and Careers, The Tribune, Sector 29, Chandigarh-160030, or at careers
@tribunemail.com
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A buoyant jobscape
Findings of two surveys and an industry insider’s views give an overview of the job market in the country at present. The sentiment is buoyant and positive with companies across all sectors on a hiring spree of sorts. The experienced as well as the fresh workforce has bright chances of career growth and fatter pay
cheques.
On a roll
The sentiment has seen a change over the past one year. A similar
survey in July’09 had revealed only 45 per cent of the recruiters anticipating new jobs during the second half
of 2009. Sumeet Singh, Senior Vice President- Marketing and Corporate Communications, Info Edge said, “Employers began recruiting at a steady pace in the first half of 2010 and confidence levels were high. The survey findings indicate sustainable new job opportunities in the remainder of the year and job seekers can look forward to a favourable hiring environment.”
The survey also queried on the range of increments given out to employees in 2010. About 30 per cent of the employers surveyed said that the range of increments was within 15 to 20 per cent and an equal percentage said that it was 10 to 15 per cent. While 25 per cent of employers indicated increments within 5 to 10 per cent, only 10 per cent employers said increments were over 20 per cent. With the much desired rebound in the job market, increments seem to be back on track across sectors.
Attrition levels
Across sectors most recruiters pegged attrition levels to be under 20 per cent with the exception of ITES. But, what was interesting to observe was that 11 per cent of the recruiters surveyed acknowledged attrition rates to be within 20 to 30 per cent and four per cent pegged attrition rates to be within 30 to 50 per cent in their organisations. Thus, the survey indicates a positive employment scenario with hiring picking up across all sectors. Further, the continuous upward movement of the Naukri Job Speak index over the past few months also instills confidence. The Naukri Hiring Outlook survey is a half-yearly survey which is sent out to the registered clients of Naukri.com. This is an e-mail survey and the results are compiled using statistical and analytical techniques.
The last straw
Mumbai: A majority of Indian professionals are likely to quit their jobs this year due to lack of promotional avenues despite good work results and a lack of communication and involvement by their top managements, according to a survey.
For 59 per cent of respondents, finding out that the next position in the career ladder is a no-show was the top “get me out of here” factor, a survey by Regus, revealed. Lack of communication and involvement by top management was the other big reason for most professionals to quit their existing jobs, 50 per cent of respondents said. Another 30 per cent said they would leave a company which lacked ‘vision’. The job market in India is likely to get crowded after the summer vacation as Indian professionals may quit their existing jobs unless they are promoted, it said. Over 15,000 business respondents from the Regus global contacts database were interviewed during the February-March 2010 period and the survey was managed and administered by Marketing UK, an independent organisation, Regus said in a press release. Regus is a leading global provider of innovative workspace solutions. Regus’ Country Head, Madhusudan Thakur, said “as workers pack up their swim-suits and towels after the holidays, they are more likely to dwell on the pros and cons of the job that is waiting for them at home.” According to reports, one of the effects of the economic recovery taking shape presently is that many more employees have started quitting their jobs and looking around for new ones, Thakur said. “Businesses that are not providing all the trimmings may be heading for a brain-drain of their best talent,” he added. As the economy perks up, employees will flock to businesses that promise them better conditions and not necessarily the biggest wage, he said. The survey also asked workers what companies could do to avoid a brain-drain of their best talents. Aside from a pay-rise, in India, 42 per cent of the respondents said flexible work timings are increasingly becoming important for them. They declared that the ability to flex their work-hours was top of their wish-list. Other factors that make professionals leave their jobs are bosses who take credit for their (professionals’) work and shabby premises. A fifth of respondents would also leave if their commute was too long or administrative support was lacking (20 per cent), the Regus survey said. Almost a third (32 per cent) called for private medical insurance.
— PTI
Moving towards rational hiring
J&C spoke to Ketan Dewan, MD, KRD Vision, on the recruitment scenario in India at present. KRD Vision is a Delhi based boutique Industry Neutral Strategy Consulting Company that assists business leaders to make informed confident business strategy decisions backed by judgment, logic, experience, in-depth research and strong analytics. Target Audience include Business Leaders, Key Decision Makers, CXOs, Functional Heads within MNCs, SMEs and start-ups, across sectors and industries.
What is the recruitment scenario like after the recession of two years in terms of hiring? Many companies have burnt their fingers during the recession and thousands of people have been laid off. Though the recruitment scenario will be better two years after the recession, it would be more scrutinised. The frenzy of companies to hire talent at any cost and in the shortest possible time or even with relatively low-competency skills will be less prevalent compared to what it was before the recession. Better recruitment and screening processes will be put in place and value will be given to quality rather than quantity. Of late hiring in India has picked up and gained momentum backed by good industrial growth and opportunities. There has been noticed a marked shift in the recruitment pattern now than what used to happen in the pre-downturn era, the companies have adopted a more conservative approach and all recruitment decisions are backed by market demand and not opportunities in distant future. Are the companies hiring experienced manpower or the fresher’s are more in demand? In the current scenario, with many experienced professionals looking for better opportunities, companies have become more selective in the kind of people they want to hire. Though fresh talent is welcome, experienced talent is preferred as they now come at comparable salaries, and can give a better value/cost to the company. Fresh talent is hired but at not the same positions and same salaries what they would have received before recession. Are they willing to take back the people those were laid off during the recession period? In India, laid-off is definitely not a very favorable word unlike in the western world where it is relatively more prevalent. Now, the people who were laid off during the downturn had not lost their jobs because of their incompetence but because of unseen circumstances or inability of the companies to afford a large workforce. So, people with the laid off tag are actually good talent and since they had been laid off, they can come at a lower cost to a company compared to other experienced talent. However, to ensure that right people join, proper references and competency checks are required. I believe it would be fruitful to hire such talent and companies are doing so. What about those who stopped themselves from job hopping during recession. Are they now looking for greener pastures? Recession didn’t facilitate a lot of people to hop for different jobs. Secondly, most of the people stayed with similar salaries with negligible/no bonuses or hikes which is not common in India. So, as the economy improves, many people are looking out for greener pastures. Also, the job opportunities have increased as the economy is robust, thus facilitating their move. However, the salary increments are not as big as they used to be before recession.
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Attrition bug in police force
New Delhi: Belying the popular perception that IPS is an elite all-India service, nearly 80 officers of the cadre have left the hallowed portals of the top policing job in the country for greener pastures in the past seven years.
Disparity in services, uneasiness in alloted cadre, challenging nature of the job, late promotion and attractive salary in private sectors are some of the major reasons for many IPS officers mid-career leaving the service, which is considered ‘coveted’ by many. Seven Indian Police Service officers quit their jobs in 2007, 11 in 2004, eight in 2005, 13 in 2006, 16 in 2007, 15 in 2008 and eight IPS officers resigned in 2009. Former Director General of Border Security Force (BSF) and a 1972 batch IPS officer M L Kumawat said disparity in the services, long postings in disturbed areas, challenging nature of the job and better opportunity in the private sector could be the reason for the attrition in IPS cadre. “Service condition should be improved and made on par with other all India cadres. IPS officers throughout their career work on the field and they should be compensated, else the problem of attrition will remain,” Kumawat told PTI. Though steps are being taken to fill the vacant positions, no major step has been taken to stop attrition. Home Minister P Chidambaram had said given the shortage of IPS officers at the SP-level in most state cadres and taking into account the average attrition rate, “it was decided that the annual batch-size would be increased from 130 to 150”. Of the 26 ADGP posts at the Centre, 16 posts were vacant due to superannuation and promotion on March 31. Against 16 vacancies, only one officer was available on the offer list (out of the list of 32 ADGP-empaneled officers) on that date. In order to increase the size of the pool of available officers, 61 IPS officers of the 1977 and earlier batches were empaneled on November 21, 2009 to hold ADGP-level posts. It is the same story among the jawans of central paramilitary forces. In 2010 till June 30, over 9,000 personnel left their job owing to reasons varying from domestic problems to deployment in remote and difficult terrains, besides VRS schemes and death or disability. The highest attrition has been reported by CRPF with 3,522 personnel quiting their job. It was followed by BSF with 3,000 and CISF with 1,417 personnel leaving the forces. In total, the attrition rate up to June 30 in the six paramilitary forces was 9,036. “The main reasons for attrition are superannuation, retirement, removal from service on account of disciplinary proceedings, death or disability, resignation and voluntary retirement. They also include “family, personal or domestic problems, separation from family for long durations, difficult duties in remote or hard areas, sickness, mental depression, psychiatric and emotional cases”, Minister of State for Home Ajay Maken had said.
— PTI
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FIELD NEWS Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (GADVASU), Ludhiana, will organise Pashu Palan Mela on September 14 and 15. This year university is dedicating mela to the slogan “Vigayanak taknikan apnao, pashu palan ton munafa vadhao ”(earn more profit in animal rearing by using scientific methods). While briefing about mela Dr. V. K Taneja, Vice-Chancellor GADVASU said, “We are making a number of efforts to explore the new avenues in livestock professions. Anybody can do livestock related professions in professional manner with a limited capital. University will always be at their service to provide training and marketing tips”. Dr Kulbir Singh Sandhu, Director of Extension Education, GADVASU, said university’s best animals will be exhibited to motivate the farmers to breed superior livestock by getting the improved germplam from the university. Books on dairy farming, pig farming, goat farming and package of practices foranimal husbandry will also be made available to the farmers. The mineral mixture and uromin lick prepared by the university will also be sold at nominal rates. Hoof trimming, teat dip practice, acaricide drug applications, urea treatment of wheat straw and preparation of uromin lick will be demonstrated at the mela, and milk and meat processing technologies for value addition will also be discussed. The livestock farmers will be provided free testing facilities for nitrate poisoning of fodders, mastitis testing and testing of faecal and food samples. Different departments of the College of Veterinary Science, College of Dairy Science and Technology and College of Fisheries will arrange exhibitions to display the new techniques and practices for the benefit of the livestock farmers and will answer their queries. All the developmental organisations of the state, including the Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairy Development and Department of Fishery; Cooperative organisations viz Milkfed and Markfed, will put up stalls in the exhibition. During this fair other important private sector organizations dealing with production/marketing of animal feed, medicine, vaccines, animal germplasm, animal farm machinery, milk and meat processing machinery, fodder seed and banking institutions will provide valuable information and know-how to the livestock farmers. — TNS
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The sweet fruit of FOCUS
If you look at your work as a punishment and drudgery, you are headed for failure. Look at it as a pleasure, as a means for the expression of your personality, and you are courting success.
Lots of people, eager to woo success, fail to do so because they act as scatter-brains, and violate the fundamental principle of success. They give themselves niggardly to their work. Their work is sloppy and shoddy.The problem of putting the mind in work is really the problem of putting the mind in focus. It is cultivating interest in jobs that have to be done. A successful person does a thing when it should be done, whether he wants to do it or not. He is not a slave of his tyrannical moods.
Yoking the mind
Mind has a natural inclination to wander, to escape hardwork. Therefore, it is necessary to cultivate the habit of yoking it. Once the mind is tamed and attuned to discipline, it will react naturally and automatically to the demands put on it. This amounts to re-setting your biological clock. It works wonders. Lack of interest implies play of distractions. A mind divided against itself can’t produce the white-heat necessary for accomplishment of a task. Distractions, whether these are physical, emotional or mental, have to be eliminated otherwise these act like horses pulling a carriage in opposite directions which results in conflict and a vague sense of uneasiness, consuming energy. An anaemic effort will thus produce ineffectual work, a hallmark of failure. Conflicts drain out zest. Once zest is lost, listlessness overtakes. This sets in inertia, which is another way of saying that you want to laze away your time without pouring your hidden energies into your work. The mind thus finds its own way of misusing the energy which is spent without realising any worthwhile objectives.
Unravel energy
Many plead work is boring. This is the alibi of a habitually lazy mind which has rationalised its laziness. New attitude should put work in the centre of your scheme of things. It should not be the work of a slave. It should be the work of a master who forces his slaves to put in their maximum. You have to be a hard-taskmaster to yourself. It is a mistake to suppose that this attitude is being cultivated to earn money. Money might result from this effort. But its cultivation is essential for the utilisation of a vast, hidden source of energy inside you. It is also necessary because this is the only way to express your personality in a tangible form. You can achieve some semblance of perfection and excellence. When a typist looks at a letter typed neatly by her, she is doing exactly what Picasso had done after finishing a painting. Both are looking at the end product of their labour in which they have poured their effort. Another alibi is that perfection and excellence are to be attained in creative spheres only. Writers, poets, painters and musicians have to put in their best as if ordinary mortals do not need excellence in their work. Nothing could be farther from reality. Nothing is more disastrous to the growth and development of a human being. Every human being spends about half of his life at work. It is a matter of regret if half of his life is spent on doing slipshod and sloppy work. People engaged in creative activity know this. They look upon work as a mirror of their personality. Like William Hazlitt they want to ask themselves: Is there anything in which no one else can equal me? Will and vitality accomplish more than genius. It is not eminent talent that is required to ensure success in any pursuit, so much as purpose — not merely the power to achieve, but the will to labour.
Secrets of concentration?
Plunge into it. The mind will get going. Momentum will be built up, immersing you in the task. You can achieve concentration by maximising your effort and minimising distraction. Concentration is the key to growth. A mind that balks at sticking to one thing for more than a few minutes cannot be depended upon to get your anywhere in your career. You know that you have within you the spark which can ignite success. You have the mental ability that can take you high. But you are either unaware of it or you are unmindful of it. You go as it goes — a waif. You are using only one-tenth of your real brainpower because your focus is limited. If you can’t focus your mind, you lack determination to get to a goal. The desire to get to the goal is not strong enough. T.W. Emerson aptly says: “Weak minds have desires; strong minds have goals.” Concentration is another name of stickability. For example, if you are learning English language, you have to focus on many aspects like punctuation, grammar, vocabulary, style and objective. You need a gimlet — like tenacity. This cannot give up in despair. Improve your power of concentration by telling yourself that the cost of it is inattention. Lack of concentration means failure to hit the bull’s eye. A wandering mind gathers no wool. Discipline your mind to ward off distractions. Steel your desire into a goal. You cannot focus full blast on a thing you think is trivial. Keep telling yourself how important is the goal to you, your career, life and self-esteem. See yourself enjoying the privileges, perks and power which follow after you have reached your goal. Concentration means directing the wayward mind into a predetermined goal. You can do it by constantly harnessing your mind so that you put the wayward threats off. The quest for your goal is a fierce concentration, without it you are like an engine without steam. Shut out the irrelevant. You cannot concentrate on the trivial or the significant. Use imagination. See yourself finishing it with pride in achievement. Nothing else equals the joy of a deed accomplished.
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Women on top
The time for women to shine at the workplace is not too far! By 2020, one in every three workers will be a woman and they will increasingly be in control of the workplace, a study has revealed.
“This will change company culture in an in-depth manner due to the difference in female management styles,” says the study on ‘Working in a globalised space’ conducted by Ericsson Malaysia. “Women will move rapidly up the chain of command and their emotional-intelligence skills may become ever more essential,” states the study. As women manage their jobs more cautiously than men and focus on long term effects, they are consensus builders, conciliators and collaborators, it says. “Women will employ a different leadership style. It will be heavily engaged and motivational,” said Sebastian Barros, head of multimedia and consulting system integration, Ericsson Malaysia. “The workplace-research group Catalyst studied 353 Fortune 500 companies and found that those with the maximum number of women in senior management had a higher return on equities — by more than a third,” he said. The report on the study also says that flexible career paths and nomadic working environments will be the primary elements of the future workplace. It states that future workers will be able to work from anywhere spending less time in a physical location and more time being on the move. “The office environment will be more interactive — walls could become screens showing diaries, documents or video conferences. You won’t need a keyboard and mouse to control your computer. Instead, users will open documents and surf the Web using nothing more than their brain waves,” it says. Barros said due to ageing populations in many developed countries, skilled-worker shortage in several industries is expected, and a generational divide will create a disparity in work styles between younger and older workers. “An ageing workforce may either want to retire, to continue working a shortened workweek or in flexible hours, or to work remotely. At the same time, a younger workforce with higher expectations for a work-life balance will be launching their careers,” he said. Companies, he said, would also move from outsourcing their work to crowdsourcing, the act of taking tasks traditionally performed by one person and outsourcing them to a group of people, who could be freelancers or contractors. “The 2020 enterprise will take a job once performed by a full-time employee and send it out to a sometimes large group of people. These people will form a network, take the job and perform various parts of it in collaboration with others,” he said.
— PTI
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Happiness @ work
After the physical charms of Parvati failed to entice Shiva, who in addition reduced Kama, the god of love, to ashes, Parvati changed strategy and let her devotion make the lord accept her as his wife. Even though Rambola was eager to read the Ramayana that was in Sanskrit, Acharya Shesh Sanatan of Varanasi told him to learn Panini’s Sanskrit grammar first. The knowledge of grammar helped him write the Ramacharitmanas and he became famed as Tulsidas. At the fall of the mighty Bhishma on the 10th day of the Mahabharata war, Duryodhana revised his goal. He requested Drona to capture Yudhisthira alive so that he could invite the eldest Pandava again to a game of dice and banish him again to the forest. Krishna’s brother Balarama desired to marry Revati, daughter of King Revata of Kushasthali, but she was too tall for him. So Balarama asked her to touch his plough by her toe and lo! she shrank till they looked like a perfect match. From every drop of Raktabeeja’s blood that touched the ground, a clone sprang up. As the battle progressed, the number of rivals Durga had to face kept growing. So Durga summoned Kali to drink his blood and prevent it from reaching the soil. When he saw that Kartikeya was about to kill him, demon Surapadman begged forgiveness and the compassionate lord made him his mount (peacock) and his symbol (cock). Oil vendors at Shirdi village refused to donate oil to Sai Baba. So he poured water into the lamps and lit these to the astonishment of the vendors and other villagers. Freedom fighter Rash Behari Bose and his comrades had planned a mass uprising in the North-East on February 21, 1915, but Kirpal Singh turned traitor and divulged their plans to the British. Bose preponed the uprising to February 19 but the authorities managed to nip the revolt in the bud. Always remember that adaptability is the trait of the living. — Sai R. Vaidyanathan |
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The rural social fibre has been known for its strong conservative thread and an orthodox warp of stereotyped roles for women. But all this seems to be changing as many young girls from the rural and semi-rural areas of the state are dreaming beyond the stereotyped roles and are scripting success stories for themselves. These girls have been able to convince their ‘orthodox’ parents that hospitality is a great career option for them today.
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India’s footwear industry has been growing at an unprecedented pace (10% annually) over the past few years touching Rs 10,000 crore. Today, India is the second largest footwear manufacturer in the world. Apart from growth in the domestic sector, exports (mainly to US and Europe) are likely to double — touching $ 3.37 billion by 2013-14.
Of the total leather goods industry, footwear alone constitutes 40 per cent.
With hiring activity picking up momentum in almost all sectors, the employment scenario is on a roll in the country. These are the findings of a survey conducted by a top job portal. A survey conducted of over 700 recruiters across India by Naukri.com revealed a positive outlook for the second half of 2010. As many as 73 per cent predict addition of new jobs, 55 per cent expect replacement hiring, three per cent expect a freeze and two per cent anticipate layoffs.
Some goals set at the onset may require revision. Be flexible and make the correction so that juniors and coworkers are not ill at ease.
