Have skill will shine
R.M.S. Atwal

While the golden pay packages being offered by MNCs are extremely encouraging for our youth, India Inc continues to crib about the widening industry-education gap leading to a 'half-baked' workforce. On the other hand, the academic fraternity is deeply concerned about employers getting 'softer' on prospective employees' basic technical and analytical skills.

Unlike the West where there is a 'strong interface' between industry and classrooms with more emphasis on teaching real-life analytical skills, our education system is suffering from a host of flaws like rote learning, leading to a growing unemployed youth brigade each year. As per estimates by 2012 India will have its largest share of unemployed educated youth.

According to experts, literacy and employability are 'not necessarily linked'. For example, India has 270 million (23 per cent of India's current population of 1,160 million) illiterate people. As per 2009 figures, India's unemployment rate was about 9.5 per cent, which equals 110 million. This means that 'not all illiterate persons are jobless'; even though they may be doing menial jobs.

According to a recent survey conducted by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry and CVoter, "Employability quotient of the undergraduates in India reveals that GenNext is woefully short of soft skills and vocational training to take on the responsibilities of corporate sector management."

The survey on employability quotient of undergraduates in India found that only three out of 10 respondents were satisfied with their fresh recruits in the past one year.

New undergraduates lack reliability, integrity, self motivation, self discipline and empathy for other workers and management, they said.

Little wonder then that under the present work-culture a candidate with an MBA first class degree, too, seldom impresses the captains of industry scouting for talented individuals with 'nerves of steel'. The unwritten work ethic is, "thou shall not totter under pressure and will think outside the box".

Yes, degrees do help a student get that plum post, but it is his ability to go an extra mile which sustains and pushes him up the corporate ladder.

While a fresher is not that welcome in the present job market, what clicks for a student today is a good academic record coupled with some experience and "extraordinary multi-tasking" skills. In reality, employers today expect 50 years of experience from a 25-year-old, who should be able to gel well with his co-workers in his pursuit of meeting the company's targets.

Finding good workers and training them are two of the biggest worries of employers today. The difference between the skills needed on the job and those possessed by applicants is of real concern to HR managers and corporate houses looking to hire competent employees in the region. Placement companies' hiring mantra is, select a few smart people and train them on the job.

Most discussions concerning today's workforce eventually turn to employability skills. Finding workers who have employability or job readiness skills that help them fit into and remain in the work environment is a major problem.

Creativity, once a trait avoided by employers, is now among the most prized qualification for the employers who are trying to create an empowered, high-performance workforce. Employees with these skills are in demand and are considered valuable human capital assets to companies.

"Universities need to ensure that their graduates have the best employment opportunities by finding out what employers want from them," according to Dr Manjit Singh Kang Vice-Chancellor of Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana industry demands are different today. "In industry employability skills that are in demand are: getting along with people, planning and completing projects, and analysing information for decision-making. If students have proper employability skills only then will they have a positive attitude towards their job," he opines.

Kang suggests that like the West, there should be an internship system for teachers in India as well. "A newer concept of internships for teachers is designed to make classroom teaching more relevant to the needs of business and industry," says the VC adding that universities need to develop short-term vocational training programmes.

This top agricultural expert feels that teacher internships will make educators aware of the needs of industry. Such internships are not only good for educators' professional development, they will also allow them to adapt develop/curricula and classroom instruction to better prepare students to meet the practical demands of business and industry. "This process can make a course work with practical applications in the real work environment," Kang emphasises.

According to Kamal Wadhera, CEO of Ludhiana-based Top Careers and You, there is a 'gross mismatch' between industry and education and in this age of stiff competition only those students excel who continue to update their skills. He laments that most of our students are 'not groomed' for the industry.

Wadhera rues the fact that employees lack interpersonal and behavioural skills. "On-job training is only successful up to a certain extent because there are certain skills which are ingrained in an employee and can't be taught," he avers.

On the other hand, Vice-Chancellor of Lovely Professional University, Jalandhar, Dr Vijay Gupta, opines that since our education system is 'greatly flawed', the gap between the industry and education is widening day by day.

Talking of industry placements, this US-educated professor says, "Today, nobody is worried about a candidate's technical skills as the industry is hiring them only because of their smart skills which make them deal effectively with on-job problems later on." He laments that since our education system encourages rote learning; there is a 'total lack' of innovation among students.

Gupta suggests that with the introduction of analytical and critical thinking in our university curricula, our teaching can be made more meaningful. "The need of the hour is to first make our teaching analytical; industry requirements come much later. Our students must learn fundamentals first," concludes Prof Gupta making a strong appeal for making boys and girls employment ready sooner than later.

 

Top of the league skills BASIC ACADEMICS Although the academic skill level required by some entry-level jobs may be low, basic academic skills are still essential for high job performance. Ideally, new hires will have the ability and will want to learn. They also need the ability to listen to and read instructions and then to carry out those instructions. When asked for information, these individuals should be able to respond appropriately both orally and in writing, including recording and relaying information. Reading ability includes comprehending what has been read and using a variety of written materials, including graphs, charts, tables and displays. Entry level employees also need the ability to complete basic math computations accurately. SHARP THINKING The ability to think, reason, and make sound decisions is crucial for employees desiring to do well and advance. A person who can think critically, act logically, and evaluate situations to make decisions and solve problems, is a valuable asset to a company. Application of higher order thinking skills in the use of technology, instruments, tools and information systems takes these higher order skills to a new level making the employee even more valuable. Employers will usually try to help valued employees seek and get more advanced training, thus widening the gap between those with higher order skills and those possessing basic academic skills alone. AGREEABLE PERSONALITY Such skills are required because in most jobs it is difficult to utilise workers effectively who lack them. Entry-level employees with good personal skills have confidence in themselves and deal with others honestly and openly, displaying respect for themselves, their co-workers, and their supervisors regardless of other people's diversity and individual differences. They view themselves as a part of a team and are willing to work within the culture of the group. They have a positive attitude and take the initiative to learn new things to get the job done. Rather than blaming others when things go wrong, they are accountable for their actions. GOOD COMMUNICATION Improving upon your communication skills is relevant to all sectors. No matter which industry you join, it is a skill that will help you advance your career a lot. Especially if your job involves dealing with clients, you will be required to have amazing communication skills. Even if you don't have to deal with customers or clients, having good communication skills will ensure that you gel well within a team, can effectively communicate your ideas and can get noticed more. FOREIGN LANGUAGES You can also enrol yourself for a foreign language course to get an edge over others. With MNCs setting foot in India, preference is given to candidates who have the knowledge of at least one foreign language. Learning French, German, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese or any other in demand foreign language can give the required fillip to your job prospects. Learning a foreign language will also give you an advantage if you wish to work abroad.

 

Top job mantras  Ever-ready for new technology: Dependency on technology is only going to increase multifold in the future. So spend time learning new computer programmes but more importantly, apply these in your daily routine and strive to use technology as an enabler of productivity not as a neat new toy with tonnes of cute features that you don't use. Re-invent yourself: When you finished your last college course did you utter a sigh of relief , "Whew, glad I'm finished with my education!" Surprise…the future will require you to be a continuous learner. Be prepared to reinvent yourself, the pool of information in your brain and your work-related skills every four-five years. Be result-oriented: Employers need to feel your spirit and have the quiet assurance that you are honest. Taking integrity beyond just simple honesty, however, means that when you commit to a deadline, you are fully committed to producing results, not excuses. An optimist to the core: Fire yourself up or look forward to being the first to go when bottom lines dip into the red, a recession lurks around the corner or the next merger takes place. Those who learn to work on the optimistic side of life not the pessimistic side of life, are more valuable to the organisation. Self-discipline: Employers want to hire people who have disciplined work habits and disciplined thinking. The more disciplined the worker, the less time managers must spend rethinking, retracing and reworking…basically worrying if you will be reliable. Set priorities right: Two of the biggest time wasters in the world are not knowing where to start when you get to work in the morning and working on low priority items. To compete in the work environment takes meticulous prioritization of tasks and the ability to identify the highest priority item that you tackle first thing in the morning. Show initiative: To stave off obsolescence, organisations must constantly change and regularly introduce change initiatives. Often employee resistance derails plans for updating processes and procedures and stalls company progress. To increase employability, learn to be part of the solution, not part of the problem. Think out of the box: Contribute to your organisation's demands by thinking outside of the box and look for creative ways to solve nagging problems, increase productivity or produce a new product.

Career Hotline
Web advertising 
A promising option
Pervin Malhotra

Q. I have just completed my BFA with a specialisation in Graphic Design. What are the prospects of a career in web advertising?

— Jeevika Bakshi

A. How often have we cursed those irritating ads that pop-up every time we browse the Internet or the spam that infiltrates not only our mailbox but also our mobile?

Bugging as they may be, these images are a part of the cleverly crafted strategy to capture the capricious eye of the consumer. With technology transcending space barriers the Internet has become a viable and cost-effective advertising and brand-building medium — connecting advertisers and marketers to customers from Manhattan to Meerut with text, interactive graphics, video and audio.

And with India’s increasing population of Netizens who spend hours glued to their computer screens, the number of jobs available in the world of online advertising has also multiplied steadily.

Nasscom’s Strategic Review states that less than 10 per cent of Internet users in India buy products online. But the good news is that e-commerce is catching on in a big way and an upbeat PwC Report is convinced that in the coming years Internet will be the fastest-growing advertising medium.

If you want to take up web advertising as a career, a stint in a good regular advertising agency would be a good starting point. For the simple reason that web advertising is just another form of direct response advertising. Although the medium varies, the principles of advertising remain the same. Also, you need a working knowledge of Java, which you can acquire alongside.

Be cautious

Q. Please tell me something about home-based internet jobs. Are they reliable? How can we ensure the authenticity of the advertisements?

— Kiran Khatri

A. Open any internet site and the chances are that you will be looking at advertising banners exhorting you to work from home and earn pots of money. But then if that were true, wouldn’t we all be working from home?

Here are some dos and don’ts before you take-up any such offer.

Know who you’re dealing with. Often companies may have no plans to employ you directly, only to sell you training material and find customers for your work. Most importantly, find out if there is really a market for your work.

Don’t fall for promises of making big profits easily. Operating a home-based business requires hard work, skills and time besides good products or services.

Get references of other people who are doing this work. Ask them if the company has kept its promises.

Be wary of offers to send you an advance on your payment. Some slick operators use this ploy to build trust and get money from your bank. They send you a cheque for part of your first month’s pay. You deposit it, and before it has cleared the company contacts you to say that you were mistakenly paid the wrong amount so you need to return a portion of the payment for some reason. After you send the money back, the cheque that you deposited ultimately bounces because it turned out to be an elaborate hoax. Now the crooks have your payment, and you’re left with a hole in your pocket.

So be very careful to only deal with legitimate companies that hire people to work for them at home.

Clicking on ads and checking-emails is a sham and you won’t receive much money. Instead, what you could do is start a website or a blog, add content and apply for the Google Adsense programme.

Ads will appear alongside the content of your website. You make money on the clicks coming onto your website.

Perfect PATENT

Q. I am in my final year of L.LB in Patiala. I have an offer from a legal outsourcing firm, to work in their patents vertical. I am in two minds about joining.

— Jaspreet Walia

A. Thanks to the widespread impact of the US patent reform Act of 2007 coupled with the multi-fold increase in patent applications globally the Indian patent offshoring industry is expected to clock $2.06 billion revenue by 2012 end growing at 35 per cent annually. And as a result, nearly 7,000 persons are expected to be employed in this industry by then.

Following the Patent Reform Act, USA has switched to a first-to-file patent system from the earlier first-to-invent system. Thus early filing becomes more critical than the date of the invention for acquiring patent rights. Naturally, offshoring the key components helps speed the patent claims drafting process considerably. What’s more, US firms save a hefty 40 per cent in costs by offshoring to the 50-odd specialist companies in India. Incidentally, US accounts for nearly 60 per cent of the work offshored to India.

Large corporations are outsourcing chunks of their patent drafting process such as prior art search, patent illustration, patent proofreading and even actual patent drafting in some cases. However, few companies as of now, outsource services such as landscape reports or competitive intelligence reports as the patent services industry in India is still in its infancy.

In the future, there will be opportunities for taking on work from patent offices as well, as most of them are faced with mounting backlogs due to high attrition among patent examiners. Over 50,000 applications are pending in the US patent office alone which could take 3-5 years to be examined.

At a conservative estimate, over 2 million patent applications are filed worldwide every year.

(Patent offices are country specific or intergovernmental organizations that control the issue of patents).

Private varsities can’t affiliate colleges

Q. I am studying in an engineering college in Noida which is affiliated to a private university in Uttarakhand. Will my degree be recognised? I am very worried.

— Gurleen Khanna

A. A private university can award degrees (as specified by UGC under Section 22 of the UGC Act) through its main campus.

However, private universities are not permitted to affiliate an institution/college. Neither can they establish off-campus centre(s) beyond their territorial jurisdiction (of the state concerned).

They are permitted to establish off-campus centre(s) within the state only after they have been in existence for five years, and only with the prior approval of the UGC. As far as I know, UGC has not approved any off campus centre(s) of any private university so far.

Please read the UGC notification in this regard: (www.ugc.ac.in/notices/privateuniversitiesseptember09.pdf)

Students are advised to scan UGC website (www.ugc.ac.in) carefully before taking admission in any of the 44 State Private Universities listed state-wise on the Commission’s website and report any violation of the above provision to Secretary, UGC.

News Board
Women in IT sector more stressed

Despite the glamour and hefty salaries associated with the field, women in the IT industry suffer from physical discomfort and mental tension, even in their plush office environments, a study has revealed.

High salaries and social status associated with the IT sector has attracted women to take up these jobs, but many suffer on account of various factors like late working hours, the study conducted by Kerala State Women’s Commission said.

The study also covered problems faced by women in various other fields, including nursing in private hospitals.

Covering 150 women in the IT sector and 50 others in allied areas, the study found that long working hours at the desk and job related pressure creates a lot of physical discomfort and mental tension.

The study suggested that all IT institutions conduct stress management counselling services for women employees, and a law be enforced by the government to reschedule working hours.

It also said all women professionals in IT sector should receive maternity benefits, as are available for government jobs.

Agreeing with the study, former CEO of Technopark here N Radhakrishnan Nair, however, said working conditions in IT industry are far better compared to most other fields.

“Women are well taken care of. They are picked up from their homes and dropped back by most companies,” he said.

“Of course there is some pressure of work as there are deadlines to keep in IT jobs. Many companies take up contracts for foreign clients and it is important to keep contractual obligations,” Nair, now with animation major Toonz told PTI.

This kind of pressure is there for both men and women and it is not always correct to say only women suffer, he said.

“It, however, is true that women have to cope with practical problems of balancing work at home and office in our social and family set-up. But the same is the case in all professions,” he said. — PTI

MoU signed

A recently signed Memorandum of Understanding between Michigan Law School and Jindal Global Law School (JGLS) of O.P. Jindal Global University (JGU), near Delhi, has established a Joint Centre for Global Corporate and Financial Law & Policy, as well as opened the door for future cooperative efforts between the two schools.

The MoU, signed by Michigan Law’s Dean Evan Caminker and Prof. C. Raj Kumar, O.P. Jindal Global University’s Vice-Chancellor and Dean of Jindal Global Law School, provides the framework for Michigan and Jindal to develop collaborative initiatives on faculty and student exchange programmes, teaching and research initiatives, conferences and publications and continuing legal education programmes. The Centre’s directors will be Michigan’s Prof. Vikramaditya Khanna and JGLS Professors Vivek Pande, Charles Maddox, and Ajay Goyal.

Key activities at the centre will be research and legal policy analysis, facilitating development of collaborative research and teaching, and organising lectures, conferences and symposia. — TNS

Leadership summit

IIM Lucknow’s Noida campus is organising a summit for the corporate leaders to architect business models with sustainability. “Udyam ’10 –The Leadership Summit” will be held on November 13 at IIM Lucknow’s Noida campus.

The summit aims at providing a channel for confluence of ideas and amalgamation of varied perspectives to surmount these challenges through focus on the central theme ‘Architecting Sustainability’.

Eminent speakers from Tata BP Polar, Reliance Power, GMR Group and others will speak on architecting sustainability that meets the needs of the present without compromising the needs of future generations to meet their own needs.

Sustainability today is a social challenge for the corporates. It has become imperative for budding managers to understand the potential for long-term maintenance of well-being. Bill Gates has rightly said, "As we look ahead into the next century, leaders will be those who empower others." Corporate leadership today is on the path to building business models with sustainability at their core. However, given the complex interplay between social, environmental and economic activities, the road to sustainability is fraught with uncertainty and challenges .

Auto sector rides high on hiring

The auto sector, which is riding the wave of increased demand and robust economic growth, generated the most number of job opportunities in October, says a study.

"An in-depth analysis shows that the index for the Auto sector stands at 917 in October'10, which is the highest index for the sector since October'08," as per 'Naukri Job Speak' prepared by the leading job portal naukri.com under its industry sector analysis.

The Oil and Gas sector also clocked impressive growth figures of 12 per cent in October'10 as compared to the previous month. — PTI

In conversation
‘Join forces to bridge gap’

Manmohan Kumar Garg, CEO-cum-Chairman of Gurukul Vidyapeeth

For Manmohan Kumar Garg, CEO-cum-Chairman of Gurukul Vidyapeeth, the low employability factor of students passing out from various professional colleges is an extremely disturbing factor. The group is coming up with a finishing school in Mohali to impart specialised training to students from different streams to make them ready for industry. But he feels that changes should be incorporated in the curriculum to make students employable as per industry needs. Excerpts from an interview with Rakesh Sharma

Chandigarh region is emerging as education hub up North after Delhi. Still industry feels that educational institutes are not being able to produce quality manpower. Why so?

It is true that the Chandigarh region is emerging as an educational hub after Delhi, still the educational institutes are not being able to produce the quality manpower because the students lack that exposure and talent which the industry is demanding. Only theoretical knowledge i.e. bookish study is not sufficient. The syllabus of PTU needs a revamp as per the prevailing industry norms from time to time. PTU courses should include further practical study with more interfaces between the students and industry. Till the course structure is improved regularly we can’t expect “real” manpower which the industry is demanding. Only 25 per cent of the manpower is employable as per NASCOM out of the B. Tech Graduates and MBA post graduates pursuing their academics from this part of the country. Gurukul Vidyapeeth has planned and set up an exclusive finishing school at Mohali to make the manpower employable.

How can the gap between technical institutes and industry be bridged?

Although there may be a gap between academics and industry, it can be narrowed. In order for this to happen, it is important that the academic and industrial players make a joint effort to better understand the business drivers and end-user needs and analyse how they are likely to evolve. It is stressed that successful development of industry depends on the availability of a competent engineering workforce. The relationship between industry and institutes should be developed in a way that the syllabus should be revised from time to time as per the requirements of the industry and seminars/workshops should be organised wherein student-industry interface should be the main focus.

AICTE may allow corporates to open technical institutes. So far only education trusts were allowed to do so. What is your take on this?

I feel that it would be a good move if the AICTE allows corporates to open technical institutions as there would be availability of public equity in market, financing a good institute would be easy. I have worked with more than 25 trusts which are engaged in educational activities. So from my personal experience I know how clashes and crisis among managements directly disturb the academic environment in these institutes. If the freedom of constitution is allowed then more good and competitive and competent people will enter this service industry and it will deliver more employable manpower. Look into the areas where corporate are working e.g. for preparations of competitive exams, institutes with 100 per cent corporate involvement are delivering excellent results.

Do you think the present syllabi followed by PTU has any relevance?

In my view, the present syllabus being followed by the PTU needs to be revised immediately as per the requirement of the Industry. The syllabus being followed by the PTU has huge relevance as the students going for higher education will become employable and will be get placements only if their knowledge meets the Industry norms and standards.

Master your anger
D.C. Sharma

What impression do you get when you find an officer shouting angrily at his subordinate or when two colleagues are quarrelling and abusing each other? It certainly is not a pleasant experience and a very awkward situation to be in for those not directly involved in the argument.

How many times has it happened that a colleague/s has severed all ties with you because you lost your temper? But it is not uncommon to blow one’s top due to work related stress and while coping with deadlines day in and day out. But if one is losing temper often and over insignificant issues then it is a matter of concern.

You may be facing problems caused by others’ anger. But it doesn’t pay to retaliate. Your emotions determine your behaviour and 95 per cent of your emotions are determined by how you talk to yourself. The way you interpret things determines how you feel. Your version of events determines whether they motivate or de-motivate you. Try your best never to retaliate with anger at workplace.

Physical activity

Dr Hans Selye, who coined the term stress, found in his research that workers can dispel anger through one of the four outlets: their hands, their feet, their teeth and their voice. Their anger passes through their body to the object of their contact. So anger is expressed usually by kicking, hitting, biting and screaming. These actions also give a vent to the surge of negative emotions and this release is generally followed by a calming effect. So, if used in a positive manner, these physical activities can release anger. Games like volleyball and handball are excellent for hitting. It is a good strategy to move away from the scene of confrontation and get involved in some physical activity rather than just dwelling on the the irritant. Psychologists and psychotherapists advise their worker patients how to dispel their suppressed anger which is the cause of their many diseases.

Practice forgiveness

Get rid of all anger with peaceful means. Dwelling on peaceful thoughts can help you keep your cool. A positive thinker can take the poison out of negative emotions and with constant practice.

Learn to sing

As you enter or leave your workplace you must sing or hum. Your workplace is like a temple of earning and learning. Just fill your mind with a humming tune. It will generate a passion for work. It elevates your spirits and works wonders with your efficiency and productivity. Music has tremendous power. In the past kings and emperors would use it to encourage their war heroes to be bold and courageous to fight and win. You must make use of music as and when necessary.

Your purpose at workplace is to remain stress free and perform your best. Never forget that anger only takes you away from this goal, so instead of suppressing it train your mind to win over it. A person who can not be ruffled easily is the biggest asset to a company and to his team. Anger management is a must to do extremely well at your workplace. 

Office Mantra
Banish boredom
The secret of discovering interest in work is to be interested in it, writes I.M. Soni

Boredom at work place is a gnawing problem. The younger generation must guard itself against its implications as it hampers their career growth.Boredom is a state of mind. It is not induced by circumstances. It is the result of one’s attitude towards circumstances. Work is interesting only if one takes interest in it.

Boredom eats into a person and doesn’t remain limited to work only. The attitude towards work soon seeps into the other facets of one’s life. Those belonging to the “bored tribe” are determined to be bored. They have closed minds. They think that life has nothing to offer. This happens because they have caged themselves intellectually.

If you belong to this class then you can turn the tide in your favour. As a first step, start giving something to life. Then, only will it begin to offer something to you. In other words, try to fly out of the self-created cage.

“I am bored, terribly overworked,” is a common refrain of a habitual procrastinator. He has to be reminded of this mantra: if you want a thing done, give to a busy man!

Do things well

There is a plenty of work to do, and one should try his best to do it well. Accept the challenge. After spending a few years in the same type of job many workers do their work mechanically without interest and zest as they believe that their work has nothing to offer to them.

Lack of interest in work makes you feel trapped. You are dissatisfied with your own life and work and are restless and empty inside.

But it is possible to discipline oneself to do something efficiently. Work honestly without stealing one’s employer’s time for which one is being paid. Aldous Huxley once observed that whenever he was bored and haunted by nothingness”, he took a book and paraphrased paras from it.

This attitude can awaken a sense of worthiness in your work, and also a desire to excel. Akin to this is the desire to go deeper into a matter.

Go for detail

If you make no attempt to probe, boredom will creep in and take the liveliness out of your work.Curiosity coaxes you to explore. Madam Curie burnt her fingers experimenting in labs. Was she bored?

Put zest into your work. As the quality of work improves, your outlook, too, will change from diffidence to enthusiasm, and an enthusiastic person cannot remain bored for long.

Work with full mind and might. It quickens a sense of involvement and zest in whatever you do. It also arouses an urge for more competence. As the area of interest increases, the one of boredom decreases.

Here’s one exercise, keep a table calendar before you. Pick one picture and describe it in detail. Write down your observations. A superficial first attempt will result in only a skeleton sketch. Second attempt will yield a richer crop of observations.

Deliberate attempts of this nature are effective ways of increasing your observation power and of dispelling the dullness of work.

Take delight in work

Work is dull and dreary when you look at it as drudgery. When you regard it as a means of personality expression and self-improvement, it becomes a delight.

You are bored when your faculties remain unused. Can you imagine a writer feeling bored when he is writing? When you give your imagination something to work on, something to grip and grapple, you banish the very idea of boredom. The reason is that you have filled the mental vacuum.

When you say, “My work is terribly boring,” you are, in fact, announcing that your outlook is barren. This means that something is wrong with your own attitude.

While reading, you come across a word or phrase the meaning of which you do not know. You find it irksome but you make no attempt to look it up in dictionary. Your interest in reading goes down. If you can’t comprehend a para or two, you give up reading, calling it “boring”. Here, actually the matter is not boring but it is just that you lack interest in it. Start taking interest and it will become engrossing.

Bored people need to make this mental readjustment in their work culture by using their faculties. Change your outlook about work. If your work is good, anybody, everybody (except the jealous) will compliment you.

You are bored because your thinking is turned in, upon your own self and not on your work. Work lovers are turned inside-out.

Glut of jobs in Q4

Six sectors, including healthcare and realty, are expected to create a whopping 2.3 lakh jobs in India in the last three months of 2010, according to global consultancy Ernst & Young.Boosted by strong domestic economic recovery and improved global sentiment, most local industries are expected to increase their headcount in the coming months, E&Y said.

As many as 2.3 lakh jobs are estimated to be created in India in the fourth quarter of 2010 by six sectors, Ernst & Young’s Partner, National Head and EMEIA Leader (People & Organisation) N.S Rajan told PTI.

The six sectors are healthcare, real estate, IT/ITeS, education and training, manufacturing and Banking, Financial Services and Insurance (BFSI).

Among them, healthcare industry alone is projected to generate 60,000 jobs in fourth quarter of 2010, Rajan said.

Real estate and IT/ITes sector, each are expected to create 50,000 jobs.

Education and training industry is projected to generate 30,000 jobs. Manufacturing and BFSI sectors would each be churning out 20,000 jobs in the 2010 fourth quarter, E&Y said.

“This (robust healthcare) trend is expected to continue with a huge gap in demand and supply of healthcare services and increasing investment in the sector.

“Lifestyle changes, increasing rural penetration and various government schemes have ensured robust growth in this sector,” Rajan noted.

Healthcare sector is estimated to have added 150,000 jobs in September quarter.

Pointing out that public sector companies are bullish on recruitment, he said that most of these large players are expected to increase hiring in the last three months of 2010.

“Similarly in public sector banks, expansion of existing branches and replacement of retired staff are driving significant increases in recruitment... Demand for talent across the public sector banks over the coming decade is estimated to rise to 5,00,000,” he added.

The education market in the country, estimated to be worth $40 billion, is also expected to generate more employment opportunities.

Rajan said that a considerable demand for education and training is contributing significantly to job creation in the sector. — PTI

Happiness work
Network and rise
Gems of ancient wisdom

To make a career out of your work, develop links.Very few might have risen like Hemu. Son of a grocer, Hemu began as Superintendent of Bazars under Sultan Islam Shah. Then he became the head of the sultan’s secret service. Under Sultan Muhammad Adil Shah, he was promoted as minister and later, as commander. He led the forces to victory in Agra and Delhi and proclaimed himself King Vikramaditya in 1556.

As both princes were sans kingdom or wife, Sugriva joined hands with Rama near the Pampa river. After the death of Sugriva’s elder brother Vaali at the hands of Rama, Sugriva got back the throne and his wife Taara. In turn, Sugriva and his army helped Rama rescue Sita from Ravana.

“How can I expand my realm?” Yudhisthira asked Krishna. “Help release the 86 kings imprisoned in Magadha Emperor Jarasandha’s prison and you will get ready support from them,” Krishna said. Bhima, under Krishna’s direction, killed Jarasandha in a duel.

Earlier, Arjuna had gone and sought alliances with the Nagas, Manipur and Dwarka by marrying their princesses Uloopi, Chitrangada and Subhadra, respectively. With the support of these alliances, Yudhisthira brought a large area under his sway and performed the Rajsuya yagna.

Even while Krishna had foiled marriage plans of Duryodhana with Subhadra, Krishna’s sister, Karna with Draupadi and Lakshmana, Duryodhana’s son, with Vatsala, Balarama’s daughter, Duryodhana knew an alliance with the Yadavas could decide the outcome of the Mahabharata war. He went and got the mammoth Yadava army on his side.

As Shalya, uncle of Nakula and Sahadava, had a big army, Duryodhana also forced Shalya to side with him.

“The churning of the Ocean of Milk is a huge task. Seek the cooperation of the Asuras,” Vishnu told the Devas. Both sets of stepbrothers joined hands and out came 14 jewels.

Our freedom fighters also sought foreign help. After being hounded for the failed uprising of February 19, 1915 by the police in Lahore, Varanasi and Chandernagore, Rash Behari Bose went to Japan. He sent shiploads of arms from there for the Indian freedom struggle and later founded the Indian Independence League (IIL) and the 40,000-men strong Indian National Army (INA). Subhas Chandra Bose took over from him on July 4, 1943 at Singapore.

Taking the support of a tree, even a climber can achieve great heights.

— Sai R. Vaidyanathan

The writer can be contacted at svaidyanathan@tribunemail.com 

Fortnightly Quiz-374

luxury on Indian roads

1. Who was the first US President to visit India?

2. Name the two persons of Indian origin to have been elected Governors of American states.

3. Name the first woman to become President of Brazil.

4. Who has been named the most powerful person in the world in the latest list released by the Forbes magazine?

5. Name the most expensive car (priced at Rs 16 crore plus) being sold in India.

6. What is the new name of Rajasansi International Airport at Amritsar?

7. Name Asia’s top oil company.

8. Where are the Asian Games going to be held from November 12?

9. Which team was bowled out for 21 runs by Rajasthan in a Ranji Trophy match recently, creating the lowest total record of the tournament?

10. Name the Sri Lankan batsmen who were recently involved in the highest ninth wicket partnership ever (132 runs) in one-day international cricket.

— Tarun Sharma

Winners of quiz 373: The first prize by draw of lots goes to Swati, class VII-C, Dayanand Public School (Pandusar), Nabha, district Patiala, Pin Code – 147201

Second: Aastha Khera, class X, Gita Niketan Awasiya Vidhyalya, Salarpur Road, Kurukshetra, Pin Code – 136118

Third: Akshay Arora, class X-D, Bhartiya Vidya Mandir, Kitchlu Nagar, Ludhiana, Pin Code – 141001

Answers to quiz 373: Chile; Five; 1935; Rail Coach Factory Kapurthala; Coal India Limited; Gwalior; Red Ribbon; Once; Saina Nehwal; 101

Cash awards of Rs 400, 300 and 200 are given to the first, second and third prize winners, respectively. These are sent at the school address.

Note: Kindly mention the pincode of your place to facilitate the delivery of the prize money.

Answers can also be sent at quiz@tribunemail.com