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| JOBS & CAREERS |
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Mentoring future leaders
cat gdpi
Course CHAT
AIEEE ONLINE TEST
On road to ornamental gains
NEWS BOARD
SMART STRATEGY
Facebook’s ‘golden purse’ for IIT-Kanpur studen
The apt job APP
Management Tip
Happiness @ work
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Mentoring future leaders
when a marketing manager at Procter & Gamble (P&G) was enrolled in the company's first middle-management training programme last year, she didn't reckon that she would soon become adept at walking the tight rope fit for a higher functional role. The manager was in her mid 30s and had joined P&G seven-eight years back. The big win was how the programme allowed functional managers like her to step into the shoes of a general manager. Professional companies are increasingly adopting succession management to retain the talent and also to fill the top slots when vacancy arises. Middle management employees across organisations aspire for higher posts and even leadership roles. But, what confuses them is whether they would be capable of handling the challenges that come along. To deal with such issues, many companies like P&G have initiated a middle management training programmes to 'build our future' (BOF), which develops and trains the mid career professionals for their next big career leap. P&G is not the only one. To address the complex issue of leadership building and even succession planning, several others such as HUL and Godrej are also adopting programmes to add an edge to their talent pipeline. Building leaders The emphasis on middle management is a thought that even management experts now propagate vigorously. They believe that a one shot approach to educating managers is going to be inadequate. A process of refreshing, unlearning and re-learning at regular intervals is what they recommend for the corporate world to target the issue of leadership building. One of the biggest bottlenecks in India’s growth is the availability of high quality human capital at all skill levels. Indian companies have to take proactive steps before this becomes a real hindrance. Different takes P&G India's human resources head, feels that most companies don't focus on it. At P&G they are built from within and realise the importance of developing the leadership pipeline not just at the senior level but at the middle management level as well. The company designed the BOF programme around 4-5 unique capabilities for its entire middle management, which consisted of 150 people. It involved a week-long process where people included were not only from within the organisation in India but also included those based abroad. To bring in thought leadership, some of the best minds within the P&G world also have a session with the employees. It is an intensive training programme which ends with an experiential one-day session for business simulation where managers get to understand what business can look like. It's like a case study but on a much larger life like scale. P&G realised that since the organisation was growing at a fast pace (the business has grown 10 times over the past eight years) it needed to keep the talent pipeline running. With an attrition of five per cent and other P&G regions looking at India for sourcing talent, BOF gave P&G a much broader pool to choose from to meet any future requirement. Arch rival Hindustan Unilever (HUL), however, does it differently. The FMCG major, with a 900-strong middle management pool, has a mentoring programme called Alchemy, for all high potential middle management employees wherein they are assigned a senior manager who guides and supports them through their leadership journey in the organisation. "Middle management talent serves as a robust talent pipeline for senior leadership. We strongly believe in leadership development and in the philosophy of leaders developing leaders. In a market of acute talent shortage it is important to nurture and develop home grown leaders", says HUL's HR Head. HUL, however, prefers to have learning intervention at all levels. It follows the 70:20:10 principle under which 70 per cent of the learning is expected to come from experiences in the current job and business projects, 20 per cent from relationships and 10 per cent through formal programmes like classroom training and e-learning. It also measures the effectiveness and business returns from such programmes. Similarly, Godrej Industries has also put in place a leadership development programme for select middle management employees based on their performance and potential. They select 25 per cent of middle management employees and invest disproportionately on their learning so as to help them become successful future leaders. So with more and more organisations beginning to recognise the value of mid-career development and training these managers are on the threshold to take up senior leadership roles. — The writer is Project Coordinator, IIT, Ropar
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Career Hotline
Q. Our maid’s son who is studying in sixth standard at a municipal school in the neighbourhood is amazingly gifted in singing. He has a mellifluous voice and often accompanies tappa singers at community events. Is there any scheme or scholarship available for nurturing young talent such as his? Obviously his parents are in no position to get him a tutor or send him to music school.
— Manju Singh While the scholarship comes to Rs 3600 pa, the actual tuition fees are reimbursed up to Rs 9,000 pa. The Application form and details for the 2012 batch are available on the CCRT website: www.ccrtindia.gov.in Do be sure to send in his application by December 31, 2011 though, as that is the deadline for receiving the completed forms. Subsequently, when he’s a little older, you can even look at sending him to the ITC Sangeet Reasearch Academy, which is a fantastic private sector initiative for encouraging musical talent under the guru-shishya parampara. Irrespective of course and degrees the academy assesses the candidate’s natural talent and capacity to receive long and arduous training under an accomplished master to attain the desired heights. Candidates are short listed on the basis of a 30-minute recorded sample of their music. Short-listed applicants are invited to appear for the final audition and interview before an expert committee. All new entrants receive free training under a guru allotted by the academy. Those with outstanding talent receive scholarship to cover living costs, free accommodation, free meals and are placed in the ‘honoured’ category of scholars. Details: www.Itcsra.org
Q. I am 31 years old, with a PhD in social psychology of education from JNU. I am pursuing post-doctoral research and am looking for a decent placement either in industry or in a research institution. Unfortunately, I am not getting a break.
— Priyanka Mehra A. I am sure you know far more about the highly specialised field of research you are into than anyone else. The logical avenues for scholars with your specialisation are research and teaching. Alas, such openings in most social sciences are generally limited to vacancies arising out of retirement of incumbents; there aren’t that many new positions being created. I hope you are monitoring such opportunities carefully and regularly. An idea that comes to mind — possibly, a long shot — is to actively seek out opportunities arising out of the expanding role of private sector in education. I don’t think there would be many research-oriented opportunities, but given that some high-quality educational institutions are coming up — both at school and college levels, the progressive ones may have administrative-cum-teaching positions for someone with your knowledge profile. What you may have to do is to, in effect, “create” such a position for yourself by convincing them of the contribution you could make. Admittedly, it may be a long shot but there is nothing to lose, is there? Secondly, it would be worthwhile to explore possibilities in UNESCO, NCERT or NUEPA (www.nuepa.org). To begin with, you could even look at working as a Project Officer/Leader in leading NGOs that operate in the education sector.
Q. I am in my final year of BCom. I am very keen on making a career in banking. Other than the Bank PO route and a programme offered by ICICI bank, are there any other options that will groom me for managerial level positions in a bank?
— Jasbir Singh The one-year full-time residential programme which will be conducted at Manipal University’s Bangalore campus is aimed at equipping graduate students with necessary knowledge and skills for a career in banking. Upon completion of the programme, students will receive a Post Graduate Diploma in Banking Services by Manipal University and will be absorbed in the assistant manager grade by Axis Bank. The programme offered in collaboration with Manipal Global Education Services, includes nine months of classroom sessions followed by three months of internship at any Axis Bank branch/office across the country. The bank will provide financial support to students during this one year period.
Q. Please tell me if there is any provision for reserved category students in the
AFMC, Pune for the MBBS course? Are there any reservations for girls as well?
— Radhika A. Yes there is. Of the total 130 seats in MBBS at the Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC) in Pune, 10 seats are reserved for SC/ST candidates provided they qualify in the written exam and come within the zone to be called for the Interview. So make sure you come within the first 500 in the final combined merit list of boys and girls. However, only 25 girls are admitted (105 boys). Moreover, all applicants must fulfil the prescribed medical standards to be considered fit for admission. A thorough medical examination is conducted by a board of officers at AFMC, Pune. The key physical requirements are enumerated on the college website: www.afmc.nic.in
Medical degree from foreign univs
Q. Apart from the state and national level entrance tests are there any foreign medical colleges that conduct their entrance exams in India?
— Sumit Kathuria A lot of Indian students go to Russia, CIS countries like Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan, other European countries and even to China. But beware: language can be real problem at most of these universities, despite their claim of teaching in English. Make sure you check the credibility of these courses. The onus of finding out if the course and institute that you’ve picked is recognised by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the regulatory body of the given country is entirely yours. Apart from the shortage of good medical seats in the country, what makes these foreign medical courses popular is the cost factor. Tuition and living costs combined at some of the places can be half of those charged by private medical colleges in India. However, the Medical Council of India does not recognise any medical course offered by foreign universities as a matter of policy. So, if you want to get a foreign medical degree and practice in India, you need to clear two hurdles: First, get an eligibility certificate from the MCI. This will also ensure that you are not going for a fake medical
programme, because MCI wouldn’t give a certificate for such programmes. Then, upon returning to India you have to clear the Foreign Medical Graduate Exam or Screening Test conducted by the National Board of Examinations (under the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare). The screening test will enable you to register with the MCl or any State Medical Council to practice in India. The exam is an objective type test (300 multiple-choice-questions) conducted in March and September in Delhi every year.
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cat gdpi CAT 2011 for 13 IIMs and more than 150 management colleges across the country is over and now focus for all 2.05 lakh candidates is on the second phase of admission process which consists of group discussion, personal Interview, case studies, extempore, etc. This is the stage where candidates' confidence and spontaneity in decision making is judged. One can anticipate some questions and prepare the ideal answers but always remember there is no ideal answer. For this stage your replies should be in sync with your personality and the prevailing situation and you should make your answers clear and precise. Special touch
MBA programmes want students who can lead people and be responsible for the management of an entire organisation. Because leadership is one of the main ingredients of success, your communication skills, initiative, and motivation can become the most important aspects of the admission process which are tested through GDs. MBA schools look for a candidate who has created value by being at the helm in group-based activities and is comfortable in this role, works well with others and operates smoothly and constructively in collaborative situation, who is not afraid of winning and seeing others lose, has good interpersonal values and morals, brings interesting attributes, experiences and depth of background to the group, is comfortable with change and is ready to use it creatively, can write, speak and organise ideas well. In short B-schools look for knowledge, presentation skills, analytic skills, confidence, team spirit and self-understanding. Managerial attributes GDs are conducted to test your managerial attributes like interpersonal skills, leadership, analytical and rational thinking, knowledge and personality traits. Communicating in a clear and fluent manner is a must. How to prepare You can prepare for GDat two levels — individual and group. Focus on improving your fluency and listening skills. Read aloud from a book or newspaper, preferably in front of a mirror. You should also do some discussions with your peer group. Another crucial part of GD is listening. A good listener can summarise discussions in a decent manner. In this way, he can get a good score by presenting a good case over an idea provided by other participants. You should do some listening exercise for the purpose of GD preparation. Avoid the following, during the group discussion or interview: l Shaking legs l Chewing gum l Playing with your tie l Slouching in the chair l Wearing a tie without buttoning the collar Preparing a Case Study When practicing for case study it is important to consider the following points: l Analyse information, conclude, act and recommend action. l Be logical and clear in your reasoning. l Maintain good eye contact and listen carefully to the information you are given Right view for interview The focus of a B-School interview can range from specific questions about your job to broad discussions on life. Approach the interview as a conversation to be enjoyed and not as a question-and-answer order. A discussion about your hobby may just go on and on. This doesn't mean that the interviewers are not serious. It just means that you are being sized up as a person and a future professional in all your dimensions. Interviewers develop and impression of you in the first few minutes of the meeting and spend the rest of the interview confirming their initial impression. The interview panel may include students. Don't treat them as light weights. Before you appear for an interview, you should have a good idea about what you consider to be your greatest strength. Open-ended questions like "Introduce yourself" are usually the ones that help to start the interview. Lack of preparation is a common complaint among interviewers, and if you are prepared, you will stand out among your competitors. Do your homework Do enough research about yourself and the business school so that you have the right answers to some usual questions. These may include: "Why are you right for this particular business school?" and "Why is this particular programme right for you?" You will need to develop and present a framework. Always remember to include SWOT while discussing the case study. You don't need to stick rigidly to a framework but use it to frame your answer. With written case studies remember to think about your presentation — use paragraphs and bullet points to make your points clear. The writer is an Assistant Professor at the Asia- Pacific Institute of Management, New Delhi
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Braving the odds
I recently received a query by email from a young man in some distress. Let's call him Ajit. Ajit has completed a certificate in Desktop Publishing (DTP) from an ITI. He's in the second year of BA which he is pursuing through distance learning. Alongside, he has also done some add-on courses in basic computer operation, MS Office and typing. Currently, he is working in a web design outfit but is unhappy with his present and future prospects. Like a lot of his friends, Ajit is very keen to get a government job, and has even applied for several but is yet to receive a positive reply. Ajit wants to know what career he should choose and what kind of jobs he should apply for. Like lakhs of young Indians his age, Ajit is confused and unsure. Also like lakhs of young individuals, he is seeking security and stability. Like them, Ajit is desperately seeking guidance to give his career the right direction. Oh, and unlike those teeming many, Ajit has a disability — he is deaf. So, what options does Ajit really have? I'm writing my reply as an open letter in the hope that it will benefit many Ajits - the brave and spirited ones who choose to run life's race as equals, despite running with their hands tied behind their back. Dear Ajit, First things first - 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. At this point, you need to focus on two things. One, complete your graduation at the earliest and to the best of your ability. Second, start the process of exploration, research and fact-finding for different jobs, organisations -government, PSUs as well as in the private sector. While earlier, only C and D Category government jobs offered reservations for the physically challenged, the three per cent quota has now been extended to A & B category jobs as well. One per cent reservation each for the orthopaedically, visually and hearing challenged. Upon completing your graduation, you'll stand a much better chance of landing a government job. I trust you've obtained the necessary medical certificates that are required to be submitted when applying for these jobs. But don't just limit your search to government and PSU organisations. The private sector is increasingly sensitive to the needs of the differently-abled and recognising their talent - not just in token gestures under the guise of CSR - as it holds good business sense and as a competitive advantage. This holds equally true for start-ups as well large business houses. Some resources you could explore include: l www.accessability.co.in - has a special section related to employment. l National Centre for Promotion and Employment for Disabled People (www.ncpedp.org) - has a very useful list of disability-friendly companies compiled from various sources and also list of employment schemes and employment exchanges along with job openings. l The Ali Yavar Jung National Institute for the Hearing Handicapped, Mumbai (www.ayjnihh.nic.in) has launched a special website which lists jobs for the hearing impaired along with a host of other useful info. Log onto: www.jobsfordeaf.nic.in to browse for openings and place your resume for free. l Prakat is a software-testing company in Bangalore that was recently featured in the Economic Times for its unique model or hiring people with disabilities in full-time and part-time roles taking advantage of cloud computing and virtualization. l Vindhya e-Infomedia is a Bangalore-based BPO that actively hires the differently-abled to run a for-profit business enterprise. Of its 200 employees, 170 are differently-abled. l Designmate (an e-learning company) has 270 employees of which 190 are differently-abled. l Newgen (a software product company), LaserSoft Info Systems (a group company of Polaris), NetAmbit (a financial services distribution company), HealthSoft (a healthcare processing company) - all were featured in a newsletter of the NASSCOM Emerge Forum. l NASSCOM works actively to channelise the potential of the differently-abled in the IT-BPO sector by organising recruitment fairs and conducting sensitising companies. It has recently launched an "Accessibility Initiative" to employ over 2000 persons with disabilities in this industry with funding from a private foundation. l Barrier Break Technologies (accessibility testing and web design for the differently-abled) and Intelenet (Mumbai-based BPO) were featured in a Business Standard article in December, 2010 l Lemon Tree Hotels employs five per cent of it total staff that is differently-abled, including several who were 100 per cent speech and hearing impaired. They plan to raise to figure to 10 per cent by 2013. l Yum! Restaurants have seven specially-abled KFC outlets where speech and hearing impaired people account for over 50 per cent of the staff strength. Many Costa Coffee outlets are manned (and womanned) by the speech and hearing challenged. Ability to handle data could lead you to book-keeping, researching or computer-related work like database management, data warehousing etc. Your DTP and MS-Office skills would come particularly handy in DTP and data-entry operations. Eureka Forbes, in association with the National Society for Equal Opportunities for the Handicapped (NASEOH), has established a state-of-the-art call centre - EuroAble. It is India's first call centre manned and operated by differently-abled people. Do contact NASEOH (www.naseoh.org) as they provide recruitment assistance and training for the differently-abled. Although it's early days yet, the differently-abled can also look forward to careers in the rapidly growing $590-billion retail industry in the country. Of the 101-odd roles in the retail sector, 37 could be performed by persons with disabilities. A charitable trust, TRRAIN (Trust for Retailers & Retail Associates of India) Foundation has tied up with Aptech Ltd to groom them for retail careers through short-term training modules. You mentioned that you are working in a web designing firm. If you enjoy the work, you could look to enhance your skills by doing a one-year course in graphics or multi-media while completing your graduation. You could combine your design sense and computers to work at web-design/development, basic programming, Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and Internet Marketing. These areas usually require brief courses and work opportunities are also available fairly easily. I wish you the very best of luck! — The writer is a career counsellor and coach with Career Guidance India, New Delhi
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Course CHAT
Centre has launched Rajiv Gandhi Adhivakta Prashikshan Yojana (Rajiv Gandhi Advocate's Training Scheme) with an aim to motivate and encourage young lawyers practicing in Magistrate and Munsif courts. Under the scheme the lawyers will be imparted professional training for a period of two months to enable them to fulfill the need for law professionals at grass roots level.
The scheme envisages the selection of 10 young practicing advocates from each state every year for getting professional training. While selecting the candidates, preference shall be given to the SC, ST and OBC candidates and to women and physically challenged persons. The government will spend Rs 70 lakh every year on this training. Eligibility: At the time of selection, candidate should fulfill the following conditions: l
He/she should have been enrolled as
an advocate and should have been
engaged in actual practicing in a Magistrate and Munsif court, l
His/her monthly income should not be more than Rs 6000 per month, l
He/she should also be ready and willing
to make available his/ her services for
legal aid programme under the District
Legal Aid Authority. Application of all eligible candidates
shall be placed before the selection committee. The selection committee may devise mechanism for selection of suitable candidates. However, the selection committee while recommending candidates shall take into following points: l
Educational qualification including percentage of marks obtained; l
Monthly income of candidate, l
Personal details like age, category ( General, SC, ST, Women, OBC, Physically Handicapped), l
Performance in personal interaction/ counselling, l
District/Taluka where candidate is practicing, l
The selection committee after selection, shall forward names of select candidates to the Ministry of Law and Justice. Selection committee For the purpose of selection of suitable candidates for professional training, a selection committee in respect of each High Court will be constituted. The selection committee shall consist of following: l
A Judge of the High Court nominated by the Chief Justice of that High Court- Chairman, l
Additional/ Assistant Solicitor General of India attached with that High Court, l
Chairman State Bar Council, l
Advocate General of the state Training: After selection the candidates shall be provided professional training of two months. The training will have two components: l
Training imparted in a National Law School — one month l
Training under a Senior/leading Advocate —one month — Sanket Dhall
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AIEEE ONLINE TEST From 2012, the online mode of All India Engineering Entrance Examination (AIEEE) will offer a plethora of new features, not offered by the offline version. All those students who'll be writing the AIEEE online exam will have the choice of changing the language as many times as they desire during the entire duration of the exam. With this, students can attempt the multiple choice questions while switching from one language to another i.e. English to Hindi and vice versa, as per their convenience. As per sources, this additional and convenient feature will allow the students to switch over to Hindi and answer the questions in case they are unable to understand the same in English. Further, the format can yet again be switched back to English to continue with the rest of the paper. The online version permits a student to switch language any number of times. To top it all, the switching will not affect the evaluation process of the exam paper in any manner. Upon completion of the online exam, a copy of the question paper will be automatically e-mailed to the students. Considering the offline mode, this convenient feature of switching the language is only available to students who opt to write the paper in Hindi medium, since the questions come in both the languages - English and Hindi. However, students willing to give the exam in English medium are not offered this advantage. The schedule of the AIEEE 2012 will provide a month's advantage to prepare for students writing the online version compared to those who've chosen the offline mode. The online AIEEE will be conducted from May 7 to May 26, while the offline counterpart is scheduled to be held on April 29, 2012.
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Ornamental fish are gaining popularity and in view of this ever-increasing demand and interest of people a two-day training programme on "Ornamental fish culture and seed production" was organised for trainees from different districts of Punjab at the Department of Aquaculture, College of Fisheries, Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (GADVASU), Ludhiana recently. As many as 20 farmers attended the training programme, which was designed to educate them on different aspects of ornamental fish farming so as to enable them to start small scale units along with their main occupation for higher profits. Dr. Asha Dhawan, Dean, College of Fisheries, while inaugurating the training programme said, “In Punjab, the ornamental fish farming was in a nascent stage and most of the fish stock comes from other states like West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra. Thus to further enhance the ornamental fish trade of India, there is need to develop culture practices along with the capture sector. The participants were imparted technical knowhow on different aspects of ornamental fish culture like identification of important cultivable varieties and their breeding processes, feed and feeding management, water quality management, pond management, disease management, aquarium fabrication, decoration and maintenance etc.
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NEWS BOARD Edinburgh Napier University recently signed a MoU with the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), to set up a Visiting Chair in Tagore Studies at the University. The ICCR will also fund two PhD fellowships dedicated to researching the works of the influential Indian author, poet and songwriter whose 150th birthday has been celebrated across the world this year. The university said the signing was a “significant step” towards opening a Scottish Centre for Tagore Studies, which it hopes will also become an international hub for promoting Indian culture, education, philosophy, art and literature. Professor Dame Joan Stringer, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of Edinburgh Napier University, said, “The spirit of Rabindranath Tagore continues to inspire the entire world and it is with great honour that we sign this MoU with the Indian Council for Cultural Relations. “It represents a significant step towards the opening of Scotland’s first centre for Tagore Studies at Edinburgh Napier, which we hope will attract research interest from both near and far and, in the spirit of the man himself, will be outward looking, inclusive and visionary.” MoU Pratap University, Jaipur, promoted by Maharana Pratap Groups of Institutions, has signed an MoU with the University of District of Columbia recently for students and faculty exchange programme, dual degree and other areas for improvised education system in both universities. Pratap University has signed a seven-point agreement with American University, Washington. — TNS
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SMART STRATEGY Criticism or negative feedback is an inevitable part of our professional as well as personal life. All of us loathe being made aware of our shortcomings or told that we are doing something wrong. Responding to criticism without careful consideration often leads to unnecessary suffering and frustration. Since we have to face criticism at various stages, learning how to handle it effectively is very essential. Here a few tips to handle criticism objectively at workplace: Don't let emotions take over Although easier said than done, it is essential to keep one's feelings under control while dealing with harsh criticism. The more emotional we get, more limited our thinking and questionable our reactions become. When you receive criticism try to listen carefully to what is said without getting emotional or responding defensively. Make an attempt to focus on the facts rather than the feelings that are evoked on an evaluation of your performance. Instead of getting upset stay analytical to avoid missing out on critical points and repeating the same mistakes. Most critics will take it positively and appreciate that at least their comments are being heard. It will also shorten the discussion which otherwise could drag forever and take all possible directions. Ignore false criticism Prior to reacting or taking any step one must differentiate between positive and negative criticism. More than often people criticise others simply because they have nothing better to do with their time. Such criticism is not only unjustified and baseless but also useless to the recipient. The best option to deal with negative criticism is to remain aloof and completely ignore it. By remaining silent and detached the efforts of the critic will go in vain, dissuading him or her from being vindictive in future. On the other hand positive criticism is the one in which individual explain their point of view and actually want to see an improvement. Consider the feedback objectively, taking it as an opportunity to improve and grow. Get concrete details Criticism is futile unless there is exchange of information on the changes that need to be brought about. Whenever you are criticised make sure that you are aware of what exactly needs to be corrected. Ask the critic questions on how you could have done things differently and better. Try to get practical and concrete details about what went wrong so as to resolve the criticism amiably. In fact, if possible request the critic to put the recommendations in writing since verbal criticism is often full of holes and poorly thought out. By opening channels of communication a potential conflict can be turned into a valuable relationship. Learn Listening to something does not help unless we are willing to accept and eventually act upon it. Take criticism as a challenge and a chance to change your ways, adjust your communication and become stronger as a professional. Allow yourself to learn from such responses by identifying your strong and weak points. Unfortunately, majority of people have negative connotations about the word 'criticism' and choose to ignore it. They fail to realise that someone else could have better suggestions and that they cannot be always right. However, by doing so they lose the opportunity to learn and grow in their professional lives. Moreover, one must remember that most criticism is based, at least in part, on some truth. Let go Although it may be difficult to shake off criticism one must realise that obsessing over it will not help. Criticism should not be allowed to lower your self-esteem or slow down the pace of work. Rather than taking it to heart make amends, learn from the mistake and stride forward. Continue striving for your goals, with full dedication and persistence, to achieve what you set out to do. Most importantly never let criticism decide what you want to do next or give up something completely. Don't hold grudges Since criticism points out our limitations it not only makes us feel vulnerable but also defensive towards the critic. However, we should not forget that the supervisor or colleague is just doing their job and there is no personal enmity involved. As a consequence instead of sulking or blaming the critic accept the criticism with grace and excellence. In fact, thank the person for his feedback and make him realise that you consider their viewpoint valuable. Holding grudges for criticism negatively impacts the relationship with the individual both professionally and personally.
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Facebook’s ‘golden purse’ for IIT-Kanpur studen t Social networking giant Facebook has offered about Rs 70 lakh per annum package to an IIT student in Kanpur in the ongoing campus placements. "M.Tech (computer science and engineering) student Siddharth Agrawal has been offered the package (near about Rs 70 lakh)," IIT-K registrar Sanjeev Kashelkar said. He said Facebook has offered high packages to other students as well but the one offered to Agrawal is thehighest so far. The registrar, however, did not disclose the exact amount. Last week, Facebook had offered a similar package to a IIT-Kharagpur student. The placement process in the IIT here started on December 2 with over 950 graduates and post-graduates vying for jobs in high-profile companies like Microsoft, GE, Infosys and TCS. On the first day itself, over 100 students were placed, with 15 students being picked up by Microsoft. Over 400 students have been placed so far since the placement process began, the registrar said. Around 200 companies are expected to visit the institute to hire aspirants in the coming days. The placement programme will end on December 22. — PTI
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The apt job APP
"People are spending so much of their time on Facebook and at the same time companies are trying to find creative and productive tools to connect with potential talent," said Tom Chevalier, global product manager for Monster Worldwide. With BeKnown jobs are displayed based on a user's work experience and network connections. When the app identifies a potential job the user can state their interest, which is relayed to the employer using information from the profile. Within the app users can earn badges, or visual emblems, based on their work experiences, accomplishments and strengths from the site or from colleagues to serve as aids for recruiters to highlight their accomplishments. "You can have your connections giving you a skill endorsement, which is really a stamp of approval,"
said Chevalier. Launched in June, the app has been updated to introduce college pages for users to network with past alumni and to find jobs that have been posted by them. "Users want to congregate around the affinity they have for their schools, and they want to form relationships amongst students and alumni," said Chevalier. When a job is posted in BeKnown it is automatically posted on the page of
the college that the job poster attended. "Users will see that job opportunity, know what year the poster graduated, and can start having a conversation with those people in a professional way", he said. Chevalier said it's important that BeKnown maintains an explicit divide between a user's social and professional lives by keeping the two networks entirely separate. The updated app also lists jobs directly on a company's Facebook pages. Similar apps for Facebook include BranchOut, which was released last year. BeKnown has been configured to work with iPhone and Android. — Reuters
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Reverse flow
Beware of the team members who, when you delegate work to them, find a way to push it back onto you, says Harvard Business Review. Have you ever delegated a task to a subordinate, and somehow it ends up back on your plate? Beware of this "reverse delegation". Employees who are unsure how to do something may enlist you in doing it for them. Don't automatically solve problems or make decisions for hesitant employees. Focus on generating alternative solutions together, making sure the employee maintains responsibility for executing. Don't fall for it when a subordinate makes statements like, "You'll do a better job with this". While flattering, and possibly even true, they are often a way to get you involved. When you needn't be". — Adapted from Guide to Project Management
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Happiness @ work
Camaraderie in a team is threatened even if there is one person who shirks work or is a gossip monger or plays politics. Like a foul smell, these traits infect the others quickly.
During their siege of Sriranga Pattana, the British found the fort impregnable. But the ranks of
Tipu Sultan had a mole — Mir Sadiq. He told the Brits to concentrate their shelling on the ‘weak’
northeastern wall, sent all the soldiers to get their salaries and then signalled to the enemy to enter through the breach. In the tussle between the gods and demons, Indra kidnapped Kayadhu, the pregnant wife of Hiranyakashyap, while the demon king was busy doing penance to gain more powers. Narada intervened and persuaded Indra to leave her at his hermitage. There he told the queen and her unborn son Prahlad about the glories of Lord Vishnu. When the boy grew up, he accepted Vishnu, and not his father Hiranyakashyap, as the Almighty. Fearing that this sentiment would spread, the father tried many ways to kill his son, but failed. Finally, Lord Vishnu emerged as Narasimha and killed the demon king. In their teenage, Yuyutsu, son of Dhritrashtra born to a Vaishya woman, informed the Pandavas about the evil designs of his stepbrothers. Later during the Mahabharata war, he switched over to the Pandava side. He was the only son of Dhritrashtra to escape the carnage at Kurukshetra. As many as 1,500 soldiers in Babar’s army had been cut to pieces on the first day of the battle against Rana Sanga on the battlefield of Khanwa in March 1527. So the wily Babar changed tactics and bribed Shiladitya, Sanga’s Minister of Defence, to betray his master. “At my langar, all those who wish to work and eat were welcome. But we have no room for idlers,” said Guru Nanak. There is no work prescribed for Me and nor am I in want of anything. Yet I am engaged in work, declared Krishna in the Gita (3.22). While Queen Kaikeyi was happy at the coronation of Rama, her maid Manthara opened Pandora ’s box with her poisonous words. Stem the rot before it spreads. — Sai R. Vaidyanathan The writer can be contacted at
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when a marketing manager at Procter & Gamble (P&G) was enrolled in the company's first middle-management training programme last year, she didn't reckon that she would soon become adept at walking the tight rope fit for a higher functional role. The manager was in her mid 30s and had joined P&G seven-eight years back. The big win was how the programme allowed functional managers like her to step into the shoes of a general manager.
Ornamental fish are gaining popularity and in view of this ever-increasing demand and interest of people a two-day training programme on "Ornamental fish culture and seed production" was organised for trainees from different districts of Punjab at the Department of Aquaculture, College of Fisheries, Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (GADVASU), Ludhiana recently. As many as 20 farmers attended the training programme, which was designed to educate them on different aspects of ornamental fish farming so as to enable them to start small scale units along with their main occupation for higher profits.
Criticism or negative feedback is an inevitable part of our professional as well as personal life. All of us loathe being made aware of our shortcomings or told that we are doing something wrong. Responding to criticism without careful consideration often leads to unnecessary suffering and frustration. Since we have to face criticism at various stages, learning how to handle it effectively is very essential. Here a few tips to handle criticism objectively at workplace:
A. The Centre for Cultural Resources & Training, (CCRT), Dwarka, New Delhi (Ministry of Culture) has a Cultural Talent Search Scholarship Scheme under which 500 scholarships are awarded to outstanding young children (10-14 years) for training for a minimum of three years from a guru or institution in various cultural fields such as traditional forms of music, dance, drama, painting, sculpture, crafts etc.)
A. Well in that case, do also check out Axis Bank’s ‘Young Bankers’ Programme’ which is meant to attract young graduates to a career with the bank.
A. Admission to foreign medical colleges
depends on your achieving the minimum
qualification requirements.
While selecting candidates, the MBA schools always look for special qualities which will justify the MBA school as well as the courses offered by them. You should have 'fire-in-the-belly' and zeal to achieve something big. They look out for achievers.
l
He/she should not be above the age of 30 years,
Facebook, the social networking site, is
probably not the first place that comes to mind
when contemplating new career opportunities.
While Rani Chennamma of Kittur was against any alliance with the British, the Brits found allies in her noblemen — Mallappa and Venkata Rao. After the deaths of Chennamma’s husband Mallasarja and her stepson Shivalinga Rudra Sarja, the British moved into Kittur to take control. While she beat them in the battle, she lost the war when the British got their regiments from Bombay and Madras. She was imprisoned in the Bailahongala fort where she died five years later.