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Paying Apps
career compass: footwear designer
Be prepared
smart strategy: corporate storytelling
Handsome hikes for Indian executives
work station
Career Hotline
Cool Counsel
Happiness @ work
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App developer Gauri Chhabra In today’s fast and fluid world, our lives hinge on two important things — wallets and mobiles. Out of the two, the latter is of paramount importance. You may want to book a cab, prepare for your forthcoming competitive exam, scribble notes as reminders in your time-crunched days, connect with friends and family, find out about the nearby ATM’s and stores, mobile apps come to your rescue. In this ‘Smart Modeled’ world, mobile apps are something you cannot do without. It is a field that offers a glorious future. What is Mobile Application Development?
Usually, these are downloaded from the platform to a target device, such as an iPhone, BlackBerry, Android phone or Windows Phone, but sometimes they can be downloaded to laptops or desktops. With the recent glut in mobile phones and platforms and the dire need to connect and make the best use of time, career in mobile apps is no more a niche career option. It is one that brings about a happy marriage of technology and innovation. So, if you are excited about mobile apps and have the creative streak in you, you can give a head start to your career with the following skillsets: Eligibility and skill-set * BTech (Computer application) or MCA degree with experience of gateways/ servers (WAP, XML, VXML, WTA,), browsers (WML, XHTML), clients (SMS, e-mail, chat), and stacks (WAP2.0 and TCP/IP). * For iPhone & iPad developer, proficiency in Objective-C, xCode and Interface Builder on Mac OS-X platform. * For Google Android developer, proficiency in Java. Android development can be done on Mac OS-X, Windows or Linux environment. * Proficiency in object-oriented programming and understanding of user interface * Ability to blend artistic creativity and technical creativity. * Ability to understand client requirements * Agility in adapting to change specifications * Ability to adapt to lengthy array of screen sizes, hardware specifications and Institutions and courses * Bharati Vidyapeeth Deemed University, Pune offering a full-fledged degree in Mobile App * Sebiz Finishing School, Chandigarh * Geekmentors, Noida * CodeFrux, Bangalore for both iPhone and Android platforms.
Career options * Mobile UI designer * User Experience and Usability expert * Applications developer/engineer * Mobility architect * Content writer * Network programmer (writes code that allows players to compete or cooperate, connected via internet.)configurations. You may be spending part of the day writing or understanding the requirements for the mobile app and interacting with end users in determining usability and user experience. The road ahead With an exponential escalation in text messaging, Smartphone purchases and mobile advertising, mobility is going to be the new mantra. Location-based services, social networking application, m-commerce, context-aware service, object recognition, mobile instant messaging and mobile payment or mobile money transfer will be the areas of growth. New learning platform
Today, mobile apps have forayed into one sector that is recession proof and offers new challenges ie Education. Apps have become e learning platforms and help students prepare for competitive examinations. Multiple companies and publishing houses have turned their content into apps, GMAT app being one of them. The Graduate Management Admission Council made the 13th edition Official Guide for GMAT Review available on the Android and Apple mobile platforms. The app provides an interactive, self-paced platform that allows you to register to take the GMAT exam directly through the app. It also comes with a six-month subscription to the Integrated Reasoning online tool, and includes review modules, 50 GMAT exam questions, answer explanations and exam preparation resources. In addition, students can also take practice tests for NEET, JEE-Main, as well as CAT on their mobile phones. The recent breakthrough in e learning platform has been brought about by Bharti Airtel with its new service called ‘Airtel m Education’ which provides its users a plethora of educational service to choose from. It provides various courses in its services portfolio, like learning English, Office Vocabulary, Exam preparation course for UPSC, MBA, CLAT, Bank PO, RRB and more. You can also take up mock tests for the above mentioned courses to evaluate how you are prepared. The UI is intuitive and user friendly and also allows an interaction in your native language in both Voice and IM forma — The writer is a Ludhiana-based
career consultant
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career compass: footwear designer
Shoe designing is becoming a very popular career option thanks to the robust growth the footwear industry in India. As per a recent Assocham report, the domestic shoe market is pegged at
Rs2,22,810 crore and is growing at a CAGR of 15 per cent. The industry is likely to touch
Rs 3,81,960 crore mark by 2015. India is the second largest shoe producer in the world after China. A major reason for the growth of our shoe industry is that the competing markets, particularly China, are underperforming with unsatisfactory quality, delay in deliveries etc. This throws up a plethora of opportunities related to shoe designing covering areas like manufacturing, designing, and fashion consultancy, retail and customer service.
Training and courses There are several undergraduate and postgraduate courses that one can pursue in India to build a career in shoe designing. There are also plenty of diploma and certificate courses available in footwear design and technology. In order to fulfill the growing demand for qualified professionals in the country, several top notch institutes like NIFT are setting up vocational courses purely to serve the demand of niche shoe and footwear designers. There are other institutes dedicated to just shoe designing like the Footwear Design and Development Institute in Noida and Central Footwear Training institute in Uttar
Pradesh. Students gain an essential knowledge of materials, patterns, design concepts, software as well as industry trends in these courses. They also get hands-on experience in the entire process of shoe designing and manufacturing. The course material also often includes a wide spectrum of knowledge in fields like fine art, anatomy, kinesiology engineering as well as business and marketing. Most courses have a basic eligibility of Plus II. But B.Tech or M.Tech courses that rely heavily on technology mandatorily require a basic science/engineering background. Some of these courses are the most coveted in the country as professionals with a B.Tech or M.Tech degree have great chances of getting hired by big shoe manufacturing brands across the world. Opportunities After training oneself in shoe design, there are plenty of options that one can turn to as a specialised career. These range from footwear design, product development, quality control, footwear technology, merchandising, marketing, planning and also trade analysis and research. The remuneration is directly proportional to one’s ability to scale the heights of success. Usually this career is a well-paying one as it is very demanding and also requires talent coupled with technical expertise, which is a rare combination. Most beginners opt to work for mass merchandising brands, sportswear companies or under established designers to learn the ropes before diving in with their own business. Shoe designing, thus presents a magnificent scope as a career. Anyone who is in this profession vouches for the superlative degree of satisfaction this line offers. Crafting a pair of beautiful shoes, engaging consumers with your designs and making them fall in love with what you have created are unimaginably rewarding experiences that come with the added bonus of high incomes or profits. If you feel you are made for this bustling, creative and inspiring field, then now’s a good time to put your best foot forward. — The writer is Director, Alberto Torresi Skill set Besides a formal training, the one quality irreplaceable for success in this career is an innate creativity and a love for design and perfection. Being innovative and unique is also important. These days we find similar looking shoes in many outlets. The brands that really stand out and have a loyal fan base are those that offer something distinguished from everything else available in the market. Thus someone who is serious about shoe designing needs to keep a constant tab on the trends around the world, keep oneself abreast with classic and contemporary styles and bring his/her own take to these to really carve a niche in the long run. A flair for drawing, sketching and an eye for detail are equally essential. Often the only thing setting a snazzy, high-end brand apart from a negligible one is the finish and the polish that the pair exudes.
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Be prepared
Avoid these faux pas if you want to get into a top league B- school
A good MBA school always wants quality students to add to the diversity of its classroom. This is an important factor amongst others while making the final assessment of a student. Despite achieving a high GMAT, rejections are high in B-schools because of the following reasons: *
A badly designed resume: Where 'quality' work experience is not displayed. There are immature points in which the student takes pride, which when screened by the admissions committee do n't suit the institution's class profile. *
Profile projection in the essays: The essays must consist of real life 'quality' experiences to back up each point. Remember that syour standards and situations that you project are being compared with those of other people globally. *
Essays should be trendy and progressive as the requirement is to show 21st century men and women who are willing to take on leadership in multi-faceted avenues. They can't be dull and sympathetic. *
Ivy League rejections: Most of these universities have produced Presidents and other premier designations of nations and important organisations of high repute, primarily the United Nations, so leadership and again 'quality' leadership is a big factor. If you don't have it till date, work towards it. *
Round 1 admissions glorify your chances for admissions - shows how well and meticulously you've planned your admissions over a few years. It displays you keenness for a particular place, apart from just bagging a seat which may of course be more. *
Short listing: You must be prepared to be a student first than anyone else. Your shortlists must consist of universities which will contribute towards a promising learning experience, other than blindly targeting the brand name. So just like a high GMAT, a highly-ranked university may not solve your purpose. These are factors that the university may also consider. *
Return on Investment - Since this is a course one looks forward to for bringing a quantum jump to his/her career not only in terms of financial returns but also in building a career profile, a well-researched shortlist is important. For example, if you're looking at a major in marketing and finance, New York should be your choice because of the trends they follow and opportunities you may seek; petroleum engineering for that matter, Texas is the ideal place with similar companies around. *
LORs - Letters of recommendation need specific care. All of the progressives, humility and strength in the essays must be supported by the LORs. This is where the Wow factor lies. In other words the recommender blows the trumpet on your behalf with adequate examples of leadership, team work and areas of improvement. She/he may also display personable lady-like/gentlemanly qualities such as compassion and a good sense of
humour. * Personal Interviews - This is one-third of the entire application process. If you've been invited for an interview, half the battle is won. One can always the draw the session to her/his advantage. In fact, that should be a quality inculcated by any student who wants to pursue administration and management as a career. From a good personal turnout to apt use of words, it is important to know what not to speak as well. You are all graduates ready to take on the administrative responsibilities in various professions; a sharp, well-braced presentation cannot be compromised upon. Most importantly it is as good as a formal conversation and one must enjoy speaking to the interviewer thoroughly. With inputs from Adarsh Khandelwal, Co-founder of Collegify
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smart strategy: corporate storytelling Seerat Toor Grewal We’ve all come across compelling stories or tales at some point of our lives along with the zillion everyday experiences. When we try to recall an event from past, the most vivid memories are those that were linked to some story, or narrative etc. We can hardly recollect the exact lessons of our professors, but do remember some funny anecdotes they told during those drab long lectures. The reason being, those little passages in the information jungle struck a true chord with our minds and hence stayed there. Banking on such rich learning from routine human ventures, many corporations across the globe have intentionally imbibed storytelling as an inseparable part of their work-cultures. Presentations are an inseparable part of the corporate world. Every decision, strategy, idea, performance, product know-how etc. has to be aptly communicated to be put into practice. Corporate storytelling is an art that enables you to present concise, clear and commanding presentations as these conquer all emotional and practical aspects of the decision-making. A skill or an attitude Powerful speech is both — an effortlessly burning attitude supported by meticulously acquired skill-set. Nothing makes you more confident on stage than sound preparation and it is not possible to prepare at that depth without the proper mix of passion and attitude. Every great presentation has an unmatched effect on the audience. It is essential for convincing one’s workforce about the company’s vision, to align them towards the short-term goals, for right doses of motivation and instilling a productive and innovative environment. All these are generally forgotten by the end of the presentation unless these are backed by live examples and success stories from the real world, . Benefits of a power-packed story Big corporations around the world like Google, Microsoft, P&G, World Bank, NASA etc. are now hiring executives who are well-equipped corporate storytellers. This is not limited to any level in the organisational hierarchy. Everyone in an organisation has to face situations where one has to make compelling arguments to support one’s stance or viewpoint. When this happens in a boardroom, in front of a distinguished audience, one has to take care of every detail being communicated in the planned way. So, putting it simply, one has to qualify on the following parameters: nGive life to your plan: Sounds simple. Contrary to the belief it is even simpler in practice. All one has to do is to prepare broadly. Business decisions are said to be purely based on practical outcomes backed by sound financial calculations. Think again? All businesses are done to facilitate human lives and comforts which have profound emotional barometers. It has been scientifically proven that, all reasonable choices are based on abstract human emotions. This is how ourbrains are designed to work. Make sure that you have an absorbing story, to define your product, idea or strategy which is able to make an emotional connect with the audience. nFacilitate decision-making: We live in a world of alternatives, both cheap and costly. Everyone has a different criterion to pick. Your idea/product has to outsmart the other alternatives; else it loses its significance. So, one has got to be extremely cautious to enumerate the differences repetitively without any information overload. One can opt for more than one story or cling on to one, which will underlie the entire design of the presentation. Weave the result that you want to achieve completely in the basic storyline and it will lead to quick decisions and less distractions. nKeep everyone on the same page: All presentations are boring. The basic rule is not to read what is on the slides. Confused? Take it this way. In an organisation, you are surely addressing a literate audience who do not need a facilitator to read out the slides. In fact, the information on the slides should be least textual. Pictures, graphs and patterns are more memorable and engrossing. Audience will most likely lose interest in a textual presentation within the first few minutes. And because of this you might have to face distracted audience. A word of caution, however, is to remember that your audiences are not active listeners and you have to make huge efforts to engage them. Is it meant for each situation? Not really! An organisation comprises people from diverse fields, each one having expertise in a specific area e.g. a strategy advisor, a financial expert, a marketing guru etc. All these roles, may not require things to be communicated in the form of stories. They are required to present mere analytical analysis, finance sheets or next marketing strategy for which you require more of subject skills than presentation. But, again, once decided on these peripherals, when the chief of staff will need to communicate the above decisions to the entire workforce, he will need a sound story. His goal is not to present numbers or factual data but to communicate the basic ideology of the decision. If he substantiates it with authentic anecdotes, he is sure to deliver the message more clearly and more precisely. Thus, this art helps you to be a great leader. Hiccups Well yes. Like everything else, corporate storytelling has its share of negatives which can have drastic effects if not checked timely. Here are some of these: nThe most commonly encountered problem is the lack of stories to tell. Not many people at whatever stage in an organisation are well read, or aware of good and substantial accounts to narrate. The answer is simply to read good strategic text, case studies to enhance your knowledge. nSecond most common glitch faced is the content and context. One can imagine the ruckus caused, or the extent of miscommunication if both of these go haywire. So one needs to be really careful while selecting the story. nLastly, like every story, the delivery should be fantastic and brief. The orator should not lose the basic point while presenting his story. Read up There are many good texts in the market about the subject which can equip you well for any situation. Not only do they contain many such stories but also the presentation modes. Check out the following:
* Around the Corporate Campfire by Evelyn Clark, * Whoever tells the best Story Wins by Annette Simmons, * The Story Factor by Annette Simmons, * The Leader's Guide to Storytelling by Stephen Denning, * Tell to Win by Peter Guber, * Story Branding by Jim Signorelli, * Harvard Business Reviews issues about the topic etc.
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Handsome hikes for Indian executives
Marking the highest annual pay hikes worldwide, Indian companies doled out as much as 9.8 per cent increase in salaries this year even though average executive compensation remained lower than many other countries, says a report.
The substantial hike in executive pay by Indian companies comes even as corporates are grappling with uncertain global economic conditions and sluggish growth prospects. The latest findings by executive search firm Pedersen & Partners show that Indian companies gave 9.8 per cent annual salary hikes. Going by the study, top executive compensation is currently increasing by 7-10 per cent on average in emerging markets and between 4 per cent and 5 per cent on average in Western countries. However, in absolute terms, the findings reveal that the average compensation of top executive in India is much lower than other nations. India is followed by South Africa at the second place, where top executives pay package has risen by 8.8 per cent, China (6.8 per cent), the UK (4.4 per cent) and other western European countries (4.1 per cent) and four per cent each in the US and Germany. Globally, average executive compensation is still the highest in the US and Western European countries. “Top earners in large enterprises in emerging markets, like China, India, or South Africa receive compensation on the level of Western countries,” Pedersen & Partners Head (Compensation Consulting) and Project manager of the survey Conrad Pramboeck said. “However, executive compensation is on average still below the remuneration of their counterparts in Western Europe and the US,” he added. The survey also noted the total compensation (including base salary and bonus) of top executives in companies with 20,000 to 50,000 employees was highest in Germany (814,000 euros), followed by the US (780,400 euros) the UK (773,000 euros), Japan (771,200 euros). On the other hand, average pay packages are among the lowest in India (116,800 euros), China (258,700 euros) and South Africa (399,400 euros). “China, for example, is a huge country with a great variety of compensation levels. Salaries in Shanghai, Hong Kong, or Guangzhou have reached similar levels to Western Europe, while many other regions have substantially lower compensation levels,” he added. The global survey was conducted among 1,700 executives in 330 companies in 17 countries. — PTI
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Tryst with Mr B
Khushwant S. Gill If every schoolyard has a bully, so has every office. We all have encountered such “characters” in our worklife and have fretted and fumed over their behaviour but it’s just that as adults we don’t want to accept ‘juvenile’ labels such as ‘office bully’.
Long back I worked as a phone salesman for a website developer. I didn’t know my HTML from my JAVA, but that didn’t seem to matter as we were provided with cue cards which were quite comprehensive and we had a roving supervisor. So, soon I was selling a fair amount of website development projects and terms like ‘Joomla’, ‘PHP’, and ‘ASP’ were effortlessly rolling off my tongue. It wasn’t rocket science after all, and even a salesman like me was really getting into the mythical ‘AJAX’, the warrior ‘Apache’ and even the hilarious sounding ‘Secure Socket Layer’. It was all fun, I was making a bunch of money and the world was golden. That is until the bully stepped in. He was an ex-football player (American i.e.), and was built like a brick house. He was good at his job of selling website projects and was usually the employee of the month. What he apparently wasn’t that good at was seeing someone else succeed. And that, is usually what a bully is not good at — being a team player. It's probably a deep sense of insecurity that makes them pick on people. It appeared ‘our man’ wasn’t too happy with my software success and wanted to bring down the ‘hardware’ on me. It started with Mr. B. butting in every time I was on a client call. At first it seemed like a coincidence, but after a while when he started popping up right in front of me like a jackrabbit every time I was on the verge of closing a deal, things became a lot clearer. This guy was out to get me, and he was getting on my nerves. But what was I to do. He was overtly friendly, happily gregarious and of course, a top performer. I thought about going to the boss, but then better sense prevailed. Let’s be practical: no one messes with the person who brings in the big bucks for the company. In fact, it would be asking for trouble, as I’d be hanging myself out to dry. I was expendable, he was not! His bullying, however, got to the point that my work started to suffer. And this is the worse effect that office bullies have — they bring down people around them subtly. The work suffers, you start hating going to work, you want to change your office — or do just about anything to get away from this person. The day he doesn’t show up at work, feels like a holiday. But the strange sense of guilt and unease comes over you by late afternoon of the same day anyway. After all, here’s someone who’s a hurdle in your career growth. Something has to be done. And that something is confronting the person. Not physically, but having a plain talk with them about what it is about them that bothers you and how some decency on their part would be great. A veiled threat of reporting to the higher authorities might be added in there too for good measure. If things work out, well and good and if your tormentor starts showing some human traits, great. If not, then take it up the chain immediately. After all it’s your job and livelihood that’s on stake here. In my case, however, I didn’t have to suffer long as Mr. B got a little too big for his shoes and had an argument too many with the boss. So, out he went, and it was happy holidays and selling for us all again! — The writer is an Organisational Identity and Personnel Development Consultant
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Suggest some courses to get into merchant navy Pervin Malhotra Q.I’m doing engineering in electronics and communication. Can I join merchant navy? If possible, could you please suggest some courses and colleges? — Diwakar Kumar A. There are various Pre-Sea Maritime courses for candidates like you. You will be provisionally eligible to get into Merchant Navy after completing any of the following courses.
Pre-sea Maritime Diploma in Nautical Science (12-month). Completing the course will leads to a BSc Nautical Science. Eligibility: BE/BTech (50 per cent) & at least 50 per cent in English either at Degree or Class X or Intermediate level (The basic qualification for this course is either Class X/Diploma /BE/BTech) Age limit: below 25 years Selection: A CET conducted by the Indian Maritime University, , Chennai (TN) (imu.tn.nic.in) Over 34 Colleges/Institutes approved by DGS across India. To join as Electro-Technical Officer: Pre-sea maritime Certification Course for Electro-Technical Officer (17 weeks) Six-month on-board training after completing the course is mandatory. Eligibility: BE/B.Tech (Electronincs / Electrical / EEE / Electronics & Telecommunications/ Communications/Electronics & IT) from a recognised University with min 60 per cent marks (The basic qualification is Intermediate-MPC / Diploma / Degree in Engg) Age limit: 35 years. Selection: Written test followed by an Interview conducted by GES-Great Eastern Institute of Maritime Studies, Lonavala, Pune (Mah). The courses start in Jan/May/Sept. every year (you can also refer their website for further details: www.geinstitute.com) For all the courses above, you will be required to undergo a standard medical test to ensure that you meet the medical standards specified by the DGS. Check the Director General of Shipping (DGS) website (www.dgshipping.com) for the list of colleges offering Deck Officer’s courses. All courses/work related to the Merchant Navy, have to be vindicated /recognized / Certified by the DGS that certifies candidates as well as Institutes that offer these courses.
Is fashion designing the right choice for me?
Q. I have completed my graduation and now wish to take up fashion designing as my career. Would this be a correct decision? How should I decide? —
Sarita Dhir
But the fancy salaries and glitzy photo-features that we see in the double-page spreads of fashion glossies are only for the handful of genuinely talented designers graduating from the premier fashion schools. That too, after years of sweat and hard work. For the rest, establishing a toehold in the industry is no cakewalk. Moreover, carving a successful career in any of the many design-related fields demands the right mix of skills and talents. You must possess good creative and the ability to visualise, be good with colours and design, be able to sketch/draw/paint reasonably well and be good with your hands. If you fit the bill, then why just fashion design, even other design-related careers such as textile design; knitwear design; accessory and jewellery design as also footwear design. Other creative fields that you could consider are visual merchandising, graphic design, product design, and architecture and Interior Design. However, if your creative skills are not that heightened, but you would still desire a career in a creative field, then check out courses such as fashion merchandising, fashion styling, fashion management or even fashion communication. If you're not sure about joining a course in any of these fields straight away then take up short-term diplomas courses in some of these areas. This will help you get a better idea of what is involved in each discipline and your suitability for it before entering into a full-fledged course.
Language of success
A.Use your versatility to your advantage! English and Hindi together combine for a very large proportion of media publications, channels and websites. Your comfort and command in English and Hindi gives you an edge both in the field and also the kind of organisations you can work in. Several large media houses as well as news agencies have multi-lingual publications and channels. Furthermore, in today’s tough times when media organisations have considerably cut-down manpower and expect their employees to multi-task, your skills make you all the more attractive. Don’t be overly concerned about which language you should start off in. Use the early years to build your networks, learn the ropes and sharpen your nose for news.
Should I take ‘practice’ SAT?
Q.I am in Class XI and I want to get a
degree in physics from a good university in the US. I have started preparing
for the SAT. Please tell me if it would be a good idea to take the SAT for ‘practice’
in the next session? — Rushad Shroff
Reason? Since your last six SAT scores are included in each score report that is sent to colleges by the College Board, it’s probably NOT a good idea to take the real SAT for practice. There are many practice SATs available, including recent years’ SATs. Try the Official SAT Study Guide for instance. However, if you simply want the experience of taking the SAT, you can take an earlier SAT and then cancel your scores (following instructions given either at the SAT or on the College Board website). Another option is to notify the test proctor. In any case, neither you nor anyone else will ever see the scores from your cancelled SAT. Some students find this to be useful (to get familiar with the ‘real’ testing situation), while others think it’s a waste of time and money. email your queries to
careers@tribunemail.com
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The winning persona
D.S. Cheema A strong and impressive personality is the key to success in life and each one of us should go an extra mile to nurture it. Some of the important factors which will help you in this endeavour are: Be aware
Those who cannot learn new technologies and their applications are indeed illiterate. In this context, the following universal truths are worth remembering: “The more you know, the more you realise how little you know.” So, never ever forget what Steve Jobs said, “Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish” “Knowing others is wisdom, knowing oneself is enlightenment”. So, it is never too late to learn to know self for personal growth. Act, act, act Knowledge and skill without action are useless. Many people have great ideas but never put them in to action. The potential that God has given you is so huge that if you make use of even a small part of it, you can do wonders and become a champion. Unfortunate part is that most people don’t use it at all. Unused potential becomes unusable in future and they cannot achieve anything worthwhile. When you are assessed for a job by the employer, he is worried about one fact and that is whether the person he is recruiting is only a talker or can he deliver through action. Can the person being hired get things done to achieve the targets? Is he a self-starter? Stay positive Think positive and positive will happen. It is often said that your attitude determines your altitude. How well you do in life is the direct consequence of your attitude. Develop the Right Attitude towards your profession and professional integrity. Honesty pays Be totally honest in your financial dealings. This is one area which is the waterloo of the best of the people. Some one who can conquer the temptation of money can achieve great heights. Be polite Win friends and others' smiles by adopting certain Social Lubricants like, ‘Thank You’, ‘Please’, ‘Excuse Me’ and ‘Sorry’. These are the most powerful words and can change your life for ever. Try them. Seven golden rules You will be respected by others only if you: * Are professionally competent, so develop professional knowledge and skill * Don’t take undue advantage of your position * Empathise with others * Respect your time and that of others'. * Turn failures into success by filling the ‘knowing-doing’ gap * Form new good habits and make effort to get rid of bad habits. n Accept responsibility. Those who don't take up responsibilities willingly don’t go too far. * Believe in relentless pursuit of excellence.
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The Sir Ratan Tata Trust awards scholarships for Indian students in India. Scholarships are provided in the field of architecture, catering and hotel management (Diploma/Degree after Class XII/HSC), fine arts (BFA/MFA), LLB, education and LLM. The scholarships are available for pursuing undergraduate and postgraduate degree level. Course Level: The scholarships are available for pursuing undergraduate and postgraduate degree level. Eligibility: All students who have passed their Class XII (HSC) and have secured admission to the 1st year architectural or LLB (five year) courses are not eligible for the scholarship. *
The Trust awards merit scholarships to students pursuing undergraduate and post-graduate studies in India. Number of award(s): One Selection criteria: The scholarships will be awarded on the basis of merit. How to apply: Students who meet all the criteria and wish to collect the application form may come to Mulla House, 3rd Floor, 51, M. G. Road, Fort, Mumbai – 400 001 along with. *
Current year’s tuition fee receipt (April 2013 – March 2014) and / or for second year direct admission students, centralized admission letter *
Mark sheet of the last year examination appeared for. Outstation students can send related documents by post. Deadline: September 30, 2013. Check out: www.srtt.org
Oxford-Indira Gandhi Graduate Scholarship
University of Oxford offers graduate scholarship for Indian students in the UK. Somerville College and the University of Oxford have established the Indira Gandhi Scholarships with the generous support of the Government of India. The scholarships are available to candidates ordinarily resident in India or graduates of universities in India, who demonstrate exceptional academic merit and who have been accepted to study at the University of Oxford in areas broadly related to sustainable development. This is the first year that the scholarships have been awarded. Eligibility: Applicants should apply to start a graduate course at Oxford. *
Applicants must be ordinarily resident in India and should be intending to return to India once your course is completed. *
The scholarship is only tenable at Somerville College. All eligible applicants will be considered for this scholarship, regardless of which college (if any) you state as your preference on the graduate application form. However, successful applicants will be transferred to Somerville College in order to take up the scholarship. *
This scholarship is not open to candidates applying for Postgraduate Certificate or Postgraduate Diploma courses, part-time courses, non-matriculated courses or to students with deferred entry. Details: The scholarship will provide 100 per cent of university and college fees and a grant for living costs (at least £13,726). Duration: Scholarship is offered for the duration of the course. How to apply: All eligible applicants, who have applied for admission to the university by the relevant January deadline for their course (10 January 2014 for Medical Sciences, Philosophy, Politics & International Relations and Computer Science; 24 January 2014 for all other subjects), will automatically be considered for this scholarship. Deadline: January 10, 2014 (for Medical Sciences, Philosophy, Politics & International Relations and Computer Science) and January 24, 2014 (for all other subjects). Check out: http://www.ox.ac.uk/feesandfunding/prospectivegrad/scholarships/university/ogs-ig/
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Course cruising
The Indian Institute of Human Rights is inviting applications for admission to is post graduate programme in human rights.
Eligibility : Graduation (Arts / Science / Commerce / Engineering / Agriculture / Medicine / Law / Pharmacy). Examination centre: Exams are conducted every year in June and December at Ahmedabad, Allahabad, Aurangabad, Bhubaneshwar, Bangalore, Baramulla, Bareilly, Bhopal, Bombay, Calcutta, Chandigarh, New Delhi, Dehradun, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Imphal, Jaipur, Jammu, Jamshedpur, Kota, Lucknow, Chennai, Muzaffarpur, Nagpur, Goa, Patna, Port Blair, Pune, Raipur, Ranchi, Srinagar, Shimla, Trivandrum, Udaipur, Varanasi and Vishakhapatnam. How to apply: All applicants who are graduates in any discipline may take admission in the said course by filling the given form and attaching four passport size photos, photocopy of graduation marksheet or degree along with a draft of ~7525.00 for the first year fee (for Indian students) in the favour of "Indian Institute of Human Rights" payable at New Delhi. This may be send to the Institute's address mentioned above by registered post. (Students appearing in final year graduation exams may also apply.) Deadline: November 1, 2013. Check out: www.rightsedu.net/ Distance learning courses International College of Financial Planning (ICoFP), New Delhi, is inviting applications for admission to its distance learning MBA courses — MBA- Financial Planning and MBA- Financial Analysis: Duration: 2 years Eligibility: Graduation in any discipline. Programme inclusions: E-Learning Content- Online material with audio-visual support designed for self study Books for all the subjects 160 hours of interactive online teaching during 2 years Deadline: September 30, 2013 Check out: www.icofp.org
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UK’s University of Northampton has joined hands with the University of Madras to launch a joint MSc programme in International Environmental Management
The course has been specifically designed to meet the needs and ever growing sustainability demands of both developed and rapidly developing countries. Delivered in a range of formats, the course aims to provide candidates with the opportunity to develop the skills and knowledge at postgraduate level that will enable them to become effective environmental managers. The aim is for candidates to develop the critical and analytical skills associated with postgraduate training as well as acquiring comprehensive expertise in, and understanding of, the principles associated with environmental management. Candidates will also be trained to undertake the research required to tackle environmental issues. The programme will run over three stages that take a minimum of one year to complete, however candidates will have up to four years to complete the course. Within stages one and two, candidates will complete compulsory and optional modules on topics like Environmental Management Policy and Control (India), Wastes Management in India, and Environmental Psychology, as well as an individual research thesis. The course would be assessed by tutor marked assignments and time constrained assignments. There will be no formal examinations for this course. Successful graduates will be able to develop careers in specialist environmental management, conservation project management, pollution control and land, natural resource management or in environmental education. Graduates have been successful in gaining managerial posts within government agencies, environmental consultancies and major national and international companies.
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Treasury Manager
*Job profile *
A treasury manager's job involves understanding, managing and supervising all aspects of cash flow. Apart from this he is also involved in: *
Forecasting daily cash requirements and executing daily financing decisions. *
Managing all aspects of in-house investment portfolios. *
Directing, monitoring and trading investment portfolios including Working capital, High-Yield, Escrow and other portfolios. *
Managing long-term and short-term investment strategies. *
Determining the company's tax position and the applicability of taxable/non-taxable instruments. *
Assessing performance benchmarks and recommending changes when warranted. *
Reviewing and recommending changes to the investment policies based on the market conditions. *
Preparing and monitoring company's various cash flow forecasts and performing financial modeling. *
Evaluating, developing and implementing cash management systems to optimise efficiencies. *
Managing relationships with financial service providers. *
Monitoring bank service fees and address quality issues. *
Conducting benchmark studies of banks and their services to evaluate whether it fits the company's requirements. *Where you can work Banks, brokerage houses, insurance companies, consulting companies, MNCs and others. *Remuneration Rs
3,00,000 - 6,00,000 per annum. Compliance Officer *Job profile *
Implementing Risk Management (Compliance and Operational Risk) Framework for the business. This includes the creation of appropriate policies, procedures and reporting, liasioning with various regulatory authorities viz.,
SEBI, IRDA, * AMFI etc. in relation to applicable regulatory requirements and ensuring compliance at all points of time. It involves carrying out risk and compliance activities and initiatives to provide required legal support wherever required including but not limited to reviewing/drafting the agreements, liasioning with external lawyers and organisational legal team and in developing and performing regular surveillance and monitoring activities. *Where you can work Banks, brokerage houses, AMCs, insurance companies. *Remuneration Rs
2,00,000 - 3,50,000 per annum. — With inputs from Gaurav Pal, CEO, Intelivisto Consulting India Pvt Ltd.
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ACCA partners with Pune colleges
The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), a global body for professional accountants, has launched its flagships course in partnership with two leading colleges in Pune — Ness Wadia College of Commerce and Symbiosis College of Arts and Commerce. With these partnerships, the students of both these colleges could be able to earn dual qualification – ACCA and BSc from Oxford Brookes University along with their college degree to make them globally relevant in terms of skill sets ACCA signed an MoU with the two institutions to ensure better co-ordination among the institutions to offer the ACCA Qualification, which is equivalent to a UK master’s degree. Students at both colleges will be able to complete the ACCA Qualification exams, which are based in International Financial Reporting Standards and which are valued by employers around the world, via face-to-face tuitions. 624 get placements at ICAI The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India, the statutory body for regulation of chartered accountants in the country, held its second campus placement programme for the current year across 16 cities of the country. Despite an economic slump, the recruiters included leading companies like ITC, Hindustan Unilever Ltd., Alghanim Industries, Tata Consultancy Services Ltd., Wipro Ltd., Madura Fashion and Life Style, Marriott Hotels India Pvt. Ltd., etc. More than 624 students got recruited during the campus placement programme. The highest compensation stood at ~24.64 lakh per annum, which was offered to three students by ALGHANIM industries for International posting. Commenting on the placement programme, CA Subodh Kumar Agrawal, President, ICAI said, “As many as 58 organisations offered jobs to our students and the salary package offered to them ranged between ~4 lakh to ~24.67 lakh. “ Punjab Technical University (PTU) will collaborate with the Indian Society for Technical Education (ISTE) for training of faculty and students. Under this arrangement, ISTE shall be organising Faculty Development Programmes (FDP) in different streams of engineering for PTU faculty. These programmes, designed to keep PTU faculty abreast with the latest developments in the respective domains, shall be conducted within Punjab and elsewhere. Besides this, ISTE will also organise several workshops, for faculty as well as students, on ethical and human values. A joint committee involving members from University Grants Commission (UGC), Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), PTU and ISTE shall be formed for designing these programmes and content of the workshops.
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Gems of ancient wisdom Insulted they rose Winners don’t let any occasion go by without registering a rise. In success, they believe in “nothing succeeds like success”. And in failure, they set “failures are the stepping stones to success” as their motto.
JRD Tata’s mother tongue was French. At the Cambridge University in England, his heavy French accent made him the butt of jokes among his classmates. Back in India as permanent director of Tata Sons, he was required, among other things, to dictate in English. To his stenographer Iyer, he faked dictation by reading from an old letter. But Iyer caught JRD red handed when the fan blew the old letter towards him. So JRD Tata worked hard and soon learnt to think, write and dictate in English. In the crowd of city boys, village lad Ghanshyam Das felt out of place in a Calcutta school. So he roamed the streets of the city. Seeing this, his father Baldeodas brought him to Bombay and appointed a tutor for Ghanshyam. At the age of 13, he set up his independent business and later founded the House of Birlas. At the age of 18, Manya began working as a governess in the countryside. Casimir, the eldest son of her employers, fell in love with her and the both of them decided to marry. But Casimir's parents didn't approve of an “alliance with a governess”. Swallowing her pride, Manya continued to work for three years. Then she resumed her education and went on to become renowned scientist Marie Curie. Little Ram worked as a menial in the household of Anagal Saheb of Satara. Ram was distracted by Anagal’s earrings and desired to wear those, but Anagal told Ram to first become worthy of those. Touched to the quick, Ram left the job, went to Varanasi and in 12 years, became Ram Shastri, a master of the Vedas, Vedangas and Shastras. On his return to Satara, he rose to the position of Chief Justice under the Peshwas of Maharashtra. As Prince Gadapani of the Ahom dynasty of Assam was a threat to ruthless Prime Minister Laluk Barphukan’s claim to the throne, he was a hunted man. So Laluk rounded up Joymati, Gadapani’s wife. She was presented before the puppet king as a criminal, denied the customary honour reserved for royal ladies, tied to a tree and tortured. Her intense suffering inspired the nobles to gather around Gadapani who drove Laluk out and was crowned in 1681. “Perform your duty and abandon all attachment to success or failure, O Arjuna,” said Krishna in the Gita (2.48). Your success is the best revenge on the world. — Sai R. Vaidyanathan The writer can be contacted at svaidyanathan@tribunemail.com
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Avoid these faux pas if you want to get into a top league B- school. A good MBA school always wants quality students to add to the diversity of its classroom. This is an important factor amongst others while making the final assessment of a student. Despite achieving a high
GMAT, rejections are high in B-schools because of the following reasons:
We’ve all come across compelling stories or tales at some point of our lives along with the zillion everyday experiences.
When we try to recall an event from past, the most vivid memories are those that were linked to some story, or narrative etc. We can hardly recollect the exact lessons of our professors, but do remember some funny anecdotes they told during those drab long lectures.
Marking the highest annual pay hikes worldwide, Indian companies doled out as much as 9.8 per cent increase in salaries this year even though average executive compensation remained lower than many other countries, says a report.
Mobile application development is the process by which application software is developed for low-power handheld devices, such as personal digital assistants, enterprise digital assistants or mobile phones. These applications can be pre-installed on phones during manufacturing, downloaded by customers from various mobile software distribution platforms, or delivered as web applications to provide an “application-like” experience within a Web browser. In simple terms, a mobile app is a software programme for one’s phone. 
Besides, there are many online courses, Stanford University online course on iOS development is considered to be one of the best
My work routine often involves taking large chunks of data and making it work for the user. It’s about coming up with different solutions to the same problems. You’re building on stuff all the time, taking what has worked with something else and applying it to a new
app.— Pushpinder Kaur, a mobile app developer who developed DayClips, a pure native I phone application 
Most veterans in the shoe business will tell you that a positive attitude and the ability to work extremely hard are irreplaceable. Technical knowledge is undoubtedly essential as the emphasis these days is on shoes that feel as good as they look, but the willingness to grow and learn far surpasses this in importance. 
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Lead with a Story by Paul Smith,
Dealing with bullies in workplace is more difficult than doing so in school. There may not be any escape and your whole career may be jeopardised if you take one wrong step as these bullies work very subtly. The first step, thus, is to recognise a bully in your work space and then only can you work a strategy to deal with him. Here I share a real life “encounter” to illustrate my point.
To join as a Deck Officer:
A.From being an upcoming profession, Fashion designing has developed into an established mainline career today.
Q.I have completed my master’s degree in journalism. I have a good command over Hindi as well as English. Please guide me as to which language I should pursue my career in journalism in. —
Ankush Gaur
A.Here’s a short answer straight from the horse’s mouth: No.
It is said that the illiterate of 21st century are not those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn. What you know at present, has already been tried, tested, used and accepted or rejected by somebody across the world; you may or may not be aware of this fact. Some things which have been going on for some time need to be reviewed and things which have been happening in the same manner for many years, definitely need to be changed. That means, that most of what you know now is obsolete and outdated. 
Ratan Tata Trust Scholarships
The course: The two-year course being conducted through correspondence has been designed for meeting the growing needs of experts in the field of human rights, civil liberties, international humanitarian issues, refugee rights and laws, disaster and emergency relief, apartheid and racial discrimination, drug abuse, judicial activism and global and regional perspectives of human rights. Those who successfully complete the two year programme qualify for being awarded the Post Graduate Diploma in Human Rights (PGDHR). 
This programme will be delivered through a blended learning format consisting of online resources and intensive face-to-face tuition at the University of Madras. The master’s course is flexible by design and would allow candidates to study at a pace which suits their circumstances and permits them to read for a UK degree whilst working and living in India.
Similarly, insult may break a layman’s spirit, but a winner takes it as an opportunity to prove himself.