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It’s not just about money
sustainability consultant
admissions consultant
market research data miner
social media manager
smart strategy: negotiate a higher salary for new job
Career Hotline Help me make the right choice for my daughter Cool Counsel Mastering communication skills
course cruising
scholarship roundup
Happiness @ work
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It’s not just about money
Gone are the days, when salary package played an important role while attracting the best talent from elite institutions. Interestingly, young generation these days take decisions from a long-term career goal perspective and prefer job profiles that give them a learning platform along with a quality work environment and autonomy. This topic has been much talked about off late and came in the limelight after several instances of candidates denying hefty salary packages from well-known MNCs and joining start-up ventures to carve their own career path were reported. What are the attributes of companies that matter to the final year students in elite technical and management institutions of the country like IITs, IIMs, ISB, XLRI etc? Is it a handsome salary package or something else?
Students’ take
Prashant Garg, Mechanical Engineering, IIT Delhi, Batch of 2014 Rohini Prasad, PGP class of 2014 at the Indian School of Business
(ISB) Akanksha Jain, Human Resource Management (Batch 2012-2014), XLRI, Jamshedpur Aditya Agar, PGP, IIM, Bangalore (Batch 2012-14) Rishabh Somani, Business Management, XLRI, Jamshedpur (Batch 2012-2014) Devanshu Chaudhary, Electrical and Electronics Engineering, IIT Guwahati (Batch of 2014)
How employers are responding to this new trend
Sachin Bansal, CEO, Flipkart Srikantan
Moorthy, Senior Vice-President and Group Head - Human Resources, Infosys. Upasana Nath, Chief Recruitment Officer, Zomato
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Future perfect
Gauri Chhabra Over the past few years, the world has shrunk into a flat ball and what flows as a natural corollary to it is the increasing carbon footprint, growing dependence on IT, spurt of educational institutions and a world that thrives on social networking. These have brought many new career options to the forefront. These careers are harbingers of the future and are laced with innovation, creativity and lucre. Making a difference
Energy costs and climate change are the two key drivers of many companies looking for green solutions. With an increased focus on reducing carbon footprint and enhancing sustainability, more and more organisations are joining the sustainability bandwagon. This opens the doors for careers such as that of Sustainability Consultant.
The path
There are two distinct sustainability career paths. First, you can build it through degrees in business and public administration, physical or life sciences, engineering, social sciences or natural resources and conservation. Second, in case you have been responsible for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives of your organisation, you can easily dovetail your skills and join the sustainability party. Even if you have a fresh MBA under your belt, you can join the risk management team. Most companies offer internships, which provide an opportunity to get to know the firm and for the firm to get to know you, and can be an excellent route to a full-time job offer. What does a Sustainability consultant do? As a sustainability consultant, you would be responsible for devising new ways to reduce client costs and increase client competitiveness —- core services that help keep them in business. Since the C-level executives are constantly focused on bottomline activities, your main job would be to measure and manage the company's carbon footprint and address climate change-related liabilities. You would be responsible for preparing erudite reports and papers, and offering attractive, understandable ways for businesses to reduce costs and gain sustainable competitive advantage particularly in an era of rising energy costs. Besides, you would develop sustainability score cards, which have a public relations and marketing dimension. You would also be conducting online research on environmental regulatory updates, calculating the energy consumption for manufacturing a particular product, and presenting sustainability compliance report findings to clients, upper management or regulatory officials. Who would hire you? The companies that are gravitating towards sustainability and trying to position themselves as thought leaders in this domain are Accenture, Deloitte, BCG, McKinsey etc. While the sustainability practice groups of these firms are often relatively new, they are growing, and represent an emerging area of opportunity, particularly for MBAs and mid-career experts. In some cases, these firms offer sustainability as a component of risk management. Where it's far more exciting and innovative, of course, is when it looks at a wholesale transformation of business strategy. As a Sustainability practitioner, you would rarely be confined to just one area of expertise — instead, you need to draw upon a range of different disciplines to come up with solutions that address environmental, economic and social needs. Sustainability's focus on inter-disciplinary problem-solving might be a tall order to meet, but it's also an exceptional opportunity. How many other professions allow you to make a positive difference across so many diverse areas?
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Showing the right path
Over the past decade, the number of education institutes has increased exponentially, and so has the number of courses and degrees. This confuses the students as they are overwhelmed with myriad career options and colleges that would give them the value for their money. Here is where Admission Consultants come in the picture. Admissions Consultants work with people applying for college. Go for a degree in business, psychology, counseling or human resources. What would you be required to do? You would be required to help students pick the best courses and improve their chances of being admitted to colleges. You would also help them in filling application forms, writing college essays, meeting deadlines, and preparing for interviews over the course of months or a year. Who would hire you? Many schools, colleges and counseling firms hire people to help young students choose their college track. You may be offered a number of positions, starting with lower degrees and moving up to the position of a consultant. A few years of refreshing the different issues faced while applying for college will help you to qualify for consulting work. Those of you with a passion for setting up your own venture can consider becoming a private consultant. Here, your network with families, schools and colleges would help.
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Research resurgence
Have you ever noticed that every time you shop at your favorite retail outlet like Big Bazaar and Best Price, you are asked to fill a form that encapsulates your name, date of birth, contact information, and your feedback about the purchases and your shopping experience. Customer information and management has become vital to the retail experience, businesses are compiling data and mining data in droves. This calls for careers such as Market Research Data Miner. In order to become good data mining practitioner you need to understand statistical concepts and basic principles of knowledge induction. Knowing inferential stats, t-tests, analysis of variance, regressions, and so on is important. You need to know some academic or commercial software, since you won't be doing logistic regression on a piece of paper. Knowing the business application of the model is very important. Segmentations, cross-selling, retention, customer value and profitability are particularly common. What would you be required to do? You would be required to use pattern recognition technologies and statistical and mathematical techniques to sift through warehoused information, and recognise significant facts, relationships, trends, patterns, exceptions and anomalies that might otherwise go unnoticed. Besides, your analysis would result in market segmentation, customer churn, fraud detection, direct marketing, market basket analysis i.e understand what products or services are commonly purchased together; e.g., beer and diapers and trend analysis. Who would hire you? With companies like Google and Facebook leading the way in collecting customer data, there may still be room for developers who focus on creating analytics software capable of bringing all that data together and providing additional insight. Almost all companies that are interested in customer relationship management would hire you, especially the FMCG sector where the need to mine customer behaviour and sentiment from social and other Web-based platforms is crucial.
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The image makers
In today's fast and fluid world, social networking sites like twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook play a major role in determining the mind space that a person, brand or organisation occupies in the minds of the consumers. One of the major factors behind the recent success and increasing popularity of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) was the way in which it was able to connect with the masses through the social media. Thus, the scope for Social Media Managers is widening. He is the person who is responsible for maintaining your presence in front of the social-networking audience. What would you do? As a Social Media Manager, you would be responsible for posting relevant information about your organisation on the social media platforms - right where people would love to see it. You gain an instant mileage by doing that. Google, and sometimes even your Twitter feed, serves as Yellow Pages for the buyer who is looking for information. Marketers are breaking their necks to create and provide it in high volume. To make your content cater and reach out to the right audience, seek customer feedback. A successful Social Media Manager understands the importance of customer feedback and its effect on improving the product or service. Next, you would be responsible for introducing your company as a thought leader in a particular domain. Keep an open dialogue, whether it's with a lead product designer or C-level executives, and let their expertise be the basis for some of your posts. Start quoting your C-level executives in social media updates. Conduct and post interviews. However, you can make sure you're establishing your company as a thought leader rather than a piggy-backer. You would also be using social media as a prospecting tool and will need to recognise that there's an audience out there that needs you. Nothing allows for direct access to a brand like the social media. Who would hire you? Almost every organisation that thinks seriously about broadening customer base and enhancing brand retention and recall will hire you. You can earn as much as Rs 4-10 lakh per annum by adding to the to line activities. Therefore, in 2014, think out-of-the-box and pave your way to an offbeat career that is creative as well as with lucrative. — The writer is a Ludhiana-based career consultant
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smart strategy: negotiate a higher salary for new job Jappreet Sethi In your job selection process, you will naturally look forward to getting the best possible compensation from your employer. So how do you get a salary befitting your qualifications and skills and the recent upswing in market demand for talent?
Some of the most common reasons for candidates not asking for anything more than the salary that is offered on the table is the fear of being rejected, lack of self-confidence or aversion to being seen as too pushy. Will you sacrifice your future earnings so that you are seen as a ‘good person’? A 2010 survey conducted by Career Builder on a sampling of 2,400 hiring managers showed that 51 per cent of the employers were comfortable with employees negotiating a higher salary after the initial offer was extended to them, with 21 per cent of employers willing to extend more than two offers to the same candidate. Remember that the company needs you as much as you need it. A lot of progressive companies like candidates with spine who can negotiate a fair deal for themselves. Gone are the days of employees being at the mercy of the employer or the hiring manager. You have something to offer, and that is why you have made it to the final round. Here’s how taking an intelligent approach will help you get a good salary in your new job: Don’t forget to negotiate The first and foremost principle for any employee accepting a new job should be that they never forget to negotiate for a better salary. By accepting the initial offer from your employer without negotiating, you could lose a significant amount in your job life that you are worthy of and entitled to. If your employer is impressed by your skills and aptitude, they will always leave room for some negotiation on the initial offer they have extended. Adopt a patient approach Always be positive in your approach while negotiating your salary. It does not help to lose patience and give in too quickly. You will not immediately be offered the best compensation when you switch jobs. Acting with caution and showing patience can give you an upper hand . Meet employer halfway Be polite in your approach and be ready to compromise, if necessary retreating a step from your demands. Meeting the employer halfway on the offer can crack the deal. Be conversant with your new workplace You must thoroughly research the status and background of the organisation you are joining. Know about the standard salaries paid by the industry for your job and for people with qualifications similar to yours. It is not advisable to enter into a negotiation with the prospective employer without obtaining this basic knowledge. Get advice from experts It is always a good practice to ask for advice from experts, as well as professional recruitment consultants. They understand market trends well and can advise you on how best to negotiate for appropriate compensation from your prospective employer. They are usually updated on industry standards and can offer great suggestions. Forget your last salary Never stake your claim on the basis of the last salary you drew in your previous job. If this is your first job, you should not stake your demands on your financial needs. Instead, the stake should be based on industry standards and your qualifications. Demonstrate how you will add value The basic goal of an employer is to have you add value to the organisation when they employ you. It is necessary that you indicate how you are going to add value to the enterprise through your services, skill and knowledge. If possible, let them know about the value you provided in your previous place of employment. This will give you the leverage you desire in salary negotiation. Last but not the least, always allow the employer to initiate the negotiation on salaries, as you will know clearly his or her mindset while you put forth your side of the issue. — The writer is a Human Resources and business strategy professional.
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Career Hotline Q.Our daughter who is in Class X will have to choose her stream this year. While I am encouraging her to choose science, my husband and the rest of his family feel that she would be better off with Humanities subjects. They say that in research men outnumber women because they are more cut out for science and technology. I am very confused. What would you advice? — Meera Mahajan A. Although there are far more male than female scientists and mathematicians in the world, it’s not due to any inherent lack of ability but the result of parental, societal and institutional discrimination.
The discrimination starts at home when parents directly or indirectly try to steer girls away from subjects like maths, science and computer applications. At times, this extends to the school. And if you think this is typical of India, let me assure you this even applies to advanced countries like the US of A! Although women constitute 35 per cent of US faculty, their number drops sharply to 20 per cent when it comes to science and engineering. Yet despite these odds, women doubled the number of doctoral degrees awarded in the US, while that of men dwindled by 2,000. While claiming to be equal opportunity employers, many institutions and scientific establishments still fight shy of hiring a qualified woman if a man with similar qualifications is available. It is a myth that women with families are unwilling to work longer hours and tend to take leave for family reasons. Can you show me one field of endeavour where women lag behind men in terms of sharing responsibility and work pressure? As far as your daughter’s choice of subjects is concerned, I would strongly urge you go by her likes and interests rather than by sweeping generalisations masquerading as meaningful insights into what women can and can’t do. Please encourage her to shine in whatever sphere she chooses to venture. I wish her luck! Women’s brains may be smaller than men’s in terms of bulk, but they tend to use them more efficiently. They are far better at multi-tasking than their male counterparts.
Second innings
Q. After having been a full-time mum for two kids, I feel terribly useless whiling away my time at home, now that both are in college. I was working in a bank before I got married.
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Avantika Behl A. Sure it’s extremely difficult to manage a family and a full-time career. But as the kids grow up and move on to college, it can be a pretty confusing time for stay-at-home moms. And believe me, this vacuum cuts across all social strata. The journey from caring mother to independent woman can be eased with a little timely planning. Otherwise most women find it very difficult to go back to a working life, even when they want to in later life. Family pressure and inflexible work hours can delay the decision further. I suggest you keep working – even briefly – albeit as a volunteer or flexi-timer, to sustain your confidence and sense of identity and motivation. What begins as a part-time activity can blossom into a full-time passion Sure, entering the workforce after a long break is not easy. Your age and lack of exposure can work against you. If you plan to return to your previous career, take up some relevant short-term courses so that you are armed with up-to-date skills for making a re-entry. More so, if you would like to embark on a new career. Regardless of whatever you do, keep believing in yourself. Best of luck!
Am I eligible for CSIR-NET?
Q. I am a final year student of B.Tech (Biotech) and I have a keen interest in teaching and research. I want to appear for CSIR-NET, but I don’t know whether I am eligible for the exam or not.
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Sangram Sharma BSc (Hons), BS (4-yrs), BE/BTech, BPharm, MBBS, Integrated BS-MS in addition to MSc. To encourage engineering graduates like you to pursue PhD, CSIR-NET has introduced a sixth paper in engineering sciences which is common to all engineering disciplines. The sample paper and syllabus is uploaded on the CSIR website. The minimum percentage remains the same i.e. 55 per cent for General category candidates (50 per cent for SC/ST/PH). Fourth year students like you can also apply (The Application deadline for the June exam: March) However, bachelor’s degree holders (in science or engineering will be eligible for JRF only upon enrolment for PhD /integrated PhD within two years. According to UGC norms, you need to obtain the minimum marks in each of the three papers separately i.e. 40 per cent in Papers I & II and 50 per cent in Paper III (there’s a 5 per cent relaxation for OBC (non-creamy). Moreover, please note that only the top 15 per cent candidates in the NET merit list for each subject and category (on the basis of aggregate scores) will be declared qualified and eligible for lectureship. A separate list will be drawn up for JRFs from among the NET qualifiers in the merit list.
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Cool Counsel Q. I have a well paying job and have been working for the past seven years. Off late I am getting restless here as I think that I am not learning anything new. Though I love my work but it is kind of becoming routine and there are very few challenging moments. I just come to office and slog, without adding to my skills. What would you suggest — should I leave this job? — Manish Kumar
My friend, YOU are responsible for your own development. The company can perhaps help by creating an environment conducive to learning and development, but the buck stops with you. I am not suggesting that you push your boss and enrol yourself for the next 2-3 training programmes that are offered. Not at all. In fact, 70 per cent of all learning happens on the job. I would suggest document your interest areas and development needs where you want to grow. Then try to release some time (even two hours every week) from your activity schedule and invest in your learning. As an example, if budgeting and planning is your area of interest and you want to grow in that then seek permission to sit with a colleague in the planning team. Become an apprentice for just two hours, say every Friday evening. In fact, you could also volunteer to contribute, if they need an extra pair of hands. Understanding how the team functions and the challenges they face as they compile the annual budget will be a much better source of learning than any training course that you can attend…
Mastering communication skills
Q.How do I improve my communication skills? English is my second language and I do not speak it very fluently and get nervous while speaking, especially while making a presentation to a group. What should I do about it?
A.
At the outset let me say that improving your communication skills will be a slow process and along the way, there may be temptation to stop or pause the development activities that you are doing. However, if the desire to change is strong, then I can suggest a few basic steps. First step into the shoes of the listener(s) and ask the question — what is their interest in listening to you? That answer will help you design the content of what you should say. Then as you get on stage to make the presentation, make sure you break up your talk into three parts — say what you are going to say, say it, and then say what you just said. It is important to summarise and highlight the top few points at the end of the talk because the human mind can absorb not more than 2-3 points at a go. Engage your audience — ask questions, pause for greater effect at appropriate points that you want to focus on, change your tone and pitch as you speak. Let it not be a monotonous statement followed by another statement and yet another. Practice, Practice, Practice. One development activity that helped me a lot is reading aloud. Suggest take one or two columns in the daily newspaper and read aloud in front of the mirror. Do this for 30 days at a stretch. All it takes is 10-15 minutes of your time every day but the impact by the end of 30 days will be great. Eventually, it is a question of the face, jaws and lips getting used to pronouncing the English words fluently.
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course cruising
Manovikas Institute of Higher Education invites application for admission to Certified Credit Course in Hospitality, Retail, Basic Business and office attendence Training Programme for Persons with Intellectual and other Developmental Disabilities.
Duration: Certificate programme having minimum duration of six months and maximum of two years. Diploma programme is offered for minimum one year and maximum of three years duration. Eligibility: Programmes are designed for people with developmental and intellectual disabilities including persons with autism, cerebral palsy, mental retardation, multiple disabilities, specific learning disability/slow learners. May require a complete assessment of the applicant’s cognitive process, behavioural profile, multiple intelligence and aptitude. Pre-requisite skills: Functional literacy, on the scale of multiple intelligence applicants should score 50 per cent in any two areas: 1. Logical mathematics, 2. Interpersonal, 3. Linguistic, 4. Bodily
kinaesthetic. How to apply: The forms for admission are available on the website manovikas.co.in or you can write to Manovikas Institute of Higher Education, A-267, Surajmal
Vihar, Delhi-110092. Deadline: January 10, 2014. Check out:
www.manovikas.co.in Law courses The National Law University, Delhi invites applications for admission to
B.A.,LL.B.(Hons.), LL.M. and Ph.D. programmes for the academic year 2014-15 commencing from August, 2014. Eligibility: B.A., LL.B.
(Hons.)- Five Years Programme Senior Secondary School Examination (10+2 System) or equivalent examination with 50 per cent of marks. The candidates appearing in Class XII examination in March/April, 2014 can also apply. Age: Below 21 years as on July 1, 2014 (23 years in case of SC/ST candidates). Total Seats: 80 [70 seats on merit through All India Law Entrance Test
(AILET) and 10 seats for direct admission to foreign nationals on merit]. Foreign nationals to be eligible should have 65 per cent marks in the qualifying examination.
LL.M. (One year) LL.B. or an equivalent degree with 55 per cent marks (50 per cent in case of SC/ST/ persons with disability). The candidates appearing in final LL.B. examination in April/May, 2014 can also apply. Total Seats: 20 + 5 seats for Foreign Nationals. Foreign Nationals are exempted from
AILET. Ph.D. Eligibility: LL.M. degree with 55 per cent marks or its equivalent (50 per cent in case of SC/ST/ persons with disability). Admission criteria: Admission to B.A., LL.B.
(Hons.), LL.M. and Ph.D. Programmes will be through AILET to be conducted at
Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Bhopal, Chandigarh, Chennai, Cochin, Delhi, Guwahati,
Hyderabad, Jaipur, Jammu, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, Tiruchirappalli and Patna on May 4, 2014(Sunday). How to apply: Interested candidates may apply along with a Demand Draft of ~3,000 for general candidates, ~1,000 in case of SC/ST and Persons with Disability (PD) drawn in favour of REGISTRAR, NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY, DELHI, payable at Delhi along with copies of requisite Caste/Person with Disability Certificate. The students can also apply online for admission through:
http://nludelhi.admissionhelp.com, Deadline: April 7, 2014. DATE FOR ALL INDIA LAW ENTRANCE
TEST(AILET) : MAY 4, 2014 Check out: www.nludelhi.ac.in National Entrance Screening Test (NEST) 2014 National Entrance Screening Test (NEST) is a compulsory test for students seeking admission to National Institute of Science Education and Research
(NISER), Bhubaneswar and University of Mumbai - Department of Atomic Energy Centre for Excellence in Basic Sciences
(UM-DAE CBS), Mumbai. These institutes train scientific manpower for carrying out cutting edge scientific research and for providing input to scientific programmes of Department of Atomic Energy and other applied science institutions in the country. The test is conducted in 45 centers across India. Integrated Science Education and Research Center
(ISERC), Visva Bharati, is also participating in NEST 2014 and will admit students for its Integrated MSc course from the Merit List of NEST 2014. Eligibility: Candidates in General and OBC category should be born on or after July 22, 1994. The age limit is relaxed by 5 years for SC/ ST/ Physically Disabled (PD)
candidates. nClass XII qualifying examination should be passed in either 2012 or 2013. Candidates appearing in 2014 are also eligible.
nAt least 60% marks in aggregate (or equivalent grade) in Class XII (or equivalent) examination from any recognised board. How to apply: For online get details from
http://www.nestexam.in/docs/How2Apply(new).pdf Application deadline: March 8, 2014
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Big Data and Hadoop Course
Training provider for financial courses EduPristine recently launched a certification course ‘Big Data and Hadoop Programme’. The course will provide an in-depth understanding of analysing unstructured Big Data to draw important predictions for businesses. The course is available in online and offline versions. The 100-hour comprehensive training programme will include classroom, webinar, online and live projects. Commenting on the launch, Atul Kumar, Director of EduPristine said, “It is estimated that the Indian Big Data market to grow from $200 million in 2012 to $1 billion in 2015 at a CAGR of over 83 per cent. Big Data and Hadoop will immensely impact businesses everywhere in the world and bring about excellent opportunities for trained professionals. This programme aims at producing top quality professionals who have an in-depth understanding on Big Data and Hadoop platform.” This course is designed for professionals aspiring to make a career in Big Data Analytics using Hadoop Framework. Software Professionals, Analytics Professionals, ETL developers, Project Managers, Testing Professionals are the key beneficiaries of this course. Interested candidates can get details at http ://www.edupristine.com/courses/big-data-hadoop-program/ New computer course
UK-based University of Southampton’s Electronics and Computer Science
(ECS) School has launched a new MSc programme in Computer Science. The course is of one year duration and allows students to choose modules from more specialist programmes in Artificial Intelligence, Cyber Security, Signal Processing, Software Engineering, and Web Science &Technology. In Semester 1, students can cover the foundations of a number of these specialist areas, and for other taught subjects one can choose specialist modules to deepen their understanding in one or more of these areas. Students are required to have at least 70 per cent aggregate in their undergraduate degree in Computer Science or a related field to be eligible to apply for this course. English language requirements are set at IELTS 6.5 with no less than 6 in any component. All individuals are selected and treated on their relative merits and abilities in line with the University’s Equal Opportunities Policy. The annual fee for the programme is £17,750. The programme commences in September 2014. For more information on the
programme, visit: http://www.ecs.soton.ac.uk/programmes/msc_computer_science.
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Clinical research
Applicants should normally have between four to seven years of post-MD/post-MS/post-MPH/post-PhD or equivalent research experience. Application deadline is 26th February 2014. Eligibility: It is not mandatory for those holding a medical degree and/or a MPH degree to also have a PhD in order to apply for the Fellowships. n Applicants should normally have between four to seven years of post-MD/post-MS/post-MPH/post-PhD or equivalent research experience. Time spent outside the research environment (i.e., career breaks) will be considered but has to be clearly mentioned in the application. n Applicants do not have to be an Indian national, of Indian origin or be resident in India at the time of application. However, it is expected that your research will be based at an Indian host institution and that your long-term aim is to pursue a career in India. Details: The total award for an Intermediate Fellowship typically amounts to ~3.5 crore. This includes the costs requested by the applicant as well as the set contributions by the India Alliance. How to apply: Online. Deadline: The Preliminary application deadline is February 26, 2014 or the full application deadline is May 2014. Check out: http://www.wellcomedbt.org Fellowship for journalists World Press Institute is offering journalism fellowship for international journalist working outside of the US with at least five years of professional journalistic experience in any medium. The programme usually begins in mid-August and end in mid-October. It provides immersion into the governance, politics, business, media, journalistic ethics and culture of the United States for experienced international journalists, through a demanding schedule of study, travel and interviews throughout the country. Eligibility: At least five years full-time employment in print, broadcast or online journalism. Photojournalists, editorial cartoonists, columnists and broadcast producers are also eligible. Those who supervise journalists are eligible providing that they also have at least five years as a working journalist. n Must be currently employed as a non US journalist working outside of the USA. n Fluency in both written and spoken English. n Potential for leadership Details: WPI pays all programme costs, including transportation to the US and back, all transportation within the US related to the WPI programme and all lodging costs. In addition, a modest daily per diem for food is provided. Personal expenses, such as cameras, film, postage and clothing, are the responsibility of the fellows. Hotel accommodations and fellowship -related travel are paid for. How to apply: Online. The candidates have to provide: * Applicant information * Employment history and education * Two essays * Colour photo of yourself * Work samples * Awards, fellowships, and certificates * Three letters of recommendation Deadline: February 15, 2014. Check out: http://worldpressinstitute.org
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Bad bosses make workers sick!
A new study has suggested that workers are unhappy at work mainly because of their horrible bosses who make them unhealthy and less productive. The research by Ohio State University in the US revealed that horrible bosses affect the health of their employees, News24 reported. The study showed that chronic work-related stress changes gene activity in immune cells before they reach the bloodstream, which leads to severe inflammation, which is linked to health problems, including heart disease, obesity and dementia. Dr Ralph Evans, an industrial psychology consultant based in Pretoria, said that based on his experience working for industrial or corporate companies, working for a horrible boss who is always screaming or pulling rank for no valid reason has a detrimental effect on employees’ physical and mental health. He said that if a boss is always shouting at his employees the minute they set foot inside the office, their morale goes and they prepare for a fight, and during that preparation their immune system prepares for a fight as well, not knowing that the fight is not physical. The study has been published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. — ANI
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Happiness @ work Adverse conditions at work may break a good worker’s spirit, but it is vital to keep up the momentum as happy times may only be a few moments away.
Seeing Razia’s popularity with the masses, her stepmother Shah Turkan plotted to kill her during horse-training by having a ditch dug in the obstacle course. But an alert Jamal-ud-din Yaqut, the keeper of the stables, informed Razia of the plot. The masses rose in Razia’s support and she was installed Sultana. From lover to enemy to wife: When Razia’s lover nobleman Altunia expressed his desire to marry her, she cited the numerous affairs of the state as a reason for her refusal. Later, she sent Altunia to Bathinda as Governor. Jealous nobles spread a rumour that Razia was having an affair with Yaqut, whom she had elevated to Amirul Umra (chief of nobles). Enraged, Altunia rebelled, killed Yaqut and imprisoned Razia in the ensuing battle in Bathinda in April 1240. Jail brought the lovers close and misunderstandings melted away. Soon, they were united in wedlock. From capturer to captive: When Jaswant Singh, King of Jodhpur, died during a mission to Kabul, his overlord Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb saw it as an opportunity to annex Jodhpur and to convert his wife and son, prince Ajeet Singh, to Islam. Seeing mother and son under house arrest in Delhi, courtier and Rajput hero Durgadas made a sharp onslaught on the Mughal guards. After a long chase, the mother-son duo reached Udaipur. When Aurangzeb attacked, he was forced deep into a ravine and made to return to Delhi. His Queen and son Akbar were caught, presented before Jaswant Singh’s widow, pardoned and sent back home. From ‘trash’ to masterpieces: In the beginning, Rabindranath Tagore’s poems were mocked for their colloquial language. Even a passage from his work was set in the matriculation paper of the Calcutta University with the injunction: Rewrite in chaste Bengali. But the Nobel Prize for Literature for ‘Gitanjali’, adoption of his two poems as national anthems of India and Bangladesh and the success of Shanti Niketan made him the father of modern Bengali literature. From encroacher to lifesaver: When Mother Teresa opened Nirmal Hriday, a hospice at Kalighat in Calcutta, the priests of the nearby Kali temple saw her as an encroacher. But when she admitted a tuberculosis-infected priest into the hospice and took care of him, their attitude towards the Mother changed. Don’t let good times catch you napping. — Sai R. Vaidyanathan The writer can be contacted at svaidyanathan@tribunemail.com
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institutions. Interestingly, young generation these days take decisions from a long-term career goal perspective and prefer job profiles that give them a learning platform along with a quality work environment and autonomy. This topic has been much talked about off late and came in the limelight after several instances of candidates denying hefty salary packages from well-known MNCs and joining start-up ventures to carve their own career path were reported. What are the attributes of companies that matter to the final year students in elite technical and management institutions of the country like IITs, IIMs, ISB, XLRI etc? Is it a handsome salary package or something else?
In today's fast and fluid world, social networking sites like twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook play a major role in determining the mind space that a person, brand or organisation occupies in the minds of the consumers. One of the major factors behind the recent success and increasing popularity of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) was the way in which it was able to connect with the masses through the social media.
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To start with I think that not many students in India have the opportunity to prioritise their dream job over just any job. In my case, I'm going to consider a few things like a broader job profile and global exposure among other attributes. I don't want to settle at this early stage of my career and therefore I'm going to choose a firm from consulting domain. In consulting there are many firms which come to IIT Delhi. Since I am an adventurous person, I really want to enter the field of consulting and work with a firm that provides me a platform for learning with diverse culture and global exposure.
Selecting one's target companies during placements is usually not a clear cut decision, especially at the Indian School of Business (ISB), where so many avenues are available. There are three important things that I would consider while choosing a job or a company. Firstly, the nature of the job and how challenging it is likely to be. After an MBA, my preference is — the more challenging, the better. Secondly, I would carefully consider the growth prospects within the organisation. Starting off at a high position isn't lucrative if the potential to grow in the organisation thereafter is limited. And finally, I would consider the culture of the organisation which should be conducive to one's personal style of working. I believe that the cultural fit of a person with the prospective employer determines more than anything else, whether an individual looks at a company as a stepping stone to something bigger or as a long-term career choice.
Opportunity for learning and professional growth becomes highly important for a fresh graduate who aims to climb up the echelons of the corporate hierarchy in a few years. Through challenging projects and assignments in the initial few years, individuals aim to acquire new skills and knowledge, which would help him/her in career progression and enhance his/her marketability. Along with professional achievement, an organisation’s culture is also an important factor that helps a prospective candidate analyse the organisation-culture fit. Companies that provide greater autonomy on the job, flexibility, appreciation and recognition have always something more to offer than only attractive pay packages.
Apart from monetary benefits, the most important factors that influence students’ decisions on applying for a job role are: depth of the role being offered, chances of career progression, opportunities to express themselves, recruiter’s brand image and location/station of work, generally in the same order. Although the decision-making criteria are not limited to the aforementioned factors and include a plethora of other influencers as well, these factors serve as the most important filtering blocks and help in achieving a greater focus in a system that boasts of an impressive line-up of potential employers.
A student doesn’t always consider aspects such as a job description or remuneration while considering his/her dream employer. While the organisation that one is working for is still an important factor, it is merely for societal acceptance — so that parents can feel proud of the fact that their ward is working for a reputed employer. Over the past few years, there are other factors that have taken precedence for freshers. These include a possible work-life balance; the stage of the organisation in its lifecycle and the level of experience. The exposure and learning opportunities given to a management graduate to grow in the organisation and get rewarded and make a difference in the day-to-day life, has resulted in students opting for more niche roles in B-schools today. Finally, candidates do take feedback from their alma mater to get a sense of the exact job description, their experiences and how they can chart their career course.
Most of the final year students are looking to find a right threshold to start their careers. Monetary benefit only forms a part of the complete picture. Students look forward to numerous other things - the reputation of the company, the career growth offered by the company, the job security and development opportunities that the student can get by being a part of the organisation. Students are actually looking to target a career in an industry of their choice rather than just a job. The companies are aware of this fact and thus, many organisations specifically request for pre-placement talks with the students in which they explain all these aspects of the organisation to them.
Our company started recruiting from top campuses fairly early on and we have been able to attract top talent from the colleges we go to. Campus hiring is strategic for us. It helps us identify and bring new talent into the organisation. We invest in the training and development of the talent that we bring in and help them create impact at a fast pace. Our USP is clear — those who join us get an opportunity to build a company and its business from the ground up, grow along with it and learn at a pace and flexibility that is unmatched in the industry. For technology recruits, this translates into the chance to build products that are changing the way India shops and being a part of a world-class technology company in India. For those who join our retail/ supply chain teams, it’s about creating a market from scratch and being the leaders in that space. While we cannot discuss compensation, which is of course extremely competitive, it is the work offered at Flipkart, the chance to innovate and create massive impact, that attracts talent to us.
Our hiring strategy is simple: we hire the best people and encourage them to make their dreams a reality. We are looking for individuals with good learning ability and communication skills with a focus on technology. We constantly seek smart, talented and self-motivated people with an entrepreneurial bent. We provide them with an incredibly supportive environment and like-minded colleagues where they can hone their creative ideas. Infosys works closely with colleges to keep them abreast of the latest technological developments. We conduct an intensive training programme for freshers joining the company to equip them to enter the corporate world. We have built strong campus relations making Infosys the employer of choice at a majority of the colleges that we visit. Our talent acquisition strategy is linked to our business strategy of providing technology-enabled business solutions to our global clients.
We recently launched two new initiatives to drive hiring in two key areas — tech, and leadership. A trial week was launched, geared towards students and graduates with a serious passion for coding and programming. Selected participants were invited to spend a week with the technology team and work on several live projects which were a part of the development road map. Over the course of the week, people who fit into the team in terms of skill as well as culture were offered full-time roles. The Leadership Programme is focused on getting in touch with people who have led their own ventures in the past. From handling regulatory paperwork and finding the right office space, to hiring a team and building a profitable business, we are looking for people who can handle operations across the board. 
The job market has finally started picking up, with 34 of 42 countries surveyed by the Manpower group showing a net increase in the projected headcount for the first quarter of 2014. 
A To broaden the scope of the NET and attract meritorious students at an early stage of their career, CSIR revised the eligibility criteria to include the following degrees in the relevant subjects: 
A.Carrying on with the job or trying for something different is a much larger question and the answer will depend on a lot of other factors as well. However, on the question of learning at work, who do you think is responsible for your development? If you feel the employer or your boss is responsible for your development, think again.
These innovative programmes are recognised by IGNOU and National Trust. The programmes are equivalent to National Competency Certificate level 2 and 3 under the National Vocational Education Qualifications Framework
(NVEQF) of Government of India, Ministry of Human Resource Development.
Applications are invited for Wellcome Trust/DBT Intermediate fellowships for an independent research programme at an academic institution in India. These fellowships will be awarded for clinical/public health research and is for five years full-time and includes research expenses and additional allowances.
From heiress to victim to Queen: According to the will of Sultan Shamsuddin Iltutmish of the Slave dynasty, who died on April 29, 1236, his daughter Razia was to become the Sultana. But sensing trouble from the ‘amirs’ (nobles), she let stepbrother Ruknuddin ascend the throne.