Neuro-Linguistic Programming
Fine tuning people skills
Gauri Chhabra

Interested in psychology and wish to take up a course that helps you understand the working of human mind? Are you an HR Professional combating complex issues like Change Management and Organisational Dynamics? Are you a salesperson fighting against the snowballing targets and deadlines? Or, the 'entrepreneurial bug' in you made you start your own company, you have everything under your control - the finances, the operations, the logistics but every time you have to address your own team, you stutter and stammer. And you wish you could feel the pulse of the audience and make your moves accordingly.

Managing people is an art. Human beings are such complex organisms that you need a third eye to decipher them. If you wish to have a third eye, you can go in for the niche Programme — Neuro Linguistic Programming or NLP.

What is NLP?

Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) is a method of understanding how people achieve success in a wide range of fields such as sport, education, management and therapy. It owes its genesis to the work of Richard Bandler, a computer scientist and Gestalt therapist, and Dr John Grinder, a linguist and therapist in 1974, when they proposed that NLP would provide users with the tools to analyse, incorporate or modify any sequence of behaviour they observed in another human being. These NLP tools involve the analysis of a person's internal and external communication (linguistics) and the effects (programming) this has on the way their brain operates (neurology). NLP hinges on the following principles:

* Enlisting outcomes:

NLP enlists certain outcomes that everyone would like to achieve. The outcome needs to be stated in positive terms. This means that the outcome must be what you want and not what you don't want to happen.

* Sensory awareness

Once you know your outcome you must next have sufficient sensory acuity to know if you are moving towards it or not. NLP teaches the ability to calibrate or 'read' people. This involves the ability to interpret changes in muscle tone, skin colour, lower lip size and breathing rate and location. The NLP practitioner uses these to determine what effect they are having on other people. This information serves as feedback as to whether the other person is in the desired state.

* Changing behaviour

The next operational principle of NLP is to vary your behaviour until you get the response you want. If what you are doing isn't working, then you need to do something else. You should use your sensory acuity to determine if what you are doing is leading you in the desired direction of not.

* Time for action

The final operational principle of NLP is to take action now. It focuses on the principle of carpe diem that means seize the moment and act now.

Course canvas

Whether you’re looking to go on to further education, improve your job prospects, distance learning Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) is a flexible and convenient course, which allows you to comprehensively prepare for an exam or career through home study. What's more, because the distance learning NLP is a fully comprehensive course, no prior knowledge is required.

* Human Resource Diploma:

In the Human Resources course we will be looking at the range of work most usually performed by the HR department, and in particular the knowledge and skills that you will require as an HR personnel, working under whatever circumstances, to fulfill this demanding yet rewarding role. You will be learning about recruitment, selection and induction of staff, producing and maintaining personnel records, staff management and relationships, staff support, training and development, grievances and tribunals and employment terminations.

Training centres

* ANLP India — www.anlpindia.info/ -: All major cities

* Alphastars — www.indianlptraining.com All major cities

* Goa NLP — www.goanlp.in — Goa

* Neoway Academy — www.neowayin.com — Bengaluru

* NLP4India — www.nlp4india.com All major cities

* Onefluencer— www.onefluencer.com All major cities

* Only Success — onlysuccess.net Chennai, Bengaluru and Overseas 

Emerging trend in corporate transformation

Manjot Gill, Chief Business Officer, Mind Bridge Asia Kharar, Greater Mohali, says, “In today’s world of stress and strain NLP has proved helpful for Business Managers, HR professionals, team leaders and decision makers, psychologists, sports coaches, senior bureaucrats, corporate consultants and parents who wish to counsel their wards on their dilemmas of life. The NLP can add value to your profession and also pave the way for you to become a Master Practitioner of NLP. This is an emerging trend in corporate transformation and self-help”.

Career Compass: Fields and roles in which NLP can be used

C Level Positions

The C suite positions of any organisation are fuelled from within the organisation itself. In such cases, the tactical programmers and managers need to be groomed in leadership and management skills so that they can take on higher positions and manage their own teams. Technical professionals need to exhibit leadership qualities in their day-to-day interactions, which will form the basis for their future promotions.

You can take up an NLP certification to hone your leadership skills, presentation and meeting skills before you step up the C suite ladder.

HR professionals

NLP improves understanding in all one-to-one communications, especially interviewing and appraisals. It is an enabling tool of Emotional Intelligence (EI) and can also be very helpful for stress management and developing self-beliefand assertiveness and confidence. It provides essential tools in many key areas, including performance management, change management, multi-level communication, coaching, team building, employee engagement, negotiation, conflict resolution, recruitment, presentation skills and corporate strategy.

Since NLP is more practical in nature, you can build upon your HRM skills by taking The HR diploma.

Image and brand building

Organisations today seek employees that are multi- talented. Prospective candidates have to exhibit characteristics such as technical expertise, leadership skills, initiative and enthusiasm, communication skills, confidence and self-motivation. Technical professionals of today are provided with a variety of trainings and courses. However, if an individual does not understand the significance of these trainings, it becomes a waste of time, effort and money.

NLP teaches you to manage diversity, build teams, mirror behavior you wish to see thereby creating a brand value for your own self. This is particularly needed in professions that have more of public dealing like politics, film industry business magnets and the like.

Psychotherapy

NLP is increasingly being used by Psychotherapists and Counselors to treat a broad range of physical and mental conditions and learning difficulties, including epilepsy, myopia and dyslexia. With its promises to cure schizophrenia, depression and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and its dismissal of psychiatric illnesses as psychosomatic, NLP is gaining ground.

— The writer is a Ludhiana-based career consultant

merchant navy direct entry 
Unfurl your sails
Usha Albuquerque

If you would like to see new places, are interested in a life of adventure, and are willing to spend long periods of time away from home, then Merchant Navy is just the career for you.

Merchant Navy is a non-combatant, commercial fleet that deals with transporting cargo and sometimes passengers, by sea from one part of the world to another. The Merchant Navy fleet includes cargo ships, container ships, barge carrying ships, tankers, bulk carriers, refrigerator ships as well as passenger ships. These ships may belong to Indian or foreign shipping companies. A career in the Merchant Navy requires the knowledge of navigation, maintenance and safe operation of a variety of vessels, that travel long distances across the seas — life may be full of fun and adventure, but it also involves a lot of hard work.

There are three main areas of activity within the merchant navy.

Navigation: Navigating officers are responsible for navigating the ship, the efficient loading and discharge of cargo. The chief navigator of the ship is the captain, who decides the course of the voyage and maneuvers the vessel under adverse weather conditions and emergencies.

Engineering: Marine engineers are responsible for the operation and maintenance of all installations , including electrical and refrigerating machinery, the main engines, auxiliary machinery and safety equipment.

Radio officers: They operate and maintain the wireless equipment for receiving and transmitting messages.

In addition to these main areas of activity, there is the service department that handles the maintenance of living and catering services for officers and crew on board a ship.

Getting in

There are two routes to joining the merchant navy.

After graduation: On completion of BSc. in nautical science or a BE/BTech in mechanical or marine engineering, one can join the navigation or marine engineering areas.

Direct recruitment: For many young boys who would like to plunge directly into a career in the Merchant Navy, it is useful to know that shipping firms/lines, also recruit deck cadets directly after school and train them for a marine career.

The candidates should be mentally and physically fit, and be within 20 years of age ( 25 years for SC/ST candidates). A career in the Merchant Navy also requires great mental and physical stamina, intelligence, and a scientific temper to go along with a cheerful disposition and team

Navigators should have perfect eyesight, whereas marine engineers are allowed to wear spectacles for eyesight up to plus/minus 2.5. Colour blindness is a disqualification for this field.

Pay and perks

The Merchant Navy offers bright prospects to all those looking for a challenging career.

The starting salaries for navigating officers and engineers are in the region of Rs 1 lakh and above. In foreign shipping companies salaries are often higher and paid in foreign currency. Pay and perks differ from company to compan.

Emoluments are much higher on a foreign vessels specially the West European, US, and those from Gulf. Every officer and crew of the merchant navy working on board a vessel which is carrying foreign cargo is entitled to draw 75 per cent of his net earning in foreign exchange. This is a major privilege and a vital perk of this profession. Besides the foreign currency, imported liquor, cigarettes, canned foods, cosmetics, etc are available on board duty free. This facility adds, though artificially, to the actual wages. In addition to the hefty pay and allowances, both officers and the crew receive free meals on board. They are also entitled to a four-month leave every year. And lastly, once you reach a certain seniority you are also entitled to take your family on board during the voyages.

The work in the merchant navy offers a lot of challenge because in the middle of the ocean, the ship has to be self-sufficient in every way. While life on board a ship can be monotonous and lonely, most modern ships are built with every convenience to minimize the tedium. There are spacious lounges, TV rooms, a range of recreational facilities, and comfortable family accommodation for senior officers who can bring along their families. Moreover, after long voyages, officers are given long leave to spend time with their families.

This is however, primarily a career for men. So far there are limited opportunities for women on board the ships, although some companies employ women as ship's doctors and radio officers. So for those young men who enjoy a sense of adventure, visiting new places and experiencing a variety of cultures, and being paid handsomely for it, this is the ideal career to be in.

The direct recruitment route

On-board training

After Plus II with physics, chemistry and mathematics, one can join as a deck cadet on board a ship, and train on-the-job for three years before appearing for the competency examination required by the Ministry of Surface Transport in order to be employed as a navigating officer.

One can get into the navigation department after a one-year Deck Cadets’ Diploma. Similarly, a qualified engineer can join the engine department after doing one-year Graduation in Mechanical Engineering (GME). Along with prescribed sea-experience and further study and examination, both can lead to full-fledged degree in nautical sciences and marine engineering respectively.

Shipping companies select deck cadets through a written examination in physics, chemistry and mathematics. The written examination is followed by a personal interview. After a minimum of three years on-the-job training a deck cadet has to clear the Third Mate’s exam. This examination tests navigating skill and watch-keeping duties on board. To become an officer, a cadet has to clear the next exam, the Second Mate’s exam.

BSc students with physics as an individual subject in any one of the years of BSc, with not less than 60 per cent marks in the final year of BSc, can also apply, provided that the candidate has passed Plus II examination with physics, chemistry and mathematics (PCM) from a recognised board.

Shipping lines also recruit marine engineers. Those with BE qualifications are taken in directly after they complete an eight-month attachment with a naval dockyard in Mumbai, Cochin, Kolkata or Vishakhapatnam. Unlike the marine engineers from MERI, these candidates have to pass an additional competency examination.

It is advisable to check out national and international companies by phone or by checking out their websites for their recruitment plan. In many cases, if you qualify their examination, they sponsor you, in the sense that they commit to offer employment after the successful completion of the course. Some of the shipping companies that take on direct recruits include:

* Omega Sea Service Pvt Ltd.

* Phoenix Maritime Service Pvt Ltd.

* Shipping corporation of India

* Siroi maritime Pvt Ltd

* Pentagon marine services pvt Ltd

* MMS maritime india pvt Ltd

And several others.

Pre-sea training

There are several institutes approved by DG shipping that also conduct the pre-sea one-year (2 semesters) course for which entry is through the Indian Maritime University (IMU) test. The onshore training is designed to impart basic knowledge on the type of merchant ships, ship operations, types of goods carried by ships, shipping trade and a good foundation in the basic principles of navigation and environmental sciences. On successful completion of the first two semesters, students are awarded Diploma in Nautical Science (DNS) which can enable them to join a shipping company on board a merchant navy ship for the remaining on-board ship training.

After successful completion of this one-and-a-half years (3 semesters) on-board ship training students are awarded the Advanced Diploma in Nautical Science (ADNS). Trainees who train in the deck department to become Navigation officers are called “deck cadets”, while trainees in the engineering department are called “engine cadets” or junior engineers. After the completion of the on-board sixth semester which constitutes “Second Mate Certificate of Competency” awarded by the Director General of Shipping you will be awarded BSc (Nautical Science) degree from the Indian Maritime University (IMU).

Institutes offering pre-sea training include:

* International Maritime Institute, Noida

* Great Eastern Institute of Shipping, Lonavla, Maharashtra

* Samudra Institute of Maritime Studies, Pune.

* Anglo-Eastern Maritime Academy, Raigad Maharashtra

* Mumbai Maritime Training Institute, Mumbai

* Hindustan Institute of Maritime Training, Chennai

* Applied Research International School of Maritime Studies, New Delhi

And several others. (Check the IMU website for more details.)

Ratings: There is also a six-month pre-sea course for General Purpose Rating (GP Rating) and six-month pre-sea course for general purpose rating for fitters/petty officers.

Rating form the subordinate staff of a ship and handle a variety of different functions, such as engine maintenance, welding, refrigeration, and so on.

Those between the ages of 17 to 25 years, with aggregate 40 per cent marks in Class X standard from a recognised board with science, mathematics as subjects and with minimum 40 per cent marks in English language, or pass in two-year ITI course from government approved institute can apply for ratings jobs. 

Jumpstart your college life
Meenal Arora

If you are among those who have have entered college in the past few months it is natural to worry and get anxious about this new beginning. However, if you are well prepared for the same, you are more likely to achieve your dreams, fulfill your aspirations, become more confident, develop your social skills and sow the seeds for a fruitful career.

So, start your college life on a positive note, as you do not want to regret not having a good start to one of the most important phases of your life. Here are the top 10 tips that will help you to start your college days effectively.

1. Prepare yourself for the new beginning: To jumpstart your college life in the most efficient way, you need to mentally prepare yourself to settle into the new environment. Remember that it is common for you to get anxious, but do not let your anxiety build up into a terrifying fear. Stay calm and stop worrying about your new classes, new professors and classmates. Instead, assure yourself that your classmates will be facing the same situation that you are currently in. So, feel free to explore the new world in the campus.

2. Participate in your college’s orientation programme: Colleges usually conduct Orientation Programmes before the new academic session, to provide the first-year students a platform to interact with their fellow students, teachers and the management of the institution. So, do not miss your orientation programme and take a tour of the college campus, its facilities such as the library, building of your department, laboratories, hostel etc.

3. Look natural: Remember that your first impression will be your last impression. Do not spend extra money on clothes and accessories just to get that ‘cool’look. Instead, dress neatly and soberly and do not wear T-shirts that carry offensive slogans. Choose clothes that are simple, yet trendy and stylish. Also, do not accessorise heavily. Keep it minimal and simple.

4. Be an all-rounder: College life will give you a lot of opportunities to explore your talent. So, do not hide yourself behind a pile of books all the time. Nurture your extra-curricular interests by joining college clubs, such as sports club, literary club, music and dance club, theatre group etc. This will help you widen your network of friends as well as explore and develop your social skills. However, do not go overboard by joining every club in your college, because then you will be left with no time to study.

5. Socialise more: College days are the best days of life where you will get sufficient time to interact with people around you on the campus. So, develop your network of acquaintances among your classmates, seniors and professors too. Find out who seem to be easily approachable, with whom you can develop a friendship. Try to initiate conversation and also interact with them after lecture hours, while sitting in the library, canteen etc.

6. Be punctual: Take the first few days of your college as an opportunity to create a good impression. So, be on time for each class. If possible, try to reach the class early so that you get time to relax before the lecture begins. Also, pay proper attention, stay focused in the class and switch off your mobile phone during lectures to avoid distraction. Become an active participant in the classroom and ask questions about the concepts that you do not understand. Also, encourage your classmates to give their opinions so that the discussions become productive.

7. Approach your mentors: Apart from students, maintain good terms with your mentors as well. Know your professors; show enthusiasm in class. Also, approach them after lectures to discuss about the subject and the latest innovations. However, do not adopt a too casual approach; maintain courtesy and show respect in both your words and behaviour to develop a positive image.

8. Study during the weekends: Make each weekend productive and review your assignments, notes, calendar and time schedule. Also, dedicate a few hours to revising the portion covered during the week in class. This will give you a worthwhile start for the next week and will help you to understand the upcoming chapters easily.

9. Get organised: Use a planner or a calendar to keep track of all the deadlines of assignments, exam dates and due dates of fee payment. Use the planner regularly and display the reminder in an instantly noticeable place. Also, prepare an easily manageable daily schedule and keep a track of your completed as well as pending tasks or assignments.

10. Make your free time productive: On a typical day when there are only few lectures to attend and you have some time to spare, instead of loitering or chit chatting, make your free time productive and interesting. Spend time reading some books in the library, visit the college club that you have joined, or invite your friends and indulge them into fruitful discussions on the current topics of general interest.

Lastly, always stay focused. Remember that college days can be a lot of fun. However, while having fun with your friends in the campus, make sure that you do not deviate yourself from the studies. Remind yourself that you are here to pursue a lucrative career, accomplish your dreams and stand out of the crowd. So, pull up your socks and get ready to chase your dreams.

— The writer is Shemrock and Shemford Group of schools.

in conversation
New roles define hiring in supply chain management sector

Renu Bohra, Director- HR, Schenker India Private Limited

Logistics and Supply Chain Management is becoming a key process innovation enabler across all sectors and a tool for strategic competitive advantage. Supply Chain Management integrates supply and demand management within and across companies. Logistics management on the other hand, is that part of Supply Chain Management that plans, implements, and controls the efficient, effective forward and reverses flow and storage of goods, services and related information between the point of origin and the point of consumption in order to meet customers’ requirements. In a globalised and highly competitive era, strategic competitive advantage can be attained only when all the supply chain players are synchronised and work in a collaborative framework. As the global economy has expanded, managing logistics and supply chain has become increasingly important. Additionally, outsourcing trend has also provided new challenges and new opportunities in this sector.

In India, the logistics and supply change sector has also witnessed various qualitative changes over the past one decade. As the sector itself is transforming in a big way, the requirement for talent is an area that has been getting prominence. In an interview with Arupjyoti Gogoi, Renu Bohra, Director- HR, Schenker India Private Limited talks about the hiring trends and challenges and emerging opportunities in this sector. Excerpts:

What is the present hiring scenario in the Indian Logistics and Supply Chain Industry?

In the recent years, most of the hiring carried out was replacement hiring, while a few were on new job roles. Still the job market is not quite bullish at the moment. Although demand for skilled logistics professionals has grown over the past few years, hiring has been much less than the growth rate. This is because of a guarded approach towards new hiring by the industry. This may sound paradoxical, but due to new trends in supply chain optimisation, transparency, safety, integrated logistics solutions, logistics clusters, network optimisation etc, there has been a demand for qualified professionals with new skills in this sector.

With a number of freshers looking at this sector for employment, can you give some tips on how to find a job in this sector? What role do academic qualifications play in this regard?

Jobs in the logistics sector range from a management trainee to senior positions in various functions like Sales, Marketing, Operations, Customer Service and support functions like Finance, HR and IT. We hire freshers from B-schools for building talent pipeline, while experienced professionals are hired for mid and senior-level positions for new positions or backfills as the case may be.

As far as academic qualification is concerned, it plays an important role at the entry level. One of the ways to join this sector would be to experience it as an intern while pursuing a course in supply chain and logistics. .

Is this sector facing any demand-supply gap in hiring new talent?

Due to new trends in supply chain and logistics fields, companies are looking for professionals with new and advanced skills in their fields. At the moment, the industry is at a more mature stage in supply chain solutions in terms of IT, infrastructure or operations than it was a decade ago. There is still a demand-supply gap at the level of junior, middle and senior level. Reason being that these jobs gradually call for advanced skill-set as per the customers’ increased expectations from a service provider. At operational level as well while we try to improve our processes, we need to train them to work on new systems and technology.

What are the different job functions associated with a logistics and supply chain organisation.

Logistics is a service industry and offers all kinds of roles in Sales, Marketing, Operations, Customer Service and Support functions like Finance, HR and IT. These jobs require specific skill set based on the standardised functional requirements. For example a person in operations should have the knowledge of air/ocean export/import procedure and trade documentation. Similarly a person for sales and marketing should have selling skills with knowledge of logistics market as well as part of operation/documentation and international trade. The IT, HR and Finance are more towards functional competency of candidate than on industry knowledge, however industry knowledge gives a professional edge to the person.

What will be the job prospects in this field in the next couple of years?

Logistics being an induced sector, much of the recruitment and job prospects depend on how macro economic situation changes in India. Inflow of new generation of jobs will depend on factors like fast improving investment climate and MNCs bringing expertise in the logistics area.

smart strategy: social persona
Build your networking skills
Seerat Toor Grewal

Every success-story is marked by a lot of effort to challenge the status quo and an intentional attack on the situations around us. It doesn’t pay to sit back and let life happen. The rules of the game have changed and life has taken up a new pace altogether. They say nothing comes easy, but who wants nothing?

We all read that there aren’t enough jobs, the private sector has been burdened with lay-offs, there is no job-security, etc. etc. Now, all those who somehow satisfy their job-thirst with such statements and sit back and wait for the good times to come back, actually end-up waiting for most of the productive period of their lives.

Networking is a career progression tool and strategy that helps energise and boost one’s job search in areas which are normally left unexplored by a majority. It should, thus, not be ‘saved’ for the darker phases of one’s career, but should be pursued constantly from the beginning. A common career proverb has started to make a big difference to people around the world:

“Its not how much you know, but whom you know that makes all the difference”.

Network= NET-Work

Networking can simply signify what is the ‘net work’ done at the end of one’s networking venture.

Remember networking is work and one has to address it with that kind of sincerity, intensity and urgency. Being on the go and keeping your date with the world can actually steer you through the rough phases of your career at a speed you can never imagine.

Ground rules

It may sound bizarre but networking can be as useful as it can be dangerous. If not handled well it can be suicidal for one’s career. So it becomes important to value your attitude.

Carry a positive outlook, wear a smile and reach out to people who you think can make a difference to your career sooner or later.

It is always a good idea to connect to people who are themselves well-linked. Networking can be best done on the sidelines of various corporate settings as meetings, conferences, trade shows etc.

Networking is a conscious effort to meet people of similar and relevant interests that may or may-not be mutual. Hence, one can start networking at the beginning of one’s career and build on the treasure lanes as new ones keep getting added. However, there are a few things, which if kept in mind, can help you fasten the pace of your professional graph:

Know yourself: This definitely qualifies to be at the first slot. It is as essential as knowing what to cook before you start buying ingredients. You should have sound goals to light up the route that you will take in the vast expanse of career jungle. Well-defined goals lead to clear aims. These can then spell out what kind and what extent of networking channels you need to develop and when you should actually start doing it.

Efficient networking can open avenues of a hidden job market which is never advertised. So a networking plan always helps. For an intense plan you will have to work on building both formal and informal networks. Start early and don’t wait for the pink slip to flip through. Remember the reason for which you are networking and don’t ever over-do it.

I am...matters: In professional world, what makes or breaks the deal apart from your name is your job. People want to know in the fewest possible words as to what you do and how successful you have been in pursuing your dreams.

Hence for effective networking you should always be ready with a brief yet impressive expression of yourself and your accomplishments, if any. This should not take you longer than a few seconds. This will come with practice and regular mirror tests. Your personal statement should be short, crisp and simple. It could also be derived from your online introductory or ‘about me’ statements to begin with.

Networking plan: Networking is not casual socialising which will take care of itself when you meet someone. Here, it pays to plan whom to meet and in what order. You may begin by arranging your contacts in formal and informal networks. This will become easier if you have followed the step one meticulously and chalked out the reason for networking.

Try to link with people who you feel can actually be useful for your strategy. They may not always be the people who are well connected, but will definitely be the ones who can help you sort out your current situation more efficiently owing to their expertise and experience.

Touch-points: It is a handy practice if you are able to meet a person over many different channels in a manner that you don’t overdo it. Making your way via online channels before you enter the physical setup is always the easiest pie. So, one can begin with emails, social networks, etc. These can act as a platform for the real-time meetings as in conferences, summits, seminars etc. Nurture and value your network by keeping a track of everybody’s activity and timely appreciation. Winning a contact is not as important as maintaining one by cementing the ties with each passing year of your acquaintance.

Contribute significantly to the relation and make sure it is a while before you start asking for any kind of favours.

It is essential to be professional and follow a code of conduct that is accepted universally. In these global times, one also has to work on international etiquette and mannerisms as otherwise completely different meanings can be carried and conveyed. Some quick tips:

* Respect time and time zones.

* Remember names and address by name only after seeking a requisite permission.

* Maintain regular contact via different channels.

* Meet, greet everyone with a smile and don’t forget to say ‘thank you’ for every small piece of help that someone offers.

dress circle
When casual is smart
Swati Rai

Smart Casuals is the new buzzword in corporate dressing that is a happy blend of formality with ease and comfort of informality that is appropriate and acceptable in a business context. Smart Casual or business casual remains a vaguely defined dress code that is informal yet appropriate in business contexts. It mixes and matches wardrobe that is informal and formal and is a bit more relaxed form of dressing up for work.

The context of the culture and specific official requirements settles the acceptability standards of smart casuals. It means strictly no neck ties for men and no pleated skirts for women. It is an efficient blend of the corduroy trousers with a smart jacket. There is a general smart casual dressing code that must be adhered to in order to stop oneself from ‘overdoing’ the look or under dressing.

More is less

Smart casual because of the ambiguity of the term may be taken to mean jeans and flip flops. Remember, it is better to err on the side of more. An ensemble of cotton trousers with a tank top and formal shoes is better than looking underdressed in a pair of jeans and peep toes to match. Women should most certainly abstain from wearing tight tops, jeans with ganjis, micro minis, suggestive cuts and plunging necklines.

Context curry

The cultural background of the organisation is a palpable force behind deciding whether to give in to temptation and wear a blazer or not. Formality is a register that sets the tone and tenor of the dress code at work. Rather than going with the flow, check out the expected norms and unwritten rules of dressing casually smart to avoid an awkward situation.

Dressing basics

Yes smart casuals can also be worn for interviews as against the traditional mantra of stiff-necked collars and ties. Though it isn’t a bad idea for men to carry one (just in case). Having one piece of clothing or accessory that is formal will work wonders with keeping your look smartly casual. A pair of cuff links with a linen trousers and a pair of brogues to finish the look for men. Women can flaunt a string of pearls with a pair of well-cut culottes. It is all about throwing in a neat array of clothes to balance the edge of formality and round off informality well.

Must haves

For men primary to pastel-shade cotton trousers, chinos, a striped canvas belt a short sleeve check shirt, dress shirt and smart leather or denim jacket are the must haves.

Denim shirts paired with tan chinos and a camel skin ankle boots can rustle up quite a cool look.

In winters a front-open cashmere cardigan in soft colour, paired with tweed trousers is a forever-in-vogue kind of look that is unbeatable. In the sartorial sense that means a pair of chinos or even jeggings with a spaghetti to and an open-button shirt thrown in for a more appropriate look for women.

Faux pas

For her and for him there are common bloopers to be avoided when dressing casually smart. Women should avoid heavy make-up and reserve it for dinner dos only. A neat look sporting smart casuals can be marred by badly or under done hair. A neat up do or even neatly combed hair can do wonders in lifting up the look of an open collar shirt paired with palazzos. Who says men don’t need grooming — so bring on the hair spray and gel for that neat look at work. However, overdone mohawks or sideburns can spoil the Friday dressing rule.

Even conventional formal fabrics such as synthetic, polysters are giving way to lycra concoctions and handmade ethnic dresses are being readily thrown in with the more urbane formal cuts to create that classic casual yet modern smart look fit for both work and play.

Sporting a smart casual look is not possible without adequate homework on creating the right and well-balanced look. One wrong judgment about a piece of clothing and the formality of the accessory can mean, if not the end of one’s career, a fashion harakiri certainly.

cubicle trends
Three-day working week?

World’s top billionaire business leaders like Carlos Slim and Richard Branson may be advocating for three-day working week to boost employee productivity, but HR experts believe India is not ready for such a model.

Mexican billionaire Slim, the second richest in the world, and British businessman Branson are among those who see virtues of a three-day work week model, under which employees can work for 11-hours a day for three days, following which they can have a four-day long off in a week.

The proponents of this believe that employee productivity can be improved with longer working hours in just three days, as against spreading them across more number of days. However, experts in India believe it may not be practical in India, at least for many industries and job profiles.

“The idea of 11-hour work days is like sprint running or a 100-meter dash and therefore the model will only suit some industries or jobs. For instance customer service, retail, entertainment and healthcare can’t operate on this model,” SAP Labs India HR head T Shivaram said.

“In developing economies where productivity is the key, the need is to create more jobs, and therefore, this model will not work,” Shivaram said. Moreover, this model can create adverse issues for workers who are paid on per-hour basis, as they might have to take up a second job to make up for the lost income. Such workers would be working for 33 hours under a three-day work model, instead of a standard 40 hours.

Joseph Devasia, Managing Partner of global executive recruitment firm Antal International Network also said that a compressed workplace culture is not at all feasible for India. “We in India are poor on productivity and a three-day work week would reduce that further. I believe even now a 5-6 day week produces only as much as three days equivalent of work in the western world,” he said.

Such a time schedule would also impact those with additional responsibility outside their job like parents, as they would have virtually zero free time during workdays.

“In India, workplace flexibility is a growing trend, with companies clearly seeing this as being imperative to retaining talent and keeping them productive,” said Ajith Nair, India Practice Leader, Organisational Surveys & Insights, at global HR consultancy major Towers Watson.

Career Hotline
Pervin Malhotra email your queries to careers@tribunemail.com...

Options in automobile industry

Q. I love cars. Whenever, a new car is launched, I am after it to keep myself updated about the latest technology and industry. I want to make my career in this sector. I am a graduate. Can you please guide me what should I do? — Arpan Malhan

A. A 2.5-litre turbo four boasting 208 bhp that propels like a speed demon: 0-60 mph in six seconds. Yes it’s an absolute beauty with the most amazing features that you could ever conjure up. If you get an adrenaline rush just reading the previous paragraph you can certainly consider taking up automobile designing. The driving factor for this field is an insatiable passion for design. The second fastest growing car market in Asia, India’s automobile industry is moving in top gear. It is also emerging as the most preferred sourcing base and KPO (Knowledge Process Outsourcing) destination and R & D hub for global auto majors like Hyundai, Fiat, Ford, GM, Suzuki, Toyota, Nissan, Volvo and several others.

Experts are very optimistic about the future prospects of this field since the car volumes in India are on an upsurge and the industry is set for a major boom. In fact, India has become the world’s seventh largest automobile producer. India’s passenger vehicle market is estimated to grow to 9 million units by 2020, while the two-wheeler market is likely to reach 30 million units. Following the industry trends, the demand for automobile engineers and industrial designers is also on an upswing. After completing your course in automobile design you can join as part of a team working with a design services provider to offer both industrial and transportation design solutions or later in the automotive department as a specialist in automobile design and engineering services. Car designers also work with original equipment manufacturers like Maruti, Tata Motors etc.

However, you need to remember that when compared to Japan, Europe or US, India is still new to the concept of automobile design. Which is why you need to be finely attuned to market demand in terms of comfort, safety, and even cultural sensitivities and preferences. Virtual designing and test-crash simulations have now made the design engineer’s job much swifter.

However, to stand out in the business of automobile design you cannot simply rely on computer aided design. You also need good sketching skills and understanding of 3D shapes and models. There is enormous need for automobile stylists as well. Today every aspect of the automobile is designed. The emphasis is on futuristic concepts, your understanding of different aspects of styling, of dimension and proportion. The industry also needs component designers: people who can design rear view mirrors, coat hangars, bottle holders etc

There is also need for visual merchandisers to design showrooms as exclusive branded dealer outlets need to stand out among other shops to project a specific image. To successfully conceptualise your dream machine you must get some hands-on training using manual methods of designing in order to use past experience as a repertoire of information that you can draw on for new creations.

If designing and visualising is not really your forte, fret not for there are ample opportunities for petrol-heads and engineers.

Automobile engineering is an applied science that includes elements of Mechanical engineering, Electrical engineering, Electronic Engineering, Software Engineering and Safety engineering as applied to the design, manufacture and operation of automobiles, buses and trucks and their respective engineering subsystems. Diploma and post-diploma–holders are recruited for jobs on the shop floor in auto and ancillary manufacturing plants and for maintenance and servicing.

Students of mechanical engineering can also opt for automobile engineering as an optional subject in many engineering colleges. Mechanical engineers and those specialising in automobile engineering at the postgraduate level are involved in the assembly, design, developing, their engineering subsystems, testing, servicing and even marketing aspects of the automobile industry.

What is the scope of forensic science in India?

Q. I am a science student and find crime investigation very interesting. Brief me about the scope of forensic sciences in India? — Urvashi Mahapatra

A. Forensic sciences cover forensic investigation of the crime scene, forensic photography, forensic toxicology, forensic serology, fingerprint analysis, criminal profiling, drug detection, lie detection, firearm identification, cyber-crime, etc.

Forensic work is laborious, painstaking and the results aren’t available instantly. Don’t be taken in by slick serials on the telly like CSI. While forensic evidence is crucial to solving crimes, our law enforcement agencies are years behind their counterparts in West when it comes to access to sophisticated forensic tools, training and evidence collection.

There exist several specialisations within the field of forensics sciences — Medical, Criminology, Toxicology, Fingerprint and DNA Analysis. Cyber and digital forensics, forensic accounting are the relatively newer areas in this field. Typically, you will be working with law enforcement and legal/government bodies, as most of the work is related to police and legal matters. Thus the government sector is the largest employer in this field. A few private labs and facilities in the area of chemical analysis and DNA profiling and digital forensics exist, with scope for several more.

Forensic Medicine requires you to first complete your MBBS followed up by MD specialising in forensics. As a Coroner or Medical Examiner you will conduct post-mortems or examination of dead bodies to determine approximate time and likely cause of death.

Criminology involves the study of criminals and the crimes they commit to detect patterns, prepare psychological profiles to aid in predicting their motives and behaviour. A course in Criminal Science or even a base psychology degree with a specialisation in clinical or forensic psychology is usually sufficient. Other areas of forensics such as toxicology, firearm detection, fingerprint analysis and crime scene analysis involve collecting and analysing evidence from a crime scene and analysing them for critical clues and evidence. A course in forensic science is essential to enter this area.

Very few universities offer BSc Criminology or Forensics at UG level — Delhi University, University of Madras, University of Mysore, Karnatak University being the few exceptions. However, at PG level a large number of universities offer diploma and degree courses in Criminology & Forensic Science. You can pursue forensic science at the MSc level after completing your BSc or BPharm or MBBS.

Non-science students interested in this field can look at options such as Cyber/Digital Forensics, and Forensic Accounting. Increasingly, forensics is being used to solve civil cases and even white collar crimes (cyber crimes, financial fraud).

Emergency nursing courses

Q. I am a practicing nurse. I will be shifting abroad with my husband next year. I’ve learnt that there’s a demand for nurses who have specialised in emergency nursing in that region. Could you please suggest where I could pursue a course in this field in India? — Sagarika Chawla

A. Nurses are usually the first to attend to patients in a disaster situation which can be highly unnerving and confusing.

Considering the volume of patients, doctors can’t attend to everyone. This shortage of doctors in emergency medicine has prompted the need for training nurses to manage and supervise patient care in pre-hospital and hospital settings in mass casualty situations.

The courses impart training in the basics of trauma care, understanding medical protocols for patients suffering from shock, strokes, toxicity and multiple injuries. For courses in Emergency Nursing, check out the following:

* Academy of Clinical Emergency Nursing (ACEN) www.acendia.com

* Manipal University www.manipal.edu

* Medvarsity.com

  What is data mining?

Q. Could you please tell me what data mining is and where it is used? — Daksh Hajela

A.Data mining involves trawling large databases for relevant information, and analysing large sets of data into meaningful patterns. It has multiple applications:

For instance, astronomers use data mining technology for analysing scientific data. Law enforcement agencies use it to identify criminals from a large number of suspects on the basis of defined parameters.

Banks and research institutions use it as a decision support tool for financial and statistical analysis. The work requires you to be conversant with Oracle and Oracle Apps/Sybase/MS SQL/Mainframe DB2/ UDB DB2.

Scholarship roundup

Sports scholarships

Applications are invited for India-New Zealand Sports Cooperation Scholarships available for Indian students to study sport related programmes like Sport & Exercise Science or Sport and Exercise Management, Sport & Recreation in New Zealand. Scholarships will be available to undertake bachelor’s degree, graduate diploma, PG diploma and master’s programmes at New Zealand universities, Institutes of Technology and Polytechnics. The scholarships form part of the New Zealand Prime Ministers’ Education Initiative between New Zealand and India.

Eligibility: The candidates should meet the following criteria:

* applicant should be at least 18 years at the time of application

* Should be an Indian citizen

* Applicants must have an offer of place for direct entry into an approved programme

Duration: One year.

Details: The scholarships include

* Full tuition fees and associated student levies for one academic year only, paid direct to the NZ institution

* A $15,000 contribution to living costs pro-rata, one year only

How to apply: Submit the completed application form, along with all required documents via email to scholarship-at-enz.govt.nz .

Deadline: October 3, 2014.

Check out: enz.govt.nz

Rio Tinto PG scholarships at University of Dundee

Applications are invited for Rio Tinto fully funded postgraduate scholarships leading to the Master of Laws (LLM) in Mineral Law and Policy. The scholarship are being offered by Rio Tinto plc and CEPMLP (The Centre for Energy, Petroleum, Mineral Law and Policy), University of Dundee

Eligibility: Applicants should:

* Already hold a degree of an equivalent standard to at least a good UK upper second class honours degree or higher

* Be able to demonstrate a high level of English language competence (minimum of IELTS 6.5 or equivalent, with no component less than 6.0)

* Display intellectual ability and leadership potential

* Have a proven track record and potential to rise to positions of influence

* Preferably be qualified lawyers having had some post-degree work experience in mining in the government, private sector, or academia

Scholarship Description: Rio Tinto plc, Number of awards: Up to a maximum of six Duration: One year.

Details: Payment of academic tuition fees 12 monthly stipends for living expenses for a single student.

An arrival allowance and thesis/assignment allowance.

How to apply: There is no separate application form for the scholarship. Candidates who are offered unconditional admission to the full-time LLM in Mineral Law and Policy programme should provide a 250-word Personal Statement sent by email attachment to k.a.shortt-at-dundee.ac.uk.

Deadline: April 30, 2015

Check out: http://www.dundee.ac.uk/

News board

Nurturing entrepreneurs

The Indian School of Business (ISB) with campuses at Hyderabad and Mohali, recently launched a Technology Entrepreneurship Programme (TEP) aimed at encouraging and enabling engineering students to consider entrepreneurship as a career choice. Over a two-year period, the programme aims to embed technology entrepreneurship education, across the major disciplines of engineering and help the students to create and launch new business ventures.

The curriculum for this programme has been designed by ISB in association with industry leaders, entrepreneurs and the investor community. ISB faculty will play an important role in training faculty of the participating engineering colleges in cutting edge global teaching practices and improve the programme delivery n their respective colleges. Meanwhile, the selected students have been attending workshops on the design thinking approach to product innovation under the aegis of D’Labs, the design led incubator at the ISB.

The new programme has got an enthusiastic response from students as over 2000 registrations from 14 colleges across 7 districts in the states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh were received and 700 students were selected after a rigorous selection process. Most of the students are from Electronics and Communications Engineering (ECE), Electrical and Electronics Engineering (EEE), Mechanical and Civil backgrounds. Microsoft ventures has extended mentorship and technology support to the TEP students and Google has provided technology communication platform.

Thapar varsity among top ranking universities

Thapar University, Patiala has been placed at 16th position in the Week-Hansa Research Survey on India’s top technical universities. It has emerged as the only institution north of Delhi to figure in the list of top 20 technical universities identified by the survey. Furthermore, the survey has placed Thapar University at the 5th position in the list of Top 5 Non-Government Technical Universities.

Maintaining that these rankings were an outcome of the untiring efforts put in by the faculty to provide quality education to students, Thapar University Director Prof Prakash Gopalan said, “Quality research being one of our core strengths, we will soon make our way to the global rankings as these rankings emphasise more on research. What makes us stand out is our state-of-the-art infrastructure, strong industry liaison, quality faculty and focus on research.”

Free online library

Social learning network for Science and Technology — Function Space (www.functionspace.org) — has launched an online library section to help UG students in learning science. The platform offers a ‘one-stop’ solution for learning science on the web. Giving information about this online section Sakshi Majmudar, Founder of Function Space said, “The library section incorporates tools specially designed to help users from high school and graduate level in science and engineering colleges. The resources in the library section include books, video lectures, discussions, articles and science tools like equation caller, editor, computational engine etc. Both teachers and students from colleges and other academic institutions can interact with the best brains in the industry and find solutions to complex problems. ”

Finance and accounts certifications

Students interested in getting internationally recognised certifications in finance and accounts can check out professional courses CMA (Certified Management Accountant) and CPA (Certified Public Accountant) course launched by Miles Professional Education. The CPA and CMA courses will help students to move ahead in their career by providing significant career growth and international recognition in the field of Accounts and Finance. This will help candidates attain the CPA designation in one year and CMA designation in six months only. Commerce and management graduates with B Com, BBA, MBA, Chartered Accountant, Cost Accountant are eligible to apply for these courses. Admissions are open for the batch of August, 2015 exam for CPA and December 2014 exam for CMA.

Giving details of the courses Founder and National Instructor, Miles Professional Education, Varun Jain said, “Many of us have heard of the US CPA (Certified Public Accountant) but few of us are aware that we too can be part of this elite group having the highest accounting qualification in the US. Employers seek accounting and finance professionals with solid knowledge in management accounting and corporate finance that CMA provides. Being a CMA also means you are part of a network of international elites through the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA) that connects over 30,000 CMAs.”

Women in computing

The Anita Borg Institute (ABI), a non-profit organisation focused on the advancement of women in computer science and engineering, is inviting participants for the 2014 Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing (India). This will take place from November 19-21, 2014 in Bangalore. ‘Think Different. Make a Difference.’ is the theme for the 2014 Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing (India), an annual event where women technologists from across India and the neighboring countries gather to network, collaborate, and explore the latest technologies and celebrate the influence of women in computing. The last date of submissions has been extended to August 20, 2014.

The Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing is a program of the Anita Borg Institute and is co-presented with the Association for Computing Machinery. For more information, go to www.gracehopper.org.in — TNS

Happiness @ work
Gems of ancient wisdom
When opportunity comes, grab it

Every change in situation brings opportunities with it. While enterprising persons make full use of the openings, the others squander the chances away.

The family of Banarsi Lal Chawla, father of the first Indian woman in space Kalpana Chawla, decided to stay in Karnal after being displaced by the Partition in 1947. On realising that refugees needed boxes with lids to keep their rations, Banarsi Lal started making those. Later, he found that India imported tyres for its vehicles. Deciding to compete against foreign brands, he set up his tyre factory near Karnal on the Grand Trunk Road in 1969.

While Jagadis was studying in an English school in Calcutta, Bhagwan Chandra Bose, his father and assistant commissioner of Burdwan, set up a workshop in Burdwan for imparting skills to orphaned children. During his vacations, Jagadis made full use of the workshop and learnt carpentry and metal-moulding skills. It later helped him during his experiments as biophysicist Jagadis Chandra Bose.

Not wanting to get married, 14-year-old Mool Shankar ran away from his home in Tankara, Gujarat. As his father Karshanji Tiwari was the tehsildar, he decided to keep off the main road lest his father’s mounted guards should spot him. But on the way to Sidhpur, he was seen by an acquaintance. Soon, Karshanji arrived, confined Mool to a room and placed guards outside. Mool waited patiently for the men outside to doze off to make his escape and quickly climbed up a tree. He reasoned that as the guards had horses, he couldn’t outrun them. After staying up the tree for a day, he came down. Later, he became renowned as Swami Dayananda.

When a woman touched saint Jnaneshwar’s feet, he blessed her with a long life with her husband. But the woman said that she was on her way to cremate her husband. So, the saint revived the dead man and told the mourners about the Gita. Sensing that there was someone well versed with the scriptures, the mourners asked the saint to enlighten them. So Jnaneshwar explained the Gita in Marathi. His exposition of the Gita became known as the Jnaneshwari.

During a review of slaves that he had ordered from Samarkand in 1232, Sultan Iltutmish rejected an ugly and short one named Balban. But the slave didn’t want to let the opportunity go waste. He pleaded with the Sultan to buy him not for his own sake, but for God’s sake. Even when the Sultan gave him the lowliest of jobs — of a water-carrier — he remained calm. By 1242, he became the Amir-i-Hijab (officer in charge of a king’s household) and at the age of 61, was crowned as Sultan Ghiyas-ud-din Balban.

Big successes begin with small openings.

— Sai R. Vaidyanathan

The writer can be contacted at svaidyanathan@tribunemail.com