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Fly high with feet on the ground
scholarship roundup newsboard
will a low score hamper MBA prospects ?
in conversation
cat ’14
course cruising
smart strategy
golden rules for choosing a company after mba Career sweetener Indians to see 10.8 pc salary hike
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Fly high with feet on the ground Today, we stand on a curious cusp — a cusp of tradition and modernity; a cusp of timeless ethos and cutting-edge technology. Can you dream of a career that will help you fly with your feet firmly rooted on the ground? One such option is the Indian Air Force — a career that helps you strategise, lead and manage. Getting in Short Service Commission (SSC) means a limited period career in the Air Force. The officer cadre of IAF also provides career opportunities to women (albiet in the SSC). Physical standards: Physical fitness is one of the most important prerequisites for joining the IAF. Irrespective of the branch you are applying for, you must fulfill some basic physical standards. General physical requirements are common for all candidates. You must be in good physical and mental health and free from any disease, which is likely to interfere with efficient performance of duties. The height and weight standards for men and women differ. Ground duties This includes Air Traffic Control Officers, who provide control and advisory services to enable the pilots to conduct flights in total safety. The Logistics Officer is responsible for provisioning the aircraft with spares, fuel, armaments and so on. The Meteorological branch officers are engaged in conducting scientific research on the prevailing weather and atmospheric conditions. There are also other branches such as Administration, Education and Accounts. Eligibility:
To be eligible for ground duty branches, you need to have a graduation degree in any discipline with a minimum 60 per cent marks in aggregate in all papers put together or a PG degree or equivalent diploma in any discipline with a minimum 50 per cent marks in aggregate in all papers put together. The age limit is 20 to 23 years for graduates and 20 to 25 years for post graduates (the upper age limit is relaxed up to 26 years for law graduates; up to 27 years for CA / ICWA / M Ed / Ph D). IThose below the age of 25 years, must be unmarried. It is open to both men and women of Indian nationality. As a graduate/ post graduate you can join as an officer in any of the following Ground Duty branches. Administration: In case you join the administration Branch, you will be responsible for the efficient management of both human and material resources. Some of the officers of the Administration Branch are selected and trained to carry out the duties of Air Traffic Controller that involves maintaining an orderly flow of traffic and airspace management and Fighter Controller that involves close contact and supervision between the air and radar for effective airspace management. Accounts: To get into Accounts Branch, you need to have a graduate degree in Commerce (BCom) with a minimum 60 per cent marks in aggregate in all papers put together or PG in commerce (MCom) / CA / ICWA with a minimum 50 per cent marks in
aggregate. You would be responsible for efficient financial management of funds. You will also act as internal auditor to ensure a zero-defect audit from outside agencies. Logistics: In logistics too, you will need a graduation degree in any discipline with a minimum 60 per cent marks in aggregate in all papers put together or a PG degree/ equivalent diploma in any discipline with a minimum 50 per cent marks in aggregate in all the papers put together. You would be responsible for materials management of all Air Force resources. You would ensure efficient supervision of inventories, and involve in procurement processes of various ranges of equipment. Education: To get into the Education Branch, you need to have a PG degree in any discipline with a minimum of 50 per cent marks in aggregate. Meteorology: You need to have a PG degree in science stream/ mathematics/statistics/geography/computer applications/environmental science/applied physics/ oceanography/agricultural meteorology/ecology & environment /geo- physics / environmental biology etc. You should have scored a minimum of 50 per cent marks in aggregate in all papers and should have studied maths & physics in graduation with minimum of 55 per cent marks in both subjects. As a Met Officer you would be involved in handling the latest satellite imagery and state-of-the-art monitoring equipment, you would render specific advice to the operators on all aspects of weather. TECHNICAL BRANCH: As an officer in the Technical Branch, you propel your team to ensure that the airplanes remain airworthy. You would be incharge of some of the most sophisticated equipment in the world by joining one of the sub branches based on your qualification.The technical branch consists of all the engineering sections which are responsible for the engineering equipment and weapons systems of the air force. Aeronautical Engineering (Electronics): The general eligibility applicable for men and women is 18 to 28 years. You should be an Indian and in case you are below the age of 25 years, you should be unmarried. As far as educational qualifications are concerned, you would be eligible if you have either of the options — a four-year degree qualification from a recognised university or cleared Section A and B examination of Associate Membership of Institution of Engineers (India), or cleared Section A and B examination of Aeronautical Society of India. In the electronics department, you would handle the electronic and communication equipment in aircraft. Aeronautical Engineering (Mechanical): To be eligible, you need to have either a four-year degree qualification from a recognized university or cleared Section A and B examination of Associate Membership of Institution of Engineers or cleared section A and B examination of Aeronautical Society of India. You must have scored a minimum of 60 per cent marks in aggregate in all the papers put together in any one of the qualifications listed. Final year students are eligible to apply provided they do not have any present backlog at the time of SSB testing and you can produce provisional issued by the University. Aeronautical engineers in the mechanical department ensure the proper maintenance of all aircrafts. Therefore, if you wish to imbibe a regime for life that exudes quality along with service to the nation as extended family, gear yourself up for a flying career in the IAF with your feet on the ground. —
The writer is a Ludhiana-based
Career pathways
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You can join the Air Force as an officer in either one of the three branches — Flying, Technical or Ground duties. The officer cadre provides opportunities for men with Plus II/Intermediate (only in the flying branch), graduates (all three branches), engineers (all three branches) and postgraduates (all branches except flying branch). Women who are graduates, engineers and post graduates can join as officers. Candidates short-listed after the initial selection procedure, go through a rigorous training regimen at one of the Air Force training establishments.
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The Flying branch includes fighter pilots, who fly combat or fighter planes carrying ammunition and missiles; Transport pilots, who fly planes which carry men and materials, and Helicopter pilots, who provide air support to a moving army, or are used for para-dropping men and supplies. This branch also includes navigators who fly along with the pilot and guide the aircraft by using the latest aviation equipment.
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MBA in healthcare management Pervin Malhotra email your queries to careers@tribunemail.com... Q. I am pursuing final year of my BPharm. I want to do MBA in healthcare management after graduation. I’ll take an education loan for post graduation. Can you suggest institutes / universities that offer courses in the range of Rs 2-3 lakh that can help me get a placement in good hospital? — Rakesh Manchanda A. You’ve certainly picked a booming field. Healthcare is a very promising sector. The emergence of medical tourism and large private and multi-speciality hospitals encompassing a variety of services, further underscores the need for professionalism and quality in hospital administration. A master’s in Hospital Administration will equip you with the requisite knowledge to plan, direct, coordinate and control the various activities of a large hospital and managing the complex relationships between patients, physicians, hospitals, medical insurers, and government agencies. The courses broadly focus on four areas of management: human resource management, facility management, quality & cost management, and information systems. The time, money and energy that you put in to your course is perhaps the most important investment that you can make — one that will determine your future career, earnings and prospect. There is little sense in pursuing a course from an institute who degree or diploma is not even worth the paper it is printed on. So please don’t unreasonable restrictions as to the course – locations, fees, etc. Aim for the best possible, work hard on preparing to the best of your abilities and think positively. Some of the better institutes that you can consider are: Faculty of management Studies (FMS), Delhi University; TISS, Mumbai; IIHMR, Jaipur; Apollo Institute of Hospital Administration, Hyderabad & Chennai; ASCI-Hinduja Institute of Healthcare Management, Hyderabad; Symbiosis Institute of Health Sciences, Pune; NMIMS University, Mumbai; CMC, Vellore. Should I opt for MCA through correspondence?
Q. What would be the difference between doing MCA through correspondence or in a full-time course as far as the jobs are concerned? —
Kartik Vyas A Distance MCA is meant for people working in this field who wish to enhance their qualifications on the side or for those who are already pursuing some other regular course of study. Also, some of the better F/T MCA departments offer campus placement on completion of the course — a facility that isn’t available to those studying through the distance mode. So you may have to scout around on your own for your first job. What really matters in software jobs is your hands-on project experience over and above your formal qualifications. If your fundamentals are strong and your communication skills decent enough, job options should not be too difficult to come by. Even if you get to intern at a somewhat low salary, just grab the opportunity. Perhaps even a technical support job in a BPO may do for starters. Here, even freshers are paid pretty decently. While there are hundreds of institutions and university departments offering regular MCA courses, there’s competition for the good ones as the number of seats in such programmes are limited. Given a choice, it’s always best to pursue a full time course to improve your career prospects.
Am I eligible for civil services exam?
Q. I did my BA from an Open University. Will I be eligible to take the Civil Services Exam? —
Vanya Gambhir Moreover, even those who’ve done their graduation without passing Class X and XII, are still eligible for taking the Civil Service Exam provided they fulfill all the other conditions.
Prospects in oil-drilling sector
Q. I am in Class XII (non-med). Can you please tell me something about prospects in the oil drilling sector? —
Sumeer Bedi Over the next 50 years, global energy consumption is expected to go up by 50 per cent. Until we find cheap sustainable fuel, one of the major challenges of the oil industry is going to be centred on finding new oil. And to find the oil, we need to have machines like super computers and hi-tech imaging systems, not to mention, competent people. There is a marked paucity of talent both at the upstream (oil and gas exploration) and downstream (refining) levels. Geoscientists for exploration operations, drillers and project managers are expected to be in great demand.
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NAMASTE in Europe
Up to 218 scholarships will be awarded for duration from 1 to 36 months, depending on the level and type of mobility. The scholarships cover subsistence allowances, travel costs, tuition fees and insurance costs. The scholarship includes a monthly subsistence allowance paid by the Partnership for the duration of the mobility period. The application deadline is 10 October 2014. Study subject(s): Agricultural Sciences, Architecture, Urban and Regional Planning, Business Studies and Management Sciences, Education, Teacher Training, Engineering, Technology, Geography, Geology, Law, Medical Sciences, Natural Sciences, Social Sciences etc. Eligibility: Indian undergraduate, master ‘s students and Doctorate and Post-Doctorate candidates must have sufficient knowledge of the language of courses or of one of the languages currently spoken in the hosting country. The candidates should not have resided for more than a total of 12 months over the past five years in one of the European countries. The Indian Administrative and Academic Staff Candidates must: for TG1 Staff Applicants – Staff must work in or be associated to one of the third-country HEIs participating in the NAMASTE Partnership; for TG2 Staff Applicants – Staff must work in or be associated to a HEI Additionally. (Check out the details from Details: The scholarship includes a monthly subsistence allowance paid by the Partnership for the duration of the mobility period:
* Master: 1,000 euro * Doctorate: 1,500 euro * Post-doctorate: 1,800 euro * Academic/Administrative Staff: 2,500 euro Included in the scholarship, the Partnership will also: * pay for your travel costs (maximum 2,000 euro); Number of award(s): 218 Duration: Scholarships are available for duration from 1 to 36 months, depending on the level and type of mobility. * Undergraduate- exchange: 6 and 10 * Master -exchange: 6 and 10 * Master-full degree: 10 * Master-full degree: 24 * Doctorate-exchange: 6 and 10 * Post-doctorate: 6 and 10 * Academic/Administrative Staff: 1 How to apply: Online. The required documents are: * Certified copies of certificates and transcript of records (with translations if necessary) * Motivation letter * Approved ECTS study plan (in case of credit seeker students at BA-MA level) – ECTS study plan form is provided on the website. * Language certificates on the language of instruction (a statement given by the home institution is enough for exchange students, but for degree seeker students, an internationally recognised language test- TOEFL, IELTS or the local language test e.g. Portugese for IST and German for UGOE, may be required) * CV (preferably in Europass format) * Recommendation letter(s) * Research and training programme (for doctorate and post doctorate mobility) * Teaching, research and training programme (for staff mobility) * Documents indicating the candidate belongs to TG3 (required for TG applicants) Deadline: October 10, 2014. Check out: http:www.indianamaste.eu/ Research Associateship
The Department of Biochemistry at Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, has invited applications for “DBT-Research Associateship” for pursuing research inbiotechnology and applied biology. The Associateships are awarded under a programme sponsored by the Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India. The award of fellowships will normally start from 1st April or 1st October in a Calendar year. Accordingly, the selection of Fellows will be made twice a year. Eligibility: The applicants should hold a Ph.D degree in Science, Engineering or MD or MS degree in any area of medicine with research interests in biotechnology and life sciences and a good academic record. Those who have already submitted the Ph.D./MD/MS, thesis are also eligible to apply. The applicants should preferably be below the age of 40 years, and 45 years in case of women candidates. Persons already employed are also eligible to apply. However, their applications should be routed through their employers. Duration: The fellowship is awarded for a period of two years. However, in exceptional cases, based on the progress of research, and overall importance of the project of the Fellows, the fellowship may be extended upto 5 years. Number of awards: Up to 75 Details: Each fellow would be entitled to a stipend in the range of ~22,000 - 24,000 per month and a research contingency grant of ~50,000 per year, payable to the host institution. Candidates who are yet to be awarded the Ph.D./M.D./M.S degree, if selected, will be paid ~18,000 per month till the award of the degree. The fellows would also be entitled to HRA and other benefits as per the DST guidelines applicable to research fellowship/associateships. How to apply: Interested candidates may submit their application on plain paper along with bio-data, list of publications. The applicant should also enclose a declaration stating that if selected for the fellowship, he/she will complete the tenure of the fellowship. Applications should be addressed to: Co- ordinator DBT-Research Associateship Program, Department of Biochemistry, Indian Institute of Science Campus, Bangalore - 560 012. Selection criteria: The candidates will be selected based on their CV and performance in the interview. Deadline: October 27, 2014 Check out: http//
biochem.iisc.ernet.in/dbtra.htinl
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ISB alumni team wins HULT prize
The team studied healthcare courses, designed and offered by the Max Institute of Healthcare Management at the ISB. They also received assistance from the Institute, faculty, and the D-Labs accelerator. The objective of the HULT Prize, the largest student business plan competition in the world, is for teams to design a social enterprise - an annual challenge set by former US President Bill Clinton. "Solving Non-Communicable Diseases in the Urban Slums" was the challenge for participants this year. All teams had to propose solutions which would impact at least 25 million people in urban and semi urban areas. The ISB group competed against teams from the USA, Latin America, the Middle East and China. Nano Health has received support from industry and the Telangana government to implement their business plan. They have recently partnered with GVK Biosciences' proprietary HEART (Health Emphasized Analytical and Reporting Tool). GVK BIO's HEART (Health Emphasized Analytical and Reporting Tool) platform — a cloud-based healthcare analytics framework with multiple applications. Leadership programme Manipal University has launched a leadership programme in inter-professional education in partnership with the Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education and Research (FAIMER), Philadelphia. The programme was launched on the university campus by exchanging MoUs in the presence of Ms. Ralf Graves, Associate Director, FAIMER regional institutes and Dr. K Ramnarayan, Vice Chancellor, Manipal University. The Manipal University-FAIMER International Institute for Leadership in Inter-professional Education (MUFIILIPE) is a first of its kind two-year fellowship programme that emphasises development of leadership competencies for inter-professional practice (IPP). It provides opportunities for interaction with recognised leaders in IPP, collaboration with peers, and implementation of inter-professional projects. The fellowship includes two annual one-week residential sessions at Manipal University, Karnataka, India and two 11-month online learning sessions following the residential sessions. The first residential program starts between May 4 - May 10, 2015. To apply for the fellowship visit mu.faimerfri.org/ National HR conference Lal Bahadur Shastri Institute of Management, New Delhi, hosted a National HR Conference last week. The theme of the conference was 'Developing Human Capital for Business Excellence'. Rajeev Dubey, HR Head of Mahindra and Mahindra was the chief guest on the occasion. Coming in the wake of the metaphors expressed recently by the Prime Minister of India: ‘red carpet instead of red tape’ and ‘Make In India’, a great amount of attention of the industry has been drawn to the need for switching over to skill development and its concomitant steps. A special session on “Reforms in the Labour Laws” was the highlight of the conference wherein the panelists emphasised on the need to simplify and rationalize the country’s labour laws. — TNS
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will a low score hamper MBA prospects ? Low score in graduation generally gives sleepless nights to several B-school aspirants. The general perception is that poor percentage in graduation will mar their chances of getting into a good B-school. But there is a different perspective on it. GPA Conversion: Always start your assessment with the GPA conversion. Do not do the conversion yourself. Instead, reach out to renowned bodies such as www.wes.org (World education Services). They have tools to convert your Indian percentages into international GPAs. A score of 65 per cent in graduation has different connotation for Engineering, English Honors, BSC, Law, and Humanities. In order to compare apples to apples, you need to get those converted to an internationally accepted number. Get it done by professionals (Such as the one above). Just as the schools accept your GMAT Scores, they also accept the GPA Transcripts from some of these professional bodies. After the GPA conversion, if your 58 per cent in BA translates into a 3.3 GPA( It might), it is not as bad as you thought. GMAT Score: If you have not faired well in your past academic performance, one way to make up for it is to showcase your recent performance to the school. Get a High GMAT Score. It sends out a message “Forget what I was in the past. Look at what I am now”. Schools tend to take it seriously. Even though a 3-month preparation and performance on a 3.5 hour test may not completely make up for a 3 to 4 year graduation degree, it still helps. Getting an outlying GMAT Score of 760 can make the school ignore your past academic performance. A score above 700 helps definitely. Performance in Maths, Statistics, Accounting, Finance, and related
subjects: If your overall GPA was low, but you faired well in some subjects that are of more interest to the school than the others, highlight those in the optional essay. Tell the school that you were not driven by the absolute numbers and were not a part of the rat race, but you did exceptionally well in the areas that should matter to the school. As long as you can prove your mettle, you will be able to assuage the concerns of the school. Other Activities:
Imagine you walked into your graduation college in India and decided to work on skill sets other than academics. You can highlight that started actively participating in the club activities, or played an integral role in managing the annual fest, or were a part of dramatics club, or were managing budgets, or the placements of your college, you need to highlight those. The schools need to understand your reasons for being excellent in the academic areas. As long as you can highlight the other transferrable skills that you picked up in your graduation experience, you will do fine. Most of the schools will have optional essays. Use them as blank cheques, and talk about these experiences. Remember: Just do not elaborate on these experiences. Schools are more interested in knowing why were these important for you. Pick up Relevant courses now:
Visit Coursera(Google it) and identify some of the international universities such as University of Pennsylvania(Wharton School of Business), University of Michigan, University of Virginia( Darden Graduate school of business). Pick up courses in Finance, accounting, statistics, and showcase your performance in those courses. Most of these courses are not very expensive, and are of international repute. Pursue them before applying and highlight them in your application. Schools will gauge your seriousness and your low performance in graduation will drown out to a great extent. — The writer is CEO & Co-Founder of PythaGurus, an education consultancy.)
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Transforming innovations into business models Gagan K. Teja Taking it upon itself to revitalise the entrepreneurial spirit of Punjab and its neighbouring states, Thapar University in collaboration with Venture Lab-International, University of Twente, Netherlands, is all set to launch a venture lab with focus on developing a holistic entrepreneurial ecosystem by providing technological, financial, infrastructural and strategic support to budding entrepreneurs from within and outside Thapar University.
With employment opportunities diminishing, the Thapar Venture Lab seeks to transform job seekers into job providers by providing seed money as initial investment to incubate the entrepreneurial ventures of the selected aspirants, who would be given space in the incubation facility of the venture lab. Competent and experienced engineering and business school faculty of Thapar University, along with foreign experts, will provide active handholding to young entrepreneurs while they are at a nascent stage. Describing Thapar University as an ideal partner for setting up an Indian version of Venture Lab-International, Dr Aard Groen, Professor of Innovative Entrepreneurship at the University of Twente, Netherlands and co-founder of Venture Lab-International, who recently visited the university to work out the modalities for setting up the venture lab, said, “The idea is to combine scientific development and regional economic development for knowledge-intensive entrepreneurship. Technology and innovation are a major driving force in giving shape to viable ventures. We are sure that the Thapar Venture Lab will figure among the leading incubation centres of India.” Appointed as a visiting professor by LM Thapar School of Management (LMTSM), Dera Bassi, Dr Groen, a world-renowned expert who holds the post of Scientific Director of the Netherlands Institute for Knowledge Intensive Entrepreneurship (NIKOS), University of Twente, has mentored and incubated more than 850 companies. In an interaction with J&C Dr FGroen talked about this new project. Excerpts: What is a venture lab? Venture Lab transforms innovations into early-stage companies by assisting in business model development, connecting the innovators with experienced entrepreneurs, locating sources of early-stage financing, and preparing the new companies for the business world. What is your idea behind setting up this lab in Thapar University? With technology-enabled enterprise, social entrepreneurship and agri-value chain strengthening enterprise as its key areas of focus, Thapar University has cross-sectoral experience in the domains of materials management, oil and natural gas, biotechnology, consultancy, information technology and various other diverse fields and therefore, they will be able to utilise all its resources to make it country’s best venture lab. The lab will provide follow-up support and mentoring to aspiring entrepreneurs even when they move out of the incubator so as to align their businesses around the real market needs. It will also help entrepreneurial companies connect with angel investors and venture capitalists. The incubatees will also benefit from the module-based training programmes to be conducted regularly by the faculty of LMTSM in marketing, finance and strategy. These programmes are tailor-made to suit the requirements of various businesses. What will be the role of Thapar University? Thapar University will create a dedicated fund to support start-ups, and this will help entrepreneurs build high-growth, innovative and scalable businesses. The university will also rope in its alumni who have established themselves as successful entrepreneurs to mentor start-ups at the venture lab, which will span the campuses of the university in Patiala and its business school in Dera Bassi.
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Plan for the last 30 days Saikumar Swamy Countless months of toil and sweat, excruciating effort, heart-breaking moments of despair and the highs of success will reach a culmination in November 2014. This year the competition is expected to be quite tough with close to two lakh students fighting it out for an estimated 3,000 seats at the coveted IIMs. In this intense competition, every mark counts and one should make all efforts to improve on one’s current standing.
By ensuring that you make 2-3 mistakes less in each of the two sections that you have been attempting a net improvement 20 marks is a distinct possibility. Thus by spending the next 30 days judiciously one can see a remarkable improvement in the final score, which can increase your chances of making it to the most coveted of B-schools — the IIMs. Your focus should be on two main areas — Skill & Speed Improvement, and a thorough Analysis of each Mock CAT. For every test area, you should first assess and know where you stand. This assessment will involve introspection to understand your strengths and weaknesses as well as looking at your scores in various practice tests. Reading Practice, Quantitative concepts, Data Interpretation and Calculation practice, Vocabulary improvement and Logical Reasoning practice are the main aspects that need addressing. There is no short-cut to improve your RC skills except by doing a lot of reading practice everyday. Make a conscious attempt to read a wide range of topics to improve your reading speed. It has been observed that most of the RC passages focus on economics, politics, sociology, philosophy, psychology, culture & arts, abstract thinking, and sciences. Choose at least two topics and two articles from each of the topics mentioned above each day and start reading them in right earnest. Make a note of the topics you are reading and the reading speed that you achieve. The Quantitative section has always troubled students who come from a ‘non-math’ background. Fears of having to solve a very high proportion of questions based on higher mathematics are totally unfounded. Some chapters like Numbers, Geometry & Mensuration, Simple Equations, Ratio, Proportion & Variation, Percentages, Profit & Loss, Quadratic Equations, Time & Work, and Time & Distance have to be revised at least a couple of times to ensure that you gain a comfort level. If you find you are weak in Data Interpretation, then first look at the data and ask yourself whether you can interpret the data or not. Look at a number of data sets and spend as much time as required to ensure that you are able to understand the given data. Then, move to the questions, and, without keeping any time limit, try to locate the relevant data to answer the questions. This way you can build a good ability in Data Interpretation. Accuracy, Approximations, Speed, and Familiarity with various types of DI questions are the four key aspects required to do well in Data Interpretation. A lot of time is wasted in calculating answers where high accuracy is not required. The accuracy you try to attain should depend on the answer choices. If the options are not very close, you will find that in most cases, it is possible to calculate the answer approximately — and save a great deal of time in the bargain. Suppose you are dividing 56239 by 14109. In most cases it would be adequate if you calculated the answer by dividing 562 by 141. An important prerequisite of scoring well in the Verbal Ability section in the CAT is to have a reasonably good vocabulary. Along with good vocabulary, good reading habits can make this section a cakewalk and it is often seen that more marks can be scored in this area than in any other area. The last five weeks should be spent on a thorough revision of these types of questions from the Mock tests. Ideally, you should take up 10 to 15 questions from each type of questions from the Mock tests that you have already taken. However, unlike the Quant and DI areas where extra tests may not give a higher return in terms of marks, it would be prudent to take tests in verbal area almost every day and thoroughly revise them. Also, to ensure that words learnt are not forgotten, it would be worthwhile to revise the words at least once. All preparation should cease two days before the D-Day. Go watch a movie or spend time with friends without unduly worrying about the likely pattern or difficulty of the paper. The battlefield is the mind — keep it relaxed and fresh. — The writer is Director TIME, Dehli
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Museum Material Care course
Conservation Laboratory, National Museum, New Delhi, has invited applications for admission to three-month Intensive Training Course on Care of Museum Material scheduled to be conducted from November 3, 2014 to February 2, 2015. Scholarship of Rs 1800 per month will be available for selected candidates.
Conservation personnel from NMI and other academic institutions from the field. Graduates preferably in science with one year experience in an institute of repute in the field. Artist having three years proven experience in their field. How to apply: Application on plain paper as per format may be sent to Chemist, National Museum, Janpath, New Delhi, marked at the top of cover "Training in Care of Paintings including illustrated Manuscripts" Deadline: September 30, 2014. Check out: www.nationalmuseumindia.gov.in HR management course
Management Development Institute (MDI), Gurgaon, is inviting applications for admission to PG Programme in Human Resource Management (PGP-HRM) for 2015-2017 session. Eligibility: The candidates must have scored 50per cent marks or equivalent CGPA in Class X and XII. The candidate must have minimum 3 year’s bachelor’s degree, with at least 50 per cent marks or equivalent CGPA in any discipline from a recognised university. Candidates appearing for the final examination for the bachelor’s degree (or equivalent examination) and completing all requirements for obtaining the bachelor’s degree by June 30, 2015 can also apply. How to apply: Online. Candidates have to make an online payment of ~1800 using Credit / Debit card / Net Banking. Deadline: Online registration will be open till November 14, 2014, (17:00 hrs). Check out: www.mdi.ac.in.
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Make decisions that count Nothing tests your leadership skills more than your ability to make decisions. Getting better at it is an art that needs to be honed Jappreet Sethi In your life and through the course of your career, one thing is for sure that you will make quite a few decisions. Good decisions will bear fruit for some time and the bad ones will haunt you for a longer time, a really bad decision can even cut short your career. Most of the times reactions are instinctive whereas decisions have to be well thought out to save a situation from blowing out of proportion or to avoid a relationship from going sour. It is generally seen that taking decisions in anger, anxiety, stress or hurry leads to more problems than the anticipated benefit. Nothing tests your leadership skills more than your ability to make decisions and getting better at it is an art that needs to be honed.
Understand the situation People put great trust in their intuition, the past 50 years of decision-making research challenges that trust. The widely recommended approach is to use data to analyse the situation in detail, don’t forget to ascertain the credibility of the data points, as your decision will rest on them. Thereafter, figure out why this decision needs to be taken, what is the need and who all the decision, if taken, can impact. Remember the acid test of leadership is to make the best decision possible, even if you get stuck with an incomplete data set. Know your blind spot We all have our opinions, beliefs and notions engraved into our psyche. These affect our unconscious state and play on the logic that we use for making decisions. For instance, some of us are averse to taking suggestions, while others have a problem with authority figures. Yet others tend to think themselves unworthy in the aspects that really matter — such as succeeding. These hard-wired traits can affect the quality of important decisions, and the key lies in not allowing these blind spots to affect our objective decision-making. Knowing these potential potholes and identifying when they are sabotaging our thinking helps improve our decision-making quality. Reflect and retrospect
Simulate the results Play out the possible consequences of your decision in your head to see how they would unfold in real life. Test out a number of decision options with different outcomes hypothetically, use a pen and paper to list the pros and cons of each decision and assign a number to it .You may discover that the first decision may not be the most optimum one and your brain refines decisions only in the second or third attempt. At times it may be a good idea to sleep on a decision that one has taken, or is about to take, and get back to it later, allowing the brain additional time to process all the variables for an optimal decision. Take help from others Sometimes, colleagues, managers or even family members and friends can help us in making a sound decision. In the case of an important decision its best to create a group or task-force and present them your choice along with supporting data, thereafter solicit group’s input and let them critique your choice with a free mind. This is an excellent way of improving your decision’s quality in the light of feedback. These simple yet highly effective steps will help you to take better decisions in your life; eventually success in career boils down to just one thing — making sound decisions on time. — The writer is an HR & Strategy consultant and authors www.humanresourcesblog.in Beware of biases There are 10 established errors in thinking that human beings are invariably subject to; they are known as cognitive disorders. Over-generalisation of a situation is the most common of these. One tends to see one negative event as the start of a never-ending cycle of defeat, or one discounts a positive factor so heavily that it may as well not exist. The other common error in thinking is to focus on things we cannot control and waste our time on them, rather than concentrating on the things we CAN change.
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golden rules for choosing a company after mba S.P. Chauhan The choice of the first job is very crucial for MBA students as it paves the way for their career growth. After a two-year rigorous stint with a B-school, students may find it very difficult to decide which companies to look for and what job profile they should opt for. No doubt the compensation package is one of the most important criteria while selecting a job, students should not forget that there are various other criteria which need to be taken into account so that they are on the right path towards professional growth and personal development. Freshers should always keep in mind that the initial years of one’s career should focus on learning rather than earning, which would follow in the due course of time.
Job profile (Person-job fit) The first and the most important aspect which students should look for is a job profile in line with their core competencies so that they have an opportunity to apply their knowledge and skill and excel. If one finds himself/herself in an area other than the core competence it can be very challenging and demotivating as well. What they need to understand is that the organization has great expectations from the new employee and their performance in the first assignment may make or mar their future prospects. It is always good to start at the shop floor to get a feel of what the real problems are related to the job. Some of the great personalities have risen from the lowest levels to the highest levels. Person-organisation fit Another important factor is values being followed by the company because once someone joins a company he/she is required to align with those values. If there is a major non-alignment it would be difficult to continue with the company and can lead to a frustrating experience. Learning opportunities When anyone joins a company fresh out of a B-School there is sometimes an attitude of “know all” which is the biggest impediment to unlearning and re-learning. No doubt the MBA graduates would have a sound understanding of concepts and theories but they find it difficult to practically apply those in real life situations. The new entrants should be humble enough to become a beginner and learn from the seniors. Growth opportunities At the entry stage one may not be clear about what are the career prospects. If you are able to develop interpersonal relations with your superior, he/she could be a mentor who would understand the competencies of their subordinates and guide them on the right path and also ensure that the employees get jobs/assignments which would be instrumental in realising the potential of the employees. Scope for lateral movement At times remaining in the same job for a long time can become monotonous, especially when you do not see scope for movement upwards. If there is scope for lateral movement, even if it requires to acquire a different set of competencies, it would greatly help the managers to develop multi-skilling and have diverse experience which would ultimately help them in the long run. Work environment One of the factors in addition to the job being challenging, which can provide job satisfaction is a conducive work environment – one which encourages openness, mutual respect, cooperativeness, healthy competition. Work environment would also include accessibility of your superiors to the juniors for guidance. Organisational policies and practices Once you have joined an organization, organizational policies and practices would affect two aspects of your career – career advancement and job satisfaction in general. Organisations that have a clear-cut and transparent policies and follow them should be chosen in place of those which do not. Remuneration (fixed vs variable pay) If you are a high performer you should look into the remuneration in terms of fixed vs variable pay as this gives scope for you to choose a pay package in line with your competence and need. Conclusion The above criteria would help a fresh MBA in choosing the right job and also for ensuring career growth on the right lines. Individuals can decide for themselves based on their own needs and priorities. A guideline giving the main criteria can help individuals to make an informed and conscious choice of job which can provide opportunities for growth as well as job satisfaction and minimises the need to change jobs frequently. — The writer is Professor (OB & HR) and Director (Officiating), Asia-Pacific Institute of Management, New Delhi Points to ponder n Job profile (person-job fit) n Person-organisation fit – Alignment of personal values with organisational values n Learning opportunities n Career growth opportunities n Scope for lateral movement within the organisation n Work environment n Organisational policies and practices n Remuneration (fixed vs variable pay)
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Career sweetener Smooth dealsUsually in negotiations, both the parties yearn to maximize their share of pie by smartly outwitting each other. Negotiation is like a roller coaster ride, with highs and lows. When you are at the ebb, the traditional approaches may not work; you may follow these simple tips if you hit a deadend during negotiations. Right to remain silent Silence is golden, often saying nothing is more powerful than anything you may want to say. Silence can be very unnerving for the other party and they may begin to speak to fill the vacuum created by silence. This may lead them to disclose more than they may have given out at the first stage during the negotiation. Keep on listening n Ask clarifying questions - "what did you mean by that?" n Use probes - "Why did you say this?" n Understand their motives - "What led you to
that position?" n Don't negotiate on assumptions - negotiate on facts n Reduce your pace of speech We speak at about 120 + words a minute and lord almighty has bestowed us with the ability to listen to 240+ words a minute. So there is no need to panic and rush, there is enough time. Use of tone modulation and depth of voice can convey honesty and seriousness to the other party, effective negotiators build in pauses so that they can watch the impact their words are having on the other party during the negotiations. Reserve your firepower and trump card Offering too many concessions in the starting phase will weaken your bargaining power. Don't offer additional concessions if you have been cornered, the golden rule is that every concession you offer needs to be reciprocated by the other side. Encourage the other side to spell their needs and delink it from the positions they are taking to defend it. You should also spell your needs and then barter them in the end. Keep
your cool Sometimes the other party may use emotional barrage to derail the negotiation process. Don't react when the other side blows off steam and vents frustration, with a laser sharp focus return to main issue thereafter, or take a break if it gets very acrimonious. Be very clear that you don't want to enter into a personal clash; you are there for finding a solution and not participating in a wrestling match. Whatever be the situation never assume that you have lost the plot completely. These situations teach you the most in life and remember if you concede defeat mentally, there is no way you will ever win the game. Career Tips from www.careersweetener.com .
Follow on twitter @CareerSweetener
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Indians to see 10.8 pc salary hike Employees in India are expected to see a 10.8 per cent salary hike in 2015, even as pay increases across Asia Pacific region are set to rise by an average 7 per cent in the coming year, says a report. The report added that though salary across the regions are set to rise, a corresponding rise in inflation would mean that pay increases in ‘real terms’ would be eroded significantly in the coming year. China is expected to see the highest salary increase — 5.2 per cent in real terms in the region, followed by Pakistan (4.5 per cent), Bangladesh (4.3 per cent), Vietnam (4.1 per cent) and Sri Lanka (3.8 per cent). India was ranked sixth with a corresponding real increase of 3.5 per cent. The report noted that in 8 out of the 10 sectors surveyed, the pay raises for Executive Directors and Senior Management in India are expected to be higher than or equal to 2014 with the professional services sector particularly standing out at 4.5 per cent. In India all employees — from production workers to executive directors — are set to have higher pay raises than last year. Sector wise analysis shows that the pharmaceutical sector across the region, including in India, will continue to have amongst the highest salary increases. In India, the financial sector is likely to see 10 per cent salary hike in 2015 (same as last year), the hi-tech sector is set to see an increase of 10.7 per cent in 2015, up from 10.5 per cent the previous year. — PTI
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1. Which Asian country is the first to reach Mars and the first in the world to enter the Martian orbit in its maiden attempt? 3. When is the World Heart Day observed? 4. Who is the new Chief Minister of
Tamil Nadu? 5. Which team won the men’s hockey gold medal at the Incheon Asiad? 6. Who won the men’s 65 kg freestyle wrestling gold in the Incheon
Asian Games? 7. Name the winner of the gold medal in the men’s 50m pistol event in this year’s Asian Games. 8. Who won the women’s discus gold in the 2014 Asian Games? 9. Who won the gold medal at this year’s Asian Games in the mixed doubles tennis title? 10. Which country won the gold in the men’s squash team event at the Incheon Asiad? —Tarun Sharma Winners of quiz 473: The first prize by draw of lots goes to Ishita Goyal Class: VIII; Mind Tree School, Panjokhra, Ambala Cantt; Pin Code — 134011 Second: Prashant Palta; Class XI Commerce; Kendriya Vidyalaya No.1, Sangrur Road, Patiala Cantt, Patiala, Punjab; Pin Code —147001 Third:
Raghav; Class: VIII-E; Shishu Niketan Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 22-D, Chandigarh; Pin Code — 160022 Answers to quiz 473: 55; Edinburg; Chenab; Julian Assange; Priyanka Chopra; Australia and New Zealand; Marin Cilic; Incheon; Barame, Chumuro,Vichuan; Saurav Ghosal Cash awards of Rs 400, 300 and 200 are given to the first, second and third prize winners, respectively. These are sent at the school address. Note: Kindly mention the pincode of your place on the letter/postcard to facilitate the delivery of the prize money. Answers can also be sent at
quiz@tribunemail.com
Name……………….…………... Class....………….......…. School
address.........................................
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Career Hotline
There are two types of commissions available in IAF — Permanent Commission and Short Service Commission. Officers with Permanent Commission can continue to serve the force till the age of superannuation. 
As a part of the Ground Duty Branch, you would be responsible for steering the Indian Air Force. In case you are a graduate or a postgraduate, you would be managing human and material resources. Ground duties include all the departments that provide logistical, meteorological, educational and administrative support to the flying and technical branches. 
A. As far as the course content is concerned, there is no difference between a regular and correspondence MCA. However, a full-time course would definitely give you far more practical hands-on experience. Hence, given a choice, employers too tend to prefer those who have passed out of a full-time course from a good university.
A. Yes, if you’ve completed your education from an Open School / Open University you can apply for the CS Exam, provided it’s a recognised university and you possess the prescribed academic qualifications and are otherwise eligible.
A. The opening up of India’s petroleum sector to private players, dismantling of price controls and the spiralling fuel costs combined with ever-increasing consumption of petroleum products have brought the oil industry into the forefront.
NAMASTE India-EU Mobility Project offers scholarships for Indian students and scientists to spend a mobility period in Europe on a wide variety of academic fields at different levels of study (undergraduate, master’s, PhD, Post-Doc, and Staff). 
*
Undergraduate: 1,000 euro
A group of five alumni from the Indian School of Business (ISB) has won the prestigious Hult Prize and a $ 1 million funding support from the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI). The prize was given away by Bill Clinton, former president of the USA and Muhammad Yunus, founder of the Grameen Bank, at a high profile event held in New York last week. The winning team - Nano Health - comprised Aditi Vaish, Ashish Bondia, Manish Ranjan, Pranav Kumar Maranganty, and Ramanathan Lakshmanan, who participated in this competition earlier this year, as students of the Class of 2014 at the ISB.
Think about it this way: Why is a school concerned about your past? Why is a school concerned about your graduation scores? In India, most of the universities consider your Class X and XII scores as a factor for elimination. However, for most of the international MBA programmes, the past performance is reflective of the candidate’s ability to manage the rigor of the future programmes. “If the candidate has done well in the past, he is very likely to do well in the future too” is the thought process, considering the fact that most of these schools are known for very rigorous programmes. Even though these B-schools do not consider your scores in Class X and XII, your performance in graduation plays an integral role. That being said, this is subjective and there are ways to overcome the limitations that you have in your past academic performance. There are many candidates we have worked with in the past, and we could identify many successful strategies to get them admitted to top tier programmes such as Wharton, Columbia, Duke, Chicago Booth, London Business School, Insead, and many more international programmes in the Tier 1 League. Let us look at some of the ways to fill in for the academic gaps:
One of the first things that you need to believe in strongly is that the next 30 days can and will make a difference to your preparation. Here is something which would make you glad — An improvement of around 20-25 marks can catapult you from the 70 percentile range to the 90+percentile range. 
Eligibility: Conservation personnel from art academics, departments of archaeology, libraries, and other institutions having one year experience are eligible to apply.
Success is an eventual accumulation of big and small decisions that are implemented in time. Making a sound decision is not easy, however following these simple yet effective guidelines can definitely move your skill northwards.
History is a great teacher. Make an objective analysis of the decisions that you have taken in the past, and what percentage of those was correct. Break down the decisions you have taken into various common buckets, based on the situations that prompted them — stress, fear, joy, anger, ambition, challenge, etc. And examine the success ratio for each. Most of us make good decisions in at least some situations. Figure out what these situations are and understand what helps you make more rational, stronger or at the least less destructive decisions when you confront them. This exercise will automatically highlight your weak areas and help you take precaution in the future.
Some of the important considerations other than compensation which should be kept in mind are:
Even when you are on a weak footing, make sure that you are listening. It will be helpful if you practice the art of summarising and clarifying as the other party speaks . Give them the signal that you are listening intensely and encourage them to continue. Nodding your head or use of words like -" I see, Hmmm can be useful in negotiations dialogue". Additionally I have found these strategies to be helpful during the conversation.
According to Towers Watson 2014-15 Asia-Pacific Salary Budget Planning Report, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Vietnam are set to lead the way with over 11 per cent overall salary increases while India is placed at the fourth position with an increase of 10.8 per cent.
2. Name the President of Afghanistan.