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CAREER HOTLINE
— Amit Arora A. The
various states recruit LL.B graduates to serve as magistrates in the
various lower courts and law officers or law advisers for various
state bodies, including municipalities. The age limit varies and, of
course, the usual quota of seats is reserved for SC/ST
candidates. Selection is done through written exams conducted by
the respective State Subordinate Selection Boards. The exam consists
of several papers but again, there is no uniformity as different
states have different criteria. However, they usually have two
languages in addition to the law papers. In Delhi, for example, the
Delhi High Court has changed the format of the exam. The papers,
which used to be predominantly theoretical, would now include more
objective-type components on the lines of engineering and medical
entrance exams. Three papers: Criminal Law, Civil Law (1) and Civil
Law (2) would carry 100 multiple-choice questions. However, the
Translation and Essay papers will continue to remain
theoretical. The Supreme Court has recently ruled that no work
experience is required for getting into the Judicial Service. In a
country still obsessed with government jobs, you will be inducted a
gazetted officer and your pay scale will be on a par with other
government jobs. Besides the innumerable salaams that will augment
your feeling of 'power', you will get government accommodation,
telephone etc. And now for the bad news: Judicial Service Exams are
not held with any discernible regularity; only as and when the
vacancies arise. So, be on the lookout. Window dressing opens door of opportunities Q. I want to know
about visual merchandising as a career. Are there any specific courses? — Sheela Chaudhry, Muktsar A. Visual merchandising (VM)
is all about presenting the image, merchandise, philosophy and overall
personality of the store to its customers. It is the attention-getter -
the lure or bait to capture the shopper's eye — stimulate the senses
— broaden the perception of the product and its features. It reaches
out and holds the customer in a few seconds; it stops the shopper —
holds his attention while he studies the product, thereby initiating its
purchase. An integral part of any store or commercial space today, VM
gives it a competitive edge over other establishments dealing in the
same or similar products or services. Let me give you an example. Not
long ago, shopping for kids was more of an adult thing where the parents
were the main decision-makers. Today, thanks to the vast exposure they
get through the media, kids have a mindset of their own. No longer are
characters limited to Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck. Countless TV
channels, web and computer games have invaded their mind-space and
influenced their psyche. Here VM is the key to attract these little
customers who have definite likes and dislikes but short attention spans
and are unaware of the price tags or special schemes. As a visual
merchandiser, you will be responsible for the product layout in shops
and the showrooms. The work will involve continuously changing and
detailing shelf space, lighting, colour, backdrop and product
arrangement. It will also entail interacting closely with interior
designers and floor managers in a retail chain. Courses in visual
merchandising and window display are offered at only at a few fashion
schools, although elements of visual merchandising are incorporated in
the curriculum of fashion merchandising, retail management, fashion
design, graphic/visual/interior design National Institute of Design (NID),
Paldi, Ahmedabad 380007; www.nid.edu National Institute of Fashion
Technology (NIFT), New Delhi, Hauz Khas, New Delhi 110016 (UT);
www.niftindia.com Srishti School of Art, Design & Technology ,
Yelahanka, Bangalore 560064; www.srishtiblr.org JD Institute of
Fashion Technology , Hauz Khas Village, New Delhi 110016;
www.jdinstitute.com Indian Institute of Retail, New Delhi:
iir@vsnl.net. E-commerce Q.
I'm 23 and have done PGDBM specialising in IT & Marketing. At
present, I am working with a US-based company dealing in e-commerce
payment facilities (credit card & e-cheque transactions). They don't
have any plans for India as of now. the work profile is US-oriented and
involves no marketing. This is my second job, the first being a
corporate sales job in a web training firm. The reason for switching was
to escape from a "training institute" profile. Please tell me
what to do as I am in a fix over my current job profile being very
different from what I have learnt. — Dinesh Vermai A.
Firstly, I do think it would be a good idea to complete at least one
year in your present job for at least two good reasons: You are working
with a US-based company which is using India as a "back-end".
Given the fast-paced changes in this area, your present employer may
well decide to upgrade its India operations. Secondly, rapid job
changes, with each job being held for just a few months, won't look good
on any resume. So, complete a year with a positive attitude, learning
from your present job all that you can. As to switching jobs, whenever
you do, you could look at: Sales and marketing jobs, particularly in IT
marketing — given your industry association; Alternatively, you could
be looking at managerial jobs in the fast-growing ITES industry which is
expected to continue booming in the years to come. You have the relevant
experience. Options after ME Q. I have completed my diploma in
Mechanical Engineering from Thapar Polytechnic, Patiala. Please tell me
if I am eligible to apply for any course/entrance exam that requires
10+2 (PCM) as eligibility? — Sachleen Singh A. Your
question is not very clear to me. Why would you want to take a course,
which requires 10+2 as eligibility after completing your Diploma in
Mechanical Engineering? If you wish to study further to improve your job
prospects, then as a diploma-holder in Mechanical Engineering (DME), you
have the following options: Seek lateral entry to the second year of
BE (Mech). Several engineering colleges offer this provision. However
domicile conditions apply. If you are employed, you can either do a
part-time, 4-year BE from an engineering college or acquire a BS degree
by distance mode e.g. from Birla Institute of Technology & Science
(BITS), Distance Learning Programme Division, Pilani (www.bitspilani.ac.in),
etc. Enrol for a 1-1`BD-year Post-Diploma course in Computer
Software, etc offered at various polytechnics. Opt for the
Associateship of the Institution of Engineers (India) (www.ieindia.org).
AMIE (Sections A & B taken together are equivalent to BE/BTech both
for the purpose of employment as well as further study). Diploma-holders
can directly enrol in level A and get an exemption of 4 papers. If
you are interested in industrial drafting and designing, you can take up
a course in CAD/CAM. Computer Aided Design and Computer Aided
Manufacture, using high-end software will give an added edge to your
knowledge of mechanical engineering. Alternatively, you could also opt
for a course in Tool Design (plastic moulds, press tools, jigs, fixtures
and gauges) from a recognised institution. The Union Ministry for
Labour runs advanced Training Institutes in every state that offer
short-term, job-oriented and skill enhancement courses in several
branches of engineering. Several open universities offer a range of
courses through distance learning for diploma-holders. The Armed
Forces, including the Coast Guard, recruit bright male diploma holders
as Direct Entry candidates each year through a written, physical and
medical exam. You will receive appropriate training during which you
will be paid a decent stipend (plus perks: free board, lodging, uniform,
books, etc). Thereafter, depending on the rank, you will start off in
the initial scale of Rs 7,400 plus generous perks. Diploma-holders are
also recruited as Air Traffic Controllers at airports. Agricultural
economist Q. What is the work of an Agricultural Economist? What are
the prospects for a career in this field? — Arpit Kambhoj,
Ambala A. Achieving food security has been the overriding goal of
agricultural policy. To achieve this goal, one needs not only
agricultural scientists but also agricultural economists who apply the
principles of economics to ensure greater productivity in agriculture.
The growth in this sector being a result of greater liberalisation and
investment, the demand for agricultural economists is on the rise.
Besides land appraisal, crop grading, marketing and sales, an
agricultural economist is involved with farm management, co-operative
management, farm utilities, custom services, wholesale and retail
marketing of agricultural products, priority setting for research, how
much to invest, assessment of returns on investment i.e. all those
activities that ensure that agricultural productivity grows at planned
rate of growth. Job prospects in this field are excellent. There are
job openings in cooperatives, the banking and insurance sector, private
firms in the agricultural sector, foreign embassies, NGOs and other
donor agencies, Ministry of Agriculture, Indian Economic Service as also
in the field of research and teaching. Career
confusion Q. Having
completed my M.Sc (Chemistry), I am now desperate to take on a job. I'm
not too keen on taking up chemistry-related work. How do I select a job
that's just right for me? — Harpal Sodhi A. Allow me
to let you in on a secret: there is no easy or instant formula for
landing the perfect job. But, if you work through these seven key steps
to selecting a job, you can be confident that you have made a wise
decision: Assess yourself; investigate a wide range of jobs; identify
jobs that may suit you; develop a short-list of 'real' possibilities;
collect detailed information about each job on your short-list; choose
the job that suits you most; and keep reworking your short-list. While
working through these steps, it is helpful to remember: Most people
are capable of working successfully in a number of jobs. Your ideas
about the jobs that suit you may change somewhat. You may not be able
to get everything you want in a job. Some people have fixed ideas
about the sort of job that should be suitable for them and this often
prevents them from finding a job that's is suitable. Hindi
course Q. I am teaching Hindi in a school for the last two years. As
I got 52 per cent in MA but am not getting admission to the M.Phil
(Hindi) course in my university. Is there any university in India that
offers M.Phil through correspondence? Please help me. —
Tushar
Dhiman, Karnal A. Here's some good news for you. The following
are some universities that offer MPhil (Dist) in Hindi: Karnataka
State Open University , Mysore 570006; (www.ksoumysore.com /
www.ksouonline.org); Course: M.Phil (1 `BD -yr): Elig: PG degree (50 per
cent + teaching experience) Kurukshetra University, Directorate of
Correspondence Courses, Kurukshetra 136119 (http://kuk.ernet.in);
Course: M. Phil (1-yr): Elig: PG Degree (55 per cent). Kakatiya
University, School of Distance Learning & Continuing Education,
Warangal 506009; Course: M. Phil (2 summers): Elig: Teachers, Lecturers
with PG degree & 2-yr work experience. (The lists of courses are not exhaustive) — Pervin Malhotra Please send in your
query, preferably on a postcard, along with your full name, complete
address and academic qualifications to: Editor, Jobs and Careers,
The Tribune, Sector 29,
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Q. I did my LL.B from Lucknow. I now
wish to join the Delhi Judicial Services. Could you please tell me
about the entry procedure?