Career Hotline
Language no barrier
Pervin Malhotra

Q I will be finishing my plus two next year. I find that I have a flair and interest in foreign languages, and would like to pursue my further studies in this area. Can you give me some guidance on good language schools in the country and the career prospects. I am also interested in working for the government. Will I be able to combine both these interests?

A The winds of liberalisation, globalisation and high-speed communication have made the world a truly smaller and more accessible place. While this has spurred global transactions both at the government, industry and corporate level, like never before, language barriers, at times, do pose problems in transactions and the smooth running of business. Which is why both the private sector as well as the government hire qualified language specialists for practical work like translation and interpretation as well as for more specialised work like researching specific topics.

Of late, call centres have been actively recruiting those conversant in foreign languages.

Moreover, several other avenues have opened up — in industry, trade, information and media, travel and teaching, to name a few. Of late, voice-based call centres have begun to recruit people with 1-2 years of multi-lingual capabilities as customer care executives. The wider BPO sector also recruits people for translation and documentation, and transaction processing operations.

European and South-East Asian languages are particularly highlighted in view of the number of foreign collaborations and investments from these countries. In addition to languages like French and German, there is a premium on specialists in Chinese, Japanese and Korean and even Russian. In fact, there is a premium on Chinese-speaking tourist guides.

As for work in the government, the Cabinet Secretariat recruits language specialists in Chinese, Pushtu, Burmese, Nepali, Tibetan and Sinhala — an indication of the importance attached to following the developments in our neighbouring countries.

A government job would require a minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in the concerned language in addition to a high degree of proficiency in English and the ability to translate documents into English.

Many universities offer courses in foreign languages awarding not only certificates and diplomas, but also Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. Among these, JNU’s School of Languages is considered a premium centre.

In addition, there are a large number of foreign cultural centres in the country like Alliance Francaise, Max Mueller Bhavan, Japanese Cultural Centre that conduct graded language courses.

Soar to success

Q I am a young graduate of 22yrs in BSc. MLT with height of 173cms and weight of 62kg with clear complexion and normal eyesight. I want to join the Aviation industry as cabin-crew (Flight Steward). Can you please tell me how to go about applying for jobs as cabin crew in private airlines?

— Vikram Jeet

A All airlines are currently on a recruitment drive for cabin crew, ground staff and pilots as they have been allowed to fly to foreign destinations. A large number of foreign airlines are also stepping up their flights to India.

If you are a friendly and personable with excellent communication and interpersonal skills, a pleasant personality and ready to work in shifts and meet the specified requirements, you can submit your application for cabin crew online. For Jet Airways, your minimum height should be 170 cm (male) and 157 cm (female) with a clear unblemished complexion (weight should be proportionate to your height & age).

Minimum qualification: Plus two /Diploma in hotel mgt, fluent in Hindi and English. In addition, you must be mature in attitude and outlook, a people’s person with good interactive skills. In short, you must be a team player.

If your application fulfils the specified criteria, you will be invited for a preliminary interview. If you are successful at this stage, you will be called for a second interview and a grooming check. If shortlisted, you will be advised to attend a final interview at a later date.

To graduate, you will need to clear all exams and appraisal flights. On completing the course successfully, you can look forward to an attractive remuneration package, including allowances and benefits.

Well-equipped for flight

Q I would like to know the research options available for developing aviation-related equipment. I am a final year engineering student.

— Rajendra Midha

A The opening up of the skies has also led to a spurt in growth of the not so visible areas other than flying.

Did you know that more than 30,000 scientists and technologists are engaged in developing sophisticated aviation equipment and systems?

If you are from a related engineering or science background you can look for employment in more than 50 R & D labs spread across the country.

Aeronautical Development Agency (www.ada.gov.in), Bangalore, is the nodal agency for the design and development of LCA. Selection process is through a written test and then interview for Research Fellows. Test will be waived for post-graduates in engineering.

National Aerospace Laboratories, Bangalore, conducts one-year training programmes at the diploma, graduate (BE/BTech/MSc/MCA etc) and post graduate (ME/MTech/MPhil only) levels.

With one-year of experience, you can join as Project Assistant.

For details visit: www.cmmacs.ernet.in / www.nal.res.in

Or you can join the Defence Development and Research Organisation labs like Aerial Delivery Research & Development Establishment, UP, or Gas Turbine Research Institute, Bangalore.

For further information log on to: www.drdo.com

Count-less choices

Q I have done M.Sc in mathematics from GNDU. Please tell me all the other options open to me apart from teaching. I don’t want to go in for teaching.

— Ankur Umat

A After M.Sc Maths you could enrol for M.Tech (in a host of engineering / technology disciplines, including computer science at leading engineering colleges like the IITs, after taking the GATE exam.

IT (MCA), chartered accountancy, actuarial science (insurance), taxation, business management, finance, operations research, market research (specifically quantitative), and media planning are some of the careers where a mathematical background is particularly valued.

Another growth area lies in the banking and financial services sector where the work centres on portfolio management, financial control methods and forecasting, equity research, financial planning etc. For all these, MBA (Fin), MFC, CA, CFA will hold you in good stead.

A career in mathematical research — be it pure or applied, can be a fascinating pursuit.

Those specialising in mathematics or statistics can also choose to work as members of research teams in industry, statistical and data collection organisations, meteorology, information technology, aerospace and bioinformatics.

Mapping a career

Q I am doing my postgraduation B.Sc (Applied) GIS & Remote Sensing from University of Pune. My background is M.A / M.Sc (Geography). I wanted to know the job opportunities in GIS and Remote Sensing in India.

— Vivek D. Gaikwad

A With the advent of high-end technologies such as GIS Database, Virtual GIS, Application Development GIS and Mobile Mapping, GIS has begun to touch almost every aspect of our lives.

The demand for GIS services in India is pegged at around US $150 million. In addition to fields such as geography, geology, sociology, soil science and remote sensing, GIS is attracting students from diverse branches like electronics and communications, electronics and electrical, mechanical and computer science engineering.

Freshers can start out as GIS digitisers or GIS operators. GIS digitisers are the professionals who make “dull” maps “smart” (by attaching a database to an electronic map using CAD related software).

With a couple of years of experience under your belt, you will move up in rank as a GIS technician/ GIS engineer. Typical tasks involve cartographic output (mapmaking) and data manipulation.

Next in line are the GIS analysts whose job is to study a client’s project specifications and find innovative solutions using GIS tools, wherever necessary. For making it to this rank you need to hone your GIS programming skills.

Having gained some experience on GIS business activities you will be assigned the job of a Business Development Manager. BDMs need to monitor the pulse of the international and domestic market.

Spatial analysis, database design and management, GIS application development are the forte of a GIS Project Manager. You need a minimum of five years work experience backed by in-depth knowledge of the latest versions of GIS software applications. GIS consultants scrutinise a project, and design and document it.

Keeping hospitals in good health

Q What exactly is Hospital Administration? Can non-medical graduates opt for this field?

A Healthcare is a very promising sector. The emergence of multispeciality hospitals encompassing a variety of functions and roles in the private as well as corporate sectors, have underscored the need for professionalism and quality in hospital administration in bold relief.

A course in Hospital Administration equips professionals 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, insurers, and government agencies.

The overall objective is to ensure quality healthcare as well as effective utilisation of funds and other resources.

The courses broadly focus on four areas of management: human resource management, facility management, quality & cost management, and information systems.

Hospital Administration is a multi-disciplinary approach incorporating modern managerial tools and techniques, principles of public administration and behavioral sciences. It therefore helps to have a sound knowledge of clinical outcomes and an understanding of the structure and processes of medicine.

Several super-speciality and multi-speciality hospitals like Apollo, Escorts, Wockhardt have opened and countless others like Max India or Fortis planning large-scale forays (into speciality, primary and secondary care hospitals and diagnostic centres) besides a slew of internationally-funded healthcare programmes. This, in turn, has generated the need for a distinctly qualified and trained breed of managers who are exposed to quality delivery and information systems in the field of hospital and healthcare management.

So, like many new emerging career opportunities, there is currently a lack of trained hospital administration professionals.

While a handful of professional courses admit non-medical graduates, a qualified MBBS is eminently suitable and preferred for this field.

Biotech the current buzzword

Q I am a science student and have appeared for the boards this year. I want to make a career in biotechnology. Please tell me how to go about it.

— Shilpi Garg, Ghaziabad

A Biotechnology is essentially research-oriented work in diverse fields such as agriculture, animal husbandry, pharmaceuticals, textiles, chemicals, genetics and environmental sciences.

It is all about exploiting of biological processes for industrial, agricultural and other purposes, especially genetically manipulating micro-organisms for producing antibiotics, hormones, etc.

Biotechnologists have been able to improve the quality, nutritional content and yield of food products, alter genetic defects in animals and humans, create pesticides that protect crops without harming consumers, deal with wastes in an environment friendly manner and so on.

As ongoing research keeps extending the horizons of knowledge, the scope of this field remains virtually infinite, making BT one of the hottest career avenues today, after IT.

Some other major areas of work in this field include Bioinformatics, Industrial Research and Development, Academic Research, Marketing and Planning, Plant Biotechnology and Biomedicine.

Growing at an accelerated rate, the size of biotech industry in India is estimated at Rs.1000 crore. Projected as the next big wave after IT, it is a “happening” field of work with excellent future prospects. Now that the chemical composition of the human DNA has been successfully mapped, genomics is set to dwarf infotech within the next 20 years — While IT stands for India today, BT represents Bharat tomorrow!

Mounting environmental concern and the increasing demand for safer and better eco-friendly products, has prompted governments round the world to spend billions of dollars to find appropriate solutions to related problems. Many avenues of employment, ranging from research and development to production, bioinformatics, and marketing exist and many new ones are being added daily.

Biotechnologists work in pharmaceutical companies, chemical, agriculture, textile, horticulture and allied industries, research laboratories run by the government and the corporate sector.

Multinational companies operating in this field, with the chemical industry in close lead, offer the best remuneration packages.

A B.Tech/M.Sc Biotech is a good starting point for most jobs, although higher qualifications (PhD) are required for getting into cutting-edge R&D.

— The writer is a noted career consultant

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, Chandigarh-160030, or at careers@tribunemail.com