What Corporates Look for Part II

I had mentioned in a previous post with the same title, various aspects that I would look for in you, if I were a recruiter aiming to hire you for my company. Here are a few more which look a little deeper into the mind of a recruiter and will help you prepare better for your interview.

1. Return on Investment. A decision to hire you is taken primarily based on what you can get to the table i.e. the results you can deliver. If I am going to pay you X as your annual salary, I expect you to earn 5 or 10 times that amount for my company. Otherwise, it is not worth hiring you. So, if you have the Attitude, Skills and Knowledge to earn that amount for my company, you are hired.

Preparation for a Telephonic Interview

A large number of companies nowadays start their selection process with a telephonic interview before calling a candidate for a face to face interview.

Once your CV goes through the initial screening process, a member of the company will line up your telephonic interview with one of the managers who would, after the interview, assess whether you should be called for the main interview round(s). So it is very important that you make a good impression. In addition, if you are applying for administrative jobs, sales jobs, or customer service jobs, this is an excellent way for an employer to determine the level of your effectiveness on the telephone. 

A Career in the Indian Armed Forces

The Indian armed forces are, perhaps, the only profession under the Indian Government where selection is purely on the basis of merit and NOT on region, caste, religion or language. If you have the qualities desired, they will select you. And you will be one of the select few who will get the opportunity to wear the coveted uniform of an officer of the Indian armed forces, with pride. The salary and perks are good; but if you are looking to have an easy time, I would suggest you look elsewhere.

Overcome Interview Nervousness

Butterflies in the stomach, is a sign of nervousness and is present in anyone and everyone who is waiting for/ just commenced a job interview, whether it is for a first in a lifetime job or for the post of CEO. However, once the talking starts, you should, normally, become comfortable in about five minutes time.

To start with, being thorough on the subject matter and rehearsing answers to standard questions is a good way to overcome a part of the nervousness.

Dress Code for Interview

How you dress for an interview is almost as important as the way you prepare your resume. Dressing shows human attitude and behaviour. It shows whether the person is capable of the right conduct or not. A person who is shabby in appearance shows a sloppy personality, so you have to be decently dressed if you hope to crack that interview in your dream company. Dressing should match the situation/occasion.

For example, we can’t wear jeans or skirts on our wedding day or wear footwear in a temple or mosque. Many companies expect their employees or prospective employees to wear business formals and would like to see how you look in such clothes and also to assess whether you are serious about joining them.

Job Functions - Customer Related Jobs Part - 1

This post is about Customer Related Jobs in "B to C" companies which sell to individual consumers rather than to other companies. Examples include FMCG companies like Hindustan Unilever or Nestle, OR Garment companies like Raymond or Levis, Mobile Handset manufacturers like Nokia and any such companies.

Check Some Facts Before Applying for a Job

Check these Facts before attending an interview and before accepting an offer

You will soon be attending interviews both on/ off campus. You need to consider the following aspects about the company you intend to interview with:

Did they tell you about your job role or were you given a job description? Were you told or are you aware what the job is all about? If it sounds too rosy, be prepared to be a bit disappointed if/ when you join.

Suggested CV Format

We had covered what the ingredients of a CV are, earlier, in one of our pages given at the top our blog home page. Please go through that before you check out this post. The CV is the first level at which a candidate gets eliminated so you have to make sure that your CV has got content that the company is looking for, and that there are no grammatical errors or spelling mistakes. While there is no single perfect format that we can suggest, given below is the format for a fresher's CV which is acceptable.

Name

Address for Communication

Mail ID

Contact No.

Social Media - How to Use to Start a Career

Social media, like LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook, can help you connect with people who can help you start and then grow your career. However, this can work both ways. Social media when used the wrong way can backfire and can even lead to the withdrawal of a job offer. It’s important to be careful and consider what you shouldn’t do, as well as what you should do, when using social media to search for a job. 

Create an Online Presence Now

When you're looking for a job, it's important to have an online presence where you can showcase yourself. Your online profile will help you connect with contacts that can help in your job search. If your profile is good it is bound to attract a recruiter, either today or tomorrow. So, get onto LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook, NOW.

Guest Post - A Career in Journalism.

Ashok Nair is currently Head of Corporate Communication in a large group. He has a career of over 20 years in advertising and has specialized in creative writing for Press, Print, Film and Internet. Here he gives tips on beginning a career in journalism.

A Career in Journalism.

This is the media age. Thousands of television and radio channels, newspapers, magazines and journals compete for the viewers’, listeners’ and readers’ attention. Adding to the competition is the Internet, considered by many as the ultimate medium of all.

Job Functions - Positions in IT / Software Services

The IT Services Industry is heavily dependent on skilled people to deliver services, generally in the form of Projects, to clients. So teams are formed and disbanded as projects are started and completed. To do this efficiently, most companies have a standardized structure for project teams with well defined roles. While each company has its own terminology, by and large the following roles are typical to IT /Software Services companies.

Body Language in Job Interviews

The days when the job seeker had to submit a handwritten application letter while applying for an job interview are over. Today, most employers prefer people to apply online, and almost all job seekers Google for job opportunities. But one thing has not changed; the body language of the applicants displayed during job interviews and how they make the first impression as they enter the interview room.

Tool to Rate your College

     As mentioned in an earlier post rating your college can serve many purposes. To name a few:

• To take a decision on whether to join a particular institution or not.
• To help others make a rational decision on whether to join a college.
• As a feedback to a college to help them improve.

A college earns its reputation on two major aspects. Firstly, on how many students join/ apply to join the college and secondly, on how many of its final year students found jobs when they finally graduated. 

So, rather than just guessing or going by misleading advertisements, it would be worthwhile putting in a little bit of effort and assess the college you want to join or which you would like to rate, for the benefit of others.

Industry View -Skill Development: the New Growth Strategy for Corporates

Post from Article by Mr. Dilip Chenoy - CEO & MD of the National Skill Development Corporation

For many Indian organizations, skills development has now moved from being something nice to do and talk about in Annual Reports under initiatives taken on the CSR front to a sort of a must-do in order to stay competitive and relevant.

Key Technical Skills

In our earlier post, "Strategy for getting selected" we discussed the selection process and about the screening methods and tools used by HR managers to eliminate unsuitable candidates. There are several posts dealing with general skills, attitude etc. But what makes a candidate stand out for selection is the set of Key Technical Skills s/he is able to demonstrate.

Strategies to get Shortlisted - Group Discussion Tips

Group Discussions (GDs) are screening tools used by HR Managers to eliminate unsuitable candidates.

A Recruiter would rather spend quality time and do a thorough interview of 10 candidates to finally select one rather than interview 100. So s/he uses a GD and bring down the number of candidates to be interviewed.

Basics of E Mail Communication

Email is the preferred means for both business and personal communications and it is very important to ensure that you don't get into a problem because of a bad email.

It is very important that you have a businesslike email id; not one like hungrytiger@xyz.com. If your id is provocative or flippant, by all means use it for your personal communication but create a new id with your name for all job related purposes.

Here is a table with the dos and don'ts of email communication

Job Functions - Positions Related to Finances

We are sure at least some of you would like to know what persons holding different positions in organizations do. We'll do several posts to clarify. These posts will be labeled "functions".

In this post we will positions dealing with money.

So what’s the difference between a Commercial Manager, a Finance Manager and an Accountant? What’s an Account Manager?

Attitude

Attitude is the most important attribute that is checked in an interview process. It is like an umbrella; it overshadows every other attribute or quality that is checked.

What Corporates Look for

Here are certain key questions and what is expected from you when recruiters from companies interview you. The technical skills expected will be discussed in a subsequent post.

What does an interviewer look for/ what do I expect when I interview you?

Sticking to a Job

Sticking to a Job

Mr. Narayan Murthy, the former head of Infosys once stated, LOVE YOUR JOB, BUT NEVER FALL IN LOVE WITH YOUR COMPANY BECAUSE YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN THE COMPANY STOPS LOVING YOU.

Industry View - To be an employable, self-worthy employee -- from Mr. Baburaj V Nair

Some tips from Mr. Baburaj V Nair, Vice President-HR, Harrison’s Malayalam Limited.
To be an employable, self-worthy employee, the youngsters need to imbibe only a few aspects of fundamental life.

IT Services Industry

This is the first of a series of posts on different industries. We will take up one industry in each post. This Post deals with what to expect in IT Services.

The IT Industry Comprises:
IT Services
ITES - BPO
Engineering Services, R&D and Software Products and
Hardware

IT Services
IT Services companies provide Information Technology services to companies using products or projects, many of which may be developed by other companies.

Essential Soft Skills

The term "soft skills" describe a person’s non-technical skills and abilities. Besides professional skills, employers look for core employability skills.


Employers are likely to perceive soft skills as sometimes more important than professional skills probably because they feel that professional skills can be brought up to acceptable levels far more quickly. CEOs and HR managers are, therefore, ready to hire persons who demonstrate a high level of soft skills and then train them for the specific jobs available.

Spoken & Written Communication and Listening Skills

How good are you at verbal communications?

Do you ensure that the person receiving your communication understands what you are saying?

Are you convincing?

Every professional has to talk to persons of varying backgrounds and technical knowledge levels. What and how he conveys information will depend on whom he is talking to. Try explaining a technical point, like say hardware, to a non- technical person and see the difficulty in getting the message across.

Tricky but Frequently Asked Questions

Here are a few questions for you to prepare.

Tell me about yourself. This is a way of finding out how you organize your thoughts, how you articulate them, and on which information you choose to focus. Make a short, organized statement of your education and professional achievements and professional goals. Then, briefly describe your qualifications for the job and how you can contribute to the organization.

Strategy for getting selected

How to Use this blog

You should first read the page Preparing for Selection. You will find that the best starting point for this blog. You will find many posts with background information that you will need to identify your Dream Job and start on the exciting journey into the employment space.

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