Being Employable...
'Skills India' is one of the most talked about initiatives of Mr. Narendra Modi. Should it succeed, it will really make India one of the most competitive countries in the world. While a lot has been written about the lack of skills or employability among the graduates of India, I thought it would be prudent to share my thoughts about it too. Hope it will be useful.
My effort here is not to indulge in any sort of preaching or advising --rather, I would like to share inputs based on my numerous interactions with practicing managers. Here are the skills, which according my experience, matter in getting a good job / placement:
1. Street Smartness: Mahendra Singh Dhoni is one of the few cricketers who has got a lot of success due to his street smartness. He is unconventional, a good reader of the game, a risk taker and a doer. The same way, today's bosses need people who are quick learners, problem solvers, go-getters and result oriented. So, one of the aspect to remain employable is to keep learning what is or will be relevant to your professional career. Presence of mind is also a good quality to possess. It is not easy to imbibe these qualities. For that, you have to be a good observer and change / mold your behaviour consciously.
2. Written Communication: Yes, you read it right. Off late, a lot of managers have told me that it really surprises them that many B-School graduates cannot write even two sentences properly. May be the SMS language is showing its effect. Remember, that, even today, correct and simple English is preferred in business communication. Written communication is difficult for many reasons; one there is no immediate feedback and second..none has time to read long e-mails or letters. So, two aspects, on which you should focus, while writing, is: brevity and correctness (of grammar and spelling). One criteria of a well written e-mail is that it should end in so few lines that the "scroll button" needs not be used by the reader.
3. Consistency in Attitude and Academics: A lot of people or graduates think that marks are useless. Sorry sir! you got it wrong. Marks or grades are first of the few things which employers use to to judge. So, it is important to score consistently (if possible, first class) starting from Std. 10, 12, UG and PG. Employers prefer people with throughout first class, rather than someone who got 89% in std. 10 and 45% in std. 12 and again 76% in UG. Second thing is to be consistent in your opinions and actions that you share or show during the interview or any selection rounds of job. If you are appearing for interview in an IT company with MBA Finance and if you say that I would like to be an IAS...well, then why should that company select you?
4. Flexibility: Certain preferences, like I will not do job at any place other than my home town or home state or home country will cut down the numbers of jobs you are eligible for. So remain flexible and remain mobile.
5. Don't be an entrepreneur: I have personally observed (and many will disagree or will be angry with me on this) that many managers do not want to select the employees who display the attitude to be an entrepreneur. So, if you are seeking a job and want to be in your own business down the line, make sure you do not let it be realized by your recruiter / potential employer.
My effort here is not to indulge in any sort of preaching or advising --rather, I would like to share inputs based on my numerous interactions with practicing managers. Here are the skills, which according my experience, matter in getting a good job / placement:
1. Street Smartness: Mahendra Singh Dhoni is one of the few cricketers who has got a lot of success due to his street smartness. He is unconventional, a good reader of the game, a risk taker and a doer. The same way, today's bosses need people who are quick learners, problem solvers, go-getters and result oriented. So, one of the aspect to remain employable is to keep learning what is or will be relevant to your professional career. Presence of mind is also a good quality to possess. It is not easy to imbibe these qualities. For that, you have to be a good observer and change / mold your behaviour consciously.
2. Written Communication: Yes, you read it right. Off late, a lot of managers have told me that it really surprises them that many B-School graduates cannot write even two sentences properly. May be the SMS language is showing its effect. Remember, that, even today, correct and simple English is preferred in business communication. Written communication is difficult for many reasons; one there is no immediate feedback and second..none has time to read long e-mails or letters. So, two aspects, on which you should focus, while writing, is: brevity and correctness (of grammar and spelling). One criteria of a well written e-mail is that it should end in so few lines that the "scroll button" needs not be used by the reader.
3. Consistency in Attitude and Academics: A lot of people or graduates think that marks are useless. Sorry sir! you got it wrong. Marks or grades are first of the few things which employers use to to judge. So, it is important to score consistently (if possible, first class) starting from Std. 10, 12, UG and PG. Employers prefer people with throughout first class, rather than someone who got 89% in std. 10 and 45% in std. 12 and again 76% in UG. Second thing is to be consistent in your opinions and actions that you share or show during the interview or any selection rounds of job. If you are appearing for interview in an IT company with MBA Finance and if you say that I would like to be an IAS...well, then why should that company select you?
4. Flexibility: Certain preferences, like I will not do job at any place other than my home town or home state or home country will cut down the numbers of jobs you are eligible for. So remain flexible and remain mobile.
5. Don't be an entrepreneur: I have personally observed (and many will disagree or will be angry with me on this) that many managers do not want to select the employees who display the attitude to be an entrepreneur. So, if you are seeking a job and want to be in your own business down the line, make sure you do not let it be realized by your recruiter / potential employer.
