The last year of college is always full of mixed feelings. At one end there is the anxiety of looking forward to the new life that exists beyond the campus and on the other the fear of starting a ‘new’ life. In the past few years, there has been some change in the way the final year students are seeing their last year. After all the ‘days’ are celebrated, the season for recruitment starts. Earlier B-schools had a set pattern of placement season. Now even the engineering colleges and degree colleges have started having the placement season. Earlier most of the students started looking out for job as soon as their exams were over today the colleges have started offering employment support through their placement cell while they are in the final year.

It is generally the responsibility of the Placement Officer and his team to invite companies to the campus for recruitment. A schedule is made and the list is put up as to details of the company, the requirement and the selection procedure. Once this is done, it is the responsibility of the students to inform the Placement Officer whether they are interested in applying for the same or not. On a single day, many companies may be lined up at the campus. Group Discussion, Interview or a written test – an organization may use one or all or a combination to select the candidates they desire.

Before the Process:
• To begin with, a student has to ensure that s/he is in regular touch with the placement cell to know the updates about the companies that will be coming to the campus.
• Prepare an impressive resume and maintain multiple copies
• Get used to formal attire
• Be prepared for the interview questions
• Read about a company and the profile before applying to going through the process is essential as it helps in decision making
• Brush up on the basics and update oneself of current affairs
• Attending pre-placement talks if they are conducted by any company.

During the Process:
• Understand the entire process of your college placement i.e. under what circumstances one can withdraw / reject or accept an offer.
• Once you have accepted an offer, you may not be allowed to be a part of the process, so be sure of your decision of accepting an offer.
• Try to identify your strengths in order to make a positive impact [assuming that most of the students from the same class may have similar projects / assignments and extra-curricular activities]
• If you have two offers on hand, be very objective about the growth, profile, the company and your scope in the organization; do not just base it on salary.
• Talk to your placement officers to find more information and facilitate decision making.
• Know the joining procedures, the date of joining, offer letters and so on.
• Do not lose hope if you have not been selected by the first company that comes, be prepared for other opportunities as well.
• You may have to go through more than one round of interview may be even 4 or 5, so keep your motivation levels high.
• Remember, You may be competing with your best friend for the potential job vacancy that is available, so be prepared for a healthy competition

Suchitra Surve
Director
www.growthcentre.org

Seeking employment didn’t seem as easy as Satish thought it would be. Going the professional way requires a proper preparation. Applying to companies meant sending a resume, but how does one state why he is applying? This thought crossed his mind, and therefore he was advised to write a covering letter. That was a great start. But while writing, it wasn’t clear exactly what to mention. Templates, samples are certainly available, but how does he bring his about his own uniqueness was the concern.

Mass mailing out hundreds of resumes with form cover letters will receive little or no response. In this new generation of employment recruiting, most of these are tossed in the garbage without even a response. Responding to job postings

and ads with the same cover letter and stock resume is also not effective. With this in mind, writing an engaging cover letter is crucial.

The cover letter should cover several important points:

• Be professional. Compose your email in a formal way. Not as formal as a letter, but use a formal greeting, include the person’s name, and introduce yourself properly. Do not use casual language or shorthand.
• Personal Information. Introduce yourself and your experience briefly. Highlight your relevant experience first thing and spark some interest. Be Unique. Tailor it to the needs of the profile and emphasize on your skills.
• Action Words. Cut the “be” verbs. You don’t get much time to impress in a cover letter. Use action words to fill your small space with deeds, not thoughts and aspirations
• Precision. Every cover letter needs two things: a statement of objective (I am seeking a position as Sales Executive.) and a call to action (I would like to speak to your further about this position.). Without both of those items, the recipient will not know what you are trying to accomplish or what you want from them.
• Edit, edit, EDIT! There is nothing fancy about editing. Just read what you have written. Read it on paper (not a screen) and read it out loud. Reading out loud will show you exactly how it will sound when someone new reads it, and where your writing doesn’t work or make sense. The real aim for editing is to eliminate everything but the strongest writing.
• Brevity. Ideally a cover letter should be around two-thirds of a page in length and composed of two to three paragraphs. Never send a cover letter over a page long. Sentences should be precise and crisp. Avoid flowery words and redundant phrases.
• Address it to a person. Whenever possible address your cover letter to a specific person at the company (preferably someone with hiring authority). If you cannot obtain a name, then consider addressing your letter to the department head of the area that you are interested in.

Everyone wants to get noticed when applying for a job, and cover letters are supposed to do that for you. A well written cover letter will help you get noticed and stand out among the competition.

Suchitra Surve – Director

www.growthcentre.org

Satish was just sinking in with the thought that he was in the last year of college. No more friends, no more bunking, no more canteen, life was about to take a serious turn. He wanted to be in his fantasy world, where he secretly hoped that this carefree life would never end, but this was not to be true. Slowly and steadily he has started feeling the reality. “What next?” was a question which was certainly not new, but this time around; it required a serious answer, a serious thought. This thought was certainly making him a little restless. He found solace that his friends were also sailing in the same boat. The same anxiety, the eagerness, the fear and the excitement of the unseen future existed. He knew, it wouldn’t be long enough after the exams are over a concrete answer had to found, not for anybody else, but for himself. After a great deal of thought, he knew that he wanted to become independent. But the question was how? Where to begin from?

Sounds familiar??? Most of the students who are nearing the end of their college life face this issue. Learning through experiences has its own advantages. But in today’s highly competitive & fast-moving life, it becomes vital to face the world – fully equipped. To gain an understanding of this common problem of where and how to begin, here’s a quick insight:

• When do you see yourself being in an employment – right after the college or you can afford wait for a few years before you begin
• If you intend to be working right after college, then the job search should start just after the exams are over, not wait until the results are out.
• The next step is to draft a right resume, one which highlights your potential and helps you gain an interview to prove yourself.
• Prepare the entire documentation – certificates, marksheets, photographs, resume, and covering letter and keep multiple copies ready.
• Identify what sort of a person you are? Are you a person who wants to work with people, numbers, processes or with technology? Accordingly shortlist the possible opportunities.
• Prepare a list of possible references to be given, if the potential employer expects it.
• Prepare a timeline to shortlist the places you want to apply. Working backwards is the best way to start. Know the time you have on hand.
• Keep a resource of the personal contacts, newspaper advertisements, online portals, and recruitment agencies ready. Identify the medium which optimize your chances and keep a rigorous follow-up.
• Let the key people know your intentions to take up employment and do not hesitate to meet them whenever they have the time.
• Be prepared emotionally, intellectually and physically to take up the responsibilities that come with work life.

Do not lose hope if the beginning is not very encouraging, remember, persistent efforts yield better results. One can wait for the right opportunity, but it is always better to “time the time”.

Happy Hunting!!

Suchitra Surve

Director

On Tuesday, August 17, 2010, Patkar-Varde College, Mumbai hosted a lecture-presentation on the art of writing résumés, conducted by                                      Ms. Suchitra Surve, a career consultant with Growth Centre.

The lecture-presentation was attended primarily by T.Y. students of the College. They will soon be looking for and applying for jobs, and this is the reason for selecting them as the target audience.
The event was opened by Mr. Harshal Malekar, Sr. Copy Editor, Maharashtra Times. He explained the involvement of the publication with career guidance for youth.

Principal, Dr. M. B. Kekare, shared his experience with students. In the course of his professional life, Dr. Kekare has had to screen numerous résumés, and he told students about the mistakes commonly made in writing résumés.

Ms. Surve’s lecture was accompanied by a MS Power Point presentation, and was lucid and full of highly important tips to prepare impressive résumés. Students were greatly interested in the lecture-presentation, as was seen through the numerous queries that they raised during the question-answer session.

Source: Patkar Varde College, Mumbai

Job Change Versus Career Change

If you like what you do but don’t like where you work, you’re probably considering a job change. If you don’t like what you do, you’re probably looking at a career change. Career changes, unless you’re very young, are usually the hardest to make. Often career changes require new training or education, and a willingness to return to an entry-level position when you’re hired by a company in the new career field. If you’re young, it’s usually much easier to do. But the older you are, the harder it is to accomplish, and the more you have to sacrifice, especially financially. You’ll have less time to move up the career and company ladder, and you’ll likely experience a significant drop in pay by having to start over at entry-level, unless the new entry-level position pay is equal to or better than your current wage. Perhaps you find you like your current field, but you don’t like your particular job. If that’s the case, you might consider exploring another career position in that same field. For example, perhaps you no longer enjoy being a fast-order cook, but you like the food-hospitality field. What about catering? Becoming a baker? Specializing in cake decorating? Working at a large hotel or convention center that caters for special events? Operating an expresso business? Lateral career moves usually take less training and time, and you can capitalize on and transfer the many skills you already have under your belt. On the other hand, perhaps you no longer enjoy your career field, and you don’t feel you really belong there. In that case, a career change might be best for you. Analyze your feelings. Trust your instincts. If what you’re doing doesn’t feel right, make a change. It’s much easier to succeed and move ahead in a field where you feel you really belong. And in a field you really enjoy. Some employers try to hold on to departing employees with counteroffers of raises. But frequently that kind of response comes too late. Personnel experts say the best way to retain skilled workers is to continually check that salaries are competitive and make sure individual employees feel challenged and appreciated.

Ajit Ponkshe, 46, a successful lawyer, was finding it difficult to keep up to the expectations and with his past performance. On introspection, he knew that his lied somewhere else. Every time he grabbed a pen to draft a legal document, he would end up sketching caricatures and sketching characters which no one could imagime. This had continued for sometime, and when he felt, this is it!; he decided to quit and take up the career of choice – getting into the filed of Animation.

Mamta Shinde, 40, was always good at analysis and numbers, but was stuck to her job of marketing. Stocks and shares always attracted her and her personal profits at trading gave her the confidence of taking it as a career. This decision came as a shock for everyone in her family. She had to not only fight out the concept where she was entering the male dominated arena, but she was also giving up a secure job which gave her stable income.

These two above examples, are few of the many individuals who are going through mid-life career crisis. This is what we can term as Mid-life career crisis leading to career changes. These are individuals who are successful and good at their jobs, but still need to do something that fulfills their hearts and makes them feel content at the end of the day. As we are moving into a time, where individuality is considered of prime importance, and we are not only acknowledging our real selves, but also ready to go ahead and carve a self identity, this phenomena is rapidly emerging. One thing, is essential to understand, is that the career change should not be confused with changing of job or the organization merely. Its more to do with changing the course of your job and pursuing which is your true inner calling and enjoying yourself.

In retrospect, why does this phenomenon occur? The way we select our careers, is often due to influence or force; rarely do we find individuals making the right career choice for the right reasons. Most of them take up a job or career due to factors like parental pressure, peer pressure, job security, lack of information, social status, and also due to lack of proper educational backgrounds or even due to financial burdens.

Making a mid-life career change is a lot harder than making a career change when you are young. You’ve got a lot more to lose because you have already worked your way a good bit up the ladder of success at the career you are in today. There are a few questions, one should ask before deciding to do a career switch. They are:

• Do I have the RIGHT reason for leaving my current career?
• What is the exact reason of changing the job – financial, job profile, status, lack of recognition, lack of vertical movement?
• Do I have enough financial backing, in case of things do not turn as expected?
• Is there a back –up plan ready?
• Do I have the skills to be employable? Do I have the right aptitude, educational background to start?
• Am I ready to start afresh? Do I have the strength – physically, mentally, intellectually and emotionally to face the challenges?
• Do I have enough contacts?
• Do you want to work with someone, under someone or alone?                                                                                                                                                                    &nbs p;

Once you have got the answers for the above, here are a few tips for one to make an informed career change:

Assess yourself:

You need to find more about yourself, as a person, as a professional. Find your personality and then try to take up the most that suits you. This is helpful, because many a times we are forced into jobs which are in contrast to our personality, which actually ends up frustrating us and results in poor performance.

Support System:

Emotional support from the family members is also essential ingredient while changing the career along with financial support system. Plan your finances well. Find whether you can go without the regular income that you have been used to. Are your responsibilities – family, socials and personal needs are taken well care of. Plan well, as an unplanned financial move may lead to more distress in life.

Get additional career ideas

Research the classified Ads – Even consider local businesses that you feel you would enjoy working at or even owning.  Then make a note of them, and add them to your list of potential careers to further research. New career opportunities are opening up everyday, and many new small businesses are emerging! Consider how you may use your skills and expertise to take advantage of this growing need in society.  Working from your home and starting out small can be fun, too.

Requirement of Additional Skills:

No matter what field you decide to explore, you will need to decide what skills you have that will help you in a new position and which you will need to acquire. If you are at mid career you will need to create a new resume, pitching yourself to employers hiring for your new career path, and you may need to prepare yourself to work in a position with less responsibility than your last. Changing careers can be a great deal of work.

Put your plan together

Once you have made out your wish list and identified your options, shortlist the one that fits you the most. Take time to put your plan together, do you need more education, additional financial resources, a new resume, support from your family members, an intermediate job? Write a plan of action and then follow it step by step.

Time Required

Patience and perseverance will be required to key to make it big. Don’t expect things to change overnight. You need to work consistently and patiently to ensure success to what you are thinking of taking up. Also you cannot afford to forget that you will be competing with more younger, aggressive, better skilled, educated and go getter crowd.

Changing your career at 40 is very possible. Remember changing your career can also include starting your own business. Focus on the skills you enjoy using the most, and build a career based solidly on your likes. Changing a career is a process that can be fun, self awakening, and can give you a new zeal for living. Get started today and ask the people who care the most about you to give you the support you need.

Mandar, was really looking forward to a big vacation especially because it was quite a taxing year, Tenth standard after all. Everyday a new plan was made in how to spend the vacation time. This is true for every student who is on the threshold of vacations.

Movies, malls, food joints, pure relaxing, shopping and standing and chit-chatting in some corner of the street or lane or gaming zones typically find priority in the wish list for vacation utilization.  But it is better to utilize the time in a constructive way rather than just wiling away the time watching TV or movies or just hanging around in the malls or theatres. As parents we all ask ourselves questions like: ‘where do I spend my vacation with the children’, ‘how do I prepare my kids on the vacation’, ‘What is the best way to travel’, ‘How do I entertain my kids during the vacation’, ‘what are family friendly destinations’ and more; here are a few some activities can be undertaken like:

• Adventure Camps become a good choice if you have an immense liking for nature, outdoors, risk taking and adventure. Trekking, skiing, mountaineering, scuba diving, are some of the adventure sports. The skills you learn are cooperation, independence, interpersonal skills, builds physical stamina and persistence.
• Hobby courses offer variety of innovative things to choose from such as Candle making, flower making, paper & stone sculpture, making of jute & crochet bags, stained glass painting, dance, music and so on.
• Cookery and Bakery Classes for those who want to hone their culinary skills and have a fascination for exquisite presentation of cuisine. Many opt for taking up these courses to meticulously improve their cooking skills.
• Summer Jobs is a good idea for making pocket money. These jobs can be an experimental ground for individual for trying themselves in different fields and understand whether they want to take up a career in the future. Summer jobs inculcate better interpersonal skills, adjustment to work environment, responsibility and diligence.
• One could join a social cause by doing charitable work for old age homes, orphanages, street children, NGO’s etc.  This apparently does not bring in monetary gain but often influences our outlook.
• Library could be a wonderful idea to enhance general knowledge, verbal skills, which is the essential thing in today’s world, is possible only through reading books.
• Computer Courses become a wise choice considering the fact that computer knowledge is necessary in every occupation today.  Employees from any profession and job have to know computers at different levels.
• Unfortunately spending quality time with family is overlooked. During the hectic work and school days, it becomes impossible to meet and spend time with the near and dear ones. This is a good time to develop relations and strengthen ties.
• Workshops One recent trend in the grooming skills is the concept of workshops. There are special trainers who help this process of change by infusing certain expertise of behaviour. The idea is to make you a finished product in the job market. This is to aid an individual in variety of situation ranging from public speaking and communication skills to stress management. The choice of these workshops should be based on the individual requirements.

All the above ideas can be utilized students to ensure that they have a fulfilling vacation. Parents should bear in mind that the activities should ideally help to refocus on some concepts, which have already learned, build on some mental constructs and learn new skills. But at times, this also has its negative impact. Students should avoid joining any classes just because it is the trend, or their friends are joining. At times one ends up joining a course or an activity which is beyond ones capacity. This may take a major toll on the child – physically, mentally and emotionally too. Any activity which is joined disinterestedly may also its negative impact.

Some children play throughout their vacations, nothing wrong in doing so, but they overlook the health aspects too. Playing in sun, eating fast, drinking water haphazardly definitely adds to health problems. Children and their parents should not overlook this fact. Vacations should also be used to build physical stamina and health.

Many parents become hyper and get their kids enrolled in several programmes, but little do they realize that this act can make the child superficially interested in the activities. This lack of focus hampers the overall development of the child. It is important that an in-depth understanding of a concept has to be developed which will not only add value to a child but also be fulfilling and enjoyable. This balance definitely has to be borne in mind.

Any activity undertaken has to be done with a proper thought behind it. The use, the relevance the value addition, the time involved, the budget required, health and interest – all these parameters should considered while taking up any activity – whether its for fun or to learn something.

Everyone has a different scheme for spending vacations, but a few alert ones decide to “invest” in their vacations.

Suchitra Surve

Director

Growth Centre (I) Pvt. Ltd.

‘ Management’ is one of the most preferred careers today and students are opting for Management courses even at the under-graduate level.  The Bachelor of Business Administration is an under-graduate Management program of 3-years duration. A student can choose it after their HSC or 10+2 education irrespective of their stream.

Eligibility:

Candidates seeking admission to the BBA program must have passed 10+2 (or equivalent) from any recognized Board or University, with English as a subject.  Admissions in most cases are based on an admission test, group discussions and personal interview.

The admission notification is published in leading dailies from time to time.

Course Curriculum:

Though the syllabus seems to differ from Institute to Institute, most Institutions offer courses in Economics, Business Law, Accounting, Human Resource Management / Development, Information Technology, Entrepreneurship, Tax, Marketing, and Research Methodology.

University of Mumbai offers the Bachelor Of Management Studies (BMS) course which is equivalent to the Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA).  In Mumbai BBA is offered by certain Private Institutes (viz. BIIGS, IIPM)  with certain affiliations to Universities Abroad.  Their credentials, however, have to be confirmed from the Institute itself.

The BBA program equips one for entry-level management positions and to pursue higher studies in the following fields:

Management, Information Technology, Tourism management, Hotel management,

Professional Programmes, Communication, Advertising, Journalism, Event Management, Retail Management, Consumer and Retail Banking Operations, Stock Broking, and so on.

Ophthalmology & Optometry

The distinction between ophthalmology & optometry is a frequent source of confusion. In addition to the fact that both are concerned with eye care, several other factors contribute to this misunderstanding. The practice of optometry traditionally involves examining the eye for the purpose of prescribing and dispensing corrective lenses and detection and non-surgical management of certain limited eye diseases. An ophthalmologist on the other hand specializes in all aspects of eye care including diagnosis, management and surgery of ocular diseases and disorders. Study/Training;  Ophthalmologist:- MD in Ophthalmology Eligibility:- MBBS  Optometrist:- Bachelors in Optometry Eligibility:- 10+2 [PCB and /Maths & English]

Why an MBA?

Master of business administration–M.B.A.: three little letters on your resume and trade in for big bucks? Or just another academic ornament to impress your high school classmates? Depending on the decade, or even the year, the M.B.A. degree is either the hottest ticket in town or as passé as confederate currency.

A more crucial ingredient of the MBA degree is fully equipping the candidate with required parameters and development of related potentialities to do justice to the job.

Prepares students to take a leadership role in business as senior managers in large corporate environments.

Management provides a solid foundation for facing the challenges of a rapidly changing and highly competitive business environment. This course introduces the fundamental management functions of planning, decision-making, organizing, leading, and controlling, as well as the tools and techniques of managing people, processes, projects, and the work environment. Students explore current issues in management and gain insights into how successful organizations operate.

Techies are choosing the MBA route to advance their careers.  Knowing how to crank out code isn’t enough.
For programmers, database analysts and lots of other techies, the path to a management job isn’t always a clear one. Increasingly, technology pros are choosing another route entirely by pursuing MBA degrees — sometimes in specialized “techno MBA” programs — in order to speed up their march toward the executive suite.

Business school, with its coursework in finance, marketing, accounting and other topics, offers a way for techies to gain a respected credential in areas in which they have limited knowledge.

Techies who pursue an MBA end up knowing the fundamentals of decision-making in business, as well as technology — a combination in demand, often translating into promotions and higher salaries.

If you’ve got a technical background and you’re thinking about an MBA, consider what sort of program you want to pursue — a more traditional program, like those at schools with longstanding reputations, or one at a program that’s geared toward students who want to develop or maintain a technology focus in their move up the corporate ladder.

The newly lofty pay scales for exiting B-schoolers isn’t entirely a reflection of their intelligence and maturity.

A majority of M.B.A. students use their degrees to shift occupational gears. As many as 75% of all full-time M.B.A. students change either their fields or the type of jobs that they do after leaving school. B-school education, “was an experience that would help me to understand and be comfortable in a high-level business environment.”

MBA VALUE & SCOPE:

MBA's true worth lies in three areas: educational value, relationship development and access to opportunity. Students aspire to do MBA to get equipped with complete knowledge of business administration and later get a lucrative job.

Any comprehensive Management course should is not restricted to only the time-frame, but aims at preparing the future management professionals with global knowledge and varied experience.

These rich opportunities can turn the gobs of time and money that it takes to earn a business degree into lucrative investments.