Success Blog

The CV is very important for a job seeker as it can be taken as a formal application. If there are annomalies it can have undesireable consequences and rejection. CV is the first form of marketing face of YOU. So it is very important we present the CV in the right prospective and manner. The interviewer not only see what is written there but also why and how. Sometimes even more. Recently, I read a article on this topic and I will put it for your here so that you can check. To read the article, click here.

EARLY BIRDS

Financial planning in these early years would mean creating wealth aggressively. Accumulated wealth would be of great advantage when the person decides to settle into matrimony or when buying big-ticket items like a home.

The target should be to invest approximately 40% of net income. Equities directly or equity-based mutual funds should be an absolutely critical element in this portfolio it can reduce in later years of life once a fair amount of wealth has been amassed.

Life insurance may be totally irrelevant for this person unless there is someone who depends on his or her income. Low yielding investments like a fixed deposit PPF are best avoided for this person.

LATE BLOOMERS

Financial planning for this category of singles would entail creation of a safety net, which would help if the person wants to quit a regular job or start a new venture. It would ensure that s/he has enough wealth to maintain his /her lifestyle for the rest of his/her life and also pursue a hobby or interest as a career.

The planning strategy would depend on how much is accumulated. The first target here should be to have enough money to last a lifetime so that one does bit have to depend on anyone.

Once this threshold is achieved, a balanced investment approach would be fair as the need then to create wealth is not as much as to protect and nurture it.

Life insurance is again not a requirement unless there is a dependent child. Existing life insurance, if any, may be curtailed to optimize use of money to other avenues. Preparing a will and identifying an executor of estate is very important as you don’t have heirs and may like the money to be utilized in a certain manner once you are gone.

Consolidate all assets and do not spread too far, that is across cities and countries. Do not have multiple bank accounts everywhere and investments all over the country or the world.

Real estate in multiple locations is avoidable here as management and inheritance will both become an issue later.

It is important to get hold of your credit card before it is too late. I think credit card should be used more as a back up and convinience of payment rather than easy access to money. If you plan properly it can be a great asset. Recently, the TOI published some tips on credit card usage. Let me share that with you all:

1. Read the terms and conditions carefully and evaluate before signing

2. Advisable to have not more than 2 cards

3. Understand the billing cycles and capitalize on the interest free period

4. Restrict your credit card limit to 4 - 6 times of your monthly salary

5. Don’t use credit card for cash withdrawls. The interest rate are very high

6. Tighten your spending in line with your budget. Don’t be an impulsive buyer

7. Try to clear the entire outstanding at one go. Don’t succumb to the minimum due payable. You end up paying high interest along with taxes

8. Avoid taking EMI option for big purchases. It will push you into a long repayment cycle at high cost

9. 5% of your salary can be a credit card bill for personal expenses

10. Go for a holistic saving plan, it’s better option to invest rather han taking credit and spending depreciating assents

- Written by debojyoti Ghosh and originally published in Times of India.

Get organized at work, or it’ll cost you dearly. Here’s how you get started

Haven’t you termed that ‘completely organised’ colleague of yours as a ‘perfectionist’? we think you did it more out of jealousy than jest. There is a reason for it though: it is that far from being perfect, you know you aren’t ‘completely organised’ either. There is a way through which you emulate the perfectionist though, if you are ready to put in some efforts and have a knack of pursuing your goals. Be assured, what follows is no gyaan on developing a new skills, rather these are just tips to oganise your skills so you and your team fare better at the workplace. And by the way, it’s still not late to make a New Year resolution. So we suggest you read on:

CONTROL SHIFT

With full schedules, there are daily problems that will occur and will need immediate attention. This means that other tasks will have to be kept aside. Impromptu meetings, absence of fellow team-members and other situations can make getting through the workday almost impossible. Staying organized i.e. having a time-plan is essential if you want to stay true to your deadlines. If you’re a team –leader, your schedules will assume more importance. This will help you delegate additional responsibilities when necessary. The following tips will help you (and even your colleagues and superiors) stay on track even on the stormiest days at your workplace.

Invest in a planner or calendar with big blocks so that you can write down not only yours schedule, but also your team members’ schedules. Ideally, this should be on your desk all the time, but many prefer to make use of software for this. You will only have to use it regularly to realise how it helps you to keep track of your projects, deadlines and productivity in general.

Get into the habit of ‘separating’ things according to their importance or priority. Using files and folders would do you quite some service (if you don’t care about people calling you ‘boring’). Make sure you file all material in designated sports. Each morning, take out what will be needed and keep it close by. Carrying things to office in a bulky bag is something worth doing on days of presentations – since you have materials ready, you will feel a sense of completeness, which in turn will also boost your confidence.

Use technology! Pen drives, flash drives and several other USB- based devices are now available in our markets at dirtcheap prices. And since it is a matter of a right click to create virtual folders, why not do it ? USB drives (which double up as key chains, bottle openers and even neck pieces these days) are a cool, convenient option to carry all your contacts, presentations, files and a load of things with you – all the time

Enlist your daily tasks and reminders and mark them off as you complete them. If you own a funky cellphone, we’re sure it’ll have a pretty decent ‘organiser ‘ too! Why not feed it with alarms and reminders everyday on your way to work ? It will not only catch you napping, but also let you know what all you have done.

If you’re a team –leader, here’s something worth doing: create a list of your team members and their strengths and their skills in particular area. When planning a project, refer to the list when deciding which roles people will fill. If a team member specifically asks for a role, write it down on their list so that next time, you will remember to consider them for it.

OUT OF WORK

While all the above is important to help you save the blushes at work, planning time for your family, work or a hobby too is crucial. For, the work-free time balance itself will let you be more organized and keep stress levels low. If you are taking work home everyday, even more planning needs to be done to keep your near ones happy.

KEEPING TOO MANY THINGS IN YOUR HEAD

A common time management mistakes is trying to keep track of all the things you need to do and places you need to be at. The fact is that you simply cannot rely on your memory alone to keep track of all these details without getting overloaded. Use technology, or simply a pen and paper. Most urban officers think the overload is a part of their life, but they can be more productive only if they use a well-designed productivity system to conquer the chaos.

DOING WHATEVER GRABS YOUR ATTENTION NEXT

Many people don’t stop long enough to even think about what to do next when one task is accomplished, they just jump right in and do whatever grabs their attention next (experts call it tyranny of the urgent). Working on impulses may be cool enough for your personality, but your company might like you more if you prioritise smartly. Instead of doing whatever grabs your attention next, use your plan to figure out the best way to use your time based on your top priorities for the week.

DOING VERY EFFICIENTLY THAT WHICH NEED NOT BE DONE AT ALL

Surely one of the worst ways you can waste your time, experts say. Having a to-do list and a weekly plan really helps because you automatically assign more time to important things and less time to trivial ones. And if you say that’s the way ‘you are’, don’t expect increments.

POOR PLANNING

If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Poor planning is one of the main reasons projects fail, fall behind schedule or miss their deadlines. (And why you and your company, even the biggest governments of the world stumble on this one). The best way to escape the practice of poor planning is to learn how to plan effectively, and to do it consistently. If you don’t want to read those fat ‘help-yourself’ manuals, simply start emulating a meticulous planner at your workplace!

- Originally published in Bangalore Mirror

Sometimes your personal circumstances can prevent you from following the career path you planned. It may not be that easy to cope up with stress levels. Follow these tips for handling stressful situations work.

Everyone is under some pressure in the workplace. some external pressures can be appositive factor, helping us to be more productive. Some people actually thrive under short-term added pressure, and our bodies are designed to meet these short-term demands. Hormones including adrenaline are released to prepare us for a fight or flight response to demanding situations. However, excessive and prolonged stress can take its toll, producing a rang of physical and emotional health problems which have come to be grouped as work-related stress.

There is no single cause of work related stress. While stress can be triggered by sudden, unexpected pressures, it is often the result of a combination of stressful factors which accumulate over time. Some people can become so used to the symptoms of excessive stress that it goes unnoticed to their detriment.

Most work-related stress is related to management of work, relationships at work, organizational set-up and whether you feel you have power and control in your work. The experience of stress is different for every person. Some people are affected more than others, so what is stressful for one person may not be stressful for another. It can depend on your personality type an on how you have learned to respond to pressure.

SYMPTOMS OF STRESS AT WORK

Work-related stress can manifest itself as physical and emotional health problems, and as altered ways of behaving at work and at home.

• Wanting to cry much of the time
• Feeling that you can’t cope
• Short temperedness at work and at home
• Feeling that you’ve achieved nothing at the end of the day
• Eating when you’re not hungry losing your appetite
• Smoking and drinking to get you through the day
• Inability to plan, concentrate and control work
• Getting less work done
• Poor relationships with colleagues or clients
• Loss of motivation and commitment

THINGS YOU CAN DO AT WORK

• Face the reality of the situation. Ask yourself what’s happening in your life and, instead of blaming others, look at what you can do to get beyond it.
• Make sure the place that you value most in your life – your home – gets the time, effort and energy it deserves to become a heaven for you. Work on your domestic relationships and create an environment that’s loving and supportive.
• Take time out for yourself and give yourself the things you deserve. Have long, luxuriating baths, go for walks, eat and exercise regularly and treat yourself to a pampering massage or a facial.
• Understand that your energy gets depleted by caring for someone who’s critically ill and needs to be replenished
• Never turn to substance like pills or alcohol. As coping mechanism they’ll only compound the problem
• Get professional help
• Understand that the way you’re feeling is normal and you can’t go through it alone
• Seriously consider leaving the relationship if you’re being abused
• Think very carefully before confiding in your boss. Sometimes this is the best course of action. But if your company has a strictly no personal problems allowed policy, you need to treat carefully
• Focus on that part of your work you really love and enjoy and look forward to. This in itself becomes restorative
• Avoid watching or reading things that distress you. Focus on positive, uplifting input

DEVELOP YOUR COPING SKILLS

If you are cool and calm at home, your work place will be peaceful and atmosphere will be calm. So try these steps to keep you home at peace. Plane ahead – anticipate – prepare for the unexpected – have a plan B, C & D. some events are extremely stressful despite good planning, eg, the Gulf War. Some events are extremely stressful because they threaten our safety. Organize your academic, social and personal life. Establish goals and objectives. Develop time lines for reaching your goals. When you schedule your day, allow time for leisure activities, study breaks and time to do absolutely nothing or indulge your guilty pleasures. Take time to relax – listen to relaxing music, do relaxation exercises, reflect and meditate. Whatever it takes to loosen up.

- Published originally in Bangalore Mirror.

Interviewers listen to more than what you say. They also listen to how you say, how much you say and most of all, what you do not say.

Getting a desirable job today is no longer as facile and effortless as it was. Organization are now hiring candidates who, in addition to having excellent credentials and profound experience are also well spoken and articulate. They believe that it is not enough for a candidate to look good on paper but it is important to sound as well.

Mind you, articulate does not necessarily mean chatter-box. It, therefore, becomes essential for you to be aware of what to talk and how to talk during your job interview. Here are few pointers that will help you manage your conversation effectively:

TALKING JUST RIGHT

Initiate your interview with some small talk on general subjects such as weather, sports or company location as this helps to build report with the interviewer lead the conversation.

While responding to questions, keep your answer short, simple and to the point. But the same time ensure that you don’t restrict them to a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’. Narrate instances which are relevant to the position and do not go overboard in detailing everything.

This may at times result into your most important skills and achievements going unnoticed. But that’s fine as talking about irrelevant experiences and accomplishments does not helps the interviewer identify you as a strong applicant. Such an interaction could easily be interpreted as bragging.

Remember this golden rule: Never ever criticize your former employer.

How you speak communicates both negative emotions like anxiety, uncertainty, boredom and positives emotions like interest, enthusiasm and confidence.

• speed talking is often associated with anxiety and nervousness.
• speak slowly and take time to pronounce all syllables for greater clarity in your speech.
• This will also help you avoid slurring words together.

WORD POWER

Be careful about the kind of words you use for they reveal a lot.

• For instance, avoid using words such as ‘perhaps’, ‘kind of ‘ , ‘may be’ as it shows you lacking confidence.
• Use more of power words like ‘I’m confident that’, ‘I recommend’, ‘my goal is’ which conveys confidence and conviction in oneself.
• Avoid filler words like ‘umm’, ‘ah’, ‘like’, ‘you know’. This normally happens when your chain of thought is broken or when you lack clarity. In such situation,it is better to pause, think and then speak.
• Do not make grammatical errors while conversing as it creates a negative impression.
• Make complete statements and avoid using slangs and short forms.
• Choose your words carefully. Make sure they are appropriate, have the right connotations and use the proper pronunciation.

BELIEVE IN YOURSELF

Finally, at the end of the day employers are looking at you as a complete package. They will not know what makes you special unless you tell them, so it is important to you market yourself well.

Interviews are certainly not the right time to be meek and humble. Speak up about your achievements and accomplishments. Unless you display a sense of confidence and competence and come across as a person apt for the profile you will not be able to impress the interviewer. Only when believe in yourself will the interviewers. Learning how to handle questions and what not to say can go a long way in getting you job. All the best!!!

Well I understand that success cannot be defined in absolute terms but they can definitely be graded. Success becomes more so sweet when it comes against all odds. It becomes more so satisfying when nobody even gives you a chance. And one person who can get in this character easily in recent times is no other than Saurav Ganguly. Yes, Indian Cricket team’s former captain and most successful captain. If we go through his career graph, we will notice that Saurav made a almost forgetable debut in Australia way back in 1991. After which he was droped - some say because of alleged attitude problem. But if it was not for his Never Say Die attitude the the name Saurav Ganguly would have never emerged in the cricketing arena. After his great comeback in 1996 during the tour of England he has performed consistently and even scored faster than Sachin Tendulkar. Since 1999 when we was crowned captain after the infamous match fixing saga, he not only upped the morale of the team but also gave a new dimension call Team India and the winning mantra.

Since 1999 he was almost the unquestioned king of the team till the beginning of 2005. He had a great run in the 2003 world cup leading India to the final. But in 2005 form started deserting him and so his luck. With Guru Greg as Coach I am not sure if it was a personality clash but I feel guru greg has gone too far in his endevour. He was stripped of cpataincy and dropped from the team. He may never be able to come to know what went behind the doors, those leaked emails, personal ambitions etc. But from succes point of view he has taken all this in his stride and went on to play domestic games. Now see what self belief and determination can do shown when made a stunning comeback again in 2007. This should be seen as a great example of persevearence and determination to show I am still in the game. In 2007 he is the second highest run getter in Tests. Also, in ODIs his avarage is above 50. He is a great inspiration to any body who is up against all odds that it can be done.

Now I think he is in the final leg of his career and given that he is a good strategist he might have planned his retirement too. So why humiliate a man who has done so much for Indian cricket when he is performing well. It becomes more disturbing when we hear news that the present ODI captain do not want him. If the present ODI captain is not able to handle seniors then I think his time as a captain of the ODI team may not have arrived. Teams need to be selected based on the player’s merits and not who likes or dislikes or cannot handle what. Is it so difficult to digest success of our peers in India? That we need to humiliate them. As a symbol of success, Saurav Ganguly deserves dignity. Let us not deny this to him - he has earned it.

I wanted to put into prespective what success feels when it comes against all odds. When the wind is blowing against you and everything looks pitted against you. Very few things can be sweeter than success achived this way.

The role of leadership is to explore talent in an organization and bring it forward without caring for qualifications, global culture consultant Richard Barrett told D Ram Raj

“People begin to realize that higher values such as honesty or openness work. We need to live by the deep values that we hold within”

From transportation engineer to transformation trigger has been the metamorphosis in the life of 62-year old British Richard Barrett, now settled in North Carolina in the US after retiring from his assignment in the World Bank. Richard Barrett, a transportation engineer from Britain, is the managing partner of Richard Barrett Associates’ The values Centre and has authored books on corporate cultural transformation.
“Base your decisions on the value of your organization than what you believe. Value based decisions lead to success because you live within integrity. Choose a value before coming to a decision on a situation. If your decision has to be based on the value of trust, then create a climate of trust,” Barrett said in an exclusive interview on the lines of the India times strategy summit “value-Based leadership, Building a high performance organization” in Bangalore on Tuesday.
“I don’t know what drove me to this assignment, there was something within my soul which wanted to bring about a transformation in society based on values. I started this exercise in 1997 and have visited about 30 countries. I’m so fulfilled with this job that I don’t want to retire,” he said.

WORK-LIFE BALANCE

Yes, I believe there needs to be a balance that could be a daily, weekly, monthly or yearly routine. I believe in a daily balance and switch off around three or four in the afternoon. I go home and relax, may be around six or seven I check a few mails and that is all. I work on what I love most and minimize what I don’t love to. I write, speak and focus on thought leadership. My work apart, I love to be with nature, fishing in mountains. I’m very disciplined in my work-life balance, he said. I undertake my sojourns to nature once in two or three months when I’m at home. When away from home(north Carolina), I focus totally on my work.

DIFFERENT GEOGRAPHIES

When I map values, I pick the appropriate values for the culture of that country. Personal values may differ across geographies, but organizationally we can have some common threads. I cover the culture of a country though every organization is unique. The culture of an organization will depend on the culture of leadership.The beauty of this instrument “values-Based Leadership, Building a high Performance organization. We cannot have one-off remedies for all organizations.

MATERIALISM Vs VALUES

Young people may find materialism to be satisfying, but they soon realize that it is not a lasting pleasure. We have to go past the phase of ego and materialism. Values are there in every soul and it will get stirred once a person goes through certain phases of life. People begin to realize that higher values such as honesty or openness work. We need to live by the deep values that we hold within.

An organization that I know has about five values such as openness and commitment. At every meeting they decide on the value that they would choose for the situation and come to a decision based on that value. In case an individual differs with the value of an organization, organizations themselves might change values if they find that what they are doing is not successful.

- Originally published in Bangalore Mirror