Posts Tagged ‘Skills’
Exploring Erasmus Mundus Scholarships
When it comes to offering a wide range of scholarships for various masters and research courses, there aren’t many resources that can beat Erasmus Mundus. The European Commission offers these scholarships under the education and training services. The scholarships are available for undergraduate, postgraduate, doctoral and post-doctoral studies for students all over the world. Trainers and teachers have also been covered under the scholarship scheme which gives academicians a great opportunity to sharpen their skills under a prestigious fellowship programme.
The courses covered range from art and agriculture studies to business management and technology. Apart from the well known and desired courses, offbeat courses such as ship design, early childhood care, vision and robotics are offered. With these scholarships, the options available are practically endless and it’s really difficult to find a programme that is not covered. The programmes are offered in prestigious European Universities that boast of intellectually stimulating and multicultural ambiences. Some of the programmes are jointly offered by two or more universities. This gives a student the opportunity to experience diverse campus cultures and brings him/her in close contact with some of the best academic minds.
To see a complete list of scholarships on offer and application procedures, visit this link.
New Universities to Build a Strong Talent Pool
The need for increased enrollment in higher education has never been felt more as India grapples with the lack of quality talent in the professional sphere. In order to introduce more students to advanced learning and to hone their skills, the government plans to set up 735 additional universities all over the country. Deviating from the norm of a University being a space for all kinds of courses, the new universities will feature several exclusive ones that will cater to select programmes only. We can safely assume that most of these select courses will be job-oriented and in line with the current and upcoming industry demands.
While it is good to know that more people are being exposed to higher education and important skills, such a large number of new institutions can also be a cause for concern. It is not enough to set up a centre of learning; we need able people to guide the students effectively. Finding quality faculty for all these institutions will be a tough ask and we know that sub-standard faculty can turn the whole noble scheme upside down. Care should be taken to design the curriculum in a way that will cater to not only current openings but new developments in future as well. Here’s hoping that the government will use discretion and not rush to get the new institutions up and running.
Make Your CV Stand Out
More may not equate to impressive when it comes to putting your CV together. You might have been involved in plenty of stuff throughout school and college but putting everything on your CV may not turn out to be a very good idea. The key here is to filter the information and retain only those achievements which show off the skills you need to handle your professional responsibilities. Therefore the first thing on the list should be to separate what is important and what is not.
If you have a clear idea about the profile you are applying for and the specific roles you will have, try to think about the things you have done so far which are similar to what you will be doing. If you are a fresher, you can think of instances where you have captained a team or represented a school to highlight your leadership and people skills. If you have work experience, you should give importance to those roles which your future employer is looking for. The relevant information should be prominent on your CV while the other details can be listed as a separate section titled “Other Activities” if not omitted altogether.
A CV that’s crisp and straightforward is sure to stand out amidst others. More information to come in subsequent posts.
Hiring in Progress for Wipro BPO
Wipro BPO has always been a top employer and judging by the current scenario, hiring activities show no sign of weakening. For all those who want a coveted position in Wipro and are reasonably confident about their abilities can take advantage of Wipro’s ongoing recruitment activities. In addition to great benefits, Wipro also offers opportunities for rapid growth and chances of shifting to different positions within the company.
Wipro has its BPOs all over India and currently they are recruiting in large numbers for its Hyderabad and Kolkata offices among others. Candidates from other states are welcome to apply and if selected, will be given free accommodation for 15 days in Hyderabad or Kolkata so that relocation can be facilitated. The recruitment process involves only one round of interviews in which your communication skills will be put to test.
For more information on what Wipro has to offer, follow this link
“Target BPO” Launched
“Target BPO”, the one-of-a-kind assessment test is now available for all of you to take right from the comfort of home. This is the most compact and focussed test designed to assess all BPO specific skills. In just 45 minutes, you are guaranteed a thorough evaluation of your reading, writing, listening, speaking and comprehension skills which are highly sought-after by the industry. Our experienced evaluators will make sure that an in-depth evaluation report will be sent to you within just three days of your taking the test.
In addition to the comprehensive evaluation, you will also receive valuable suggestions on how to improve and get ahead. Our long association with the industry will make sure that you get great exposure as we will forward your CV to top recruiters once you sign up and take our test. Your credentials, coupled with our assessment, will put you in a different league altogether.
So sign up and take the test now. It is absolutely free.
Look Before You Leap
Undoubtedly, new courses that are being introduced in various colleges all over India are bringing in a whole new attitude to job hunting and a variety of new skills for students to equip themselves with. Several times in this blog I have talked about the necessity of these courses and how important it is to look beyond the obvious and explore new avenues. However, we need to take a look at the dark side of this as well where education and business get intertwined.
Many of these upcoming courses are job oriented and require extensive exposure to the industry, good infrastructure and knowledgeable faculty. Riding on the wave of students waking up to these new opportunities, institutions are springing up every other day in an effort to cash in on the awareness and make money. These institutions offer diplomas and degrees in unconventional courses and promise much to the students. However, most of these colleges are set up in a hurry with very little consideration towards what is required to handle the courses in the right way. So after spending a year or two in a college you might still find yourself ill-equipped to carry out the responsibilities you will be entrusted with.
It is advisable therefore to know more about an institution before joining it. It might be offering the courses you want to take but does it have all that it takes to make a success story out of you? Talk to former students of the college, look through its placement record and try to gather as much information as possible. Go for it once you are reasonably satisfied.
A Few Useful English Writing Tips
Just came across a video on YouTube and thought of sharing it here on the blog. The video is about effective writing skills and provides six tips to make your writing better. It is about writing in the professional sphere and teaches you how to convey your message in a strong and focussed manner. I did find the tips quite nice though it might be difficult to follow all the rules at the same time. Apart from that, keeping a set of rules in mind while you sit down to write can be quite limiting and restrictive to the flow of thought. However,gradually incorporating a few of the tips in your writing through regular practice can definitely change the way you write for the better. Check out the video here.
Get Trained and Master Your Domain
Would you like to be known as the jack of all trades or master of a domain? As you go ahead in your profession, you have to keep this in mind. You may have a set of skills that makes you eligible for several positions. But it is always wise to select a domain that you like best and stick to it so that in a few years, you come to be regarded as one of the authorities.
Jumping jobs and exploring different avenues might sound exciting but that never allows you to settle in a particular line of work. You end up learning the basics of a lot of domains but will never be able to master any. Your growth and prestige largely depends upon your mastery, so a concentrated effort on an area of your liking is advisable. Frequent job changes and alteration of position also results in a question mark on your credibility. Looking at your records, Companies will not be able to trust your commitment. It is always more impressive to display a record of excellence along a particular line of work as opposed to dabbling in a variety of spheres.
Make your choice early in your career. Decide upon an area that you find exciting and rewarding at the some time. Equip yourself with all the skills necessary to make it big in the area of your choice and stick to it. With all the experience and expertise that you will gain, you might even consider starting your own company after a while.
Explore, Learn and Decide
Many of us, prior to looking for a job, have the impression that whatever we are doing in our classrooms and laboratories are exactly what we will be doing in professional life. In a way we view work as an extension of our student life. There is no denying that our education is equipping us with certain skills and theories which will be put to practice once we step into the professional sphere, but there are a lot of other things we need to know and be prepared for. As long as we were students, we never really knew what deadlines mean in the industry, how critical a project and its timely execution can be and how quickly we need to think and improvise. Often our services might be required for something apart from our projects and it will be expected from us that we adapt and deliver.
As the course comes to an end and thoughts of starting work dawn, it is important to research and get to know more about the functioning of different companies. A good idea about the structures of various organizations, big and small, will go a long way in giving aspirants an idea about what to expect. It is important, in my opinion, to look at the various profiles, develop an understanding of the core and added responsibilities, get to know the management and explore opportunities to grow and learn. Working for big companies will enable you to boast of a name and expose you to an assembly-line style of work but ascent will take time and the work can get monotonous. New and smaller companies can be a little disorganized and might want employees to figure things out on their own but offer flexibility and quick growth.
A decision has to be taken regarding what kind of exposure and work-experience would one like before taking up the first job. Once that decision is made, a lot of things become clear.
Go The Diploma Way
If you do not have the time or means to pursue a full-fledged degree course or if you are already working and would like to pick up some additional skills in your domain, a diploma might be the perfect choice. Over the years, diploma courses have become quite popular and with the introduction of new domains, new diploma courses are being offered to cater to the demands. A diploma course aims to provide the required skills within a limited time and sometimes work better since it is more focused.
In India, diploma courses are often not placed at the same level as regular degree courses which results in most students shying away from them. However, in terms of job-opportunities, there is a healthy demand for diploma holders. Plenty of diploma holders get job offers immediately after completing their education. Where it takes a considerable amount of time to start a new degree course with adequate faculty and infrastructure, short-term diploma courses are easier to implement. Owing to this, diplomas can boast of offering a wide variety of skills and sometimes outperforming degrees in making students job-ready.
Open universities like IGNOU have several diplomas to offer in distance mode. So if you are looking at honing specific skills or eyeing an emerging domain, check out what diplomas are bringing to the table.